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Chatham County Police Department officers will canvas neighborhoods Wednesday to remind citizens about the importance of locking their vehicles.

Since February, 96 percent of all thefts from autos in Chatham County have been from unlocked cars. In those incidents, nearly 50 firearms have been stolen. From October 23-October 30, items were stolen from twenty-two unlocked cars. These items included three firearms, cash, jewelry, prescription medications, cell phones and clothing. Officers will canvas neighborhoods Wednesday Nov. 7 with new ‘Lock It or Lose It’ clings that they will distribute in an effort to help remind citizens of the simple step they can keep from becoming a theft victim. Officers will continue to distribute the clings in an ongoing effort to help reduce thefts from autos.

Savannah Police’s Southside Precinct detectives are seeking to identify two women who conducted a flim-flam scheme resulting in the loss of thousands of dollars.

The two female suspects approached the 78-year-old female victim with a bag they said contained approximately $29,000 that the suspects found. They promised to share the money with her if she would contribute some money of her own. After convincing her to withdraw $10,000 in cash, the suspects took the victim’s money and left.

Both suspects were described as black females possibly in their 50s, who were around 5-foot-4. Anyone with information on the incident or the suspects should contact Southside Precinct detectives at (912) 351-3404. Information can also be forwarded to CrimeStoppers at (912) 234-2020. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.

The Savannah City Council voted today to test a downtown worker transportation program for a six-month trial period beginning early 2019.

The $294,000 contract to Downtowner, a Florida-based company, includes providing a free, on-demand transportation service geared toward residents who work at night in Savannah’s central business district and need safe, reliable transportation to and from their vehicles. The service is offered in multiple cities including Tampa Bay, Fl., and Aspen, Co.

The service is available to any person, but will be marketed primarily to downtown employees who work between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. All rides will be scheduled through a mobile app similar to popular ride-share services such as Uber or Lyft.

The need for such a service for late-night downtown workers was identified by City Council during discussions of the Parking Matters study, which recommended extending meter enforcement into the evening, in addition to elimination of time limits and other changes intended to make parking more efficient downtown. The City also offers very low monthly rates in downtown garages for those who work at night -- $35 per month to park from 3 p.m. to 6 a.m. seven days per week in any City-owned garage.

City staff determined on-demand transportation would be cost-effective in comparison to extending bus shuttle hours past midnight. The downtown transportation program is funded using revenue from the Parking & Mobility Fund.

The pilot program will be evaluated after the six-month trial period to determine whether the service successfully addresses transportation disadvantages for late night downtown employees.

To find out more about parking options, go to www.savannahga.gov/parking.

Traffic will be affected for several hours on Monday, November 12, 2018 as roads are closed for the annual Veterans Day Parade.

The parade begins at 10:15 a.m. at the intersection of Abercorn and Gaston Streets and proceeds north until intersecting with Liberty Street. The route continues west on Liberty Street until it turns north on Montgomery Street. The parade will continue on Montgomery Street until it turns east on Broughton Street. The parade will disband on Broughton Street when it reaches Price Street.

The parade staging area is between Lincoln and Drayton Streets and between Park Avenue and Gaston Street. All streets in the parade route and staging area will be CLOSED to traffic until the parade has passed. Normal traffic flow is expected to return by 2 p.m.

The City of Savannah will be enforcing sound ordinances within the staging area and parade route. On Monday, November 12, there will be NO PARKING allowed in the staging area and parade route. No Parking signs have been placed in the areas throughout the week. Vehicles remaining in the “No Parking” areas will be towed beginning at 12:01 AM on November 12.

The Lincoln Street Bicycle Lane will get a new look to improve safety following action by City Council on Monday.

Earlier this year the City tested small sections of the bike lane, located on Lincoln between Victory Drive and Liberty Street, with several types of highly visible green markings.

During Monday’s Council Meeting, the Mayor and Aldermen awarded a $221,235 contract to Angco, Inc. to install the bicycle lane using a thermoplastic material. The bicycle lane will be painted the color green to minimize confusion with other standard traffic control markings. It will be 6 feet wide throughout the length of the lane. The City will also take the opportunity to fill in cracks on the roadway and other defects.

Investing in bicycle lanes aligns with the City’s Savannah Forward Strategic Plan and promotes #Infrastructure. The expenditure is funded by the Mobility & Parking fund.

