Savannah Agenda

09/03/2024

By Vanessa Lantos Daly

Having spent months in France as an exchange student and a decade later during my honeymoon, my love for all things French has never wavered. So where can I satisfy that fervent urge in this city, if only to, for a brief moment, awaken the pleasure and bliss those memories bring?

Here are some great local picks. Let’s explore:

By Vanessa Lantos Daly (Spicy Melon) Sept. 2, 2024 – It is no secret that this city loves French food. From the ever-longing quest for perfectly buttery pastries by patrons to the city’…

09/03/2024

Nerds Unite! Savannah Agenda is laboring for you!

By Brittany Herren Sept. 1, 2024 – In an age where our little pocket computers —with the nag of their buzzing notifications— occupy nearly every aching need of socialization and entertainment…

08/29/2024

This article has been updated to include comments from the new property owner, local developer Jeff Notrica, who said he acquired the site with the intention of operating a 60-space parking lot he estimates would generate about $100,000 a year.

The easement provides access to the adjacent rail line to accommodate the building’s previous industrial use, but it does not give SCAD the right to use it for parking, Notrica said.

“Why they think they’re entitled to have this for free, I don’t really understand,” he said. “But we’re going to go see what a judge says.”

By Eric Curl Aug. 25, 2024 – The Savannah College of Art and Design is taking a new neighbor to court over a parking and property rights dispute. The nonprofit university recently filed suit …

08/29/2024

By Kareem McMichael (Karmac) for Savannah Agenda

Aug. 25, 2024 – The Savannah Juneteenth Fine Arts Festival, originally scheduled for June, was postponed to August due to severe weather conditions that threatened the area. Despite a few brief rain showers, the event on August 24 was largely ruled by sunny to partly cloudy skies, allowing attendees to celebrate Juneteenth without major interruption.

By Kareeem McMichael Aug. 25, 2024 – The Savannah Juneteenth Fine Arts Festival, originally scheduled for June, was postponed to August due to severe weather conditions that threatened the ar…

08/28/2024

Looks like there are still some tickets left for what is sure to be an excellent show by some of Savannah's most talented musicians. Read about it in Brittany Herren's piece below.

By Brittany Herren With a career spanning over seven decades, from his folk-rock duo Simon and Garfunkel to the launch of his highly successful solo career, Paul Simon is one of the most influentia…

08/27/2024

The Salvation Army made its case last week to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the nonprofit’s plans to construct a homeless transitional center on a site an opposition group, The Weeping Time Coalition (WTC), contends was part the largest slave sale in the country’s history.

By Eric Curl Aug. 25, 2024 – The Salvation Army made its case last week to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the nonprofit’s plans to construct a homeless transitional center on a site an o…

08/26/2024

Savannah Agenda - SCAD parking dispute; Judge to rule on Weeping Time case; Delayed Juneteenth festival embraced & Paul Simon tribute show ahead. Read all about it in Savannah Agenda's latest newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/bc1790669731/savannah-agenda-local-matters-march-19-12813015?e=ad1b3e2713

08/22/2024

“Teddy has been a prime mover in the revival of jazz music in Savannah since the early 1980’s,” says Paula S. Fogarty, Savannah Jazz’s executive director. “He has served on our board of directors on and off since 1982. With Dr. Randall Reese he serves as co-director of the Savannah Jazz Orchestra and is a founding member of that orchestra — the greatest jazz big band in the region.”

By Jim Reed Aug. 19, 2024 – This article was written on Friday and is due to appear online around noon on Monday. By the time that occurs, District Live — the musical performance space locate…

08/21/2024

Connect provided a platform for freelancers and burgeoning writers to get paid and recognized for their work. Full-time employees earned their living there. There were people behind those bylines.

Editorial by Eric Curl Aug. 18, 2024 – Connect Savannah ceased publication last week. It is really disheartening to see the glee some folks on social media have expressed about the publicati…

08/20/2024

And so, with this humble approach to grandeur, he is beloved. This sentiment is felt in the captivated audience, in the bursts of applause when he plays a short solo, and in the excited, engaged gasps.

