About The Coastal courier. (Hinesville, Ga.) 1980-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 29, 2018)
It Best ishes Sit Year’s Gul Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018 COASTAL COURIER $1.50 per copy - I XU L 1 A - V U 1 C 1 V For Home Delivery Call 912-876-0156 COASTALCOURIER.COM Hinesville | Walthourville | Allenhurst | Midway | Riceboro | Ludowici | Gumbranch | Flemington Photo provided Former Coastal Courier/ Bryan County News general manager Kathryn Fox was ar rested last week. Photo provided 4 A Members of Long County High's Tide Research Team are the first student-based team to swim with whale sharks at Geor gia's Aquarium. Tide Research Team breaks barriers BY Lainey Standiford lstandiford@coastalcourier.com 912-876-0156, ext. 1025 Six members of Long County High’s Tide Re search Team have official ly become the first stu dent-based team to swim with whale sharks at Geor gia’s Aquarium, according to Tide Research Team’s Coach Michael Austin. Bond set for former GM BY Patty Leon pleon@coastalcourier.com 912-876-0156, ext. 1025 Bond was set for for mer Coastal Courier Gen eral Manager Kathryn Fox Friday morning at Liberty County Magistrate Court before Magistrate Judge Jimmie R. Bomar. Fox was arrested by the U. S. Marshal’s Southeast Regional Fugitive Task force Dec. 22, while ex iting a local business in Bluffton, S.C., according TRT is a science based, out of the box classroom, Austin said. It’s set up to let students experience science in the real world. The program is strictly a trips-based research team, with discussions on Face- book and photos on Insta gram, he said. “We have 60 members on the team, and 10 on our leadership board,” Aus tin said. “A lot of students to Special Agent Stewart Cottingham. She was de tained without incident before being picked up on an outstanding warrant in Liberty County. Fox was brought to the Liberty County jail on Dec. 26. Friday morning her bond was set at $100,000.00 cash or $200,000.00 property. Fox was placed on ad ministrative leave in No vember of 2017. She was fired Dec. 7, 2017 after an internal audit discovered sign up just so they can take these trips. And that’s okay, because I want them to get those experiences outside of Long County. I want them to sign up to explore the world.” The team takes trips to meet people and have those conversations with experts in the field, or the real world, Austin said. After trips, Austin en courages the students to she allegedly embezzled funds from the company. According to a Hines ville Police Department incident report, the initial audit showed that Fox al legedly stole more than $33,000 from the news paper over a 10-month period from February to November 2017. The com pany reported the alleged theft on Jan. 16, 2018. However, the report presented to Judge Bomar BOND continues on 3 post photos, and start con versations. The goal is to keep learning, he said. “Our administration is awesome at allowing us to experience other things,” Austin continued. “We take five to six trips a year, and about two each semes ter. We’ve done everything from Jekyll Island’s Sea TIDE continues on 3 Lewis Levine OR A man struck by a car while riding his bike last week was airlifted to a Savannah hospital. Bicycle rider in critical condition BY Lewis Levine Senior correspondent A man remains in critical condition after being struck by a vehi cle on Highway 84 last Sunday evening. According to Hines ville Police Depart ment Traffic Accident Investigator Michael THE TOP 10 MOST POPULAR STORIES ON COASTALCOURIER.COM FOR 2018 WERE: 1. Arrest warrant issued for Hinesville City Manager 2. Ludowici police chief, Midway man killed 3. Big Apple strip club raided 4. Domestic dispute ends in death (Oct. 27 on corner Main Trail and Coffer Highway) 5. Father shot dead, 16-year-old son arrested (Aug. 13 Wilkins Road, Midway) 6. Big Apple bouncer loses eye 7. Sheriff’s deputy first in line at Krispy Kreme opening 8. Hurricane Florence knocking on our door 9. Toddler dies in Long County accident 10. Man shot in Walthourville (May 24, Cedar Hill mobile park) Ramirez, the man was traveling in the east bound lane on his bicy cle when he was struck by a vehicle around 7:30 p.m. Ramirez has identi fied the man struck as Erik Konig, 33-years- old of