AC repair inSavannah, GA

Federal watchdogs are barking up Colonial Oil's tree with a hefty $2.8 million fine for clean air violatios. The Savannah-based oil bigwig, dinged by the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency, stands accused of fudging renewable fuel use numbers and peddling too volatile gasoline. Buyers beware, this gas was apparently contributing to smog and hitting asthmatics where it hurts.

The company, which didn't peep a word when asked to comment, isn't just forking out fines. In a costly mea culpa, it's shelling out $12.2 million to retire greenhouse gas credits. Sweetening the sour deal, the consent decree they inked, pending public scrutiny, may become a done deal after the regulatory bigwigs sift through a month's worth of public gab.

Getting into the grime of it, EPA hawks claim Colonial Oil left out over 100 million gallons of diesel, meant for ships that never braved the big blue, from its eco-friendly fuel use records from 2013 to 2019. The big no-no here: pretending they used the green stuff when they didn't, leading to a greenhouse gas uptick.

As if that wasn't enough heat, the oil honchos also hawked gas that had too much pep in its step, evaporation-wise, causing more smog and breathing beef for folks in the summer, according to The Current. Under the hammer, Colonial now has to nab and snuff credits to make up for their eco-slip, to the cool tune of 18,300 metric tons of CO2 snuffed out – that's like unplugging a small town or parking a fleet of cars for a year.

Mind you, despite their current mire, Colonial Group's website is all sunshine and daisies about its pioneering push into renewable diesel on the East Coast. A stark contrast to having the feds knock on their door for a cleaner act. Rules are rules, after all, and as Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim put it, "This proposed settlement will hold Colonial to the same renewable fuel requirements that all importers and producers must adhere to."

Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of the EPA wasn't shy about laying it bare either, saying renewable fuels were pivotal in cutting down nasty emissions and backing up the economy with solid jobs. This settlement is another sharp reminder to fuel folks to stay in their green lane or face the costly music.

A look at other offenders this year shows this isn't a lonely path. California-based Cummins, Inc.'s wallet is $1.675 billion lighter after the biggest Clean Air Act civil penalty ever slapped. And Apache Corporation's piggy bank is down $4 million, plus a couples of million more in clean-up acts after their own faux pas with well pads, per reporting from The Current.

In late March, City Manager Jay Melder pledged to members of the Savannah Downtown Neighborhood Association to propose an ordinance aimed at reducing amplified sound from trolleys. On Thursday, Savannah City Council discussed a few potential elements of a future ordinance, namely the use of directional speakers or in-ear technology to reduce sound.

Melder is now expected to draft an ordinance, which he said could be ready in two to four weeks. Members of council were generally supportive of tackling the issue, which is now moving toward consensus on a solution after collaboration between the city, trolley companies and neighborhood leaders.

The elements discussed Thursday were generally received well by members of city council and are the result of collaboration between the city, industry stakeholders and members of the Downtown Neighborhood Association.

“I think it went very well because the city manager, and the people within the city who are involved in tourism, listened to what the DNA had to say," said DNA board member Marysue McCarthy.

Directional speakers leading as preferred method to reduce amplification

The likely solution will be the directional speakers, which are designed to keep amplification directed inside the trolley. The method has long been preferred by some trolley companies, and Old Town Trolley retrofitted one of its vehicles to pilot the technology.

The speakers have since been tested and demonstrated on three different occasions for officials and neighborhood members, who have said the technology appears to successfully reduce amplification. David McDonald, president of DNA, submitted a quote of support for Melder's presentation to council.

“We had about 20 people join board members to see if the speakers would be viable. The consensus seemed to be that the installation of these speakers significantly reduced the volume of noise coming from inside the trolley,” McDonald said in the quote included in the presentation.

Also workshopped by council was a potential implementation timeline for whichever technology members approve. The idea Melder put before council was to require compliance from 50% of a company's registered fleet within 12 months, and 100% of the registered fleet within 18 months.

The compliance timeline may be one element that is further fleshed out as a draft ordinance moves forward. Charlie Brazil, now COO of Historic Tours of America, which is Old Town Trolley's parent company, said the workshop was "constructive," but added there needs to be more "due diligence" on speaker implementation before committing to timelines.

For one, the speakers Old Town Trolley has piloted are custom made for their vehicles. They also have a price tag of about $10,000 to $12,000.

"I need to do a lot more due diligence, and I think everybody should before we fix ourselves on a particular timeframe," Brazil said.

