Savannah Morning News (Savannah, GA) articles from April 2001

Savannah Morning News (Savannah, GA) archives from April 2001

Tax Breaks, Need for Electricity Fuel Georgia's Energy Boom.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Gail Krueger Apr. 2--Georgia isn't known for its oil reserves, natural gas fields or coal mines. Nevertheless, the state is in the midst of a power boom. Fifteen applications are pending for new electric power generation units...

Natural Gas Cutoff Under Way for Delinquent Customers in Georgia.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Doug Gross Apr. 3--ATLANTA--About 1,200 Georgia households lost natural gas Monday as providers began cutting service to customers who fell behind on payments when prices soared this winter. Before lunchtime, agencies working...

Savannah, Ga.-Area Planning Board Adds New Commissioner.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Tasha Gatlin Apr. 4--Local builder Jerry Konter has been named to the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission. Konter sat in as the commission's newest member at its Tuesday afternoon meeting. He is a...

Environmental Groups Knock Power Plant Pollution in Georgia.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Gail Krueger Apr. 4--Air quality in Georgia is getting worse and much of the blame should be put on Southern Co.'s aging coal-fired power plants, according to a coalition of environmental groups. Tuesday, the groups, under the...

Enrollment Rises at Savannah, Ga., Tech University.
April 6, 2001... Byline: Jenel Few Apr. 6--Stacy Davis is among more than 2,500 students who expect their training at Savannah Technical College to land them jobs. "I enrolled here because they have an excellent early childhood education program,"...

Savannah, Ga., Clean-Up Firm Helps Dispose of Accident Remnants.
April 9, 2001... Byline: Anne Hart Apr. 9--Imagine being in the business of cleaning up killings. And diesel spills on Interstate 95. Or train derailments in the middle of nowhere. Workers at SWS Environmental First Response don't need to imagine....

State Lawmaker Warns Savannah, Ga., Residents of Predatory Lending.
April 10, 2001... Byline: Tasha Gatlin Apr. 7--There's big money to be made targeting the poor, uneducated and debt-ridden, and unsuspecting Savannahians could be among the next victims, a state lawmaker said Friday. Sen. Vincent Fort issued the warning...

Avoiding Georgia's Inventory Tax Is Business As Usual, Owners Say.
April 10, 2001... Byline: Ben Werner Apr. 8--British economist John Maynard Keynes once said avoiding taxes is the only pursuit that still carries any reward. The late Keynes might be known better for his idea that government can reverse the damaging...

Free-Trade Zone Throughout Hemisphere Would Benefit U.S., Executives Say.
April 10, 2001... Byline: Walter C. Jones Apr. 7--ATLANTA--The United States would be a big winner if a free-trading zone is expanded from North America to include the entire hemisphere, even Cuba, trade experts say. More than 200 executives meeting in...

Chatham County, Ga., Commission Approves 90-Day Building Ban.
April 11, 2001... Byline: Pamela E. Walck Apr. 10--If you want to build something new on the islands, you may have to wait a little longer. The Chatham County Commission voted last month 5-4 to approve a 90-day moratorium on Wilmington, Whitemarsh,...

Savannah, Ga., Advisory Board to Rule on Construction of Parking Garage.
April 12, 2001... Byline: Kate Wiltrout Apr. 11--Residents and tourists tired of circling squares for empty parking spaces will be glad to know about a proposed parking garage that could hold more than 900 cars. But first, the city has to get approval...

Tennis Association Considers Savannah, Ga., as Site for Davis Cup Match.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Jim Thomas Apr. 12--Savannah is one of nine cities under consideration to host a U.S. Davis Cup qualifying match against India on Sept. 21-23, the United States Tennis Association announced Wednesday. If Savannah is selected,...

Savannah Morning News, Ga., Bill Dawers Column.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Bill Dawers Apr. 17--"Are you in the Historic District?" Claudia Collins, owner of Claudia's Manor, is asked routinely by potential guests. "I try to explain to them that we are in the Historic District, but that we're not...

Savannah, Ga., Banking Operations Affected by First Union, Wachovia Merger.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Ben Werner Apr. 17--First Union's proposed purchase of Wachovia means several key issues about Savannah's operations must be resolved in the next few weeks. Those issues include a headquarters location, who the local president...

Savannah, Ga., Retailers Need to Tighten Belts as Economy Slows Down.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Tasha Gatlin Apr. 17--First it was the technology industry. Then the utilities. Now it's retail. As the economy slows and concerns rise, the horizon for retail looks bleaker than it has since the early 1990s. To counteract...

Census Numbers Put Savannah, Ga., in Good Position for More Transit Funding.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Walter C. Jones Apr. 16--ATLANTA--The recent population figures from the U.S. census gave a boost to projected numbers of riders and costs for a commuter rail system the state is planning to operate. Last week, consultants...

Savannah, Ga., Nuclear-Fuel Meeting Draws Ire, Concern.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Gail Krueger Apr. 19--Frustration with an almost unfathomable process dominated a Wednesday meeting about transforming the stuff of the Cold War into a peace-time fuel. The federal Department of Energy already has decided that...

Savannah, Ga., Travelers See Little Impact of Comair Pilots' Strike.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Ben Werner Apr. 19--The pilots want more competitive wages and benefits while their employer -- Comair -- says they already top the standard for regional carriers. The result is a stalemate. For nearly a month, Comair has been...

