In The News

BURKE COUNTY, GA (WFXG) - Kids in the Burke County Public School System are learning how to farm. In that class, they are getting their hands dirty. “We have garden, yoga, produce, painting," explained 6th-grade student Trayonna Jones. Congressman Rick Allen (R-Georgia) talked to the kids for Feed My School Day and presented Stemify teams awards they won in a recent competition.… Read more »

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will replace New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam near Augusta with a rick weir fish passage that results in a lower pool of water in the Savannah River, a move almost certain to be challenged by a lawsuit. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today it will choose an option that will demolish New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam in favor of a rock weir fish… Read more »

MT. VERNON, Ga. (WTOC) - A common challenge rural communities across Georgia and the U.S. face is a lack of broadband internet service. 12th District Congressman Rick Allen toured one school district on Wednesday that he says needs more access. Even with a state-of-the-art school like Montgomery County High, Congressman Allen had questions about the internet access.… Read more »

Louisiana’s education chief testified before a congressional committee on teacher preparation and retention issues Wednesday (July 17). Some representatives in congress are concerned about the teacher turnover rate and some new teachers being ill-prepared for the classroom. Superintendent John White of the Louisiana Department of Education was among several educators from different… Read more »

Open arms and general support for plutonium pit production at the Savannah River Site sharply contrasted with questions, criticism and pushback Thursday night at a government-led public forum in North Augusta. A slew of officials – including Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon, Aiken County Council Chairman Gary Bunker and Jim Marra of Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness – stumped that night,… Read more »

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSAV) – U.S. Senators David Perdue and Johnny Isakson wrote this week to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to encourage the Trump administration to work with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to get farmers affected by Hurricane Michael the aid they need as soon as possible. According to a release, in the letter, they praised Secretary Perdue for his support… Read more »

As it prepares to make a final recommendation to its division headquarters next month, the head of the Savannah District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been discussing three options for New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam with local, state and federal officials, according to some who have been in those meetings. The two new options would keep the pool of water in the Savannah River… Read more »

U.S. Reps. Rick Allen and Jody Hice announced Friday they secured passage of a spending bill amendment that increases funding for the second construction phase of the Cyber Instructional Facility at Fort Gordon. U.S. Reps. Rick Allen and Jody Hice announced Friday that they have secured passage of a spending bill amendment that increases funding for the second construction phase of the… Read more »

The National Nuclear Security Administration's first in command, Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, on Monday announced a multimillion-dollar investment in a workforce-development initiative designed to address U.S. Department of Energy needs and bolster the Savannah River Site's future. Gordon-Hagerty that evening introduced a five-year, total $5 million boost to the Workforce Opportunities in… Read more »

Five area institutions are getting $5 million to better develop the area’s nuclear workforce and help meet a goal of producing 80 plutonium pits per year by 2030. Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, the administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration in the U.S. Department of Energy, was surrounded by the heads of the five institutions – Augusta and Aiken technical colleges, Augusta… Read more »