Evan Lasseter is the city and council government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah council poised to tackle trolley sound ordinance in coming weeks

Last Wednesday, April 10, Savannah State University (SSU) Interim President Cynthia Robinson Alexander issued a statement to media regarding issues raised by reporting in the Savannah Morning News about the process and procedures regarding the contract non-renewal of 13 professors, many of them tenured, in August 2023. Alexander's statement was issued through Abshire Public Relations, which was hired last August by the university to provide, among other tasks, crisis communication strategies.

On July 18, 2023 Abshire PR sent Alton Standifer, then interim chief of staff at SSU, a draft proposal for services. The proposed cost for 30 days of "audit/crisis support management" was $10,000.

Documents obtained by Savannah Morning News (SMN) through an open records request are unclear whether SSU agreed to the contract at the time. However, Abshire PR's Founder and CEO Jennifer Abshire stated her company had been working "as needed for SSU since August 2023 on various PR related activities, due to several staff positions being vacant in the Advancement Division." Abshire also stated that Leandrea Mikell remains SSU's interim vice president of advancement until a permanent vice president is hired.

A purchase order shows that SSU contracted Abshire PR on March 28, a few days after the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) faculty caucus voted to investigate faculty non-renewals processed on Aug. 2, 2023 that appear to have violated University System of Georgia (USG) protocols. According to the purchase order, the university will pay Abshire PR just over $15,000 for services through April 27.

Timing is everything

Abshire PR's proposal for services confirmed July 24, 2023 as a potential start date, which was one day before USG's report on CLASS Dean David Marshall's vote of no confidence investigation was released. CLASS Faculty had voted no confidence in Marshall on March 23, 2023. The no-confidence vote stemmed from faculty concerns about Marshall's leadership style and ethics that began shortly after he started his tenure in July 2022.

After USG completed its investigation, records show that USG officials discussed and shared the report with Alexander on July 26, 2023. Later that day, Alexander sent the report back to USG's Vice Chancellor-Academic Affairs Dana Nichols with comments from Marshall confirming that he had seen it and agreeing to USG's recommendations for leadership development, training and coaching.

On July 27, 2023, Alexander and other SSU officials signed off on the Faculty Non-Renewal Due to Enrollment/Budget form for 13 faculty, 10 of whom were from CLASS per Marshall's recommendation. USG officials accepted and approved the form on Aug. 2, 2023, the same day that the non-renewed SSU faculty were sent their non-renewal notices.

The timing of the faculty notices violates USG's policy stated on the non-renewal form that reads it "must…be submitted to the University System Office [USO] no later than four weeks prior to the first non-renewal notice date.”

The violation is corroborated by USG's own June 2023 "USG Study Group Findings and Recommendations for Savannah State University" report, which required SSU to “submit fully completed RIF [reduction in force] documents [to include the non-renewal form] to USG HR no later than July 3.”

However, on Friday, April 12 of this year, USG officials issued a joint statement through a general USG Communications email to SMN that read, in part, "Like all University System of Georgia (USG) institutions, SSU must follow the system’s policy on reduction in force as stated in the USG Human Resources administrative manual.

The policy requires a president’s approval prior to submission to USG. Upon approval by the president, the institution’s chief human resources officer then completes the Reduction in Force Request form and submits the institution’s plan to USG’s Office of Human Resources for review and approval before executing any aspect of the plan.

SSU’s president signed the form you referenced as required and the SSU plan was reviewed and approved by the USG Office of Human Resources as required under the policy."

SSU faculty take action:Liberal arts faculty caucus votes to investigate 2023 faculty non-renewals

If there is no crisis then why is no one talking?

The April 10 press release directly addresses SSU's 2022 Reduction in Force (RIF) proposal, which resulted in a "determination in late June 2023 to implement the deactivation of certain majors, programs, and the elimination of some faculty positions to address the projected $11M budget shortfall."

Alexander's statement also touts increased student enrollment and retention across majors and champions "enhanced academic support to help boost student success" without offering specific examples of either point.

In fact, 18 degree programs saw reduction in enrollment or remained at the same amount for Fall 2023. The university's Associates in Arts program saw increased year-over-year enrollment from 49 in Fall 2022 to 131 in Fall 2023. The Associates in Sciences also increased year over year from 38 to 60. Notably, the Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts has seen a steady enrollment increase since 2019 when it was at 75 students through Fall 2023 when it reached 94. However, the Visual and Performing Arts major was recently under threat of being deactivated, which led to student protests in February.

The PR statement also mentions Alexander's and SSU leadership's efforts at shared governance with faculty, yet she and the current provost continue to deny a meeting request made more than a month ago by the CLASS faculty caucus.

