Columbia digest

Anderson out

Lee Anderson's name may not appear on any ballot this year.

Though he's been a state House of Representatives candidate and a county commission candidate in the last two weeks, he dropped out of one race and is ineligible for the other.

Initially, he announced he'd seek the state House seat being vacated by the retiring Bill Jackson. Then - after county commission chairman Barry Fleming said he too was running for Jackson's seat - Anderson decided to run for Fleming's seat in the commission. Fleming will have to resign once he officially files for the state House race.

But Anderson doesn't live in the commission district.

"I think I'm going to sit tight right now and evaluate the situation, analyze the situation and regroup," he said. "I'm going to give it some thought. I want to talk to my family and see. I might just stay out and wait two and a half years."

Work pauses

Don't expect any construction-related traffic tie-ups on Interstate 20 during Masters Week.

The Georgia Department of Transportation has suspended construction on the Interstate between Thomson and Augusta through April 15.

"The less hassle motorists encounter, the better and the more pleasant everyone's Masters experience can be," said Area Engineer Gus Cooper.

DOT officials said the stoppage would not delay the project - the downtime was included in the contract for the work.