Personal Injury Attorneyin Augusta, SC.

StepStone Hospitality will manage the Crowne Plaza North Augusta (S.C.). Located near the Savannah River, the hotel is near SRP Park, home to the Augusta GreenJackets baseball team, close to downtown Augusta and the Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament.

“The Crowne Plaza North Augusta is a great addition to our growing portfolio and we are excited to welcome the team into the StepStone Hospitality family," Blair Wills, CEO of StepStone Hospitality, said in a statement. “It is a unique, distinctive property representing a blend of modern amenities and exceptional service."

The Crowne Plaza North Augusta has 180 contemporary guestrooms, over 11,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, a rooftop bar offering river views, and Salt + Marrow Kitchen, a celebrated culinary destination for wood-fired cuisine.

StepStone Hospitality will manage the property on behalf of the new ownership, Flacks Group and their advisor and asset manager, Blue Lotus Ventures.

“We look forward to collaborating with the talented on-site team to execute ownership’s vision and build upon the hotel’s legacy in the North Augusta community,” said Michael Broadhurst, COO of StepStone Hospitality. “Our commitment is to ensure the Crowne Plaza remains a leading choice for business and leisure travelers as well as a destination for neighboring residents.”

"We are thrilled to be part of the StepStone Hospitality portfolio. StepStone provides the resources and expertise to elevate our service and operation to new heights," said Greg Greenawalt, general manager of the Crowne Plaza North Augusta. "The Crowne Plaza North Augusta has been, and will remain, a valuable asset to the North Augusta community. Our hotel has significantly contributed to the local economy, tourism, and the hospitality industry, and we anticipate this trend to continue for years to come. Our team is committed to maintaining the high standards of service and quality our guests have come to expect."

StepStone Hospitality Crowne Plaza South Carolina Flacks Group Blue Lotus Ventures IHG Hotels & Resorts Operate

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Upcoming rainfall is the ultimate test for the hundreds of tarps on houses across our area.

New water damage could put a big wrench in families’ rebuilding plans after Hurricane Helene.

As more rain comes down, it could cause even more damage, making the list of repairs that people will have to do after the storm even longer.

This has been a concern for many people for more than a month.

“I’m worried about whenever the rain does start, we’re gonna find out that there’s more damage,,” said Jessica Jones, North Augusta Resident.

Numerous homes still have tarps over their roofs and holes in their ceilings, waiting to get their homes repaired.

S.C. social services announces SNAP relief for counties impacted by Helene

The South Carolina Department of Social Services has announced counties eligible to receive Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program assistance, we learned on Wednesday.

“We’re gonna find out where the new cracks are, where their little holes are, any damage in the foundation,” said Jones. “We’re gonna see what comes through onto the wall, on the bricks, new cracks in the driveway. We’re gonna see all of it and see how much things move and shift.”

Residents like Jones are worried about experiencing even more damage.

“My neighbor, she has to go outside with a plunger every time it rains,” she said. “She already has to do her drain out valve, or else her water backs up in her house. So, I’m really scared for her. More than I am for anybody else right now.”

Their homes aren’t the only thing they’re worried about.

New details released on multiple North Augusta fires in 1 day

We’ve learned more about the multiple fires North Augusta Public Safety officers and firefighters responded to in one day.

“It’s really just incredible. I’m scared,” said Jones. ‘What are these piles of rubble and piles of sticks and branches going to do whenever it starts to rain? Is it going to slide?”

They are preparing for the worst, but hoping it’s not nearly as bad as they think it’ll be.

“We’ve been waiting to see if the rain is holding out,” said Jones. “I mean, thank God that it’s been over a month since the storm and everybody’s had a chance to get tarps on the roof. Hopefully, they’ve had enough time.”

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

Updated: Nov. 7, 2024 at 9:22 AM PST

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Over the past few weeks, public safety officers and fire crews have battled several blazes in Aiken County.

Aiken County leaders pass temporary burn ban after plea by local firefighters

A week after Belvedere Fire Department requested a burn ban, the Aiken County Council had an emergency burn ban meeting on Monday evening.

On Nov. 4, officers said all stations and all units were dispatched to a report of heavy smoke in the area of W Martintown Road and Hammond Drive at 6:48 a.m.

Officials said public safety units arrived on the scene and reported a brush fire behind Tip Toes and Taps, located at 452 W Martintown Road.

Engine 1 arrived on the scene, and a hand line was used to extinguish the fire. According to the report, all units cleared the scene and returned to service.

The cause of ignition was unintentional, and no one was injured, officials report.

Then at 9:24 a.m., officers say they were dispatched to a home fire in the 600 block of Seymour Drive.

Crews reported smoke showing from a small crawlspace at the base of the home, indicating a probable crawlspace fire.

