Sunday Solutions — Aug. 4, 2024
Good morning! We’re calling it Storm Week here at The Current …it’s not as riveting as shark week, but it still has a bite. Get your emergency kits together and let’s get ready to greet Tropical Storm Debby. Then she can leave.
GUIDE: PUBLIC SAFETY
Heads up. Debby’s at the door.
Tropical Storm Debby is expected to migrate from Florida over the next few days and come to Coastal Georgia. Current forecasts show up to 18 inches of rain and some wind before she leaves for the Atlantic and parts north. Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency for Georgia through Thursday and counties are starting to fire up their emergency management communications. McIntosh County also has declared a state of emergency. But, as we all know — storms can flummox even the best forecasters. So be prepared; keep up with changes and hope Debby moves on quickly and quietly. Environment reporter and storm veteran Mary Landers has compiled a list of resources for you at this link. We’ll update there as we know more.
NEWS: EXPLAINER
When budget advice goes sideways
Brunswick District Attorney Keith Higgins doesn’t deny he’s overspent his budget for the past year. He says the $880,000 error came from a staff miscalculation and he spent it on new hires he needed to cover all the work across the 5-county circuit. He’s asked the Glynn County Commission for help to fill the gap, but the commission is hesitating. Glynn County reporter Jabari Gibbs explains the problem, how it got that way and what the options are.
What do you know?
Every Sunday, we put your news knowledge to the test with a few short questions related to stories we published in recent weeks. Below you’ll find our leaderboard with the top scores from the previous one.
Leaderboard Aug. 4, 2024
First Place (8/10): Shots, EMF33, SG Mark
Second Place (6/10): BBC, Laurie
Third Place (4/10): Mikey, ewh
Overall Leaderboard:
First Place: EMF33
Second Place: SG Mark
Third Place: Shots
Make sure you compete every week and leave your nickname for a chance to win an exclusive prize from The Current. Click here for this week’s quiz.
NEWS: UPDATES
But wait, there’s more…
We’ve had stories this week that just keep yielding new info, so we’re linking them for your rainy reading over the next day or so.
- Georgia voter cancellation portal requires second round of security fixes: In an effort to build confidence in voter lists, the Secretary of State’s new portal to allow people to cancel their own voter registrations proved to be just the opposite. The Current’s data reporter Maggie Lee discovered one of the glitches that could show voter personal information and was active for about 2 days. A ProPublica story says the portal was used to try to cancel registrations for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
- Glynn election board claims candidate’s signatures not valid: Laura Khurana says she’ll appeal the decision that barred 1,000 signatures from being counted. She said at least 500 persons printed their names but didn’t sign in cursive on the petition.
- Georgia election board walks back rules approved at meeting flagged by state AG: After a meeting even the state attorney general warned could be illegal, the board backed off new rules that would’ve given party observers more power in elections.
- State Senate forms committee to ‘protect women’s sports’: Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has a new push to ensure women’s sports won’t allow athletes born as men. Georgia High Schools already have a ban.
- State lawmakers mulling switch of university system to quarters: A committee will study whether quarters instead of semesters will help students graduate faster and join the workforce.
- Midway to discuss moving fire protection to Liberty County: After a variety of problems came to light — old equipment, decaying firehouse, fewer firefighters — Midway officials say it’s time to talk to the county about a fire department merger.
EXPLAINER: EDITOR’S CHOICE
☕ Your second cup: Conversation across ages
This story from one of our favorite nonprofit news spots, 100 Days In Appalachia, deals with how different generations relate. It’s an honest — and researched — look at how people of different ages consume political information and what they are looking for when they talk to family and friends.
Enjoy.
Note: This week we say good-bye to summer staffer Julia Gentin. She’s headed back home to California for a bit before returning to Amherst College in a few weeks. We’ll miss her dogged search for sources, her soft voice and sharp humor.
We want to meet your friends! If you like this newsletter be sure to share it.
Check here: Tropical weather resources for Coastal Georgia
By Mary Landers
Bookmark these resources to keep up-to-date on expected storm impacts in your county.
Brunswick DA’s office over budget by $880,000; county defers vote to help
By Jabari Gibbs
Higgins requested $362K from Glynn to help meet gap; commission hasn’t agreed.
Georgia voter cancellation portal requires second round of security fixes
By Maggie Lee
Oversights by IT workers during a test phase meant that for at least two days vital data such as driver’s license information or partial Social Security numbers would have been visible to malicious actors.
Glynn election board claims candidate’s signatures not valid
By Brianna Leonard and Margaret Coker
Glynn County’s election board decided that a petition submitted by independent candidate Laura Khurana had invalid signatures. Khurana says she plans to challenge the decision.
Georgia election board walks back rules approved at meeting flagged by state AG
By John McCosh/Georgia Recorder
Lawsuit claimed 3 members held quick vote knowing others could not attend meeting.
Young Appalachians want better intergenerational political conversations
By Hannah Wilson-Black/100 Days in Appalachia
For some young adults, there is eagerness to start those discussions, especially about issues that directly impact them, like poverty, workers’ rights and gender. Sometimes, that can be difficult.
State Senate forms committee to ‘protect women’s sports’
By Dave Williams
Legislative Democrats, transgender students and their parents countered that the policy discriminates against a group of students who already are victims of prejudice.
State lawmakers mulling switch of university system to quarters
By Dave Williams/Capitol Beat
The current semester system leads to two graduating classes each year, while a quarter system would yield at least three, thus getting graduating students into the workforce faster.
Midway to discuss moving fire protection to Liberty County
By Robin Kemp
Midway officials say they may ask Liberty County to take over fire protection.
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.