Captain Controversy
He’s been called every name in the book. But he still refuses to back down. In fact, for Augusta Commissioner Marion Williams, such criticism flames the fire inside him to push even harder for what he considers “the truth” within city government. “When people start criticizing me and they try to keep me quiet, it […]
Williams Opens Himself Up to More Criticism
The Marble Palace was all abuzz this week as news spread that Augusta Commissioner Marion Williams owed more than $3,500 in overdue taxes on properties in Richmond County. Just last week, Williams began pressing his fellow commissioners to consider implementing a policy that would require future city employees to live in Augusta-Richmond County. His reason: […]
King’s Connection to Gandhi
When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. heard the president of Howard University, Mordecai Johnson, speak about a trip he took to India in 1950, King was so inspired by the life and teachings of Mohandas Gandhi that he immediately began educating himself about the Indian leader. “His message was so profound and electrifying that I […]
A Crazy Start to the Augusta Commission’s New Year
The Augusta Commission rang in the New Year like only the Augusta Commission can with bickering, finger pointing and the slamming of a gavel. If the commission’s first meeting of 2014 is any indication of the year to come, Augustans better brace themselves. The meeting began on a positive note with the Augusta Commission unanimously […]
The Natural
The connection 14-year-old Joey Varnadore has with cutting horses is undeniable. He watches them and can understand them. It’s a gift that cannot be easily explained. “I just like horses. I don’t know why,” Varnadore quietly said. “I just like being outside with them.” At the early age of 11, this quiet cowboy began entering […]
Who will respond in an emergency?
If someone is badly injured or experiencing tremendous pain, it is an emergency and most people’s first instinct is to immediately call 911. After all, there is nothing more gratifying than the sound of an ambulance siren when a person is in desperate need of help. But ever since the beginning of 2014, most Augustans […]
Will the governor force Kay Allen to step down?
The Columbia County Commission takes “no joy” in sending Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal a letter this week asking him to look into alleged misconduct by Tax Commissioner Kay Allen, said Commission Chairman Ron Cross during a special called meeting on Monday. For the past several months, the FBI has been conducting a joint investigation with […]
Copenhaver to serve as interim administrator… for now
It appears the Augusta Commission is going to have a hard time choosing an interim administrator, let alone a permanent administrator. After last week’s surprise vote of 7-0 to fire City Administrator Fred Russell, the commission was tasked with the responsibility of naming an interim administrator to fill the position after Russell leaves on December […]
The Dark Side of Kay Allen
Listen to the actual phone call here: As allegations of perhaps improperly profiting from contracts that collected taxes for Harlem and Grovetown began to mount against Columbia County Tax Commissioner Kay Allen this week, a window into one former county employee’s life working for this powerful constitutional officer has swung open. After 15 years […]
The Deans’ last “big hope”
It was Halloween, and Renee Dean was busy in her Harlem home helping her two youngest boys get dressed in their costumes. The phone rang. It was her husband’s attorney, Pete Theodocion, calling. She answered the phone only to learn that Superior Court Judge James Blanchard Jr. had denied a request by her husband, former […]