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Augusta, GA

PBI offers nonstop flights to Augusta, Ga. and St. Louis as airport smashes passenger record

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PBI offers nonstop flights to Augusta, Ga. and St. Louis as airport smashes passenger record



New flight offerings have helped to drive passenger volume at both South Florida airports. Of concern, though, is the outcome of the Spirit-JetBlue merger. The airlines are dominant carriers.

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More than 7.8 million passengers flew out of Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) in 2023, eclipsing the previous record of 6.9 million passengers set in the pre-pandemic year of 2019 by 13% and the 2022 number by 17%.

2024 is already off to a strong start, according to Senior Deputy Director of Airports Gary Sypek, who expects a new passenger record again as airlines will be flying to more destinations. Silver Airways has returned, and is expected to offer direct flights to three Florida cities later this year.

New flight offerings at PBI include:

  • Golf enthusiasts lucky enough to get Masters tickets will be able to fly out of PBI on Delta Airlines direct to Augusta, Georgia while Southwest Airlines will be offering nonstop service to St. Louis during spring training. The St. Louis Cardinals train in Jupiter at Roger Dean Stadium.
  • Silver Airways, daily flights to Tampa and Nassau beginning March 5; Tallahassee service three times a week beginning March 6; Pensacola service two times a week beginning March 7; and service to Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, times a week beginning March 5.
  • Frontier Airlines, new nonstop service from to San Juan, Puerto Rico three times a week beginning June 2.
  • American Airlines, extended nonstop service to Chicago O’Hare throughout the summer.

PBI passenger numbers have shown for some time that the airport has fully recovered from the pandemic slowdown.

MORE: A ‘game changer’: JetBlue direct flights from Fort Lauderdale to Tallahassee begin

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JetBlue continues to be the number one carrier at PBI, accounting for 27% of all traffic in 2023. The airline processed 1.1 million passengers, marking the first time it exceeded the one-million figure.

Delta was a close second to JetBlue, accounting for 26% of passengers. Southwest registered the largest percentage increase year-to-year of any airline, up 46% from 2022 with 293,000 passengers serviced.

Silver Airways spokeswoman Kate Loughlin said Silver recognizes PBI as a great niche market as there is a great demand for flights within Florida and to the Bahamas from PBI. Its planes can carry up to 70 passengers. One-way fares start at $79 for Tampa, $105 for Tallahassee, $109 for Marsh Harbour, $115 for Nassau and $119 for Pensacola.

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PBI had a busy December with nearly 800,000 passengers using the airport, 14% more than in 2022. But it may have been too busy as many travelers had to deal with flight delays of two hours or more during the month due to heavy air traffic volume.

The FAA issued ground delays from Dec. 26 through Dec. 28 to limit air traffic. As a result, flights headed to and from the airport were delayed an average of 70 minutes. More than 100 flights were impacted. Other South Florida airports experienced extensive delays as well.

How did Fort Lauderdale Airport fare?

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) also reported strong numbers for 2023; preliminary data shows that nearly 35 million travelers flew out of the Broward County-based airport.

Unlike PBI, FLL has yet to exceed the pre-COVID traffic of 2019. While the 2023 figure is 10% higher than 2022, it is about 5% less than the 2019 number. FLL’s newsletter reports a busy holiday time. From Dec. 21 to Jan. 6, it served roughly 2 million passengers, about 14% more people than the same period the previous year.

FLL continues to offer new flights:

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  • JetBlue celebrated its inaugural service to Tallahassee International Airport (TLH) on January 4. The flights operate once daily.
  • Silver Airways began offering nonstop service on Dec. 18 to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Flights operate twice weekly. One-way fares start at $129.

Can Spirit survive as a stand-alone carrier?

PBI and FLL could be hurt by the outcome of the proposed JetBlue-Spirit airlines merger. A federal judge has blocked the merger because he found it would lead to much higher fares for consumers. The two airlines are appealing the decision. A hearing is expected to be heard in June.

MORE: Spirit, JetBlue appeal of decision that blocked its merger to be heard in June. Will it be too late?

Spirit stock has lost more than half of its value since the court ruling in January. Analysts have speculated that the airline will not survive as a stay-alone entity. It is the number one carrier at FLL, accounting for nearly 30% of all traffic; JetBlue, the number two carrier, accounts for 20%.