The Office of Leadership & Community Engagement (OLCE) will kick off the 25th annual Holiday Helper Tree event Thursday Nov. 1 at 10 a.m., at Russell Union Commons, 85 Georgia Ave, Statesboro, Ga. 30458. This event encourages students, staff and faculty to pull a tag with the name of a family or individual in need. The tags represent 17 local nonprofit organizations and nearly 700 individuals and families who will each receive a gift from their wish-list this holiday season.

In honor of the Holiday Helper Tree’s 25th anniversary, OLCE is adding gold tags, which represent an act of service that volunteers can do to help a Bulloch County organization. Eileen Smith, founder of this Georgia Southern tradition, will speak and children from Statesboro Head Start will sing holiday carols.

The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office will be hosting a free Halloween event in partnership with the Church Body of Christ on Wednesday, Oct. 31 from 5-9 p.m. in Daffin Park (1301 E. Victory Dr. Savannah, Ga). In addition to family friendly entertainment such as bounce houses, free hot dogs, hamburgers, fruit and candy will be passed out.

That same evening, officers with the Sheriff's Office department will be handing out candy- starting at 5:30 pm- through the following neighborhoods: Kayton Homes, Frasier Homes, Westlake, Yamacraw, Carver Village, Garden City, Pin Point, Clearview/Hudson Hill, and Ardsley Park.

Savannah Police Violent Crimes detectives are investigating the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old male on Saturday October 27.

"At around 10:30 a.m., a call was received in reference to an injured person, later identified as Shyree Smalls, on the 1100 block of E. 37th Street. He was transported to an area hospital in serious condition. Further evaluation revealed that he was suffering from gunshot wounds. He later succumbed to his injuries," police reported Sunday morning.

Detectives are working the case to determine the circumstances leading up to the incident. Detectives say they do not believe this to be a random shooting.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Violent Crimes Unit tip line at (912) 525-3124. Information can also be forwarded to CrimeStoppers at (912) 234-2020. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.

The League of Women Voters of Coastal Georgia and 9to5 Georgia have arranged for local businesses to give incentives for voting in the midterm elections on November 6. Some businesses are also offering incentives during the early voting period as well.

To participate in the discount, display your "I Voted" Georgia peach sticker.

Amanda Hollowell, 9to5 Organizer, Savannah Chapter, said, “I am excited for 9to5 to be part of this effort in Savannah. It’s a great way to acknowledge people for voting and caring about Georgia and a great way to connect the community through civic engagement. Also I love ice cream.”

Election Day Incentives include:

Duck Donuts: 99 cent coffee and free basic donut
Bojangles (all Savannah-area locations): free 22 oz. iced tea
Sentient Bean: 10% off all drinks
Ben and Jerry's: free scoop of ice cream
Leopold's Ice Cream: upgrade your single scoop cone to a double scoop cone
The Coffee Fox: 10% off your order
Henny Penny Cafe: 10% off your order
Foxy Loxy - 10% off purchase on Nov. 6th.
Fox and Fig Cafe - 10% off purchase on Nov. 6th
A complimentary peach-themed dessert or drink will be offered at Blowin' Smoke, B. Matthews, East End Provisions, and The 5 Spot.

Early voting through Election Day incentives include:

Civvies on Broughton: 10% off your purchase
Starlandia: 10% off your purcahse
The Book Lady: 20% off one regular stock used book
Duck Donuts: 99 cent coffee
Salacia Salts: 10% off your purchase
Roots Up Gallery - 10-25% off select jewelry and artwork now through Nov. 6th
Andrew Low House - free tour now 'til Nov. 7th (day after Election Day)

Other businesses may be added, so this post may be updated. Also, look for the poster with the League and 9to5 logos in the window of local merchants.

City Council today approved an expansion of the Mid-City zoning area and designation in order to clear the way for a four-story SCAD dorm set to go up on Victory Drive.

The new dorms would be adjacent to the current One West Victory development and will extend down to Montgomery Street.

SCAD's attorney negotiated with the Metropolitan Planning Commission to extend the Mid-City zoning district across Victory Drive to the south side of the street specifically to include the new development.

The move, Council agreed, would place the dorm under a recognizable and already existing oversight protocol.

Wondering if the city was "helping gentrification, Alderman Van Johnson cautioned that "I don't want to see the neighborhood become ancillary to the college." Johnson voted to approve the measure, however.

Attorney Howard Yellin, representing SCAD in this case, said he had worked with MPC closely on the compromise, which included reducing the height of the proposed dorm from six stories to four, the same height as One West Victory (which is also student housing).

In other business, Council approves a special-use allowance for Victory Antiques and Collectibles, to allow for after-hours wedding receptions.