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Augusta, GA

6 brand-new diesel buses arrive for Augusta Transit riders

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6 brand-new diesel buses arrive for Augusta Transit riders


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta Transit received six new diesel buses from California to improve performance and experience for riders.

GILLIG manufactured the buses. Four are 35 feet, and two are 29 feet.

In August 2022, Augusta Transit was awarded a more than $6.25 million federal grant to support the adoption of battery electric-powered buses. The six buses are not a part of that grant but from a previous grant.

Augusta Transit Deputy Director Oliver Page said supply chain issues were the blame for the delay in manufacturing the buses.

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For months, we’ve reported on the issues riders faced with the bus tracking app and getting buses to show up.

“I’ll say it really got out of hand in November. I felt it in November. There were no buses. There was never a bus at West Parkway. You’d have to call, and they’d say, ‘No, it’s not running today’,” said a bus rider in January.

The goal of the new buses is to combat the expanded access but potentially help to create more direct routes.

Going into effect on June 5, Augusta Transit is adjusting the schedule for Route No. 9 Red Line/Lumpkin Road. This route only operates Monday through Friday.

Officials say this will improve bus on-time performance and reduce missed connections for transferring passengers at the Gordon Highway Transfer Point, Route No. 4 Purple Line/Turpin Hill, and Route No. 6 Brown Line/Gordon Highway.

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NEW SCHEDULE TIMES:

Officials say additional improvements will be made as they continue to add buses and hire more bus operators and technicians.

To find a bus route near you, call (706) 821-1719 or click HERE for more information.



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Augusta, GA

Richmond County sheriff, attorney general make public safety announcement

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Richmond County sheriff, attorney general make public safety announcement


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – From conspiracy to commit murder to drive-by shootings, 30 suspects face more than 300 charges after a sweeping multi-agency operation.

There’s new information about an operation two years in the making, and leaders say they are not done yet.

The images below are just a snapshot of some of the weapons, drugs, and gang paraphernalia seized during phase two of Operation “No Loyalty”.

Law enforcement believes they have dismembered the gang responsible for several violent crimes and more.

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So far, more than 60 people have been arrested in Operation “No Loyalty”.

On Thursday, Attorney General Chris Carr said the gang prosecution unit indicted 30 people they believe are directly associated with the gang ‘Trap Money’, including the gang leader.

The photos and videos are what law enforcement leaders say is a direct result of a two-year under cover operation with one goal: taking down a ring leader and making sure no one fills their seat.

“Our ultimate goal is to dismantle the criminal street gang, by pursuing those who are directing and engaging in persistent acts of violence,” said Carr.

EARLIER NEWS 12 COVERAGE:

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Nearly 60 arrested in Augusta’s biggest fentanyl bust ever

After huge drug bust, DA slams ‘people who peddle poison’

‘I was in shock’: Size of fentanyl bust surprises even deputies

Sheriff Richard Roundtree says Operation “No Loyalty” has led the sheriff’s office, GBI, FBI and several other agencies in seizing: 35 pounds of cocaine, 15 pounds of fentanyl, enough to kill millions, two pounds of meth, 278 pounds of marijuana, two homes, 64 guns, nine vehicles and nearly half a million dollars in cash.

Leaders say this criminal activity spans over two years across eight different counties in Georgia.

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“Investigators then learned that members of the gang were not only conducting criminal acts in Richmond county but also Attorney Carr said in Bullock County, Jefferson County, Columbia County, Burke County, Fulton County, Gwinnett County, Wilkes County and Cobb County,” said Roundtree.

Together, the 30 people associated with the ‘Trap Money’ gang are facing more than 300 charges for a range of crimes.

WATCH FULL ANNOUNCEMENT:

“We contend these individuals have conspired to obtain money, firearms, controlled substances, and other property by engaging in a pattern of criminal activity including aggravated assault, armed robbery, theft, illegal firearm transactions, and the possession and distribution of controlled substances,” said Carr.

And the fight doesn’t stop here.

