Augusta, GA
Augusta is one step closer to seeing ice hockey team
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Ice hockey in Augusta is looking more like a done deal than a distant dream.
Now that voters approved the funding for a brand-new James Brown Arena, the plans are starting to take shape.
Oak View, the group that will manage the arena, is working with a company called Zawyer Sports, whose CEO vows to bring ice hockey to Augusta.
He sat down with our Laura Warren to explain why they think Augusta is a great fit.
Laura: “How do you sell out an ice hockey game in a place like Savannah, Georgia?”
Andy Kauffman: “Honestly, it’s just about bringing the community together.”
It’s a model they’ve been able to replicate.
“Started a team out in Lake Tahoe with our buddy Tim Tebow as the managing partner over there. Started a team in Allen, Texas with Miles Jack, who actually played for the Steelers,” said Kauffman.
And now, they’re planning to bring ice hockey to Augusta.
“We have no doubt it’s going to be successful here, and we’re ready to put our money where our mouths are,” he said.
The puck started sliding when voters approved the funds to build a new James Brown Arena. A former Lynx player named John Whitwell really led the charge and captured the attention of Kauffman.
FULL INTERVIEW:
“Just seeing the success we’ve seen in other markets that quite frankly aren’t positioned as well as Augusta. Augusta has a base of hockey fans from the days of the Lynx,” said Kauffman.
The group that will be managing the arena is called Oak View.
The Coliseum Authority in charge of building the arena says things are moving in the right direction, and we could see the demolition of the old building starting mid-July, which puts us closer to seeing a contract in place for ice hockey.
“Once we are in about two years or so of being able to drop the puck for opening night, we basically claim an expansion membership in the ECHL and we come to town, make everyone proud, and celebrate with you guys,” said Kauffman.
Kauffman says they take a community-first approach, and Augusta will have a say in naming the team. This will be an NHL-affiliated franchise.
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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Democratic candidate for Georgia governor Olu Brown visited Augusta on Friday evening, stopping near the Sand Hills Community Center as early voting continues.
Brown is one of six candidates in the Democratic primary.
Campaign priorities
Brown said his vision as governor would focus on three main areas.
“One, it’s affordability around health care and making sure we expand Medicaid and expand Peach Care and make sure we continue to make our rural health care systems healthy and vital,” Brown said. “Number two, we’ve got to address education in all of Georgia, making sure every kid in Georgia gets an excellent education, and we’re paying our teachers more. And number 3, we’re protecting the rights of all women. Folks in the Gold Dome shouldn’t be making decisions about their bodies or the choices that they make.”
Brown is running against Amanda Duffy, Derrick Jackson, Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves, Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mike Thurmond.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Augusta Prep student was arrested on a charge of terroristic threats over a picture of a LEGO gun he posted on social media.
It happened Wednesday, according to an incident report from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
Eric Hedinger, the principal of Augusta Preparatory Day School, told deputies a student had uploaded a picture to Snapchat of a “pistol” with the caption “shooting up the school so I don`t have to take the stats exam tomorrow. Don`t come yall!”
The principal said he spoke to the student and his father about the photo.
The principal also provided deputies with the student’s address in Grovetown.
A deputy went there and was told by the student that the “pistol” was a LEGO set that he had built.
He also said the comment he made was supposed to be a joke because he was not looking forward to taking his Advanced Placement statistics test this week.
The student showed the deputy the box that the LEGO set came in, and how the set was already disassembled.
The deputy also looked in the boy’s room to make sure he was not in possession of any weapons.
The mother advised that there was one firearm in the residence but it was locked up.
The deputy contacted Judge Leslie Morgan and she issued a warrant for terroristic threats.
The student, age 18, was taken into custody and transported to the Columbia County Detention Center.
News 12 is not reporting his name or publishing his photo since the LEGO gun could not have actually harmed anyone.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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