As of this publication, Alexander has avoided responding directly to interview requests by SMN. Former SSU Provost Yolanda Page declined an interview request as has former SSU Chief Human Resources Officer Jacquelyn Stepherson (who, along with Marshall and Alexander, also signed off on the non-renewal form before Stepherson left SSU shortly thereafter). Standifer and Marshall have not responded to requests for interviews. USG officials have not responded to interview requests outside of the group response provided by USG Communications.

Current SSU Interim Provost Richard Miller has spoken over the phone to SMN on multiple occasions. He has stated, however, that he will not speak about the non-renewal matter because it occurred prior to his tenure. He did acknowledge that the CLASS faculty's concerns are legitimate, but stated his office would not provide direct support to faculty in their quest for answers and accountability.

Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@gannett.com.

In late March, City Manager Jay Melder pledged to members of the Savannah Downtown Neighborhood Association to propose an ordinance aimed at reducing amplified sound from trolleys. On Thursday, Savannah City Council discussed a few potential elements of a future ordinance, namely the use of directional speakers or in-ear technology to reduce sound.

Melder is now expected to draft an ordinance, which he said could be ready in two to four weeks. Members of council were generally supportive of tackling the issue, which is now moving toward consensus on a solution after collaboration between the city, trolley companies and neighborhood leaders.

The elements discussed Thursday were generally received well by members of city council and are the result of collaboration between the city, industry stakeholders and members of the Downtown Neighborhood Association.

“I think it went very well because the city manager, and the people within the city who are involved in tourism, listened to what the DNA had to say," said DNA board member Marysue McCarthy.

Directional speakers leading as preferred method to reduce amplification

The likely solution will be the directional speakers, which are designed to keep amplification directed inside the trolley. The method has long been preferred by some trolley companies, and Old Town Trolley retrofitted one of its vehicles to pilot the technology.

The speakers have since been tested and demonstrated on three different occasions for officials and neighborhood members, who have said the technology appears to successfully reduce amplification. David McDonald, president of DNA, submitted a quote of support for Melder's presentation to council.

“We had about 20 people join board members to see if the speakers would be viable. The consensus seemed to be that the installation of these speakers significantly reduced the volume of noise coming from inside the trolley,” McDonald said in the quote included in the presentation.

Also workshopped by council was a potential implementation timeline for whichever technology members approve. The idea Melder put before council was to require compliance from 50% of a company's registered fleet within 12 months, and 100% of the registered fleet within 18 months.

The compliance timeline may be one element that is further fleshed out as a draft ordinance moves forward. Charlie Brazil, now COO of Historic Tours of America, which is Old Town Trolley's parent company, said the workshop was "constructive," but added there needs to be more "due diligence" on speaker implementation before committing to timelines.

For one, the speakers Old Town Trolley has piloted are custom made for their vehicles. They also have a price tag of about $10,000 to $12,000.

"I need to do a lot more due diligence, and I think everybody should before we fix ourselves on a particular timeframe," Brazil said.

Evan Lasseter is the city and council government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News:

The Georgia High School Association soccer playoffs get started this week and several local teams are primed to make deep playoff runs.

The Savannah Country Day boys enter the playoffs ranked No. 1 among Class 3A teams in the state by Score Atlanta, with the Hornet girls at No. 3. The Richmond Hill girls squad enters the Class 7A playoffs with a record of 15-0-2.

Here's a look at the first-round matchups with teams from the Greater Savannah area.

Richmond Hill girls primed for playoffsHow a dominating Richmond Hill girls soccer team is looking to go deep in the playoffs

Islands boys break through for titleHow a young Islands soccer team broke through for a region crown with win over Benedictine

SCD boys soccer team on impressive runHow a strong team dynamic has Savannah Country Day boys soccer team on track for playoff run

Boys

Class 7A

South Gwinnett (8-10) at Richmond Hill (9-7-2), Wednesday 7 p.m.

The Wildcats earned a first-round home game as the No. 2 team out of Region 1-7A and have gone 4-2-1 in their last seven games.

Class 6A

Forest Park (9-5) at South Effingham (14-2-1), Friday

South Effingham is one of the top teams in the Coastal Empire as the Mustangs earned a No. 2 seed coming out of the tough Region 2-6A. Both Mustang losses came against Glynn Academy. Senior Edson Escobar leads the squad with 14 goals and 14 assists, while Desmond Prince (10 goals and eight assists), Cole Hoffman (10 goals and six assists and JP Alonso (nine goals, four assists) are key cogs offensively on a team known for its depth.

Class 5A

Bradwell (12-5-1) at Cross Keys (11-2-1), Wednesday

Junior Jahdai Prince has 22 goals and five assists for a Bradwell squad that earned a No. 3 seed out of Region 1-5A. The Tigers will be looking to slow down sophomore Jefferson Diaz, who leads Cross Keys with 20 goals.

