Worker Spots Bear Near Augusta

This week…a stranger in town.

A worker for a neighborhood association near Augusta looked up, not to see a friend or neighbor, but a bear strolling down a street.

The bear sighting at the residential area near Lake Thurmond has prompted homeowners to make sure they don’t leave out pet food or garbage in their yards; bears most often become a threat to residents when they spot a tasty treat.

Black bears are most often found in the northern portions of Georgia and South Carolina, but they sometimes tend to wander away along creeks and other waterways.

No word on where the bear might be at this point.

Water Levels Rising in Georgia

The water levels of Lake Hartwell and Lake Thurmond are rising. The Army Corps of Engineers reopened the boat ramps for these Georgia lakes because of improvements seen over the last month. But the lakes are still below average levels. The Corps is continuing with measures designed to boost lake levels such as reduced flows from the Thurmond Dam and no flow from Lake Hartwell. Today, the average elevation for Hartwell Lake is 655 feet. That's up from a record low of 637 feet in December.

(AP)