Savannah Morning News
Grand reopening unveils $1M renovation
On Feb. 28, Gray’s Reef Ocean Discovery Center hosted a grand reopening block party to display its $1 million renovation, fashioned with new replica reefs, sandboxes, virtuality headset, shrimp-crackle soundscapes, model fish and invertebrate species,...
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‘Every year we must tell the story’
Inside a tiny fenced-in park off Augusta Avenue a small group gathered. Each person spoke a name; “Thomas, Daphney, Dido, three fingered Tony.” After each name, water poured from a plastic bottle. A historical marker stood nearby, commemorating the...
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Iran air strikes mark Trump’s biggest gamble
WASHINGTON – With his large-scale attack on Iran, President Donald Trump has seized a legacydefining moment to demonstrate his readiness to exercise raw U.S. military power. But in doing so, he is also taking the biggest foreign policy gamble of his...
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Vitriol. Profanity. Politics. Experts warn about role social media has played
WASHINGTON – Most of this story isn’t fit for a family newspaper. The country’s political discourse has deteriorated to the point – or become so robust – that the president can drop an f-bomb and get one lobbed back in return. Of course, caustic...
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Clinton depositions show changed Democratic Party
WASHINGTON – In late February 2016, Hillary Clinton cruised to an overwhelming victory in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary – an unambiguous statement of the former first lady and secretary of state’s dominance over her party as she...
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Carnegie Library ready to share city’s Black history
Live Oak Public Library Executive Director Lola DeWitt was at the Key West Literary Seminar in 2023 when she had an epiphany. h The seminar’s theme focused on Black literature and amplifying those stories, and her mind instantly went to Savannah’s own...
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Trump touts ‘roaring economy’ in speech
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump declared the country is booming, his opponents are “crazy” and his administration is engaged in unprecedented levels of “winning” in a marathon State of the Union address that comes as polls showed deep skepticism of...
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Woman’s ‘off ’ feeling leads to life-saving surgery
For Julie Warner of Savannah, Wednesday Aug. 20, 2025, started out like a typical day. Until it wasn’t. h That morning, with two of her four children already at school and the two others about to walk out the door, the busy 46-year-old wife and mom was...
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Survey finds likely human remains
A survey to determine if human remains are still located within Downtown Savannah’s Whitefield Square found multiple examples of burial remains. Whitefield Square encompasses an area formerly known as the “Negro Burial Grounds,” a cemetery for persons...
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Faith leaders pray for peace after death of teacher
Seeking to honor local teacher Linda Davis’ life while offering reassurance to the immigrant community, faith leaders from across religious traditions gathered Thursday afternoon near the site of Monday’s crash. Federal immigrations agents conducted...
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Savannah goes from ‘Best Kept Secret’ to 12M visitors
When Interstate 95 by Savannah was nearing completion, many in Savannah’s business community saw that north-south thoroughfare as both a risk and an opportunity. At the time travelers to Florida would cross the Talmadge Bridge and drive right through...
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Savannahians reflect on impact, legacy of Rev. Jackson
When Savannah native Ben Polote first heard that Rev. Jesse Jackson was considering a run for president, it was at an airport hangar in Washington D.C. As a friend of Jackson’s for about five years, Polote’s first reaction was a sense of alarm that...
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‘FROM DUST YOU CAME’
As the door to the Sentient Bean opened the scent of cooking food and coffee floated out. On the sidewalk, the Rev. Michael Chaney stood with a parishioner. “On this first day of Lent, remember that this life is transitory,” Chaney said as his thumb...
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Starland unveils new mixed-use development
Savannah’s Starland District is slated for its latest mixed-use development in a neighborhood that has become known for its options to work, live and play. The project team behind the transformation of the long vacant C&S Upholstery Supply building at...
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Civil rights icon ‘kept the dream alive’
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering civil rights icon who battled alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., negotiated global hostage releases and shamed corporations for their lack of diversity and failure to support voting rights, died on Feb. 17. He...
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Wood storks rebound
The wood stork, the pride of the southeastern United States and the only stork species native to North America, lives according to the rhythm of tides. As the tide falls and fish become trapped in small pools, white-feathered waders stir up the mud...
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Langley to lead Second Harvest in fighting hunger
Miriam Langley has long been passionate about ensuring everyone has access to nutritious food. And in her new position as CEO of the Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, Langley hopes to continue pursuing this passion, and the mission of Second...
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Residents react
Tom Weight looked at the projection on the wall of the proposed site plan for what will be known as The District Pooler wearily. The renderings of what the developers wanted to build were beautiful: a massive pond, surrounded by a sleek-looking...
