Thursday, December 18, 2014
The Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus announces that Executive Director David Pratt has accepted a position as executive director with the Santa Barbara Symphony, effective March 1, 2015.
“David has done a wonderful job here in Savannah. We will miss his leadership but wish him every success on his new journey with the Santa Barbara Symphony,” said Savannah Philharmonic Board Chair Melissa Emery. “David has positioned the Philharmonic for its next phase of success and we will begin our search for a qualified executive director immediately.”
Pratt has served for the last four years as executive director of the Savannah Philharmonic and has grown the organization. Since 2010, the organization has built a subscription base of more than 400 subscribers from the ground up, doubled earned income and quadrupled contributed income, "making it the fastest growing cultural organization in Savannah," a spokesman for the group says.
“I am eternally grateful to the Savannah community for their tremendous support of the Savannah Philharmonic,” said David Pratt. “It has been incredibly rewarding for me over the last four years to grow this organization into one of Savannah’s most treasured cultural assets and I leave this organization in excellent financial shape.”
“David has done a wonderful job here in Savannah. We will miss his leadership but wish him every success on his new journey with the Santa Barbara Symphony,” said Savannah Philharmonic Board Chair Melissa Emery. “David has positioned the Philharmonic for its next phase of success and we will begin our search for a qualified executive director immediately.”
Pratt has served for the last four years as executive director of the Savannah Philharmonic and has grown the organization. Since 2010, the organization has built a subscription base of more than 400 subscribers from the ground up, doubled earned income and quadrupled contributed income, "making it the fastest growing cultural organization in Savannah," a spokesman for the group says.
“I am eternally grateful to the Savannah community for their tremendous support of the Savannah Philharmonic,” said David Pratt. “It has been incredibly rewarding for me over the last four years to grow this organization into one of Savannah’s most treasured cultural assets and I leave this organization in excellent financial shape.”
Tags: Savannah Philharmonic , David Pratt , Peter Shannon
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography scientist Catherine Edwards is "part of a research team that has received an $18.8 million grant to continue studies of natural oil seeps and track the impacts of the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem," a UGA SkIO spokesman says.
Known as ECOGIG-2 or “Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas Inputs to the Gulf,” the project is a collaborative, multi-institutional effort involving biological, chemical, geological and chemical oceanographers led by the University of Georgia’s Samantha Joye. The research team has worked in the Gulf since the weeks following the 2010 Macondo well blowout.
The three-year, $18.8 million ECOGIG-2 program was funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, or GoMRI.
“Our goal is to better understand the processes that have affected the oil spill since 2010,” Edwards said. “How the droplets were dispersed? Where the oil went? How it was taken up by small microbes and also the effects on animals further up the food chain?”
Edwards’ role in the project is to use autonomous underwater vehicles, also called “gliders,” to collect data on conditions around the spill site. Equipped with sensors to measure characteristics such as depth, water temperature, salinity and density, the gliders can cruise the submarine environment for weeks at a time, collecting data and transmitting it back to a ship or a shore station.
“We want to understand the ocean currents—how they change over time and how they change in depth,” Edwards said. “Surface measurements give us a two-dimensional picture of the ocean. Glider data in the vertical provides more valuable information for more fully understanding ocean currents and how they arise.”
The gliders will operate both in conjunction with shipboard instruments and also independently. One advantage of using the gliders is they can operate during storms and rough weather, when it may not be possible to use ships. Edwards said shipboard work doesn’t always give a full picture of ocean dynamics simply by the fact that they can only go out when the weather is reasonably clear.
When working in conjunction with research ships, the gliders can provide additional observations, significantly improving the quality of the data set. The gliders also report dissolved oxygen concentrations and optical measurements of chlorophyll and organic matter, and may also be used as a test vehicle for new instruments in development.
Edwards will use “GENIoS,” a new software package, to help navigate the gliders. GENIoS uses high-resolution forecast models of wind and oce an currents, along with information from the glider itself, to calculate the optimal path for the gliders. This will improve the quality of the scientific data collected.
