From a hurricane hitting the CSRA to a new Richmond County sheriff, from consolidation talk to controversies over library books, 2024 has been a big year. Here are the top 10 stories for this year from The Augusta Press.
1. Hurricane Helene hits the CSRA
The top story of the year is Hurricane Helene hitting the CSRA. With 100+mph winds and citizens without power for weeks, the storm left its mark on the area. Millions of cubic yards of debris have been picked up and there is still a lot more on the ground. The cost to clean-up all the debris is expected to be over $100 million.
But despite all the damages, community members came together to help one another, which included dropping off donations for those in need.
Following the hurricane, the CSRA played host to Gov. Brian Kemp, Vice President Kamala Harris and President-elect Donald Trump. All came to tour the area, see the damage and discuss recovery efforts.
While it’s hard to pick our top stories for Hurricane Helene, here are a few that stand out:
- Residents give first-hand accounts of Helene devastation: ‘Never been so scared’
- Event honors ‘Helene Heroes’
- Owner of Double B Plant Farm thankful for community amid Helene impact
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides hurricane relief
- Local churches work to provide relief after hurricane devastation
- Augusta National announces joint $5 million donation to help hurricane relief efforts
- Savannah Rapids Pavilion damaged during Hurricane Helene
2. Sheriff Roundtree defeated in election/Aiken getting new sheriff
The Augusta-Aiken area saw the election of two new sheriffs, with one veteran lawman unseating an unpopular incumbent and a heavily-endorsed police captain replacing a retiring sheriff.
In Richmond County, Eugene “Gino Rock” Brantley defeated incumbent Sheriff Richard Roundtree in a tightly contested June runoff, 52% to 47%. Brantley, a former sheriff’s deputy and current Richmond County Marshal’s Office employee, emerged as a change candidate after a fractured May primary. His campaign focused on tackling downtown crime, a concern that resonated with business owners and helped him win key precincts in central Augusta.
Supported by retired U.S. Air Marshal Bo Johnson, Brantley, who was sworn-in on Dec. 20, promised a hands-on, community-oriented leadership style. As he prepares to take office Jan. 1, his priorities include improving sheriff’s office morale and enhancing community engagement.
In Aiken County, Public Safety Capt. Marty Sawyer won the sheriff’s race in November, defeating Democrat Lucas Grant with 63% of the vote. He will replace the retiring sheriff Michael Hunt on Jan. 7.
Sawyer, a 40-year law enforcement veteran, emphasized his experience in criminal investigations and his strong ties to the community. His priorities include increasing School Resource Officers, boosting rural patrols, and introducing a DNA analyst for faster investigations. Despite Grant’s platform focused on youth safety and gang prevention, Sawyer’s background and endorsements from local law enforcement groups propelled him to victory.
3. RCSS embroiled in police cheating scandal
Earlier this year, The Augusta Press broke the story about members of the Richmond County Board of Education police department being involved in a cheating scandal.
At least two officers in leadership roles at the Richmond County Board of Education Police Department assisted and encouraged subordinates to cheat on their annual certification tests. The cheating has been going on for years, according to a report provided to The Augusta Press.
The courses where the cheating occurred were not internal department courses, but rather part of the officers’ state-mandated annual certification training, according to Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Council (GAPOST) Deputy Executive Director Chris Harvey.
The Augusta Press also reported that the lone police officer who reported their colleagues who cheated on the 2024 certification exam to their supervisor alleged they have been the subject of retaliation, which included reassignment.
Records acquired from open records request showed that the two Richmond County Board of Education officers in leadership positions caught cheating on annual certification examinations each received unpaid suspensions.
4. Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson gets a vote
In May, the citizens of Augusta voted to give Mayor Garnett Johnson a vote on the Augusta Commission. In the election, the margin was 73.94% yes, to 26.06% no with a final turnout of 21.86% of eligible voters.
“I am very excited, and I am humbled that the citizens of Augusta have placed their trust in the office of the mayor, and I can’t emphasize enough that this is a good first step in the path forward,” Johnson said previously.
5. Columbia County no longer considering consolidation and incorporation
Last year, the Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved moving forward with a government efficiency and functionality study regarding incorporation and consolidation. In February of this year, the study was completed and revealed that incorporation and consolidation would be fiscally feasible. However, in December, it was announced by the Board of Commissioners that incorporation and consolidation would not be happening at the moment.
“As commissioners it is important for us to understand the facts, provide transparency of those facts to the public and receive public input on both sides of the issue,” said Chairman Doug Duncan in December. “Ultimately, the public would have to vote to approve this initiative. I can assure you that such an important matter of incorporation and consolidation will never move forward without those following steps. Incorporation and consolidation is a very complex issue. To date, the only efforts the county has made to investigate this the funding of a feasibility study, which is required by law before the next step could be taken.”
