Augusta, GA
Plans move forward for student housing near Augusta University’s Summerville campus
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta commissioners voted to approve rezoning for a potential student housing project in the historic Sandhills community, replacing several vacant lots with units for students near Augusta University’s Summerville campus.
The decision has divided community members, with some supporting revitalization efforts while others express concerns about infrastructure and neighborhood character.
Veronica Bogans, who has lived in the Sandhills community for 56 years, supports the project.
“Being revitalized, I think our community is well overdue for that,” Bogans said. “Students coming here from AU, Payne College, we need that. We need that. Those are our future doctors, teachers, lawyers, x-ray technicians. We need that.”
Darryl Mims, who grew up in Sandhills and lived there for about 25 years, also sees potential benefits.
“It’s a little older community, but I think it put a, get a hill, a fresh start. Everybody love the hill. People on the hill have a lot of pride,” Mims said.
Other residents worry about the proposed housing’s impact on the community. Carolyn Robinson, who moved to Augusta at age four, cited infrastructure issues.
“You have to be very careful when you are traveling and it’s just an issue. The streets are in disrepair. You’ll have more vehicle fumes. Weed is a dead end St. and that’s a problem,” Robinson said.
Some residents said the proposed housing would look out of place, noting the roads are too narrow and citing drug issues in the area that need addressing.
The Sandhills community holds deep roots for longtime residents. Mims described the neighborhood’s past character.
“Everybody was closed and everybody looked out for each other. The older folks were real kind. You had a bunch of caddies in this neighborhood and they always talked about golf and that was the main thing in this neighborhood. You had to know golf,” Mims said.
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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Democratic candidate for Georgia governor Olu Brown visited Augusta on Friday evening, stopping near the Sand Hills Community Center as early voting continues.
Brown is one of six candidates in the Democratic primary.
Campaign priorities
Brown said his vision as governor would focus on three main areas.
“One, it’s affordability around health care and making sure we expand Medicaid and expand Peach Care and make sure we continue to make our rural health care systems healthy and vital,” Brown said. “Number two, we’ve got to address education in all of Georgia, making sure every kid in Georgia gets an excellent education, and we’re paying our teachers more. And number 3, we’re protecting the rights of all women. Folks in the Gold Dome shouldn’t be making decisions about their bodies or the choices that they make.”
Brown is running against Amanda Duffy, Derrick Jackson, Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves, Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mike Thurmond.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Augusta Prep student was arrested on a charge of terroristic threats over a picture of a LEGO gun he posted on social media.
It happened Wednesday, according to an incident report from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
Eric Hedinger, the principal of Augusta Preparatory Day School, told deputies a student had uploaded a picture to Snapchat of a “pistol” with the caption “shooting up the school so I don`t have to take the stats exam tomorrow. Don`t come yall!”
The principal said he spoke to the student and his father about the photo.
The principal also provided deputies with the student’s address in Grovetown.
A deputy went there and was told by the student that the “pistol” was a LEGO set that he had built.
He also said the comment he made was supposed to be a joke because he was not looking forward to taking his Advanced Placement statistics test this week.
The student showed the deputy the box that the LEGO set came in, and how the set was already disassembled.
The deputy also looked in the boy’s room to make sure he was not in possession of any weapons.
The mother advised that there was one firearm in the residence but it was locked up.
The deputy contacted Judge Leslie Morgan and she issued a warrant for terroristic threats.
The student, age 18, was taken into custody and transported to the Columbia County Detention Center.
News 12 is not reporting his name or publishing his photo since the LEGO gun could not have actually harmed anyone.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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