Augusta, GA
Augusta Museum of History seeing increased traffic for Golf week
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – While golfers drive down Magnolia Lane, patrons have the chance to take a walk through history to see where it all began.
The Augusta Museum of History is seeing increased traffic during golf week.
“We are busy, no doubt about it,” said Nancy Glaser, executive director of the Augusta Museum of History.
The museum features a green jacket, photos and other golf memorabilia.
“What makes it special, the passion or the interest these people have in golf,” Glaser said.
Museums draw international visitors
Glaser said the museum expects a couple thousand patrons and locals to visit during tournament week.
“It’s an exciting time of year because we get, again, meet people from all over the world, come here. And literally they do. I’ve met Australians, English, Germans, Italians, Japanese, you name it, they’re coming through. And it’s just fun to meet people, whether you speak their language or not. Golf is international,” Glaser said.
She said visitors have an opportunity to learn backstories before they attend the tournament.
“The opportunity to share stories is what museums do, and that is our primary focus. We want to share stories. And every chance we get, we are able to share those stories,” Glaser said.
Glaser said the community benefits from the increased traffic.
“And they’re coming not just to the museum, but they’re eating in our restaurants, they’re shopping in our stores. And that’s part of it too. The community is benefiting by all this as well,” she said.
Other museums hosting events
The Augusta Jewish Museum will be open every day next week, from Sunday to Sunday. Visitors can explore the Jewish history in Augusta and notable Jewish golfers. On Friday, April 10, the museum will host a special tournament week event from 5 to 8 p.m.
The Lucy Laney Museum is bringing the history and role of Black caddies to life with the Man on the Bag Experience. Actors will portray notable caddies like Willy ‘Pappy’ Stokes, the godfather of caddies. That event will be April 8 at the Lucy C. Laney Museum from 6 to 7:30
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Augusta, GA
Valette Earns Elite 18 Award; Augusta Men’s Tennis Lands Three on Peach Belt All-Conference Teams – Augusta University
AUGUSTA, Ga. – With the Peach Belt Conference Tournament set to begin tomorrow, the conference office has announced the 2026 men’s tennis all-conference honors. Arthur Valette headlined Augusta’s selections by earning the Peach Belt Conference Elite 18 Award, presented to the student-athlete competing in the championship with the highest cumulative GPA.
A senior from Lyon, France, Valette competed in 18 matches this season for Augusta. He posted a 9-7 singles record and a 6-10 doubles mark, including a 3-3 record in both singles and doubles during conference play.
Augusta also placed three student-athletes on the all-conference teams. David Perret was named Second Team All-Conference Singles, while the doubles tandem of Alexis Bailhache and Perret earned Second Team All-Conference Doubles honors.
Perret, a junior from London, England, has been a key contributor throughout the season in both singles and doubles play. Bailhache, a senior from Nantes, France, teamed with Perret to give the Jaguars a consistent presence in doubles competition.
League major awards were claimed by Thomas Cardona of Columbus State, who was named Player of the Year, and teammate Hugo Didier, who earned Freshman of the Year honors. Columbus State head coach Evan Isaacs was selected Coach of the Year.
PBC Elite 18 Award
Arthur Valette, Augusta
Senior
- The PBC Elite 18 Award is presented at each of the PBC’s 18 championships to the student-athlete competing with the highest cumulative GPA
- Competed in 18 matches this season for Augusta
- Had a 9-7 record in singles and a 6-10 record in doubles
- Ended conference play with a 3-3 singles record and 3-3 doubles record
First Team All-Conference Singles
Thomas Cardona, Columbus State
Hugo Didier, Columbus State
Aniss Rafiq, Flagler
Ilian Borlee, Flagler
Harry Pugh, Lander
Pedro Liborio, North Georgia
First Team All-Conference Doubles
Andrea Sandrone / Elias Peter, Columbus State
Aly El Rafie / Noah Paterson, Flagler
Harry Pugh / Brendan Jayaprakash, Lander
Second Team All-Conference Singles
David Perret, Augusta
Aly El Rafie, Flagler
Simon Malis, Flagler
Chase Martin, GCSU
Daniel García Suárez, Middle Georgia
Alejandro Vizoso Ansedes, Middle Georgia
Joao Silva, North Georgia
Second Team All-Conference Doubles
Alexis Bailhache / David Perret, Augusta
Daniel Hammond / Benedek Szombathelyi, Columbus State
Juan Cruz Blanco / Ben Brandl, North Georgia
Player of the Year: Thomas Cardona, Columbus State
Freshman of the Year: Hugo Didier, Columbus State
Coach of the Year: Evan Isaacs, Columbus State
Elite 18 Award: Arthur Valette, Augusta
Augusta opens Peach Belt Conference Tournament play tomorrow against North Georgia in Columbus, Georgia.
