Nick Robertsonnrobertson@savannahnow.comView CommentsDoctors at Memorial University Medical Center issued a public plea Friday, April 24, for plasma donations from anyone in the Savannah area who contracted COVID-19 and recuperated fully from the illness.After selecting seven COVID-19 patients being treated at Memorial who might benefit from plasma transfusions from recuperated donors — whose coronavirus-fighting antibodies could assist those still suffering from the disease — Memorial doctors asked for blood donations from anybody who was officially diagnosed with the illness and has...…Nick Robertsonnrobertson@savannahnow.comView CommentsDoctors at Memorial University Medical Center issued a public plea Friday, April 24, for plasma donations from anyone in the Savannah area who contracted COVID-19 and recuperated fully from the illness.After selecting seven COVID-19 patients being treated at Memorial who might benefit from plasma transfusions from recuperated donors — whose coronavirus-fighting antibodies could assist those still suffering from the disease — Memorial doctors asked for blood donations from anybody who was officially diagnosed with the illness and has...WW…

 ATLANTA — The rise in coronavirus infections has slowed in Georgia, although transmission of the respiratory illness remains widespread in the state.Georgia is averaging about 1,600 new coronavirus cases a day confirmed through genetic tests, according to a seven-day rolling average, plus about 500 a day confirmed through less accurate antigen tests.Those numbers were higher Monday than they were a week earlier in Georgia, but had come down in recent days from even higher peaks. It's unclear whether the change represents an enduring trend or just a pause in the steady rise in cases...… ATLANTA — The rise in coronavirus infections has slowed in Georgia, although transmission of the respiratory illness remains widespread in the state.Georgia is averaging about 1,600 new coronavirus cases a day confirmed through genetic tests, according to a seven-day rolling average, plus about 500 a day confirmed through less accurate antigen tests.Those numbers were higher Monday than they were a week earlier in Georgia, but had come down in recent days from even higher peaks. It's unclear whether the change represents an enduring trend or just a pause in the steady rise in cases...WW…

Effingham NowView CommentsThe Georgia Historical Society is collecting people’s stories describing life in Georgia during the coronavirus pandemic.“Primary sources from earlier crises, like the 1918 flu pandemic, are invaluable tools and resources that help historians, scholars and individuals understand how our nation met the challenges like those we are facing now,” said W. Todd Groce, president and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society.“Now, as Georgia and the rest of the world respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, GHS wants to ensure that those who come after us remember and understand the...…Effingham NowView CommentsThe Georgia Historical Society is collecting people’s stories describing life in Georgia during the coronavirus pandemic.“Primary sources from earlier crises, like the 1918 flu pandemic, are invaluable tools and resources that help historians, scholars and individuals understand how our nation met the challenges like those we are facing now,” said W. Todd Groce, president and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society.“Now, as Georgia and the rest of the world respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, GHS wants to ensure that those who come after us remember and understand the...WW…

 Arjanae Avula talks to her younger brother twice a week. Phone calls last about three minutes before they’re cut off. During their last conversation, she said, he was crying. “When am I going to get out of here? ... Do you know anything? Can you talk to anybody?” Avula recalled him asking.Her 18-year-old brother is at Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center, a coronavirus hot spot near Richmond, Virginia, where at least 25 youths and 10 employees have tested positive for COVID-19.Youths at Bon Air have been locked in cells no bigger than a bathroom for 23 hours a day, families and...… Arjanae Avula talks to her younger brother twice a week. Phone calls last about three minutes before they’re cut off. During their last conversation, she said, he was crying. “When am I going to get out of here? ... Do you know anything? Can you talk to anybody?” Avula recalled him asking.Her 18-year-old brother is at Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center, a coronavirus hot spot near Richmond, Virginia, where at least 25 youths and 10 employees have tested positive for COVID-19.Youths at Bon Air have been locked in cells no bigger than a bathroom for 23 hours a day, families and...WW…

 ATLANTA — Atlanta’s mayor is vowing to change police use-of-force policies and require that officers receive continuous training in how to deescalate situations before the consequences become fatal.Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced her plans after the police killing of another black man, Rayshard Brooks, outside a fast-food restaurant on Friday touched off more large protests in the city."I am often reminded of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — ‘There is a fierce urgency of now in our communities,'" the mayor said."It is clear that we do not have another day, another...… ATLANTA — Atlanta’s mayor is vowing to change police use-of-force policies and require that officers receive continuous training in how to deescalate situations before the consequences become fatal.Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced her plans after the police killing of another black man, Rayshard Brooks, outside a fast-food restaurant on Friday touched off more large protests in the city."I am often reminded of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — ‘There is a fierce urgency of now in our communities,'" the mayor said."It is clear that we do not have another day, another...WW…

