News Feed

"In anticipation of freezing rain conditions that will impact many Chatham County roadways during the morning hours" of February 13, all Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools and Administrative Offices will operate on a 2-hour delay Thursday.

This excludes all Custodial, Maintenance, and Campus Police personnel who will report as directed. All School Nutrition staff will report to assigned sites by 9 am. Morning services offered through the YMCA of Coastal Georgia's Pryme Tyme Program at SCCPSS school sites will be cancelled.

Mayor Edna Jackson will issue the State of the City address during a Town Hall Meeting at 7 pm. Tuesday, Feb. 18, in the 3rd Floor Ballroom of the Savannah Civic Center. The public is encouraged to attend.

A Chatham County Sheriff’s Deputy is on paid administrative leave tonight after shots were fired just before 11:30 a.m., near a home off of Canal Bank Road in Pooler. This leave is the policy with the Sheriff’s Office following a deadly force situation, a spokesman says.

Deputies with the Fugitive Squad were in Pooler attempting to serve an Aggravated Battery Superior Court bench warrant on a suspect when shots were fired.

The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting an internal investigation and Chief Deputy Harris asked Pooler Police Department to conduct a separate criminal investigation.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab will conduct an autopsy on the body of the suspect, who has not been named as his next of kin has not been located and notified.

A large fire in a Georgia Ports Authority warehouse at Ocean Terminal No. 3 on West River Street has stopped traffic on West Bay Street between West Lashrop and Fahm streets and has greatly slowed traffic on the Talmadge Bridge, police say. Savannah Fire and Rescue is working the fire. Drivers should avoid the area.

• The GA Ports fire as seen from Daffin Park

Daniel Dodd-Ramirez, executive director of Step Up Savannah, Inc., announced that he’s resigning to accept a new position in Washington, D.C.

He served as leader of the city’s poverty reduction initiative since it was launched in 2005.

“Daniel has provided steady leadership while directing the growth of this organization beyond the community’s original expectations,” said John Wills, Step Up board chairman. “There was no blueprint for this work, aside from an ‘Action Plan’ issued by the City in April of 2005. Step Up—and Savannah—are now recognized around the country for our poverty-reduction efforts.”

Dodd-Ramirez said, "I am humbled and inspired by the low-income families that work so hard to improve their circumstances regardless of the obstacles that are stacked against them.”

Step Up works to "boost the capacity of job training and adult education programs and build upon financial education and wealth-building programs."

It also advocates for more resources for affordable housing and access to food stamps.

Dodd-Ramirez’s last day will be Mar. 4.

Detectives are searching for the gunman who attempted to rob a Savannah gas station just after 10:30 Saturday morning.

The incident occurred at the BP Gas Station at East DeRenne and Bull Street. Investigators say the suspect entered the building pretending to shop. He then approached employees stating that he needed money several times. After employees refused, the suspect fled on foot.

He was last seen traveling west on DeRenne. The suspect is described as a slender to medium built white male in his 30s. He stands about 5-10. He was last seen with a scruffy red beard.

Anyone with information on this suspect’s identity 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 confidential tip line also is open directly to investigators at (912) 525-3124.

The largeste Air National Guard exercise of its kind, Sentry Savannah 14, has begun.

More than 1000 airmen from units across the nation will deploy to Savannah during February "to fight air battles off the coast of Savannah and perform bombing and strafing runs at the unit’s Townsend Bombing Range (Townsend GA)," an Air Guard spokesman says.

The air battles will be conducted during typical business hours with no engagements taking place after dark.

You can expect to see F-22 Raptors from bases in Florida and Hawaii, as well as Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station F-18 Super Hornets, and Air Guard F-16 Falcons and F-15 Strike Eagles from South Carolina, Vermont, and Florida.

The 116th Airlift Wing JSTARS from Warner Robins AFB will provide air reconnaissance for the operation.

The CRTC, an element of the Georgia Air National Guard, is Savannah’s year-round, air and cyber communications training facility. It is the only training facility of its kind capable of supporting the F-22 Raptor and the next follow-on Fifth Generation fighter, the F-35 Lightning II. The unit is headquartered at Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport, with additional training facilities located at the Townsend Bombing Range, Townsend, GA.

Floyd Adams Jr., Savannah's first African-American mayor, former City alderman, and a longtime local newspaper publisher, passed away earlier today at Candler Hospital, according to a hospital spokesman. No further details are available at this time. He was 68.

Latest update from Savannah/Chatham Police as of 10 a.m.

— The Islands Expressway drawbridge is closed due to icing until further notice.

— Icing reported on Talmadge Bridge. DOT has crews on scene to treat the road. Bridge is open as of this writing.

— Crews putting sand on W. Bay Street viaduct.

— Minor flooding on General McIntosh Blvd.

— Icing on Thunderbolt Bridge and bridge on Hwy 80 near Bryan Woods Road. DOT has two trucks on scene working on the situation. Bridges open as of this writing.

— Tybee public works crews just finished sanding the Lazaretto Creek Bridge and it is open.

CEMA Twitter updates are here.

The Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) is advising residents that extreme winter weather will be approaching the area as early as this evening. The Winter Storm Warning from the National Weather Service remains in effect for Chatham County until 5 pm Wednesday.

"Conditions will be adverse, especially during the overnight hours," they say. "Road conditions will be extremely dangerous and Chatham County public works is advising motorists to avoid bridges if at all possible."

No advanced plans have been made to close any bridges or roadways. "Police and fire throughout Chatham County will closely monitor all roadways and bridges, and take whatever actions necessary if they become too dangerous," CEMA says.

Many municipal offices have elected to close due to the inclement weather. Chatham County offices will be closed Wednesday except to personnel directly related to ice or snow response. Chatham County offices are expected to open Thursday.

Chatham Area Transit suspended service on all fixed routes, paratransit services and ferry service at 6:30 pm today and all services for Wednesday. Service will resume Thursday.

CEMA remains at a level three activation of the Emergency Operations Center, which is the monitoring phase. Key partners are on standby and participating in routine conference calls with CEMA.

Residents can report icy conditions to CEMA at 912-201-4500 or 311 if in the City of Savannah.