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Savannah Gazette Newsletter - June 2011

The Month of June

- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
June is named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess, Hera.
June's birthstones are Pearl, Moonstone, and Alexandrite which symbolize health and longevity.
The June birth flowers are the Honeysuckle and the Rose.
June is: Black Music month and the U.S. Official Gay and Lebian Pride month.

Special U.S. Events in June include:
Father's Day - June 19th and Summer Solstice - June 21st (Longest day of the year)

June in Savannah is official beach time - the best place to beat the high temperatures is at Tybee.

Check out the many family activities scheduled at the Tybee Marine Science Center:
www.tybeemarinescience.org

Current Events in Savannah . . .

New Savannah City Manager is Settling In

Savannah's City Manager, Rochelle Small-Toney, continues to remain in the public spotlight. Her recent appointment in March got repeated media attention because of secret City Council meetings, confusing issues regarding the position candidate search methods, and racial issues, including the on-camera statement by Otis Johnson, Savannah's second black Mayor, that he wished Savannah could have a city manager that "looked like him."

After public outcry over Small-Toney's pay raise and her subsequent decision to allow pay raises for several other top-level city officials, and a welcoming reception that cost the city thousands of dollars (all of which came just after and during the firing and forced early retirement of many city employees because of budget problems), the new City Manager is again raising eyebrows by allocating $40,000 of local taxpayer dollars to renovate her office.

Surely, most are hopeful that once Rochelle Small-Toney gets settled in, all will be good; and Savannah's new City Manager will begin to get down to business and make a positive impact on the city.

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Keep on Trucking - or Not

Southeast LNG, a subsidiary of the energy giants El Paso Corp. of Houston and AGL Resources of Atlanta, has submitted a pending application before the FERC seeking permission to restart its truck-loading facility at its Elba Island tank farm near downtown in Savannah. The company proposes to roll out as many as 58 trucks per week which would travel through Savannah streets carrying up to 5 million gallons of super-chilled natural gas to locations across the Southeast. One proposed route would be along the Truman Parkway to DeRenne out to 516 and I-16. Another route could be along Bay Street to 516 and I-16.

Many local concerned citizens, watch groups, and officials from hospitals, churches, schools, and businesses have attended several public forums primarily to discuss safety issues. Currently, local city and county leaders are awaiting more information before making any decisions.

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Our Beloved Ogeechee River

Around May 20th, investigators reported that just downstream of a pipe which empties into the Ogeechee River, thousands of fish were dying. The pipe belongs to King America Finishing Inc., a Screven County textile plant. It was reported that no dead fish were found above the plant. According to the company's website, www.kamfin.com, employees apply specialized treatments to fabrics to make it wrinkle-resistant, waterproof or flame retardant, and also apply dyes and other finishing. The process involves pumping clean fresh water from the Floridian aquifer. Then the used waste water is processed at the company's own treatment facility before being dumped into the Ogeechee River.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources blames the thousands of blistered and dead fish along the 80-mile stretch of the river, starting at the textile plant, on the bacterial disease columnaris; but cannot explain what made the fish susceptible to the naturally occurring bacteria.

Both State DNR and Federal EPA regulators appear stumped; and indicate that we may never know what caused the fish kill.

Water samples taken by the Environmental Protection Agency revealed three chemicals of potential concern in the water: ammonia, formaldehyde, and hydrogen peroxide.
This EPA report can be viewed at: www.epaosc.org/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=6945

Attorney F. Edwin Hallman, Jr. of Marietta announced the filing a class action lawsuit filed in Fulton County. The complaint alleges that landowners and swimmers along the Ogeechee River were harmed by the release of chemicals from the King America Finishing plant.

Upcoming Summer Activities Around Savannah . . .

Support your local Sand Gnats
Take the family out to the ball game.
Fun, Food, and Fireworks! Learn more at www.SandGnats.com

Lots of Summer fun at the Bamboo Farm
Blackberry picking and other fun family activities at the Bamboo Farm & Coastal Gardens
Call (912) 921-5897 or visit www.bamboo.caes.uga.edu.

Enjoy Fun at City Parks
Spray Pad at Forsyth Park is open longer (June 1-Aug. 31)
Spray pools also at Hull Park (55th at Atlantic)
and Ellis Square downtown at City Market
www.SavannahGA.gov

Live Oak Library Events
Check out free Library Events for the family at
Various Live Oak Public Library branches through the Summer.
www.LiveOakPL.org

Forsyth Farmers Market
Fresh veggies each week!
South end of Forsyth Park, along Park Avenue
9 AM-1 PM Saturdays
www.ForsythFarmersMarket.org

Armstrong Atlantic State University has a new website.
In addition to the main University website, AASU has launched
an innovative new special website for alumni, students, and faculty. Visit www.Armstrong Experience.com

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Best Regards, The Savannah Gazette Team P. O. Box 10357 Savannah, GA 31412-0557 www.SavannahGazette.com (912) 398-8632

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