Landfill Permits Under Fire

Sunday Solutions – Sept. 25, 2022

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Break out the party hats! We’re turning 2! And for the occasion, Sunday Reads has changed to Sunday Solutions. It’s important for all of us to consider solutions for all our common predicaments. We’ll do our best to highlight ideas and information you can use to work toward a solution of your own. And we’re looking to be a Terrific Two, not a Terrible Two…we’ll let you tell us how we do.

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County fights state permits, landfill

In 2014, developers asked Brantley County for support for a new 100-acre landfill that would also convert wood waste to energy and they obliged. Later, officials learned that description wasn’t accurate and the area will be a solid-waste landfill. The county tried to legislate it out and, along with residents and the Satilla Riverkeeper, tried to pull back any and all other support for the area less than 3 miles from the Satilla River. Georgia Environmental Protection Division officials say the landfill’s developers followed procedure and the county officials should’ve known what was planned, or not planned. A federal judge ruled in favor of the developer, who now owns 2,400 acres there. EPD issued permits in May and of the 9,517 public comments, only 3 were in favor of the project, according to a story from Georgia Recorder. The appeal is headed to court. Under the category Everything’s Connected: The Satilla flows from near the landfill site through Camden and Glynn counties to meet the Atlantic Ocean south of Jekyll Island.

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Coffee County residents bristle at scrutiny

Douglas, the Coffee County seat, is at least an hour from larger Georgia cities like Hinesville and Valdosta and two hours from Savannah and Macon. But the southeast Georgia residents there are squarely in the national spotlight after the county GOP party chair who is also a fake state elector, county elections supervisor and a member of the county election board allowed outside lawyers and techs to copy their voting records after the 2020 elections. Some of the key players have moved away, but the residents are stuck with the fallout. “We don’t like sneaky stuff,” one voter told Georgia Recorder’s Ray Glier when he went there to talk to them. Here’s a recap of the “stuff” from the Washington Post.

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Your second cup: Information and power

Banned Books Week ended yesterday, but the reality of book bans grew following Georgia legislation this year that allowed easier challenges to individual books in public school libraries. The American Library Association has tracked nearly 700 challenges so far this year across the nation including some in Georgia. One researcher on childhood education says those who fear children will adopt new or unwanted ideas from a book are missing a crucial point: How children consume literature. Researchers find that children create unique reading experiences, informed by their own lives and influences so far. There’s more about this in this story by a researcher in learning at the University of Southern California.

The library at the College of Coastal Georgia has compiled a list of banned and challenged books to make it easier for us to see what they are — and buy or check them out, as well.

Libraries for the future have to be prepared on many new levels to help us all learn in ways that transcend the printed page. Many local libraries provide resources for job searches, tutoring and other assistance. As a librarian who teaches librarians, Michelle Martin of the University of Washington, has ideas for how we can strengthen community through libraries that help everyone find the resources they need to improve their lives. Here’s a link to an interview with Martin, who says the pandemic energized libraries to look closely at and support their neighborhoods leaving them stronger to serve now.

Quick note: If you want to talk information and power, join The Current’s staff and E. Shaver Booksellers for “Current Conversations Disinformation and Election Campaigns” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, at our office in the Georgia rail car just behind the Savannah Visitors Center, 303 MLK Blvd. Register at this link. Barring a visit from Hurricane Ian (who is not invited), we hope to see you there.

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A quick request

Part of turning 2 means we are evolving our systems, too. Over the last few days, we’ve added a new signup and account management system for our site, thecurrentga.org. We believe this new system will make it easier for you to manage things like your newsletter subscriptions, recurring donations, and other activity on our site all in one place, but the transition means you might need to re-verify your email address, even if you’ve already signed up to receive our newsletters or made donations in the past.

When you first visit thecurrentga.org after the new system is activated, you might see a popup message that asks you to register on the site. If you are already signed up for our newsletters, you can simply enter your email address and click “sign up.”

Then, check your email inbox where you should see a confirmation email with a link and code you can use to sign in to the site. (If you don’t see it, check your spam or junk filter. If you still don’t see it, let us know.)

From here, you can click on the “my account” button at the top right corner of the site if you’d like to create a password or manage any of your newsletter subscription or donation preferences. If you don’t want to create a password, that’s ok, too! You can always use the link from the verification email to sign in and manage your account.

Registration isn’t mandatory, but it will help us learn more about you, your reading preferences and help us communicate well with you over time. 

Coming soon: A new way to get news from The Current!

Questions or hiccups?: Let us know at thecurrentga@gmail.com. 

Thanks!

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