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Chatham County Sheriff’s K-9 Rekky, a German Shepherd certified as a narcotics detector dog, passed away April 15, the Chatham County Sheriff's Dept. says.

Cpl. Rekky came to the department in August 2001 and was partnered with Cpl. Stephen Darnstaedt.

"Rekky conducted over 5,200 searches and recovered 3 tons of marijuana worth approximately five million dollars," according to a department spokesperson. "Rekky was a big hit during school demonstrations because of his soft temperament and laid back demeanor."

• Cpl. Rekky with Cpl. Stephen Darnstaedt

Rekky retired in 2008 and went home to live with his partner and his family.

Detectives from the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department continue to investigate the shooting of a Savannah man on Savannah’s eastside Saturday afternoon.

Stefphon Young, 23, was transported to Memorial University Medical Center with non-life threatening wounds after the shooting on the 1500 block of Georgia Avenue.

Savannah-Chatham Police are investigating a double shooting Saturday night that left a 16-year-old teen dead and a 23-year-old man hospitalized.

Quahfee Murphy died after the 9 p.m. shooting on the 3800 block of Bull Street and Allen Moore, who lived in the house where the shooting took place, was hospitalized at Memorial University Medical Center.

Anyone with info 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.

Traffic investigators from Savannah-Chatham Police are searching for the vehicle that struck a pre-teen bicyclist and fled the scene Saturday night.

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

"He was riding a bicycle southbound on LeGrande when he was struck by the newer model, silver four-door sedan — possibly a Chrysler Sebring — traveling east on 35th," police says. "The vehicle was occupied by a black male with dark complexion and a short Afro."

Anyone with info on the vehicle or its driver is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637) using the keyword CSTOP2020. T

WSAV-TV, the local NBC affiliate, has been honored with five Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in television journalism.

The announcement came Tuesday by the Radio Television Digital News Association which has been honoring outstanding achievement in electronic journalism with the Murrow Awards since 1971.

Among the honors is the Murrow Award for Overall Excellence, the sixth time in the last seven years WSAV’s entire staff has been so honored.

Anchor/Reporter Dave Kartunen earns the Murrow for Investigative Reporting with his investigation into Congressional Gift Travel — revealing local members of congress accepting “free” travel from third party interest groups and what the trips actually benefit.

Anchor/reporter Tina Tyus-Shaw and Investigator Andrew Davis share the Murrow Award for Breaking News Coverage for their treatment of the surprise retirement of former Savannah Chief of Police Willie Lovett.

Chief Investigator JoAnn Merrigan and Anchor Reporter Dave Kartunen accept the Murrow Award for Continuing Coverage — for follow up over a three month period of the problems, successes and battles that surrounded the implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act.

Photographer Art Ottimo wins the Murrow Award for Use of Video (Photojournalism) for his photo essay on the Savannah Police Memorial for officers killed in action. It’s WSAV’s fifth win in this category in the past eight years.

A Savannah man has been charged with aggravated assault "after being shot in a gunfire exchange with private security guards at a Skidaway Road nightclub Thursday night," police say.

Nathaniel Hardy, 21, is under guard at Memorial University Medical Center where he was transported for treatment of a non-life threatening injury in the 11:38 p.m. shooting.

Hardy was in the parking lot of Overtime in the 4600 block of Skidaway "when shots were fired between him and men working security at the club," police say.

Violent Crimes detectives from the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department continue to investigate the shooting.

U.S. Marshals, acting on information obtained by Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police, on Thursday afternoon arrested a Savannah man in Jacksonville, for an April 8 shooting death.

Jerome Coast Jr., 31, was arrested in a Jacksonville hotel. Metro homicide detectives had charged him with murder in the shooting death of Michael Willard James.

James, 31, was found dead in his SUV in the yard of a house on the 600 block of West 58th Street just after midnight. "The SUV had crashed into car parked in the yard, igniting a small fire that was quickly extinguished by Savannah Fire," police say.

A 17-year-old Savannah woman is in critical condition after being struck by a car while attempting to walk across U.S. Highway 80 on Wilmington Island Thursday night.

Stacie Davis of a Wyckfield Road address was transported to Memorial University Medical Center after the 8:57 p.m. accident in front of the Whitemarsh Island Shopping Center.

"She was walking north in the crosswalk at U.S. 80 and Debbie Drive against the light and talking on a cell phone when she was struck by a westbound Honda Civic driven by a 26-year-old Savannah man," police say.

The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents voted earlier today to allow Armstrong Atlantic State University to shorten its name to Armstrong State University.

"In their request for the change, Armstrong officials noted that dropping the word 'Atlantic' from the university’s name will help minimize confusion and create a stronger brand for Armstrong," a spokesperson says.

“We need a name that reflects who we are today,” said William Kelso, the university’s vice president of advancement and an Armstrong alumnus. “Many people mispronounce our name, calling us ‘Atlantic Armstrong’ or ‘Armstrong Atlanta State University.’ This confusion limits our ability to brand Armstrong as a successful part of the University System of Georgia, with thriving campuses in Savannah and Hinesville.”

The name change will be effective in the new fiscal year, which begins July 1.

“We are grateful to the Board of Regents for approving our name modification,” said Armstrong president Dr. Linda M. Bleicken. “Having a more streamlined name will help us with our recruitment and retention initiatives.”

"The Board of Regents added Atlantic to the university’s name in 1996 in an effort to give Armstrong a geographic identifier," the spokesperson says.

Armstrong was originally founded in 1935 in downtown Savannah and has been located on the Southside since 1966.

The university will convene a task force to develop a strategy to implement the name change this summer. Most of the university’s signage, athletic uniforms and collateral materials already have the name “Armstrong,” rather than “Armstrong Atlantic.”

After receiving a positive response from a survey of Armstrong faculty, staff, students, alumni and community leaders in the fall of 2013, the university decided move forward with a name change from Armstrong Atlantic State University to Armstrong State University. The survey indicated that the majority supports the name modification.

Police are investigating the Saturday afternoon shooting of a 40-year-old man who was walking near the 2400 block of Harden Street.

Nathaniel Mullino, who lives on the block, was transported to Memorial University Medical Center for treatment of a serious injury after the 3:22 p.m. shooting.

Anyone with info is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637) using the keyword CSTOP2020. A Tip Line is open at (912) 525-3124.