City Notebook

By Connect Savannah Staff

[
      
        {

        

          "name": "Air - MedRect Combo - Inline Content 1",
          "component": "14680855",
          "insertPoint": "7",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "5",
          "parentWrapperClass": "fdn-ads-inline-content-block"
        },{
          "name": "Air - MedRect Combo - Inline Content 2",
          "component": "14680856",
          "insertPoint": "15",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "9",
          "parentWrapperClass": "fdn-ads-inline-content-block"
        },{
          "name": "Air - SVP - Leaderboard - Inline Content - 2",
          "component": "16852291",
          "insertPoint": "10",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "10",
          "parentWrapperClass": "fdn-ads-inline-content-block"
        },{
          "name": "Air - SVP - Leaderboard - Inline Content - 3",
          "component": "16852292",
          "insertPoint": "20",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "18",
          "parentWrapperClass": "fdn-ads-inline-content-block"
        },{
          "name": "Air - SVP - Leaderboard - Inline Content - 1",
          "component": "16852290",
          "insertPoint": "25",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "22",
          "parentWrapperClass": "fdn-ads-inline-content-block"
        }
      
      ]

Some good news about SRS

Governor Sonny Perdue announced early this week that the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that will extend federal funding for radiation monitoring along the Savannah River until the end of this calendar year.

We are pleased that the U.S. Department of Energy has recognized the importance of this environmental monitoring program to the people of Georgia," said Gov. Perdue.

Discussions began early this year after the DOE announced that its grant to fund the Georgia monitoring program would not be renewed. The monitoring is necessary because of the potential for radioactive contamination from the DOE-operated Savannah River Site near Augusta.

The new agreement provides $300,000 to fund the EPD monitoring program through December 31, 2004. We will immediately begin work on a proposal to secure DOE funding for monitoring work in 2005 and beyond," said Georgia EPD Director Carol Couch.

Big Brother visits G8 hosts

Law enforcement efforts to gather intelligence on possible local G8 summit protests have made national newswires.

A story by Associated Press writer Russ Bynum details police questioning that seems to be intended to discourage possible hosts for summit protests. An excerpt:

New Jersey professor Trent Schroyer's group doesn't stage a typical G-8 protest. It's mostly academics who prefer a symposium to the streets, using the world leaders' summit as a backdrop for sit-down discussions focused on alternative economic policies.

Still, when Schroyer's group T.O.E.S. (The Other Economic Summit) rented out a private hall near Savannah for a conference during the June 8-10 summit in coastal Georgia, police quickly began investigating.

Savannah police detectives visited the real estate office that rents out the recreation hall to view the group's contract. They also contacted the employers of the hall's owners and the Savannah professor who signed the contract....

The article mentions other hosts and employers contacted by law enforcement in possible pre-emptive moves against protests, including Oglethorpe Motor Speedway and the Savannah College of Art & Design.

Mighty 8th gains acreage

JCB Inc. has granted the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum the use of 7.1 acres of land on the north side of the museum, expanding exhibition space by 50 percent.

The additional land, with I-95 frontage, enables the museum to move forward with more outdoor exhibits of large static aircraft.

About a year ago the Air Force offered us a B-52 Stratofortress, said museum President and CEO C.J. Roberts. The aircraft was in excellent condition, and we wanted to take it, but we simply had nowhere to exhibit an aircraft of that size. The additional acreage JCB has made available lets us take advantage of such opportunities.

SSU student honored

Savannah State University senior Eric Curl will attend The New York Times Student Journalism Institute in New Orleans this May as one of only 30 students accepted into the workshop from colleges across the U.S.

The mass communications major is editor of the Tigers Roar, Savannah States student newspaper.

Johnson on Brown panel

Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson will take part in a panel forum this May 7 at Armstrong Atlantic State University marking the 50th anniversary of the Brown versus the Board of Education decision -- the Supreme Court ruling that declared separate school facilities were inherently unequal.

Discussions will include a history of the civil rights movement and firsthand accounts from students who were impacted most by the Supreme Court decision. The event will begin at 2 p.m. in room 156 of University Hall. It is free and open to the public.

Support Connect Savannah

More than ever, we depend on your help.
Support local, independent media with a one-time or recurring donation. Thank you!