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Tyler Perry Studios President Dies In FL Plane Crash: Reports

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Tyler Perry Studios President Dies In FL Plane Crash: Reports


CITRUS COUNTY, FL — Steve Mensch, the president of Atlanta-based Tyler Perry Studios, died when a small plane he was piloting Friday night crashed in Florida, according to multiple reports.

The 62-year-old studio executive’s plane crashed in Citrus County on West White Dogwood Drive near the intersection of U.S. 98 in the Homosassa area just after 8 p.m., the Florida Highway Patrol said in a news release.

The pilot, who FHP didn’t identify, was pronounced dead at the scene. Photos of the plane provided by the agency show that it landed upside down on the road.

The crash shut down a section of U.S. 19 for several hours during the Friday night investigation, the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post. The highway was closed in the area of Longfellow Street until about 2:30 a.m.

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Tyler Perry Studios confirmed that Mensch, who also serves as general manager, was piloting the plane.

“We are incredibly saddened by the passing of our dear friend Steve Mensch,” the studio said in a statement provided to Pasco News. “Steve was a cherished member of our team for more than eight years and well-beloved in the community of Atlanta. It’s hard to imagine not seeing him smiling throughout the halls. We will miss him dearly. Our heart goes out to his family as we all send them our prayers.”

Mensch, the plane’s only passenger, was flying a single-engine Vans RV-12IS, which was registered to his Fayetteville home, which is in an Atlanta suburb, according to the Citrus County Chronicle.

He joined Tyler Perrio Studios in 2016, not long after the company bought the 330-acre former Fort McPherson Army Base in Atlanta, reports said. He oversaw the conversion of the property into a film and TV production lot. It’s one of the largest in the U.S.

He got his start in the entertainment business working for Feature Systems, which provides equipment to production companies, and was later hired by Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting.

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Before joining Perry’s studio, he served as president of another Georgia-based entertainment company, Third Rail Studios, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Mensch is also known for his work advocating for Georgia’s film tax credit, which brings in more than $1 billion a year and helped transform the state into one of the most active places for film and TV production in the country, reports said.

Gov. Brian Kemp mourned the studio executive’s death in a social media post.

“A good man and an instrumental part of a studio Georgia is proud to call its own, his achievements made our state better and brought more opportunities to its people,” he wrote in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter. “His loved ones and the entire Tyler Perry Studios team will be in our thoughts and prayers as they mourn this loss.”

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

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Atlanta, GA

Atlantans prepare steep driveways for winter weather

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Atlantans prepare steep driveways for winter weather


ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Winter weather on the horizon has people living in metro Atlanta with steep driveways preparing for ice.

Steep driveways are a common sight in Sandy Springs and there are solutions to not being stuck during the storm.

Amit Gambhir is one driver with a steep driveway. “It hasn’t been too bad. That we’ve seen. I know we’re thinking that could be the case in a couple of days,” said Gambhir.

“I want to say it was eight hours. I was one of the lucky ones it wasn’t overnight but it was a long time,” said Gambhir.

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Gambhir doesn’t plan on being stuck in his car again.

“I do not plan to be out and about very much Thursday night through however long this lasts,” said Gambhir.

“If you do need to get out of your house and out of the neighborhood, probably Ice Melt, so you can get your car where it needs to go. So snow shovels or Ice Melt,” said Andy Jones, a manager and owner of Intown Ace Hardware.

Ice Melt is a chemical substance that melts snow and ice by lowering the freezing point of water.

“It essentially melts the ice and then that melted ice will run off your driveway so it won’t refreeze and you’re not slipping,” said Jones.

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Salting driveways is another option.

“Go ahead and pull down to the street and park your car on the street the night before,” said Jones.

“I think we’re just going to hold steady here and play it safe,” said Jones.



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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta inspector general warns new City Council legislation could ruin leadership transparency

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Atlanta inspector general warns new City Council legislation could ruin leadership transparency


Atlanta’s Inspector General warns legislation introduced this week will gut her office and turn the clock back on attempts to weed out corruption, fraud and misconduct at City Hall.

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The independent watchdog agency has come under fire by city employees for alleged tactics and procedures. 

Even Mayor Andre Dickens’s office has found itself at odds with the IG.

