Augusta, GA – Entered into rest on Sunday, July 14, 2024, Mr. Daniel Patrick McDonnell, 80, loving husband of Dianne McDonnell (“Red”) and father of Brian McDonnell.

Mr. McDonnell was born in Augusta, GA to the late John and Dorothy McDonnell. He served in the United States Navy as an IC electrician. After the Navy, he worked for Southern Bell, Fort Gordon’s Eisenhower Medical Center, and Charlie Norwood VA Downtown Division.

Mr. McDonnell was a member of Warren Baptist Church. In his later years, he enjoyed volunteering in the children’s programs of Christian Learning Centers, Bible Study Fellowship, and Child Evangelism Fellowship.

The memorial service will be held Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at 11:00 A.M. in the chapel at Warren Baptist Church with Brian McDonnell officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service, beginning at 10:00 A.M., at the church.

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial gifts to Christian Learning Centers of Augusta, PO Box 931, Augusta, GA 30903, https://www.clcaugusta.com/donate/ or Child Evangelism Fellowship of Georgia, 4246 Washington Rd, Suite #7, Evans, GA 30809, https://cefgreateraugusta.com/donate .

Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484.

A national chain has officially planted its flag in the Augusta area.

Wetzel’s Pretzels now has a food truck operating in the area, the first of the chain’s trucks in Georgia and only the second of any kind of Wetzel’s in the Peach State. The other one is a Lawrenceville storefront more than 100 miles away.

The truck is owned by Troy and Nancy Akers, who previously operated the Crumbl Cookies’ Evans location. Every time they were around Florida, they would make a special trip to Disney Springs just to get a pretzel, so they were very excited to provide a closer option.

“It’s awesome!” Nancy Akers said. “We’re just constantly looking for things that we like when we go out of town or when we go on vacation and we’re like, “O.K. this is fun. How can we bring this back to Augusta?”

Wetzel’s staples are their sweeter options like the original salty and “Sinful Cinnamon,” but they also offer more savory options like “Pepperoni Twist” and “Jalapeño Cheese Melt.” They also have their own variations of pigs in a blanket called “Wetzel Dogs” and different bite-sized pieces of pretzel. There are also a range of dips.

Nancy Akers said there has already been a lot of interest from local events and neighborhoods, so they will largely stay in the Augusta area, but they do have the capability to go further. They hope to one day open local storefronts to complement the food truck.

Those interested in following the Augusta food truck and its stops can visit the “Wetzel’s Pretzels – Augusta, GA” Facebook page.

With the 2024 high school football season exactly one month away, it’s time to start getting acclimated to all the “new” around the Augusta area’s football landscape.

An assortment of new playmakers, new coaches, new regions, a new GHSA classification structure and new expectations for championship dreams will begin to emerge when the season kicks off in earnest on August 16. But the Aquinas Fightin’ Irish football program isn’t waiting until August to get a glimpse of its most exciting new thing.

Aquinas broke in its brand, spankin’ new football digs last Thursday when it hosted Washington-Wilkes for some 7-on-7 football action. The Irish finished their final football campaign without an on-campus home of their own by compiling a 9-3 record in 2023, and advancing to the quarterfinals of the Class A state playoffs.

This year, Aquinas is looking to make more football memories in its own stadium as coach James Leonard hopes to lead his program to a second straight region crown and first state championship since 2013.

Our photographer Rob Davis was able to capture some images of Aquinas’ first action inside its new stadium Thursday. Stay tuned for a chat with coach Leonard later in the week as he discusses his program’s summer progress and the excitement of kicking off a new season in their own stadium.