During an earnings call Feb. 8, Spirit executives took issue with the pessimism of Wall Street analysts, claiming it can survive if the merger does not go through. He accused the analysts of advancing a “misguided narrative.”

Spirit, according to CEO Ted Christie, has increased its liquidity levels to give it “the necessary flexibility to successfully close with JetBlue or to pursue our standalone plans.”

Spirit has already started to reduce flights on off-peak days and has suspended flights from some of its recently launched markets.

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Following the comments, Spirit stock closed at $7.18 on Thursday, an increase of 3.3%.

Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.



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Augusta, GA

I-TEAM: Richmond County deputy arrested in deadly 2023 crash

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I-TEAM: Richmond County deputy arrested in deadly 2023 crash


Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story included some personal information that has since been redacted and incorrectly stated how injury funds were awarded to Ty Dailey.

WAYNESBORO, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Richmond County Deputy Ty Dailey arrived at the detention center in Burke County on Friday morning to face charges in connection with a 2023 fatal crash.

We were on the scene at 8:25 a.m. when Dailey arrived at the detention center.

He was booked on the charge of homicide by vehicle second degree and driving in excess of the posted speed limit, according to the Burke County Sheriff’s Office.

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He had a bond hearing in the afternoon, where he was given a $5,000 bond. He met bond.

ARREST WARRANTS, BOOKING PHOTO AND MORE:

“The accused was driving in a reckless manner, traveling 90 mph in a posted 55 mph zone, when he hit another vehicle, killing the driver,” an arrest warrant stated.

According to District Attorney Jared Williams, the case was forwarded to Burke County State Court Solicitor Mathew Franklin on Jan. 31.

Franklin’s office handles misdemeanor cases.

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The crash happened in March 26, 2023, when Dailey was driving a Richmond County Sheriff’s Office vehicle.

More than a year has passed since the crash happened. Time has stood still for the Fager family, who are still stuck in the moment since receiving a call.

“You get a call like that and kind of flipped your world upside down. It’s a drastic change in the blink of an eye,” said Matt Fager.

EARLIER COVERAGE:

Driving home from Florida, Jay and Donna Fagers’ world collided with Dailey.

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Their paths intersected at the intersection of Highway 25 and Cohen Road. The Georgia State Patrol report says Jay Fager stopped at the stop sign. But after stopping, he pulled out in front of Dailey’s patrol car.

Body cam footage: “He’s unconscious and he’s in bad shape.”

Dailey was not in pursuit. He wasn’t answering an emergency call. He was on his way to a training class.

New warrants from Georgia State Patrol say Dailey was going 90 mph in a 55 mph zone, 35 mph over the speed limit, when he hit and killed Jay Fager. Dailey was driving in a reckless manner, according to documents.

The I-TEAM first reported in March the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office never did an internal affairs investigation into Dailey’s deadly crash. He was also back at work – on the taxpayers’ dime – before any investigation was complete.

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Deadly 2023 crash on Highway 25 and Cohen Road(wrdw)

The I-TEAM uncovered a pattern with Dailey’s history at the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

In 2013, he was disciplined after a second accident within six weeks of each other. Both were caused by Dailey’s speeding. In both accidents, he was found at fault.

The crash report went before the city of Augusta’s Safety Review Committee.

Though Dailey was driving 35 mph over the posted speed limit in the crash that killed Jay Fager, Augusta’s safety committee found him not at fault. And they made that decision even before Georgia State Patrol’s investigation was complete, and before the district attorney’s office was done reviewing the case.

The district attorney decided not to pursue any criminal charges and passed the case down to Franklin on Jan. 31. Weeks later, the Fagers’ attorney told the I-TEAM the case was being closed and there would be no charges against Dailey.

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On Feb. 18, the I-TEAM filed an open records request for the case file and was told we would have it after it was reviewed and redacted. After more than a week passed, we were then told the case was re-opened.

Donna Fager paid Augusta $20,000 for damage to the deputy’s car.

But what the Fagers cannot put a price tag on is the life of a father, husband, and grandfather. They’ve been left waiting for answers and accountability in the deadly crash that took Jay Fager.