Jan Skutchjskutch@savannahnow.comView CommentsA senior illustration major at the Savannah College of Art and Design has sued the university for partial reimbursement of spring quarter tuition after the school closed down in response to the coronavirus outbreak.Markari Roehrkasse, who is scheduled to graduate after the spring quarter, filed the action in Chatham County Superior Court on April 28 for a class of herself and other SCAD students in similar positions.The suit, filed by attorneys Paul W. Painter III, W. Andrew Bowen and Constance Cooper, contended that SCAD notified students on...…Jan Skutchjskutch@savannahnow.comView CommentsA senior illustration major at the Savannah College of Art and Design has sued the university for partial reimbursement of spring quarter tuition after the school closed down in response to the coronavirus outbreak.Markari Roehrkasse, who is scheduled to graduate after the spring quarter, filed the action in Chatham County Superior Court on April 28 for a class of herself and other SCAD students in similar positions.The suit, filed by attorneys Paul W. Painter III, W. Andrew Bowen and Constance Cooper, contended that SCAD notified students on...WW…

 Savannah City Manager Pat Monahan and staff have completed the plan for how to begin moving to reopen city government.Mayor Van Johnson said at a media meeting on Monday, May 18, that the Savannah Safer Services Reopening Plan is a phased plan for reopening city facilities, programs and services.The plan will move gradually through five phases as science indicates it is safe to proceed.Phase one will cover what the city calls "high-priority" services. That includes the return of regular recycling and yard waste collection. Preparation for return to offices by city workers will start....… Savannah City Manager Pat Monahan and staff have completed the plan for how to begin moving to reopen city government.Mayor Van Johnson said at a media meeting on Monday, May 18, that the Savannah Safer Services Reopening Plan is a phased plan for reopening city facilities, programs and services.The plan will move gradually through five phases as science indicates it is safe to proceed.Phase one will cover what the city calls "high-priority" services. That includes the return of regular recycling and yard waste collection. Preparation for return to offices by city workers will start....WW…

The Associated PressView CommentsATLANTA — The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery fought to end segregation, lived to see the election of the country’s first black president and echoed the call for “justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream” in America.For more than four decades after the death of his friend and civil rights icon, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the fiery Alabama preacher was on the front line of the battle for equality, with an unforgettable delivery that rivaled King’s — and was often more unpredictable. Lowery had a knack for cutting to the core of the...…The Associated PressView CommentsATLANTA — The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery fought to end segregation, lived to see the election of the country’s first black president and echoed the call for “justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream” in America.For more than four decades after the death of his friend and civil rights icon, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the fiery Alabama preacher was on the front line of the battle for equality, with an unforgettable delivery that rivaled King’s — and was often more unpredictable. Lowery had a knack for cutting to the core of the...WW…

 ATLANTA — The Federal Aviation Administration is awarding $410.8 million in economic stimulus funding to 97 airports across Georgia to help offset the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will get by far the largest share of the money. At $338.5 million, it’s the largest single allocation in the nation from the $10 billion airport package.Airports and airlines across the country have been hit with huge financial losses by the virtual shutdown of the U.S. economy to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc., one of...… ATLANTA — The Federal Aviation Administration is awarding $410.8 million in economic stimulus funding to 97 airports across Georgia to help offset the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will get by far the largest share of the money. At $338.5 million, it’s the largest single allocation in the nation from the $10 billion airport package.Airports and airlines across the country have been hit with huge financial losses by the virtual shutdown of the U.S. economy to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc., one of...WW…

Mary Landersmlanders@savannahnow.comView CommentsTwo Savannah area nursing homes have reported sharp increases in the number of residents testing positive for COVID-19.At Signature HealthCARE of Savannah on E. 63rd Street, eight of 108 residents tested positive, according to a April 28 report issued by the Georgia Department of Community Health. In addition, two administrative workers at the facility tested positive by Tuesday afternoon, according to Ann Bowdan Wilder, communications manager for Signature HealthCARE. A report on April 22 listed no positives among residents or workers at the...…Mary Landersmlanders@savannahnow.comView CommentsTwo Savannah area nursing homes have reported sharp increases in the number of residents testing positive for COVID-19.At Signature HealthCARE of Savannah on E. 63rd Street, eight of 108 residents tested positive, according to a April 28 report issued by the Georgia Department of Community Health. In addition, two administrative workers at the facility tested positive by Tuesday afternoon, according to Ann Bowdan Wilder, communications manager for Signature HealthCARE. A report on April 22 listed no positives among residents or workers at the...WW…