After four weeks of concerts that pitted Augusta’s finest musicians against one another, My Instant Lunch was crowned the winner of the first ever Band Aide competition.

The turn-out at Coyotes on Nov. 19, the night when the winner was announced, was more than decent. It was great. The eclectic line-up of finalists, which included Augusta favorites such as Great Day in the Morning, Bleeding Counterfeit, Twice Removed, Blurring the Line, and of course, My Instant Lunch, brought together a crowd that was as diverse as the bill.

Jason Hayton, the singer of Blurring the Line, said that playing at Coyotes was a blast.

“It’s been interesting,” he said. “It’s definitely a different atmosphere. It’s the same deal as anywhere else, just with some line dancing in between sets. The crowd has been really responsive.”

The winners, My Instant Lunch, have only been together for a year. Their sound was unique and hard to pin down, although the band named The Beatles, The Who and Radiohead as influences.

The band wowed the audience with a very interactive stage show that really showcased what the band is about. Their performance was high-energy and interactive, with members trading up musical instruments and adding a little comedy whenever they saw fit.

The winner was announced at the end of the night and was handed a large stage check for the sum of $2,000 in store credit at Rock Bottom Music Store.

After winning, Danny Rankin, the singer for My Instant Lunch, only had one thing to say.

“I’ve never had a giant cardboard check before,” he said. “No, really. I’ve always wanted a giant cardboard check.”

AUGUSTA, GA – Narcotics investigators were dispatched to the 1918 Ohio Avenue on Tuesday night to arrest Michael Chris Nestor, 30, on several felony warrants including possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of Ecstacy, methadone, Oxycontin and marijuana and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Nestor had an “extensive” rap sheet, mostly in the Atlanta area, and was under investigation in Richmond County for about a month, according to the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators Phillip Hambrick, Jason Saal and Mike Swint approached Nestor while he was in his vehicle and advised him he was under arrest. Nestor then put his car in reverse and backed toward Saal, and investigators fired several shots at the vehicle.

Nestor backed out of the driveway and continued down the street for approximately 200 yards before he exited the vehicle, ran into a nearby yard and collapsed, according to Sheriff Ronnie Strength.

Nestor was shot in the left arm and in the neck.

Strength believes the officers acted accordingly.

“They are trained to stop [a] threat and that’s what was done,” he said.

Augusta Regional Airport has officially selected a new director.

Rev. Karlton Howard, chairman of the Augusta Aviation Commission, announced last week that the board has unanimously selected Gary LeTellier, the executive director of Coos County Airport Authority in Coos Bay, Oregon.

LeTellier was hired by the city of North Bend, Ore. to manage the airport in 1997. The airport is comprised of about 1,000 acres and has three runways with one reaching 5,400 feet, another at 4,600 feet and a small runway at 1,800 feet.

Prior to his position in Coos County, LeTellier was executive director of the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Fla., according to the Oregon Airport Management Association. In Fort Myers, LeTellier was responsible for the original construction of the new airport in 1983. He came to Fort Myers after being the assistant director at the Daytona Beach Regional Airport.

The terms of LeTellier's contract has been finalized, but it must go downtown and receive final approve by the Augusta Commission on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

LeTellier will be the third person selected to take on the position at the airport this year. Last month, the aviation commission selected John Faulkner, currently the assistant aviation director of planning and development at Colorado Springs Airport, for the top slot at the airport.

But when negotiations fell through, Howard said the board decided to pursue LeTellier as Augusta's new airport director.

Earlier this year, the airport board thought it had found a new airport director in Jerry Sealy, an aviation consultant from Florida.

However, Howard announced in March that Sealy had pulled his name out of contention. The airport board decided to hire an executive search firm from Jacksonville, Fla. to aid in its hunt for a new director.

The commission narrowed its search down to four candidates from the 47 candidates that applied for the job, according to Aviation Commissioner Lowell Dorn, chairman of the new selection committee.

The new airport director will replace the former director, Buster Boshears, who resigned last year. Boshears recently announced he will be retiring as airport manager at Daniel Field in January.