Across the area

Police seek woman in hotel stabbing death

Richmond County investigators were searching for a woman they described as a known prostitute in Friday morning's stabbing death of a man at the Augusta Super Inn.

Anna Maria "Tattoo" Barrett, 45, is wanted on charges of murder and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime, according to Richmond County sheriff's Lt. Scott Peebles.

At 4:17 a.m., deputies found Jimmy Finley Jackson, 44, lying on a walkway at the hotel with stab wounds. He was taken to the Medical College of Georgia Hospital, where he died, police said.

In an e-mail, Lt. Peebles said investigators believe robbery was the motive in the attack. They are asking anyone with information on Ms. Barrett to call the sheriff's office at (706) 821-1080.

The murder is the 21st in Richmond County this year.

Public may question NRC on MOX facility

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. Dec. 17 in Aiken to discuss the agency's latest reviews of the Energy Department's $4.86 billion mixed oxide fuel facility under construction at Savannah River Site.

The meeting, to be held at the Aiken Municipal Center, 215 The Alley, is a federal "management meeting" at which the parties involved in the project will discuss recent inspections.

The public will have the opportunity to question NRC staff at the conclusion of the meeting.

The MOX facility, scheduled to open in 2016, is designed to dispose of 34 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium by using small amounts to make fuel for commercial reactors.

Ex-aviation official will seek House seat

Former Augusta Aviation Commission member Earnest Smith announced Friday that he will run for the District 122 state House seat vacated by Rep. Hardie Davis.

Standing before a crowd of about 20 people behind the Municipal Building, Mr. Smith, 56, said he will bring bipartisanship to the team of representatives who push Augusta's interests in the state Legislature.

He will be campaigning to replace Mr. Davis, who resigned to run for Ed Tarver's empty state Senate seat. Mr. Tarver was chosen by President Obama to be the new U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia earlier this month.

Squirrel's mishap cuts power to Summerville

A squirrel is being blamed for a Thanksgiving Day power outage in Augusta's Summerville neighborhood. More than 650 people lost power about 8 p.m., said Lynn Wallace, a spokeswoman for Georgia Power.

She said the squirrel was climbing on a pole near Monte Sano Avenue when it apparently touched a part of the transformer that wasn't insulated, causing the line to burn out.

About 99 percent of those affected had their power restored by 8:43 p.m. The rest had power back by 12:30 a.m. Friday.

Report identifies man shot Thursday night

Police have identified a 22-year-old Augusta man who was shot in the abdomen in the 800 block of Bennock Mill Road on Thursday.

Nadrina Hines said a bearded man opened his car door and said, "Give me everything you got," according to a Richmond County sheriff's report.

The robber then shot Mr. Hines once in the abdomen. His condition was not available Friday.