Augusta, GA
Turn Back the Block fights blight firsthand in Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The growing problems of blight and crime are two hand-in-hand issues neighbors say have been going on for years.
They say they want a permanent solution.
Last month, we tagged along with commissioners, other city leaders and some nonprofits on a tour of these neighborhoods hit the hardest by blight – from Harrisburg to Laney Walker.
We touched on issues from code enforcement process, demolition chain of responsibility, abandoned property owners, blight challenges and more.
It’s a growing problem that’s talked about year after year.
One of the nonprofits on the tour was Turn Back the Block. Its goal is to help families in this city get better, safer and affordable housing.
The group recently opened a duplex complex in Harrisburg and will soon break ground on more land to achieve its goal of revitalizing the Harrisburg and Laney Walker neighborhoods and guiding folks in the right direction.
Ashley Brown said she believes homeownership to be the solution to the blight and crime created by uninvested landlords and absentee property owners.
She says homeownership is a reliable way to build economic mobility and stability for the families of Harrisburg.
“I remember this neighborhood when it was vibrant, and full of families and children running in the streets and I see that coming back,” said Brown.
Brown says Turn Back the Block has renovated eight homes, newly constructed nine and they currently have 24 vacant lots.
Shanovia Howard is one of the homeowners Turn Back the Block has helped.
“I just kept pushing forward until I got to the place that I was safe and secure at,” said Howard. “Your kids deserve to have somewhere that they can call home. They don’t deserve to be pulled from one place to the next, renting this apartment, having to rent that apartment.”
Once a month Turn Back the Block hosts “Block Parties” where volunteers clean up the Harrisburg neighborhood.
Find out more by visiting their website.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The South Augusta YMCA will not renew its lease at the Tobacco Road location, the Y confirmed.
The shopping center is being sold, and the current lease ends in October.
The Y has not announced a final day at the current location. Officials said they plan to announce that date and next steps for South Augusta later this month.
The YMCA said it still plans to serve South Augusta after the lease expires.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A man who was previously wanted for questioning in an Augusta deadly shooting has now been charged with murder in the case, according to authorities.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says Kemfton Quewanaki Kenon, 27, was arrested on Friday in connection to the shooting death of Khyla Rodriguez, of Augusta.
Kenon is booked into the Charles B. Webster Detention Center and charged with murder and possession of a firearm during a crime, according to jail bookings.
Rodriguez, 25, was found dead after deputies received a call about a shooting on May 15 at 1:11 a.m. on Cameron Drive.
The Richmond County Coroner’s Office said Rodriguez was pronounced dead at 2:27 a.m.
Kenon was previously wanted for questioning in the case and was located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. He was interviewed and arrested on an unrelated warrant.
Deputies were also interviewed two other subjects in the case. They were not arrested in the case.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – People who live in South Augusta are raising concerns about the future of the Family Y on Tobacco Road.
Officials say the facility has been operating at a loss for years, and have had a low number of memberships. The location also has a new owner. The cost of the lease is too high and the facility is also in need of renovations, which are said to be costly.
“The reality is we couldn’t afford the current lease that we were in,” said Catie McCauley, president and CEO of Family Y of Greater Augusta. “Over the last 10 years we’ve been subsidizing this lot. So we got to look at a model that we can sustain for the next several generations not just the next couple years.”
The location is set to close in October, but officials say they are working with community members and contractors for a new building that they can move into and are committed to staying in South Augusta.
Photojournalist credit: Gary Hipps
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