– Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024 –
Good morning. This week’s newsletter is chock full of news from across The Current‘s newsroom and the coast with stories on digital safety in Georgia, fire safety in a rural community, keeping kids safe on their way to school and updates in important coastal court cases.
Have a question, comment or news tip? You can reach me at jake.shore@thecurrentga.org.
NEWS: DIGITAL SECURITY
Voter data exposed
First up, a portal set up by Georgia’s chief elections officer to make it easier to cancel someone’s voter registration has instead exposed private personal data of voters.
The Current‘s data reporter Maggie Lee discovered the flaw on Wednesday, the second one discovered by news outlets since the rollout of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s site on Monday. The Associated Press found the first security glitch.
Read more from Lee’s story about the newest security breach and what Georgia officials have done about it.
NEWS: PUBLIC SAFETY
Midway fire woes grow
In-fighting between the Midway city officials and its volunteer firefighters escalated this week after the city put closed signs on fire stations and floated the idea of asking Liberty County to take over fire coverage.
Midway, a small community of over 2,000 people, is served by the Midway Volunteer Fire Department and Liberty County Fire Services.
Mayor Levern Clancy said he was the one behind the closed signs on the volunteer department’s stations. “It’s like 300 different kinds of mold. So why let them in the building, health reasons, and then they come back after they get sick and want to sue the city? So that’s why I put the sign on the door,” Clancy said.
It comes as the volunteer firefighters have accused the city of severe disinvestment and putting lives at risk. The Current‘s Liberty County reporter, Robin Kemp, has been following this from the start and put these questions to city council.
EXPLAINER: PUBLIC SAFETY, EDUCATION
Speeding and school safety
School started in Coastal Georgia today for Bryan and Chatham counties and is set to kick off next week for Camden, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, and McIntosh counties.
With children back in classrooms, efforts to keep them safe on the streets near schools are well underway.
Last month, a law signed by Gov. Brian Kemp went into effect, increasing penalties for drivers who pass a stopped school bus using its visual signs. If cited and convicted, the driver could be subject to a fine of at least $1,000 or up to a year in prison. The crime is considered an aggravated misdemeanor.
Dozens of school zone cameras across Chatham County and Savannah go into effect this week as well. Cameras are also located near schools in St. Marys, Richmond Hill, and Effingham County and Liberty County schools, according to news reports.
First violations for speeding in school zones are $75 while subsequent ones are at $125.
ANALYSIS: COURTS
Court watch
Here are some important developments and news in Coastal Georgia court cases:
Savannah assistant principal indicted: India Nicole Young, the assistant principal of Hubert Elementary School, was charged by federal prosecutors for stealing government funds on Tuesday. The Current asked a Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools spokesperson about the vague accusation in federal court. Young resigned “effective immediately” on Wednesday, and the accusation “did not involve actions taken as an employee of the district, but as a private citizen,” the spokesperson, Sheila Blanco, said.
LaToya James lawsuit dismissed: U.S. Judge Lisa G. Wood of the Southern District of Georgia dismissed a lawsuit filed by the family of LaToya James earlier this month. They had argued that Camden County deputies should be liable for shooting James during an unlawful search and shootout in 2021. Wood ruled, however, that the deputies were protected from liability due to actions taken in the course of their positions, known as qualified immunity and that officers had a reasonable suspicion to enter the home. You can read the decision here and our past coverage here.
Virginia judge rules in favor of Bryan County gunmaker: A federal judge in Virginia ruled against a family who sued Daniel Defense, a Bryan County-based gun manufacturer, and other gun companies for knowingly marketing its firearms to impressionable and violent young men. They alleged that the marketing practices helped a 23-year-old man carry out a 2022 school shooting in Washington D.C. The judge ruled last week there wasn’t enough evidence to connect Daniel Defense’s marketing to the school shooter’s actions. A similar case involving the families of victims of the Uvalde, Texas school shooting is still ongoing.
NEWS: ELECTIONS
One more thing: Candidate’s petition hits snag
While this story doesn’t have directly to do with public safety, it’s a necessary update for engaged Glynn County citizens.
Earlier this year, county resident and health researcher Laura Khurana launched the kind of outsider run for local office that’s rare for counties like Glynn, where lineage and independent wealth are the usual indicators of political success.
She faced an uphill battle: running as an independent (forgoing the help of the two main political parties) meant she had to collect thousands of signatures just to get on the ballot. She eventually got there, until the county board of elections ruled this week that the signatures she garnered didn’t meet the legal threshold.
Read this brief from The Current‘s Margaret Coker on Khurana’s plight.
Georgia voter cancellation portal requires second round of security fixes
Oversights by IT workers during a test phase meant that for at least two days vital data such as driver’s license information or partial Social Security numbers would have been visible to malicious actors.
Midway to discuss moving fire protection to Liberty County
Midway officials say they may ask Liberty County to take over fire protection.
Glynn election board claims candidate’s signatures not valid
Glynn County’s election board decided that a petition submitted by independent candidate Laura Khurana had invalid signatures. Khurana says she plans to challenge the decision.
Coastal Georgia hidden history: Art, music, literature in the lowcountry
Nine historical markers in Chatham County celebrate the art, literature and music contributions of Savannah natives, long-time visitors or fervent admirers.
Georgia election board walks back rules approved at meeting flagged by state AG
Lawsuit claimed 3 members held quick vote knowing others could not attend meeting.
Brunswick residents join scientists to test water quality near Superfund sites
A partnership between residents of Brunswick and Georgia Southern University’s Institute for Water and Health is hoping to bridge the gaps in data collection in some of Glynn county’s most polluted waters.
Support independent, solutions-based investigative journalism without bias, fear or favor on issues affecting Savannah and Coastal Georgia.
You must be logged in to post a comment.