The legislation is sponsored by longtime Council member Howard Shook and six of his colleagues.

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The IG says if it passes, it will rip the teeth out of her office.

Shannon Manigault, Atlanta’s Inspector General, sits down with FOX 5 Atlanta for a one-on-one interview on Dec. 4, 2024. (FOX 5)

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“We have had delays. We’ve had obstruction. We’ve had disclosure of our requests,” said Atlanta Inspector General Shannon Manigault. 

She is disappointed in legislation introduced Monday by Shook to limit the authority of the independent office in its effort to hold city employees and officials accountable.

Currently, stakeholder organizations nominate board members to oversee the IG, but Shook’s legislation would change the charter.

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“It takes the additional step of creating a mayoral board, so right now the board of the inspector general and the language in the charter says the board is there to ensure the independence of the office. That model, which is a great one, and one that had been lauded by other cities,” Shannon Manigault affirmed.

That could soon go away. The IG believes all Atlantans should be alarmed by this.

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Another new aspect, the new board would appoint an inspector general, which could leave Manigault searching for a new job.

“Always what is important is what’s best for the institution. It’s not about Shannon Manigault. It’s about the citizens of Atlanta having trust in this office that’s supposed to build trust in city government,” the IG said.

Manigault says the proposed legislation also does away with the IG getting immediate access to employee documents.

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“Rather than have immediate access of records, we need to root out fraud, waste, and corruption in the city. We have to go to employees, and it’s voluntary as to whether those employees are gonna provide city records and city property. That’s unheard of,” the top attorney explained.

The legislation was introduced Monday.

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There will be an opportunity to make changes to it next week during the finance committee meeting.

The Source: This is part of continuing coverage from FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Aungelique Proctor.

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Atlanta, GA

Chase Chrisley named as suspect in assault incident at Atlanta sports bar

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Chase Chrisley named as suspect in assault incident at Atlanta sports bar


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The Chrisley family is facing more legal headwinds. This time, middle son Chase Chrisley is the subject of police concerns.

The “Chrisley Knows Best” star was named as a suspect in a “simple assault” incident at Twin Peaks sport bar in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood on Monday night, according to a police report obtained by USA TODAY and confirmed by the Atlanta Police Department on Wednesday.

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USA TODAY reached out to reps for Chrisley for comment.

Police say that the alleged victim claimed Chrisley “became really drunk” inside the restaurant and bar franchise, which boasts locations around the U.S., and “started to act very disrespectful and belligerent.”

After he was allegedly asked by the victim to leave the location “multiple times,” the police report says Chrisley “slapped him in the face twice” after he previously “refused to leave and started acting more belligerent.”

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According to the report, the alleged victim was not injured in the incident and “refused medical attention.”

Chrisley was the star of USA Network’s “Chrisley Knows Best,” which aired for 10 seasons, with its most recent episode broadcast in March of 2024. The spinoff, “Growing Up Chrisley,” which followed his life with sister Savannah Chrisley, aired for four seasons between 2019 and 2022.

The Chrisley family, once ratings gold, has faced legal trouble in recent years

After a rapid rise to fame for TV’s Chrisley family with ratings gold, their swift downfall followed.

Chrisley’s parents — family matriarch and patriarch — Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley, who portrayed themselves as real estate tycoons in the South on their USA Network shows, are both serving prison sentences after a jury in June 2022 found them guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks in Atlanta out of more than $36 million in fraudulent loans, defraud the IRS and commit tax evasion.

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In September, a federal judge ordered Julie Chrisley to continue to serve her seven-year prison sentence for tax evasion and bank fraud, upholding her own 2022 ruling.

The couple’s children — Chase, Savannah and Grayson, as well as granddaughter Chloe and Todd’s mother, Faye Chrisley — were slated to return to television with a new unscripted docuseries, according to an August 2023 press release obtained by Variety and Deadline.

The show, which has yet to be released, would follow the family as they adjust to life with their parents behind bars.

At this summer’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, youngest daughter Savannah Chrisley received criticism after arguing that her parents’ separate sentences were a case for criminal justice reform throughout the country.

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Contributing: Charles Trepany, KiMi Robinson



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