Supporters of smoking ban to rally Friday
Those who want a tougher smoking ordinance in Augusta will rally Friday to show their support at a bar that went smoke-free earlier this year.
BreathEasy Augusta will hold a rally during First Friday beginning at 6 p.m. at Joe’s Underground Cafe, 144 Eighth St. The group will be grilling hotdogs and providing T-shirts for those who would like to volunteer at future events.
Traffic slows on Interstate 20 after multiple vehicles wreck
A series of car wrecks on Interstate 20 slowed traffic for more than an hour Wednesday afternoon.
Fifteen vehicles were involved in six minor collisions, said South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Judd Jones. No serious injuries were reported.
The first wreck occurred about 5:30 p.m. in the westbound lanes near mile 3. As traffic slowed because of the accident, five more collisions occurred up to mile 5, Jones said.
Bond reduced for man accused of setting fire to Augusta home
A judge reduced bond Wednesday for a man accused of setting his ex-girlfriend’s Augusta home on fire, killing two family pets.
A combined $275,200 bond was set May 17 for Justin B. Hall, 23, by a retired judge sitting in for the Superior Court duty judge, but Chief Judge J. Carlisle Overstreet reduced Hall’s bond to $66,200.
Bond for his co-defendant in the case, Kyle Capps, 24, was set at $22,200 by the magistrate judge on April 19. Capps had no felony record or pending charge. Hall and Capps remain in jail.
Aiken man charged in child exploitation case
An Aiken man accused of possessing and distributing child pornography has been booked on 22 counts of child exploitation.
According to an Aiken County Sheriff’s Office news release, an undercover investigation that began April 20 prompted investigators to obtain and execute a search warrant at the home of Ronald Gene Gardner.
Gardner, 53, surrendered to investigators Wednesday after warrants were obtained Tuesday.
Statewide fishing events aim to grow sport among children
As many as 100 children will cast their lines Saturday into a stocked pond on the campus of Augusta Technical College with hopes of reeling in their first fish.
The event, organized by longtime fisherman Kirk Gatch for the past two decades, is part of a statewide effort to introduce young anglers to fishing, which license and merchandise sales show is on the upswing as the economy begins to stabilize and more people search for outdoor activities to share with their families.
Car child seats most often used improperly, experts say
Child restraint usage in Georgia vehicles has risen during the past five years, but officials estimate nearly 100 percent of child restraint seats are used incorrectly.
“Having a seat in the car and using it correctly are two different things,” said Andrew Turnage, the child passenger safety coordinator at The University of Georgia’s Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute.
Open house set for old Augusta fire station
Augusta’s Engine Company No. 7 will hold an open house at 5 p.m. Thursday.
The public can tour the fire house between Kings Way and Central Avenue.
It was the city’s first fire station to have motorized fire engines.
The event is free, but donations are accepted.
Repairs planned for Tobacco Road railroad crossing
A Tobacco Road railroad crossing will be closed for several days next week while crews rebuild it.
The crossing at Tobacco Road and Doug Barnard Parkway will be closed Monday through June 13.
Rainy days forecast, storms possible for Augusta area
The tract of a low pressure system moving across the Gulf of Mexico will determine whether severe weather will hit the Augusta area.
The system is set now to cross south central Georgia on Friday with a 60 percent chance of showers Thursday and a 70 percent chance on Friday, according to Pam Tucker, the director of Columbia County Emergency and Operations Division.
But with uncertainty surrounding the tract, the forecast could change.
IRS spent lavishly at Ga. resorts
ATLANTA -- A government report blasting the Internal Revenue Service for its spending on seminars, speakers and training videos lists 22 Georgia conferences at high-end hotels on St. Simons Island and in downtown Atlanta.
Among them is a conference for managers at Atlanta’s Marriott Marquis Hotel that cost $1.18 million for 800 attendees, or an average of $1,477 per person.
Augusta route called slowest of high-speed rail plans
SUWANEE, Ga. -- A proposal to run a high-speed rail line from Atlanta to Charlotte through Augusta would be the slower option, officials said Tuesday.
Nearly 75 people attended a public meeting in suburban Atlanta to gain information and to comment on six proposed routes for a high-speed rail line linking two of the South’s major economic centers.
One of the proposals would go through Augusta and Columbia. A different one would go through Athens.
Deputies called when coaches square off at Ga. softball game
JEFFERSON, Ga. -- A heated dispute between coaches at a weekend girls’ softball tournament near Athens resulted in the ejection of two opposing coaches and the forfeiture of the tournament’s championship game, according to a Jackson County Sheriff’s Office report.
Gas line explosions in Greensboro
GREENSBORO, Ga. — Several residents were being evacuated from their homes after multiple explosions involving a gas line in the northeast Georgia town of Greensboro.
Authorities say the explosions happened shortly before 10 a.m. Tuesday in the town about an hour west of Augusta. There were no reports of any injuries.
CBS Atlanta reports that about a dozen homes and businesses were evacuated. WAGA-TV reports that authorities were going door-to-door to evacuate homes in the East Broad Street area.