6. Columbia County libraries enact new, controversial guidelines
In September of this year, the Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved new guidelines to help determine the placement of books in the county libraries. However, some community members raised concerns about whether the approval was form of soft censorship, which refers to library books being placed in restricted areas – making them still technically available, but not immediately accessible.
Because the Columbia County libraries are part of the Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library System, the regional board was also required to approve the guidelines. Before the regional library board meeting on Dec. 10, a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Georgia, expressing opposition to the reshelving guidelines and urging the library board to reject them was presented.
At the conclusion of the regional library board meeting, members voted 5-3 in favor of implementing new reshelving guidelines in the Columbia County libraries. This meeting last nearly two hours and had 19 people speak about the guidelines, some in favor and some against.
7. Augusta sees changes among administration and department heads; Commissioners out on leave
A permanent city administrator was finally approved for Augusta in September. At a Augusta Commission meeting, commissioners approved Tameka Allen as the new administrator and then terminated the interim administrator Takiyah Douse, Finance Director Donna Williams and Procurement Director Geri Sams.
These terminations weren’t the first changes to department heads with the City of Augusta this year. In February, the commission voted to accept the resignation of Augusta Parks and Recreation Director Maurice McDowell.
McDowell had come under fire over upkeep at city facilities such as the Boathouse, city cemeteries and Diamond Lakes Regional Park, as well as for numerous resignations that took place among the department’s longtime employees.
General Counsel Wayne Brown, the top lawyer for the City of Augusta also resigned this year. His resignation was unexpected, several city officials said.
While they have not resigned Augusta Commissioners Alvin Mason and Brandon Garrett temporarily stepped down from their posts. Mason took a step back in June due to health reasons. In October, Garrett announced he was taking a leave of absence to work on some issues that were affecting his family.
8. Thomson mayor arrested, found not guilty of charges
In Augusta, Thomson Mayor Benjamin Cary Cranford was arrested on charges of furnishing prohibited items to inmates and criminal attempt to commit a felony.
Local mayors were asked by Gov. Brian Kemp to assist the Georgia Attorney General with reviewing the GBI case are Grovetown Mayor Gary Jones and Harlem Mayor Roxanne Whitaker.
A review commission met to determine whether Cranford’s indictment “relates to and adversely affects” his performance of mayoral duties, to an extent “that the rights and interests of the public are adversely affected,” according to Kemp’s Sept. 9 order. The commission looked only at the alleged crime’s relevance to the mayor’s office and not Cranford’s guilt or innocence, Jones said.
After a two-day trial in December, Cranford was found not guilty of supplying an inmate work crew with a bottle of gin.
9. Plane crashes near Daniel Village
In May, a plane crashed near Daniel Village and took the life of the pilot, Jason McKenzie. The plane had taken off from Daniel Field and was heading back to the airport when it struck a tree and crashed into the yard of a residence on Hillcrest Avenue. The pilot was heading to New Haven, Conn.
A post-crash fire consumed much of the cockpit, fuselage and tail section of the 836 Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
10. 50 homicides in Richmond County
Homicides in Richmond County reached a record high this year, with 50 deaths, marking the deadliest year under Sheriff Richard Roundtree’s 12-year tenure. At least seven of these cases remain unsolved.
The youngest victim was 3½-month-old Josiah Noel Seright, who died from hypothermia and respiratory failure after being placed in a wet car seat in front of a motel air conditioner. Murder charges were filed against his teen mother and two others. The oldest victim was 86-year-old Kimiko Stewart, who was shot by her husband in a June murder-suicide.
Seven teenagers were killed, including 14-year-old Anthony Harrison, shot in April. His mother, Tequila Beasley, expressed her heartbreak in a viral post: “There is absolutely NO UNDERSTANDING. I now have NOTHING TO LIVE FOR.”
Sheriff Roundtree, during his unsuccessful re-election bid, highlighted the growing issue of gun violence in Augusta, calling it a national problem. “No one has found that magic wand yet to curb this youth gun violence. So, we are not immune to that,” he said.
Homicides were relatively low early in Roundtree’s tenure, with only 18 in 2013, but numbers have steadily risen, peaking at 43 in 2020.
The year also ended with Fort Eisenhower going on lockdown on Dec. 14 due to an active shooter. Natravien Landry, 25, of Abbeville, La., was arrested and faces charges of murder in the death of U.S. Army Sgt. Andre S. Stewart Jr. Landry was ordered to remain in federal custody.
While it didn’t take place in Augusta, Laken Riley, a nursing student hailing from Augusta University, was killed in February on University of Georgia campus in Athens by Jose Antonio Ibarra. In November, the case sent to trial and Ibarra was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
