Augusta, Chatham County | featured news

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Authorities say a Georgia child has died after being pulled from a Myrtle Beach hotel's water attraction.Horry County Deputy Coroner Darris Fowler tells new outlets that 7-year-old London Adams, of Atlanta, died at a hospital after being found in a "lazy river" pool at the Sheraton Broadway Plantation Resort Villas on Saturday evening.Fowler says Adams's cause of death was drowning. Myrtle Beach police are investigating the incident. 

LILBURN — Authorities say a Wal-Mart worker was shot and killed by a suspected shoplifter at a store northeast of Atlanta.CBS 46 reports that the loss prevention officer was gunned down shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday at the Wal-Mart on Lawrenceville Highway in Lilburn.Lilburn Police Capt. Thomas Bardugon tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that workers confronted the suspect as he headed toward the parking lot, and a struggle ensued. Bardugon said the suspect then pulled a handgun and fired one shot into the worker.

Today's obituaries in the Savannah Morning News.For these and past obits, click here.- Mr. Jason E. Adams, South Thompson Comm- Mr. Samuel Davis, Claxton, GA- Mrs. Lizzie H. Givens, Savannah, GA - Ms. Ellen Lewis, Savannah, GA - Mr. Kevin S. Nelson, Beaufort, SC- Bertie Harbuck Rigdon, Metter, GA- Mr. Fred Ruffin, Rockyford, GA- Judy Scott, Jesup, GA- Mr. Roy Dillion Woods, Glennville, GA

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The teacher shortage in poor, rural districts in South Carolina is so bad, the state is considering offering would-be instructors a way to graduate from college debt free.
The catch? They have to spend eight years in the state’s neediest districts, where turnover is the worst and the closest Wal-Mart can be up to 45 minutes away. There’s another, perhaps even bigger, hurdle with Gov. Nikki Haley’s proposal: The state doesn’t have enough teachers interested in its current $5 million loan-forgiveness program.

Later today, the Savannah Morning News will unveil its latest digital effort by releasing a brand new savannahnow.com.
Our team has been working for months to improve the user experience on savannahnow.com and we are pleased that we can finally make the site public.
The new savannahnow.com comes with many new features and we hope it will improve your reading experience.
Here are some of the enhancements we have made:
• Pages should load on your device faster than ever.

State transportation officials are putting the final touches on the “Last Mile” of the Jimmy DeLoach Parkway and say they anticipate getting this stretch of road open to traffic by June.
Jill Nagel, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Transportation, said contractors have completed paving on the project, and work will begin soon on striping and installing raised pavement markers — those square, reflective devices used to denote the road’s edges.
At this point, the 3.1-mile connection is 95 percent complete, according to information from GDOT.

The Supreme Court of Georgia is set to hear arguments this week in a civil case between the Clerk of Superior Court in Chatham County and the board that issues his paychecks.

BALTIMORE — A year after the death of Freddie Gray, a small part of his legacy can be seen at a southwest Baltimore recreation center, where the pounding of basketballs and squeak of sneakers echo off the walls as young black men in shorts and sweats face off.
Ken Hurst, a white policeman, watches from the side, a bum knee the only thing that keeps him from playing. He visits the game each week, not to make arrests but to make friends. “I need them to realize I’m not out here to lock everyone up,” he says. “I’m here to rebuild trust.”

Police officials say that the Ga. 204 exit ramp of northbound I-95 is closed after a driver fled Richmond Hill police, clipped an 18-wheeler and rolled over.Georgia State Patrol is investigating the incident.