AUGUSTA, GA – Augusta University women’s basketball has announced a schedule change for its upcoming home matchup against Livingstone College.

The game, originally set for Sunday, Nov. 23 at 5:00 p.m., has been rescheduled for Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. inside Christenberry Fieldhouse.

The Jaguars will next travel to face nationally ranked No. 4 Coker on Tuesday, Nov. 25.

Fans are encouraged to visit augustajags.com for the latest schedule updates and game information.

Fans of Jaguar Athletics can subscribe to the email listserve by clicking here. Fans can follow Augusta University at www.augustajags.com and receive short updates on Facebook at Augusta University Athletics and on Twitter at @AugustaJags

THOMSON, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A 21-year-old mother is behind bars, charged with murder in the death of her 7-month-old son who died in September 2021.

Dakota Nicole Taylor was arrested Tuesday at an apartment complex in McDuffie County on charges of malice murder, felony murder and cruelty to children in the first degree in connection with the death of Micah Taylor.

According to a grand jury arrest warrant, Taylor “with malice and forethought” caused the death of Micah Taylor by obstructing his airways. The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office said they arrested Taylor with help from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

In January, Dakota’s other child, 8-month-old Caleb Taylor, also died. The GBI is currently investigating his death as well.

The case highlights potential failures by DFCS and DeKalb County in their handling of the situation.

Body camera footage from the night DeKalb County police officers arrived at a group home shows the scene after Micah was found unresponsive inside. According to police reports, Dakota was giving Micah a bath upstairs that night. When she finished, she brought him back downstairs into his swing.

Workers noticed Micah was slumped over, pale and unresponsive. The Department of Family and Children Services file states that Dakota’s responses to hearing her son died and processing the grief in the following days was unusual. Officers on scene made similar observations.

“I don’t know if this has anything to do with anything, but the mother, didn’t … She was very … Like alright, whatever. And I was like your baby is …” an officer said in body camera footage.

Another officer described Dakota’s demeanor as “nonchalant” when they were carrying the baby out.

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Officers questioned Dakota at the home after the incident. The case remained unclear for an extended period, with investigators not beginning serious questioning until two years after Micah’s death.

Dakota Taylor was under DFCS supervision during this time, raising questions about why the agency did not intervene after Micah’s death.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A new $2.4 million grant is empowering Augusta University students with hands-on training to address the community’s behavioral health challenges.

Local experts say that while the community may struggle with many of these challenges, they hope a new grant will help change that in the long run.

For students like Talynn Saxer, Mahogany Davis and Ariel Figueroa O’Farrill, this is more than just a part of their studies.

“Working out in the community, it’s made me more comfortable working within an interdisciplinary team,” said Saxer.

“It relieves the financial burden while we’re also able to gain the benefit of the clinical experience in field and out of field,” said Davis.

“It really much prepared me for a career in research, if I so choose to,” said Figueroa O’Farrill.

Alicia Becton, Chair of the Department of Research, Counseling & Curriculum at Augusta University, says it’s a pipeline for students to do hands-on learning and give community clinics support.

“So we secured the HRSA grant, which is a $2.4 million training grant to increase workforce development and increase mental health professionals in the community,” Becton said.

The program focuses on training students in behavioral health practices while targeting young people.

“We need nurses, social workers, mental health professionals, everyone at the table,” Becton said.

With recent health care shortages in underserved areas, Dr. Tommy Ginn says health care workers are needed now more than ever.

“The mental health needs are huge in, I would say, all communities. We see anxiety, depression, drug use, all of those things, from kids on up through adults. And like I say, it’s really hard because the number of people taking care of patients like that is limited,” Ginn said.

The program continues with the hope that students will fall in love with the passion to serve.

This is a 4-year program where they partner with other community groups to give these graduate students real world experience to prepare them for next steps.

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