Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026
Good morning! In the news today: An apparent chase by federal immigration agents in Savannah ends in fatal crash; possible changes afoot for Cumberland National Seashore; and lawmakers push to improve grade-school literacy. Finally, we note some things you may have missed. Questions, comments, or story ideas? You can reach me at craig.thecurrent@gmail.com.
NEWS: COMMUNITY
‘Beloved’
The death of a Chatham County elementary school teacher during an immigrantion enforcement operation on Savannah’s southeast side has brought home to Coastal Georgia a some of the violence that has accompanied those operations in Minneapolis and elsewhere in the country.
Linda Davis was en route to Herman W. Hesse K-8 School Monday morning when her Lexus sedan was struck by vehicle driven by 38-year-old Oscar Vasquez-Lopez on Whitefield Avenue near the Truman Parkway. Davis was later transported by local emergency personnel to a nearby hospital, where was pronounced dead, The Current’s Margaret Coker reports.
Tricia McLaughlin, a top official for the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS), later described Vazquez-Lopez, who appeared to have been detained by federal agents at the scene, as a “criminal illegal alien” from Guatemala. She went on to call Davis’ death “an absolute tragedy and deadly consequence of politicians and the media constantly demonizing ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] officers.”
In her statement, McLaughlin didn’t say whether immigration agents were in active pursuit of Vasquez-Lopez’s vehicle when he collided with the sedan driven by Davis. Nor was it clear if immigration agents provided any medical assistance to Davis before emergency personnel arrived at the scene.
Meanwhile, some students at the Hesse K-8 School, along with administrators and other teachers, are without Davis, whom Alonna McMullen, the school’s principal, called a “beloved” member of the school. Going forward, McMullen said, “We will try to maintain as normal a routine and structure as the situation allows.”
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
Deadline for island plan
The National Park Service has set a deadline of Feb. 21 for public comment about its proposal to more than double the number of visitors allowed to visit Camden County’s Cumberland Island National Seashore.
The 256-page plan, issued in December, also calls for construction of beach pavilions, more campsites, and a store to sell essential camping items, as well as souvenirs and books. Bikes and e-bikes would also be allowed along a stretch of the island’s 17.5-mile seafront, The Current’s Mary Landers reports.
Environmentalists are critical of the plan with one, Will Harlan of the Center for Biological Diversity, describing it as a “giant step backwards from where the island is supposed to be heading.”
And while some are heartened by the prospects of more visitors to the natural treasure, they also fear that cutbacks of park service personnel mean the proposed increase in visitors can’t be adequately managed to protect the island’s wild character. To comment on the plan, click here and scroll down for directions.
NEWS: LEGISLATURE
Sweeping changes
The push by state lawmakers to improve abysmal literacy rates among Georgia’s grade schoolers continues.
Calling it his number one priority of the current legislative session, House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) in a rare move has listed himself as co-sponsor of a bill that calls for sweeping changes in the way schools test students’ reading and screen for issues like dyslexia. It emphasizes the science of reading, an evidence-based approach to literacy based on research in fields like education, neurology and linguistics, Georgia Recorder’s Ross Williams reports.
Under the measure, House Bill 1193, every school that has students between kindergarten and third grade would get money to hire one literacy coach if they have more than 200 students. Schools with fewer students would receive half of that funding.
A majority of Georgia’s third graders – 62% – are not reading proficiently, according to the Georgia Council on Literacy. And the state ranks 28th among U.S. states in national test scores for 4th graders learning to read behind neighboring Mississippi (9th), Florida (10th), Tennessee (23rd) and South Carolina (24th).
NEWS: UPDATES
ICYMI
• McIntosh County’s Board of Commissioners is to hold a special called meeting on Friday at 10 a.m. to discuss “Extension of the Moratorium dealing with Sapelo Island Rezonings, Development Permits, Building Permits, Land Disturbance Permits and Subdivision Plats,” according to the agenda.
• President Donald Trump will deliver a speech in Rome, Georgia, on Thursday touting his economic record. A day later, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff will be in Savannah to address Skidaway Island Democrats.
• Effingham County elections and registration supervisor Laura Bassett urges voters in the county to participate in the May 19 party primaries “to influence who appears on the general election ballot.” While the county GOP is stressing voter turnout in the Republican-dominated county, local Democrats are focused on recruiting candidates.
• House lawmakers are weighing a measure, House Bill 1089, to make a controversial anti-parasitic drug, ivermectin, available over the counter.
• Citing in the way “people choose to ceremoniously depart this world,” Sen. Rick Williams (R-Milledgeville) is sponsoring legislation, Senate Bill 239, that would end the requirement that funeral directors double as licensed embalmers.
• U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley, a Republican, says his failure to vote for nearly two decades is an object lesson for lots of people that don’t vote. “If you’re not vigilant in exercising that right, things can go pretty sideways in our country,” he says.
• U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff tells the worshippers at Atlanta’s Big Bethel A.M.E. Church that the FBI’s Fulton County raid is an attempt by President Donald Trump to suppress Black votes. “He sent them to Fulton County to seize your ballots on a pack of lies,” Ossoff says. “But why Fulton? In part, for the same reason this president posts videos that depict Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.”
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Chatham County teacher killed in crash by suspect fleeing ICE
A Chatham County elementary school teacher on her way to work was killed by a man fleeing federal immigration agents.
Lawmakers push plan to lift Georgia’s lagging literacy rates
A majority of Georgia’s third graders – 62% – are not reading proficiently, according to the Georgia Council on Literacy. This story also appeared in Georgia Recorder That’s a big deal because research suggests reading proficiency at this age is a major predictor of future success, with kids who cannot read well by third grade four times as likely to drop out of school before getting […]
Shift away from embalming has lawmakers rethinking Georgia’s requirements for funeral home directors
Senate Bill 239, which would end the requirement that funeral directors in Georgia also be licensed embalmers, has passed through the Senate unanimously and is now sitting in the House for consideration.
Cumberland Island could see 700 visitors a day under proposed plan
The National Park Service has released a Visitor Use Management Plan for Cumberland Island National Seashore, which suggests more than doubling the number of daily visitors allowed on the island and providing more amenities, but environmental groups are raising concerns about the potential impact on the island’s wilderness and wildlife.
Georgia lawmakers consider first steps to streamline public health system
A legislative committee in Georgia has issued five recommendations to streamline the state’s public health system, including updating county funding formulas, creating a career ladder for public health workers, and allowing the state to reconfigure health districts without local consent.
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