The energy is pure love. Read Vanessa Lantos Daly's account of the celebration below>

By Vanessa Lantos Daly (Spicy Melon) Aug. 19, 2024 – Teddy turned 83 today, which many might consider an accomplishment in itself. But the amazing music and energy he displayed in his perform…

08/19/2024

There is a new plan for the former dry cleaner's site at Habersham and Bay, and 99% of you can probably guess what it is.

By Eric Curl Aug. 18, 2024 – The familiar site of fencing around a closed dry-cleaning business at East Bay and Habersham streets could soon be replaced by the familiar site of a new downtown…

08/12/2024

Savannah's Steven Baumgardner rejoices and reminisces in his column on Breaking in the Olympics and his old crew days performing on River Street.

By Steven “Basik Lee” Baumgardner Aug. 12, 2024 – It’s here! It’s finally the day! It’s Aug. 9 and I wake up at 9 a.m. like its Christmas morning! Today I get to see something I’…

08/11/2024

The Metropolitan Planning Commission will consider a general development plan for west 60th Street and Bull Street on a 1.42-acre site that includes the former Daiss Service Center.

The Metropolitan Planning Commission will consider a general development plan for west 60th Street and Bull Street on a 1.42-acre site that includes the former Daiss Service Center. The plan includ…

08/11/2024

Satire by Eric Curl

Aug. 11, 2024 – “It’s a real head scratcher,” at least one resident said while passing the blue and yellow flag. “I think it has something to do with the Olympics, but it looks so old.”

08/10/2024

Aug. 8, 2024 – The Savannah City Council unanimously approved a $300,000 contract with Alpharetta-based Stantec Consulting to conduct a stormwater utility implementation study on Thursday. The stormwater fee is being considered as a way to help cover the costs of maintaining drainage infrastructure.

“We will never get to where we need to be playing small ball,” Johnson said. “Ultimately, we have to have a consistent funding source in terms of a utility.”

By Eric Curl Aug. 8, 2024 – The Savannah City Council unanimously approved a $300,000 contract with Alpharetta-based Stantec Consulting to conduct a stormwater utility implementation study on …

08/10/2024

By Brittany Herren

Aug. 4, 2024 – When it comes to ordering and buying wine, I tend to follow two sets of guidelines:

1. What wine is on sale?
2. Which on sale wine has the highest alcohol content?

While it has served me well for the last 15 years, there is something about inching closer to 40 that just makes me want to drink more, but in a more sophisticated way. Like South Park’s Randy Marsh says, “It’s not one glass of wine, it’s six. It’s called a tasting and it’s classy.”

By Brittany Herren Aug. 4, 2024 – When it comes to ordering and buying wine, I tend to follow two sets of guidelines: What wine is on sale? Which on sale wine has the highest alcohol content?…

08/09/2024

Aug. 4, 2024 – What is worth?

Truly, what is the measurement of “worth” and what is that…worth, exactly? We may never answer such a question, but we may still derive a point from the journey ahead. On this rainy weekend, my friend and I ventured to the Savannah Convention Center, located off of the totally-not-terrifying Talmadge Bridge, next to the Westin that is under immense amount of construction cutting through once gorgeous marshland. A golf-course sitting pristinely where literal, natural floodgates should be.

By Kristina Minna Ilse v. Vetter Kast Oglesby Aug. 4, 2024 – What is worth? Truly, what is the measurement of “worth” and what is that…worth, exactly? We may never answer such a question, but…

08/09/2024

Aug. 9, 2024 - Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker's development company, Drayton-Parker Companies LLC, recently sold a vacant parcel at 1940 East President Street for $2.4 million. Parker didn't yet respond to a request for comment made on July 30, but this week plans for the site were revealed via public records.

By Eric Curl Property Matters (briefs): Hotel/storage facility proposed for East President Street Aug. 9, 2024 – Parker’s founder and CEO Greg Parker’s development company, Drayton-Park…

08/09/2024

Bride Hard Pop-Up; Stormwater fee on the way; New hotel & storage facility proposed; Chatham Commision plans for train tracks, EV's. Read all about it in Savannah Agenda's latest newsletter. https://mailchi.mp/dd947672b5fe/savannah-agenda-local-matters-march-19-12811711?e=28c87c6d05

08/09/2024

Aug. 8, 2024 – Tired of the same old sand, a local entrepreneur recently sifted through some of the planet’s best beaches (Tybee’s north end) to take the sandbag business to the next level.

