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Hockey is coming back to Augusta under new deal

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Hockey is coming back to Augusta under new deal


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – It looks like hockey will be returning to Augusta.

The Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority entered a new agreement Tuesday with the Oak View Group, which will take control over the yet-to-be-built downtown arena and Bell Auditorium, operating under a new contract.

It won’t be the first time for Augusta to have hockey. In the late 1990s, the Augusta Lynx Minor League Hockey team hit the ice in the James Brown Arena, which is being torn down to make way for a new one.

Under that contract, Oak View will be fully responsible for bringing a hockey team here and making sure it remains successful.

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The company has gone as far as to donate $10 million toward that.

And that pays for the entire thing, so this won’t cost taxpayers a dime.

A feasibility study shows the venture will be very successful.

“Through this contract, we will maximize the potential of our new Arena, ensure profitability for the Authority, fund capital improvements and maintenance, and ultimately, set up this Board – and the Augusta Entertainment Complex – as a whole, for success long after we are all gone,” said Cedric Johnson, Chairman of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority. “We look forward to this continued partnership as we work in tandem to Build Augusta’s Future!”

The study shows that ice hockey will benefit the city with 45 more days of active business, which means more money for local restaurants and hotels.

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They say it will bring jobs to the area, increase spending downtown by 60% and tax revenue by 40%.

Zelig Williams was last seen leaving his home last Thursday.

Leaders say it was not a quick decision.

“The coliseum authority wanted us to make sure it was right for Augusta,” said Michael Harvey, vice president of Nations Group. “That there was no risk, that they weren’t buying something they didn’t have to pay for. With the contract negotiations market analysis it is good for Augusta.”

The contract extension is for 10 years with a 10-year option.

The new 10,500-seat arena is expected to open in 2027 and include suites, loge boxes, a private club lounge and a connection to Bell Auditorium.

Located in downtown Augusta, the Bell Auditorium is a 2,700-seat theater that reopened on May 31 after being offline for a year to undergo expansion and refurbishments.

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“We’ve been a long-standing partner through our management of the Augusta Entertainment Complex and are honored that the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority has entrusted Oak View Group to manage operations of the new Augusta arena,” said Peter Luukko, co-chairman of the company.

Oak View Group has provided management services at Bell Auditorium and James Brown Arena since 2008.



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Augusta, GA

We the People: Augusta Museum showcases new America’s 250th exhibit

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We the People: Augusta Museum showcases new America’s 250th exhibit


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta Museum of History is launching a new America’s 250th exhibit that showcases the area’s Revolutionary War, Civil War and modern-day connections.

“When people think of the Revolutionary War, a lot of times they think of up north, you know, New England and Paul Revere, but there’s just as much history down here,” Krystal Lyons, head of education, said.

The exhibit is a chronological journey through Augusta’s past

The exhibit moves chronologically through Augusta’s history, telling specific stories through objects that have not been displayed before or in a long time.

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The display starts with Native Americans and the Stallings Island community, progresses through the Revolutionary period and into the Civil War and antebellum period before arriving at the modern day.

Visitors should plan multiple visits to see all the historical stories the artifacts tell, as the exhibit will change every three months.

“These stories that each of these artifacts has, it has a little story that we can connect to people today, so it might feel like a long time ago, 250 years ago, but there’s a lot of things that we do that are just the same today as they were 250 years ago.”

You can also visit the Augusta Museum of History’s social media pages as they deep dive into one artifact per week throughout the year.



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GameStop to close 16 Georgia locations, including 1 in Augusta

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GameStop to close 16 Georgia locations, including 1 in Augusta


AUGUSTA, Ga. — Video game retailer GameStop is reportedly closing 16 stores in Georgia, including one Augusta location, as part of its “comprehensive store portfolio optimization.”

The store in Augusta is located in the Southpointe Plaza at 3209 Deans Bridge Road.

The retailer announced in an SEC filing that it plans to close “a significant number of additional stores in fiscal 2025.”

While an official list is not available, emails sent to customers and notices sent to employees indicate 16 stores in Georgia are on the chopping block.

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All Georgia locations closing include:

  • North Point Mall, 1198 North Point Circle, Alpharetta
  • Lenox Square Mall, 3393 Peachtree Rd. NE Suite 2027, Atlanta
  • Howell Mill, 1801 Howell Mill Rd. NW, Atlanta
  • Southpointe Plaza, 3209 Deans Bridge Rd., Augusta
  • Shops @ Main Street, 455 Cherokee Pl., Cartersville
  • Chamblee Village, 1841 Chamblee-Tucker Rd., Chamblee
  • Peachtree Mall, 3131 Manchester Expwy. #34B, Columbus
  • Cumming Marketplace, 1060 Market Place Blvd., Cumming
  • Dublin Commons, 2421 Hwy. 80 W, Dublin
  • Hartwell Station, 115 Walmart Dr., Hartwell
  • 4959 Bill Gardner Pkwy., Locust Grove
  • McDonough Square, 1144 Hwy. 20-81, McDonough
  • Pharrs Village, 1830 Scenic Hwy. N, Snellville
  • Stone Mountain Festival, 1825 Rockbridge Rd., Stone Mountain
  • Cofer Crossing, 4363 Lawrenceville Hwy., Tucker

GameStop’s board of directors recently approved $35 billion in performance-based stock options for CEO Ryan Cohen, should the company’s market cap hit $100 billion. The company’s market cap is $9.3 billion.



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Finding Solutions: Augusta nurse opens new end-of-life care facility

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Finding Solutions: Augusta nurse opens new end-of-life care facility


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A hospice nurse is opening Augusta’s first inpatient hospice home, giving families a new option for end-of-life care.

Stacia Sirull, a hospice nurse, is opening the Augusta Inpatient Hospice Home. The facility will feature hummingbird decorations throughout.

“My sister passed away a couple of years ago. She died in a hospice house in Kentucky and loved humming birds. When I decided to do this I was like we are just going to put humming birds everywhere,” Sirull said.

Limited options for Augusta families

Augusta families facing end-of-life care currently have limited options. The new facility will serve as an alternative.

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“There are many times when I hear I don’t want to die at home. I don’t want leave here and leave the memory of this with my family and don’t want to stay here, or the other way around I don’t want my family member to die at home and have to remember that they were here in this house,” Sirull said.

Sirull said the facility gives people a comfortable option in a homey environment.

“Our slogan is your life, your journey, your choice. The reason we wrote it that way is because I want people to be able to make their own choice at the end of life and have those choices be respected,” she said.

Family shares experience

Krista Weigle’s mother was on hospice in Augusta in 2018. Weigle said her mother began needing more care than she and her sister could provide. Her sister lives in Statesboro, where there is an inpatient hospice home.

“We just felt so blessed to find that place and felt very comfortable with her being there and when she passed we knew we had done the right thing,” Weigle said.

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Facility details and community support

The Augusta Inpatient Hospice Home will have six rooms added to the existing building. Sirull said there will always be one bed available for someone who doesn’t have the finances or insurance to cover the stay.

“No one should die alone, no one should die without support in their last days and not just support, but compassionate support,” she said.

Sirull said the community can help by donating hospital beds, blankets, quilts, bedside tables, kitchen items including pots and pans, and personal care items including diapers, wipes and shampoo.

Weigle said she’s happy to know a place she once needed is coming to Augusta.

“My only worry is that it won’t be big enough and once word gets around and people see what need it fills, there will need to be more places like this,” she said.

The Augusta Inpatient Hospice Home is a nonprofit organization set to open May 1.

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