Augusta, GA
Local kids’ hunger could spike this summer as aid program ends
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – School’s almost out for summer break, which means low-income families who rely on the school to feed their kids two a day will now have to figure out how to give them three.
In many states, these families can get help from the federal government paying for their groceries over the summer.
But not in Georgia and South Carolina, which opted out of continuing the summer EBT program.
That’s why LaDonna Doleman at the Master’s Table Soup Kitchen says she is worried about what this summer is going to look like.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said no earlier this year to continuing the summer EBT program. He said the program lacks basic nutrition requirements and can’t be sustained.
“That was a COVID-related benefit, extra,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said. “We’ve got to get back to doing normal business. We can’t be doing that forever.”
The program provides these low-income families with around $350 to $450 that is spread across three months.
Master’s Kitchen is already serving nearly 10,000 trays a month. But once school is out, she expects the numbers to at least double, but she’s afraid they may actually triple.
The summer months are already hard on Golden Harvest Food Bank, which operates the soup kitchen. But this year, the problem is expected to be worse, and the food bank is calling on anyone who can lend a helping hand.
How can you help?
One way to help will come this weekend, during the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.
On Saturday, letter carriers will collect non-perishable food donations from residents nationwide to help combat food insecurity and provide food items to those in need.
Letter carriers will collect the donations as they deliver mail along their usual routes.
All donations accepted locally will be distributed by Golden Harvest Food Bank and its partner agencies across its 25-county service area.
“In the battle against hunger, unity is our greatest strength,” said Amy Breitmann, president and CEO of Golden Harvest. “Partnering with the NALC through the Stamp Out Hunger food drive each year reaffirms our dedication to our families in need and amplifies our commitment to making sure no one in our community goes hungry.”
The Stamp Out Hunger campaign has collected over 1.9 billion pounds of food for families experiencing food insecurity locally and nationwide since it was first held in 1983.
For more information on recommended food items to donate visit https://goldenharvest.org/donate-food/what-to-donate/.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
One Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputy was shot and another is dead following a traffic stop shooting on Saturday afternoon in Evans, Georgia.
CCSO Maj. Steve Morris told Fox News Digital two deputies were shot and one has died, but they have not yet released the names of the deputies involved.
Morris said the suspect has been identified as James Blake Montgomery.
No arrests had been made as of 9:30 p.m., but Morris told Fox News Digital Montgomery is “no longer a threat.”
Georgia State Patrol (GSP) told Fox News Digital troopers were assisting with blocking off roads and some troopers were at the scene, as of 9:30 p.m.
Montgomery was charged in December 2022 with felony aggravated assault, according to Columbia County court records. Records indicate he was later exonerated.
Evans, Georgia is about 10 miles northwest of Augusta — home to the Augusta National Golf Club and the annual Masters Tournament.
Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson posted to Facebook Saturday night to share his condolences.
“Heartbroken and praying for the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and our neighbors in Columbia County,” Johnson wrote. “Our prayers are with the families of the fallen, the entire Sheriff’s Office, and all who are grieving this unimaginable loss. We honor their sacrifice and pray for the difficult days ahead.”
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr shared on X he is still waiting for updates on the second deputy injured in the line of duty.
“Anyone willing to put on the uniform every day in a job that’s not safe, with somebody waiting for them to come home at the end of the shift, deserves our unwavering support & continued appreciation,” Carr wrote in the post. “We join in praying for the family of this fallen Deputy, his fellow officer, & all who served with him.”
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, also reportedly at the scene, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
CCSO is currently the lead investigative agency, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – New car charging stations are in Augusta, located at the Target on Robert C Daniel Parkway.
It comes as electric cars are growing in popularity, but finding a charger can be difficult depending on where you live.
An estimated six in ten urban people live within a mile of a public charging station–that’s according to the Pew Research Center.
However, that number drops to around 41% of suburbanites and just 17% of rural Americans.
Some other charging stations shown on the ChargeFinder website are at the Augusta Mall, Kroger on Washington Road, Augusta University and certain car dealerships in the area.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A man has been convicted and sentenced in connection with a 2022 shooting that killed an innocent bystander on Washington Road
Julius Riddick Jr. was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting that killed Reginald Johnson around noon Oct. 17, 2022, at a busy Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin Robbins location at 3024 Washington Road.
District Attorney Jared Williams said Riddick was angry over a failed bank scam, so he jumped out of his vehicle and started firing at an associate.
The associate was unharmed, but the gunfire killed Johnson.
A jury on Friday found him guilty on all counts of felony murder, and he was sentenced by Judge John Flythe.
Said DA Williams after the verdict, “Jarryd Brown and Keagan Waystack are two of the most talented attorneys in the state, and they prove it every time they step in a courtroom to do justice for victims. I’m grateful they choose to serve our community.”
Also originally charged in the case was John Lee Scarboro.
According to an arrest warrant for Scarboro, he and another suspect were shooting at each other while Johnson was in Scarboro’s car.
Earlier this week court records show under his name, “order to release material witness.”
He’s still listed as a Richmond County jail inmate being held for superior and state court.
The shooting happened at the beginning of an outbreak of deadly crime across the CSRA that’s now claimed around 200 lives in three years.
It’s affected communities large and small on both sides of the Savannah River, but Augusta has been hit especially hard.
Copyright 2022 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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