Augusta, GA

‘One thing at a time’: North Augusta heads into next phase of debris cleanup

Published

1 year ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

‘One thing at a time’: North Augusta heads into next phase of debris cleanup

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) -Debris crews are doing slow but steady work clearing the mess from Hurricane Helene.

We’re more than halfway through the 90-day period where FEMA will fully reimburse cities for disaster cleanup.

On Tuesday, North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams held a meeting at Victory Baptist Church to discuss debris recovery.

City leaders were letting people know what to expect as the city goes into its next phase of cleanup.

Crews have collected more than 400,000 cubic yards of debris in the county as a whole and other counties are well on pace to get everything done.

Day 54 of crews working through the thick of it to get things cleaned up in Richmond County.

Alice Brook says it’s been a month and a half full of headaches and surprises, trying to navigate through debris and working through a new normal.

“Well, I don’t think the neighborhood will ever be the same except for a potted plant right there,” said Brook. ” I have nothing green left in my yard, no bushes, no trees, nothing.”

Brook says seeing the crews doing their work is the silver lining behind all of this.

“One thing at a time,” she said. “That’s the only way I can take it. We have had a lot of our piles picked up, but we had a lot more trees to come down and have to be cleaned up than I would have ever guessed.”

Contractors say they’re a little more than halfway done in Richmond County with 1.4 million cubic yards of debris collected.

Columbia County isn’t far behind with a little more than 1 million cubic yards collected as well.

Aiken County has 400,000 cubic yards collected.

Meanwhile, Brook says her community continues to have hope in getting everything back in shape for the sake of some normalcy.

“It feels like we’re living in a war zone,” said Brook.

Every county we spoke to says they’re working the best they can to meet FEMA’s 90-day period to get everything cleaned up, but they say at this point it’s looking more like a miracle.

Richmond, Aiken and Columbia counties say the next phase will involve a second pass-through of neighborhoods, but they say the biggest challenges are still the weather, shorter days and utility lines still being too low for heavy machinery to operate.

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Augusta, GA

Abercrombie Becomes a Leader On and Off the Court – Augusta University

Published

6 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Abercrombie Becomes a Leader On and Off the Court – Augusta University

Augusta, Ga. – A year ago when Quinasia Abercrombie was a freshman, she let her work on the court do the talking as she became one of the top players in the Peach Belt Conference. Abercrombie didn’t have to be a vocal leader since the Jaguars had several upper classmen that handled that role. This year, her sophomore season, Abercrombie is still one of the best players around, but now has become the vocal leader of the team, something that didn’t come naturally.

“I’m just leading my team by voice now, not just leading by example,” Abercrombie said. “Since I don’t really talk, I think they (my teammates) were really surprised, but they’re listening.”

She leads the Augusta women in several offensive categories and has proven to be a major asset to the program.

From Greenville, S.C., Abercrombie was an all-state high school player. She gives part of that credit to her siblings, one older brother and three younger brothers. She had to scratch and claw on the basketball court with them and she’s the first to give them credit for helping make her the player she is today. Abercrombie went as fas as saying she enjoys playing against guys since they’ll push her hard to become better, and she likes the competition.

Now, she’s also being pushed by coach Celeste Stewart. So much so, it’s taking Abercrombie out of her comfort zone. But it’s all for the betterment of her.

“She’s put me in multiple, uncomfortable situations, like talking, being more verbal, and just putting me in positions I wouldn’t normally put myself in,” added Abercrombie.

With the Peach Belt Conference tournament up next for the Jaguars, Abercrombie thinks this team can find another gear and make a run. While she has elevated her game, she knows her teammates can do the same.

Even going forward as a player, Abercrombie knows there’s plenty of room for improvement. One of the most notable for her, her ball handling skills.

“I know I like to pick up my dribble a lot and give it to my point guards,” said Abercrombie. “But I know I can bring it down the court, I just need to work on my ball handling and just being confident handling the ball.”

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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Augusta, GA

Peach Belt tournament: Augusta misses out for the first time in Metress era

Published

18 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Peach Belt tournament: Augusta misses out for the first time in Metress era

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The 2025-2026 Peach Belt Conference brackets are set, and there is plenty of shakeup this year.

Starting with the women’s bracket, Augusta University secured the #4 overall seed and will face #5 seed Middle Georgia in round one.

USCA’s women’s team did not fair as well, finishing in last place of this season’s standings.

On the men’s side, USCA’s men’s team secured the eighth and final spot in the conference tournament.

In a shocking turn of events, AU’s men’s team did not qualify for the tournament.

This marks the first time the program has missed the PBC tournament since Dip Metress took over the program in 2004.

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Augusta, GA

Augusta Falls to Georgia Southwestern in Final Game of the Series – Augusta University

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Augusta Falls to Georgia Southwestern in Final Game of the Series – Augusta University

Augusta, Ga. – Augusta managed just five hits and one run and fell to Georgia Southwestern 12-1 Sunday as the Hurricanes win two of the three games of the series. The Jaguars are now 7-2 in Peach Belt Conference play and 11-8 overall. The Canes improve to 7-2 in conference play and 12-7 overall.

Georgia Southwestern scored runs in all but one inning including four runs in the first two innings and plated five runs in the fifth, highlighted by a grand slam.

The only Augusta run would come in the fourth inning. Landon Leonard would reach on an error and would come around when Kent Moon reached on a fielder’s choice that would plate Leonard.

Leonard, Moon, Davis Newman, Harris Bachelder and Jakob Cowart would collect the hits for the Jaguars.

Augusta will next be in action on Friday when the open up a three game series with Lander at Jaguar Field. First pitch on Friday is set for 6:00 p.m.

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