Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Good morning! In the news today: A flurry of campaigning in Coastal Georgia ahead of primary runoff, public safety in Savannah and Chatham County, and Buddy Carter hints at his political future. Finally, some things you may have missed. Questions, comments, or story ideas? You can reach me at craig.thecurrent@gmail.com.
NEWS: POLITICS
Last-minute campaigning
With early voting for next week’s primary runoffs already underway, there’s a flurry of last-minute campaigning in Coastal Georgia.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson was in Thunderbolt last week. His primary opponent, Burt Jones, is due in Darien this week, while GOP Senate candidate Mike Collins is scheduled to stump in Savannah.
Our eyes are on the contest between Joyce Griggs and Amanda Hollowell to decide who will take on Jim Kingston in November for Coastal Georgia’s seat in Congress.
The Current’s Jabari Gibbs and Craig Nelson examine the candidacies of Griggs and Hollowell as they scramble to get their supporters to the polls.
NEWS: PUBLIC SAFETY
Public safety priorities
It wasn’t the first time that Savannah Police Chief Lenny Gunther has lamented gun violence in Savannah, but his words were searing, nonetheless.
“The fact is, it’s too much. It’s too much. One shooting, one homicide . . . is one too many,” Gunther said. “And the fact is, there’s too many guns in our community and too many guns in the hands of our young adults.”
Along with Chatham County Sheriff Richard Coleman and Superior Court Judge Lisa Colbert, Gunther was reflecting on the status of policing and the criminal justice system at a public forum last week on public safety, sponsored by the Delta Sigma Theta sorority’s Savannah alumnae chapter.
Regarding homelessness, Gunther said his department had to strike a “delicate balance” between law enforcement and compassion for the homeless. “The fact is, many of us might be one or two paychecks away from being homeless, and I speak from experience,” he said.
Stressing the importance of recognizing the humanity of those incarcerated in the county jail, Coleman said he had added to the budget $3 dollars for each of the meals served in the jail because “if they can’t eat it, they can’t eat it.”
Citing a new “homeless court” for low-level offenders, Colbert said her priority was to use the “leverage of the bench” to institute procedures and safeguards “so I don’t keep seeing the same people over and over again for the same things — or worse.”
NEWS: POLITICS
Gas in the tank
U.S. Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter may have missed out from this Tuesday’s GOP runoff to decide who will face Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff in November, but he isn’t ruling out doing it all again.
“I still have a lot of gas left in my tank, and I want to make it clear that I have no intention of retiring,” the 68-year-old, six-term congressman from St. Simons told WSAV. “I still want to be relevant, and I’m not ruling out anything, even the possibility of running again in two years.”
What Carter did not say, nor was he asked, was what office he would consider running for in two years. The U.S. Senate seat held by Raphael Warnock, who will be up for reelection in 2028? His current House seat? Carter’s office didn’t respond to a request for clarification.
Meanwhile, Carter addressed worries among constituents about the prices they’re paying for the gas in their tanks — the same week that Gov. Brian Kemp’s office announced that Georgia’s gas tax will return after the governor suspended it in May.
“Thank goodness, the president has taken a policy of just unleashing American energy that has helped to bring prices down,” he said Friday on “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street” on Fox.
“Now they’re up — yes, we understand that because of the war, but let me assure you, as soon as this war is over, and it will be over soon, then these prices are going to go back down.”
NEWS: POLITICS
ICYMI
- Brian Hussey is sworn in as Chatham County District 4 commissioner.
- Savannah-Chatham County school system faces $6.1 million budget shortfall.
- Brian Kemp adds property tax referendums to special session.
- SCAD reclassifies student workers as independent contractors.
- State Election Board passes a resolution allowing counties to switch to hand-marked ballots.
- Local election officials must certify results, appeals court says.
- Atlanta district attorneys challenge a new Georgia law that could make it harder for Democrats to hold onto power in the state’s most populous region.
- ‘Teachers Are Going to Hate It’: How Social Media Apps Hooked Teens at School”
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Joyce Griggs leads Democratic primary runoff in fifth run for Congress
Despite her unsuccessful bids for Congress and professional misconduct, Joyce Griggs has the inside track to win the Democratic nomination for Coastal Georgia’s congressional seat in 2024 due to her name recognition and resilience.
Hollowell mobilizes supporters for key Coastal Georgia runoff
Amanda Hollowell, a first-time candidate for Coastal Georgia’s seat in Congress, is relying on her “intergenerational, multiracial coalition” of volunteers and donors to help her win the primary runoff against Joyce Griggs, who had a 10% lead in the first round of voting.
McIntosh proposes new zoning for Sapelo
The McIntosh County Commission recommended a maximum house size of 1,800 square feet under roof and a maximum height of 35 feet in the Hogg Hummock neighborhood on Sapelo Island, a Gullah Geechee community, after a referendum overturned the previous zoning that allowed 3,000 square foot houses up to 37 feet tall.
Citizens question wastewater discharge plan for Laurel View River
What both communities share besides a love of Georgia’s coast is a sense of anger – at larger forces, with greater resources, threatening their long-established way of life.
State oversight agency launches full probe into Brunswick District Attorney Keith Higgins
The Prosecuting Attorney’s Qualifications Commission has launched a full investigation into allegations of financial misconduct by Brunswick Area District Attorney Keith Higgins, following a complaint from the counties in the Brunswick Judicial Circuit.
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