AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – With funding for Head Start programs expected to run out after Friday, the YMCA has secured emergency funding to keep Head Start programs open past Friday.

The programs currently serve nearly 700 children in the Augusta area.

Ut’s an important program for many Georgia families.

Take Heather Morris, who lives in Madison County.

She’s a Head Start teacher, her husband serves in the Army and he’s not getting paid during the shutdown. Two of their children are enrolled in Head Start, receiving speech therapy that’s changed their lives. Now she could lose her paycheck and the care her family depends on.

“Well, yesterday I cried all day,” Morris said.

“You’re looking around your home like, what can we sell or what can we give up? I mean, do you let your children starve? No. Do you pull your children out of school to let them stay with the younger ones? That’s not an option either,” Morris said.

To keep programs like Morris’s open, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta stepped in with an $8 million bridge loan, buying 45 more days of operations for the YMCA, Sheltering Arms, and Easterseals North Georgia.

“Typically philanthropy does not step up to fill the role of the federal government. But these are really uncertain times,” said Frank Fernandez of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.

That loan covers about 5,800 children in North Georgia, but families of nearly 700 children in south Georgia are already being told they won’t have a place to go after Friday.

Impact on working families

About 80% of Head Start parents work at least one job, often low-wage and hourly. Without child care, leaders fear some families may have to pull older kids out of school to look after their younger siblings.

“We need the adult leaders in this country to come to the table and not make the children of our communities suffer,” said Lauren Koontz of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta.

The bridge loan keeps some programs open but only through mid-December. Families and providers say they need more than a temporary fix and need Washington to act.

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HEPHZIBAH, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Richmond County deputies responded to Butler Manor Drive after two teenagers were shot Monday evening, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials say around 8:22 p.m., officials responded to the 2800 block of Butler Manor Drive, where one male was shot multiple times in the chest and another male was shot one time.

The sheriff’s office says the victims are 18 and 16 years old.

Both victims were transported to Wellstar and are said to be in serious condition. Officials say no information on suspect(s) is available.

Sheriff Eugene Brantley, Chief Lewis Blanchard and CID responded to the scene with Road Patrol.

“We’re trying to follow the footsteps of the guy who participated in this act of violence,” Brantley said.

On scene, Brantley told News 12 that the victims were in surgery around 10:20 p.m. and in critical condition.

“I feel like we have to do better as a community, raising awareness, gun violence and holding our children accountable,” he said. “Before they do something that could possibly cost them their lives or another individual their lives … they put a little more thought into what they’re doing. At the end of the day, I don’t really think they understand the gravity of what they’re doing.”

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Two people were hospitalized following a shooting incident at a cafe in Augusta, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded to the scene at the Finish Line Cafe in the 3900 block of Wrightsboro Road at approximately 11 p.m. on Saturday, authorities said.

One of the individuals left the scene before law enforcement arrived and was taken to the hospital by a friend. The second individual remained on scene when deputies arrived.

Both individuals are currently being detained by deputies while receiving medical care amid the ongoing investigation.

In a post to social media, the business addressed rumors that were circulating online about the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The business says its working with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office to ensure incidents like the shooting are prevented and the safety of patrons and staff is top of mind.

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