Augusta, GA
Augusta dad charged with cruelty to children after son’s death
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A 25-year-old dad is facing a cruelty to children charge after the death of his son, according to a report from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
On Nov. 9, 2024, deputies say they responded to the 2100 block of Margaret Court in reference to a suspicious situation.
On scene, deputies met with the complainant, Maurice Jonathon Sturgis, who said he found his son unresponsive when he woke up.
Sturgis told deputies that he went to sleep on the couch next to him the night prior and is unsure of when they went to sleep.
According to deputies, Sturgis woke up and noticed his son was stiff and not breathing and began to do CPR to the best of his ability and called 911.
The incident report states that the son had no chronic health complications or illnesses. Sturgis told deputies that no one else was in the residence except another family member.
The deputy coroner gave a time of death of 1:22 a.m., according to the incident report.
Meanwhile, Strugis, 25, was arrested on Tuesday, according to jail bookings.
Sturgis is charged with cruelty to children in the second degree.
We’ve reached out to the Richmond County Coroner’s Office for more information on the death of the child.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Voters in Georgia House District 130 headed to the polls Tuesday to fill the seat held by Rep. Lynn Heffner, who resigned.
The Augusta Democrat resigned because she was unable to meet the residency requirement for House District 130 due to damage to her home by Hurricane Helene.
Six candidates are on the ballot — four Democrats and two Republicans.
Early results
Results are coming in. Here is where the race stands:
- Shelia Nelson, Democrat: 45.22%
- Karen Gordon, Democrat: 20.65%
- Sha’Quanta Calles, Democrat: 15.65%
- LaFawn Pinkney-Mealing, Democrat: 7.61%
- Thomas McAdams, Republican: 5.43%
- David Carson, Republican: 5.43%
This story will be updated as votes continue to come in.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
An Augusta city committee on Tuesday is scheduled to hear an update from the Recreation and Parks Department about nine municipal parks that are so seldom used that they might not be worth keeping open.
A civil engineering firm partnering with Recreation and Parks spent months gathering information on Augusta-Richmond County’s 51 public parks.
The audit by Infrastructure System Management scored the locations using a rubric that measured the sizes of the parks and how close they are to other parks. The audit also counted the number of park visitors to calculate how often the parks were used.
In a previous presentation to the committee last fall, commissioners learned that it would cost about $22 million to bring all city parks up to proper maintenance standards for just the first year.
By comparison, the Recreation and Parks budget is closer to $1.2 million, according to Abie Ladson Jr., a former city engineering director who now directs the ISM consultancy.
The smallest of the nine parks, Alexander Barrett Park, is barely a 10th of an acre, about the size of an NBA basketball court. The wedge-shaped lot where Wheeler Road meets Royal Street is composed of open grass and two playground swings built only for infants and toddlers.
The largest of the nine is the 3.49-acre W.T. Johnson Center on Hunter Street, behind Beulah Grove Baptist Church. Its facilities include a gymnasium and athletic fields.
The parks whose futures will be considered:
- A.L. Williams Park, 1850 Broad St.
- Alexander Barrett Park, 2629 Royal St.
- Bedford Heights Park, 1016 Camellia Dr.
- Doughty Park, 1200 Nellieville Rd.
- Elliott Park, 2027 Lumpkin Rd.
- Heard Avenue Park, 1500 Heard Ave.
- Hillside Park (Vernon Forrest Park), 2101 Telfair St.
- Valley Park, 1805 Valley Park Dr. E.
- W.T. Johnson Center, 1606 Hunter St.
Augusta, GA
Augusta Athletics to Host ‘Sweet Sendoff’ for Women’s Basketball Heading to the NCAA Tournament – Augusta University
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Augusta University Athletics will host a Sweet Sendoff for the Jaguars women’s basketball team on Wednesday, March 11 at 12:30 p.m. at Christenberry Fieldhouse as the team prepares to depart for the NCAA Tournament.
Fans, students, faculty and staff are invited to stop by Christenberry Fieldhouse to help send off the 2026 Peach Belt Conference Tournament Champion Jaguars before they leave for NCAA Regional play. Cookies, brownies and other sweet treats will be available as the Augusta community gathers to celebrate the team’s championship and wish them well on their postseason run.
Following the brief gathering, the team will walk out to the bus as they depart for the NCAA Tournament.
Augusta captured the Peach Belt Conference Tournament title on Sunday to earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, marking the program’s first conference tournament championship in 33 years.
The Sweet Sendoff is free and open to the public.
Sweet Sendoff
Wednesday, March 11
12:30 p.m.
Christenberry Fieldhouse
3109 Wrightsboro Road, Augusta, Ga 30912
Fans can follow Augusta women’s basketball throughout the NCAA Tournament at augustajags.com
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