Come March, this city will be awash in color when hundreds of thousands of azalea blossoms burst open along the streets and squares.

Ah, there’s nothing like the smell of burnt rubber in the morning. Along with the squealing sound of hard–working brakes, the aroma of taxed tires was in the air over the racetrack on Hutchinson Island last week as the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department put 10 new vehicles through the paces. The SCMPD is considering these Chevy Caprice Police Patrol Vehicles (PPVs) to replace its fleet of beloved Ford Crown Victorias, which have served as ...

You’d think it wouldn’t be easy to make a ginormous popcorn box disappear. Eight feet high with red stripes louder than a pair of Christmas pajamas, the box stood outside the Lucas Theatre for a little over a week last month. Tourists posed for photos in front of it, locals enjoyed the festive addition. Then suddenly, it was gone. The colossal wooden container was designed and built by the Lucas staff to help promote the ...

Bingo may be the hallmark hobby of blue–haired old ladies, but some of Broughton Street’s swankiest shops have given it a chic makeover this holiday season.

For the last 112 weeks, I’ve written about local and state government, community groups, the arts, a dash of literature and a sprinkling of music. It’s been an honor and a pleasure.

Getting crowded? VisitSavannah, the marketing arm of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, released a new study on local tourism last week that shows Savannah’s tourism industry is thriving. Eleven million people visited Savannah in 2010 according to the study, part of which was carried out by Longwoods International, a firm that does market research for destination cities. If the number of visitors is accurate, that would mean that Savannah drew nearly three times as many ...

Cycle survey People like the ideas of seeing more bicyclists in their communities, but aren't totally sure about the laws, those are some of the findings of a recent statewide survey. The Athens-based non-profit group Georgia Bikes released results from a statewide survey they did in collaboration with the Governor's Office of Highway Safety and the UGA's Survey Research Center. 92 percent of respondents agreed that bicycling is a long term investment in higher quality ...

The central topic of conversation at City Council’s pre–meeting workshop last week was about progress toward making Savannah a home port for cruise ships.

Over the last few years, the food truck movement has been one of the country’s fastest growing culinary trends. The nouveau chuck wagons have gone from fringe culture in  ber–hip spots like Austin, TX and Portland, OR to an increasingly national phenomenon, including a food truck–based reality TV show on the Food Network.

State's unemployment rate drops in April The unemployment rate in Georgia dropped to 9.9 percent last month, a decline of 0.1 from March and the third consecutive month in which the rate showed steady decline according to data released by the state’s Department of Labor last week. While unemployment was down across the state, Savannah lost 200 jobs from April 2010 to April 2011. During that same period the city also had 302 fewer initial ...

There will be changes made to the way that the City of Savannah handles public meetings and public records or there will be legal consequences.

Dog Days A group of dog lovers is circulating a petition requesting that the City consider converting the Nathaniel Greene Park on Bull Street between 56th St. and Columbus Avenue into an off-leash dog park. Petition circulators contend that the park is currently under-utilized and could serve as a great spot for dogs to get exercise and socialize. There are currently two smaller dog parks within City limits, the Savannah Dog Park in Starland and ...

LNG Resolution The issue of Southern LNG’s interest in trucking shipments of liquefied natural gas through the streets of Savannah was a big part of the City Council agenda last week. Council members voted unanimously to pass a formal resolution “urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to perform a full environmental impact analysis for the application filed by SLNG to truck liquid natural gas through Savannah.” Discussion of the resolution began during the council ...

City Manager contract Members of the City Council gathered last Friday afternoon to discuss terms for hiring Rochelle Small–Toney as City Manager. Fresh off their appearance in the St. Patrick’s Day parade, and with festivities still ongoing along River Street, the meeting started late, as some members had difficulty finding parking spots. The mayor then requested that discussions take place in executive session, on the grounds that discussion would deal with compensation. More than an ...

The celebratory mood of the Saint Patrick's Day season in Savannah was evident at last week's City Council meeting, which was notably lighter than the past several weeks.