Signal company receives orders
The 235th Signal Company, part of the 93rd Signal Brigade based at Fort Gordon, received deployment orders Thursday that could affect as many as 100 people.
The company will be deployed to an undisclosed location as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Fort Gordon spokesman James Hudgins said.
The 235th works in the setup of satellite and long-distance communications, Mr. Hudgins said.
The 63rd Signal Battalion, also part of the 93rd, deployed early Monday. Most soldiers from Fort Gordon's 513th Military Intelligence Brigade have also deployed. Many of its members are in Kuwait as part of the buildup of troops for a possible attack on Iraq.
Weather postpones I-20 lane closure
A round-the-clock lane closure on Interstate 20 has been delayed until March 2 because of weather, according to a news release.
The Georgia Department of Transportation has two phases of rehabilitation on the interstate between Warren Road and South Carolina. Phase I, which is almost complete, consists of reconstructing the inside paved shoulder of the east- and westbound lanes of I-20.
Phase II calls for removing and replacing inside lanes of the interstate in the three-mile section.
Starting March 2, the inside eastbound lane will be closed for 13 days. Starting March 9, the inside westbound lane will be closed for the same duration.
Burns plans opening of office in Augusta
Twelfth District U.S. Rep. Max Burns will officially open his Augusta district office Saturday.
The public is invited to the dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1:30 p.m. at 2743 Perimeter Parkway, Building 200, Suite 130. The telephone number is 854-4595. Mr. Burns' office may also be reached online at www.house.gov/burns.
His phone number in Washington is (202) 225-2823; the fax number is (202) 225-3377.
Freight train derails in south Burke County
A train derailed from a Norfolk Southern rail line in Midville, Ga., in the southern part of Burke County early Thursday.
The derailment occurred at about 5 a.m. when the second and the fourth through 11th cars came off the tracks near Georgia Highway 56, said Susan Terpay, a Norfolk Southern spokeswoman.
The train was headed from Atlanta to Savannah, she said. No hazardous materials were on board, but Ms. Terpay could not specify what was in more than 62 freight containers that were displaced.
No one was hurt during the incident, according to the Burke County Sheriff's Office.
The derailment damaged 1,100 feet of track, Ms. Terpay said. The segment is expected to reopen this morning.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, she said.
Creator shuts down Web site about Rivera
A Web site that portrays "Reinaldo Rivera, the human being" has been shut down after an article in The Augusta Chronicle about the Internet page.
Wisconsin resident Kay Lee e-mailed The Chronicle on Thursday, taking credit for both creating the Web site and taking it down. She said she originally set up the site to help the slaying suspect's sister, Gloria Rivera, find support.
"I built is because it is easy for people sickened by pain and hatred to see the monster, not so easy to see reality," Ms. Lee wrote. "Mr. Rivera is a human being with a history of good deeds. Perhaps my truthful portrayal has angered people because to accept him as a man raises the question, 'What went wrong?"'
Ms. Lee, who has no connection to the Rivera case, said she removed the site "because of the attacks on Gloria Rivera, not because I'm wrong to want to know why."
Mother is accused of abandoning teenager
Police are investigating reports that a North Augusta mother abandoned her 15-year-old daughter because she no longer wanted her, a sheriff's report states.
Shameka Gilead told police that the woman and her teenage daughter have been staying with her on Alpine Street in Augusta. She said the mother left the home for 24 hours, returned Wednesday night and began arguing with her daughter, a report states.
The mother then told Ms. Gilead that she could have her daughter because she no longer wanted her, police said. The mother then packed her things and left.
The teen has been turned over to her aunt, and deputies notified the Richmond County Department of Family and Children Services. She could be charged with contributing to the deprivation of a minor.
Public-address system stolen from church
Burglars shattered a window at a church in downtown Augusta on Wednesday and stole a public-address system, 10 tables and 18 chairs, a sheriff's report states.
Dennis Berrien told police someone broke into Mount Carmel Baptist Church, in the 1300 block of 12th Street, entering through the right side of the church. Damage to the window is estimated at $100, and the stolen items were valued at $820, a report states.
Police say pupil had steak knife in bag
A 14-year-old Tubman Middle School pupil was arrested Thursday after taking a knife onto the campus, police said.
Other pupils told the school's public safety officer at about 3 p.m. that the boy had a steak knife in his back pack, said Richmond County sheriff's Maj. Ken Autry. The teen, who was not identified because he is a juvenile, was charged with possession of a weapon on school property, he said.
Justin Martin, the spokesman for the Richmond County school board, said a pupil caught with a weapon on campus is automatically suspended for 10 days and is subject to a tribunal, which could mean expulsion.
Truck rolls into yard, hits vehicle, house
A North Augusta man was cited for failing to secure his truck Thursday after the vehicle rolled down a hill and struck a house. No one was hurt.
Larry Bivins had parked his 1986 Chevrolet pickup on a hill on Pisgah Road at about 4 p.m. to look at another truck for sale in the neighborhood, said Office Kevin Blackwell, of the North Augusta Public Safety Department. While looking at the other vehicle, Mr. Bivins noticed his truck rolling down the hill and into the yard, he said.
The pickup struck the 1995 Chevrolet pickup that was for sale and then rolled into the residence.
The impact broke a front window and pushed in part of the brick exterior.
Officer Blackwell said the estimated damage was between $10,000 and $12,000. No one was home during the accident, he said.
Mr. Bivins was also ticketed for not having insurance.
Group offers auditions to Harlem hopefuls
The Cutno Artist Group will hold auditions this weekend for talented youths hoping to perform at the Apollo Theater in New York City.
Auditions will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Cutno Studio, 210 11th St. Selected talent will perform March 29 at the Imperial Theatre to determine the final two winners of the trip to Harlem, N.Y.
Categories include dance, vocals, instrumental performance, spoken word and rap. Artists will range from age 9 to high school seniors. The entry fee is $13.
For more information, call 828-3101.
Sheriff's office offers civilian law academy
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office will hold a Citizen's Law Enforcement Academy on March 20.
Participants will be given an insight to the everyday operations of the sheriff's office in addition to firearms training, which will include live fire on the sheriff's office shooting range.
The free course is offered from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. each Thursday for nine weeks and is open to Columbia County residents age 18 and older.
For an application, contact Candi Sharp at 541-2876 or Capt. Jim March at 541-4027.
Residents to do time to promote blood drive
Local personalities will be doing time to promote a community blood drive Monday.
Volunteers from FM radio stations WKXC and WFXA, Meybohm Realtors and Phoenix Commercial Printers will be incarcerated at the Shepeard Community Blood Center. They must persuade 10 people to donate blood in order for them to receive an early release.
The blood drive will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the blood center on Wrightsboro Road. Refreshments, including Godiva chocolates, will be given to participants.
Anyone in good health who is 17 years old, weighs at least 110 pounds and has not donated blood in the past two months is eligible. For more information, call 737-4551.
Evans Elementary calls council meeting
A school council meeting of Evans Elementary School, 628 Gibbs Road in Evans, has been called for 2 p.m. Tuesday in the school's media center.
For more information, call 863-1202.
Woman reports man masturbating in car
A Martinez woman told police Thursday that she saw a man masturbating in the parking lot of a business on Washington Road.
The 41-year-old woman said the man was in an old-model white car parked in front of the business in the 2900 block of Washington Road.
When she parked next to him and got out of her car,, he asked her, "Are you from the area?" according to a Richmond County Sheriff's Office report.
She noticed then that he was masturbating. She walked away, and the man sped out of the parking lot and headed east on Washington Road, the report states.
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