AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – In a year marked by construction, tariffs, government shutdown threats and economic uncertainty, the holiday season provided small businesses in Aiken and Augusta with a chance to turn a hefty profit.

Business owners across the region reported strong foot traffic and sales during the critical November and December period, which helps sustain them through slower months.

Pete Swales of High Country Olive Oil on Laurens Street said Aiken’s tourism appeal brings steady customers during the holidays.

“Aiken has a lot of folks coming in and visiting and traveling and a lot of tourism. And so we get a lot of folks just walking by,” Swales said.

The holiday season represents a crucial revenue period for his business.

“Our business becomes incredibly busy in that November and December time frame. It’s probably 1/3 of the year is done inside of that month and a half,” Swales said.

Across the street at The Little Red Fox Shop, Charles Lowe reported similar holiday traffic patterns.

“Tons, tons. We get… We don’t get a lot of foot traffic all year, but we get a lot this time of year,” Lowe said.

The shop, which features items from local artists, serves as a popular destination for gift shopping.

“It’s like really from mid-November to December, we stay swamped. It’s good because, you know, that’s where you make, like, we can get through like January and February are really slow,” Lowe said.

Pink Icing Boutique opened downtown at the beginning of the holiday season and immediately saw strong customer traffic.

“This is a little over a month since we’ve been here, and I’ve seen a tremendous amount of foot traffic before and after the holidays,” said Benicia Bush of Pink Icing Boutique.

In downtown Augusta, businesses also reported sustained activity extending beyond Christmas.

Shama S. Cartwright of Rebel Lion Den said the holiday season continues to bring customers downtown.

“After Christmas, they have Kwanzaa. So it’s still a pickup, because we’re still celebrating the holiday season, so people come through from the time, say Christmas Eve, on to like now, people are coming downtown,” Cartwright said.

Business owners said warm weather during the holiday season provided an additional boost, encouraging more people to walk around downtown areas and shop for gifts.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Plans for an Augusta data center − announced years ago and possibly forgotten by many − have grown quite a bit.

New plans call for the data center to occupy as much space as two Augusta Malls − all wedged between the Hayne’s Station and Captain’s Corner subdivisions off Gordon Highway in west Augusta.

And at least some preliminary work has apparently begun, with one older home being demolished and heavy equipment moving dirt near the location in recent weeks.

Word of the data center may come as a surprise to residents of adjacent neighborhoods that hadn’t even been built when the initial plans were announced.

Those plans were unveiled in 2022, when T5 Data Centers said it would build a 140-acre campus adjacent to Fort Gordon and the Army’s Cyber Command headquarters.

That initial plan was for four buildings totaling 1.67 million square feet.

In the intervening years, most people probably forgot about it.

A sign along Gordon Highway had announced the center, but it fell into disrepair and was partially destroyed by Hurricane Helene.

That didn’t mean the plan vanished, though.

In fact, flying under the radar of many people, T5 faded from the picture and a new developer took over the proposal.

In June 2024, a new company stepped in with grander plans. The company filed an application with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to expand the proposal to six two-story buildings totaling 2.15 million square feet.

That company was Eagle South LLC, although schematics filed with the city list Cyber Development LLC and say the plans were prepared for QTS Data Centers of Duluth, Ga.

For comparison, Augusta Mall has 1.1 million square feet of store space.

The city staff suggested that buildings be no taller than 68 feet and that landscaping be enhanced along Gordon Highway, among other requirements, but otherwise recommended approval of the so-called Project Eisenhower.

Darren Meadows with the Hull Barrett Law Firm went before the Augusta Planning Commission on June 3, 2024, to outline the proposal on behalf of Eagle South.

“Our project contemplates six buildings approximately 239,000 square feet each, which represents an initial development investment of up to $2 billion. Beyond that, there will be millions of dollars intended for investment in computer systems and other personal property to be located on this property,” he said.

Columbia County: The data center battle there

1. Columbia County leaders ‘confident’ proposed data center will be built
2. Columbia County leaders move to create data center zoning district
3. Columbia County commissioners defend data center
4. Concerns continue over data center in Columbia County
5. Columbia County data center: How we got here and what’s at stake
6. Columbia County neighbors push for transparency on proposed data center
7. Proposed data center concerns some Appling neighbors

He said the company expected more than 600 short-term construction jobs and 160-200 long-term jobs from data center operations, with an average salary of $70,000.

Critics of data centers have complained about a low long-term employment gain, although many jobs are generated through construction.

