Imperial Resumes Sugar Refining In Georgia

For the first time in 16 months since a deadly explosion at its plant, Imperial Sugar has resumed refining crystal sugar in Georgia. Top executives with the Texas-based company are scheduled to mark the new startup of the nation's second-largest sugar refinery today in Port Wentworth near Savannah. The explosion at the plant on Feb. 7 of last year killed 14 people.

GOP National Committee Chairman in Savannah

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is scheduled to appear as the featured speaker at the Georgia GOP convention.

Steele, who's in charge of boosting the Republican Party's image nationally after election losses in 2008, will address about 2,000 Georgia delegates Saturday at the state convention in Savannah.

The party chief has suffered some recent missteps, such as critizing conservative talk host Rush Limbaugh and telling a magazine writer that abortion is "an individual choice."

But Steele seemed to speak more in tune with core conservatives Friday when he told the National Rifle Association's convention in Phoenix that Democrats want to take away American's gun rights in order to suppress drug crime in Mexico.

(Associated Press)

Elba Island to Receive LNG Shipments

Savannah's Elba Island liquified natural gas terminal is set to receive 7-cargoes of the super-cooled gas known as L-N-G this month. Reuters news is reporting the shipments. Seven-tankers to Elba Island in a month represents an uptick in L-N-G coming to the import facility and to the United States in general.

Analysts told Reuters, the global recession has lessened demand for L-N-G in Europe and Asia, leaving more for the U-S. Elba Island is one of only-four on-shore L-N-G facilities in the nation. It's currently being upgraded to double its storage capacity.

L-N-G remains controversial in some parts of the U-S, with some local advocates citing terrorism concerns. Elba Island, however, has not generated any concern by Savannah or Chatham County officials.

(Reuters News)

DNR doesn't throw the book at owners of abandoned boats

While abandoned boats continue to be a safety risk on the Georgia coast, officials have yet to use a tough new state law enacted to address the problem.

Department of Natural Resources officials say, the number of boats listed as abandoned on the Georgia coast has risen since last year from 90 to 143, mostly due to better tracking. About a year ago, state lawmakers gave D.N.R. the power to block boat owners from registering their boats or cars if they abandon a boat in Georgia waters.

Susan Shipman, Director of the D.N.R.'s Coastal Resources Division, says her agency has not yet blocked any registrations, but that the threat of enforcement is working.

"The law, in my opinion, is being very effective," she says. "In the year that the law has been in effect, we've had 16-vessels that have been removed by third parties."

Shipman also says the number of boats removed with private dollars has doubled. Last year, the state removed two vessels at a cost to taxpayers of 1-hundred-thousand dollars.

(Orlando Montoya reporting)

New technology tracks 911 cell phone calls

Police in Savannah can now track 911 calls made from a cell phone. SavannahNow.com reports the software was installed earlier this month. It allows a dispatcher to find the location of a 911 caller who’s using a cell phone … and who the cell phone is registered to.

Savannah police say 40 to 50% of 911 calls come from cell phones. The new technology also allows dispatchers to call the phone back if the call cuts off.

So far the service is available to people with Verizon, Cingular, Sprint Nextel and SunCom. You also need to have a GPS locater chip in your phone, but most phones have them.