In today's Digest:
🏥 A Senate amendment would block inpatient cuts at Fort Gordon
⚛️ Google could help fund 96 more megawatts at Vogtle and Hatch
🚴 More than 2,000 Ironman athletes will reshape Sunday traffic
🍍 Cuban Family Recipes on Broad Street
At 1002 Broad Street in downtown Augusta, Pineapple Ink Tavern builds its menu around owner Allan Soto's Cuban heritage. Soto says the dishes grew from foods he ate hundreds of times with family and friends.
The colorful dining room pairs turquoise booths and yellow bar stools with a vintage Chevrolet grille above the bar. The restaurant publishes separate menus for brunch, dinner, and drinks.
Read more here.
🎨 What If Your Walls Could Look Better Without Looking Newly Painted?
Limewash is having a moment for a reason. Instead of the flat, uniform finish you get from traditional paint, it creates a soft, textured look with natural variation that can make a room feel warmer and more layered.
At That 1 Painter Greater Augusta, Anson Fain and his team offer limewash services for homeowners looking to bring that distinctive finish into their homes. But limewash isn't simply a matter of choosing a color and rolling it onto the wall. The existing surface, preparation, application technique, and desired finish all matter. That’s why Anson starts with an in-person walkthrough to understand what you’re working with and what kind of result you want.
The finished look is part of the appeal: subtle movement, depth, and a slightly weathered character that can make walls feel more architectural than ordinary painted surfaces.
And if you’re already considering a larger painting project, limewash can be part of that conversation too. That 1 Painter Greater Augusta handles interior and exterior painting, so the team can help you determine what finish makes sense for the space.
After more than 20 years of Army service, Anson and his wife Jaime chose Augusta to put down roots, and their local team now serves homeowners across the CSRA.
If you’re curious whether limewash would work in your home, schedule an in-person estimate and talk through the finish before committing to the project.
Thank you to our local sponsors who help make this publication possible!
🏥 Senators Move to Protect Fort Gordon Hospital
The Gist: Sens. Raphael Warnock and Tim Scott filed an amendment to the Senate defense bill that would keep inpatient care at Eisenhower Army Medical Center. The Fort Gordon hospital serves an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 service members, veterans and relatives.
Why It Matters: The Defense Health Agency wants to remove general inpatient beds and replace the emergency room with an urgent care clinic, leaving Fort Gordon families without those services on post.
What's Next: The Senate must consider the amendment as it works on the National Defense Authorization Act. The agency's proposal is also in a 180-day congressional review period.
Read more here.
⚛️ Google Deal Would Add 96 Megawatts at Nuclear Plants
The Gist: Georgia Power filed an agreement for Google to help pay for upgrades at plants Vogtle and Hatch. The work could add about 96 megawatts, enough to power tens of thousands of homes, and produce a projected $900 million in customer benefits.
Why It Matters: Google plans at least $17 billion in Columbia County data center investment. The deal links that new electricity demand to added nuclear capacity while shielding other customers from the upgrade costs.
What's Next: The Georgia Public Service Commission must approve the new tariff and the requested reactor upgrades before the agreement can take effect.
Read more here.
🚴 Ironman Brings 14 Hours of Sunday Traffic Changes
The Gist: More than 2,000 athletes are expected for Sunday's Ironman 70.3 Augusta. The race starts at 7:15 a.m. with a 1.2-mile Savannah River swim, followed by a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run through Augusta and North Augusta.
Why It Matters: Traffic changes will run from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. on major corridors including Gordon Highway, Mike Padgett Highway, Reynolds Street and 13th Street. Several downtown and North Augusta parking areas will also close.
What's Next: Drivers can check Google Maps and Waze for updated closures and alternate routes on race day.
Read more here.
🖋️ That Tattoo Idea in Your Camera Roll Has Waited Long Enough
You can spend six months saving reference photos for a tattoo and still get stuck on the one decision that matters most: who you trust to make it permanent.
That is the problem Mr. Tattoo is built to solve. Their downtown Augusta team includes six tattoo artists and one professional body piercer with more than 100 years of combined experience.
One artist might be best for bold traditional work, another for black-and-grey, full color, watercolor, Japanese-inspired art, cover-ups, sleeves, or a large custom piece.
Whether this is your first tattoo or the next piece in a sleeve, you do not have to know what category your idea fits or scroll through portfolios trying to guess.
Send the team what you are thinking, and they will match you with the artist whose work actually fits it.
Owner Charlie Baker has been tattooing in Augusta since 2006, and every project starts with a real conversation before anyone puts ink to skin.
Tell them what has been sitting in your camera roll below, and an artist will text you within 24 hours to talk it through. Call 706-723-9969 or click here:
Thank you to our local sponsors who help make this publication possible!
🚲 USA BMX Southeast Gold Cup Championship Finals | Blanchard Woods Park | Evans | Friday-Sunday, September 25-27, 9:00 AM-9:00 PM | More
Watch three days of BMX racing in the Southeast Gold Cup finals.
🧺 Evans Market | The Market | Evans | Saturday, September 26, 9:00 AM-1:00 PM | More
Shop peak-season produce, handmade crafts, artisan goods, and local food vendors.
🎨 Create by the Creek | Savannah Rapids Park | Martinez | Saturday, September 26, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM | More
Make nature-inspired art while learning about local water resources.
🧱 LEGO Club | Friedman Branch Library | Augusta | Saturday, September 26, 1:00-2:00 PM | More
Kids can practice their building skills at this all-ages LEGO club.
🖼️ Free Sundays at the Morris | Morris Museum of Art | Augusta | Sunday, September 27, 12:00-5:00 PM | More
Explore Southern art with free Sunday admission.
🐕 Barks N' Brews | The Market | Evans | Friday, September 25, 5:00-8:00 PM | More
Pups, pints, rescue adoptions, dog vendors, and grooming fill this free evening.
🥁 Raise the Roof | Augusta Symphony | Miller Theater | Augusta | Friday, September 25, doors 6:30 PM, show 7:30 PM | More
Hear Liszt and Prokofiev alongside Michael Daugherty's timpani concerto.
🌕 Harvest Moon Music Cruise | Augusta Canal Authority Dock at Savannah Rapids Park | Martinez | Saturday, September 26, 6:30-8:30 PM | More
Hear Fred Williams play jazz on a two-hour harvest moon cruise.
📚 Book Talk with Edward Di Gangi | Augusta-Richmond County Public Library Headquarters | Augusta | Saturday, September 26, 11:00 AM-12:30 PM | More
Hear Di Gangi discuss two books about finding his birth mother.
🎺 AU Wind Ensemble: The Games We Play | Maxwell Theatre | Augusta | Tuesday, September 29, 7:00 PM | More
The wind ensemble opens its season with a baseball tribute.
If you want to read any of our previous issues, check them out HERE on our website.
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