AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce held the CSRA Black Business Summit on Thursday night on the campus of Augusta Technical College.

The event provided networking opportunities and insight from successful leaders and professionals on how to make Black-owned businesses more sustainable.

The keynote speaker was 17-year-old Gabby Goodwin from Columbia, who found success through her business, Gabby’s Bows.

The chamber was established in 2017 by President Ronic West, and this was its fourth annual summit.

August also marks National Black Business Month.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – We’re just a month away from Augusta’s largest arts festival, Arts in the Heart.  

The two-and-a-half-day event attracts upwards of 100,000 visitors to the streets of downtown Augusta. 

It also brings in hundreds of vendors from all over showcasing their arts, crafts, food, music and more. 

But as we get closer to the big event, some are questioning the process behind accepting vendor applications and the price for you to get in.  

Pre-sale tickets are $15, and it’ll cost you $20 at the gate to get into the festival. 

It all started after Drum Circle announced on Facebook their application was denied.  

The reason behind the denial was a lack of space. 

The Augusta Arts Council says they probably say no to more people than yes because they just don’t have enough room to bring everyone in. 

For every tent you see, there is an application attached. 

“I wish we had enough room for everyone, but right now, we have five stages, and it’s nonstop, and we accommodate a lot of local people,” said Executive Director of Greater Augusta Arts Council Brenda Durant. 

Performers on each stage are 95% local, according to the Greater Augusta Arts Council. 

They say it’s not up to them who they bring in to perform or set up a booth. It’s up to a jury panel 

“If you have not produced a festival the size of Arts in the Heart, you probably haven’t thought about it. But I don’t really expect people to, I expect them just to have a really good time,” said Durant. 

The festival does come with a cost. 

“There’s a lot of expenses with the festival that most people don’t worry about, and I don’t want them to worry about it when you come to Arts in the Heart. I want you to enjoy your weekend. I don’t want you to be thinking about how expensive it was for us to produce, or how much work we all did, or how many volunteers there, which is over 600. I don’t want you to think about that. I want you to enjoy yourself. I’ll worry about that. Our team will worry about that,” said Durant. 

Durant says the festival in return benefits the arts in the community year-round, which is a big part of what the Augusta Arts Council does like administering grant arts funds from the city to give back to local art programs. 

“I’m just proud of what we’ve done, because it’s a large volunteer team that works with us, and my entire staff works on the festival,” said Durant. 

Broad Street will be blocked off from 6th Street to 10th Street for the festival. 

It starts September 20 and tickets will be $20 at the gate. 

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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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