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Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police are investigating the shooting death of 27-year-old Achmed Kiwaan Williams.

Williams was sitting on the front porch of a house in the 1900 block of East 54th Street when "he was approached by at least one gunman and was shot multiple times," according to police. He was pronounced dead at Memorial University Medical Center.

Williams had a long record with SCMPD extending to 2004 including violent crimes. In 2008 he was considered "Savannah's Most Wanted" criminal for a murder case in which he was indicted for killing his little brother.

Homicide detectives are continuing to investigate.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637). Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.

A confidential Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at (912) 525-3124.

Bethesda Academy announces that their new William H. Ford Museum and Visitor Center, on its 650-acre campus at 9520 Ferguson Ave., will open to the public on March 23.

The new museum will be open Thu.-Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is $7 per person. A special rate of $5 per person will be available through the month of March.

Originally founded in 1740 by George Whitefield and James Habersham as a home for orphans, Bethesda is the oldest child care facility in America. Over the past three centuries, Bethesda has served more than 10,000 boys.

Built to honor the legacy of Rev. William H. Ford, Sr. and his 19 years of exceptional service as Bethesda’s superintendent, the William H. Ford Museum and Visitor Center will celebrate the institution’s history and legacy.

• A peek at the interior of the William H. Ford Museum and Visitor Center

Located on the main floor of Burroughs Hall, which was originally built in 1870, the new museum and visitor center features 2,200 square feet of exhibition space and includes state-of-the-art interactive exhibits, photographs, video, oral histories and artifacts.

“This museum has been strategically designed to make the Bethesda story engaging, entertaining and accessible to a wide range of audiences,” said Jody Marcil, owner of Jody Marcil Design Studio in St. Augustine, Fla., the company that designed the exhibitions at Bethesda. “Bethesda played an important role in our nation’s history. We are honored to share Bethesda’s story.”

Today, Bethesda Academy is a successful school with a curriculum designed specifically around the ways boys learn most effectively. The school features a wildlife management program, an on-site video production studio, an organic farming program and a nationally-ranked chess team. Bethesda Academy alumni have gone on to enjoy successful careers in a range of fields including business, medicine and professional sports.

To learn more about Bethesda’s new museum and visitor center, please contact Andrea Dove at 912.644.4376 or [email protected].

The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum today announced the advancement of the museum to national status. The facility just off I-95 will be called the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force.

Artist renderings for exhibit upgrades and future exhibits are on exhibit at the Museum at 175 Bourne Ave. in Pooler.

National Museum status means greater access to funding and expanded marketing opportunities. The "new" Mighty Eighth will join other National Museums in Georgia such as the National Prisoner of War Museum in Andersonville, and the National Infantry Museum and the National Civil War Naval Museum, both in Columbus.

The USA Network series "Royal Pains" will be filming Thursday at The Crab Shack on Tybee and needs paid extras. We're told they also need extras for other, subsequent locations around Tybee and for some March 28 shooting in Savannah.

If you're interested, contact their casting office using the subject line "The Crab Shack" to [email protected]

Give 'em your name, phone number, height, weight, and definitely attach a photo.

Break a leg!

Savannah City Hall will go dark for an hour this Saturday night as part of Earth Hour, a global event to promote energy conservation.

From 8:30-9:30 p.m. March 23, "all of the interior and exterior lights at City Hall will be turned off, including the lights that illuminate the iconic gold dome and clock face," says a City spokesperson. "The City encourages our residents, businesses and fellow government organizations to participate in Earth Hour by also going dark for the hour.

The City of Savannah is participating in Earth Hour as part of its Thrive initiative, which promotes environmental sustainability within the organization with the goal of reducing City Government’s carbon footprint by 15 percent by the year 2020.

Earth Hour is the largest voluntary action for the environment in the world, with almost 7,000 cities and towns across 152 countries and territories taking part. Check it out at www.earthhour.org

The Savannah area’s economy continued to grow in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to Armstrong Atlantic State University’s latest Coastal Empire Economic Monitor.

"While the relatively slow nature of that growth dampened some of the third-quarter buoyancy, record tourism and strengthening housing market activity powered the economy along as the year closed," says a spokesperson.

"Overall, the Coastal Empire economic index capped off the end of last year with fourth-quarter improvements, and the region is poised to see this continued upswing in economic activity in 2013."

“The tourism industry was responsible for much of the upward lift in the economy, otherwise boosting modest gains and offsetting lackluster activity elsewhere,” explained Michael Toma, director of the Center for Regional Analysis and Armstrong’s Fuller E. Callaway professorial chair and the brains behind the AASU quarterly economic monitor. “This is further evidence that our regional economy enjoys an enviable foundation in the form of a well diversified structure that affords insulation against weakness in any given sector.”

