Augusta, GA
What’s the plan for Augusta’s opioid settlement money?
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Fentanyl is Augusta’s number one killer for 30- to 50-year-olds, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen says last year, 100 people died from opioid overdoses, with another 85 deaths pending confirmation.
In Mayor Garnett Johnson’s State of the City address on Tuesday, he talked about how the city plans to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars that are already in the bank in opioid settlement money.
In two settlements over years, more than $7 million is going directly to the city.
The mayor says the problem is payments are spread across 18 years and the hundreds of thousands we do have have to be planned out carefully.
The city has almost $700,000 from the settlements, with hundreds of thousands coming in the next 18 years.
Dr. Bedder works at Augusta’s VA and as director at AU’s Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program. He says some of the most vulnerable victims of this epidemic are those in recovery.
“If you don’t treat the withdrawal, they’re going to go right back out into the street to get more drugs to treat their withdrawal,” he said.
Bedder says a solution needs to come soon, which is what Mayor Johnson is pushing for in treatment vending machines.
“Not only hotel lobbies but bars, nightclubs, anywhere where someone is perhaps experiencing a need for treatment as a result of any of these opioids,” said Mayor Johnson.
Dr. Bedder says the real solution however is long-term care.
“I think the Mayor’s idea is a good idea, but it’s only a band-aid. It’ll prevent some deaths which is great, but the core is treatment and the detox facilities. We have seen nothing from the state, we have tried to tap into some of that settlement money that’s coming in,” he said.
But with the amount coming by the year, Mayor Johnson says these machines are the best way to create an immediate dent.
“I don’t know if the settlement dollars will flow that far, based on the settlement dollars we’re getting. But if we can, and we can make it work, I’m certain and open to having that conversation,” said Mayor Johnson.
Mayor Johnson says the soonest they can get something on the agenda to move forward is sometime after March.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Georgia Gubernational candidate Geoff Duncan made another appearance in Augusta on Monday, speaking at the IBEW Local 1579 on Reynolds Street.
Duncan is one of the three candidates vying for the Democratic nomination. Duncan said when he served as lieutenant governor of the state, he fought to expand access to health care in rural communities. He said if he’s elected, he’ll focus on lowering costs in other areas.
Duncan stopped by NewsChannel 6 ahead of the campaign stop to speak about his plans.
“Look, 90% of Georgians know what they’re talking about when they want to pass commonsense gun legislation like universal background checks, red flag laws, and in-home safe storage laws. As governor, I want to lead the charge, and I want to give political cover to those Republicans that want to do the right thing, build those consensus around those bills,” Duncan said. “I hope to get some of them the cosign that legislation. Because it meets people where they’re at. It’s common sense. Look, I don’t want anybody to ever walk by a television screen and make another excuse for a mass shooting when it could have been stopped. With just common sense laws that are on the books.”
Photojournalist credit: Regynal McKie
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Golden Harvest Food Bank is partnering with local legal organizations for the 15th Annual Georgia Food Frenzy.
The fundraising competition is held in partnership with Feeding Georgia, the Office of the Georgia Attorney General, the State Bar of Georgia, and the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia.
The two-week competition runs from April 20th through May 1st, and every dollar raised stays local, supporting Golden Harvest’s work across the state of Georgia.
Groups can register at www.galegalfoodfrenzy.org/sign-up, and registration will remain open throughout the competition.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Georgia gubernatorial candidate Geoff Duncan campaigned in Augusta ahead of Election Day, making stops at two churches and meeting with local faith leaders.
The former lieutenant governor visited Good Hope Baptist Church on Cedar Street, where he spoke with the Greater Augusta Interfaith Coalition’s “Music to the Polls” group.
Duncan told us that, if elected governor, he wants to expand Medicaid, pass what he called “common-sense gun legislation,” and create more economic opportunities statewide. He also pointed to affordability concerns impacting families and businesses.
“I want to take $1.7 billion of our state’s fund and wrap it around the axle of poverty,” Duncan said, adding that he wants to lower child care costs and improve temporary assistance programs.
Duncan also stopped at Miles Memorial Church on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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