Three hundred seventy seven graduates will be honored Saturday during Savannah College of Art and Design’s inaugural fall commencement ceremony, at the Johnny Mercer Theatre. Academy Award winning director-producer Lee Daniels will deliver the commencement address.
The first film from Daniels’ production company was 2001’s “Monster’s Ball,” which marked Daniels as the first sole African-American producer of an Academy Award-nominated and —winning film.
Daniels’ project, “Precious,” featured at the 2009 Savannah Film Festival and based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire, won two Academy Awards in 2010 for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress. The film received a total of six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing, with Daniels nominated as Best Director. This selection made him the second African-American director to be nominated for an Oscar.
Tags: SCAD , Savannah College of Art and Design , Lee Daniels , Precious
On the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Dennis Murphy, professor of criminal justice, social and political science, will deliver his talk, “Rifle Reports and the Warren Report: Three Conspiracies in One?” This event is free and open to the public.
Friday, Nov. 22, Noon, in the Ogeechee Theatre of the Armstrong Student Union.
This is the third event in the annual Robert I. Strozier Faculty Lecture Series. Murphy’s lecture, “Rifle Reports and the Warren Report: Three Conspiracies in One?” takes place on Nov. 22 and marks the 50th anniversary of the day when President John F. Kennedy was gunned down on the streets of Dallas, Texas.
The police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald later that afternoon. Two days later, while surrounded by even more police, Oswald was himself gunned down. Newly sworn-in President Lyndon B. Johnson quickly appointed the Warren Commission to investigate the death of the president and the surrounding circumstances.
Murphy’s presentation will explore the Commission’s denial of any conspiracy behind either death and question the 26-volume Warren Report as a conspiracy of silence on that critical issue.
Tags: JFK , John F. Kennedy , assassination , conspiracy
The Georgia Water Coalition named its “Dirty Dozen” for 2013, highlighting 12 of the year’s worst offenses to Georgia’s waters.
The annual Dirty Dozen report "shines a spotlight on state policies and failures that ultimately harm Georgia property owners, taxpayers, downstream communities, fish and wildlife, hunters and anglers, and boaters and swimmers," a spokesperson says.
“The Dirty Dozen is not a list of the most polluted water bodies in Georgia, nor are they ranked in any particular order,” said April Ingle, Executive Director of the Georgia River Network. "It’s a list of problems that exemplify the results of inadequate funding for environmental protections, lack of political will to enforce environmental laws and ultimately misguided water planning and spending priorities that flow from the very top of Georgia’s leadership.”
The Coalition’s full report is available online here.
This is the first year that a coal ash waste impoundment site made the Dirty Dozen list — Plant Scherer on the Ocmulgee River.
Just a few of the problems highlighted in today’s report include:
Existing and proposed coal-fired and nuclear power plants (items 6, 8 and 12—representing four different plants) that harm water quality and quantity in Georgia’s rivers by withdrawing massive amounts of water, disharging heated water back to the waterways, and generating toxic pollution from coal ash dumps and airborn pollution.
Aging dams in danger of failing are going without inspection (Item 9); these ticking time bombs threaten life, property and the health of our rivers.
Governor Nathan Deal’s administration continues a pattern of misguided funding priorities that invariably benefit the administration’s political cronies. While EPD’s budget is starved, creating multiple negative impacts on Georgia’s citizens, Governor Deal has directed more than $160 million during the past two years to expensive, unnecessary and environmentally damaging dam and reservoir projects (Item 2). These projects serve only to prolong Georgia’s ongoing water conflicts with Alabama and Florida.
