AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A criminal investigation is underway at TechNet Augusta, according to officials at the event.

In a video posted Wednesday on social media, officials said there is an odor in the Oglethorpe Ballroom at the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center.

Lieutenant General Susan Lawrence, president and chief executive officer of AFCEA International, says officials and local authorities are working to fix the situation.

Lawrence states the affected areas have undergone tests for hazardous materials, but authorities say it is safe to proceed with the conference. “

We will continue to cooperate with the local authorities on this ongoing criminal investigation,” said Lawrence.

Authorities say this is an alleged “willful act.”

AFCEA International says since this is an ongoing investigation, they’re not commenting at this time.

The three-day conference brings together cyber industry experts – largely with high-security clearances – for communication, networking, education and problem-solving. It’s put on by the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association in cooperation with the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and industry experts.

Even though it’s a pretty specialized event, it’s a huge boost to the economy.

Last year alone, it brought nearly 6,000 attendees to the city, with more than 3,700 traveling from outside Georgia and South Carolina.

As of Wednesday evening, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says they have not received any information on this investigation.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – It’s been a little more than two weeks since Hurricane Debby swept through Florida and then hit Georgia and the Carolinas as a tropical storm.

While we got nearly a foot of rain in some of our southern counties, places along the coast like Savannah got hit the hardest.

Augusta became a hub for relief organizations to ship out supplies in the aftermath of Debby.

Now, Augusta volunteers are heading south as well to help with recovery efforts.

It’s been more than a few weeks, but people are still feeling the impact like it was yesterday.

“I know that we have a couple of Augusta people that are in the Savannah area right now, and what they are doing is that recovery type of stage. So, they’re doing disaster assessment, so literally driving down all the streets, looking at the houses, seeing what houses have been damaged or destroyed, so that we can help them recover,” said Susan Everitt, executive director of American Red Cross of East Central Georgia.

Since Tropical Storm Debby, more than 500 volunteers have passed through Augusta to help along the coast, passing out meals, clean-up kits and more.

Frank Spears lives in Augusta and arrived in Savannah Tuesday night.

“200 hundred households have been affected in the Richmond Hill area. I’m gonna walk you around a bit here. Red Cross volunteers are here now doing intake and as we are doing the intake we are meeting with the people that have the greatest need and serving them with financial assistance,” said Spears.

He is also helping assess the damage.

The Red Cross says at least 420 homes have been damaged or destroyed overall, but that number could increase.

“They’ve given us lists of people that have destroyed houses or major damaged houses, and they’re the ones that were immediately helping. But we’re discovering, is it, there’s a lot more flooding here than we knew, and we’re trying to assist and help them in every single way. So, what we’ve seen is just amazing damage from the floods,” said Spears.

Augusta was ready for any sort of impact but stepped up where the impact was greater.

“There’s still water in some of the streets, but you can’t imagine what’s been left in those houses. It’s not good. It’s not good. Most of them did not have flood insurance, so homeowners’ insurance doesn’t cover it,” said Spears.

Spears says he’s helping in any way he can and encouraging others to also.

Everitt said: “At this point, we would love for people to volunteer to be prepared for the next disaster that comes because we know it’s going to be a very intense disaster season this year.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says 2024 could be one of the busiest hurricane seasons on record.

If you want to volunteer to help with disaster relief through the Red Cross, visit

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A new location for a national chain of hardware stores is expected to open in south Augusta this fall and they’re hiring.

Harbor Freight Tools likely will open its third Augusta-area location at 3137 Peach Orchard Rd. in October, according to the company’s website. A spokeswoman said on Tuesday that an official opening date will be announced closer to completion.

The store is expected to employ between 25 and 30 people. Harbor Freight employees about 28,000 at more than 1,500 locations across the country.

Interested applicants can apply online at www.harborfreightjobs.com/retail and search “Augusta, GA” for available positions.

Tool time: With Dollar Tree gone, Harbor Freight Tools is taking its place at south Augusta site

“We’ve been looking to open a location in Augusta for a number of years so that we can provide the tools andequipment at tremendous values to the community,” said Trey Feiler, the company’s senior vice president for real estate and construction. “In addition to finding a great location, we were attracted by the availabilityof great associates in the Augusta area, and we look forward to having them join the Harbor Freight team.”

The Augusta Chronicle first reported in May that a leased building area of more than 14,000 square feet was scheduled to undergo a complete buildout that would convert half the area into shelved Harbor Freight sales space.

The proposed new store would be Georgia’s third Harbor Freight in the Augusta area. The others are at 3435 Wrightsboro Rd., in the Richmond Plaza shopping center across from Augusta Mall; and at 4480 Columbia Rd. in Martinez, in the Victoria Station shopping center at the corner of Columbia and South Belair roads.

Another nearby Harbor Freight is at 2270 Whiskey Rd. in Aiken, S.C.