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B2B Stories

The Walls are Tumbling Down at JBA

The Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority is settling into a new location for its meetings, the Grand Lobby at the newly renovated Bell Auditorium. The location gives authority members and staff a front-row seat to watch the demolition of the James Brown Arena. Well, you can see a building torn down right now. The insides don’t look like what I thought they were going to look like,” quipped Mike Harvey of Nations Group, the owner’s representative for the construction of the new JBA and concourse connecting it to the Bell. He

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 12, 2024 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Hospital Construction Passes the Halfway Point

Construction on Columbia County’s first-ever hospital is slightly ahead of schedule, despite some problems in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The ground was broken for the hospital, being built on the Gateway to Grovetown, exit 190 off Interstate 20, in April of this year. Construction crews “topped out” the hospital, that is they reached the top of the structure, in June. Construction includes a separate building providing space for medical offices beside the main hospital. It was topped off in July. “So, since the summer, we’ve really been working on

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 11, 2024 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Working for the Weekend: The Georgia Aquarium

If there’s one thing your family should consider on a visit to Atlanta, put the Georgia Aquarium at the top of your list. It should be a must-do on any list of places to visit in the state of Georgia and, in my opinion, the southeast. I am not a person that gets excited about fish. But this place is the Disney World of aquatic life. In fact, it holds the distinction of being the only aquarium in the US bigger than the one at Disney World. You can visit

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Wes Hennings December 11, 2024 No Comments
B2B Stories

2024 Predictions: How Did My Crystal Ball Do?

Last Thursday, my esteemed colleague, Dr. Simon Medcalfe, provided another of his informative and amusing talks at the annual Hull College of Business’ Economic Forecast Breakfast. His presentation at this time last year inspired me to consult my “crystal ball” and make my predictions for 2024 in this space. Since regular readers know that I stress accountability, it would be hypocritical not to look back and see how I did. Since I am a college professor currently determining my students’ semester grades, I will assign myself a grade for each

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Dr. Rick Franza December 10, 2024 No Comments
B2B Stories

A shot in the arm for local healthcare staffing

Nearly 70 students have completed their studies at the Aiken Technical College School of Nursing. A pinning ceremony was held for the graduates who received an associate degree in nursing (ADN), a diploma in nursing, or a Patient Care Technician (PCT) Certificate. A January 2024 report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (www.uschamber.com/workforce/nursing-workforce-data-center-a-national-nursing-crisis) pointed to the ongoing need to train people to join the nursing field. Looking specifically at registered nurses (RN), the report projects at least 193,000 open positions will need to be filled between 2022 and 2032. However,

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 10, 2024 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Radiothon raises more than $250,000 for children’s hospital

Christmas music and cheers filled the halls of Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia recently as listeners and viewers of local iHeart Media radio stations and WRDW generously supported patients and families for the 24th consecutive year. In the end, the community pledged $255,612 to support Wellstar Children’s. iHeart Media donated 72 hours of airtime to the cause while three of its local radio stations – WBBQ 104.3, 96.3 Kiss FM, and 105.7 The Bull – and WRDW News 12/NBC 26 broadcast live from a conference room in the hospital. “The Children’s

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Staff Report December 10, 2024 No Comments
B2B Podcasting

Helping the Homeless

This time of year, homelessness becomes more of an issue because of the weather. Ann Marie McManus is ending her 40th year as a local realtor and discusses the importance of making sure all Augustans are warm at night.

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Ann Marie McManus December 9, 2024 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: Helene provides employment spike

Last week I gave my annual economic forecast, and for those unable to attend, here are the highlights. In the first part, I analyzed the impact of Hurricane Helene on the labor market. Augusta recorded a record level of employment in October, the month after Helene hit. Employment rose by 100 to 248,000. Four Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) were hit by Helene (Augusta, Hinesville, Savannah, and Valdosta), and employment in those MSAs rose by 175 on average. Employment in MSAs totally unaffected by Helene fell to 88. Additionally, earnings in

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe December 9, 2024 No Comments
B2B Stories

Looking back and forward with Columbia County Chamber

The Vice President and Managing Director of Government Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce helped the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce wrap up the 2024 Executive Luncheon series. Tim Monahan offered a glimpse into what he anticipates the first 100 days of the 119th Congress will look like on Capitol Hill as 2025 begins. Up first will be the change in leadership, with Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) stepping in as the new Senate Majority leader. The first chore facing the Senate will be confirmation hearings for income President Trump’s

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 9, 2024 No Comments
B2B Podcasting

Home (Sale) For the Holidays

Ann Marie McManus has been through 40 holiday seasons as one of the most successful real estate agents in the CSRA. Today, she explains why the holidays are one of the best times to buy or sell a home.

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Ann Marie McManus December 8, 2024 No Comments
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