Augusta, GA
Augusta Mayor’s Chief of Staff resigns
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – The Augusta Mayor’s right-hand has stepped down.
Chief of Staff, Jasmine Sims, submitted a resignation letter to Mayor Garnett Johnson Tuesday.
It’s dated April 2nd, 2026 and states:
Dear Mayor Johnson,
Please accept this letter as formal notice of my resignation from my position as Chief of Staff,
effective April 14, 2026. After thoughtful consideration, I have decided to move forward to pursue other professional opportunities. Serving this administration and the City of Augusta over the past three years has been both a privilege and an honor, and I am proud of the work we have accomplished together. I am committed to ensuring a smooth and orderly transition and will assist in any way possible prior to my departure. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.Jasmine Chavous Sims
Last June, Mrs. Sims filed a grievance against Mayor Johnson in a letter to the City of Augusta Human Resources Department Office of Employee Relations.
The letter stated that Mrs. Sims was denied access to work after she allegedly did not share a personal appointment in the work group chat. She said she did inform other member’s of the staff in addition to adding it to the office calendar. At the time of the filing, Sims says nothing had been communicated to her.
No word yet on who will replace Mrs. Sims as the Mayor’s Chief of Staff.
Mrs. Sims said her good-bye’s during the Commission meeting Tuesday. In part, she states,
“It’s been an honor to be with you, ‘Mister G.’ We’re like sister and brother, and we fight and we argue, but we found common ground where it mattered. And I couldn’t be more proud of the things that we’ve accomplished – and am praying that everything that happens from this point will be ordained in your favor.”
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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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