Burglar steals items from Mexican eatery
A burglar stole thousands of dollars worth of tequila and other items from Teresa's Mexican Restaurant on Monday.
The manager of the restaurant at 235 Boy Scout Road in Augusta told Richmond County sheriff's deputies that someone forced their way into the restaurant and took 30 bottles of Patron Tequila, two laptop computers and cash from a safe, according to a sheriff's report.
As of Tuesday, the amount stolen was $3,250, the report stated.
Shooting at Habitat home leaves one dead
Crack cocaine and marijuana were found at the scene of a fatal shooting at a Habitat for Humanity house in Waynesboro, according to the Burke County coroner.
Johnny Paul Jones Jr., 22, died from a shot to the head, fired by a man who came to the house on Fuller Street about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Coroner Betty White said.
Mr. Jones was watching a movie with Chaquita Ellison, 19, whose aunt the house was built for. The man fired a weapon, and Mr. Jones ran to grab a .45 Magnum, but he was shot in the arm and head as he tried to go back through a hallway, Ms. White said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is handling the case, and the shooter hadn't been caught Tuesday evening.
Ms. Ellison, who was shot three times, was taken to Medical College of Georgia Hospital. The hospital would not release her condition, but Ms. White said she was able to speak with investigators Tuesday.
Man's finger is shot off during robbery
A man had his pinky finger shot off Monday during an armed robbery at a Bank of America ATM on Peach Orchard Road, a Richmond County police report said.
The victim said two men approached him and demanded the $300 he had just withdrawn from the machine, according to the report. One of the men fired his weapon, striking the victim in his finger, then stole the cash, the report stated.
Man hurt in shooting at Gordon Highway motel
Police responded to a shooting late Tuesday at Adam's Super Inn, 1602 Gordon Highway, Augusta.
An Augusta 911 dispatcher said a man suffered non-life-threatening injuries to his leg and was taken to Medical College of Georgia Hospital. No other details were available late Tuesday.
Woman, 35, dies in crash in North Augusta
A 35-year-old Warrenville woman was killed Tuesday afternoon in a one-vehicle accident in North Augusta, according to Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton.
Dana Morris died at the scene on U.S. Highway 1 at 1:13 p.m.
Ms. Morris was the only occupant of the 1992 Honda Accord. She lost control of the vehicle and was ejected into the median area, Mr. Carlton said. He said Ms. Morris might have been using her cell phone at the time. The last call showed a time of 1:13 p.m., he said. A toxicology test is pending.
The fatality is the 12th in Aiken County this year and the second in three days, Mr. Carlton said.
CSRA Alliance pledges funds to Fisher House
The CSRA Alliance for Fort Gordon announced Tuesday that it would donate $100,000 to support the construction of the Fisher House at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center.
The alliance, which began raising money in 2003 to help keep Fort Gordon off the federal base closure list, is expected to present the check at 10:30 a.m. today at the VA Uptown Division on Wrightsboro Road.
The Fisher House, a $1.8 million project, will give families of service members or other veterans being treated at the VA Medical Center a place to stay.
On Monday, Augusta National Golf Club pledged $250,000 to the Fisher House through the Community Foundation for the CSRA.
Index puts 3 schools in top 5 percent of nation
Three local schools have been recognized again by Newsweek as being among the top 5 percent of public high schools in the country.
John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School, South Aiken High School and Lakeside High School are on the list of the nation's top 1,300 high schools, according to the magazine's annual Challenge Index ranking. Davidson is ranked No. 197, up from its 2007 ranking of No. 308, and South Aiken improved from No. 1,084 to No. 899.
Lakeside made the list with a ranking of 1,141. It was inadvertently omitted for a time because of a Web site glitch, a Newsweek spokeswoman said. Lakeside was ranked 816th last year.
The Challenge Index divides the total number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests given by the number of graduating seniors, according to Newsweek's Web site.
Schools with a score of one or higher are ranked. The top 100 schools will be published in Monday's edition of Newsweek .
Traffic brief
Heath Drive at Berckmans Road will be closed from today until June 30 while crews work to realign the road with Augusta National Golf Club's Gate 6. Traffic will be maintained by work crews on Berckmans Road during the construction, according to the Richmond County Engineering Department.
-- From staff reports
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