Augusta, GA
Augusta commission waives $70K in trash haulers performance penalties
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Coastal Waste and Recycling has been collecting the city’s trash for nine months, and commissioners say service is picking up.
“I’ve been pleased with Coastal. Every time I’ve had a problem, my constituents had a problem, they’re contracted, they’re right there. I think any time you change over totally to a whole city, you’re going to have some hiccups,” said Commissioner Tina Slendak.
But when starting last year, mistakes were made and under the contact, that costs the company money, for things like missed pickups and delays delivering carts
Coastal racked up $144,000 in fines the first three months.
But on the recommendation of the city engineer, commissioners voted to waive all but $70,000 of the fines.
“Work with them and do what we can we should compromise with them I mean for me I used to have a lot of problems and a lot of calls but I’m not getting them,” said Commissioner Catherine Smith Rice.
The vote was 6-5 for the waiver and some commissioners saying it was a bad call because Coastal should not be missing stops
“That’s the due diligence that you do when you bid for a contact and one of those is find out what it all entails and when you’re talking about picking up waste, you need to make sure you know where it’s all at,” said Commissioner Lonnie Wimberly.
Commissioner Jordan Johnson raised an ethics question, since Coastal made a $2,000 dollar campaign contributions to the mayor and other commission candidates.
“I didn’t get any money from them. I mean, they gave to several people, not just people who are currently up there,” said Commissioner Slendak.
As commissioners give $70,000 worth of grace to Coastal’s early mistakes.
EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Multiple areas of Columbia County are reporting flash flooding Monday evening with more rain on the way.
Viewer video shows significant water on William Few Parkway near Windmill Plantation Neighborhood Park in Evans.
One resident said the flooding near West Lake Country Club swallowed their yard entirely — “Lost our dog fence to our new river,” they said.
Flooding has also been reported on Fury’s Ferry Road.
A stalled front parked over the region is bringing excess moisture and slow-moving storms, creating an elevated flooding threat — especially in areas already prone to flooding.
Steady rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue throughout the evening.
Drivers are urged to use caution and avoid flooded roadways. Turn around, don’t drown.
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AUGUSTA, Ga (WJBF)- A new Georgia law that took effect this month is aimed at helping drivers and passengers with autism during traffic stops.
Rio’s Law, already active in South Carolina, provides a special license plate for drivers and extra training for law enforcement with the goal of making traffic stops involving people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) smoother.
“Our deputies deal with hundreds and hundreds of people every single day. And that’s face to face contact,” said Major Andy Shedd, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
Rio’s Law went into effect in Georgia on July 1st.
According to Major Shedd, since 2025, law enforcement officers across the Peach State have been training on how to interact with people with ASD, which the new law will expand.
“And it’s also been embedded in our community oriented policing training that we take online. And the beauty of that is some of the far reaching agencies in Georgia, some of the more rural police officers and deputies that that work in the rural areas, the online training gives them that format to where they can receive it also.”
Rio’s Law was created when a mother in California was pulled over for a traffic stop with her autistic son as a passenger. The officer wasn’t well versed in how people with ASD can react to stressful situations.
“They have reactions to specific types of sensories, whether they’re sound or lights or patterns that that can trigger some uncomfortable feelings, especially for people who are neurodivergent or living with things like autism,” explained Dr. Vijay Nagpol, a physician at ER Doctors Hospital Evans.
More noteworthy than the additional training is the access to a special license plate.
“That way, if law enforcement deals with you in the form of a traffic stop or a traffic accident, the deputy knows as soon as he sees that tag that he’s dealing with someone within the vehicle, either driver or passenger that may have autism,” Major Shedd explained.
This knowledge will allow the officers to use tools from training to keep the situation from escalating or to de-escalate if the person is already extremely upset.
“It may be hard for them to react in a way that would be expected from the police who are pulling them over law enforcement. They may have trouble focusing on the task at hand, which is conversing and cooperating with law enforcement,” said Dr. Nagpol.
Experts say that when law enforcement interacts with someone with ASD, awareness and education are key to keeping everyone calm.
“I think it all boils down to communication. The deputy should have good communication with whatever this person is going through,” said Major Shedd.
“I think it’ll be great once it’s rolled out is definitely going to take some training and awareness on the side of law enforcement,” said Dr. Nagpol. “But I know it’ll be something that’s relieving to people who are living with autism and also their loved ones.”
You can find out more about Rio’s Law HERE.
To find more information on getting an Autistic/Neurodivergent license plate in Georgia visit the Department of Revenue’s website or go to your local DMV.
In South Carolina you can go to the DMV website or visit your local DMV office.
Doctor’s Hospital treats and helps people with any health related problem at any of their location.
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