AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta has removed dozens of trees along Broad Street as engineers work to repair aging infrastructure. The city plans to replant, but questions remain about long-term maintenance.

Long-term neglect can lead to mold and rot and become a public safety threat, according to the city’s engineering director, who warned leaders about the issue before Hurricane Helene.

Historic trees at risk

In Augusta, one of Georgia’s oldest crape myrtles stands as a reminder of the city’s history. The southern crape myrtle was planted by the Spanish as far back as 1717, according to Sterling Mantlow, who specializes in ethical land management.

Mantlow pointed to signs of neglect on the historic tree, including brown growth, dead branches and lightning marks.

Without regular maintenance, the historic water oaks in Old Towne risk the same fate as the trees that once lined Broad Street.

Infrastructure damage revealed

Roots have strangled power meters and choked water lines, causing infrastructure damage that was invisible until construction workers cracked open Broad Street.

The excavation revealed layers of Augusta’s history, including brick that covered Broad Street more than 120 years ago. The layers show wood pipes, clay pipes and lead pipes from the 1960s.

Mantlow said the city has maintained and patched over time but never started fresh with all construction at once.

City requested funds for tree management

In 2022, the engineering director sent a request to city leaders for a SPLOST 8 project seeking $4 million for tree management and removal.

He wrote that the city has numerous unhealthy trees along its roadways that present significant hazard to the general public. He said removal, pruning and replacement would enhance public safety.

The request was made before Hurricane Helene hit. City leaders gave him $1 million for the project, a quarter of the funds he requested for tree maintenance.

Mantlow said if the city does not maintain new trees, the results will be known quickly.

Tree commission seats vacant

Augusta has a tree commission with 10 members appointed by commissioners plus two additional members appointed by the county’s legislative delegation. Currently, five of the seats are vacant.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The family of a 25-year-old Augusta woman shot and killed earlier this month is speaking out, demanding answers.

Khyla Rodriguez was found shot to death on Cameron Drive on May 15. Richmond County investigators have questioned three people, but no one has been charged in connection with her death.

Her mother, Shawna Holder, and brother, Valante Holder, spoke about the moment they learned she was gone and the son she left behind.

A fresh start cut short

Khyla Rodriguez came to Augusta for a fresh start. Her brother said he wanted her closer and wanted her safe.

“She had a situation going on at the time, and me being her older brother, seeing that she was going through those situations, I said, ‘You know, I’m stable,’” Valante Holder said. “I thought it was a good idea for her to come down to Augusta and change her life, fix herself, get away from the people that was causing her issues and problems the same way that I did.”

But earlier this month, that new start ended on Cameron Drive.

For Shawna Holder, the last words from her daughter still feel impossible to reconcile with the first words of her death.

“The very real, real last thing I heard my daughter say was, ‘Happy Mother’s Day. I love you, Mommy,’” Shawna Holder said. “So to hear somebody else, the next words they’re saying is that my daughter is no longer in the living, is not something that you can just breathe through, you know?”

Shawna Holder said she received a call from a young man who announced his name and said something happened to Khyla and she was dead.

“I couldn’t do anything but scream,” she said.

A mother and protector

Khyla’s family said she was tough on the outside but soft where it mattered. A protector. A mother. And to her son Kyshaun, her best friend.

“One thing Khyla always was, was a protector,” Valante Holder said. “She wasn’t gonna let anybody just run over who she cared about or who she loved or who she felt in her heart was important to her.”

Shawna Holder said her daughter cherished being a mother.

“He’s crazy about her. She can do no wrong in his eyes. She is the greatest mom,” Shawna Holder said. “In all of my contacts is the greatest mom ever.”

Valante Holder said his sister and her son were like best friends.

“She was very big on her relationship with Kyshaun,” he said. “They were like best friends. They’re always playing a game with each other. They’re always wrestling. They’re always going back and forth. They always fighting over snacks. It’s just two kids. She’s just a big kid, and he’s just a little kid. They were like twins.”

The day after Khyla was killed, her son had to walk across a graduation stage. Shawna Holder said she had to let him have that moment before telling him his mother was gone.

“It was my grandson’s graduation date the next day. He was graduating the next day,” she said. “I had to go to his graduation and put on a happy face and wait until he had his day to tell him about his mom.”

Now the family is left trying to guide him through every milestone without her.

“If he live his life every day like his mom is always watching him, a great man he will be,” Shawna Holder said. “But this is the type of thing I feel like I’m gonna have to be telling my grandson each milestone. Each milestone I will have to revisit the same emotion I felt the very night I got that call and don’t know which one of these times he’s gonna take it away and it break him.”

The family wants people to know Khyla’s life reached far beyond the place where it ended.

“At the end of the day, my sister meant something to a whole lot of people,” Valante Holder said. “And not just in Augusta.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A giant inflatable brain appeared on the lawn of Piedmont Augusta, allowing people to walk through and learn how to identify stroke symptoms.

The exhibit was part of Stroke Awareness Month. Visitors stepped inside the inflatable brain to see what a stroke looks like and learn how to spot one.

Dr. Barry Jenkins, chief medical officer at Piedmont Augusta, said the message is particularly important for the region.

“So in the southeast we live in what we call the stroke belt. We have high prevalence of risk factors like diabetes and high blood pressure so it’s really important that people understand what their own risks are and what the signs and symptoms of a stroke are,” Jenkins said.

Ruthie Kelly attended the event.

“I learned about speech and the different signs of stroke and be aware of and to prevent or help someone if they may be having a stroke,” Kelly said.

Doctors say knowing stroke signs could make a difference. Warning signs include sudden loss of balance, vision changes, facial drooping, arm or leg weakness, or slurred speech.

If any of those warning signs appear, call 911 immediately.