Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Good Morning! In the news today, political party leaders comment on war winds in the Middle East; Chatham County and its transit authority go to court; an environmental triumph; and four things for your radar. Questions, comments, or story ideas? You can reach me at craig.thecurrent@gmail.com.
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NEWS: GOVERNING
War winds
Whether for political reasons, military ones or both, Coastal Georgians were looking Monday at developments in the Middle East with worry.
Politically, President Donald Trump has enjoyed wide support in the region, having won the last three presidential elections in landslides. Whether — or how — a wider Middle East war might change that is unclear.
Militarily, the region is home to Fort Stewart, an Army post near Hinesville that hosts the 3rd Infantry Division, whose members would be near the top of the list of ground forces to be deployed in the Middle East in the event of an expanded conflict.
As of this writing, it was uncertain whether the ceasefire between Israel and Iran announced by President Trump late Monday would hold or whether there would be further military strikes on U.S. targets following Tehran’s attack on the U.S. Air Force base in the Gulf nation of Qatar earlier in the day.
More uncertain still was whether the confidence and enthusiasm that Republican leaders in Coastal Georgia and elsewhere in the state trumpeted following the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities would continue and how much the skepticism and concern of Georgia’s two Democratic U.S. senators would deepen.
But this much can be said: In the aftermath of Saturday’s air raid, Republican leaders in Coastal Georgia and elsewhere in the state rallied to the president’s side, a few reluctantly, The Current’s Craig Nelson reports.
NEWS: GOVERNING
Lawsuits & politics
With just days left before the board of directors of Chatham Area Transit is due under a new state law to be dissolved and replaced, lawyers for the county and some of the panel’s imperiled members go into Superior Court on Tuesday to urge a judge to block the overhaul.
The law, approved almost unanimously earlier this year by both chambers of the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp in May, calls for on current members of the CAT board to vacate their seats by this Monday, June 30, and for the new board to replace it the following day, July
The revamped board would be expanded from nine to 11 members, including the allocation of board seats to representatives of the area’s legislative delegation to Atlanta and to the Savannah-Georgia Convention Center Authority.
A lawsuit filed May 27 by the six members of the current CAT board argues, however, that the new law, House Bill 756, violates Georgia’s constitution. But while legal and constitutional issues will be the focus in the courtroom on Tuesday, politics also is driving the lawsuit, too, The Current’s Craig Nelson writes.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
‘Once and for all’
“Off the table.”
That’s how The Conservation Fund described its purchase last week of a 7,800-acre swath of land adjacent to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge from an Alabama-based mining company.
The $60 million purchase capped three years of negotiations between the Fund and Twin Pines Minerals and ends the threat “once and for all” of a proposed deep-earth mine near the half-million-acre refuge, the organization said in a news release.
The fund credited local groups, including One Hundred Miles, the Okefenokee Protection Alliance and the Georgia Water Coalition for their support in achieving the deal. The Virginia-based fund said, “the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge could soon receive UNESCO World Heritage Site status in recognition of its natural significance and biodiversity.”
The Current, especially its environment reporter Mary Landers, has followed the Okefenokee-Twin Pines saga ever since the strip mine was proposed. For more details on the deal struck last week and the path ahead, click here for our story by Tyler Davis and Margaret Coker.
The land acquisition is a rare bit of good news for conservationists, environmentalists and nature-lovers in Coastal Georgia.
The Trump administration is seeking to pull back $250 million in funding in this year’s National Park Service and next year wants to cut an additional $1 billion — a 30% cut that national park advocates say would “jeopardize the protection, maintenance and operation of our more than 430 national parks across the country.”
Also, more than 2 million acres of public land would go up for sale across 11 states under the current version of the Republican budget bill — a proposal that has been criticized by conservationists, hunting groups, and some conservatives.
NEWS
4 things for your radar
- Declaring himself “a strong, reliable conservative,” Chatham County Commissioner Patrick Farrell (4th District) last week formally announced his candidacy for the Coastal Georgia congressional seat held by Buddy Carter. He joins Appling County’s Kandiss Taylor and Chatham’s Krista Penn in the race for the Republican nomination for the seat, which has been held by the GOP since 1993. Carter Infinger, chairman of the Bryan County Commission, and Jim Kingston, son of longtime congressman Jack Kingston are also considering bids for the nomination. No Democrat has yet declared a bid for the seat.
- In anticipation that Lt. Gov. Burt Jones will run for governor next year, the state Senate’s Republican caucus chooses new leadership.
- At its general meeting on Wednesday, the Democratic Committee of Chatham County holds a special election for three vacant seats on the state Democratic Committee. The candidates are Robert Bryant, John Haden, Dr. Rosanna Horton, and Cameron Landin. Time: 6 p.m. Location: John Delaware Center, 1815 Lincoln St., Savannah.
- Communities across Coastal Georgia last week marked Juneteenth, as reporters for The Current reported. The White House indicated that President Trump would sign a proclamation about the holiday, which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. His actions about the celebrations were, however, limited to a complaint that there are “too many non-working holidays” that “cost the country “$BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.”
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Local GOP, Democratic leaders comment on deepening Middle East conflict
Coastal Georgians, including Republican leaders and Democratic senators, are reacting to the Middle East developments with concern, with some expressing support for President Trump’s actions and others warning of potential retaliation.
Chatham County, CAT board members go to court to block board overhaul
A lawsuit filed by six members of the current CAT board argues that the new law to replace the board violates the state constitution by removing current board members before the end of their terms without a “judicial trial” and dilutes the appointment power of the Chatham County Commission.
State to pay for thousands to get a private K-12 education this year
Georgia is set to pay for thousands of students to attend private K-12 schools or home school through the Promise Scholarship program, which will cost the state between $54 million and $84 million for the upcoming school year.
Georgia Senate Republicans vote on new leadership amid big shuffle
ATLANTA — A major shakeup is underway in the leadership of the Georgia Senate, after the Republican caucus elected a new majority leader and tentatively named a new president pro tempore. The two positions rank just below the lieutenant governor, who is elected by voters statewide. Republicans, who control the Senate, selected Sen. Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, Tuesday as the new majority leader through next year, the […]
Job Corps students bring a second suit to stop plans to shutter program
Students enrolled in the Job Corps program are suing the U.S. Department of Labor over plans to shut down all 99 centers by June 30, citing concerns about homelessness, lack of healthcare, and loss of training.
$60 million deal ends mining threat to Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp
The Conservation Fund has agreed to purchase Twin Pines Minerals’ land near the Okefenokee Swamp for $60 million, ending the threat of mining in the area and preserving the swamp’s ecological value.
Celebrating Juneteenth 2025
Coastal Georgians gathered to celebrate Juneteenth, a holiday that recognizes the end of slavery in the United States, with events including a fun run, a wade-in at Tybee Island, and a freedom fest in Riceboro. Find your town here.
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