County Celebrates First Hospital

Gov. Brian Kemp joined state and local officials, Wellstar executives, and Augusta University leaders to cut the ribbon on Wellstar Columbia County Medical Center in Grovetown, the county’s first hospital.

The hospital will begin accepting patients Aug. 26, more than 12 years after Augusta University first asked the state for permission to build the complex. A public open house will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.

The roughly 170,000-person county was the state’s largest without a hospital. The new hospital will also benefit surrounding rural counties, including Lincoln, Wilkes, McDuffie, and Taliaferro. The hospital will pursue Level II trauma designation for the 19-bed emergency department, a process expected to take years.

The six-story, $380 million-plus facility includes 100 private inpatient rooms and six operating suites with robotic surgery capability. Cameras in every room connect patients to Medical College of Georgia specialists by telehealth.

  Senate Debates Taking Shape

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican challenger U.S. Rep. Mike Collins accepted invitations to a one-hour U.S. Senate debate hosted by Atlanta News First on Oct. 8.

The two have also agreed to an Atlanta Press Club debate this fall.

The Oct. 8 debate will originate from Assembly Atlanta and air at 7 p.m. on Gray Media stations in every Georgia television market, giving voters statewide access.

Atlanta News First anchor Rick Folbaum will moderate, and a panel of journalists will question the candidates on key issues facing the state and the nation.

Bulldogs Open No. 3 in Coaches Poll

Georgia ranked No. 3 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll released this week, the highest of nine ranked SEC teams.

The Bulldogs earned seven first-place votes and trail only Ohio State and Oregon, with Texas and Notre Dame rounding out the top five.

Georgia faces four ranked opponents this fall: No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 11 Alabama, and No. 25 Missouri.

The Bulldogs open Sept. 5 against Tennessee State in Athens. Last season, the team went 12-2 and won the SEC. You can find this season’s full schedule here.

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➤ Woodstock: The body of 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, who was killed July 18 in an attack in Jordan, returned to his hometown Tuesday behind a procession led by Cherokee County sheriff’s deputies. Public visitation will take place today at Woodstock Funeral Home, with burial on Friday at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton. “We’re devastated, but we’re absolutely so proud of him,” said Feehan’s father, Stephen Feehan. (More)

➤ Gainesville: Hall County commissioners proposed a 14.12% property tax increase, with public hearings set for this month. (More)

➤ Statesboro: The city planning commission voted to recommend a rezoning for a proposed Burkhalter Road data center after heated public debate. (More)

➤ Statewide: Gov. Brian Kemp announced four judicial and prosecutorial appointments: two superior court judges in the Atlantic Judicial Circuit, a district attorney for the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit, and a Sumter County state court judge. (More)

➤ Statewide: Georgia’s medical cannabis registry grew more than 22% in just over a month, reaching 44,854 patients, after a new law scrapped the potency cap and expanded eligibility. (More)

➤ Garden City: Police will not use the city’s school zone speed cameras this school year, shifting enforcement to officers using radar and lidar. (More)

➤ Burke County: A washout from heavy rain temporarily closed Thompson Bridge Road between Seven Oaks Road and Cox Place. (More)

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➤ Atlanta Falcons edge rusher Jalon Walker tore his ACL during practice and will miss the season. The 2025 first-round pick was expected to anchor the defense this season. (More)

➤ The Atlanta Braves entered Wednesday night’s game against Miami on a six-game home winning streak, with a 7.5-game lead over second-place Philadelphia in the National League East. (More)

➤ AJ Williams of Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, considered the top 2028 basketball draft prospect in the country, will reclassify to join the 2027 class. Williams is considering Georgia, Georgia Tech, and other schools for his college career. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | Tennis | Soccer | Little League Softball World Series

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➤ The Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex at Robins Air Force Base launched a hiring surge called Full Throttle Hiring, looking to fill more than 600 civilian jobs. (More)

➤ State utility regulators began a review of a contract for Georgia Power to deliver 3.2 gigawatts of electricity to OpenAI’s proposed $20 billion Effingham County data center. (More)

➤ Athens-based nonprofit Shell to Shore will begin its first major deployment of recycled oyster shells to develop reefs in coastal waters this month. (More)

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➤ Thirty-five Georgia Forestry Commission firefighters deployed to help with wildfires in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Montana, and Idaho. (More)

➤ North Georgia-based Teddy’s Market fired back at Buc-ee’s, calling the Texas chain a “trademark bully” and asking a judge to cancel several of Buc-ee’s trademarks. (More)

➤ Tybee Island’s annual Restaurant Week will run through Aug. 17, moved up from September in a bid to attract diners before back-to-school season slows tourism. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Do you think adult children owe their aging parents care? Tune in to hear both sides of the debate. (Hear Debate)

➤ German authorities scrambled a bomb disposal robot after an explosive-laden drone was found beside a Ukrainian cargo plane. (Hear Episode)

➤ Investigators are searching for answers after a famous influencer was shot and killed in public while livestreaming. (Listen Now)

How close do you live to a hospital?

1. Less than 15 minutes
2. 15 to 30 minutes
3. More than 30 minutes
4. Not sure

Yesterday’s Results:

What’s your favorite perk of back-to-school season?

1. Lighter weekday crowds: 50%
2. Other: 28%
3. Fall is nearer: 12%
4. Kids out of the house: 10%

What was Georgia’s first hospital?

Show me the answer