Augusta, GA
Augusta biotech firm to unveil its sweet new production facilities
A federal commission studying national security will tour an Augusta factory poised to help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign biotechnology.
The Manus factory on Lovers Lane uses and improves eco-friendly manufacturing methods to produce Reb M, a sweetener derived from the stevia plant but missing the bitter aftertaste in other stevia extracts.
On March 11, Manus will unveil and explain the major expansion of its domestic biomanufacturing capacity to members of the U.S. National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, created in 2022 under the National Defense Authorization Act.
Manus touts itself as a biotech success story. Four years after the 2014 closure of Augusta’s NutraSweet artificial sweetener factory, Manus reintroduced an upskilled workforce to make the factory one of the world’s largest fermentation facilities. There, microbes are engineered to allow reliable mass production of Reb M.
Biomanufacturing often struggles with scalability. Extracting a particular molecule from a plant might succeed in a lab, but teasing out those molecules on an industrial level traditionally has been unsustainable.Reb M, which is about 200 times sweeter than sugar, exists in such small quantities in stevia plants that extracting it using more mainstream methods often was financially impractical, until Manus developed its proprietary production method.
Manus’ Augusta plant produces Reb M for the brand-name sweetener Yume, from the Japanese word for “dream.”
“Biomanufacturing is not a future promise – it’s here now, in rural Georgia,” says Ajikumar Parayil, Manus’ founder and CEO. “The Augusta BioFacility stands as proof that we can reshore production, create high-quality American jobs, and deliver resilient innovation at scale. We are honored to showcase this capability to the NSCEB and contribute to shaping a strong, coordinated national strategy.”
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A Vietnamese restaurant that closed in Columbia County more than three years ago will be the site of Georgia’s newest medical marijuana dispensary.
When Georgia’s Senate Bill 220 officially becomes law on July 1, it will expand requirements and qualifying conditions to participate in the state’s medical cannabis program. Co-sponsors of the “Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act” included state Sens. Lee Anderson, R-Grovetown, Harold Jones, D-Augusta, and Mark Newton, R-Augusta.
A company called Fine Fettle operates three cannabis stores in Georgia, eight in Connecticut, and two in Massachusetts.
The Fine Fettle dispensary, slated for 4300 Towne Center Dr. in Evans, will occupy the former Pho Bac restaurant. The Asian eatery opened in 2011 but closed in 2023 when it merged with another restaurant, Pho Augusta, at 4045 Jimmie Dyess Parkway.
At the store’s June 26 grand opening, patients and their families can learn about new product categories, qualifying conditions, and how to obtain a medical cannabis card, according to the company.
Fine Fettle received a provisional license from the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission in 2023 to start growing and selling cannabis products statewide. Evans was one of its proposed locations with an original opening for a low-THC oil dispensary planned for spring 2024, but the new state legislation upgraded the product level from the lower-potency oil to actual strains of cannabis.
Another cannabis company, Trulieve, opened its fifth Georgia store in Evans in September 2023 at 4218 Washington Road in Evans, near the shopping center anchored by Academy Sports.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Augusta election leaders met Monday to discuss a lawsuit filed by a former mayoral candidate.
Dr. Lori Myles is suing the Augusta Commission, as well as state and local voting leaders.
Myles alleges those involved with the May 19th primary destroyed absentee ballots and eliminated from the overall vote count.
“So the Board of Elections received a lawsuit from Lori Myles contesting the election asking for a recount, said Travis Doss, the Board of Elections director. “The Board discussed in executive session and when they came out of executive session they voted to authorize the county attorney to file an answer to that lawsuit basically that answer will be asking a judge for a dismissal on that lawsuit and it will be filed tomorrow.”
WJBF NewsChannel 6 will keep you updated on the next steps of the lawsuit as that information becomes available.
Photojournalist credit: Regynal McKie
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta will welcome community leaders to its Legislative Day on Monday.
The event will provide an inside look at the impact of the organization’s summer programs and year-round youth development initiatives.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta becomes an even more critical resource for local families during the summer. The organization provides supportive environments where local youth continue learning, building relationships and preparing for their futures.
During Legislative Day, community leaders will meet with staff and Club members, and experience how Boys & Girls Clubs is helping young people succeed through workforce readiness programming, academic enrichment, mental health support, nutritious meals and snacks and caring adult mentorship.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta serves youth throughout the region by providing high-quality programming focused on academic success, healthy lifestyles, character and leadership development and career readiness.
The event will start at 11:30 a.m. at E.W. Hagler Boys & Girls Club, 1903 Division Street.
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