Earlier explosion determined at sugar refinery

A federal investigator on the scene of the deadly sugar refinery blast near Savannah says there was an explosion weeks before at the site. It was determined dust in a piece of safety equipment caused the earlier explosion--no people were injured in that incident. It cannot be said whether that explosion contributed to the deadly blast February 7th that killed nine people at the Port Wentworth refinery. It’s believed a build-up of sugar dust beneath the silos was the cause of the large deadly explosion.

Fed investigate project at Moody AFB

The federal government is investigating a housing construction project at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta that is behind schedule and millions of dollars over-budget. The ‘Magnolia Grove’ project was supposed to provide about 600 new or renovated homes for an additional 1-thousand troops on the way to the base in 2009. Of the 600 homes planned, only 2 have been built, and work is on hold. The contractor, American Eagle Communities, is 25-million dollars over budget. The legislation for the investigation was sponsored by U.S. Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson.

Federal investigation into judge-ordered payments

A federal investigation is underway of more than 67-thousand dollars in payments made to some Clinch County employees--ordered by a Georgia Superior Court judge.

Records indicate that since 2001, judge Brooks Blitch the Third arranged for monthly payments to three county employees. An order signed by Blitch indicated the money came from an extra ten dollars in court fees from criminal cases heard in Superior and State court. A report says the payments were kept off the books and not reported for tax purposes.

Clinch County commissioners alerted state authorities to the payments after a court clerk revealed information on the matter in January.