Augusta, GA
Augusta leaders hire new emergency management director
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta-Richmond County has hired an emergency management director.
Kymber Keaton was hired after a competitive multi-round interview process involving several applicants and input from key public safety stakeholders.
It’s been a goal for quite some time to hire a full-time Emergency Management Agency director.
In recent years, Antonio Burden has been acting in that role in addition to serving as fire chief.
Augusta hasn’t had a full-time director for more than 20 years.
Keaton, originally from Scottsdale, Ariz., brings nearly a decade of high-level experience in emergency management, disaster response, public safety and homeland security spanning local, state, federal, tribal and international operations.
Her career includes service with the Air Force, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and the White House Operations Center.
She has played key roles in operations, planning, training, mitigation, and recovery for some of the nation’s most complex emergencies, including COVID-19, wildfires, earthquakes, severe storms, flooding and civil disturbances.
Keaton has contributed to three presidential administrations, collaborating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Secret Service and the National Park Service. She has also been involved in both national and international disaster relief efforts with Team Rubicon and Volunteer Nepal, supporting efforts to strengthen emergency readiness and improve coordination across partner agencies.
Keaton holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Emergency Management and has completed advanced emergency response and disaster risk training.
“I am excited to begin my service with Augusta-Richmond County,” she said. “This community made a lasting impression on me during Hurricane Helene, and the resilience I witnessed here stayed with me. When the opportunity to join Augusta arose, it felt like the right place to contribute and lead. My focus now is to enhance preparedness and ensure every resident feels informed, supported, and ready for any emergency.”
Keaton will oversee emergency preparedness, disaster response, outreach and training, working with local, state and federal partners.
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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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