GENIoS is a collaboration among Edwards, Fumin Zhang from the Georgia Institute of Technology and their two Georgia Tech Ph.D. students, Dongsik Chang and Sungjin Cho. GENIos has been tested for more than 210 glider-days on the continental shelf off Georgia and South Carolina. This experiment will be its first test in the Gulf of Mexico.
Skidaway Institute scientist Catherine Edwards adjusts a glider’s buoyancy with graduate students Sungjin Cho and Dongsik Chan.
Known as ECOGIG-2 or “Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas Inputs to the Gulf,” the project is a collaborative, multi-institutional effort involving biological, chemical, geological and chemical oceanographers led by the University of Georgia’s Samantha Joye. The research team has worked in the Gulf since the weeks following the 2010 Macondo well blowout.
The three-year, $18.8 million ECOGIG-2 program was funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, or GoMRI.
“Our goal is to better understand the processes that have affected the oil spill since 2010,” Edwards said. “How the droplets were dispersed? Where the oil went? How it was taken up by small microbes and also the effects on animals further up the food chain?”
Edwards’ role in the project is to use autonomous underwater vehicles, also called “gliders,” to collect data on conditions around the spill site. Equipped with sensors to measure characteristics such as depth, water temperature, salinity and density, the gliders can cruise the submarine environment for weeks at a time, collecting data and transmitting it back to a ship or a shore station.
“We want to understand the ocean currents—how they change over time and how they change in depth,” Edwards said. “Surface measurements give us a two-dimensional picture of the ocean. Glider data in the vertical provides more valuable information for more fully understanding ocean currents and how they arise.”
The gliders will operate both in conjunction with shipboard instruments and also independently. One advantage of using the gliders is they can operate during storms and rough weather, when it may not be possible to use ships. Edwards said shipboard work doesn’t always give a full picture of ocean dynamics simply by the fact that they can only go out when the weather is reasonably clear.
When working in conjunction with research ships, the gliders can provide additional observations, significantly improving the quality of the data set. The gliders also report dissolved oxygen concentrations and optical measurements of chlorophyll and organic matter, and may also be used as a test vehicle for new instruments in development.
Edwards will use “GENIoS,” a new software package, to help navigate the gliders. GENIoS uses high-resolution forecast models of wind and oce an currents, along with information from the glider itself, to calculate the optimal path for the gliders. This will improve the quality of the scientific data collected.
GENIoS is a collaboration among Edwards, Fumin Zhang from the Georgia Institute of Technology and their two Georgia Tech Ph.D. students, Dongsik Chang and Sungjin Cho. GENIos has been tested for more than 210 glider-days on the continental shelf off Georgia and South Carolina. This experiment will be its first test in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tags: University of Georgia , Skidaway Institute of Oceanography , environment
Art Rise Savannah has been awarded a $5,000 Cultural Project Investment Program from the City of Savannah’s Department of Cultural Affairs to develop their program, the First Friday Art March.
The awarded grant will be used to increase the capacity, awareness, and depth of the First Friday Art March in 2015.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have the city’s support for this fantastic project,” said Clinton Edminster, Executive Director of Art Rise Savannah. “The support from our community, all the participating businesses, and so many incredible artists sets the stage for another incredible year of programming.”
The First Friday Art March is a monthly art walk and arts market featuring a free trolley, many unique local businesses, workshops, exhibition openings and more. Visit artmarchsavannah.com for info.
The awarded grant will be used to increase the capacity, awareness, and depth of the First Friday Art March in 2015.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have the city’s support for this fantastic project,” said Clinton Edminster, Executive Director of Art Rise Savannah. “The support from our community, all the participating businesses, and so many incredible artists sets the stage for another incredible year of programming.”
The First Friday Art March is a monthly art walk and arts market featuring a free trolley, many unique local businesses, workshops, exhibition openings and more. Visit artmarchsavannah.com for info.
Tags: Art Rise Savannah , Cultural Affairs
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
The season’s first sighting of North Atlantic right whales on the Georgia coast "underscores the fact that Georgia and north Florida are the only known calving grounds for these endangered whales," says the Ga. Dept. of Natural Resources.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission survey plane spotted a right whale mother and her new calf 16 miles off Cumberland Island Saturday.
