Augusta, GA
Dream center to offer free clothes, school supplies to community
![Dream center to offer free clothes, school supplies to community Dream center to offer free clothes, school supplies to community](https://gray-wrdw-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/O4VPSZYM3NHFBOA7346WCMD2B4.png?auth=591aa58a65fe2aade28432afdc0735859dce1504cba84d61a9bfa47266413abe&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – If you haven’t finished back-to-school shopping, this weekend would be the time to do it.
While many South Carolina stores will be filled with shoppers, we can’t forget about the local organizations holding back-to-school drives for families who may need a little support.
Clothes, backpacks, pens, pencils, paper, shoes and even haircuts can all add up.
We spoke with one group working to lessen the financial stress as kids head back to the classroom.
The Augusta Dream Center is a non-profit organization that works to help underserved communities in the CSRA.
“A lot of people were finding themselves without childcare, without food resources, availability to get to where the resources were. So, it was very important to us to have this location in south Augusta to be present with the people who seem to need it the most,” said Meagan Slusser, missions pastor at Stevens Creek Church.
They provide food, clothes, health care resources, an adult computer literacy course and a hot meal every Sunday to those who need it.
Fundraising Coordinator Hallie Dickens said: “We’re seeing upwards to 250-350 families weekly. This is not people just families, so when it comes to people over the last 12 months. We’ve impacted over 30,000 people with just feeding alone.”
The Dream Center is now gearing up to help even more people on Saturday through what they call Serve Day.
![Junior Achievement Discovery Center](https://gray-wrdw-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/DISHMPA64RH3NDGFWJJJ5Z7PPQ.png?auth=d89d47bb00fe337b30da218382c61fa877a57abb8b92b30964462fce38408151&width=1280&height=720&smart=true)
They’ll be providing free haircuts, clothes, shoes, dental screenings and backpacks filled with supplies.
Slusser said: “So, if there are multiple colors or styles, they get to pick from them and really make it personal, and that just changes a kid’s world for starting out school and gives them the confidence they probably need to let them know they can do it this year, you can get through it.”
Slusser says events like this happen because of the community.
“Many companies have chipped in, and many churches have chipped in, and we love to see that grow. We never want it to be one name that’s championed, but the whole community coming together to serve our people,” she said.
To learn more about the Augusta Dream Center, visit https://www.augustadreamcenter.org/.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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Augusta, GA
Augusta University baseball field to get new look
![Augusta University baseball field to get new look Augusta University baseball field to get new look](https://gray-wrdw-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/OLC3CHPWUVAO3EKEM24QHV5MQU.png?auth=68e4c7ae8e10dd46ee8325f114d196a455535a12accc56408cdacc57629b8cf5&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta University has been updating and improving a lot of its athletic facilities.
On Thursday afternoon, they shared their plans to build a new baseball stadium.
The new Jaguar Field will include new bleachers right behind home plate with 420 seats and handicapped seating, an expansion of the current concessions stand area and a new state-of-the-art press box.
Jaguar Field will also be getting a new scoreboard with a video display.
Fans will be able to see a live feed, instant replays, stats and everything in between.
The project is expected to be ready in time for the Jags 2025 season.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Augusta, GA
Georgia ranks near top in polite drivers, new survey reveals
![Georgia ranks near top in polite drivers, new survey reveals Georgia ranks near top in polite drivers, new survey reveals](https://gray-wrdw-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/VESKN4B5IVHWDN5P64Z4YBITQY.jpg?auth=270ac5f1eb667ff1596c9868487cbb917e2804fa5541d061918a919e28effc2d&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Georgia ranks No. 4 in the country for states with the most polite drivers, according to a Forbes Advisor survey.
The percentage of drivers in Georgia who have been threatened, yelled at or insulted by another driver is 18.5%, the second lowest in the country, the report found. It also noted that 26% of Georgia drivers have been blocked from merging or changing lanes, which is the fifth-lowest percentage nationwide.
Across the Savannah River, South Carolina ranks 40th, with 65% of drivers saying another driver has exited their vehicle to yell or fight with them and 7% reporting they get road rage from other drivers very frequently.