Class 4A

Spalding (8-6) at Islands (11-5-1), Thursday 7 p.m.

Islands broke through to beat Benedictine 3-1 last week to claim the Region 3-4A title. Evan Narvaez (16 goals and 16 assists) and Ryan Winters (15 goals and three assists) lead the Sharks offense, with sophomore Julian Roma an anchor defensively.

Griffin (11-7) at Benedictine (9-6-2), Friday 6 p.m.

The Cadets, who reached the Class 4A Final Four last season, have a number of standout players including Parker Lewis. Asher Herrin and Mills Hollis. Griffin enters the playoffs on a three-game win streak.

Class 3A

Upson-Lee (11-6) at Savannah Country Day (13-0-1), Tuesday 6:30 p.m.

SCD enters the playoffs ranked No. 1 among Class 3A teams in the state by Score Atlanta. Captains Wesley Hooker, Madden Gerlach and Athon Herron are leaders on a disciplined, unselfish Hornet squad looking to make a deep playoff run.

Savannah Christian (11-4) at Pike County (16-3), Wednesday 5 p.m.

Junior Reid Hampton (16 goals and five assists) and his classmate Brodie Williams (16 goals, five assists) for a dynamic scoring punch for the Raiders, the No. 4 seed out of Region 3-3A.

Groves (5-4-2) at Mary Persons (11-4-2), Wednesday

The Rebels earned the No. 3 seed out of Region 3-3A and are on the road to face Mary Persons.

Class A Division I

Dublin (4-9-1) at Woodville-Tompkins (9-4-1), Wednesday at Savannah High, 5 p.m.

Woodville-Tompkins repeated as Region 3A Division I champions and reached the state quarterfinals last season under coach Kalen Pinckney. The Wolverines enter the playoffs ranked seventh in the state led by senior captain Luis Lopez, who has 21 goals and four assists. Standout freshman Chris Varner has 14 goals and four assists.

Bryan County (2-14) at East Laurens (11-4-1), Tuesday, 7 p.m.

GIRLS

Class 7A

South Gwinnett (11-6) at Richmond Hill (15-0-2), Wednesday 5 p.m.

The Wildcats have won three straight region titles and have reached the state quarterfinals three years in a row. The young team has been dominating in all phases of the game and is primed for another playoff run.

Class 4A

Baldwin (11-5-1) at Islands (8-6-1), Thursday 5 p.m.

The Sharks won the Region 3-4A title and are led by senior Olivia Gentner (nine goals and seven assists) and sophomore Holly Kachmar (eight goals and two assists).

New Hampstead (3-11-1) at Perry (17-0-1), Thursday

The Phoenix are the No. 4 seed out of Region 3-4A and will be on the road to face an undefeated Perry squad.

Class 3A

Upson-Lee (9-9) at Savannah Country Day (13-2), Tuesday 4:30 p.m.

SCD beat St. Vincent's 1-0 last week to clinch the Region 3-3A title and the Hornets enter the playoffs ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 3A by Score Atlanta. The Hornets have a plethora of scoring options in Sophia Okumu (16 goals, six assists), Harris Stone (13 goals, 10 assists), Reese Baily (13 goals, nine assists) and AC Davis (12 goals, 10 assists).

Jackson (3-10) at St. Vincent's (9-5-1), Tuesday, April 16, at Memorial Stadium 5 p.m.

The Saints were edged 1-0 by Savannah Country Day for the region title, but are always a threat come playoff time. SVA reached the Class 3A state semifinals last year and enter the playoffs ranked No. 7 among Class 3A teams in the state by Score Atlanta.

Calvary Day (8-5) at Mary Persons (9-5-1), Tuesday 5 p.m.

The Cavs earned the No. 3 seed out of Region 3-3A and will be on the road in the first round. The Cavs feature one of the state's top goal scorers in junior Abby Walsh, who has netted 31 goals with 13 assists on the year. She notched her 100th career goal in a win over Beach last week.

Class 2A

Central Macon (7-6-1) at Savannah Arts (14-4), Thursday at Daffin Park, 5 p.m.

The Panthers earned the No. 2 seed out of Region 3-2A and are battle tested behind a tough non-region schedule. Sophomore Amelia Reci has 43 goals and seven assists on the year. Freshman Jordan Gunn has 23 assists and 16 goals, while Ava Thomas has 13 goals and eight assists. The Panthers are ranked No. 5 in the state among Class 2A teams.

Class A Division I

Swainsboro (5-12) at Bryan County (9-6-2), Tuesday 6 p.m.

Bryan County earned a No. 2 seed out of Region 3A Division I and will host in the first round.

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN