Augusta, GA

Investments in 2 Georgia plants bring promises of more jobs

Published

2 years ago

May 23, 2024

Investments in 2 Georgia plants bring promises of more jobs

ATLANTA, Ga. – Some big economic news broke Thursday in the Peach State: The federal government will spend $75 million to help build a factory making glass parts for computer chips, while a company that makes disposable baby diapers and wipes says it will spend $418 million to expand its Macon plant.

In Covington

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced an investment Thursday in Absolics, part of South Korea’s SK Group.

The plant in Covington was announced in 2021. The company said Thursday that it will spend more than $300 million on a first phase, with plans to hire 300 workers. The company could spend more money and hire more workers later, spokesperson Kelsey Flora said.

Construction is underway, and test batch production has begun, Flora said. Production is supposed to begin increasing in 2025.

The plant will make a glass substrate that is used to package semiconductors. Federal officials say the substrate will enable more densely packed connections between semiconductors, leading to faster computers that use less electricity.

The Department of Commerce said this is the first time the CHIPS and Science Act has been used to fund a factory making a new advanced material for semiconductors. The 2022 federal law authorized the spending of $280 billion to aid the research and manufacturing of semiconductors in the United States.

The technology was developed at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The SK Group hired a former researcher from the university to help commercialize the substrate.

“It is strategically essential that the United States have this domestic manufacturing capacity, and it’s a tremendous opportunity for the state of Georgia to lead the nation in manufacturing and innovation,” U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff told reporters on Thursday. The Georgia Democrat has supported the effort.

SK Group owns an adjoining plant that makes polyester films that can be used on solar panels, in packaging and for other uses. The Korean conglomerate also owns a $2.6 billion complex to make batteries for electric vehicles in Commerce, northeast of Atlanta.

In Macon

A company that makes disposable baby diapers, training pants and baby wipes announced Thursday that it will spend $418 million to expand its Macon plant, hiring 600 new employees.

First Quality Enterprises, based in Great Neck, New York, had announced in March that it would expand its capacity to make baby diapers and training pants by 50%, including a new factory, new diaper and training pant manufacturing lines and a new automated warehouse.

This is the new Parker's Kitchen at Mike Padgett Highway and Tobacco Road in Augusta.

The company has said the expansion is expected to be completed by June 2025. The new buildings will be next to the company’s current facility in Macon, which has 580 employees. First Quality has owned that plant since buying it from Covidien Retail Products in 2008.

“This expansion is a testament to First Quality’s innovative products and continuing commitment to the baby diaper market,” Allen Bodford, president of First Quality’s Absorbent Hygiene Division, said in a statement.

First Quality makes diapers, training pants, wipes and absorbent underwear for adults that is generally sold by retailers under store brands. The company is owned by the Damaghi family, which founded it in 1989.

The state in the past has paid to train workers for First Quality.

State and local officials did not immediately disclose what incentives they offered to First Quality. The company could qualify for $12 million in state income tax credits, at $4,000 per job over five years, as long as workers earn at least $33,000 a year.

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Augusta, GA

Ga. gubernatorial candidate Geoff Duncan visits Augusta

Published

2 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Ga. gubernatorial candidate Geoff Duncan visits Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan hosted a community conversation in Augusta on Friday.

The event at the HUB for Community Innovation was the final stop of a statewide tour highlighting his fight to bring down housing costs.

Duncan heard from local experts in the housing space and discussed how he says he can expand these efforts and lower costs for families as governor.

Duncan is running as a Democrat, but was a Republican when he served as lieutenant governor.

The former professional baseball player is a fierce opponent of Republican President Donald Trump.

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Augusta, GA

Richmond County school board recommendations spark community reaction

Published

14 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Richmond County school board recommendations spark community reaction

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County School Board’s recommendation to close three schools and build a new college and career academy has drawn reaction from across the community.

The board announced its recommendation on Tuesday to close Jenkins White Elementary and transition the T.W. Josey High and Murphy Middle school site into a college and career academy.

Board member Monique Braswell, speaking as an individual and not on behalf of the board, said she opposes the plan despite acknowledging that that schools need to close due to low attendance.

“I will go on to see glory and I will still never accept it. I will never accept the fact that we are displacing children. I will never accept the fact that if T.W. Josey goes away,” Braswell said. “I will take that to the grave with me.”

Braswell said the district needs to examine underlying causes before making changes.

“We need to figure out why the kids are not going to here, there, and there,” she said. “And we need to take the communities and all the alumni along with us on this ride.”

Sheffie Robinson, president of the T.W. Josey High School Alumni Association, said the proposed changes would disrupt an already affected community. According to the presentation, students would be redistributed to Butler, Laney and Richmond Academy.

“So it’s like you disrupt a community that was built around this that has already had significant disruption over the last 30 years,” Robinson said.

We’re taking a bigger look at the Richmond County School System’s plan for several historic schools.

Under the recommendation, the Josey-Murphy site would close and construction of the college and career academy would start after this school year. Jenkins White Elementary School would also close.

Barton Chapel would be demolished, with a new building constructed for fall 2028.

Michael Thurman, who has three children in Richmond County Schools, questioned the district’s financial management.

“They really need to do a better job of being stewards of our money when they keep building left and right, school after school after school, and tearing down the others,” Thurman said.

Thurman said the district’s past spending raises concerns about the current plan.

“They definitely need to also take in mind that you’re just really wasting a lot of money building these buildings,” he said.

The district said alumni and community members will have opportunities to voice their opinions before the board votes. Public meetings are planned for January.

Braswell emphasized the importance of community engagement in the process.

“The public has to be more engaged. I don’t care if people push you away. You just have to stay engaged as the public,” she said.

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Augusta, GA

Another portion of Augusta Canal towpath is reopening to public

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Another portion of Augusta Canal towpath is reopening to public

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Another section of the Augusta Canal towpath is reopening after being closed since Hurricane Helene.

The storm on Sept. 27, 2024, left the path strewn with debris as broken branches hung precarously overhead.

On Friday, the path will reopen between the raw water pump station and the Interstate 20 bridge.

In preparation, crews have made safety improvements along the previously closed section of the trail.

Visitors are asked to observe all posted signs and stay behind safety barriers.

Embankment repairs have been delayed, but will take place in the future.

Once repair work begins, portions of the towpath will be temporarily closed at various times. Advance notice will be shared with the public before any closures.

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