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A Lincolnton man suspected of running a cock-fighting and gambling operation from a rural property he owns pleaded not guilty to federal charges Thursday.Lanier A. Hightower, 64, is the first of 38 defendants named in a federal indictment of people federal investigators contend attended an animal fighting enterprise on Dec. 14.The indictment was unsealed this…

NEW YORK — Former White House adviser Steve Bannon was arrested Thursday on charges that he and three others ripped off donors to an online fundraising scheme “We Build The Wall.”The charges were contained in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court.Federal prosecutors alleged that Bannon and three others “orchestrated a scheme to defraud hundreds…

Our greatest vulnerabilities have been exposed by a relentless global pandemic. Our country’s gravest sins were brought into the glaring light of a Memorial Day sun as the final breaths of one man were snuffed out by the inhumanity of another.Will this be the year when everything changes? Will that change be lasting?At USA TODAY…

WILMINGTON, Del.— Democrats formally nominated Joe Biden as their presidential candidate, with party elders, a new generation of politicians and voters in every state joining in an extraordinary, pandemic-cramped virtual convention to send him into the general election campaign to oust President Donald Trump.For someone who has spent more than three decades eyeing the presidency,…

ATLANTA — Candidates vying to unseat U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler in Georgia put out campaign ads Wednesday as the race enters a new voter-outreach phase, notably via the first television spot aired by the leading Democratic contender.Rev. Raphael Warnock, the Democratic challenger who has amassed millions in donations and endorsements from top party leaders, released…

Already reeling from the coronavirus, American colleges and universities now stand to lose hundreds of thousands of international students over the country’s failure to contain the pandemic, the challenges of online learning and a more hostile U.S. government.Also at stake: billions of dollars those students spend annually in the country, plus the intellectual capital of…

ATLANTA – Georgia’s utility regulating agency voted unanimously Tuesday to approve $674 million in spending on the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion Georgia Power Co. reported incurring during the last half of 2019.But the state Public Service Commission rejected a PSC staff recommendation to start discussing how much of the project’s cost the utility’s customers will…

A North Augusta man was arrested Monday in Augusta on incest and rape charges.Roberto Ayala Figueroa, 54, was charged with rape, incest and aggravated child molestation. Figueroa also allegedly raped the victim on December 2018 at a residence in Hephzibah. The child molestation occurred on March 2017, according to the arrest warrants.Figueroa is also facing…

WASHINGTON – Night one made history.Literally. The opening night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention was unlike others before it. Performers and speakers gathered virtually, coming to Americans’ living rooms from states across the nation amid the coronavirus pandemic.The event largely centered on COVID-19, racial justice and testimonials from Democrats – including former first lady…

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a Monday shooting at an Augusta hotel.Deputies responded around 8:15 a.m. to the McDonald’s on the 3600 block of Wheeler Road in reference to a shooting victim. Upon arrival, the male victim told deputies he had been shot in the arm at the Day’s Inn near the McDonald’s…

Qualifying for Richmond County Board of Education Districts 1, 4, 5, 8 and 10 will begin Monday. Top Featured Tags: – Georgia News Press Release Distribution Service

Dozens surrounded the Confederate Monument in downtown Augusta on Sunday as they called for its protection. Top Featured Tags: – Georgia News Press Release Distribution Service

COLUMBIA, S.C. — There’s an unusual feeling emerging among Democrats in South Carolina: energy.The party can be almost an afterthought in this deeply conservative state where Republicans control the governor’s office, both chambers of the Legislature and all but two seats in the congressional delegation. It’s been nearly 15 years since a Democrat won a…

May 8, 2020Totsie B. Walker to Johnny B. White, Ld: Subdivision: Fernwood, Lot 19, Block A Parcel: 110-2-101-00-0, 2606 Blueberry DriveTerry L. Davidson and Carol A. Davidson to Berckman Residential Properties LLC, Ld: Subdivision: Jamestown, Lot 16, Block C Parcel: 018-4-042-00-0, 2732 Wicklow Drive, $350,000Lenescar Pierre, Margarette Camilla Capital Inc. Ld: Subdivision: Fruitland Estates, Lot…

Chemistry is science, but creating ‘team chemistry’ in an organization is an art. Top Featured Tags: – Georgia News Press Release Distribution Service

WARSAW — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sealed a defense cooperation deal Saturday with Polish officials that will pave the way to redeploy American troops from Germany to Poland.Pompeo, in Warsaw at the end of a four-nation tour of central and eastern Europe, signed the deal with Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak that sets…

This date in regional history. Top Featured Tags: – Georgia News Press Release Distribution Service

ATLANTA — A Northeast Georgia state lawmaker was stripped of his Georgia House committee chairmanship Friday for belittling the late Congressman John Lewis’ legacy in a radio interview.It’s the second time Rep. Tommy Benton, R-Jefferson, has lost a leadership position in the General Assembly since June 2017, when he distributed an article promoting the idea…

Police training and tactics like chokeholds, no-knock warrants and rubber bullets for crowd control in Georgia will face scrutiny from a group of state lawmakers tasked with making reform recommendations for law enforcement agencies before year’s end.The Georgia Senate study committee looking at policing techniques and oversight comes after the General Assembly passed legislation outlawing…

NEW YORK — Speaking from the Senate floor for the first time, Kamala Harris expressed gratitude for a woman on whose shoulders she said she stood. In her autobiography, Harris interspersed the well-worn details of her resume with an extended ode to the one she calls “the reason for everything.” And taking the stage to…

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man accused of aggravated stalking.The suspect, Michael Todd Jones, 54, drives a motorcycle of unknown make or model, police said. He is known to frequent the 3300 block of Wheeler Road in Augusta and the 4000 block of Amherst Way in Martinez.Jones was charged in May…

Longtime Augusta Utilities Director Tom Wiedmeier died Wednesday from COVID-19. He was 59 years old.His passing leaves a gaping hole in city government and water concerns around the region, people who worked closely with Wiedmeier said.”He was easy to get along with. We had a mutual respect for each other and he did with people…