In fact, Augusta planning commissioners questioned Eagle South’s job claims, noting that T5 had expected only 20-30 employees total. But Eagle South said it had different estimates.

Planning commissioners posed several questions about space between the property and neighbors, and were told there would be at least a 50-foot buffer − although some officials were pushing for more.

A schematic filed with the city shows the east end of the facility directly behind homes on Goodale Drive in Hayne’s Station.

The western side would back up to homes in the Captain’s Corner neighborhood, in some spots coming between them and Gordon Highway.

SEE THE SCHEMATICS:

The environmental quality section of the application says the facility is likely to affect water supply watershed, wetlands and floodplains.

The application states the facility is expected to consume 18,000 gallons of water per day. That’s about 900 showers, if you consider that the average 10-minute shower uses 20 gallons.

The application says there’s sufficient supply from Augusta Utilities.

The facility would generate 9,200 gallons of wastewater per day, according to the application. That’s about 5,750 flushes, following the standard of 1.6 gallons per flush for new toilets.

Changing concerns about data centers

Across the country, controversy has grown in the past year or so regarding data centers − whether justified or not.

While officials tout the tax revenues they bring in, neighbors sometimes complain about noise, odors, unsightliness, and concerns about higher electricity rates and consumption of water to cool the machines.

And critics say communities are sometimes kept in the dark about data center plans through non-disclosure agreements that veil details at first.

That doesn’t appear to have been the case with the Augusta data center.

And yet plans for the expansion went relatively unnoticed, with more headlines lately focusing on a data center planned in Appling, as well as successive plans for others in the same area.

When the Gordon Highway center was announced in 2022 on what was then an isolated stretch, it was a different time, with data centers relatively unknown around here.

But then hundreds of new homes started popping up on both sides of the site, with many buyers probably unaware of the plans.

Those residents will meet their new neighbor soon.

According to the application with the state, the center could be completed in the second quarter of 2026.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki, whose 113 worldwide victories were the most of any player from Japan, died Wednesday in his home country after a battle with colon cancer, the Japan Golf Tour said. He was 78.

Ozaki was revered in Japan, a big hitter with a sense of style who won 94 times over 29 years on the Japan Golf Tour, the last one coming at the 2002 ANA Open when he was 55.

He rose to No. 5 in the world ranking in 1996 at age 49. Ozaki often got overlooked for never winning outside Japan except for the New Zealand PGA Championship. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.

“He is an indispensable, one-of-a-kind figure in discussing men’s golf, both now and in the future,” the tour said in a social media post.

Ozaki competed in 49 majors, his best finish coming in the 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill when he finished three shots behind Curtis Strange. He played the Masters for the 19th and final time in 2000 when he was 53 and tied for 28th.

Isao Aoki was the first Japanese player in the World Golf Hall of Fame, and Hideki Matsuyama became the first to win a major at the 2021 Masters. Both were inspired in some fashion by Ozaki, the pioneer in a nation now obsessed with golf.

Ozaki won the Japan Open five times and the Japan PGA Championship six times. He led the Japan Golf Tour money list a record 12 times, including five in a row from 1994 through 1998. He won his final money title in 2002, when he was 55.

When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Ozaki said his one regret was not playing more outside of Japan.

“But I dedicated my life to Japanese golf and am extremely grateful the voters thought I was worthy of this honor,” he said upon his election. He received 50% of the vote on the International ballot.

Ozaki was looked upon as the Arnold Palmer of golf in Japan with his powerful swing, charisma and sense of style, often wearing silk shirts and baggy pants. And his skill was not limited to just golf. He played the guitar and had three songs reach the pop charts in Japan, according to the Hall of Fame.

His first love was baseball, and he spent three years pitching professionally before turning to golf. That was evident when Ryo Ishikawa, who won his first Japan Golf Tour title at age 15, spoke of Ozaki’s influence. Ishikawa said he would visit Ozaki about 10 times a year to get advice.

“Jumbo used to be a baseball player, so he always tried to teach me the link from pitching or hitting to golf,” Ishikawa said in 2010 interview with The Associated Press. “Jumbo wanted me to hit the ball far.”

Ozaki traveled with an entourage when he did play outside Japan in the majors, usually renting a house and brining a sushi chef so his people would feel at home.

He has two younger brothers who also played on tour, Naomichi (Joe) and Tateo (Jet).

Ozaki played in the 1996 Presidents Cup, partnering with Vijay Singh to beat the American duo of Fred Couples and Davis Love III. He qualified for the 1998 team but decided against the trip to Australia, and his brother Joe played instead.