2013 Dirty Dozen
Floridan Aquifer: Water Injection Schemes Gamble with South Georgia’s Pristine Underground “Lake”
Chattahoochee and Etowah Rivers: Governor’s Water Supply Program Wastes Tax Dollars & Incites More Water Conflicts with Neighbors
Flint River: Pumps, Dams, Diversions & State Water Policy Create Man-Made Drought
Altamaha River: Pulp Mill in Jesup Continues to Foul Georgia’s Largest River
Flat Creek: Polluted Runoff in Chicken Capital Sends Bacteria to Stream Feeding Lake Lanier
Ocmulgee River: Coal Ash Threatens Waterways and Communities In the Home of Fried Green Tomatoes
Satilla River: Toxic Legacy in Waycross Needs Further Investigations, Cleanups
Savannah River: Massive Water Withdrawals for Nuclear, Coal-Fired Power Plants Threaten River’s Health, Drinking Water
Lake Alice: Dam Breach Disaster in Cumming Highlights Need for Better Dam Safety
Georgia Coast: Proposed Changes to Coastline Laws Roll Back Long-Standing Protections
Hurricane Creek: Illegal Playground for Off-Road Vehicles Sends Mountains of Sediment to Trout Stream
Oconee and Ogeechee Rivers: Dirty Coal-Fired Power Plant to Spew Mercury and Deplete South Georgia Rivers
Tags: Dirty Dozen , pollution , Nathan Deal
Law enforcement officers and military personnel from at least six agencies will converge in Savannah today for a wide-ranging training exercise to "address civil unrest," a spokesman says.
The exercise "depicts a scenario that residents are returning to the area 24 hours after an evacuation order has been rescinded to find a multitude of unexpected issues. The lack of electrical power, food and water is amplified by protest groups, outside agitators, bomb threats and a riot at the county jail," the spokesman continues.
The training exercises will be centered in Grayson Stadium and Daffin Park and two "undisclosed areas." While most of the activity will be centered on those sites, the training will also involve emergency vehicles caravanning between them.
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department’s Mobile Field Force is hosting the exercise and measures have been taken to limit the inconvenience to the public.
“It’s unfortunate that area residents may find disruptions, but the only way to assure that officers are fully prepared for such situations is to participate in exercises such as this,” said Police Chief Julie Tolbert. “We will do our best to affect the public as little as possible.”
Lt. Harry Trawick, commander of the Mobile Field Force, said the exercise is complicated by many moving parts to simulate real-life situations.
“The Mobile Field Force (also known as the ‘riot squad’) is the last unit you want to see deployed, but when it is, it will be dealing with a multitude of issues at the same time. It is important that everyone be prepared for the situations they can face in such an event. Just like any sports team, the key to precision is intensive practice.”
The Gaslight Group has decided not to renew the lease for Blue Turtle Bistro, at 5002 Paulson St. Gaslight Group owners Brian and Jennifer Huskey announce the last day of business at Blue Turtle Bistro will be Friday, November 15, 2013.
“We are so proud of the impact Blue Turtle Bistro made in Savannah, with much credit going to Chef Patrick Gilpin, who consistently pushed culinary boundaries and served sophisticated, healthy cuisine,” says Brian Huskey, co-owner of the Gaslight Group.
“However, due to the close proximity and the overwhelming success of Blue Turtle’s sister restaurant, The 5 Spot in Habersham Village, we’ve decided it’s in Gaslight's best interest to close Blue Turtle Bistro and to concentrate our efforts at one restaurant location in the midtown area instead of two.”
Tags: Gaslight Group
The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department has partnered with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon to use Twitter "to enhance public safety communications with the public," says a spokesman.
Police are encouraging runners and the community to follow them on Twitter @SCMPD. Police will be using the hash tags #SCMPD and #RnRSAV.
Tags: Rock 'n' Roll Marathon , marathon , R 'n' R Marathon , Twitter
"In order to better accommodate the parking needs of residents and visitors in town for the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon," a spokesman says, the City of Savannah will not issue street sweeping citations in the downtown area on Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9.
Cars must still be parked in legal spaces to avoid being towed. Drivers should avoid blocking fire hydrants and driveways in the area. The street sweeping parking enforcement schedule will return to normal after Saturday.
