Consumer Stories

Consumer Stories

Hanging out the “Help Wanted” sign

The year may be new, but the struggle to find employees is a carryover from last year. Area employers are hoping job fairs will fill in the gaps. Goodwill Industries recently held an event at The Hub. The Richmond County School System held several during the 2023 summer holiday. The North Augusta Community Center hosted a job fair sponsored by SC Works, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce’s online resource for job seekers, in August. Two departments in Columbia County will use upcoming job fairs to fill open

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B2B Stories

Augusta 2024: A supercharged outlook

With a solid year of leadership under his belt, Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson delivered his first-ever State of the City address on Tuesday. Johnson said being designated as one of five workforce hub cities by the Biden-Harris administration is what he is most proud of when he reflects on the previous year. He highlighted two events from 2023 that will continue moving the city forward in 2024 and beyond. “Our goal is to build momentum for actions and partnerships that will connect a broad range of people to good quality

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Consumer Stories

All the Pretty Trophies

The turn of the new year brings, to paraphrase Moira Rose, Hollywood’s favorite season: awards. Starting this very weekend, banquets, broadcasts, and industry functions will take place again and again, serving as a countdown clock to some before the biggest of all the hootenannies, the Oscars, on March 10. I need not remind the reader that this will start to get confusing, as there are a lot of award shows. Too many to count. Some of them are legitimate and meaningful representatives of a constantly moving industry, but there are

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Consumer Stories

Augusta makes the “must-do” trip list for 2024

As 2023 winds down, the Georgia office that promotes economic development has released a list of the 12 best trips to plan for 2024. Explore Georgia, which is part of the state’s Department of Economic Development, released the list which is designed to give visitors a taste of all that Georgia has to offer. “We look forward to building on our momentum in tourism to welcome new and returning travelers across Georgia,” the news release stated. “With nine visitor information centers and a statewide team of partners and businesses working

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Consumer Stories

The O$car $ea$on

Editor’s note: Big movies have continued to roll out this month in an effort to catch some Academy Award-winning buzz. We felt it would be timely to repeat a story about Oscar history and what to look for as Hollywood’s biggest night approaches. As we near the end of the year, Hollywood studios are preparing to roll out their newest flock of contenders for the 2024 Awards Season. The period between October and January is, historically, the most bloated (and frantic) time for new movie releases, as companies cram to

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B2B Stories

How are you getting home for the holidays?

Editor’s note: I remember all the years I worked in television and would get off on a Friday night after the 11 p.m. news and drive to my mother and daddy’s farm in Tennessee. The holidays were especially magical because my three sisters and their families would be there to celebrate. It was a three-bedroom house with one bathroom. Cramped? A little. But, it really was and still is the most wonderful time of the year! The holiday travel rush has begun, whether you are heading to visit family by

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B2B Stories

Key Airport leader gets $11,000 raise; part of 2024 preps

Commissioners voted to stay the course for airport leadership into 2024. They approved a 5% pay raise for Judon, who currently earns just under $220,000 a year. It will begin in January, which is the start of his new contract. Members of the Augusta Aviation Commission held their final meeting of 2023 on Tuesday and laid the groundwork for the coming year. Commissioner, Randy Sasser had been tasked with surveying the board for recommendations to serve as chairman and vice chairman in 2024. The recommendation to have current Chairman, Dan

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B2B Stories

Hundreds of soldiers heading home for the holidays

Augusta Regional Airport was awash with Army BDUs as soldiers participated in the annual tradition of “Holiday Block Leave.” As Augusta’s largest employer, with roughly 30,000 military and civilian employees, this marks the beginning of the holidays for enlisted men and women. More than 4,500 soldiers participated in the departure. The Army anticipates more than 38,000 service members nationwide will travel home from posts across the country. “I’ve been looking forward to it the past 28 weeks that I’ve been in basic training. Then, I’ve been in AIT (Advanced Individual

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B2B Stories

Pickup meal market opens in the CSRA

The tree-lined street is quaint, filled with houses built in the 1930’s and 40’s. The neighborhood has been repurposed and now, businesses line the streets of West Avenue in North Augusta, including a realtor’s office, a staffing agency, a hair salon, and a boutique. They support each other, including their newest neighbor, West Avenue Market. “From opening in late October until now, our customers have been great. They love the concept of coming in and picking up a freshly cooked meal and the convenience of taking it home and popping

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B2B Stories

New crop of nurses hitting the job market

A new cohort of 50 nurses and patient care technicians is ready to be snapped up by a healthcare industry hungry for staff. Aiken Technical College (ATC) held the traditional pinning ceremony on Dec. 11 for the most recent graduates of their healthcare programs. Dr. Hannah Williams, Dean of the School of Nursing, said current and growing job openings make for an extremely bright future for graduates. “We know in healthcare, there are so many deficits, that we’re short nurses, we’re short patient care techs, often, our students have a

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