AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta officials say a preliminary response related to an audit of the Housing and Community Development Department was received Tuesday from Cherry Bekaert.

The audit report is not yet complete, according to the city.

After initial review, the city has requested additional information to “ensure clarity and accuracy before the process moves forward.”

“The Augusta government remains committed to transparency and will provide further updates once the requested information is received and the audit is finalized,” the city said in the news release.

In November, Augusta Commission members held a budget workshop session with much discussion about the Housing and Community Development Department.

That’s the department that left the city on the hook to pay back millions in federal grant money.

The city received more than $6 million in grant money during the COVID-19 pandemic, supposedly to help people who were in danger of eviction.

The city never spent the money for that purpose, so the government demanded it back.

The department didn’t have the money on hand, so the city had to repay it, and then some, from the general fund — $6.3 million of the original grant money and $2.1 million in penalties.

The scandal led to the exit of Housing and Community Director Hawthorne Welcher and sparked an audit of the department.

On Oct. 28, commissioners in closed executive session approved the payment of up to $32,237.32 from contingency funds for rental assistance previously approved by the Housing and Community Development Department.

This means leaders agreed to take the money from their emergency fund and use it to help people with their rent as part of a program the department had already put in place.

Mayor Garnett Johnson said at the time this was an effort to address letters that were sent out, falsely leading people to believe they were getting some emergency funds.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Several health events in Augusta on Tuesday are offering help to those who need medical care.

Department of Public Health mobile clinic

The Department of Public Health mobile clinic will be at Christenberry Fieldhouse on Tuesday.

Officials say the clinic makes it easier to receive care for those who don’t have transportation.

The clinic will be at the 3109 Wrightsboro Road from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

You can receive sports, work and school physicals, diabetes management, WIC referrals, vaccines and more.

The mobile clinic offers private exam rooms, wheelchair-accessible lifts and modern medical equipment.

For more information on the mobile clinic and what stops it will take, visit www.ecphd.com/wego.

Annual Horizon Truckers Clinic

The fourth annual health fair for bus and shuttle driver employees with Horizon Motor Coach will be held on Tuesday at Julian Smith Casino, 2200 Broad Street.

This event will start at 11 a.m.

In partnership with the Augusta Lions Club, the Augusta University’s College of Nursing, Georgia Prevention Institute, College of Allied Health Sciences, the Dental College of Georgia and the Georgia Cancer Center make the event possible.

The health fair is designed to help prevent and identify health issues as well as providing mock DOT exams, dental examinations and nutrition advice.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Anderson County victim was flown to the Augusta burn center after a bedroom fire Sunday night.

The Pendleton Fire Department said the victim was unconscious and was found in the kitchen area of the home.

The bedroom door was closed during the fire, so the rest of the home was not damaged, according to officials.

The victim’s current condition and the cause of the fire are unknown.

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