Augusta, GA
Finding Solutions: Augusta University ‘Baby lab’ gives hands-on learning
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -Augusta University has opened a new “baby lab” where infants help train the next generation of occupational physical and speech therapists.
The program allows therapy students to observe and interact with babies to develop skills they cannot learn from textbooks alone. Students from three different therapy programs work together to assess different aspects of infant development.
“The occupational therapy students may be looking more at the baby’s fine motor skills, their play skills, where as the PT students may be looking more at their gross motor skills and our speech language students may be looking at communication skills and feeding skills,” said Mallory Rosche, associate professor of occupational therapy at Augusta University.
Students gain real-world experience
For students like Chesnee Freeman, an occupational therapy major, the lab provides practical training for her future career.
“I know it’s definitely going to help out when I go into my field work getting to draw on real life experience other than what I learned in books and lectures,” Freeman said.
Parents benefit from developmental assessments
The program also serves participating families by helping parents track their children’s developmental progress.
Yuli and Luis Rodriguez, parents of baby Alessandro, said the experience helped them understand their child’s development.
“I think it was giving us an opportunity to kind of figure out where he is out in his milestones and just figuring where he is at compared to other babies and making sure he is on course to meet everything,” they said.
The grant-funded program launched this month. Three large classes allow students to participate once per semester, with each session lasting about 20 minutes.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Augusta, GA
Historic Masters landmark purchased and renovated by local resident
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Augusta, GA
Georgia governor candidate Olu Brown campaigns in Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Democratic candidate for Georgia governor Olu Brown visited Augusta on Friday evening, stopping near the Sand Hills Community Center as early voting continues.
Brown is one of six candidates in the Democratic primary.
Campaign priorities
Brown said his vision as governor would focus on three main areas.
“One, it’s affordability around health care and making sure we expand Medicaid and expand Peach Care and make sure we continue to make our rural health care systems healthy and vital,” Brown said. “Number two, we’ve got to address education in all of Georgia, making sure every kid in Georgia gets an excellent education, and we’re paying our teachers more. And number 3, we’re protecting the rights of all women. Folks in the Gold Dome shouldn’t be making decisions about their bodies or the choices that they make.”
Brown is running against Amanda Duffy, Derrick Jackson, Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves, Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mike Thurmond.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Augusta, GA
Augusta Prep student arrested over picture of LEGO gun, threat he called a joke
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Augusta Prep student was arrested on a charge of terroristic threats over a picture of a LEGO gun he posted on social media.
It happened Wednesday, according to an incident report from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
Eric Hedinger, the principal of Augusta Preparatory Day School, told deputies a student had uploaded a picture to Snapchat of a “pistol” with the caption “shooting up the school so I don`t have to take the stats exam tomorrow. Don`t come yall!”
The principal said he spoke to the student and his father about the photo.
The principal also provided deputies with the student’s address in Grovetown.
A deputy went there and was told by the student that the “pistol” was a LEGO set that he had built.

He also said the comment he made was supposed to be a joke because he was not looking forward to taking his Advanced Placement statistics test this week.
The student showed the deputy the box that the LEGO set came in, and how the set was already disassembled.
The deputy also looked in the boy’s room to make sure he was not in possession of any weapons.
The mother advised that there was one firearm in the residence but it was locked up.

The deputy contacted Judge Leslie Morgan and she issued a warrant for terroristic threats.
The student, age 18, was taken into custody and transported to the Columbia County Detention Center.
News 12 is not reporting his name or publishing his photo since the LEGO gun could not have actually harmed anyone.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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