On Friday, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office confirms Dailey is still on paid administrative leave.

He’s not the only Richmond County deputy who’s currently facing charges yet is still collecting a paycheck to stay at home.

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Taxpayers have been paying Brandon Keathley not to come to work since his arrest on Dec. 2, 2020, for an incident that happened on Feb. 7, 2020.

MORE COVERAGE ON BRANDON KEATHLEY:

A grand jury indicted him on charges of aggravated assault and aggravated assault on a peace officer. Both are felonies.

The case still hasn’t been to trial.

It’s on the June calendar call for a trial week in July.

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It was actually on the court calendar last month, and prosecutors announced they were ready, but the case got bumped.



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Augusta, GA

Young murder victims, young suspects: Is there a solution?

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Young murder victims, young suspects: Is there a solution?


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Murder suspects and victims seem to be getting younger and younger, if local cases are any indication.

Just Thursday, Richmond County deputies reported that a 14-year-old had been arrested as the suspect in a murder Sunday at the Olmstead Homes.

And that followed Sunday’s arrest of a 15-year-old as the suspect in the shooting death of a 14-year-old April 20 at the Cedarwood Apartments on Richmond Hill Road in Augusta.

On April 27, a 14-year-old girl was shot to death as she slept at her home off Bayshore Drive in Fairfax.

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That same day, a 5-year-old was nearly shot in Allendale while sitting in a car that was shot up.

And just a few days earlier, also in Allendale County, an 11-year-old was injured in a shooting.

Murder often strikes young victims here – like when 8-year-old Arbrie Anthony was killed by during a 2022 drive-by shooting or when 13-year-old Buddy Brown was shot outside his family’s apartment in downtown Augusta in 2023.

It’s all part of a two-year outbreak of violent crime that’s killed more than 150 people across the CSRA on both sides of the Savannah River.

Authorities blame gangs for a lot of the violence.

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As a result, the suspects are often young, too.

Law enforcement officials have said solutions will need to come from parents and the community – solutions that don’t happen with just talk but with having boots on the ground every day.

We’ve reported on community resources like the Purpose Center’s Men in Training Program, which aims to partner adults with children to mentor and shape them.

Through May, Steven O’Neil with Augusta Partnership for Children is hosting what he’s calling the Manhood Tour.

Augusta crime

Every Wednesday, the tour is hosting sessions at May Park Community Center.

It’s a space where men of all ages gather to support and encourage each other by providing resources and information in an open discussion.

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“There’s not enough programs out there for men. And with the things that’s going on in the community today, we feel like that men are most importantly needing these programs.. so we can restructure and change the dynamics and the stereotypes of men today,” said David Mew, Manhood Tour CEO.

It’s designed to be another resource for men in the community to take advantage of reaching their goals, get them on the right path and generate solutions.

They’re doing so with conversations.

“We challenge men in the youth, young males to think differently, think outside of their friend zones, think outside of their neighborhoods, think outside of their communities,” said Mew.

O’Neil says there’s an urgent need in this community in terms of providing resources to young men.

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“You’re still in the process of developing as a person, specifically as a man. And so we want to get our youth, particularly our young men, at an early age because we can kind of mold them and kind of guide them in the right direction,” said O’Neil.

Violence is an issue that has a major impact on our community – from schools to home to everywhere.

Manhood Tour Facilitator Corri Gordon said: “We started out in the neighborhoods. And we went from the neighborhood to the schools. We’re going from the schools to the to the courtroom system. So we are now branching out.”

O’Neil says the Manhood Tour meets young men where they are and works with them to instill good, strong foundations for them as they grow in adulthood.

Time will tell whether this is the solution that will finally work.

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Augusta, GA

36-year-old arrested in Augusta child molestation case

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36-year-old arrested in Augusta child molestation case


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A 36-year-old child molestation suspect has been captured in North Augusta.

On Saturday, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office said a child molestation happened in the 3800 block of Peach Orchard Road.

They said Randall Reddick, of North Augusta, was wanted in connection with the incident and had active warrants on file.

He was arrested Sunday by the North Augusta Department of Public Safety, according to Aiken County jail records.

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