"The mom, cataloged as right whale number 2145, is 24 years old and has been documented with five calves, the previous one in 2009," the department says.
Each winter, pregnant right whales and small numbers of non-breeding whales swim more than 1,000 miles from their feeding grounds off Canada and New England to the warmer waters of Georgia and northeastern Florida. Here, from late November through March, they give birth and nurse their young.
The first sighting is usually earlier. But biologist Clay George, right whale research leader for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, isn’t worried about the timing.
“It’s still too early to tell how many calves will be born this season,” said George, who works with DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section. “January and February are the peak months for calving.”
Once ravaged by whaling and now threatened by ship strikes and entanglement in commercial fishing gear, North Atlantic right whales are one of the world’s most imperiled whales. Their numbers are estimated at about 450. While that population is increasing 2.8 percent a year, there are fewer than 100 breeding females and calving varies year to year, with only 10 calves documented last winter.
In February, biologists from the wildlife agencies cut away more than 480 feet of rope from a 4-year-old whale off Wolf Island in Georgia, an effort posted on YouTube (http://goo.gl/7eOvbl). Entanglement in commercial fishing gear is one of the leading causes of death and injury for North Atlantic right whales. More than 75 percent of right whales bear scars from entanglements.
The public is encouraged to report sightings of dead, injured or entangled whales at 1-800-2-SAVE-ME (1-800-272-8363) in Georgia or 1-877-WHALE-HELP (877-942-5343) region-wide. NOAA’s Dolphin & Whale 911 app, http://1.usa.gov/1b1kqfv, can also be used to report marine mammals in trouble.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission survey plane spotted a right whale mother and her new calf 16 miles off Cumberland Island Saturday.
"The mom, cataloged as right whale number 2145, is 24 years old and has been documented with five calves, the previous one in 2009," the department says.
Each winter, pregnant right whales and small numbers of non-breeding whales swim more than 1,000 miles from their feeding grounds off Canada and New England to the warmer waters of Georgia and northeastern Florida. Here, from late November through March, they give birth and nurse their young.
The first sighting is usually earlier. But biologist Clay George, right whale research leader for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, isn’t worried about the timing.
“It’s still too early to tell how many calves will be born this season,” said George, who works with DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section. “January and February are the peak months for calving.”
Once ravaged by whaling and now threatened by ship strikes and entanglement in commercial fishing gear, North Atlantic right whales are one of the world’s most imperiled whales. Their numbers are estimated at about 450. While that population is increasing 2.8 percent a year, there are fewer than 100 breeding females and calving varies year to year, with only 10 calves documented last winter.
In February, biologists from the wildlife agencies cut away more than 480 feet of rope from a 4-year-old whale off Wolf Island in Georgia, an effort posted on YouTube (http://goo.gl/7eOvbl). Entanglement in commercial fishing gear is one of the leading causes of death and injury for North Atlantic right whales. More than 75 percent of right whales bear scars from entanglements.
The public is encouraged to report sightings of dead, injured or entangled whales at 1-800-2-SAVE-ME (1-800-272-8363) in Georgia or 1-877-WHALE-HELP (877-942-5343) region-wide. NOAA’s Dolphin & Whale 911 app, http://1.usa.gov/1b1kqfv, can also be used to report marine mammals in trouble.
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police are trying to identify and locate a "man in an unusual van who was reported to have attempted to pull a child into his truck this morning," a spokesman says.
The 12-year-old Coastal Middle School student reported the man "grabbed his shirt and tried to capture him after offering him ice cream near Mapmaker and Ropemaker lanes about 7:30 a.m. The boy bit the man on the arm to get away and reported the incident to a teacher."
The white van resembles "an ice cream truck with purple windows but without advertising decals and was being driven by a possibly Latino male appearing to be in his 40s and wearing a dark hooded jacket obscuring portions of his face," police say.
The boy was riding his bicycle to school when the van began following him. He at first confused the van with that of a family acquaintance who actually has an ice cream van.
Islands Precinct Patrol and Metro Special Victims Unit officers have alerted schools in the area and are asking the public to help locate the van and its driver by calling Emergency 911 immediately.