Savannah, Ga., City Council Expected to Toughen Taxi Rules.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Bret Bell Apr. 19--The taxi's music was pumping, and the driver was shouting. "Ooh mama, I bet you're freaky!" he yelled to a woman walking down Drayton Street. And then to the passenger in the back, shouting above the...

Planners Inch Closer to Revamping Chatham County, Ga., Zoning Regulations.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Tasha Gatlin Apr. 19--Frustrating. Cumbersome. Confusing. That's how developers, home builders and residents view Chatham County's maze of zoning regulations. Officials from the City Council and the County Commission are in the...

Savannah, Ga., Officials Hope to Improve Taxi Service with New Rules.
April 23, 2001... Byline: Bret Bell Apr. 20--Be prepared for a more expensive taxi ride in Savannah. And get ready for a safer, cleaner ride too. Aldermen were in agreement Thursday that proposed changes to the city's taxi ordinance would go a long way...

Savannah, Ga.-Area Businesses Pay the Price for a Song.
April 26, 2001... Byline: Noelle Phillips Apr. 26--Walk into your favorite mall store and listen. Hear that hip hop hit blaring from the speakers? It's there to send you a message about the hipness of that store's clothes. And the store is paying to...

Savannah, Ga., Development Authority Executive Steps Down.
April 26, 2001... Byline: Ben Werner Apr. 26--Inside a small conference room, Richard Knowlton talked about retirement among the model trucks, backhoes, trains and planes that are trophies of Savannah Economic Development Authority deals he has closed. ...

State Report Blames Savannah, Ga., Electric Company for Rate Increases.
April 26, 2001... Byline: Ben Werner and Gail Krueger Apr. 26--Savannah Electric has wasted millions in fuel costs by not following state regulators' orders and is now trying to pass this burden on to its 132,000 customers, says a Georgia Public Service...

IBM Chooses Savannah, Ga., Trade Center for Its Annual Meeting.
April 26, 2001... Byline: Ben Werner Apr. 26--We need metal detectors, x-ray machines, phone lines, Internet access, seating for more than 500 investors, accommodations for the national business press and enough juice to power five Savannah homes. Oh,...

Critical Shareholders Put a Damper on Savannah, Ga., IBM Meeting.
April 26, 2001... Byline: Ben Werner Apr. 26--Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., IBM's chief executive, admitted that how price earning multiples are made was beyond his understanding. "I'm just a computer salesman," the head of number eight on Fortune's top 500...

IBM Flirts with Wireless Technology.
April 26, 2001... Byline: Ben Werner Apr. 26--As businesses go wireless in the coming years, IBM is counting on them to want a Big Blue world. IBM AT A GLANCE: International Business Machines (IBM) HEADQUARTERS: Armonk, New York CHIEF...

Cumberland Island, Ga., National Park Considers a New Management Plan.
April 26, 2001... Byline: Kate Wiltrout Apr. 26--CUMBERLAND ISLAND, Ga.--Indians fished, slaves farmed and industrial barons once relaxed on this barrier island off the south Georgia coast. Today a national seashore run by the National Park Service,...

Water Supply Debate Pits Atlanta against Rest of State.
April 26, 2001... Byline: Dave Williams Apr. 26--ATLANTA--Since Gov. Roy Barnes took office more than two years ago, one of his themes has been "one Georgia," the need to prop up the economies of rural counties so they aren't left behind by the booming...

Savannah, Ga.-Based Electric Firm Welcomes New CEO.
April 27, 2001... Byline: Gail Krueger Apr. 27--Anthony R. James was named Savannah Electric's new president and chief executive officer by the company's board of directors Thursday. His appointment becomes effective May 1. James, 50, currently serves...

Savannah, Ga., Council Reevaluates Urban Renewal Plan.
April 27, 2001... Byline: Bret Bell Apr. 27--As with any 14-year-old, Broughton Street's growth has not come without pains. It was 1986 when the City Council passed the Broughton Street Urban Renewal Plan, a document that opened the doors to federal...

Savannah, Ga.-Area Utility Bills to Rise.
April 27, 2001... Apr. 27--Your electric bill is going up as of May 1, but not as much as it might have. Savannah Electric's 132,000 customers can expect their average summer electric bill to be $118 for the air-conditioned months of June, July and August...

Elderly, Weak to Bear Brunt of Savannah, Ga., Utility Rate Hikes.
April 27, 2001... Apr. 27--Bigger electric bills will fall hardest on the community's most vulnerable -- the elderly, those on fixed incomes and families at or near the poverty level -- according to social service agencies that help the needy pay their utility...

Savannah, Ga.-Area Businesspeople Seek Education in `Economyspeak'.
April 28, 2001... Byline: Ben Werner Apr. 28--Margo Weil didn't know it when she awoke one morning last May, but her paradigm had shifted. She prepared for work as usual, but shortly after arriving at the Kemira Pigments Inc. plant, Weil learned her...

Savannah Morning News, Ga., Bill Dawers Column.
April 28, 2001... Byline: Bill Dawers Apr. 28--DRIVERS, PEDESTRIANS BATTLE AROUND THE SQUARES: A little past noon on a Friday, lunch-bound workers purposefully crisscross Johnson Square as dozens of tourists amble about. The square is like a lush tropical...

Georgia Governor Imposes Partial Hiring Freeze on State Government.
April 28, 2001... Byline: Dave Williams Apr. 28--ATLANTA--Citing worries over the economy, Gov. Roy Barnes has imposed a partial hiring freeze on state government, the first since the mid-1990s. "While Georgia's revenues have remained strong,...