Newspaper Page Text
500
THE
^SLANDER
Published by
Permar Publications
www.theislanderonline.com
ssislander@bellsouth.net
May 10, 2010
Established 1972
Vol 38 Issue 19
Finding Coastal Georgia's talent
Getting ready for their upcoming 'Coastal Georgia's Got Talent' fund raiser last week
were (left to right) talent show co-chairs Kate Hamer and Shantee Weseman, who is
also the Safe Harbor Advisory Board Treasurer; Pat Weaver, President of the Auxiliary
Advisory Board and Rana Smith, Executive Director of the Safe Harbor Children's
Center, Islander Staff Photo - Permar
"Talent" fundraiser to benefit Safe Harbor
Suicide on the
rise in Glynn
By Matthew J, Permar
It’s a subject people just
don’t like to talk about and
right now it’s got Glynn Coun
ty Police Chief Matt Doering
and County Commissioner
Tony Thaw concerned.
According to Chief Doering
suicide is on the rise in Glynn
County and is up about 25%
for the first quarter of 2010
over the last several years.
According to Doering’s sta
tistics, there were four sui
cides during the first quarter
of 2010, which is January 1 to
March 31.
A fifth suicide occurred on
April 26, the first month of the
second quarter.
This is a dramatic increase
compared to the first quarter
of 2009 when there were no
suicides.
In fact, there were a total
of six suicides in 2009, five in
2008, five in 2007 and seven
in 2006.
In the first four months of
2010 Glynn has already hit it’s
annual average for suicides.
Doering said that Glynn
police typically responded to
about five suicides a year.
Looking at overall death
investigations Doering said his
department investigated 71
deaths in 2009.
Six of those were suicides,
which is about 8%.
With 20 death investiga
tions in the first quarter of
2010 already, the four suicides
make up 20% of them.
Along with suicides, death
investigations are conducted
when the death results from
murder, accidental death,
which includes drug overdoses,
deaths of a suspicious nature
or a child’s death when there is
no apparent medical reason.
Deaths in traffic accidents
are not included in the death
investigation numbers.
Doering also said that sui
cide calls are also progressive
ly increasing, but not quite
as dramatically as actual sui-
Turn to Page 6
Suicide
The first annual Coastal
Georgia's Got Talent fund
raiser benefitting Safe Harbor
Children's Center will be held
Saturday, May 15, 7 p.m. at
the Strickland Auditorium at
Epworth-by-the-Sea.
The event promises to be
fun for the whole family and
will feature 14 talent-filled acts
including a pianist, rock band,
several singers, gymnasts and
a praise dance group. Mary
Miller and Joan Harris audi
tioned all the participants for
the talent show.
"This is the first fundrais
ing event we have tailored
especially to children and
the whole family," said Rana
Smith, executive director for
Safe Harbor.
It makes sense, since,
according to Smith, it was the
Safe Harbor kids who came up
By Pamela Permar Shierling
with the idea.
Safe Harbor came into being
as a shelter in 1991 when for
mer Glynn County resident
Susan Hamer discovered
there was no place for a Glynn
County child to go when he/she
couldn't go home.
Since that time Safe Har
bor has become more than a
shelter. It is now a children's
center which takes in children
from all over the state of Geor
gia.
"We are a long term facility
now," said Smith. "When we
first opened we were only a
short term place for children
to stay."
"Now," she continued, "we
work with the more difficult
children because we get results.
We take the younger kids who
are too much for a foster home
to handle."
"We work with the Depart
ment of Family and Children's
Services and the Department
of Juvenile Justice," Smith
said.
At the Center children learn
independent living skills nec
essary for a successful life. "We
are in the process of teaching
the G.E.D. here at the Center
on Wednesday's," said Smith,
"so our teens can earn a high
school diploma."
Hamer House, which is
located right behind the main
Center, opened earlier this
year. "Hamer house, named
after the founder, holds eight
boys," Smith said. "The main
building holds up to 12 girls."
Kate Hamer, Susan's sis-
ter-in-law and co-chair of the
talent show, has been involved
Turn to Page 6
Safe Harbor
Skateboard park
gets go ahead
By Matthew J. Permar
Local mainland skateboard
ers will soon have a skateboard
park they can get to without
having to drive to St. Simons
Island.
The Glynn County Commis
sion approved the construction
contract for the skateboard
facility, which will be built at
the North Glynn Recreation
Complex, during their meeting
on Thursday, May 6.
The skateboard park was
not without it’s detractors on
the commission.
The contract with American
Ramp Co. was approved on a
5-2 vote, with Commissioners
Bob Coleman (At Large #2)
and Tom Sublett (Dist. 2) vot
ing against the motion.
While Coleman was not
opposed to the skateboard park
itself, he did think the comity
should spend a little more time
Turn to Page 5
Skateboard park
City to apply
for $2 million
in TANs
• Traffic light timing
to be fixed
By Matthew J. Permar
As sometimes happens with
local governments when they
near the end of their fiscal year,
the City of Brunswick has run
low on cash and reserve funds
and is now going to the finan
cial market to borrow money
in the form of Tax Anticipation
Note (TANs).
The TANs will enable the
city to make payroll, pay for
other projects and conduct
business while they wait to
receive funds collected from
property taxes.
City Finance Director Mar
tha Hendley told the City Com
mission during their meeting
last Wednesday, May 5, "I'm
requesting you allow me to
send out an RFP (request for
Turn to Page 7
City seeks TANs
Surfin’
the
News
Candidate
announcements
Community News
- Pg 2
County-Wide News - Read County-Wide
Nightmare on
Elm Street
Movie Review
Pg 12
From the Ground Up
Feature Gardening Column
- Pg 8
Back Talk
Editorial Column
-Pg 20
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