Savannah Illustrated: Absorbing anything Satire by Eric Curl Aug. 8, 2024 – Tired of the same old sand, a local entrepreneur recently sifted through some of the planet’s best beaches (T…

08/08/2024

By Vanessa Lantos for Savannah Agenda

Aug. 7, 2024 – For anyone looking for treasure or an amazing bargain… I never even knew this was a thing. Movie set sales: Have you ever wondered what happens to all the amazing props and set decorations after a movie is produced? Many times, these end up in landfills, or sometimes they are donated to thrift and consignment shops.

With all the current movie productions in Savannah, Film Biz Recycling is an amazing resource to reduce waste and find a home for all these pieces!

By Vanessa Lantos (Spicy Melon) Aug. 7, 2024 – For anyone looking for treasure or an amazing bargain… I never even knew this was a thing. Movie set sales: Have you ever wondered what ha…

08/06/2024

Local writer and musician Jim Reed offers up his unique perspective on flooding in Savannah in his first column for Savannah Agenda. Check it out below.

Editorial by Jim Reed Aug. 5, 2024 – When Eric Curl approached me over a week ago with an invitation to pen a piece for this wonderful and increasingly indispensable website, he generously af…

08/05/2024

Stormwater utility fee on the agenda; a retrospective on Savannah flooding in song; trashy wine pairings; & comic con. Read my latest articles and the work of other local writers in the latest Savannah Agenda newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/8ed5f9493485/savannah-agenda-local-matters-march-19-12811270?e=ad1b3e2713

08/05/2024

Aug. 4, 2024 – As the city prepares for the impacts of Tropical Storm Debby, following weeks of torrential rains and flooded streets, a long-term plan to address Savannah’s drainage deficiencies is once again up for consideration.

By Eric Curl Aug. 4, 2024 – As the city prepares for the impacts of Tropical Storm Debby, following weeks of torrential rains and flooded streets, a long-term plan to address Savannah’s…

08/01/2024

The Savannah College of Art and Design’s net worth increased by almost $220 million to more than $1.5 billion during the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2023, according to the nonprofit’s latest IRS 990 report.

By Eric Curl July 29, 2024 – The Savannah College of Art and Design’s net worth increased by almost $220 million to more than $1.5 billion during the fiscal year that ended Jun…

07/31/2024

Savannah just got a new spot at the corner of City Market, and it had a killer first week, as described by local bar scene chronicler Vanessa Lantos in her latest column for Savannah Agenda.

By Vanessa Lantos (Spicy Melon) July 30, 2024 – Savannah just got a new spot at the corner of City Market, and it had a killer first week. What’s all the fuss about? Let’s explore a little bi…

07/30/2024

A SCAD spokesperson said in a statement on Friday that the university would be completing the previously approved development for use as student housing complex that is expected to open in the fall of 2026.

 By Eric Curl July 29, 2024 – Developers behind a planned multi-family housing project on Bull Street south of Victory Drive recently sold their properties to the Savannah College of Art…

07/29/2024

The first round of bingo was a tie. So naturally at Bingo Loco a lip-synch battle is the tiebreaker for a beer helmet.

By Elizabeth Vinson July 29, 2024 – “Do you want to go to Bingo Loco?” If your bestie asks you this, you say yes. Hell, if your significant other, third-date boo or cute coworker asks. You. S…

07/28/2024

While some bloggers (ahem) may slack off during the steamy Summer, fortunately, there are still local reporters, columnists, writers and historians working every day to ensure the community is informed, engaged and entertained. This page is meant to highlight those efforts.

Subscribe to Savannah Agenda’s newsletter * indicates required Email Address * There are still local reporters, columnists, writers and historians working everyday to ensure the community is …

07/22/2024

By Vanessa Lantos (Spicy Melon blog)

Hey there! Happy Monday! This article is all about 6 handpicked Savannah coffee shops that not only provide the perfect setting for work but also offer beautifully decorated spaces and delicious offerings!

By Vanessa Lantos (Spicy Melon) Hey there! Happy Monday! This article is all about 6 handpicked Savannah coffee shops that not only provide the perfect setting for work but also offer beautifully d…