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Pride flag raised again at NYC’s Stonewall Inn
NEW YORK – In defiance of a Trump administration edict, New York City officials and activists raised the rainbow pride flag again on Feb. 12 at the Stonewall National Monument, the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, after it was removed over the...
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Homan says Minnesota ICE operation will end
The Trump administration said it is ending the controversial immigration operation in Minnesota that sparked nationwide protests after federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in January. White House border czar Tom Homan on Feb. 12 said he...
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Student informants spur academic freedom debate
Texas A&M University told philosophy professor Martin Peterson in early January that he could not teach some of Greek philosopher Plato’s writings that touch on “race and gender ideology.” The university’s local chapter of the American Association of...
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Savannah Police invest in high-tech precinct
By the end of the year, the Savannah Police Department (SPD) is slated to open its newest precinct in the Carver Heights neighborhood. On Monday morning, SPD officers and elected-officials stood at the site where a 24,000 square foot facility will...
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Irish Festival kicks off ‘green season’
After six years of being just a one-day festival because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Savannah Irish Festival is back to a two-day celebration for its 34th year to kick off “green season” in the Hostess City. “We invite everyone from every background...
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Social media reshaping research on substance use
When you think of tools for studying substance use and addiction, a social media site like Reddit, TikTok or YouTube probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Yet the stories shared on social media platforms are offering unprecedented insights...
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SMART EATING
Sean Alva, a registered and licensed clinical dietician at St. Joseph’s/Candler, counsels patients who have suffered heart attacks and strokes or who have been hospitalized with kidney disease and diabetes—all of which are among the 10 leading causes...
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Iran says talks with U.S. were good start
American and Iranian negotiators held indirect talks in Muscat, Oman, on Feb. 6 aimed at averting a fresh military confrontation between the two countries and dragging the region into another war. The discussions could lead to the first face-to-face...
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‘Strong but fragile’
The state of Tybee Island is strong, said Mayor Brian West in his State of the City address recently — but it’s also fragile. After various city staff members recapped everything the city had accomplished in 2025, such as improvements to...
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Pedestrian deaths by trains persisting
In 2018, high-speed passenger trains branded as Brightline started running along the formerly freight-only Florida East Coast Railway. Initial service from Miami to West Palm Beach was extended to Orlando in 2023. h Unfortunately, the southern end of...
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Officers in Minneapolis to wear body cameras
Human trafficking cases are rarely simple, and in Georgia, they often involve children, organized criminal networks and digital evidence scattered across multiple jurisdictions. “I can’t imagine the horror,” Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said,...
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‘I just want love in the community’
First-generation Mexican American Georgia Southern University Armstrong student Jaquelinne Castanon said she has carried copies of her birth certificate and Social Security card since November 2024, when President Donald Trump was reelected. Castanon,...
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Trump actions worry free-speech advocates
The FBI search of a Washington Post reporter’s home on Jan. 14 was a rare and intimidating move by an administration focused on repressing criticism and dissent. In its story about the search at Hannah Natanson’s home, at which FBI agents said they...
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‘Richmond Hill is in my blood’
Jan. 8 marked the last day of office for Russ Carpenter, who served as Mayor of Richmond Hill for two terms and eight on council prior to that. As he reflects on 16 years of service in South Bryan County, Carpenter said he is filled with gratitude....
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Shutdown still possible despite deal with DHS
Lawmakers appeared to be closing in on a deal endorsed by President Donald Trump to avoid an extended government shutdown, but a key player said a brief government closure may be inevitable as there still was work to be done Jan. 30 as funding was set...
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Can ‘Trump Accounts’ help boost savings ?
NEW YORK – “Trump Accounts” are tax-advantaged investment accounts designed to boost the savings of U.S. citizens under the age of 18. More than 500,000 families have signed up for the program. The government will launch the program in July. The U.S....
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Minnesota lawmaker attacked at town hall
President Donald Trump has said he will “de-escalate” immigration operations in Minnesota, but tensions remained high on Jan. 28 after a man attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, with an unknown substance and Trump warned that Minneapolis’ mayor was...
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‘More confidence in doing everything’
Dekesha McDonald said her daughter, Kay, walks differently since enrolling in Little Acorn Academy last year. Just 3-years-old, Kay oozes independence – every day she walks into Henderson E. Formey. Jr Early Learning Center like she owns it. She opens...
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Bitter cold follows deadly winter storm
Extremely cold weather isn’t going away soon for a swath of the United States from Texas to New England as impacts from a deadly winter storm linger. Authorities reported at least 13 deaths over the weekend as frigid temperatures expanded over the...
