Month: May 2011

Georgia’s April revenue figures suggest decent income growth but very sluggish retail sales statewide

The pdf of Georgia’s state revenues for April can be found here. The headline number of a 2.6% year-over-year increase is weak. That’s barely more than the increase needed to make up for core inflation. Personal income tax revenue was…

Savannah mayor race looks wide open as Floyd Adams jumps in

Well, as suspected all week, Floyd Adams has said he will run for mayor to replace Otis Johnson. A former two-term mayor and current school board member, Adams was beaten easily by Johnson when Adams tried to return to City…

A wonky look at Savannah metro area housing market in April

I’ve been writing a lot less about the housing market in my City Talk columns since Adam Van Brimmer made the jump from sports writing to business writing. It’s been sort of a relief not to feel obligated to wade…

Listen here to Givers, Little Tybee, General Oglethorpe & the Panhandlers — all playing Friday night at the Jepson

For more on the great show at the Jepson on Friday night that’s the culminating event of TEDxCreativeCoast, check out my column today, the great piece in last week’s Connect Savannah by Bill DeYoung, or Bill’s excellent interview with Givers…

Google celebrates Martha Graham’s 117th birthday

I’ve been a huge fan of modern dance for many years — and I’m sorry that one consequence of living in Savannah is the relative rarity with which major companies are anywhere in the vicinity. So it was really nice…

Would Sunday sales pass in Savannah?

Thanks to Peach Pundit for their post regarding a recent poll gauging support for Sunday alcohol sales in Georgia. As most of you presumably know, local municipalities in Georgia now have the right to vote at the polls on whether…

How far will home prices fall?

I wrote a post already this week about home price declines that can be read here. Today it’s CoreLogic’s turn to report on the precipitous declines in home prices nationally. All the major indices are showing significant declines, and the…

A footbridge over the Savannah River, not as crazy as it sounds

In my City Talk column today, I talk a bit about the proposal to use public bonds (about $50 million worth, probably) to back the building of a new hotel on Hutchinson Island that would serve as a convention headquarters.…

If Spoleto is so good, why are the official festival posters so bad?

Another year, another intriguing Spoleto USA lineup, another bad poster. I love Spoleto and am looking forward to spending at least one day at the Charleston festival again this year. Last year’s performance of I Can See Myself in Your…

Home price declines accelerating

No surprises here for those who have followed my writings over the last few years about the housing market. Today, Zillow released data about home prices in the first quarter and in March. They estimate that 55% of Atlanta metro…

An update on box office for “The Conspirator”

A few weeks ago, when Robert Redford’s Savannah-made The Conspirator was released, I posted my own review as well as two roundups of other reviews (here and here). After a promising limited release with a high per theater average, the…

Facebook’s new friend browser: a great way to reconnect? or just creepy?

I’m not sure when Facebook’s new friend browser went live, but I just looked at it today for the first time. I couldn’t help immediately limiting my search to my hometown Frankfort, Kentucky, and my high school Western Hills. And…

Pentagon releases tapes of Bin Laden in his hideout

I admit to being totally fascinated the last few days by accounts of the espionage work (the nearby house used to stakeout the compound, the methods used to track down the courier, etc.) that ultimately brought down Osama Bin Laden…

With Westboro Baptist Church coming in two weeks, Savannahians plan a variety of responses

First let me share a bit of completely unintentional irony. As some of you know, I’m president of the board of the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home (term expiring this summer). The board members coordinating our spring lectures asked me to…