Richmond County, GA | featured news

Associated Press
CATAULA, Ga. — Authorities say a Columbus man was drunk when he crashed his car in Harris County, killing two of his young sons.
News outlets report that officials with the Department of Public Safety Information Office say 32-year-old Christopher Farrell faces two counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of endangering a child under the age of 14 while driving under the influence, among other charges, following Monday morning's crash in Cataula.

AMATRICE, Italy — A strong earthquake in central Italy reduced three towns to rubble as people slept early Wednesday, with reports that as many as 50 people were killed and hundreds injured as rescue crews raced to dig out survivors.

The toll was likely to rise as crews reached homes in more remote hamlets where the scenes were apocalyptic “like Dante’s Inferno,” according to one witness.

“The town isn’t here anymore,” said Sergio Pirozzi, the mayor of Amatrice. “I believe the toll will rise.”

Schools aren’t the only ones that can educate their way out of paying Augusta’s new stormwater utility fee.
The city offers two levels of education credits that can reduce almost any nonresidential payer’s fee by up to 35 percent.
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Jordan Johnson, president of the Young Democrats of Augusta, issued a call to action Tuesday at the Richmond County Board of Education.
With more than two dozen supporters standing nearby - some of whom held signs and donned T-shirts - Johnson made a plea to the community to vote against Opportunity School District in the upcoming Nov. 8 election.
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Thomson received a significant boost in its classification while Jefferson County held strong in the latest Georgia Sports Writers Association High School Football Poll released Tuesday.
The Bulldogs moved up to No. 6 in Class AAAA after sitting at No. 9 in the preseason poll last week. They routed Laney in their season opener at home, 45-0, and made a statement with their stable of skill players.
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The Augusta GreenJackets released their 2017 schedule Tuesday, featuring several holiday home games.
Similar to past years, the GreenJackets will open on the road during Masters Week, this time at Columbia on April 6. Their home opener is April 13 against the FireFlies.
Augusta will be home for 11 weekends. Highlighting the schedule are home games on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, July 4 and Labor Day. The GreenJackets will play host to Columbia on July 4-6, and the homestand continues through the 10th against Asheville.

 
The American Red Cross of Augusta is raising money for Louisiana Disaster Flood Relief during a telethon today until 7 p.m.
WJBF and Beasley Broadcasting is assisting in the telethon which has been ongoing since 10 a.m.
The Red Cross is asking the public to call and make pledges at the donation line -- (706) 922-8477.
 

 
Police said a suspect in the armed robbery of a Gordon Highway Subway on Sunday lied about his name during the investigation.
On Monday afternoon, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office announced the remaining tire iron wielding suspect in the armed robbery of Subway, 1646 Gordon Highway, had been located after he was transported to Augusta University Medical Center emergency room due to a medical episode. He had a small amount of methamphetamine on him at the time. He was identified as Brandon James Simmons, 25, of Durham, N.C.

Richmond County Board of Education agreed last week to pay the city a discounted stormwater utility fee of $173,508 – but the system’s reduced rate came at a price.
After months of planning, the school system is receiving a 65 percent credit on its fee in exchange for incorporating stormwater education into its curriculum, City Administrator Janice Allen Jackson said.
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The results of City Administrator Janice Allen Jackson’s evaluation are back and some aren’t pretty.
While overall the mayor and commissioners rated Jackson average or better in 10 areas – her highest average score was a four out of five or “above average” in fiscal management – the review includes several less-than-stellar marks.
All told, Jackson received 127 scores of “excellent” across 50 areas. But in 49 categories, a commissioner or the mayor assigned a “below average” score. In two they rated her performance “poor.”