Highlights of the increases include:

— Tourism gave the index its biggest boost, buttressed by modest growth in employment and retail and electricity sales.

— Tourism tax revenue hit an all-time high in the last quarter of 2012—hotel and motel tax receipts rose to a total of $1.3 million per month, a gain of 11 percent over the previous quarter and 14.3 percent over the last quarter of 2011.

— The fourth quarter gains offset flat performance by the ports.

— The December jobs figure—155,000—was the highest level of recorded employment in the last four years, despite slower hiring at the end of the year.

— The seasonally adjusted number of new residential home permits closed the year out 40 percent higher than the data from one year ago.

— For all of 2012, housing permits were the highest they have been in the area since 2008 and 21 percent higher than 2011.

The board of directors of the Savannah Bicycle Campaign has selected John R. Bennett — who also writes Connect's bi-weekly "The News Cycle" column — to serve as its full-time executive director.

Bennett is a cofounder of the organization and previously served as vice chairman.

“From the earliest days of our organization, John has been a driving force behind many of the initiatives SBC has begun,” noted Drew Wade, Savannah Bicycle Campaign board chairman, “His volunteer efforts have already been critical to our success, probably most importantly his Connect Savannah column about bicycling. We know that with his dedication to our mission, John’s compelling leadership will continue to propel Savannah Bicycle Campaign forward.”

“I’m excited to begin my new role with the Savannah Bicycle Campaign and grateful for the opportunity,” Bennett said. “I’m eager to continue the good work of Frank McIntosh, the previous executive director, and our dedicated volunteers.

Bennett will be responsible for coordinating the Savannah Bicycle Campaign’s events, including the annual Earth Day Wheelie ride and the Midnight Garden Ride. He will also oversee the establishment and operation of the organization’s Bicycle Reclamation and Education Center.

The facility, which will open later this year, will rehabilitate donated bicycles, which will be distributed to underserved
populations to be used as dependable transportation to work and other destinations. It will also provide a space in which to offer cycling education programs and other services.

“Bicycling and livable communities have been the focus of my academic research and my civic involvement,” Bennett said. “I believe that bicycling can play a critical role in creating healthy, economically resilient and culturally vibrant communities. Savannah is poised to become a model for how bicycles make cities better.”

Bennett will begin his new full-time role with the SBC on April 16.

Bennett currently manages web content and social media at Valdosta State University, where he also serves as a part-time instructor in the public administration department. He previously spent more than 15 years at the Savannah College of Art and Design and 11 years as director of student media. He holds a master of science degree in higher education from Florida State University and a master of arts degree in historic preservation from SCAD. In May 2012 he eared a doctorate in public administration from Valdosta State. He is a League of American Bicyclists cycling instructor.

Homicide investigators from the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department are seeking a 28-year-old man in a shooting death Saturday morning.

John Antonio Smith is wanted for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and fleeing to elude after Sidney Grant was shot to death outside Club Frozen on Indian Street.

• John Antonio Smith

Grant was found dead in the street by officers responding to a shooting call about 2 a.m.

Smith is 5-6, about 200 pounds with short to medium hair and may or may not have a slight moustache. In addition to the charges above, detectives would like to talk to him about the shooting of Grant.

Anyone with information on his location is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637). Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.

A confidential Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at (912) 525-3124.

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. recently presented Telfair Museums with a gift of $25,000 to support the museum’s Education and School Tours Program. That's an initiative that provides access to the arts for the underserved segment of the Savannah community.

“Gulfstream is pleased to be able to sponsor such a worthwhile endeavor,” said Mark Bennett, manager of community relations for Gulfstream. “We strive to be a good corporate citizen, strengthening the communities where Gulfstream employees live and work.”

Gulfstream’s donation allows the Telfair Museums to continue its role in education by transforming the traditional in-classroom learning environment. Annually, more than 10,000 children benefit from Telfair Museums Educational Programs, the museum says.

• Man that's a big check

Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police have arrested and charged a 23-year-old Savannah man in the shooting death of his father Sunday evening.

Murder warrants were served on Torres Antwan Burroughs after his father Frank Torres Burroughs, 46, was shot about 6 p.m. The younger man was arrested about 9 p.m.

The elder Burroughs was transported to Memorial University Medical Center after the shooting at a residence on on Mossy Court off of Quacco Road during a domestic dispute. He was declared dead at the hospital.