Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Good morning! In the news today, SPLOST deadlines loom in Chatham County; southeastern Georgia gets a new distinction; Job Corps funding cuts hit Brunswick; and some things for your radar. Questions, comments, or story ideas? You can reach me at craig.thecurrent@gmail.com.
NEWS: GOVERNING
Crunch time
It’s crunch time for SPLOST in Chatham County.
SPLOST, or special purpose local option sales tax, is a 1% countywide sales tax approved by voters to fund specific capital projects.
The Chatham County Commission and its chairman, Chester Ellis, have until July 18 to formally notify county election officials of its wish to include a SPLOST measure on the Nov. 4 ballot, a measure that is expected to include projects totaling up to $700 million.
That day, the commission will make the final decision over decide on the package that goes to voters for their approval in November, The Current’s Craig Nelson writes.
What criteria the commission will use to decide the final shape of that package hasn’t been publicly disclosed.
NEWS: IMMIGRATION
Largest immigrant detention facility
Georgia’s Charlton County is set to become home to the largest immigrant detention facility in the United States following an agreement between county officials and the federal Department of Homeland Security.
Under a $47 million contract reached Friday by county and federal government officials, the D. Ray James Correctional Facility in Folkston, 45 miles southwest of Brunswick, will be merged with an immigrant processing center in the city that is operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The combined facility in the state’s southernmost county will have a capacity of up to 3,000 beds, The Current’s Tyler Davis reports.
Coastal Georgia Congressman Earl “Buddy” Carter, who said he helped broker the contract, praised the deal. It will add “roughly 400 jobs and economic growth to the First Congressional District,” he said in a news release.
Carter, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Jon Ossoff, said he would “continue to support our brave ICE agents as they seek to restore law and order.”
NEWS: JOBS
‘I just want to know, why?’
It seems that every week brings news of more cuts in federal funding for services that many Coastal Georgians deemed essential or took for granted. The trend is unmistakable — whether, for instance, it’s financial support for health care or science.
Now comes word that job training in Brunswick for 200 low-income, young adults may now be ending, after the federally funded Brunswick Job Corps Center was ordered to cease all activities and evict students from the housing it provided.
A federal judge has stayed Washington’s move temporarily. But among students, optimism about their futures is in short supply, amid worries about what they’ll do next, The Current’s Jabari Gibbs writes.
Destiny Saebra Grannis isn’t alone among the Job Corps students in asking:
“I just want to know, why? What’s being done wrong, and what could we do to change people’s minds? Because this is so much more than a program. It’s people’s lives, futures and opportunities.”
NEWS: UPDATES
4 things for your radar
- Early voting continues for the June 17 special primary election to decide the candidates for the Public Service Commissioners election in November. Turnout so far has been abysmally low: As of Saturday, for instance, only 606 voters had cast ballots in Chatham County. Here’s why it matters: The PSC sets the rates Georgia Power is allowed to charge. For more information, click here.
- Also, Coastal Georgia Democracy is to hold a candidates forum for the Georgia Public Service Commission, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at the Coastal Georgia Center. Click here details.
- Pat Farrell, Chatham County commissioner for the 4th District, formally announces his candidacy for the 1st District Congressional seat currently held by Buddy Carter. The proceedings begin at 5:30 p.m. at Forest City Gun Club, 9203 Ferguson Ave., in Savannah. Call (912)659-7211 for info.
- Jesse Petrea means it — he’s grateful for the encouragement, but the Savannah-area state representative really isn’t running for Congress from Coastal Georgia.
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Charlton County, ICE contract to expand processing center moves forward
The D. Ray James Correctional Facility in Folkston, Georgia will be merged with an immigrant processing center to create the largest immigrant detention facility in the United States, adding 400 jobs and increasing center capacity to 3,000 beds.
Chatham officials rush to prepare list for sales tax vote
Chatham County seeks to renew 1-cent sales tax funding for up to $700 million worth of projects. The final list of projects to be publicly released on June 13 and a vote on the package is expected on July 18.
Who’s running for office? Georgia candidates announce 2026 bids
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.
Brunswick Job Corps shutdown looms, leaving students without homes
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
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.
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