Augusta, GA
What’s the plan for Augusta’s opioid settlement money?
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Fentanyl is Augusta’s number one killer for 30- to 50-year-olds, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen says last year, 100 people died from opioid overdoses, with another 85 deaths pending confirmation.
In Mayor Garnett Johnson’s State of the City address on Tuesday, he talked about how the city plans to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars that are already in the bank in opioid settlement money.
In two settlements over years, more than $7 million is going directly to the city.
The mayor says the problem is payments are spread across 18 years and the hundreds of thousands we do have have to be planned out carefully.
The city has almost $700,000 from the settlements, with hundreds of thousands coming in the next 18 years.
Dr. Bedder works at Augusta’s VA and as director at AU’s Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program. He says some of the most vulnerable victims of this epidemic are those in recovery.
“If you don’t treat the withdrawal, they’re going to go right back out into the street to get more drugs to treat their withdrawal,” he said.
Bedder says a solution needs to come soon, which is what Mayor Johnson is pushing for in treatment vending machines.
“Not only hotel lobbies but bars, nightclubs, anywhere where someone is perhaps experiencing a need for treatment as a result of any of these opioids,” said Mayor Johnson.
Dr. Bedder says the real solution however is long-term care.
“I think the Mayor’s idea is a good idea, but it’s only a band-aid. It’ll prevent some deaths which is great, but the core is treatment and the detox facilities. We have seen nothing from the state, we have tried to tap into some of that settlement money that’s coming in,” he said.
But with the amount coming by the year, Mayor Johnson says these machines are the best way to create an immediate dent.
“I don’t know if the settlement dollars will flow that far, based on the settlement dollars we’re getting. But if we can, and we can make it work, I’m certain and open to having that conversation,” said Mayor Johnson.
Mayor Johnson says the soonest they can get something on the agenda to move forward is sometime after March.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Shoppers in Augusta will soon lose a longtime retail option, as Lane Bryant’s store inside Augusta Mall is set to close for good this weekend.
Employees at Lane Bryant inside Augusta Mall confirmed that the store will permanently close starting Sunday, April 19.
After the closure, the nearest Lane Bryant location for customers will be in Lexington.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
With deepest and heartfelt sympathy, G. L. Brightharp & Sons announces the transition of Mr. Willie J. Tanksley who entered into rest April 18, 2026.
Mr. Tanksley, a native of Richmond County, was a 1985 graduate of the Academy of Richmond County. He was a member of Greater Young Zion Baptist Church where he served in the Brotherhood Ministry.
Survivors include his wife, Sabrina Tanksley; two daughters, Ashley Tanksley and Taylor Tanksley; siblings, Elise Tanksley of Augusta, GA, Wilhelmina Roland of Atlanta, GA, Terry Tanksley, Tommy Tanksley, Watler Tanksley and Elder Claude (Kimberly) Tanksley all of Augusta, GA; an aunt, Frances Tate; an uncle, James Tanksley; mother-in-law, Sandra Harrison of Beech Island, SC; father-in-law, Jimmy (Elnora) Bing; three sisters-in-law, Fonda Rainey, Nicole Harrison and Nina Bing; a brother-in-law, Eric Bing; a host of nieces , nephews, along with other loving relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at Greater Young Zion Baptist Church with the Rev. William A. Blount officiating. Interment will follow at Walker Memorial Park. Viewing will be held from 4:00 PM until 6:00 PM Monday at the funeral home.
The family will not be receiving visitors at the home. We ask that you continue to pray for them during this time.
Professional Services are under the compassionate care of G. L. Brightharp & Sons Mortuary-North Augusta.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Former Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree’s funeral was held on Friday morning.
The funeral began at 11 a.m. at Good Shepherd Baptist Church, the Rev. Karlton Howard officiating.
WATCH THE FUNERAL
Interment will follow at Noah’s Ark Baptist Church Cemetery in Waynesboro.
A viewing was held on Thursday at Good Shepherd Baptist Church from 2-6 p.m.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Classmate remembers former Sheriff Richard Roundtree ahead of funeral
- Funeral announced for former Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree
News 12 first learned of Roundtree’s passing on April 11. He’d been in a metro Atlanta hospital with serious medical issues.
Several people spoke during the funeral service, but one deputy in particular spoke of Roundtree’s leadership.
“He was more than a sheriff. He was an innovator. He looked for better ways to serve. He led with integrity, courage and genuine commitment,” said the deputy.
Roundtree, 57, was the head law enforcement officer in Augusta for more than a decade − and when he took office in 2012, notably no sheriff had been like him.
He was the first African American elected to the title, something he spent a career working toward.
He was highly visible in the community, where he could frequently be seen in a vest, working a crime scene along with his deputies.
Former classmate Clarence Brown said he was proud of Roundtree for his work.
“I was proud of him for, for actually, you know, getting to that level. But at the same time I realized that that’s a heavy weight, especially being from the community, um, and, and to draw in the community,” Brown said. “And so I wanted him to know that there was somebody in his corner that didn’t need anything.”
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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