AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Crews are preparing to change the lane configuration of 15th Street as part of a project to widen the road from two lanes to four lanes. 

On Thursday, the contractor began installing the topcoat of asphalt.

In the coming weeks, drivers can expect the lane configuration to shift multiple times as crews ensure the entire project receives a fresh topcoat.

The road will remain open to traffic in both directions. 

Other construction items include concrete medians, signage and pavement markings.

The Georgia Department of Transportation expects the project to be complete by October if the weather cooperates.

Overall, the project runs from Milledgeville Road to Government Road in Augusta.

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GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Grovetown police are investigating a possible child drowning.

On Thursday at about 9:19 p.m., the Grovetown Police Department and Grovetown Fire Department responded to the 300 block of Summerfield Circle to investigate a possible drowning.

Arriving officers found Adelia Tutt, 6, unresponsive on the bathroom floor.

Despite the lifesaving efforts performed by members of the Grovetown Police Department, Grovetown Fire Department, and Gold Cross EMS, Adelia was pronounced deceased a short time later.

The Grovetown Police Department investigators also responded to the scene and began an investigation of the circumstances surrounding the death.

During the investigation, it was learned that Adelia was bathing with a 4-year-old sibling in a garden-style tub, when for reasons yet to be determined, she became unresponsive and wound up face down in the water, according to Police Chief Jamey Kitchens.

The 4-year-old sibling had no injuries and conveyed that they were bathing and that Adelia had “fallen asleep.”

No visible signs of injury or trauma were observed on Adelia and her body has been transported to the GBI crime lab for autopsy.

The Department of Family and Children Services was notified and have temporarily placed the 4-year-old and a 14-year-old special needs sibling with relatives.

The children’s parents are cooperating fully with the investigation, according to police.

The girl’s father was at the home and had stepped onto the porch to take a phone call at the time of the incident before returning inside and discovering Adelia in the tub, according to Kitchens.

The mother was out of the state at the time of the incident but has since returned.

As the cause of death has not yet been determined, this is an ongoing investigation pending the results of the autopsy as well as toxicology reports on Adelia.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Tutt family during this terrible time,” the Grovetown Police Department said in a statement.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. – A day after a cybersecurity outage brought thousands of global businesses and agencies to their knees, flight backups continue at airports around the world.

At Augusta Regional Airport, there were at least four canceled arrivals and three canceled departures on Saturday.

Especially hard-hit was Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest – and one that most fliers out of Augusta pass through. Even if they don’t make the drive to Atlanta to fly out, most travelers out of Augusta Regional Airport change planes in Atlanta.

Most flight information boards at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are no longer flashing a blue error screen. But as of Saturday at 10:30 p.m., more than 689 flights in and out of Atlanta have been canceled and over 903 are delayed, according to data from FlightAware.

The Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines requested a stop on flights from southern and northeastern states until 9 a.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Although it’s been lifted, incoming flights continue to be delayed by two and a half hours.

“Delta is continuing its operational recovery Saturday following an outside vendor technology issue that prompted the airline and many others to pause flying for several hours on Friday,” the airline said in a statement.

The widespread technology outage on Friday caused problems for industries across the board.

But one of the most visible ones was the travel industry, with lines of passengers stranded at airports after airlines were shut down by the outage that happened when cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike deployed a faulty update.

Flights were halted for hours Friday at Augusta Regional Airport because the outage affected Delta and American Airlines, Augusta’s two commercial carriers.

Traveler Nina Pantano said she was taking a quick trip home to see her family but now she won’t make it. Her main problem now? Her luggage.

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“It’s in Detroit, and I’m not there. They said it was supposed to just stay in Charlotte since I was not physically going to Detroit, and I could just pick it up, or they could send it back. But it’s in Detroit,” she said.

Some travelers are no longer relying on planes to get home.

David Wilkins said: “He’s heading to Richmond in a rental car, and he’s turning around and he’s coming back to the airport to pick me up, because we live like 25 minutes apart from each other in Richmond, Virginia.”

American started flying again by around midday Friday, and Delta said it was flying, as well.

But it was slow going.

By late afternoon, Delta showed a number of cancellations and delays at the airport, while American showed several delays.

Wilkins says he is a frequent flier with Delta Airlines.

“I’ve got 1.4 million miles with Delta out of 20 years. Maybe this has happened a handful of times, maybe three or four times,” he said.

In fact, only a couple of flights had arrived in Augusta all day, according to the online flight tracker.

Delta issued a travel waiver for all customers who booked flights departing Friday. It allows customers to manage their own travel changes via delta.com and the Fly Delta app.

The fare difference for customers will be waived when rebooked travel occurs on or before July 24, in the same cabin of service as originally booked. If travel is rebooked after July 24, any difference in fare between the original ticket and the new ticket will be collected at the time of booking.”

American Airlines sent out this statement:

“Earlier this morning, a technical issue with a vendor impacted multiple carriers, including American. As of 5 a.m. ET, we have been able to safely re-establish our operation. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

Local fliers should contact their airline directly for the most up-to-date flight information.

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