Augusta, GA

Augusta Prep honors Deputy Sikes, the one who was always smiling

Published

8 months ago

May 4, 2025

Augusta Prep honors Deputy Sikes, the one who was always smiling

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – As friends, family and our community prepare for the funeral of fallen Columbia County Deputy Brandon Sikes, Augusta Prep students are finding more ways to honor the one who was always seen going the extra mile.

Deputy Sikes’s bond with Augusta Prep students ran deep. Sikes was a deputy at the school since 2023, and his absence has left a strong impact on the students and staff.

The headmaster tells us you never saw him without a smile, and his approachability made students feel safe.

Even though students spent Wednesday wearing blue in his honor, they wanted more, leading students outside Friday to the teardrop area.

With the American flag flying at half staff, upper school chorus and third-grade students stood behind Deputy Sikes’ memorial, singing a Latin song in his honor.

A simple gesture, Headmaster Eric Hedinger says, brings so much peace to a place that means a lot to both Deputy Sikes and the students.

“Being outside mattered,” said Hedinger. “He loved being outside. He would walk through campus and often be seen with his smile and so it was important again to be outside together and we sang a song in the celebration of life and that really lifted our spirits and then the officers actually, the sheriff’s department officers who are part of our rotation, some of them showed up. It was a moment of just coming together and giving comfort to one another.”

Hedinger says Deputy Sikes made Augusta Prep a better place.

“There’s also a part of reflecting on the legacy of Officer Sikes and what he brought to our community,” said Hedinger. “A kind heart under the shield of being a sheriff, the care of kids, and the approachability you know, I think our students understand that law enforcement are approachable and they’re not an intimidating shield, but they’re ones who care about you and he helped to exemplify that and be a part of our community and that’s the bright side that I think is a takeaway for our kids.”

And their goal is to continue finding ways to share his joy for years to come.

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Augusta, GA

Augusta man missing off Georgia coast as search continues

Published

9 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Augusta man missing off Georgia coast as search continues

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Coast Guard and McIntosh County Fire Department continued searching Friday for an Augusta man who went missing off the Georgia coast, as a body was found Thursday.

Roman Waldera’s daughter spoke about the last conversation she had with her father before he disappeared while fishing.

“I actually spoke to my dad in the morning he went missing. We talked back and forth a little bit and then he told me, well, I’m on the boat. I’ve got to get going. We’re going to start fishing. And I was like, all right, we’ll be careful. I love you,” she said.

The Coast Guard called her after Waldera went missing.

“After we got the call, my first goal was to get down there and start searching the island of Blackbeard,” she said.

Community joins search efforts

Shellman’s Fish Camp and other local boat owners joined the search in Sapelo Sound.

“I mean, everybody in the area who had a boat, they were on the sound, and it ended up, I was coordinating with the Coast Guard this whole time,” Waldera’s daughter said.

She said her father’s teachings motivated her to take action.

“So my dad raised me and my grandparents to get it done. Don’t wait around. Don’t sit around. Don’t wait for someone else to do the work. If someone’s going to make it happen, it’s going to be you. And I just, I thought, what would my dad want? He’d want me down there and he would want me looking,” she said.

She described what she would do if reunited with her father.

“I think I just hugged him. I think he just hugged me because I think he knows that I was down there. I was all alone doing that, looking for him all day long. I slept in his room. I think he knows. I think he knows everything, and I don’t think there need to be any words. I think we just love each other,” she said.

The Coast Guard asks anyone with information about the disappearance to call 843-453-1261. Officials said crews not part of the official search can create unsafe conditions and hinder response efforts.

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Augusta, GA

Former WWE stars involved in ‘Wrestling for a Cause’ event in Augusta

Published

21 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Former WWE stars involved in ‘Wrestling for a Cause’ event in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The community wrestled for a cause at the Georgia-Carolina fairgrounds Saturday night.

Famous wrestlers from the WWE came to the CSRA for the show.

Silent Fights raised money for a local family that lost their home to a fire, as well as former WWE star Toni Rose, who is battling cancer.

Former WWE stars like Johnny Swinger and Heath Slater made appearances.

We spoke with these headliners and CSRA Championship Wrestling about the event.

This is definitely the biggest card of the year. WWE star here, Heat Slater, myself, TNA, WWE, all the major organizations. And we got some good young up and coming talent here that’s going to go out there and tear it up and do the best that we can,” said Swinger.

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Augusta, GA

Is weed legal in Georgia after Trump signs order to reclassify marijuana?

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Is weed legal in Georgia after Trump signs order to reclassify marijuana?

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday, Dec. 18, reclassifying marijuana as a Scheduled III narcotic, a drop from the more severe Scheduled I narcotic it had been classified in for nearly 6 decades.

Since 1970, marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I drug, the same category as heroin, LSD, methaqualone and ecstasy. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) describes Schedule I substances as having no “medical use and a high potential for abuse.”

A review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found “scientific support for its use to treat anorexia related to a medical condition, nausea and vomiting, and pain,” Trump said in the executive order.

That review came after former President Joe Biden suggested his administration take a look at reclassifying the drug in 2023. The Department of Health and Human Services also recommended that year that marijuana be reclassified based on widespread use of medical marijuana across 43 U.S. jurisdictions for more than 6 million registered patients to treat at least 15 medical conditions, the EO said.

Is marijuana now legal in Georgia?

Not yet. In fact, it’s only in the infancy of review at the federal level. Lawmakers in Georgia will have to decide if it will allow marijuana at a state level.

Many states, however, 24 to be exact, have already legalized marijuana before Trump’s order, although Georgia remains on the sidelines.

While 24 states have adopted laws allowing adults to purchase and consume cannabis for non-medical use, Georgia continues to prohibit it.

But what does the Peach State allow medically?

Has Georgia legalized recreational marijuana?

No, Georgia does not allow adult-use of cannabis.

According to NORML, possession for personal use, even under an ounce, is punishable as a misdemeanor with up to 12 months in jail or up to a $1,000 fine.

Possessing more than an ounce is a felony, carrying penalties of 1 to 10 years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.

Does Georgia allow marijuana medically?

Georgia allows marijuana for medical purposes only, and exclusively in the form of low-THC oil (5% THC or less). Registered patients can possess up to 20 fluid ounces.