Sunday Reads — Sept. 11
Labor Day has come and gone, so we’re all bearing down on the fall and elections. In the meantime, there’s lots of other news and info to consider.
Golden Ray still sparks legal battles
Coastal Georgia shrimpers filed suit last week against salvagers and owners over the Golden Ray cleanup. Georgia Recorder’s Stanley Dunlap updates the cases following the most expensive shipwreck cleanup in U.S. history, with estimated removal costs of more than $840 million. Commercial fishers say the ongoing pollution from the slow cleanup cost them money and polluted their fishing areas. The giant cargo ship’s removal from St. Simons Sound was completed earlier this year after it capsized in 2019. During the salvage operation there were fuel leaks, onboard fires, hurricanes and contractor changes. Glynn County has also sued for cleanup costs and damages.
More people call for help
The new 988 suicide prevention phone line has been up and running in Georgia since July and already the numbers confirm what experts suspected: a disproportionate number of callers who need help are in the state’s rural areas. Suicide rates climbed during the pandemic, and the commissioner of the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities believes the actual number of people who need help is actually higher. The agency’s programs are projected to need an additional $283 million a year based on what early numbers show. That funding will have to come from the governor’s office and the legislature next year.
Suicides and guns: Gun suicides were the largest on record since 1968 with more than 26,000 deaths, accounting for 54% of all gun deaths. Experts say the numbers are likely caused by disruptions in mental health care and increased exposure to firearms. Gun deaths hit an all-time high (again) in 2021 and a comprehensive breakdown from The Trace takes a look at a data dump from the CDC tracking firearms deaths.
Georgia family violence death rate rises 50%: A GPB interview with Stephanie Woodard, chair of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence, sheds some light on the problems and data in the state for solving the factors contributing to family violence, which killed 212 last year. One of the bigger problems: How to define family violence deaths because of the varying ideas of “family” across Georgia law enforcement units.
Mental health: a long road ahead
When the Georgia General Assembly passed an overhaul of funding for mental health services, the needs had been clear for some time. This week a story from Georgia Public Broadcasting gave us a stark reminder of the gaps in the state and nationwide. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study, Only 41.9% of Georgians’ needs are met when it comes to mental health care professionals, leaving more than 5 million citizens without adequate access. The story, however, deals with the needs of a more specific population: children. The recommended ratio for school psychologists is 1 for 500 students. Current ratio? 1 for every 6,390 students.
Considerable
- Is forgiven student debt taxable? States are trying to figure out if they’ll treat student loan money as taxable income. It’s up to each state to decide.
- Familiar names show up to help: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi popped down to Georgia a couple weeks ago, and last week brought former Ambassador the the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to help their parties’ candidates. However, it’s not surprising since Georgia is now the stage for national figures to grow visibility in a battleground state for what’s next: 2024. Pelosi isn’t likely to run, but Haley certainly is. Keep an eye out for more visitors with their eyes on more than the 2022 vote.
- University System waives standardized test scores for admission to most campuses: Last week students hoping to attend one of Georgia’s 26 universities and colleges learned they won’t need SAT or ACT scores to apply — unless they are going to Georgia Tech or University of Georgia. The tests have been optional for two years at most schools. Newly sworn Chancellor Sonny Perdue says one reason for the extension is falling enrollment.
Your second cup: Queen’s influence
And we couldn’t help adding one more note to the constant drumbeat of Queen Elizabeth coverage when we saw this story from The Conversation. If you’ve wondered why so many people are paying their respects to Queen Elizabeth II this week, here’s one reason: She was a role model for the women who lived through the ’50s era to the modern era. While it sounds somewhat surprising, it shouldn’t be if you consider she went to war with her country and ended up with a full-time, very public job of managing her sometimes wayward family members and its businesses through politics and tragedies. There are a few parallels for many — except most of us don’t have footmen, a lot of palaces, a jet, a wicked hat collection and a horse guard. Anyway, it’s an interesting take.
One more thing…
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Georgia shrimpers sue Golden Ray owners, salvagers over shipwreck’s pollution off St. Simons
About 40 commercial shrimpers seek an injunction ordering the remediation of St. Simons Sound and surrounding areas, and monetary damages for loss of business after the ship capsized on Sept. 8, 2019, while transporting 4,300 cars and trucks and more than 300,000 gallons of fuel.
High number of rural Georgians call in to new 988 suicide prevention phone line
Suicide rates in rural Georgia climbed during the pandemic even as overall rates declined, resulting in special efforts to promote 988 to the state’s agricultural communities.
Georgia family violence fatalities are rising. Here’s a look at why
The coronavirus pandemic is part of the explanation for the sharp rise, but there are other factors, including the difficulty in identifying when a death is related to family violence.
Kids need mental health treatment more than ever. Schools are picking up the slack, but need help
The organization Mental Health America says Georgia ranks 48th in the nation for equitable access to mental health care. Now, in the third year of the COVID pandemic, that issue is a big problem for kids. School-based care could help close the access gap.
Nikki Haley stumps for Kemp, Walker in first of many big-name visits
With the U.S. Senate evenly split, both parties are set to pull out all the stops in the final stretch of 2022 and beyond, and politicians eying the presidency are likely already jotting down lists of potential campaign stops in the Peach State.
University system waiving standardized test scores for admission to most campuses
Chancellor Sonny Perdue cited recent enrollment declines at some of the system’s institutions as a driver in his decision to continue waiving the tests. Schools in surrounding states that compete with Georgia for students also are waiving standardized test requirements.
In 1953, ‘Queen-crazy’ American women found inspiration in Elizabeth II – that sentiment never faded
At a time when women were, in many cases, expected to conform to traditional roles of a housewife and homemaker, Elizabeth was ascending the throne of a powerful country. In the words of one psychologist interviewed for a 1953 Los Angeles Times article, for the first time “the women of America have found a heroine who makes them feel superior to men.”
Georgia’s Hispanic political power grows but survey finds those voters feel neglected
A recent poll conducted by BSP Research on behalf of UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, found 59% of Georgia’s Latino voters believe the country is going down the wrong track. Their top concerns are inflation, crime, jobs and health care. Abortion for the first time ranks in the top five.
It’s a good year for saw palmetto berries
There’s a bumper crop of saw palmetto berries this year in southeastern Georgia. And that’s led to a bumper crop of berry poachers. The berries, which look like olives, are used in supplements purported to treat hair loss and prostate problems, among other maladies. Globally, saw palmetto berries are a $150 million business. They grow […]
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