– Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 –
Good morning. This week we’re covering how workers at the Hyundai site are sustaining serious injuries while trying to complete construction, local law enforcement’s efforts to stop “straw purchases” of guns, the glacial pace of the Jackie Johnson prosecution in Glynn County, and how first responders stepped up to help waterlogged Savannah residents.
Questions, comments, story ideas? Feedback for our newsroom? Reach out to staff@thecurrentga.org.
NEWS: PUBLIC SAFETY
Hyundai site workers hurt on the job
A hand trapped in a conveyor belt. A dizzying fall from a 15-to-20 foot high platform. A snapped safety cord then deadly drop from a steel beam.
These represent some of the at least 20 traumatic injuries by workers constructing the sprawling Hyundai plant in Bryan County since January 2023, when construction began, according to a new investigation by The Current.
The Current‘s Amira McKee found these previously unreported injuries by digging through troves of emergency personnel records, 911 call recordings and pages of federal workplace safety investigations.
They raise questions about whether the pace that Hyundai and its affiliates are working to complete construction in time for the end of the year are putting its workers at severe risk of injury.
Read the full investigation by McKee here.
NEWS: PUBLIC SAFETY
PSA for straw purchasers
Don’t lie for the other guy, cautioned top law enforcement officials and prosecutors at a Savannah news conference on Wednesday morning.
The “other guy” is the person on the receiving end of a firearms purchase. Known as a “straw purchase,” the fraudulent act involves buying a weapon on behalf of someone else who is out of state or ineligible due to a felony conviction, age or mental health.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia Jill Steinberg cited recent cases in the district, like Savannah man Javonte Washington, who is serving prison time after his girlfriend purchased a gun for him illegally in 2022, and Statesboro woman Jacqueline Christmas, who allegedly purchased 17 firearms on behalf of her brother-in-law in Brooklyn in 2022.
“Those prohibited persons use those guns to commit other crimes, like assault, like homicide, like drug trafficking,” Steinberg said. The press conference occurred as part of a public awareness campaign on straw purchases.
Less discussed at the conference, where Beau Kolodka with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also spoke, was the role of gun sellers to conduct sufficient background checks and stop straw purchases.
In 2022, nearly half of all guns recovered from shootings in Savannah came from 14 legal gun sellers in Chatham County, according to recent reporting in the Savannah Morning News. The ATF regulates those shops and their licenses, but rarely revokes licenses.
ANALYSIS: COURTS
Update: No update
More than eight months have passed since the last filing in the case of Jackie Johnson in Glynn, according to a Superior Court clerk.
That’s on top of the nearly three years that have gone by since Johnson was indicted on charges violating her oath of office and hindering a police investigation. Johnson is the former district attorney for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, accused of interfering in the death investigation of Ahmaud Arbery. She has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
As Johnson’s defense attorney, Brian Steel, goes on 19 months in the longest trial in Georgia history defending an Atlanta rapper, so too will Glynn County wait on any developments in his other client’s case.
In about two weeks, Glynn County will reach three years since Johnson was first indicted. No trial has been scheduled and it’s not clear whether basic evidence has been shared, a process known as discovery. The case’s glacial pace continues to frustrate residents and court watchers, as well as the prosecutors and judge in the case.
NEWS: PUBLIC SAFETY
ICYMI: First responders show up for Bradley Point
During the past week, Savannah first responders worked tirelessly helping residents of the flooded neighborhood of Bradley Point near Georgetown.
Roads filled with water over the weekend from the Ogeechee River’s rising tides, as a result of Tropical Storm Debby’s heavy rainfall the week before. Multiple roads were closed until Tuesday, while the City of Savannah built a temporary road next to Bradley Boulevard to allow residents to leave their homes.
On Monday, The Current‘s photographer Justin Taylor accompanied Savannah Police Department officers and Savannah Fire Department responders in an MRAP, a “Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected” to assist residents.
Responders used the MRAP “to ford the impassable flooded areas in the Bradley Point neighborhood, delivering supplies and extracting residents that called and requested assistance,” Taylor said. The city, SFD and SPD were all involved in “collecting supplies of food, water, and pet food to give out to residents in need.”
Check out the photos he took here.
Worker injuries mount as giant Hyundai project nears completion
The rapid pace of the EV plant construction has come at a cost for those who are building Georgia’s largest economic development project, two safety managers say.
Update: Vote postponed over deal to give nonprofit control over Forsyth Park
A controversial agreement proposes giving a nonprofit control over conservation efforts at Savannah’s Forsyth Park. A city council member has grave concerns.
State Supreme Court rules Open Records Act applies to private contractors working for governments
The court ruled unanimously Tuesday that a private contractor working for a public entity is still subject to the law and can be sent requests for public records they may possess.
Officials race to meet Hyundai’s water needs
Local governments make water agreements to meet Hyundai’s schedule, while farmers still have questions about their wells.
Slideshow: First responders, volunteers aid Bradley Point flood victims
Visual journalist Justin Taylor visited the waterlogged Bradley Point neighborhood on Monday as Savannah and Chatham County personnel and volunteers worked to help people trapped in their homes.
Hyundai wells scrutinized at public meeting
A large crowd of concerned citizens attended a public meeting and public hearing on the draft permits for Hyundai-related wells.
City, EPD say heavy rains caused Hinesville wastewater spill
The wastewater, which is separate from the city’s drinking water supply, travels from a discharge canal on the base to Taylors Creek, then flows into the Canoochee River , the Ogeechee River, Ossabaw Sound and eventually the Atlantic Ocean.
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