Augusta, GA
With state help, Augusta looks to revitalize Turpin Hill neighborhood
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – There is a new push to revitalize one of Augusta’s more blighted corners in the community.
Specifically, the Turpin Hill neighborhood, just outside of the medical district and Laney Walker area.
Now, thanks to state and University of Georgia partnerships with the city, there’s a plan for change in the historic neighborhood. But the city wants to hear from neighbors in the area.
Streets are lined with haunted-looking homes where thriving businesses used to stand on multiple corners.
While there is some life there, you only have to turn your head to see the blight.
“It’s good they’re doing something, you know, you stand around and see it going down,” said the owner of Nearby Grocery, Gregory Matthews,
Matthews’ family has been running the Nearby Grocery since the late 40s.
He’s seen Turpin Hill in its prime and says a revitalization is overdue.
“You’re going to have some new blood, new communities springing up. New business. It’s always a plus for the city itself to be improved,” said Matthews.
The city applied to a program called the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH). They were one of five projects across the state selected. The city, the state, and UGA will now collaborate on this plan over the next three to five years.
Housing and Community Development director, Hawthorne Welcher Jr., said: “Turpin Hill is an area we have not talked a lot about. We’ve pretty much sold them on the dire need and the deficiencies, the abandonment, the blight, the destitution; we sold them on that.”
The hope is this will be wildly successful, so more of these projects come to more neighborhoods in Augusta and help business owners, like Matthews.
“Well, it’s been a little trying because I had a ‘captive audience’ when I had the sunset homes over there, but now we’re filling. Walton Green is just filling up and so business is still picking up, I was able to survive so, it’s going to be alright,” said Matthews.
Hawthorne said: “Regardless of how great the plan is, regardless of how great the reward is, it starts and ends with the residents.”
Augusta will host three community meetings at the Carrie J. Mays Community Center.
Here’s a list of the meeting dates and times:
- March 21 at 6 p.m.
- June 20 at 6 p.m.
- September 19 at 6 p.m.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County Board of Education is deeply saddened to announce the passing of board member Walter H. Eubanks.
Eubanks, who represented District 3, died Tuesday after a brief illness.
“Mr. Eubanks’ family and friends are in our thoughts during this difficult time,” the board said in a statement.
Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.
His term was set to expire this year.
Shawnda Stovall, president of the Richmond County Board of Education, said:
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to Mr. Eubanks’ family, friends, constituents, and all who had the privilege of serving alongside him. For more than 20 years, he devoted his time, leadership, and voice to advocating for public education and helping create opportunities for generations of students, first as a teacher and later as a member of the Richmond County Board of Education. His commitment to our community and his passion for serving others will be remembered with gratitude and respect.
“During this time of loss, we keep Mr. Eubanks’ loved ones in our thoughts and prayers. May they find comfort in the many lives he touched through his service and the lasting impact he made on behalf of Richmond County’s students and families.”
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Medical marijuana is having a moment in clinical trials
Cannabis has medical promise, but doctors still can’t prescribe it. A Harvard psychiatrist explains why science and policy lag behind.
A Vietnamese restaurant that closed in Columbia County more than three years ago will be the site of Georgia’s newest medical marijuana dispensary.
When Georgia’s Senate Bill 220 officially becomes law on July 1, it will expand requirements and qualifying conditions to participate in the state’s medical cannabis program. Co-sponsors of the “Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act” included state Sens. Lee Anderson, R-Grovetown, Harold Jones, D-Augusta, and Mark Newton, R-Augusta.
A company called Fine Fettle operates three cannabis stores in Georgia, eight in Connecticut, and two in Massachusetts.
The Fine Fettle dispensary, slated for 4300 Towne Center Dr. in Evans, will occupy the former Pho Bac restaurant. The Asian eatery opened in 2011 but closed in 2023 when it merged with another restaurant, Pho Augusta, at 4045 Jimmie Dyess Parkway.
At the store’s June 26 grand opening, patients and their families can learn about new product categories, qualifying conditions, and how to obtain a medical cannabis card, according to the company.
Fine Fettle received a provisional license from the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission in 2023 to start growing and selling cannabis products statewide. Evans was one of its proposed locations with an original opening for a low-THC oil dispensary planned for spring 2024, but the new state legislation upgraded the product level from the lower-potency oil to actual strains of cannabis.
Another cannabis company, Trulieve, opened its fifth Georgia store in Evans in September 2023 at 4218 Washington Road in Evans, near the shopping center anchored by Academy Sports.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Augusta election leaders met Monday to discuss a lawsuit filed by a former mayoral candidate.
Dr. Lori Myles is suing the Augusta Commission, as well as state and local voting leaders.
Myles alleges those involved with the May 19th primary destroyed absentee ballots and eliminated from the overall vote count.
“So the Board of Elections received a lawsuit from Lori Myles contesting the election asking for a recount, said Travis Doss, the Board of Elections director. “The Board discussed in executive session and when they came out of executive session they voted to authorize the county attorney to file an answer to that lawsuit basically that answer will be asking a judge for a dismissal on that lawsuit and it will be filed tomorrow.”
WJBF NewsChannel 6 will keep you updated on the next steps of the lawsuit as that information becomes available.
Photojournalist credit: Regynal McKie
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