Across the area

Wreck kills 1, injures another

A 26-year-old Windsor man died in a one-vehicle crash in Windsor on Saturday afternoon.

Antonio J. Hernandez, of North Windsor Road, died of multiple body trauma in the wreck near his home, according to Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton. Mr. Carlton said Mr. Hernandez lost control of his 1998 Dodge truck just before 4 p.m. and it rolled over twice before ejecting him and a passenger, whose name wasn't immediately available.

The passenger was airlifted to Medical College of Georgia Hospital in critical condition, Mr. Carlton said. He said neither man was wearing a seat belt and that speed and alcohol are considered factors in the crash.

It is the 33rd traffic fatality in Aiken County this year, according to Mr. Carlton.

12-year-old says she was raped by 10 men

Richmond County police are investigating the claim of a 12-year-old Augusta girl who said she was raped Friday night by several men for more than two hours.

The girl said she was walking down Langdon Drive about 8:30 p.m. when she was approached by a man who asked her whether she wanted to have sex, according to the report. When the girl said no, she said, the man forced her into a garage and made her undress. She said she was then raped by 10 men.

Man says he was hit in head by intruder

A man broke into an apartment in the 2900 block of Richmond Hill Road on Saturday morning and hit a Waynesboro man in the head with a wine bottle, a Richmond County sheriff's report stated.

The victim and a woman who lived in the apartment were asleep in a bedroom about 5 a.m. when a loud noise at the front door woke them, according to the report.

The victim told authorities he checked on the noise and was then confronted by a man in the hallway who began hitting him in the head with the wine bottle.

21-year-old gets DUI charge in fatal wreck

Travis Leisthner, 21, of Trenton, S.C., has been charged with felony driving under the influence in a Saturday morning car crash in Edgefield County in which the passenger was killed.

Kevin Blake Easler, 21, of Edgefield, died in the two-car collision that occurred about 12:30 a.m. on U.S. Highway 25, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The department is not releasing any details about the accident until they complete a reconstruction of the accident.

Georgia state offices will close for holiday

Federal offices will be closed Monday for Columbus Day. There will be no postal delivery, and banks will also close.

It is also a state holiday in Georgia, closing most state offices. South Carolina state offices should remain open Monday.

Richmond, Aiken and Columbia county public schools will be open.

I-20 entrance, exit ramps to open soon

New entrance and exit ramps at Interstate 20 and Walton Way Extension are tentatively set to open Oct. 16.

Georgia Department of Transportation officials say that within a few days of those ramps opening, the I-20 westbound ramp leading to northbound Bobby Jones will close, with traffic detoured to the northbound Walton Way Extension ramp.

The new ramps at Walton Way Extension, which leads to Davis Road, are part of a $22 million project to widen the extension and Davis Road to four lanes from Washington Road to Skinner Mill Road.

One ramp will provide access from Walton Way Extension to eastbound I-20, and the other will serve as an exit ramp for westbound I-20 traffic.

Superintendent will field questions online

Richmond County's new school superintendent Dr. Dana Bedden will be fielding questions during a one-hour live chat at AugustaChronicle.com at 10 a.m. Friday.

Visit chronicle.com/metro for information on how to submit questions.

Since becoming superintendent Aug. 1, Dr. Bedden has been going out into the community to speak with various organizations in an effort to be more visible.

Free health event will end today at arena

A Health and Wellness Expo will continue from noon to 5 p.m. today at James Brown Arena. The event is free and open to the public. Parking also is free.

Group will present academic symposium

The National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi will present an academic symposium on Nazi race policies from 9 to 10:15 a.m. Friday in 170 University Hall at Augusta State University.

The speakers will be Yvonne Rieker of the University of Muenster and Angela Bratton, an assistant professor in ASU's Department of History, Anthropology and Philosophy.

The yearlong focus of the academic series is "Learning in the 21st Century: Educational Fast Food."

For more information, call the Office of Public Relations and Publications at (706) 737-1444.

Intersection closed for road realignment

Evans to Locks Road at its intersection with Washington Road in Evans will be temporarily closed through Oct. 16 as road realignment work continues.

The closure will prevent vehicles from entering or exiting Evans to Locks Road at Washington Road, according to a Columbia County news release.

Evans to Locks Road at its intersection with Evans Town Center Boulevard will remain open for traffic headed to businesses on the extreme western end of Evans to Locks.

Much of Evans to Locks will not be affected by the work.

The closure will allow for a realignment of Evans to Locks at Washington Road as part of the Home Depot development project.

Nuclear facility group seeks public input

Contracting agencies and the public can comment on the National Nuclear Security Administration's contracting structure for nuclear weapons complexes.

The NNSA oversees eight nuclear weapons complex sights. The group is evaluating alternatives to current contract arrangements.

Comments can be posted on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site at www.fedbizopps.gov.