Sunday Solutions — June 8, 2025
Good morning! We have a sunny day ahead, but be sure to check in with us when the showers arrive. We’re looking at what changes in Washington mean for some people in job training on the coast and reasons why it may be taking the state so long to decide on mining permits. Plus, we’ve got a whole new group of reporters watching how it all affects you. Let’s go!
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT, BUSINESS
Mining company’s financial headwinds
As the wait — and fight — drags on over mining permits near the Okefenokee Swamp, the company seeking the right to strip-mine is having other difficulties. Twin Pines Minerals has failed to submit financial assurance of $2.1 million to state regulators, as required for the permit. It is fighting two separate lawsuits alleging breach of contract that could cost more than $30 million, and it’s still paying off last year’s property taxes in Charlton County. The Current’s Mary Landers has the details.
NEWS: EDUCATION, JOBS
From career training to homelessness
This week 215 young adults and 130 staff members from the Brunswick Job Corps Center are packing up, and many have no home or job to go to. On May 29, the 60-year-old U.S. Department of Labor program was abruptly terminated. The residential program provided training and certification for 11 in-demand trades including plumbing, nursing, IT, automotive tech, and construction. The Current’s Jabari Gibbs talked to students who’ve been abandoned about their disappointment and what may be next.
🎉 So this week, we received guesses but, sadly, no one knew that last week’s Spyglass was the entrance to Cay Creek Wetlands Interpretive Center in Midway. 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.
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NEWS
Your weekly reader
Here’s a look at some of the stories that we haven’t seen elsewhere and thought we’d share.
- International immigrants drive rural population growth: A look at where recent federal travel bans and deportations could have the most effects. From The Daily Yonder.
- Call centers replaced many doctors’ receptionists. Now, AI is replacing the call centers. Will AI’s intelligence merge information with efficiency? From KFF Health News.
- A complete list of everything in the Republican bill and how much it would cost or save: This comprehensive look is just what we all need to evaluate the claims flying back and forth. From The New York Times.
- ARPA reduced violence. Local governments look to sustain the gains.: There are mixed reviews on how states, counties and cities spent the covid-era American Rescue Plan. Some programs funded by the short-lived aid turned out to be long-term winners. From Governing.com.
- Eco-anxiety in little kids? These early childhood teachers are on the case. As adults fret over stronger hurricanes, warmer temperatures and local flooding, we can’t forget about the little ones who watch our moves. How do we make them proactive in a changing world? From Chalkbeat.
NEWS: SOLUTIONS
☕ Your second cup: Help from the sky
Drones are making the news, and we’ve found a story about them that doesn’t involve bombs or scary surveillance equipment. Read this story from RouteFifty.com that shows how drones can help deliver needed supplies to remote or rural areas and people who can’t always leave home.
NEWS FROM THE CURRENT
They’re here!
Please welcome The Current’s 2025 Summer Reporting Fellows. You may already have noticed new bylines; they’ve been digging in quickly. Here’s a bit about them:
- Tyler Davis is from Jacksonville, Fla., and is a senior at American University. Tyler comes to us through the Dow Jones News Fund and has been working for DC Witness, a non-profit newsroom dedicated to covering violent crime cases at the D.C. Superior Courthouse.
- Ellen Hunter is a graduate of Liberty County High School, and a senior at Savannah State University. She has been the editor of the campus newspaper, Tiger’s Roar. Ellen will be focusing her work in Camden County and on higher education.
- Domonique King is also a graduate of Liberty County High School. Her internship comes through the Couric Fellowship, awarded by the Reg Murphy Center for Collaborative Journalism at Mercer University, where she is a student. She’ll be focused on McIntosh, Long and Liberty counties this summer with an eye on schools.
- Lily Belle Poling, from Montgomery, Ala., is a student at Yale University and a staff reporter for the campus newspaper. Lily is interested in the complicated roots and far-reaching effects of housing shortages and will be watching Pooler, Bryan and other areas as they deal with those challenges. Her investigative reporting internship is sponsored in part through the Ida B. Wells Society.
The Current is dedicated to helping grow the next generation of local news journalists, and your support makes this possible. Thanks to all of you who’ve donated to help and to those of you reading their work. We’re all stronger together.
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Brunswick Job Corps shutdown looms, leaving students without homes
By Jabari Gibbs
Job Corps centers, such as the one in Brunswick are facing potential closure due to federal funding cuts, leaving hundreds of students without access to education and vocational training.
Twin Pines’ financial woes stall mining permits near Okefenokee Swamp
By Mary Landers
Twin Pines Minerals has not submitted the required $2.1 million bond to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, while two lawsuits filed by Danish and California companies allege breach of contract and fraud, and the company remains in arrears for a $15,000 property tax bill in Charlton County.
Open houses set for Interstate 16 widening project
By Dave Williams/Capitol Beat
ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) is seeking public input ahead of two planned open houses this month on a plan to widen Interstate 16 west of Savannah. This story also appeared in Capitol Beat News Service The project would widen the heavily traveled highway from two lanes to three in both directions […]
Liberty County libraries face reduced hours amid budget approval
By Domonique King
Live Oak Public Libraries are facing a funding shortfall of $190,000 in the 2026 budget, which could lead to reduced hours and closed weekends, while the Liberty County Board of Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposed budget in two weeks.
Who’s running for office? Georgia candidates announce 2026 bids
By Maya Homan/Georgia Recorder
State Rep. Derrick Jackson, a Tyrone Democrat, has become the latest candidate to launch a bid for governor in Georgia, focusing on policies to benefit working families and civil rights, while other candidates like state Sen. Brian Strickland and Rep. Farooq Mughal also announced their campaigns for higher office.
Camden agency sues Jacoby Development over Cumberland Inlet debt
By Maggie Lee
Add another court case to the old Gilman Paper site. Camden County’s development authority is suing Atlanta’s Jacoby Development to recoup a loan made to help fund development of an eco-tourism resort at the shuttered mil site. The legal entity that owns the site has already declared bankruptcy.
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