The fire was later discovered inside a dryer that caused smoke to fill the crawlspace through a dryer vent, but there was no fire in the crawlspace, officials say.

The cause of the ignition was failure of equipment, and no one was injured, according to the report.

Autoplay

1 of 4

Also Monday around 6:30 p.m., the GVW Fire Department posted that earlier in the day they responded to a brush fire on Highland Drive.

The fire was a result of a controlled burn at a construction site, Chief Charles Kneece says. It appears to have started as a result of some of the items in the burn pit escaping and igniting the surrounding brush.

Chief Kneece also shared with us several other incidents crews have responded to over the last few weeks.

One was a residential structure fire that we responded to on Nov. 1. The cause remains under investigation, Kneece said.

Another was shed fire crews responded to on Rennie Street in Graniteville.

And the last incident was a car fire on Interstate 20.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

Under the Lights

Georgia high school football scores

South Carolina high school football scores

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - This is a huge week when you’re talking about playoff seeding.

We have teams looking to win out from here until next Friday.

Two Aiken County rivalry games for the taking on the schedule.

One choice is Midland Valley at North Augusta.

North Augusta has a perfect record in regional play.

The game didn’t start the way most people were expecting it to.

Greenbrier girls’ flag football is back in action

Girl’s high school flag football is once again underway in the CSRA, and the reigning Division 2 state champions are picking up right where they left off.

On the opening kickoff, number 27 for Midland Valley took a blindside block that knocked him down for nearly 20 minutes.

Coaches and staff gathered around for about half an hour and you could hear a pen drop here.

There was no ambulance on the scene until after the injury occurred.

Interim Head Coach Brent Dorn and his team were all visibly shaken up following the incident.

The good news is we were able to see the player give a thumbs-up before entering the ambulance and being taken to a local hospital.

As of now, we still do not have an update on the player’s condition.

It wasn’t til about 8 p.m. that the ambulance pulled off the field and play resumed.

All in all, we did have a game to cover.

The Yellow Jackets were able to take advantage of their opening drive with a Corey Tillman house call.

Midland Valley’s explosive scoring continued early in the first half as the Mustangs had the Yellow Jackets on the ropes.

Later in the game, Midland Valley started to run out of answers, and North Augusta put their foot on the gas and never looked back.

The Yellow Jackets got revenge on the Mustangs from last season and took this 45 to 21.

North Augusta is now 8-1 on the year with just one game left to play.

North Augusta has a chance to take the region from Gray Collegiate next Friday night.

As of right now, Gray Collegiate Is Without Head Coach DeAngelo Bryant, who was previously from Silver Bluff.

Bryant was suspended by the South Carolina High School League due to recruiting violations.

Gray testified that Bryant wasn’t on staff at the time those rules were broken.

The school is expected to appeal.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) -The summertime heat makes the North Augusta Greeneway a popular place to exercise, but some runners we spoke with say it may never be the same again.

The beautiful Greeneway is now an echo of its former self, as massive blockades of debris are preventing many from enjoying it.

Before Hurricane Helene, the focus was on making the Greeneway as prim and proper as can be for the Ironman.

UGA expert explains best trees to replant after Hurricane Helene

Across the CSRA, we saw thousands of trees come down due to the impacts of Hurricane Helene. Some property owners are already asking the question of what they should plant next.

Now, many just want to see the space reopened by the end of the year.

Sharon Huff has been running on the Greeneway for 13 years, and she says the trail is like her second home.

“I just look forward to the day when it can kind of look like it was before, but I love my Greeneway, and I will do whatever it takes to help support it,” said Huff.

S.C. State Fair donates $200K for Hurricane Helene relief

The South Carolina State Fair announced a donation of $200,000 to support recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

Much of the Greeneway is still closed even after Parks and Recreation, the National and State Guard and the Augusta Run Club worked to clear some of the path.

“I know it’ll take them a long time, and I’m more than willing to be patient because we all want to get back on the greenway,” she said.

North Augusta approved for the city to move forward with contract negotiations with R&R Tree Service to help remove debris in parks and the Greeneway.

They are also contracted with Southern Disaster Recovery and Tetra Tech, but the city says they aren’t sure if their contract covers Greeneway clean up.

They say it is estimated to cost around $920,000 to clean up all of the city’s parks plus the Greeneway, but Huff says it’s truly up to nature to get it back to normal.

“Everything that has happened to the Greeneway just really touches me deeply, because I know nature will get it back, but it’ll take forever to do that,” said Huff.

Huff says she is still finding hope along the path.

“I just happened to look up and hanging on one of the trees that had fallen was this little quilted heart that someone had put a little tag on that said, ‘I need a home,’” she said.

She says she knew then everything was going to be okay.

Although the city is still trying to get the Greeneway back open again, Huff says she’s just thankful for the progress already made.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.