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Helene live updates from Augusta: Charities teaming up to help Augustans in need

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Helene live updates from Augusta: Charities teaming up to help Augustans in need


Recovery efforts continue into their second week after Hurricane Helene devastated the Augusta area on Sept. 27.

Though thousands remain without power heading into this week, Georgia Power said that by Saturday, Oct. 5 80% of its Augusta customers had their power restored.

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The Category 4 storm made landfall Sept. 26 along Florida’s Big Bend coast. The Augusta area saw isolated tornadoes and hurricane-force wind gusts exceeding 80 mph, downing trees and powerlines.

Below is the latest information on Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in Augusta and east Georgia. The Augusta Chronicle staff will update regularly.

Aiken County Public School System announced on Saturday that Paul Knox Middle in North Augusta and Aiken High School in Aiken will serve as shelters. But this was later updated to only Paul Knox serving as a shelter. Those sheltering at Paul Knox should enter at Wells Road and Pisgah Avenue.

Aiken County schools continue to be closed as they are currently on fall break through Oct. 11.

Many residents in communities surrounding Augusta remain without power as the area heads into its second week of recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene.

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“It’s going to be a multiple-week-long process,” Wayne Gossage Jr., president of Jefferson Energy Cooperative, last week said of efforts to restore power in more rural areas. “I was here during the ice storm of 2014 and I never thought we’d see anything close to that, but this is much worse for multiple reasons. The transmission that’s out, the damage to our distribution system is going to take time to repair. The ice storm was isolated more or less, but this is all over.” 

Here’s a look of remaining power outages in some of the communities outside Augusta as reported by Dataminr on Sunday morning. The data is presented by electric utility, county affected and the number of remaining outages.

Jefferson Energy

  • Mcduffie County, GA: 3,153
  • Jefferson County, GA: 3,105
  • Columbia County, GA: 2,691
  • Richmond County, GA: 1,795
  • Burke County, GA: 1,116
  • Warren County, GA: 826
  • Glascock County, GA: 465
  • Emanuel County, GA: 435
  • Johnson County, GA: 229
  • Washington County, GA: 89

Aiken Electric

  • Aiken County, SC: 6,033
  • Edgefield County, SC: 4,126
  • McCormick County, SC: 535
  • Saluda County, SC: 146
  • Barnwell County, SC: 40

Dominion Energy

  • Aiken County, SC: 8,305
  • Edgefield County, SC: 1,418
  • Saluda County, SC: 1,008
  • Mccormick County, SC: 719
  • Richland County, SC: 91
  • Gloucester County, VA: 16
  • Abbeville County, SC: 11
  • Fairfax County, VA: 9
  • Petersburg County, VA: 8
  • Lexington County, SC: 8

United Way of the Central Savannah River Area, its 211 Helpline and the crowdsourced internet charity site GoFundMe.org are collectively raising funds for families harmed by damage from Hurricane Helene.The fund will offer unrestricted cash grants of $200 to help people pay for food, water, clothing, diapers and other critical supplies. “Additional grants will become available as new funds are raised through this impactful partnership,” according to Madison Jones, a communications manager with GoFundMe.United Way CSRA’s 2-1-1 is helping to identify grantees, and GoFundMe.org will issue the grants. GoFundMe has made an initial $50,000 contribution to begin immediately helping 250 people in Augusta.Tax-deductible donations also will be granted to support those in need.

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Big Middle Innings Lift Augusta Past Georgia College – Augusta University

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Big Middle Innings Lift Augusta Past Georgia College – Augusta University


Augusta, Ga.- Augusta scored nine runs over a four inning stretch and posted a 12-7 win over Georgia College Sunday afternoon at Jaguar field. With the win, the Jaguars not only take two of three from the Bobcats, but improve to 11-7 in Peach Belt Conference play and 15-14 overall. Georgia College is now 8-10 in the conference and 12-17 overall. 

Nolan Turner, Aidan Cannaday and Jakob Cowart led the offense as each collected three hits. Turner, Cannaday and Jake Vachon each drove in a pair of runs in the game. 

On the mound, Patrick Matsunaga, making his first collegiate start, went five innings. Jameson Whittier picked up the win going the last 3.1 innings.

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The Jaguars scored a run in the first on a Harris Bachelder double, but the Bobcats tallied two in the top of the second. 

In the fifth, AU plated three runs. Cannaday doubled home Roland Chance with the first run of the inning. An error and fielder’s choice would plate the other runs in the frame.

