Weather is Only One Type of Storm

Sunday Reads

Tropical Storm Elsa has come and gone. It’s going to take a bigger storm to clear away the complexities of rising crime, reapportionment and the never-ending election cycle, so it’s a good thing we’ve got stories to help navigate the quagmire.

A violent circle

In recent weeks, we’ve heard a lot about the success Savannah police have had in lowering the homicide rate over the past couple of years. But there’s a public perception that the violent crime rate remains high, and The Current’s summer reporting fellows Jacqueline GaNun and Jasmine Freeman wanted to understand why. They talked to victims and took a look at data to find the city’s violent crime at a 10-year high and case clearance rates lower than the national average. A good portion of the lift stems from robberies of individuals, residences and small businesses. The story talks to victims who are trying to make sense of their lingering fears and to the police captain who’s trying to gain community trust and solve cases with fewer detectives. According to Mayor Van Johnson, it’s a balance of working to prevent crime or solving existing ones.

Lessons from Elsa

We must acknowledge Coastal Georgia’s first real tropical test this year. Elsa brought a fast 8 inches of rain and some isolated tornadoes. Let’s call it a trial run as our warming planet brings new climate adventures. We need to adjust for stronger, wetter storms, says Clark Alexander, the director of Skidaway Institute of Oceanography on Skidaway Island. Check out the story recapping Elsa and looking ahead by Kayla Guilliams, another of The Current’s four summer reporting fellows.

Candidate swapping

Another type of storm flared up last week in Glynn County as the county commission punted the two final candidates for county manager (both female). Instead, they decided to tap former commissioner and current county tax commissioner, Jeff Chapman, for the job even though he hadn’t applied and didn’t meet the qualifications cited for the position. Here’s the story to explain how that happened. There was no public input to consider the change in direction or report from the Mercer Group, the head hunter group taxpayers paid to find qualified candidates. Commissioners take their final vote July 15.

Elections, redistricting and courts, oh my!

It really could be considered an ongoing three-ring event of some sort, but there aren’t any lions, tigers or bears in sight. Maybe a few elephants and donkeys.

Here’s a quick update of the status of redistricting and the voting law challenges.

• While some hailed this week’s decision as a victory for proponents of Georgia’s new elections law, others were less sure. The lawsuit filed by the Coalition for Good Governance sought to stop the shorter absentee ballot request window in the law. The judge ruled that he’d uphold the law — for now. He said he wouldn’t block part of the law during the ongoing election process for some Sept. 21 special elections, but he stopped short of saying his decision was permanent and didn’t weigh in on the overall merits. The case, like 7 others, continues.
• Public hearings continue before the state House and Senate committees take up redistricting. The 2020 Census data won’t arrive for a few more weeks, so the lawmakers are gathering comments at various sites around the state. Tropical Storm Elsa forced two this week to be rescheduled, but previous hearings have a common theme: Lines should represent whole communities with common interests and shouldn’t be drawn to fragment them to dilute their power. If you want to weigh in, there will be one in-person opportunity for Coastal Georgia residents at 5 p.m. July 26, at the College of Coastal Georgia conference center, 3 Mariner Way in Brunswick. If you want to submit a written comment, here’s a link to do that. To view all the committee meetings, here’s the link for those.

And for your second cup…

Today, we share an inspiring Working Together story from our nonprofit colleagues, 100 Days in Appalachia. It’s about a town in West Virginia that’s navigated fire, flood, coal mine closures and a pandemic with a determination to always rise. Its most recent calamity is one many Georgia counties are facing: the closure of their town’s hospital. Residents in Williamson have dealt with the past, and they are tackling the future together to grow a healthier community.

Enjoy.

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