Hinesville. He was airlifted to Memori al Hospital in Savannah. Year in review: Winter weather, politics kicked off 2018 Staff REPORT editor@coastalcourier.com 912-876-0156, ext. 1023 A look back at 2018 be gan with a common top ic for conversation - the weather. Snow, something most southerners seldom see, was the top story at the start of 2018. As the year lengthened, political controversies and crime dominated the Courier’s front page. Jan. 3: Schools and a number of local govern ment offices were closed the first week of January. Forecasters predicted that up to two inches of snow, sleet and freezing rain would blanket the area. The first African Ameri can commission chairman in Long County history was chosen at the start of the year. The Long County Commission chose Com missioner David Richard son as its chairman for 2018 in the first of sever al split votes. Richardson was nominated by outgo ing chairman Mike Riddle and former commissioner Willie Thompson voted with Riddle and Richard son in a 3-2 vote. Jan. 6: The first real snow in Georgia since the late 1980s fell early this year in Liberty and Long counties. The storm, dubbed Grayson, effec tively shuttered schools and government offices by dropping about two inch es of snow on the area. Roughly 81 weather-relat ed accidents were report ed by the Liberty County Emergency Management Agency. About a dozen accidents were reported to have occurred on Fort Stewart, due to slippery road conditions. Former Walthourville Police Chief Bernie Quar terman announced that he expected to be terminated. Quarterman had been sus pended for a second time -- ... on Dec. 21, 2017, after re ceiving a letter of adverse action from Walthourville Mayor Daisy Pray. The let ter stated a proposal to fire the chief on Jan. 8. Jan. 10: Riceboro na tive Kenneth Howard was named Hinesville city manager in a unanimous vote taken during a spe cial called meeting. How ard had served as interim city manager for about six months, after long-time, former City Manager Bil ly Edwards resigned amid controversy in August 2017. Howard had previ ously served as assistant city manager under Ed wards. Jan. 13: The 3rd Infan try Division’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team was told it would be de ployed to South Korea for nine months. The de ployment marked the first time since the Korean War that a Marne Division unit was to be stationed in that country. The deployment was made in support of the 2nd Infantry Division and the Republic of Korea Army. Former Walthourville Police Chief Bernie Quar terman claimed Walthour ville Mayor Daisy Pray had tried to pressure him into planting drugs to frame a city council member, ac cording to a letter sent to Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal from Georgia NAACP President Phyllis Blake. Quarterman stated he and his department were the subject of harassment and retaliation from Pray and City Clerk Melissa Jones. Jan. 17: Hinesville’s Wa ter Pollution Control Plant on Fort Stewart sent more than 18.7 million gallons of “partially treated wastewa ter” into Taylors Creek in January, according to city press releases announc ing three separate spills. On Jan. 12, 2018, it was reported that 7.62 million gallons were released into the creek “as a result of an equipment failure,” ac cording to a press release issued by the city. Anoth er spill occurred Jan. 10, 2018, when 5.65 million gallons of “partially treat ed wastewater,” went into the same creek, and an earlier spill occurred on Jan. 4, 2018, according to the city, when 5.47 million gallons were released into Taylors Creek. State law requires wastewater treat ment plants to announce such spills. Any spill over 10,000 gallons is consid ered major. In each case, officials blamed “equip ment failure” for the spills. The Courier report ed on continued allega tions that went back-and- forth between former Walthourville Police Chief Bernie Quarterman and Mayor Daisy Pray. Pray said she required all the Year continues on 3 Volume 149 • Issue 104 6 91868 31310 TABLE OF CONTENTS Blood drives 5 Comics Calendar 2 Crossword Church 6 Keep Liberty Classifieds 10-12 Moments TELL US WHAT WE CAN DO TO BE A 8-9 Obituaries 5 BETTER NEWSPAPER. EMAIL 10 opinion 4 EDITOR@COASTALCOURIER.COM. 7 Sapelo Hammock 14 - 2 Weather 2
