Sunday Solutions — May 25, 2025
Good morning! It’s Memorial Day weekend, and we’re already impressed that you are reading this. We won’t keep you long. Please do take a minute to remember the reason for the days off: to honor those who died to protect the freedoms we now enjoy. They’ve left all of us a challenge to honor their missions with our own actions.
INVESTIGATIVE: ENVIRONMENT
Time, money and an ancient swamp
Twin Pines Minerals, a mining company, has been waiting for over a year to receive a permit to mine near the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. The company has shown signs of financial stress, including falling behind on property tax payments and giving up a $15,000 drilling bond. Environmentalists are doubting the company’s ability to mine even if it gets its permits and are trying to pressure a potential buyer, Chemours, to forswear mining near the swamp. The Current’s Mary Landers looks at the state of the mining company and those who want to stop it while the wait for permits continues.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNITY
The toxic sites next door
Anita Collins and Hal Hart grew up in Brunswick near land and creeks full of poisonous chemicals left from the city’s manufacturing history. They are just two from generations of residents who grew up next to acres of land so toxic it can’t be used for much of anything. They agreed to be tested to see if the chemicals affected them. Collins and Hart share their experiences and the very real consequences of living near land deemed toxic and eating the seafood from the adjacent waters. Two stories published last week from The Current’s Glynn County reporter Jabari Gibbs look at their test results and statuses of cleanup work.
- Brunswick human exposure study leaves more questions than answers for participants
- EPA says Terry Creek site won’t be cleaned up any time soon
🎉 Congratulations to Rick Shields for knowing that last week’s Spyglass was on the Big Ferry Trail at Skidaway Island State Park. We had 8 correct answers last week — let’s see how you do this week.
Test how well you spy details in Coastal Georgia. Give us the location of the item in the photo above. Some spots may be easier to identify than others; some will be tougher. We’ll collect correct answers each week and draw for a weekly winner.
CLICK HERE TO GIVE YOUR ANSWER
NEWS: ELECTIONS
Early voting & your power bill
Consider this your reminder if you want a say in how much you pay for electricity: Early voting starts Tuesday for the June 17 Special Primary Public Service Commissioner Election — it’s the election where you vote on members of the panel that sets your electricity rates. This primary will include candidates for two Georgia districts — the vote is statewide, but the commissioners are running to represent just a portion of the state. Winners move to the November election to fill the 5-person panel. We know it’s confusing, and here’s a story to explain it all.
☕ Your second cup
Not today – get out and enjoy the day with family and friends. The Current’s newsletters will return on Wednesday. If you want to catch up on your reading, head for TheCurrentGa.org for more news you can use.
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Awaiting permits to mine near Okefenokee, Twin Pines finds time is money
By Mary Landers
Doubting Twin Pines Minerals’ ability to mine near the Okefenokee Swamp, environmentalists are pressuring a likely successor to pledge not to take over.
Liberty Development Authority sets 5-year targets for county job growth
By Robin Kemp
Liberty County Development Authority’s 5 year strategic plan targets automotive and electric vehicle suppliers, aerospace and aviation, Department of Defense suppliers, cold storage and e-commerce, and foreign direct investment. It also calls for greater collaboration to improve housing availability, quality. of life, and job-ready high school graduates.
Brunswick human exposure study leaves more questions than answers for participants
By Jabari Gibbs
A peer-reviewed study has found that 40% of 97 Brunswick natives had higher concentrations of toxicants from two Superfund sites than the national average, with Black participants showing higher exposures than white participants.
EPA says Terry Creek site won’t be cleaned up any time soon
By Jabari Gibbs
The EPA has announced that remedial investigation for the Terry Creek Dredge Spoils/Hercules Outfall Superfund site in Brunswick, GA will begin in 2026, while Honeywell continues to perform cleanup at the LCP Chemicals site, which is nearing completion.
More than 3 million people would lose SNAP benefits under GOP bill, nonpartisan report says
By Jacob Fischler/Georgia Recorder
The House passed a bill that would cut food assistance benefits for 3.2 million people and impose a $14 billion annual cost on states, prompting Democrats to argue that it would unfairly harm the needy while providing tax breaks for high earners.
State PSC to resume hearings on Georgia Power energy-supply plan
By Dave Williams/Capitol Beat
ATLANTA – Starting May 27, Georgia Power executives will defend the mix of energy resources the utility intends to rely on for generating electricity against critics who say the plan relies too much on fossil fuels and not enough on renewable power. This story also appeared in Capitol Beat News Service The state Public Service […]
Abortion rights advocates blame confusion around Georgia law for plight of brain-dead pregnant woman
By Ty Tagami/Capitol Beat News Service
Georgia’s ‘heartbeat’ law, which bans abortion once cardiac activity is detected in a fetus, has been criticized by abortion and medical advocates for creating confusion and fear among providers, leading to a situation where a brain-dead pregnant woman was kept on life support.
Another big hurricane season forecast for 2025, with warming ocean a cause
By Ty Tagami/Capitol Beat News Service
The National Weather Service is predicting an above-average number of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean this year, with 13 to 19 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes, and three to five major hurricanes.
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