The 12-year-old Coastal Middle School student reported the man "grabbed his shirt and tried to capture him after offering him ice cream near Mapmaker and Ropemaker lanes about 7:30 a.m. The boy bit the man on the arm to get away and reported the incident to a teacher."
The white van resembles "an ice cream truck with purple windows but without advertising decals and was being driven by a possibly Latino male appearing to be in his 40s and wearing a dark hooded jacket obscuring portions of his face," police say.
The boy was riding his bicycle to school when the van began following him. He at first confused the van with that of a family acquaintance who actually has an ice cream van.
Islands Precinct Patrol and Metro Special Victims Unit officers have alerted schools in the area and are asking the public to help locate the van and its driver by calling Emergency 911 immediately.
Tags: crime
Monday, December 15, 2014
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police are investigating the shooting of a man at a bus stop this morning.
Juan Ulmer, 39, of the 1000 block of Porter Street said "he was sitting at the bus stop at East 35th and East Broad Street about 6:30 a.m. when a male approached, yelled at him and began firing at him," a police spokesperson says.
He was transported to Memorial University Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637) using the keyword CSTOP2020. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.
A Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at (912) 525-3124 and most area clergy have agreed to serve as liaisons for anyone who would like to share information with anonymously.
Juan Ulmer, 39, of the 1000 block of Porter Street said "he was sitting at the bus stop at East 35th and East Broad Street about 6:30 a.m. when a male approached, yelled at him and began firing at him," a police spokesperson says.
He was transported to Memorial University Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637) using the keyword CSTOP2020. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.
A Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at (912) 525-3124 and most area clergy have agreed to serve as liaisons for anyone who would like to share information with anonymously.
Willie Nelson & Family come to the Johnny Mercer Theatre March 1, 2015. Tickets go on sale Friday, December 19 at etix.com and savannahcivic.com.
Tags: Savannah Civic Center , Willie Nelson
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Over 150 representatives from local government, social service agencies, law enforcement and the judicial system are meeting today at the Call to Action Summit.
The summit is part of the City of Savannah’s participation in the Cities United initiative in partnership with the National League of Cities. Launched in Philadelphia in 2011, Cities United assists mayors and municipal leaders in reducing violence and improving the achievement of African-American men and boys.
“This is the start of a conversation,” said Mayor Edna Jackson. “This is about the children of our community and it has to be a community effort. We’re hoping with the assistance of the NLC, we can come together to produce an actionable plan to end the violence in our community, encourage educational achievement, and produce opportunities for our young people.”
At today’s Call to Action Summit, participants engaged in a series of visioning exercises and discussed a range of topics to contribute toward an outline for a strategic action plan to close the achievement gap for young men and boys of color in the community. The collaborative effort will continue into 2015, when the plan will be presented to the public for feedback before implementation.
“It’s time for a courageous conversation about the taboo issue of race,” said Alderman Van R. Johnson II. “If we’re going to continue to thrive as a community, we must frankly, holistically, and exhaustively address the issue of negative outcomes of African-American youth in Savannah and Chatham County.”
The summit is part of the City of Savannah’s participation in the Cities United initiative in partnership with the National League of Cities. Launched in Philadelphia in 2011, Cities United assists mayors and municipal leaders in reducing violence and improving the achievement of African-American men and boys.
“This is the start of a conversation,” said Mayor Edna Jackson. “This is about the children of our community and it has to be a community effort. We’re hoping with the assistance of the NLC, we can come together to produce an actionable plan to end the violence in our community, encourage educational achievement, and produce opportunities for our young people.”
At today’s Call to Action Summit, participants engaged in a series of visioning exercises and discussed a range of topics to contribute toward an outline for a strategic action plan to close the achievement gap for young men and boys of color in the community. The collaborative effort will continue into 2015, when the plan will be presented to the public for feedback before implementation.
“It’s time for a courageous conversation about the taboo issue of race,” said Alderman Van R. Johnson II. “If we’re going to continue to thrive as a community, we must frankly, holistically, and exhaustively address the issue of negative outcomes of African-American youth in Savannah and Chatham County.”
