Augusta, GA

Augusta-Richmond County fire receives FEMA Assistance

Published

1 year ago

July 18, 2024

Augusta-Richmond County fire receives FEMA Assistance

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – More than $240 thousand in federal grant money is on its way to Augusta-Richmond County to strengthen fire safety.

Georgia Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff made the announcement Wednesday, July 17.

This money is coming from FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.

The money can be used for professional training, wellness and fitness programs, equipment, personal protective equipment, and facility upgrades.

“Firefighters across Georgia put their lives on the line to keep families safe,” Sen. Ossoff said. “Senator Warnock and I will never stop championing Georgia’s heroic fire departments, and these resources will help them respond to emergencies that threaten lives and property.”

“I’m proud to have played a role in getting this critical funding secured. Our firefighters and EMS responders are some of the best and bravest among us, and every fire department throughout Georgia, especially in our rural communities, ought to have the resources and support they need to protect our communities,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.

Last month, Sen. Ossoff brought Republicans and Democrats together to pass the Fire Grants and Safety Act, which will re-authorize key grant programs — like the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program — that provide Federal funding to Georgia’s fire departments.

Since taking office, Sens. Ossoff and Warnock have delivered dozens of Assistance to Firefighters Grants to cities, counties, and agencies across the state— including Columbus and West Point; Augusta and Twin City; Metro Atlanta and North Georgia, Middle Georgia, Southwest Georgia, and Coastal Georgia.

Source link

Augusta, GA

Structure fire blocks multiple lanes on Peach Orchard Road

Published

9 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Structure fire blocks multiple lanes on Peach Orchard Road

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and Augusta Fire Department responded to a structure fire early Saturday morning in the 3600 block of Peach Orchard Road.

Fire truck shortage forces local departments to wait years for equipment

Emergency crews blocked multiple lanes as they battled the fire, according to a Facebook post from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

News 12 has reached out to the Augusta Fire Department to determine the cause of the fire and to inquire about any reported injuries.

Source link

Augusta, GA

Finding Solutions: Augusta Juvenile Court receives grant for gang prevention

Published

21 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Finding Solutions: Augusta Juvenile Court receives grant for gang prevention

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta Juvenile Court received a grant of more than $1 million to prevent youth from joining gangs by addressing underlying factors that lead to criminal behavior.

The grant from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council will allow the court to expand services beyond its current programs and serve a broader population of at-risk youth.

“This allows us to build on the work we are currently doing. It also allows us to serve a different population of youth that we have not been able to serve on such an extended level, so we have additional funds that will serve even more kids and to hopefully assist the sheriff and district attorney in not having youthful offenders become adult offenders that they have to obtain and prosecute,” said Chief Judge Tianna Bias.

Addressing root causes

The funding will target factors that make youth vulnerable to gang recruitment, including poor school attendance and reading difficulties.

“Whether it’s that they have poor school attendance, not reading on grade level. One thing we’ve seen is that when you are not reading on grade level that has an impact on many other areas of your life. It’s really just an opportunity to offer wrap-around support for these kids so we can prevent them from getting into unfortunate situations that they may not end up in front of a juvenile court judge later,” Bias said.

Dr. Audrey Armistad, chief intake officer for the juvenile court, said the court’s goal is rehabilitation rather than detention.

“We put them in programs and services that help them to be able to develop mentally, socially and physically when it comes to kids involved with the juvenile court,” Armistad said.

Expanding services

The juvenile court currently serves at-risk youth through the THRIVE program. The court is also expanding services with a new computer lab set to open next month.

“It helps us to be able to provide instruction to kids getting GEDs, parents wanting GEDs, as well as we provide learning loss instruction to kids enrolled in Richmond County who may need remediation in math and reading,” Armistad said.

A gang prevention expert will meet with the juvenile court team to provide recommendations on how the grant money should be spent.

Bias said success will be measured by fewer teens in courtrooms and more in classrooms.

“We are meant to rehabilitate not to punish and we want to help these parents get kids on track so we can see a better Augusta for everyone,” Bias said.

Source link