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‘They didn’t leave us anything at all’
DEIR DIBWAN, West Bank – The Jewish settler outpost of Or Meir is small. A handful of prefabricated white shelters, it sits at the end of a short dirt track on a hill leading up from Road 60, a major route that dissects the Israeli-occupied West...
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BUILDING COMMUNITY
Valarie Grimes has only a few memories of when it was just her family in her childhood home. Her father, a Baptist pastor active in the Civil Rights Movement, took on a community role beyond the pulpit. The family would often house those who “needed...
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Company celebrates meal delivery milestone
What started as a modest effort of neighbors helping neighbors grew into a “vital matter of affairs,” said President and CEO of Senior Citizens Inc. Patti Lyons Wednesday morning. For the last 65 years, Senior Citizens, Inc. and Meals on Wheels has...
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‘VERY DISAPPOINTING’
CHICAGO – In Chicago’s workingclass Pilsen neighborhood, a 1960s-era oil-fired power plant rises up from an industrial lot behind Dvorak Park, which in warmer weather is packed with children climbing on its colorful playground and zooming down...
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Trump urges ‘immediate’ Greenland negotiations
President Donald Trump said in remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he was seeking “immediate negotiations” to acquire Denmark’s Greenland territory and that he does not intend to use military force to gain control of the...
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‘Weapons of love’
Messages of love, justice and courage rolled through Savannah’s streets Monday morning — not shouted, but displayed carefully on the backs of cars, taped to windows and fastened to floats inching forward in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day...
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‘They understand what works and what doesn’t’
CAPE MAY, NJ – It was Megan O’Rourke’s dream job. As a top climate scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, she oversaw grants for research projects aimed at making food production healthier and more sustainable. But when President Donald...
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ENERGY STANDOFF
The fight against Georgia Power’s planned 9.9-gigawatt expansion has not let up. On Jan. 9, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), on behalf of petitioners Georgia Interfaith Power and Light and Southface Institute, filed a petition to the...
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Freight rail industry dirtier than coal power plants
BNSF Railway, one of the crown jewels of Warren Buffett’s sprawling Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, calls itself an environmental leader in the U.S. rail industry with the cleanest locomotive fleet in North America. “When you see our orange...
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Dirt road paved 34 years after initial request
As the rain came pouring down on Mill Creek Church Road in North Bryan, James Moore watched as the soil became muddy and impassable. The year was 1992 and residents who lived on the dirt road were not fond of rain showers as it created hazardous road...
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7 hour stand-off shows role of Behavioral Health Unit
For seven hours recently, Savannah Police Department (SPD) officers stood beneath a tree, calling up to a man 40feet in the air who refused to come down. Roads were closed, onlookers gathered and negotiators spoke through a megaphone. What the public...
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Furor continues over recent ICE shootings
Tensions remained high Jan. 9 as shootings involving immigration agents in Minneapolis and in Portland, Oregon, drew protesters to the streets and deepened fractures between federal and state officials. In Portland, a U.S. Border Patrol officer shot...
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Monks stop in Georgia on 2,300-mile Walk for Peace
A handful of people dotted the roadside of a two-lane rural blacktop stretching between an open field and a tree line. Down the road, a line of 24 Buddhist monks tackling Day 71 of their “Walk for Peace” came into view as they rounded a corner. Aloka...
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‘He touched a lot of lives’
Around 7 p.m. on Dec. 28, 2025, Leilani McLemore was in her home, a white house that sits in the middle of Glade Street, when she heard an awful noise from her open back door. “My roommate comes running in the house,” McLemore said. “He said, ‘Call...
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Maduro’s tight grip on power ends
Nicolas Maduro ruled Venezuela with a heavy hand for more than 12 years, presiding over deep economic and social crises and resisting pressure from domestic opponents and foreign governments for political change. His rule abruptly ended on Jan. 3,...
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Savannah mayor reflects on 2025
Sitting around a meeting table inside his office for an interview, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson says he wants to ask the first question. He momentarily shifts from mayor to faux journalist, acting out an exchange with this Savannah Morning News reporter...
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Mamdani promises new era for NYC
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Jan. 1 inauguration and block party reflected a diverse city looking to make good on the 34-year-old democratic socialist’s promises to address affordability. On a freezing New Year’s Day, the Democratic mayor took...
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Arizona traffic stops lead to deportations
On a heavily patrolled stretch of Interstate 10 south of Phoenix, people pulled over for having a cracked windshield or an object dangling from their rear view mirror have ended up in deportation proceedings. The stated goal of the traffic stops is to...
