Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026
Good morning! We begin today with some much-needed good news about right whales. We then pivot to the denouement of a story about the alleged theft of trade secrets from Georgia Power. We finish with a post-referendum update from McIntosh County.
Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
And baby makes 21!
Researchers documented the 21st right whale calf of the season over the weekend. The right whale mom, nicknamed Slalom, was spotted with her calf a quarter mile off South Daytona Beach by a beachgoer and later documented by an aerial survey team. With two months of the calving season to go, the number of births is already the highest seen since 22 calves were documented in 2011, as NOAA reports.
With fewer than 400 individuals left, North Atlantic right whales are highly endangered. They live and migrate along the busy East Coast, making them susceptible to injuries and mortality from vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. Of the 21 mother whales documented so far this season, only one has no history of entanglement, the New England Aquarium reports. That’s a 10-year-old with no nickname, known only as North Atlantic right whale catalog number 4610.
NEWS: COURTS
Credit: Georgia Public Service Commission via YouTube
Energy activist avoids felony
The Fulton County District Attorney’s office declined to prosecute the case against clean energy advocate Patty Durand for allegedly stealing a Georgia Power booklet labeled as containing “trade secrets” during an energy regulatory hearing, Alander Rocha of The Georgia Recorder reports.
Following her arrest, Durand entered into an agreement with the state that included 40 hours of community service. Allowed to choose where she would perform that service, the former Public Service Commission candidate completed her hours with Georgia Clinicians for Climate Action, working on “a project focused on researching and preparing educational materials to encourage Georgians to transition from gas home heating to electric heat pumps utilizing funding made available through the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority.”
NEWS: COMMUNITY
A pause on Sapelo
McIntosh County imposed a 30-day moratorium on building in the Gullah Geechee enclave of Hogg Hummock on Sapelo Island following last week’s county-wide vote that repealed a controversial 2023 zoning amendment, as The Current GA‘s Mary Landers reports. Officials said the pause will allow the county to align its codes and ordinances with the outcome of the referendum.
Also noted:
Glynn Environmental Coalition, the Center for a Sustainable Coast, and Jane Fraser, a local Georgia resident, filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court urging the reversal of a lower court ruling they say threatens wetlands nationwide. Glynn Environmental Coalition, Inc., et al. v. Sea Island Acquisition, LLC, asks the Court to decide whether companies that receive federal permits to fill wetlands can later evade accountability by challenging whether those wetlands were protected under federal law—despite having expressly waived that right in order to obtain the permit. The Current GA wrote about the case here.
Coastal WildScapes will hold its 16th Annual Symposium, “Ebb and Flow of the Coast” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 7 at Richmond Hill City Center in Richmond Hill. Speakers will present on coastal processes and sandhill species. Find more information and register here.
The Georgia House Natural Resources & Environment Committee met Jan. 15 to discuss streamlining the state’s regional water planning councils. The Jan. 21, 2026 Coast Watch newsletter reported the wrong date. The legislation supporting the proposed changes, HR 1008, passed out of the committee Jan. 16.
We want to meet your friends! If you like this newsletter be sure to share it. And, if someone shared this with you, click here to sign up for regular delivery!
Activist won’t be prosecuted for alleged theft of Georgia Power ‘trade secrets’
Patty Durand, a clean energy advocate, was not indicted after the Fulton County District Attorney’s office declined to prosecute the case against her for allegedly stealing a booklet labeled as containing “trade secrets” during an energy regulatory hearing.
McIntosh pauses all building on Sapelo Island
The McIntosh County Commission imposed a 30-day moratorium on building in the Gullah Geechee enclave of Hogg Hummock on Sapelo Island following a county-wide vote that repealed a controversial 2023 zoning amendment, in order to align the county’s codes and ordinances with the outcome of the referendum.
As criticism of ICE mounts, Carter urges expansion to Georgia
Buddy Carter defended ICE and the Trump administration’s surge of immigration agents to Minnesota, blaming Democrats for the immigration crisis and calling for a similar operation in Atlanta.
Legislature 101: Following Georgia’s budget drafts
Whether it’s ‘big’ or ‘little,’ Georgia’s state budget and bills reflect the values and priorities of its elected officials. By putting a dollar amount on rhetoric — or withdrawing that dollar — elected officials declare their real priorities.
The Current GA is part of The Trust Project.
Read our policies.
Support independent, solutions-based investigative journalism without bias, fear or favor on issues affecting Savannah and Coastal Georgia.
WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM
You must be logged in to post a comment.