Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Good morning! In this abbreviated edition of Soundings: Different — and telling — takes on a stage prop at an empty-chair town hall in Savannah; Orange Crush on Tybee Island comes off swimmingly; and four things for your radar. Questions, comments, or story ideas? You can reach me at craig.thecurrent@gmail.com.
NEWS: POLITICS
It’s all in how you see it
Buddy Carter’s refusal to hold an open, in-person town hall in Coastal Georgia’s largest city and county has fueled frustration and anger among the area’s residents, Democrats and even some Republicans alike.
Now, a prop intended to illustrate Carter’s absence at a public forum in Savannah last week has sparked controversy, showing that even so-called empty-chair town halls can become perilous in today’s politically toxic environment.
At issue is a stage prop — in this case, a dummy — conjured by the town hall’s organizers to depict the six-term congressman from St. Simons and inspired by the lead character of the 2019 animated series “Where’s Waldo?”
Did the red tint of the photograph used to represent Carter’s face signify blood and thus constitute a call to violence? Or did this bit of political theatre just mean that the printer used to reproduce the photo was poor? The Current’s Craig Nelson reports.
NEWS: COMMUNITY
Crushed it
College students from throughout the region flocked to Tybee Island over the weekend to celebrate the time-honored spring break festival first organized by Savannah State University in the late 1980s.
After a day packed with musical entertainment and crowds of young adults socializing and swimming — all under the gaze of a heavy police presence — Tybee Island Mayor Brian West declared Orange Crush a success.
So did many of the attendees, reports The Current’s Robin Kemp, after a day spent with revelers and locals.
NEWS: POLITICS
Things for your radar
- Kemp v. Ossoff? The 2025 gathering of the Georgia legislature now history, all eyes and ears (Read: Buddy Carter’s) are on the governor’s mansion in Atlanta. There, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is weighing whether to run next year for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Jon Ossoff — a decision that will send the state’s political machinations into overdrive, no matter what it is. (And yes, he’s also deciding what legislation to sign into law or to veto, after putting his signature yesterday to his signature legislative initiative, lawsuit reform.)
- Trump comes to rescue of shrimpers? An executive order signed by President Trump may help Coastal Georgia’s shrimpers. It calls fora sweeping overhaul of federal regulations governing the U.S. commercial fishing industry. Administration officials will address what the order calls “unfair trading practices” — including, presumably, the dumping of foreign shrimp on U.S. markets. Here’s the White House fact sheet accompanied the order. Environmentalists fear dwindling fish populations will be further harmed.
- Carter to approve Medicaid cuts? Buddy Carter was not one of 10 House Republicans who signed a letter last week to Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican House leaders, urging against any cuts to Medicaid, the federal safety net and health care program for some 80 million Americans. “Balancing the federal budget must not come at the expense of those who depend on these benefits for their health and security,” the 10 GOP representatives wrote.
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 16, Fine Arts Auditorium, Armstrong Campus, Georgia Southern University. Click here for info. The Current GA is a Bronze sponsor.
Diversity, equity and inclusion … and revision
Coastal Georgia is home to a large number of retired foreign service officers who, during their service, more than likely had a hand in writing the U.S. State Department’s annual reports on human rights. That yearly ritual, required by U.S. Congress, may now be sharply curtailed.
Under a proposed plan, the reports will be streamlined to remove redundancy and focus on human-rights violations rather than “political bias.”
Gone will be any criticism critiques of abuses such as harsh prison conditions, government corruption and restrictions on participation in the political process. No longer, for instance, will foreign governments who receive U.S. aid be called out for denying freedom of movement and peaceful assembly.
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Empty-chair town hall turns into political Rorschach test
Rep. Buddy Carter’s refusal to hold an open, in-person town hall in Coastal Georgia’s largest city and county has fueled frustration and anger among residents, Democrats and some Republicans alike, and even a stage prop intended to illustrate Carter’s absence at a public forum has sparked controversy.
Georgia law offers homeowners a big tax break, but most probably won’t get much of it
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Gay man’s killing puts spotlight on Savannah Police practices
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New Savannah State president pledges to boost school’s brand, reputation
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