Along with Georgia, the top five states with polite drivers are Hawaii, South Dakota, North Dakota and Maine. Meanwhile, the top five states with confrontational drivers are California, Missouri, Utah, Oklahoma and Colorado, according to Forbes Advisor.
![FBI releases Human Trafficking and Drug Offenses Report 2013-2022](https://gray-wrdw-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FBV2IQFVRZATROZW3N35OSZ2RM.png?auth=674160ddc569ac06a1126e51148d4e9fcfd1a48642980c2e5fd44edbdea29fb6&width=1177&height=651&smart=true)
Across states, 41% of respondents said they’ve seen an act of road rage in the past 12 months.
Forbes Advisor surveyed 10,000 licensed drivers and compared all 50 states covering nine key metrics. The questions asked covered situations ranging from drivers honking in frustration to one car forcing another off the road.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Augusta, GA
A deeper look into Augusta mayor’s spending habits
![A deeper look into Augusta mayor’s spending habits A deeper look into Augusta mayor’s spending habits](https://gray-wrdw-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/5TLA27WT2JAJZKIVEWUUPWQ6TE.png?auth=77c5e58e40441b5487a2d4a70a3b29e7d6948bf85a09225a3c7df4765bd3ebdd&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – We are looking into questions about reimbursing Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson for his credit card expenses.
The mayor himself brought the subject up to commissioners on Tuesday, asking for more than $40,000 to cover various expenses over the last six months.
The issue that commissioners brought up isn’t whether the mayor is breaking a policy. It’s that one doesn’t exist that covers this particular issue.
The mayor is asking for reimbursements to his personal credit card, and in doing so, he found the city has no policy in place to grant his request.
The mayor’s office does not have a city-issued credit card. Instead, the mayor makes purchases using his personal card.
From January to June of this year, the mayor is asking to be reimbursed more than $40,000.
“We continue to operate in a very conservative manner as it relates to taxpayer dollars. We believe in giving dollars back, we’re committed to that. I pledge that and that’s what we’re going to continue to do,” said Johnson.
These purchases include close to $10,000 spent to bring First Lady Jill Biden to the city and a $2,400 invite to a state dinner at the White House back in May.
These expenses, according to the mayor’s chief of staff, had to be made immediately.
The totals also exceed the city’s spending limit when it comes to city-issued cards.
Augusta’s Finance Director Donna Williams says it’s a $500 limit per transaction or a $5,000 limit per month.
“They were well within our budget. These were dollars that were used to promote and to grow the city of Augusta not only economically, but to have guests to come to our city to help us promote the city of Augusta. So those expenditures were well beyond our budget,” said Johnson.
When asked if it’s a requirement for the mayor to have a city-issued card, Williams says that’s not her decision and that what is currently being requested is not addressed in existing policies.
When asked if he’d be open to a city-issued card, the mayor said, “I’m open to that so long as it has a limit to where we can accomplish the things we need to accomplish. This is not a case where we’re spending dollars and not asking for any accountability. There’s complete accountability to the process. And it’s the same process as I would use if I had a city-owned credit card.”
![Telfair Street tree in danger of being cut down in Augusta.](https://gray-wrdw-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/LPHERXLMTFH4HD53DGC2PSM4TM.png?auth=66c1ddd1abb002ca5dcfaf9dc9060084bfad9c3fd63a1cdcb659078d2a7bd687&width=1695&height=953&smart=true)
And just to note here, the mayor is not breaking policy of any kind.
Again, the issue that was brought up is that the finance director says there isn’t a policy that covers this.
This isn’t the first time questions have come up about an Augusta mayor’s credit card use.
Our I-TEAM questioned the previous mayor of Augusta, Hardie Davis, about his charges on a county-issued credit card three years ago.
We exposed thousands of dollars Mayor Hardie Davis racked up at local restaurants and hotels, as well as questionable charges made to non-profits and contractors.
Our investigation uncovered Richmond County did not have a credit card policy in place at the time, which violated state law.
Commissioners adopted the current credit card policy after we brought this to light.
However, the policy they adopted three years ago to become compliant with Georgia law does not address the use of personal credit cards for government business.
And that’s what commission is looking at address now.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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