Sunday Reads – Sept. 19

Some things in Coastal Georgia remain steady in the face of pandemics and quarantines and variants. Football and the celebrations tied to game days are on that list of events that go on, some way, somehow. Savannah’s Forsyth Park has remained an airy outdoor gathering spot for residents throughout the Covid time, and fishing or shrimping off piers and boats provides solitary work and recreation for many through it all. What else do those items have in common? They are all part of today’s reading menu.

Pandemics and parties don’t mix

Some months back, the CDC released research to show Covid’s delta variant to be more contagious than chicken pox. That should have reminded us that parties are proven ways to spread viruses. After all, one common Baby Boomer-era mode of pre-emptive exposure was a neighborhood party for kids to share chicken pox to build early immunity when effects seemed less harmful. Later, we learned via new science that the chicken pox could leave us with a painful virus that causes shingles any time in life. (There’s a vaccine for that, too.)

Covid raises the ante: When it comes to viruses, sharing is not caring and can be very dangerous for all ages. Crowds in a delta “hot spot” like Glynn County endanger the residents, first responders, essential workers and the partiers themselves. However, the science and sense in all of that may be lost as the county prepares for the annual onslaught of Georgia-Florida football game partiers on the St. Simons beaches.

Facing an unpredictable time ahead, Glynn County commissioners took steps this week to discourage the traditional gathering set for Oct. 29-30. They voted to ban alcohol, limit creature comforts like bathrooms and food access but stopped short of closing access points and beaches altogether.

It’s a conundrum for the commissioners who want to help residents and businesses stay healthy through the economically tough time, but their challenge is doubled as the county also expects to play host to spectators, media, protesters and others during the trial for three men accused of killing Brunswick native Ahmaud Arbery. Arbery was a young black man shot while jogging through a white neighborhood. The trial, which is drawing national and international attention, is set to begin Oct. 18 in Brunswick and continue for several weeks. Commissioners are already worried about the thin public safety ranks due to quarantines from Covid illnesses and exposures.

A plan for Forsyth Park

In a time when governments and other groups often have to beg for feedback on plans and changes, organizers assembling a master plan for Savannah’s Forsyth Park haven’t had to do that. The 30-acre park holds a spot in hearts of nearly every Savannah-area resident and millions of visitors, so opinions are easy to find. The Trustees Garden Club and Friends of Forsyth, with the blessing of the city of Savannah, have worked for nearly a year to compile ideas and information toward a master plan to preserve the park’s tree canopy, open space and historic integrity. This week, the first draft based on early public meetings and comment was presented to the public for more feedback. The group unveiled the draft in a video presentation and it’s posted on the Friends of Forsyth website. If you want to comment on the proposed evolution for the park, you’ve got until Sept. 30.

SKIO researcher solving big shrimp questions

Shrimpers along the coast have been catching shrimp with black gills for years and, until recently, they haven’t had a lot of answers about the causes. Shrimp with black gills are harmless to consume, but research now shows the discolored gills are due to the shrimp’s immune response to a parasite. And that parasite can kill shrimp and reduce the harvest.

Researchers at the University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography led by Marc Frischer are working through causes and effects of the black gill-causing parasite. And now, they have linked the growing prevalence to warming waters due to climate change. The Current’s environment reporter Mary Landers talked to Frischer about the new findings and the challenges they present for Georgia’s $11.5 million shrimping industry.

For your second cup: the politics of disaster

Reasonable minds of all stripes would like to believe that there are things in life that transcend politics and call to the better side of human nature. In a hurricane- and flood-prone zone like Coastal Georgia, we’d certainly like to think we’d get help quickly any time a disaster strikes. Research based partly on events affecting other parts of Georgia says that might not be exactly true. Does an area’s constituency, political beliefs and power influence how fast disaster aid might arrive? A Georgia professor presents the data.

Enjoy.

In midst of pandemic, Glynn County preps for Georgia-Florida party weekend

County commission bans alcohol, limits beach amenities to head off crowds in area where high Covid rates have drawn national attention.

The Tide: Draft plan for Savannah’s Forsyth Park offers ‘lighter touch’

The park that unites a city over generations will get a master plan for the first time in an effort to preserve its trees and its historic integrity.

Research connects black gill in shrimp to warming climate

Researchers at the UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography led by Marc Frischer have learned a lot over the last few years about the parasite that causes black gill and the conditions that allow it to thrive.

Presidents declare more disasters during reelection years – and the decisions come faster

Research finds politics, climate change and constituencies affect speed, breadth of emergency disaster aid.

Justice Department investigates Georgia prisons over inmate deaths, LGBT attacks

Department of Justice probe will look at a correctional system where murders and suicides have spiked during the pandemic and examine allegations that staff and inmates repeatedly physically and sexually abuse LGBT inmates.

How is Georgia managing Medicaid managed care?

Georgia does not require its Medicaid insurers to hit a specific target for spending on patient care.

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Susan Catron is managing editor for The Current GA. She is based in Coastal Georgia and has more than two decades of experience in Georgia newspapers. Contact her at susan.catron@thecurrentga.org Susan...