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Rates are down, and the market’s heating up
Whether you’re buying or selling a home, this is the time to act. Don’t miss out.
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Experts expect economy to grow in the next year
A seesaw year for the U.S. economy in 2025 looks set to give way to a stronger 2026 thanks to tailwinds from President Donald Trump’s tax cuts, less uncertainty around tariffs, the ongoing artificial intelligence boom and a late-year run of...
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‘The freedom to be unkind’
Alley Mills Bean approached the podium at a Los Angeles City Council meeting alongside council member Traci Park on a June day in 2024, Emmy in hand. She’d won it the previous year for her role as the hookwielding serial killer Heather Webber on...
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A pipeline through pines
For 30 years, Perry Wells has overseen 200 acres of forested land in the rural community of Bolingbroke, Monroe County, Ga. About two-thirds of the property is filled with softwood pines planted for timber. The rest is covered with 100-year-old...
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‘DEEP CONNECTION’
The places Indigenous peoples call home have intertwined with their ways of life for millennia. Their stories, foodways and cultures relate directly to their homelands. Lands, waters, plants and animals, the creatures that inhabit the waters below and...
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PROVIDING SOLUTIONS
The summer that rate hikes swept across Georgia, Nicole Lee’s phone started ringing. “We were getting 10 to 20 calls a day,” she said—compared with about the usual five to six calls throughout the week. Founded in 2022, Lee’s company Be Smart Home...
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Rates are down, and the market’s heating up
Whether you’re buying or selling a home, this is the time to act.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Forsyth Park fountain back at full operations
A boisterous countdown from 10 began. After six, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson playfully chimed, “This better work.” On one, the mayor pointed at the Forsyth Park fountain in a grand voila. Then a pause, a beat of quiet. Johnson threw his arms out...
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Rincon man raising $70K for preserve upgrades
Watching as industrial, commercial and residential properties continue to consume wetlands and agricultural land in Effingham County, Isaiah Scott felt he had to do something. At just 22 years old, Scott founded Rookery and Roots Conservancy in Spring...
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Savannah Cotton Exchange hits the market for $10M
Attendees of a recent open house at one of Savannah’s most recognizable but mysterious buildings looked upwards toward the stained-glass windows fixed atop the back wall. Ornately blended into the design is one word: cotton. Many local elected...
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Baffled by slimy, moldy build up
Here are the Georgia Department of Health’s restaurant inspection scores for Chatham County, conducted Dec. 10-Dec. 16, 2025. Scores in each category are listed by most recent inspection date. The Georgia Department of Public Health, Environmental...
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Board approves hotel in Thomas Square
A proposed 21-room hotel in the Thomas Square Neighborhood cleared a key planning hurdle Wednesday amid resident concerns about the hotel’s size. The Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission Board recommended approval of a special use...
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Delivery drivers face different conditions
American households have become dependent on Amazon. h The numbers say it all: In 2024, 83% of U.S. households received deliveries from Amazon, representing over 1 million packages delivered each day and 9 billion individual items delivered same-day or...
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Fort Pulaski takes visitors back in time
Interpreters give insight into how soldiers would have spent the holidays during the Candle Lantern Holiday tour at Fort Pulaski National Monument on Dec. 12. A cannon guards the entrance to Historic Fort Pulaski during the Candle Lantern Holiday tour...
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‘SEEING PEOPLE AS PEOPLE’
When Elizabeth Dalzell’s daughter Liesl complained of severe pain in her left shoulder in June by using sign language, it began a nearly monthlong odyssey through New Jersey’s health care system before the young woman with multiple disabilities...
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BROTHERLY LOVE
When Rev. Ben Martin heard part of the ceiling collapsed in Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church’s sanctuary on July 21, he imagined a piece here or a piece there missing. But when he walked in and saw the scale, he was shocked. Video posted to...
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Private firms snap up mobile home parks
One of America’s most affordable paths to homeownership is slipping away. At manufactured home parks – sometimes called trailer parks or mobile home parks – rents are rapidly rising due to large-scale buyouts by private equity firms. Although private...
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AI tech aims to reduce boat strikes on whales
In the first days of December, when critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales return to Georgia’s warm coastal waters to birth their calves, a fishing boat from New Jersey motored into Thunderbolt’s Bahia Bleu Marina. At first glance, the boat...
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Senator steps in to smooth CAT fight
The Chatham Area Transit Board may be headed toward its second restructuring—if state Sen. Derek Mallow’s proposal gains traction. Mallow spent about 15 hours making phone calls and taking meetings— with a brief pit stop for sleep—before he presented...
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