Officers from various units of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department coordinated to arrest both suspects after a man was beaten and shot at a hospital parking garage this morning.
Marvin Demia Johnson, 38, and James Ray Milton, 24, were arrested after vehicle and foot pursuits by officers from a Metro SWAT Team task force about 1:30 a.m. Both have been charged with armed robbery, but detectives are continuing to investigate additional charges.
Both men have extensive histories with Metro Police.
About 1:30 a.m., a Canine Unit officer attached to the task force located a vehicle matching the description of a Toyota involved in a midnight robbery attempt and shooting and pursued it through the west Savannah Tatumville neighborhood and onto Birchfield Drive.
By the time it stopped and the driver fled on foot, members of the special task force had saturated the area where both men live and each was taken into custody.
Patrol officers had responded to a Memorial University Medical Center parking garage at 12:03 a.m. after a woman accompanying the victim reported two men had tried to rob the 44-year-old man from Hinesville when they struggled and he had fled after being shot.
Police located the victim in the emergency room being treated for injuries from the beating and a non-life threatening gunshot wound.
In an early-morning memo to the entire department, Police Chief Joseph H. Lumpkin Sr. praised the coordinated effort of the various units involved as “a great demonstration of tenacity and skills by SCMPD personnel that resulted in two violent offenders being arrested!” He thanked all those officers who were involved.
As the investigation continues, anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637) using the keyword CSTOP2020. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.
A Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at (912) 525-3124 and most area clergy have agreed to serve as liaisons for anyone who would like to share information anonymously.
# # #
Marvin Demia Johnson, 38, and James Ray Milton, 24, were arrested after vehicle and foot pursuits by officers from a Metro SWAT Team task force about 1:30 a.m. Both have been charged with armed robbery, but detectives are continuing to investigate additional charges.
Both men have extensive histories with Metro Police.
About 1:30 a.m., a Canine Unit officer attached to the task force located a vehicle matching the description of a Toyota involved in a midnight robbery attempt and shooting and pursued it through the west Savannah Tatumville neighborhood and onto Birchfield Drive.
By the time it stopped and the driver fled on foot, members of the special task force had saturated the area where both men live and each was taken into custody.
Patrol officers had responded to a Memorial University Medical Center parking garage at 12:03 a.m. after a woman accompanying the victim reported two men had tried to rob the 44-year-old man from Hinesville when they struggled and he had fled after being shot.
Police located the victim in the emergency room being treated for injuries from the beating and a non-life threatening gunshot wound.
In an early-morning memo to the entire department, Police Chief Joseph H. Lumpkin Sr. praised the coordinated effort of the various units involved as “a great demonstration of tenacity and skills by SCMPD personnel that resulted in two violent offenders being arrested!” He thanked all those officers who were involved.
As the investigation continues, anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637) using the keyword CSTOP2020. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.
A Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at (912) 525-3124 and most area clergy have agreed to serve as liaisons for anyone who would like to share information anonymously.
# # #
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police have arrested the suspect in the shooting of a 6-year-old girl during a domestic dispute Nov. 20.
Brandon Maurice Stewart, 20 was arrested this morning by Central Precinct Crime Suppression Unit officers. He was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and probation violation. He and the child’s mother, Shauneequa Monique Jones, 22, also had been charged with cruelty to children after the shooting in an apartment on Wilder Street.
"Jones had reported to police that she was walking her daughter to school and heard a noise before she discovered the child had been shot," a department spokesman says. "Police searched their apartment nearby on Wilder Street and discovered the shooting actually took place there."
Jones’ two children have been placed into the custody of the Department of Family and Children Services.
Brandon Maurice Stewart, 20 was arrested this morning by Central Precinct Crime Suppression Unit officers. He was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and probation violation. He and the child’s mother, Shauneequa Monique Jones, 22, also had been charged with cruelty to children after the shooting in an apartment on Wilder Street.
"Jones had reported to police that she was walking her daughter to school and heard a noise before she discovered the child had been shot," a department spokesman says. "Police searched their apartment nearby on Wilder Street and discovered the shooting actually took place there."
Jones’ two children have been placed into the custody of the Department of Family and Children Services.
