In today's Digest:
🚗 Textron is exploring a sale or split of the industrial segment that includes E-Z-GO
🅿️ Downtown parking changes and Augusta's completed FY2024 audit go to commissioners next week
🗳️ Augusta's elections board plans to seek dismissal of Lori Myles' mayoral lawsuit
☀️ St. Paul's and Byllesby say cooling-center demand is up about 50%
🏀 Bernie Ward Community Center renovation plans are 90% to 95% complete
🥟 Soul Rolls on Milledgeville Road
On Milledgeville Road, Jackie M's & Son is a family-run cafe and catering spot known for cheesesteaks, jerk chicken, scratch-baked Italian rolls, peach cobbler, and its signature soul rolls.
Inside, it feels like a neighborhood regulars' spot: old-school R&B, jazz, gospel, rock and James Brown in the background while hot orders move out of the kitchen.
Read more here.
📚 A Downtown Augusta Bookstore Built for People Who Still Love to Browse
The Book Tavern feels like the kind of place downtown is supposed to have: shelves worth wandering, staff who know what readers are actually looking for, and events that give people a reason to come back.
Inside its Broad Street shop next to Nacho Mama’s, you’ll find new, used, and rare books, plus recommendations that go beyond whatever an algorithm would hand you.
Founded in 2005, The Book Tavern has grown with Augusta through multiple downtown locations while staying focused on the same thing: good books and a stronger local community.
That shows up in the store’s book clubs, author events, local drives, and partnerships with arts and literary groups across the city.
Stop by 978 Broad Street this week and ask what the staff is recommending right now.
Thank you to our local sponsors who help make this publication possible 🙏
🅿️ Parking Plan, Audit Move Forward
The Gist: Augusta committees advanced a downtown parking management plan and reviewed the completed FY2024 audit Tuesday. Staff want to begin procurement for a parking management firm, while auditors said Augusta received a clean opinion, ended 2024 with about $2.7 billion in assets and deferred outflows, and had a $44.8 million general fund balance.
Why It Matters: The parking plan could change how downtown spaces are managed and where future revenue goes. The audit also affects trust and state grant access after Augusta's FY2024 filing ran late.
What's Next: The parking and audit items are expected to go before the full Augusta Commission next week. Mauldin & Jenkins plans to start FY2025 audit field work after the Fourth of July holiday and hopes to present results in September or October.
Read more here.
🗳️ Elections Board Plans Lawsuit Dismissal
The Gist: The Augusta Board of Elections says it will file a motion to dismiss former mayoral candidate Lori Myles' lawsuit over the May 19 election. Myles is seeking a recount and recanvass, claiming 18,353 missing absentee votes and naming Elections Director Travis Doss, the Augusta Commission, elections board members and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger among the defendants.
Why It Matters: The case keeps the mayoral election fight alive after Steven Kendrick won the June 16 runoff, and it puts local election records, absentee-vote handling and public confidence back in court.
What's Next: The board's next step is the motion to dismiss. The lawsuit also asks for ballot rescanning, QR-code tabulation scrutiny and additional verification measures.
Read more here.
☀️ Cooling Centers Ask for Donations
The Gist: St. Paul's Church in downtown Augusta and the Byllesby Center in Harrisburg are helping people cool down as summer heat builds. Byllesby Executive Director Larry Jesion said demand across the center's services, including its cooling center, food pantry and blessing box, is up about 50% from a year ago.
Why It Matters: Heat is a public-safety issue for seniors, unhoused residents and working families choosing between food and air conditioning. These centers are becoming basic infrastructure when temperatures climb.
What's Next: The Byllesby Center and St. Paul's are asking for snacks, bottled water and Gatorade, with donations dropped at their doors.
Read more here.
🏀 Bernie Ward Renovation Plans Near Finish
The Gist: Angela Burnett urged Augusta commissioners to finish long-awaited repairs at Bernie Ward Community Center, where she has been a community member for 50 years. Parks and Recreation Director Tameka Williams said final plans are about 90% to 95% complete for a three-phase project covering the pool, Fleming Park complex area, facility building and parking lot.
Why It Matters: South Augusta residents are still asking for basic facility fixes years after a 2018 electrocution at the baseball field. The center's condition affects recreation, safety and whether city maintenance reaches older neighborhoods.
What's Next: Williams said plans should be finalized within a month. After that, ISM representatives said the project moves to city permitting and bidding, with construction timing tied to those approvals.
Read more here.
🎉 America 250th Birthday Bash at Augusta & Company | Augusta & Co. | Augusta | Friday, June 26, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM | More
Barbershop harmonies, local cupcakes, lemonade punch, and Americana art downtown.
🎤 Youth Talent Showcase | Venues 2 Rentals | Augusta | Friday, June 26, 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM | More
Young performers get a clean all-ages stage for music, dance, poetry, and fashion.
🥕 Evans Market Spring 2026 | The Market | Evans | Saturday, June 27, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM | More
Browse the season's final Saturday for produce, makers, and local finds.
🦖 Special Dino Family Storytime | Diamond Lakes Library | Hephzibah | Tuesday, June 30, 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM | More
Songs, rhymes, and dinosaur stories for little readers and families.
🎆 Independence Celebration | Barton Field | Fort Gordon | Wednesday, July 1, 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM | More
Fireworks, music, and food trucks, with gate credentials required.
📚 Maxwell Morning Book Club | Jeff Maxwell Branch Library | Augusta | Friday, June 26, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM | More
A low-key adult book discussion with new members welcome.
🏳️🌈 Augusta Pride Festival 2026 | Augusta Exchange Fairgrounds | Augusta | Friday, June 26 to Saturday, June 27, starts 6:00 PM Friday | More
David Archuleta, Girli, and a Saturday resource festival anchor Pride weekend.
🎸 3rd Annual Build the Band | Miller Theater | Augusta | Saturday, June 27, doors 6:00 PM, show 7:00 PM | More
CSRA musicians compete live for Habitat, with judges and audience votes.
🎯 Celebrating 45 Years of Paintball | County Line Paintball | Augusta | Sunday, June 28, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM | More
Free demos, tours, prizes, and optional play at the south Augusta field.
🏛️ America 250 Exhibit Series: Early 20th Century to WWII | Augusta Museum of History | Augusta | Thursday, July 2, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM | More
A rotating America 250 display opens with artifacts from Augusta history.
If you want to read any of our previous issues, check them out HERE on our website.
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