An Augusta Tech plan to create an automotive service training center downtown finally has the funding to get rolling after more than four years of planning.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has approved Augusta Tech’s application for a $6.8 million grant to complete the Jim Hudson Automotive Institute, the workforce development school announced this week.
The campus will use the former site of Johnson Motor Co., a longtime Augusta Cadillac dealership on Walton Way that closed in 2021. Augusta Tech completed its purchase of the 6.5-acre property in December 2022.
“This grant is a powerful investment in Augusta’s economic future,” said Augusta Tech President Dr. Kendricks D. Hooker. “The Jim Hudson Automotive Institute will directly address critical workforce shortages while creating pathways to high-wage, in-demand careers for our students.”
Within a week of each other in April 2022, the Augusta National Golf Club and Columbia, S.C.-based Jim Hudson Automotive Group donated $1 million each to rev up the program.
“Anybody can sell a car,” company founder and principal Jim Hudson said at a June 2022 donation ceremony in the showroom of his Lexus dealership on Washington Road. “It takes a really good technician to keep it sold.”
Vehicles today aren’t just powered by gasoline or diesel fuel. Hybrid and electric vehicles are rising in popularity, and with it, the demand for more auto mechanics with high-tech training to repair increasingly computerized vehicles.
The facility will occupy about 33,000 square feet, or about half of the dealership building. The property’s layout as a working auto dealer will help flesh out the institute’s design “to support dealership operations, fleet maintenance and emerging vehicle technologies, while providing hands-on, industry-aligned instruction that responds to both regional and national labor market demand,” the school said in a statement.
Then-Augusta Tech President Dr. Jermaine Whirl told The Augusta Chronicle in 2022 that the school spent months talking with local auto dealers, transit companies, and other industry stakeholders to gauge interest in helping increase the auto-repair talent pool in the Augusta area.
The Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration approved the full grant request of $6,808,307, months after U.S. Rep. Rick Allen supported the grant application in a July 2025 letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
“Not only will this grant funding enable Augusta Tech to develop a Center for Excellence in Automotive Technology in Richmond County, but it will also equip hundreds of students and workers with the skills needed to succeed in our booming automotive manufacturing industry,” Allen said Tuesday.
Florida, Georgia wildfires prompt evacuations, travel chaos
Fast-moving Florida, Georgia wildfires prompt evacuations, travel chaos
Scripps News
Firefighters are battling wildfires in two southeastern states, prompting officials in one to issue its first ever burn ban, authorities said on April 22.
The blazes, created by “extreme drought,” are burning across parts of southern Georgia and northeast Florida, forcing road closures and destroying homes and buildings in their path, officials said.
In Georgia, the state’s Forestry Commission reported more than half of the state’s 159 counties had burn bans in effect. At the same time, burn bans were in effect for more than 40 counties in the Sunshine State, according to the Florida Forest Service.
“My office and I are working closely with the Georgia Forestry Commission to respond to the increasing threat of wildfires in South Georgia,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wrote on X April 21. “If you are in a directly affected area, please adhere to guidance from your local officials to keep you and your family safe.”
The burn ban order prohibits the outside burning of trash and yard debris and agriculture material in the affected area. Campfires, fireworks and burn barrels are also not permitted.
The commission reported it marked the first time in the agency’s history that a mandatory ban on outdoor burning has been issued.
Slated to remain in effect for at least 30 days, the Georgia Forestry Commission said the ban includes regions below Atlanta and covers Harris County to Columbia County, south to the Florida line.
As of April 22, there were about a half dozen wildfires burning in the Peach State, USA TODAY data showed.
The Pineland Road fire, discovered on April 18 in Clinch County, about 13 miles northwest of Fargo, also continues to burn. As of the early afternoon of April 22, the fire had spread to nearly 9,000 acres and was 10% contained.
Where are wildfires burning in Georgia? See map.
The Georgia Forestry Commission reported 98% of Georgia’s total land area is experiencing moderate to exceptional drought conditions, and the number of wildfires statewide has now risen above Georgia’s five-year average.
The chance of rain is unlikely for most of the affected area in the coming days, the Georgia Forestry Commission said.
“The extreme drought conditions across Georgia are putting agriculture and forestry at significant risk, and I want to strongly encourage all Georgians to do the right thing and adhere to the Georgia Forestry Commission’s burn ban while these conditions persist,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J. Harper said in a news release.
Where are wildfires burning in Florida? See map.
At the same time, there were 135 wildfires burning almost 21,000 acres in Florida, the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.
Roads in Franklin and Levy counties remained closed there due to smoke, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The law enforcement agency was urging motorists to use caution.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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