AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta University students will pay more for tuition, housing and meal plans.

The increases apply to both full-time and part-time students.

Georgia’s first need-based scholarship will become available and could help ease the burden for families.

Esperanza Lorenzo Martinez, a junior kinesiology major and first-generation student, said costs add up beyond tuition.

“It’ll still add up, especially like there’s so many things that they add on situation costs, like the lab fees and like, it might be maybe like $30, but you add that with maybe you’re taking like 5, six classes, then that adds up to maybe like 300, $400,” Martinez said.

Kyle Parsons, director of student financial aid and scholarships, said students have different paths depending on what aid they qualify for.

“For many students, that path is going to look different depending on what types of aid they may qualify for, whether that’s a need-based source of fund, a scholarship, or a state or federal grant,” Parsons said. “One of the biggest opportunities is for students to qualify for the Hope Scholarship or Zell Miller Scholarship.”

Rihanna McGahee, a senior communications major, said scholarships can help with tuition but the balance shifts.

“Even though we have scholarships that we can apply for, it can be used for tuition, but we could also lose money while gaining money at the same time,” McGahee said.

Omariaon Butts, a criminal justice major and intern with Augusta University Police Department, said the increase could affect students without scholarships.

“I think I would be more concerned for the ones who didn’t and they had to pull out a bunch of loans or maybe pay out of pocket and now it’s got to be extra,” Butts said.

Parsons said the university wants to help students navigate the increases.

“We want to make sure that they understand that there is a path forward, that just because something increases doesn’t mean that we can’t help offset that somewhere else,” Parsons said. “We want to make sure that students are set up for success, that they’re in a position to be able to focus on their academics and not on the financial barriers that stand in front of them.”

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) – Crews on Friday afternoon rushed to the scene of a large brush fire off Interstate 520.

Officials said the fire was reported around 1 p.m. and moving quickly because of the wind.

By 2:30 p.m., it covered 12 acres.

North Augusta crews were assisted by Belvedere, Midland Valley, Beech Island, Sage Mill and Merriwether firefighters.

Eastbound I-520 was shut down at Belvedere Clearwater Road after the fire broke out around 1 p.m.

One lane reopened around 2:30 p.m.

Five bulldozers were sent to the scene as well as two planes.

Starting around 2:55 p.m., the planes began repeatedly dumping water on the fire.

PHOTO GALLERY: NORTH AUGUSTA BRUSH FIRE

The fire was 70% contained at that time, and the situation only got better as the afternoon went on.

However, officials said it’s expected to burn for several days.

And that means the air will have smoke in it.

“You know, if you’ve got some kind of allergies that you don’t want to be breathing it, I would suggest you stay inside, keep your windows up at your house and just do anything you can to keep from getting involved with it,” said Lt. Allen C. Swann with the North Augusta Department of Public Safety.

He said the situation could have been much worse.

“You know, we train for all kinds of fires, so we got here quick,” he said.

“We’ve got a great outcome. No structures burned.”

It was a challenge because the fire was on a ridge.

“You know, safety-wise with firetrucks and firefighters on the interstate with cars coming by, that’s why we shut the interstate down pretty quick,” he said.

“We don’t want one of us getting hit and then have to worry about that on top of dealing with the fire.”

Nearby Highland Springs Middle School and Belvedere Elementary dismissed students early from school.

Parents who drive their kids to school were asked to come get their children. Buses were taking the other kids home.

All after-school activities were canceled.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Augusta Technical College has been awarded a large federal grant to help finish its Jim Hudson Automotive Institute.

The federal investment, according to Augusta Technical College, is in the amount of $6,808,307, and is funded from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

“This grant is a powerful investment in Augusta’s economic future,” said Dr. Kendricks D. Hooker, President of Augusta Technical College. “The Jim Hudson Automotive Institute will directly address critical workforce shortages while creating pathways to high-wage, in-demand careers for our students. By transforming a legacy automotive site into a modern training facility, we are aligning education, industry, and economic development in a way that delivers real value to employers and opportunity to our community.”

The facility, once renovations are complete, is expected to serve as a state-of-the-art automotive workforce training center to help prepare students in careers related to automotive maintenance technology.

“The Institute will expand Augusta Tech’s automotive training footprint and serve hundreds of credit and non-credit students annually,” a statement from Augusta Technical College reads in part. “It is designed to support dealership operations, fleet maintenance, and emerging vehicle technologies, while providing hands-on, industry-aligned instruction that responds to both regional and national labor market demand.”