AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Dudley Stulb has been walking the canal trail for years, but he’s never seen it look this.

“No, had no idea two big trees there and others down, down the ways towards the pumping station, so that’s going to be difficult to get out,” he said.

But that’s the plan for the Utilities Department.

The canal has been drained, allowing access to several trees knocked into the waterway by Hurricane Helene.

Heavy equipment is now on site to grab and cut the the trees.

“I think everybody in town has seen these big green big track-hoe machines, they’ll grab that, work it to a more manageable size and then haul that off,” said Chad Hendrix Assistant Director of the Utilities Department.

It’s expected to take two to three weeks to remove trees.

They need to come out because the canal provides 65 percent of the city’s drinking water.
 
“We know we pull a lot of water out of the canal there at the Raw Water Pump Station, so obviously any of that clog up those intakes, that’s our raw water,” said Hendrix.

This is just the first phase of what will be a $32 million-dollar repair job on the canal.

This year, the city is raising water rates six and a half percent. Repairing Helene damage is not the only reason for it, but a big part it.

“There’s no question Helene cause a lot of things to be exposed, a lot of things that had to be repaired. We have a lot of big plants, an industrial base we have to provide treatment and water supply to all of these entities,” said Utility Department Director Wes Byne.

After being closed for more than a year, this section of the canal path just reopened last month. However, officials say they don’t plan to close it again while the tree removal is underway.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Amid what’s shaping up as one of the worst flu seasons in years, the Richmond County Health Department is holding a drive-thri vaccination clinic.

This comes with Georgia and South Carolina among the hardest-hit states, with flu levels “very high,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That’s the highest possible status on the CDC’s chart.

The drive-thru flu vaccination clinic will be from 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. Thursday at the East Central Public Health District Office, 1916 North Leg Road.

Bring your driver’s license or state ID, as well as your insurance card if you have insurance.

The worst flu season in years

Some measures show this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter, one of the harshest in recent history. And experts believe there is more suffering ahead.

One type of flu virus, called A H3N2, historically has caused the most hospitalizations and deaths in older people. So far this season, that is the type most frequently reported. Even more concerning, more than 91% of the H3N2 infections analyzed were a new version — known as the subclade K variant — that differs from the strain in this year’s flu shots.

The last flu season saw the highest overall flu hospitalization rate since the H1N1 flu pandemic 15 years ago. And child flu deaths reached 289, the worst recorded for any U.S. flu season this century — including that H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic of 2009-2010.

So far this season, there have been at least 15 million flu illnesses and 180,000 hospitalizations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. It also estimates there have been 7,400 deaths, including the deaths of at least 17 children.

Determining exactly how flu season is going can be particularly tricky around the holidays. Schools are closed, and many people are traveling. Some people may be less likely to see a doctor, deciding to just suffer at home. Others may be more likely to go.

Also, some seasons see a surge in cases, then a decline, and then a second surge.

Dr. Martha Buchanan with South Carolina Department of Public Health agrees the flu season is far from over.

“Here in South Carolina, we traditionally kind of see it start to slow down at the beginning of the year, January, February. But then we sometimes will also see a second peak in March or late February,” said Buchanan, director of the agency’s Bureau of Communicable Disease Prevention and Control.

“We don’t always come down as quickly as we go up.”

What to know about the flu

Flu symptoms and their severity can vary, but generally include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

Some people are at higher risk of developing serious complications if they get sick. This includes people 65 years and older, people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease, pregnant women, and children younger than 5 years, but especially those younger than 2 years old.

In some cases, health care providers may recommend prescription antiviral drugs to treat the flu.

There are other tried and true measures you can take to help prevent the spread of flu:

• Frequent and thorough handwashing with soap and warm water. Alcohol-based gels are the next best thing if you don’t have access to soap and water.
• Cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow or arm to help prevent the spread of the flu.
• Avoid touching your face because the virus can get into the body through the mucus membranes of the nose, mouth and eyes.
• If you are sick, stay home from school or work. Flu sufferers should be free of a fever, without the use of a fever reducer, for at least 24 hours before returning to school or work.
• If you are caring for a sick individual at home, keep them away from common areas of the house and other people as much as possible.

For more information on signs and symptoms of the flu, visit www.cdc.gov/flu/signs-symptoms/index.html

Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – We’re learning new details after authorities apprehended a murder suspect who was holed up for a time in a south Augusta home.

Deputies said the murder case was out of New York, and the suspect was being sought by the U.S. Marshals Service.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) SWAT team and the U.S. Marshals Service surrounded the home in the 2500 block of Smoketree Road.

A Richmond County Sheriff’s Office negotiator, the K-9 unit and the drone response team responded.

Central EMS and Augusta Fire Department personnel staged nearby in accordance with safety protocols, according to the sheriff’s office.

Upon arrival, deputies confirmed that at least two people were inside the home: an adult male and an adult female.

Officials say the female initially exited the home but, upon observing uniformed officers, was instructed to approach them. Instead, she returned inside against law enforcement orders.

Deputies secured the perimeter and advised nearby residents of the situation, requesting that some leave the immediate area for their safety.

An RCSO drone was deployed to monitor the scene and ensure situational awareness, and the roadway was blocked to prevent anyone from entering the potentially dangerous area, the agency says.

No one was injured, but it was tense leading up to the arrests, according to Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Chief Lewis Blanchard.

“We cleared all of the houses in the immediate area, we had a drone go up so we could deploy and make sure we could see all around in every area in case children are coming from school buses or anything like that, we had personnel … making sure nobody was allowed to come into the scene,” he said.

Snipers were also positioned on roofs around the area to assist in the operation.

According to the sheriff’s office, after around 45 minutes of communication, the female agreed to exit the home with her hands up. The male suspect followed close behind.

The male suspect, identified as Tyleek Estella, was taken into custody on warrants from another jurisdiction being served by the U.S. Marshals Service, according to the sheriff’s office.

The female was charged with misdemeanor obstruction of a law enforcement officer for failing to follow lawful verbal commands, the agency says.

Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.