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Bounpheng Sriratanakoul, a Senior Maintenance Mechanic, died Monday afternoon during an accident at the President Street Wastewater Treatment Plant, a City spokesman says.

Sriratanakoul was a 12-year employee at the City’s Water and Sewer Department. "He was in the process of making repairs to a pipe shortly after noon Monday when a heavy piece of piping fell on his chest," the spokesman says.

Sriratanakoul was immediately transported to Memorial University Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.

“Our hearts go out to the entire Sriratanakoul family, as well as all of our employees at the President Street Plant,” said City Manager Stephanie Cutter. “This is a critical piece of infrastructure all Savannahians rely on, and the professionals who work there deserve our thanks for the difficult jobs they perform every day.”

Personnel from the City’s Risk Management office responded, as did a representative from the City’s Employee Assistance Program to help co-workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified.

Early voting for the May 20 primary election and School Board President election continues through Friday

Locate early voting locations in their county of registration here.

The “My Voter Page” (MVP) app also provides voters with tools. You can view a specific sample ballot, find polling locations, check voter registration status and track status of an absentee ballot. All of this information is available on mobile devices on Apple and Android platforms. To find the app, search for “GA Votes” in the app store.

House and Senate negotiators announced a deal Thursday night which would lead to the passing of a long-stalled water resources bill — and therefore would allow dredging of the Savannah River channel to begin using $266 million in state funding Georgia has already set aside for the long-running project, which has faced numerous legal, environmental, and political obstacles.

A poll commissioned by the Atlanta Journal/Constitution has Gov. Nathan Deal three percentage points ahead of Democrat Jason Carter, and finds the governor’s approval ratings have fallen below the 50 percent threshold.

Michelle Nunn, the Democratic front-runner in the Senate race, has built leads against each of the five top GOP Senate contenders in a potential November matchup, with David Perdue her strongest opponent.

Savannah Fire & Emergency Services firefighters battled a third house fire in just over 13 hours this morning when flames erupted in a home at 16 W. 50th St.

"Firefighters arrived on the scene just before 8:00 a.m. and encountered heavy smoke and flames in a front bedroom of the one-story brick house," a spokesman reports.

"They were able to extinguish the flames quickly and limit the bulk of the fire damage to the bedroom however, the remainder of the house sustained heavy smoke and water damage. The resident was not home at the time of the fire. He indicated to firefighters that he had left the house approximately three hours before the fire started. There were no injuries as a result of the incident."

Savannah firefighters battled two house fires within an hour and a half of each other Thursday evening. The first one occurred at a duplex in the 400 block of W. 41st St. Firefighters encountered heavy fire conditions when they arrived on scene just after 6:35 p.m.

"It appears the fire started in or near a shed at the front of the structure. Flames traveled up an exterior wall and entered the attic through the eaves," the spokesperson says. "Firefighters were able to contain the flames to the attic but were forced to remove ceilings in the upstairs apartment to ensure there was no trapped fire on the interior."

There were no injuries reported and firefighters were able to retrieve a pet dog unharmed from the building. A total of five occupants were displaced from the apartments.

As firefighters were clearing up from that scene, a second fire was reported at a home on Savannah’s Westside. Just after 8:05 p.m., firefighters were sent to 2128 Mell St. in the Hudson Hill area of the city.

Arriving firefighters reported heavy flames and smoke conditions at the one-story house. The structure sustained extensive fire damage to the living room area and smoke and water damage throughout the remainder of the structure.

One resident was home at the time of the blaze. "He indicated to fire investigators that the fire started at an outlet in the living room and quickly extended to draperies and furniture. The resident was able to escape the home uninjured. He and his wife were displaced due to the fire."

The American Red Cross was contacted to assist all of the affected residents and Savannah Fire investigators are examining each scene to try and determine causes for each fire.

A fire in the wee hours after last call Saturday morning left the popular bar at the downtown American Legion closed today, as well as the Betty Bombers eatery in the historic building.

This morning rehabilitation and recovery services were already at work mitigating the damage and a source says they expect both establishments to be open within a month.

In anticipation of National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Georgia District Office announced its 2014 Small Business Week award winners.

Among the winners, and named Small Business Person(s) of the Year, are Jusak Bernhard and Jeffrey Manley of the Habersham Village establishment TailsSpin, a pet food and accessory store which also hosts and sponsors frequent well-received and attended community events.

Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department’s Latino Officer Outreach Program (L.O.O.P.) will relaunch at this year’s Cinco De Mayo Festival, happening Sat., May 3, noon-8 p.m. at Lake Mayer Park on Montgomery Cross Road.

The festival is a collaboration between community outreach organizations, including: the Latino Coalition of Savannah and Youth for a Cleaner Environment (YFACE). It will feature an hour-long presentation of SCMPD’s K-9, Mounted Patrol and motorcycle units beginning at 3 p.m. L.O.O.P. representatives also will participate in a public safety panel discussion from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. The festival will include music, dancing and games. It is free and open to the public.

“The Cinco De Mayo Festival is the perfect opportunity for Metro’s L.O.O.P. members to make our presence known to Chatham County’s native Spanish-speakers,” said coordinator, APO Enrique Marquez. “Our goal is to make all members of this community feel safe and included in every service offered by SCMPD.”

L.O.O.P is a specialized unit consisting of SCMPD officers volunteering their services to the Hispanic population. It was established in 2007, but dissipated through attrition and promotions.

"L.O.O.P. was created in response to the growing need for Spanish-speaking Metro officers to translate during violent crime investigations," police say. "While providing translation services, L.O.O.P participants also observed barriers in the cultural understanding between the Hispanic and public safety communities. L.O.O.P. seeks to remove these barriers through education and communication."

Currently, L.O.O.P. has 6 members.

Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police have charged Hykeen Youmans, 24, with hit and run/leaving the scene after an 11-year-old boy was struck by a car Saturday night.

Malik Pridgen, 11, was transported to Memorial University Medical Center with serious injuries after being struck near East 35th and LeGrande streets just before 8:30 p.m.

Police are seeking the public’s help in locating a suspect charged in the shooting of a Savannah man on Sunday morning.

Shaquan Dukes, 18, has been charged with aggravated assault in the shooting of Roger Bush Jr., 36, "during a confrontation at a rooming house where both lived on the 1600 block of East 37th Street," police say.

Bush was transported by family members to Memorial University Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

• Shaquan Dukes

Dukes is described as a black male, about 6 feet, 150 pounds with dreadlocks. Anyone with information on his location 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.