(GA. NEWS NETWORK)
*Federal investigators are shutting down a multi-state prison contraband operation that centered in Macon. The Middle Georgia U.S. Attorney’s office said Wednesday that a dozen people have been indicted for their parts in the ring. A former daycare on Macon’s west side was reportedly used as a home base to store narcotics, tools and drones that were used to deliver payloads to prisons in at least eight states.
*The Georgia Environmental Protection Division is keeping a close eye on fecal bacteria at several beaches. Elevated levels have been reported this week on Jekyll Island’s Driftwood Beach, Tybee Island and South Beach on St. Simon’s Island. Work is still underway to identify the source of contamination. The EPD has started setting limits on the amount of pollutants allowed into the water.
*The National Weather Service confirms at least ten tornadoes touched down last Thursday throughout North and Central Georgia from the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur. Two men were killed during the stormy weather when a tree fell on their truck.
*An investigation is deepening into a Chattahoochee River fish kill. Thousands of fish died in a 20-mile stretch of the river a few weeks ago due to stormwater runoff and sewage overflow in Atlanta. FOX 5 reports that Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management announced it is bringing in an independent contractor to assess the area.