Absentee ballots for primary are available
Absentee ballots for the July 15 primary are available in Columbia County, according to Board of Elections Registration Coordinator Nancy Gay.
The ballots are available at the board office, 500 Faircloth Drive, Building E, Evans, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. weekdays. The last day to receive an absentee ballot is July 11.
For information, call the office at (706) 868-3355 or visit www.columbiacountyga.gov.
Absentee ballots also are available in Richmond County at its Board of Elections office, which is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Mail ballot applications to the office at 530 Greene St., Room 104, Augusta, GA 30911, or fax them to (706) 821-2814.
Fallen tree cuts power around Essex Drive
A fallen tree left about 200 Georgia Power customers without power for several hours Friday night.
The outages occurred around the area of Essex Drive and were expected to be restored by 1 a.m. this morning, a Georgia Power spokesman said Friday.
Carjacking ends with wreck 2 states away
An Augusta carjacking ended in North Carolina on Thursday after the suspect wrecked the vehicle during a police chase and was ejected, according to police.
The suspect, who has yet to be identified, approached a 76-year-old Augusta woman at her home in the 2000 block of Devere Street and told her the local government wanted her trees cut, a Richmond County sheriff's report states. He asked the woman to move her car so he could reach the trees, then snatched the keys and drove away, the report said.
Several hours later, North Carolina State Patrol troopers began chasing the car near Charlotte. They reached speeds of 110 mph before the car flipped, ejecting the man. Sheriff's Investigator Mark Dobbins said the suspect is in critical condition.
Traffic briefs
- Starting Monday, road crews will close some lanes on parts of Bobby Jones Expressway. Westbound and eastbound lanes will close from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday between Scott Nixon Memorial Drive and Wheeler Road, according to the state Department of Transportation.
- Crews will be closing parts of Pleasant Home Road and Scott Nixon Memorial Drive beginning Tuesday to allow for the roads' realignment as part of the ongoing Bobby Jones construction project. The closure will last until June 25 and will prevent through traffic from accessing Bobby Jones, according to a Columbia County Traffic Engineering Department news release. Local traffic will be able to use the road to access Buckhead Road, Old Anderson Road, Fairfax Street and Windridge Road in Columbia County.
- For real-time updates on DOT projects, call 511 or visit www.I20augusta.com.
-- From staff reports
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