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“There’s more work to be done. There’s not a corner of our state that hasn’t been stricken by the deadly effects of fentanyl. Fentanyl knows no racial, geographic, or economic boundaries, and it’s killing Georgians at an alarming rate. That’s why we’re declaring war on fentanyl and we will continue fighting until there are no more deaths, no more tears, and no more heartache,” said Carr.

Of the 30 people the state attorney general indicted, 22 of them are behind bars, while eight are still wanted.



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Augusta, GA

Threat against Davidson Fine Arts Magnet deemed not credible

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Threat against Davidson Fine Arts Magnet deemed not credible


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A heavy law enforcement presence was spotted at Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School Thursday morning.

Our News 12 crew on scene says around five Richmond County patrol cars and several Richmond County School Police were on scene around 11 a.m.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says they are assisting the Richmond County School System with securing the school after dispatch received a telephone threat involving the school.

After a thorough search of the campus, it was determined the threat was not credible, the school system says.

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Normal operations resumed at 11:15 a.m.

School officials say students and staff remained in their classrooms and offices during the campus search. An increased police presence will remain on campus for the remainder of Thursday’s school day.

Around 12:15, the sheriff’s office said the investigation was turned over to the Richmond County School System.



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Augusta, GA

Green racket: DC mayor took ‘economic development’ trip to Masters on taxpayers’ dime

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Green racket: DC mayor took ‘economic development’ trip to Masters on taxpayers’ dime


District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser may want a mulligan on this one.

The Democrat took a taxpayer-funded “sports and economic development” trip to last week’s Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga.

Bowser, 51, announced the jaunt on her public schedule and a spokeswoman for the mayor’s office confirmed that DC residents paid for all related travel expenses to get inside the gates at the fabled Augusta National Golf Club, DC News Now reported.

Susana Castillo, Bowser’s communications director, told the outlet that the mayor was invited by Jodie McLean and Deborah Ratner Salzberg, who are co-chairs of a city task force “to revitalize the Gallery Place and Chinatown Neighborhood.”

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Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser took a “sports and economic development” trip with taxpayers’ money to The Masters golf tournament last weekend in Augusta, Ga. Lenin Nolly/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

The spokeswoman did not disclose the total cost of the more than 500-mile flight south, nor did she immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

“No matter where I am, my team is working and always in touch with me at a moment’s notice,” Bowser added in a statement of her own to DC News Now.

The mayor has faced sharp criticism for her handling of a crime spike in the nation’s capital before pivoting last fall amid mass resignations by city police — including former chief Robert Contee III.

Bowser, 51, announced the Georgia jaunt on her public schedule and DC residents paid for all related travel expenses to get on the greens at Augusta National Golf Club. REUTERS

Violent crime surged 39% in the nation’s capital from 2022 to 2023, with homicides rising 35% and robberies up a whopping 67%.

In two recent high-profile incidents, armed carjackers stole the vehicles of an FBI agent and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), while a former federal official in the Trump administration was shot and killed by another car thief in February.

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Bowser embraced the Black Lives Matter movement during the riots that followed the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, but reversed course in 2023 to fight the city council over a radical crime bill that lightened sentencing for robberies, carjackings and other gun-related felonies.

Bowser embraced the Black Lives Matter movement during the summer riots that followed the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. Muriel Bowser/X

Last year, she also opposed a progressive policing law that hampered officers’ ability to apprehend suspects and increased disciplinary measures, making them “scared to do their job,” according to Bowser.

The crime spike had briefly threatened a $515 million deal with Washington Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, who entertained moving the NBA and NHL teams to a new northern Virginia arena before reaching an agreement with Bowser to stay in the nation’s capital.

It’s unclear what other projects Bowser may be pursuing in Chinatown.

It’s unclear what project Bowser is pursuing in Chinatown. Muriel Bowser/X

“As mayor, I frequently attended meetings and events to foster economic development, strengthen partnerships, and build rapport with people interested in investing in our city,” DC councilman Vincent Gray, who served a single term as mayor before being unseated by Bowser in the 2014 Democratic primary, told DC News Now.

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“I met with people in countless venues, be they overseas, in downtown DC conference rooms, or sometimes at high-profile gatherings,” he said. “I see no controversy in travel that is intended to promote the District in furtherance of opportunity that benefits residents and local businesses.”



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