AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Work is moving along for the Augusta Arena, with less than two years remaining until the project is finished.

Funded by a half-penny sales tax approved by voters, the former James Brown Arena was torn down to make way for a space to hold more than 10,000 seats and eventually host hockey in the Garden City once again.

Officials said they have finished pouring the third level of concrete where the suites will be and are now working on the fourth level, the upper concourse.

Brad Usry, vice chairman of the Augusta Richmond County Coliseum Authority, said the progress is great after years of planning.

“In one word, it’s satisfaction. I mean, we’ve been working on this thing for over 10 years. So to finally see it going up and people seeing the fruits of our labor, it’s really nice,” Usry said.

The new Augusta Arena is starting to take shape as crews pour concrete, with the steel frame coming in a few months.

“We’re talking 900 feet long, three football fields long. The old arena was 50 feet tall. This arena is going to be close to 100 feet tall,” Usry said.

The arena’s impact could extend beyond entertainment, according to businesses on Broad Street.

Richard Sanders, manager of the Downtown Corner Store that opened this summer, said business is struggling, but the new arena could breathe life back into the area.

“A lot of the businesses that focus on either foot traffic or people just come at like, whether it’s a bar, restaurant. I mean, they’re all struggling right now,” Sanders said.

Sanders said events at venues like the Bell Auditorium already help local businesses.

“Once it opens, I mean, even when, I mean, even when they do stuff at the Bell, it helps. When they did stuff at the old Civic Center or James Brown Arena, it helped,” Sanders said.

Michael Weldon, owner of Psychotronic Records on Broad Street, said major acts bring new customers to his store.

“The first show I went to was Alice in Chains. And the last show that we went to, there was Cheap Trick and ZZ Top,” Weldon said of the former arena.

“When there’s a good show by a name artist in town, no matter where they’re playing, we get people in here that maybe are here for the first time,” Weldon said.

Usry said the project remains on time and on budget.

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East Carolina’s football team is spending Christmas week in the nation’s capital as the Pirates prepare for their upcoming Military Bowl matchup against Pittsburgh.

The team departed Greenville around 11 a.m. Tuesday, loading onto five buses for the road trip to Washington, D.C. Head coach Blake Harrell rode on the lead bus as the Pirates left campus to continue bowl preparations.

While in the area, ECU is mixing business with some downtime. The team has scheduled practices but is also taking in professional hockey and football games during the trip.

The Pirates’ Christmas Eve schedule includes a practice in Springfield, Virginia, followed by community service and a team bowling event in Bethesda, Maryland.

ECU faces Pittsburgh in the Military Bowl on Saturday.

Panthers prepare for final home game

The Carolina Panthers, currently in first place, are preparing for their final home game of the regular season. Carolina will host the Seattle Seahawks, led by former Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales spent 13 years with the Seahawks organization under longtime coach Pete Carroll and the team’s front office.

Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn was named to the Pro Bowl and is expected to face a challenge against Darnold and Seattle’s offense.

Christmas Day NFL matchups

NFL fans will have three games to watch on Christmas Day, including a matchup featuring former Wallace-Rose Hill standout Javonte Williams and the Dallas Cowboys visiting the Washington Commanders.

UNC routs ECU in college basketball

In college basketball, North Carolina had little trouble defeating East Carolina at the Dean Dome, winning 99-51.

UNC’s Caleb Wilson scored 21 points and added 12 rebounds, while Henri Veesaar chipped in 13 points.

ECU’s Giovanni Emejuru led the Pirates with 21 points, but the team struggled offensively, shooting 1 of 20 from 3-point range and committing 17 turnovers.

Both teams will break for the week before returning to conference play. UNCW is scheduled to be the first regional team back in action.

A federal judge has blocked a Texas law aimed at keeping minors from using app stores without an adult’s consent. 

The decision is a win for major developers of app stores represented in the federal lawsuit, including Apple, Google and Amazon. 

Texas app store law blocked

What we know:

Senate Bill 2420 would have gone into effect on Jan. 1, requiring anyone under the age of 18 in Texas to get parental consent to download an app or make an in-app purchase. 

U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin issued a preliminary injunction against the law, saying it likely violates the First Amendment.

The case against the law, known as the App Store Accountability Act, was brought by Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) on behalf of operators of app stores (like Google, Apple, and Amazon) and developers of mobile apps (like YouTube, Audible, Apple TV, IMDB, and Goodreads).

What’s next:

The law can not go into effect as litigation proceeds. 

Texas AG Ken Paxton is the sole defendant in the case, and is enjoined from enforcing or allowing enforcement of the law during that time. 

Texas lawsuit over SB 2420

The backstory:

Attorneys for the CCIA argued the law violates First Amendment free speech rights. Before the Austin court hearing last week, CCIA Senior VP Stephanie Joyce issued the following statement:

“We shall show the judge that this law is unconstitutional and should not take effect. This law is grossly overbroad, involves forced-speech mandates, and is not remotely tailored to its stated purpose. It is a deeply flawed statute that the Court should block under the First Amendment.”

Other cell phone restrictions

Dig deeper:

Australia recently passed a total social media ban for people under age 16. Texas attempted a similar law with House Bill 18, which was enjoined prior to SB 2420. 

A recent report about a school in Kentucky with a cellphone ban quoted administrators about an unexpected benefit. They claim a 61 percent increase in books being checked out from its library since the ban started.

In that Kentucky report, 38 percent of their disciplinary issues involved violating the cellphone ban. The administrators said they hope that number will drop after students come back from the holiday break. It’s too early to tell if that kind of data will be collected as part of the TEA review.