After the Bobcats would take a 5-4 lead in the sixth, AU put up a four spot to retake the lead, one they would not surrender. Turner would double in the first run of the inning. He would later score on an error. Kent Moon then singled home Chance with Vachon collecting a bases loaded walk to plate the final run of the inning.

Turner continues his hot hitting with a seventh inning solo home run. Chance, who pinch hit in the fifth, would walk four times and also score all four runs.

The Jaguars will head to Due West, S.C. on Tuesday to take on Erskine. 

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Fans of Jaguar Athletics can subscribe to the email listserve by clicking here. Fans can follow Augusta University at www.augustajags.com and receive short updates on Facebook at Augusta University Athletics and on Twitter at @AugustaJags.





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Former Fort Gordon soldier gets prison for scheme with N. Koreans

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Former Fort Gordon soldier gets prison for scheme with N. Koreans


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A former Fort Gordon soldier has been sentenced for his role in a scheme that gave North Korean workers access to U.S.-based computer networks.

Alexander Paul Travis, 35, of Augusta, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and forfeiture of $193,265.

Also sentenced in the scheme were Jason Salazar, 30, and Audricus Phagnasay, 25, both of California. They were ordered to forfeit $409,876 and $681,926, respectively, and each got three years of probation.

Each defendant pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy, according to federal prosecutors.

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“These men practically gave the keys to the online kingdom to likely North Korean overseas technology workers seeking to raise illicit revenue for the North Korean government – all in return for what to them seemed like easy money,” said U.S. Attorney Meg Heap. “These schemes present a significant challenge to our national security.”

Since 2003, United States and United Nations sanctions cut off North Korea from the U.S. marketplace and financial systems and restricted Americans from doing business with North Korean institutions.

North Korea responded with a variety of schemes to evade those sanctions, according to authorities. The revenues from those schemes contribute to North Korea’s weapons programs in violation of U.S. and U.N. sanctions, according to American authorities.

The defendants’ guilty pleas describe how they were contacted by overseas workers, and each defendant allowed those workers to:

  • Create resumes in the defendants’ names with false information about their experience.
  • Use those false representations and identities to obtain remote employment with U.S. companies.
  • Pass employer vetting procedures, including video interviews, drug testing and fingerprinting.
  • Open bank accounts in the defendants’ names to receive payment from the U.S. companies.

In each case, the defendant would receive a laptop computer from the company that hired the fictitious worker, and then would install unauthorized software to enable the overseas IT worker to access the computers remotely while appearing to work from the defendant’s address in the United States.

Travis, who was an active-duty member of the Army stationed at Fort Gordon at the time, received at least $51,397 for his participation in the scheme.

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Phagnasay and Salazar earned at least $3,450 and $4,500, respectively.

The fraudulent scheme earned approximately $1.28 million in salary payments from the victim U.S. companies, the vast majority of which were sent to the IT workers overseas.



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Jags Crack Three Homers in Win Over Georgia College – Augusta University

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Jags Crack Three Homers in Win Over Georgia College – Augusta University


Augusta, Ga.- Nathan Martin, Landon Leonard and Nolan Turner all homered as Augusta took down Georgia College 11-4 on Saturday afternoon at Jaguar Field. With the win, the Jaguars improve to 14-14 overall and 10-7 in Peach Belt Conference action. The Bobcats are now 12-16 overall and 8-9 in conference play.

AU struck first with a pair of runs in the second inning. Aidan Cannaday picked up the first RBI on a bases loaded walk. Then, Harris Bachelder lifted a sacrifice fly for the early 2-0 lead.

After the Bobcats scored three in the top of the fourth, the Jags responded with four runs of their own. All the damage came with two outs as a costly GCSU error started the rally. Ryan Patrick reached on the error and then Maritn connected on a two-run homer. Turner would continue the rally with a triple. He would score when Leonard smoked a homer giving AU the lead.

An inning later, it was Turner again front and center with a three-run blast. Turner finished with a single, triple, and home run and scored three times. 

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Leonard added two hits while Martin collected three hits and three runs driven in.

On the mound, Caleb Jatko went five innings to pick up the win. Jameson Whittier would do the rest with four innings of three-hit ball for his first save of the year. 

Augusta and Georgia College will finish out the three-game series with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Fans of Jaguar Athletics can subscribe to the email listserve by clicking here. Fans can follow Augusta University at www.augustajags.com and receive short updates on Facebook at Augusta University Athletics and on Twitter at @AugustaJags.

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