Augusta, GA
Augusta government provides update on HCD audit
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.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The South Augusta YMCA will not renew its lease at the Tobacco Road location, the Y confirmed.
The shopping center is being sold, and the current lease ends in October.
The Y has not announced a final day at the current location. Officials said they plan to announce that date and next steps for South Augusta later this month.
The YMCA said it still plans to serve South Augusta after the lease expires.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A man who was previously wanted for questioning in an Augusta deadly shooting has now been charged with murder in the case, according to authorities.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says Kemfton Quewanaki Kenon, 27, was arrested on Friday in connection to the shooting death of Khyla Rodriguez, of Augusta.
Kenon is booked into the Charles B. Webster Detention Center and charged with murder and possession of a firearm during a crime, according to jail bookings.
Rodriguez, 25, was found dead after deputies received a call about a shooting on May 15 at 1:11 a.m. on Cameron Drive.
The Richmond County Coroner’s Office said Rodriguez was pronounced dead at 2:27 a.m.
Kenon was previously wanted for questioning in the case and was located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. He was interviewed and arrested on an unrelated warrant.
Deputies were also interviewed two other subjects in the case. They were not arrested in the case.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – People who live in South Augusta are raising concerns about the future of the Family Y on Tobacco Road.
Officials say the facility has been operating at a loss for years, and have had a low number of memberships. The location also has a new owner. The cost of the lease is too high and the facility is also in need of renovations, which are said to be costly.
“The reality is we couldn’t afford the current lease that we were in,” said Catie McCauley, president and CEO of Family Y of Greater Augusta. “Over the last 10 years we’ve been subsidizing this lot. So we got to look at a model that we can sustain for the next several generations not just the next couple years.”
The location is set to close in October, but officials say they are working with community members and contractors for a new building that they can move into and are committed to staying in South Augusta.
Photojournalist credit: Gary Hipps
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