Augusta, GA
Hockey is coming back to Augusta under new deal
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – It looks like hockey will be returning to Augusta.
The Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority entered a new agreement Tuesday with the Oak View Group, which will take control over the yet-to-be-built downtown arena and Bell Auditorium, operating under a new contract.
It won’t be the first time for Augusta to have hockey. In the late 1990s, the Augusta Lynx Minor League Hockey team hit the ice in the James Brown Arena, which is being torn down to make way for a new one.
Under that contract, Oak View will be fully responsible for bringing a hockey team here and making sure it remains successful.
The company has gone as far as to donate $10 million toward that.
And that pays for the entire thing, so this won’t cost taxpayers a dime.
A feasibility study shows the venture will be very successful.
“Through this contract, we will maximize the potential of our new Arena, ensure profitability for the Authority, fund capital improvements and maintenance, and ultimately, set up this Board – and the Augusta Entertainment Complex – as a whole, for success long after we are all gone,” said Cedric Johnson, Chairman of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority. “We look forward to this continued partnership as we work in tandem to Build Augusta’s Future!”
The study shows that ice hockey will benefit the city with 45 more days of active business, which means more money for local restaurants and hotels.
They say it will bring jobs to the area, increase spending downtown by 60% and tax revenue by 40%.
Leaders say it was not a quick decision.
“The coliseum authority wanted us to make sure it was right for Augusta,” said Michael Harvey, vice president of Nations Group. “That there was no risk, that they weren’t buying something they didn’t have to pay for. With the contract negotiations market analysis it is good for Augusta.”
The contract extension is for 10 years with a 10-year option.
The new 10,500-seat arena is expected to open in 2027 and include suites, loge boxes, a private club lounge and a connection to Bell Auditorium.
Located in downtown Augusta, the Bell Auditorium is a 2,700-seat theater that reopened on May 31 after being offline for a year to undergo expansion and refurbishments.
“We’ve been a long-standing partner through our management of the Augusta Entertainment Complex and are honored that the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority has entrusted Oak View Group to manage operations of the new Augusta arena,” said Peter Luukko, co-chairman of the company.
Oak View Group has provided management services at Bell Auditorium and James Brown Arena since 2008.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The second annual Juneteenth trail ride took place on Old Waynesboro Road in Augusta on Saturday.
The event featured trail rides with horses and ATVs, a mechanical bull contest and music.
People shopped at vendors, and there was entertainment for kids, including a petting zoo, inflatables and games.
“It’s really a privilege just to be able to have the opportunity to share my space, to share my area, and to share for an event with so much value, to give back to my community and a place to celebrate,” said Davon Wallace, chief of operations at Crimson Hills.
Wallace said they will be hosting more events, with a haunted trail coming in October.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) — The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has made multiple arrests in a deadly shooting that left one teenager dead and another injured early Saturday morning.
According to deputies, the incident happened June 20, at approximately 12:50 a.m. in the 200 block of Warren Road, where authorities responded to reports of shots fired involving two gunshot victims.
When deputies arrived, they located two 18-year-old men from Augusta.
Officials identified the victims as Eric Markquis Bartley Miller and Joseph Lamar Thomas.
Investigators say Miller sustained at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thomas was also found with at least one gunshot wound and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under active investigation.
As of Saturday afternoon, three teenage suspects have been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
18-year-old Dmihjay Collins, 17-year-old Tayshaun Thomas, and 17-year-old Joseph Thomas have all been arrested and charged with Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of Machine Guns. They are all currently being held at the Webster Detention Center.
A fourth teenager, 17-year-old Reante Byrd was also arrested, but investigators have not linked him to the murder case. Byrd has been charged with Possession of a Pistol or Revolver by a Person Under the Age of 18. He is also being held in the Webster Detention Center.
No further details in the investigation have been released.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Students showcased drones they built during a two-week summer camp at Augusta Regional Airport on Friday.
12 junior and high school students attended the camp, where they learned to fly and build drones designed to help others.
Anderson Puryear, a student, said the camp focused on delivering small medical supplies.
“It was focused on delivering small medical supplies like an EPI pen or glucose packet for like diabetics and for people with allergies in need in the real world that could obviously help save lives, and if people are like in a place in a boat or like in the desert or in the forest where they can’t easily access those supplies it can save their lives,” Puryear said.
The airport partnered with Georgia Tech, state troopers and the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Department for the Air Edu Summer Camp.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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