Tags: Rock 'n' Roll Marathon , marathon , R 'n' R Marathon
Prostitutes, johns and a pimp were arrested in a two-day operation by Metro Police and five other area, state and federal law enforcement agencies last week.
Seven women were arrested for prostitution and 13 men for pandering in the operation by Metro’s Savannah Area Regional Intelligence Center (SARIC) detectives, Crime Suppression Units from West Chatham and Southside precincts, police officers from Pooler and Garden City and Port Wentworth, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations.
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police partnered with the other law enforcement agencies in the area to address prostitution issues. "The hotels and motels used by customers of the website BackPage.com stretch along Interstate 95 from Highway 204 exit in Savannah through Pooler, Garden City and Port Wentworth," says a police spokesman.
"Each community is affected by the prostitution itself, and also by the thefts, robberies and drug operations known to accompany it. Plans are to continue such efforts against the prostitution operations."
The operations were conducted Tuesday, Oct. 29 and Friday, Nov. 1, in hotels and motels frequented by users of the website. The national website offers advertising for services in varied cities.
Tuesday’s operation focused on the Mid-town area of Savannah and Friday’s was directed towards hotels near the interstate exits. Undercover operatives arranged “dates” with women advertising on the website and other officers advertised as prostitutes themselves to arrange dates at other hotels.
Arrested for prostitution were November McCallum, 23, of Pennsylvania; Onyx M. Eley, 22, of Virginia; Brittany P. Brown, 23, Hickory, NC.; Lindsey M. Blackburn, 23, Richmond Hill; Shadona L. Scott, 25, Tampa, FL.; Altricesa V. Rosser, 25, Atlanta; and Brenda L. Carr, 23, Orlando, FL. Scott also was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance. It was her second arrest by Metro Police. Rosser also was charged with battery and possession of marijuana. And Carr also was charged with possession of marijuana and bribery.
Charged with pimping was Johnathan L. Turner, who was arrested for the second time.
Charged with pandering were Corie D. Jackson, 30, Savannah; Alonzo N. Lyford, 38, Savannah; Yousef O. Issa, 25, Garden City; Brian T. Edwards, 43, Richmond Hill; Craig X. Jackson, Jr., 30, Savannah; Nicholas R. Salentine, 27, Hinesville; Alan Ramjattan, 41, Early Branch, SC; Jonathan M. Pfuhi, 38, Rincon; Viren Patel, 36, Savannah; Noe Cruz Lopez, 24, Brunswick; Joseph K. Erlach, 20, Ft.Stewart; Christopher J. Dankowski, 29, Midway; and Richard M. Bourgeois, 31, Port Wentworth.
The 25th Anniversary Season of the Savannah Music Festival (SMF) features an international roster of artists, replete with one-time only productions, new collaborations and commissioned works that celebrate the organization’s commitment to artistic excellence across the entire spectrum of the musical arts.
Read Bill DeYoung's piece in Connect about it here.
“Whether it’s a 400-year old masterpiece or the premiere of new work, it is the clear and unfiltered exchange between hungry audiences and willing artists that continues to fuel us,” remarks SMF Executive & Artistic Director Rob Gibson.
Tickets for the 2014 festival, which includes more than 100 productions between March 20th and April 5th, range from $15-85 and can be purchased in person at 216 E. Broughton Street in Savannah, by phone at 912-525-5050 and online at www.savannahmusicfestival.org.
Tags: Savannah Music Festival
CinemaSavannah presents Prince Avalanche (2013) Nov. 9 at 5 and 8 p.m. at Muse Arts Warehouse. Cost is $8.
With performances from Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch, Prince Avalanche is an offbeat comedy about two men painting traffic lines on a country highway ravaged by wildfire. Against this dramatic setting, the men bicker and joke with each other, eventually developing an unlikely friendship. Directed by David Gordon Green. Loosely adapted from an Icelandic film called Either Way. Silver Bear winner of the Berlin International Festival. 94 minutes.
Go to www.musesavannah.org for more info