Augusta, GA

Young Aiken golfer finishes second in chipping portion of Drive, Chip and Putt finals at Augusta National

Published

12 months ago

April 6, 2025

Young Aiken golfer finishes second in chipping portion of Drive, Chip and Putt finals at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. — With hundreds of kids vying for a coveted spot in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club, it’s not often a local golfer earns a start time at the iconic golf course.

And on April 6, Shane Strickland had the support of every Aikenite outside of the ropes in his debut appearance in the kids’ tournament. He said the support meant a lot to him but he knew he had to stay locked in on each section as cheers came from the crowd.

“I felt good,” he said. “I also wanted to smile but I knew I had to stay focused.”

Shane finished tied for seventh place with a second-place finish in the chipping skill thanks to a shot that put the ball just two feet and nine inches from the hole. His success in chipping came just in time after a shaky start in the driving portion.

The 9-year-old was fifth in line with two chances to drive the ball as far as possible within bounds at the Augusta National tournament range. While Strickland kept it in bounds for a 151.01-yard on his first attempt, he missed the lines to stay in bounds on the second one, giving him one point for the skill.

For the second and third skills, chipping and putting, each participant is given two tries to get the ball as close to the hole as they can. The distances away from the hole are added together for their final score on that section.

Shane’s father, Chase, supported him through the day as his caddie. He said his biggest focus between driving and putting was to keep Shane’s confidence up.

“I told them that it looked like he got nervous and he told me ‘I got nervous,’” Chase said. “He told me how he felt and I said, ‘Well, your short game and your putting is where you thrive, so just take it calm, stay calm, take it slowly, and enjoy it the best you can.”

After refocusing, he started out with the 2’9” chip shot and followed it up with a shot 5 feet, three inches from the hole to give him the lead with a combined score of eight feet. As the other children came up to do their chips, Shane’s name continued to top the leaderboard.

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Augusta, GA

Augusta Fire to showcase progress on new Fire Station #3 construction

Published

25 minutes ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

Augusta Fire to showcase progress on new Fire Station #3 construction

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta Fire is showcasing progress on its new Fire Station #3 construction site Monday with a public tour of the facility.

The tour is scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon at the construction site at 2075 Powell Road.

The approximately 12,500-square-foot facility will feature three apparatus bays, modern living quarters, administrative space and support areas designed to enhance firefighter readiness and emergency response.

“The progress we’ve made on this fire station reflects our commitment to public safety and community resilience,” said Fire Chief Antonio Burden. “We’re proud of what this station represents for our community: enhanced protection, improved readiness and continued investment in the future.”

Johnson Laschober Associates designed the station. Spratlin Construction is building it in coordination with the Augusta government and the Augusta Fire Department leadership.

Representatives from Spratlin Construction will also be on-site to provide project updates.

The only entrance to the site is on Powell Road. Parking is not permitted on the construction site. Visitors should park along Powell Road and follow all posted safety guidance.

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Augusta, GA

Local group holds 4th annual walk against autism

Published

13 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Local group holds 4th annual walk against autism

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – April is Autism Awareness Month, and one local group raised awareness with a walk in Augusta on Sunday.

The fourth annual autism walk was hosted by Moving Over Mountains Against autism at Lake Olmstead Park.

All proceeds from the walk support autism awareness initiatives.

We spoke with the CEO and founder of the group, Deidre Roberson, who said this year they are dedicating the walk to their photographer, who died recently.

Roberson told us what she looks forward to the most.

“I look most forward to seeing the different people every year. We always meet different people, new people, and they come from all over the CSRA, so Washington, Wilkes, Carolina,” she said.

There were also several vendors providing resources to families.

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Augusta, GA

From Augusta roots to Nighthawks leader: Nolan Belcher comes home

Published

1 day ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

From Augusta roots to Nighthawks leader: Nolan Belcher comes home

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF)- Augusta University baseball is in a three-game series matchup against the University of North Georgia.

AU is currently down in the series 0-2 after a close loss Friday and a loss Saturday.

But we aren’t focusing on the Jags, we’re going to take a look at North Georgia’s head coach, Nolan Belcher.

He is an Augusta native who began his career at Greenbrier and Augusta Christian.

He won three state championships, which then led him to play for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

There he won back-to-back national championships and finished runner up in 2012.

His coaching career began after that where he eventually joined the Peach belt Confrence, coaching at USCA and GCSU.

Now in his first season as head coach for the Nighthawks, he is happy to come home and coach in front of his friends and family.

“I’m very fortunate that I got family that, one is still around and they can come watch me do what I love. And, they’ve shown me, nothing but support throughout my whole coaching career and even back on my playing dates are very thankful and appreciative for everything they’ve done for me.”

AU and UNG will have their final series match on Sunday.

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