AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Augusta school is dealing with a bedbug situation.

Parents of Monte Sano Elementary students were told of it in a letter dated Wednesday.

“A kindergarten student was exposed to bedbugs outside our school,” the Richmond County School System told parents.

No other grade levels are believed to be in danger of exposure.

“Out of an abundance of caution,” all students were examined for bedbug activity and the following steps were taken:

• All kindergarten classes were removed from their normal classrooms for the school day and instruction took place at another location in the school.
• All classroom items were examined for bedbug activity.
• To ensure that no bedbugs enter family homes, kindergarten student belongings will remain on campus overnight to be treated.
• Parents and guardians of all kindergarten students received additional resources and information.

Regular classroom activity for all students will resume on Thursday.

“We understand that this event disrupted your children’s school day,” parents were told. “We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to ensure that our classrooms are safe environments for learning.”

All about bedbugs

• Bedbugs are small, flat insects that bite people and animals at night while they sleep, feeding on their blood.
• Bedbugs are reddish-brown, are wingless and range from 1mm to roughly the size of Lincoln’s head on a penny. They can live for months without a blood meal.
• Bedbugs are not known to spread diseases to people, but they cause irritation, itching and loss of sleep.
• You can find bedbugs anywhere, from North and South America, to Africa, Asia and Europe. Bedbugs are in five-star hotels and resorts. How clean a place is does not determine whether they are present.
• Bedbug bites affect each person differently. You may have no signs or you may see small bites or suffer serious allergic reactions, although these are rare.
• When bedbugs bite, they inject an anesthetic and anticoagulant that prevent a person from feeling the bite when it happens. Most people do not notice the bite marks until they appear from one to several days after the initial bite.
• Bites look similar to mosquito or flea bites — a slightly swollen and red area that may itch and be irritating. The bite marks may be random or appear in a straight line.
• Signs of an infestation include exoskeletons (shed after molting), bugs in the fold of mattresses and sheets, rusty-colored blood spots on mattresses or nearby furniture, and a sweet musty odor.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A new dental facility has opened up in Augusta to provide services at no cost to patients.

Miracle Making Ministries is a non-profit organization helping people get the care they need.

They provide primary care at Druid Park Community Health Center.

Officials say they saw a need for dental services in more than 80% of their patients.

The building was donated to the ministry 25 years ago and initially served as the health center location until they outgrew the space and moved.

“The list is so long and there are so many needs. So, we decided that it would be to our advantage as well as to the advantage of those in need to open a full-time dental facility and so here we are,” said the president of Miracle Making Ministries, Robert Williams.

Right now, they are only open on Fridays.

They are working with the Dental College of Georgia so that students can use their facility as a rotation site.

This combined with volunteer dentists, they should be able to eventually open up five days a week.

To get dental care, you have to be below the poverty level and they can help you figure that out.

For more information, visit https://mirmakmin.com/medical-outreach/.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – In six months, a building in the middle of Broad Street in downtown Augusta will become the region’s newest small business incubator and micro-enterprise center.

It’s called Accelerate Augusta.

It’s in partnership with Augusta Tech and the Downtown Development Authority.

Two years ago, Senator Raphael Warnock sent over $2 million in funding for the project.

This new resource is meant for everyone in the community.

600 Broad Street is getting a new facelift aimed at setting entrepreneurs up for success while expanding downtown Augusta all at the same time.

“This is beyond exciting,” said Dr. Jermaine Whirl, president of Augusta Tech.

It’s a project years in the making and a big boost right in the heart of downtown.

“We have so many small businesses that have been wanting and needing these resources, and so to have this construction get started today. It’s a big, big opportunity for us to really assist those companies,” said Whirl.

When the doors open in early 2025, Accelerate Augusta will have resources Whirl says hit three markets needed in the Garden City.

“We have micro sprints, which might be a one-day class, eight hours. You come in in the morning, you’re done by five, and you get everything that you need,” said Whirl. Other individuals, might need two, or three month’s worth of training because they have a concept. So, they’ll spend several weeks with us from start to finish, to really grow out their business plan.”

And you don’t need a student ID to use it.

“If you want to build your business out, this is a place that you can do that from start to finish,” said Whirl.

Leaders say the plan is to continue the successful halo effect they’re already seeing downtown.

Margaret Woodard with the Downtown Development Authority said: “This block looks a lot different than it did when we got here last November. Buildings have sold. That building across the street will be the future home of 33 market-rate apartments, which we’re very excited about. Jake, who owns Sole Augusta, is opening a barbecue restaurant one block on Fifth Street.”

With phase one under construction, leaders tell me they have their eyes set on phase two, which is an incubator that will help entrepreneurs fine-tune their business models and then connect them with an actual location to open on Broad Street.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.