Across the area

More than 200 soldiers depart

More than 200 soldiers left Fort Gordon for eventual deployment to Iraq on Friday.

The 324th Signal Battalion, which is part of the 359th Signal Brigade, departed by bus Friday morning for Fort Hood, Texas, where they will sharpen their communications skills before leaving for Iraq.

This is the first time the Reserve battalion has been deployed in its nearly 20 years of existence.

2 men's deaths ruled accidental drownings

The deaths of two Georgia men in Thurmond Lake last Saturday have been officially declared accidental drownings, McDuffie County Coroner Rhusha Mack said.

Autopsies on Christopher Wimberly, 24, of Soperton, and Ibea Outley, 29, of Louisville, were performed earlier this week.

The two men went below the surface after leaving their fishing boat without life jackets.

Electrical line falls on tree, starts fire

An electrical line along U.S. Highway 1 fell on a tree and sparked a brush fire Friday afternoon, officials said.

According to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office, the fire started where the highway intersects with Duncan Road. South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. was called to the scene.

Milledgeville Road crash victim identified

A woman who died Wednesday in a car accident on Milledgeville Road has been identified by authorities as Gonzalee Cade, 64, of Augusta.

Ms. Cade died of massive body trauma and fractures, Richmond County Deputy Coroner Charlena Graham said.

Ms. Cade was driving a U-Haul truck on Milledgeville Road when she lost control of the vehicle, which struck a curb and then crashed into a tree, authorities said.

Worker says robber stole KFC money bag

Armed robbers took an unknown amount of cash Thursday morning from the KFC restaurant on Furys Ferry Road, according to a police report.

An employee told Richmond County sheriff's deputies that she was leaving the business to make the night bank deposit when a man with a gun approached her and demanded the money.

The woman said she threw the money bag on the ground. The man picked it up and ran behind the restaurant.

11-month-old is hit in domestic dispute

An 11-month-old infant was inadvertently hit during a domestic dispute Thursday.

A woman told Richmond County sheriff's deputies that she was involved in an argument with a man who struck her in the left arm with a cordless phone.

The man then tried to hit his sister, who was holding the baby. The report states that when the sister moved to avoid the hit, the infant was struck instead, but was not injured.

Radio system, guns stolen at golf club

A radio system used to control irrigation at The River Golf Club in North Augusta was reported stolen Wednesday, according to the North Augusta Department of Public Safety. The system is valued at $9,000, according to a police report.

A shotgun, a semi-automatic rifle and other personal belongings valued at more than $400 were also reported stolen.

$5,000 in tools stolen from Augusta store

More than $5,000 in tools were reported stolen Friday from Auto Credit Sales and Rental, according to the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.

A battery, four racks of sockets, a tool box and torque wrenches were taken from the business, which is in the 2000 block of Gordon Highway, according to a sheriff's report.

Items are stolen from truck on Jeanine Way

An MP3 player, sunglasses and a CD player were among the items stolen from a vehicle Wednesday evening.

According to a Richmond County sheriff's report, a man told deputies that he parked his 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe truck on the 100 block of Jeanine Way late that night, and returned later to discover someone had stolen the items from the truck.

Forum will focus on education in Georgia

A forum highlighting hot topics in Georgia education will be held Tuesday at Augusta Technical College.

The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and the Georgia School Boards Association will present the half-day session, one of 11 such forums they are holding.

Topics covered will include accountability, the "achievement gap," school choice, charters and vouchers, curriculum and standards, early learning, education finance, governance, school leadership, and teacher quality.

The session, designed for school board and legislative candidates, will be held from 12:30 to 4:45 p.m. in Augusta Tech's auditorium.

Warren County school system receives grant

The Warren County school system was awarded a 21st Century Grant that will provide more than $3 million over the next five years, the school system said.

The grant will fund after-school programs at four sites in Warren County, in addition to a social worker, computers, scholarships for sports camps, field trips, family counseling and GED opportunities.

Grant money will also provide three math coaches and enable science teachers to observe Medical College of Georgia professors so that they can model their lessons.

- From staff reports