I’ve written a lot about Georgia’s banking crisis, and here’s another post on it. According to the AJC this morning: Federal bank regulators sued 17 former directors and officers of Silverton Bank on Monday, accusing the officials of gross negligence…
Author: bill dawers
Recapping the history of major hurricanes (category 3+) hitting the Georgia coast
I posted some of this information before, but this seems like a good time for a recap. No major hurricanes — defined as those of category 3, 4, or 5 — made landfall on the Georgia coast in the 20th…
Georgia’s new congressional district map could be bad news for Barrow
I’ve been posting maps as they’ve become available as Georgia redistricting continues. The new state house maps prompted me to ask: Will 2011 redistricting finally kill off the endangered White Georgia Democrat? And now the proposed new map of districts…
Here it is: the new Georgia license plate
It’s been a long, arduous process — and now we have a winner. Governor Nathan Deal chose today from three finalists, none of which I liked. And he picked the one that I like least. It seems he just chose…
Three finalists for Georgia license plate: how could anyone choose?
[If you’re looking for the winning plate design, go here.] I’ve been running behind with posts about some ongoing topics on this blog, and I’m quite late with this post of the three finalists chosen by online voting on the…
Will 2011 redistricting finally kill off the endangered White Georgia Democrat?
The short answer to my own question is no, of course not. But the next few election cycles could be abysmal for white Democratic candidates in Georgia. Peach Pundit has published a memorandum by Georgia House Minority Leader Stacy Abrams…
SMN takes a look at Savannah’s water ferries’ $266,000 deficit
Well this is a highly recommended piece for those who care about the functioning of the trade center, the prospects of a new hotel on Hutchinson Island, future development of the island, the pressures on local spending as federal subsidies…
More on the value ($$$s) of on-street parking
In my Savannah Morning News column today, I focus on the monetary value of on-street parking: New parking on Price will spur economic activity. A single parking space near a vibrant retail area could result in tens of thousands of…
Seasonality in labor markets — and political manipulation of the results
At the end of my Savannah Morning News column today, I talk about the “absurd” characterizations in the Georgia Department of Labor’s press release about employment in the state. Here I’m going to expand on some of those thoughts. As…
Looking at regional disparities in unemployment rates (or: why are things so bad in the South?)
Unemployment data is really slippery, and I’ll post something on Sunday as a follow up to a portion of my SMN column in which I mention some of the political sleight of hand of blaming seasonal factors for numbers that…
Federal government, immigration among key drivers of job growth in Texas
I already posted about some of the less than stellar data regarding job growth in Texas. That’s a subject that has been — and will be — much in the news as long as Rick Perry’s run for the Republican…
Savannah housing market showing improvement in year-over-year sales; long recovery still ahead
There literally isn’t anything in the latest Savannah area MLS data that jumps out at me. (The numbers are typically available on the 9th of each month but I’m just now looking closely at them.) The total number of sales…
Statesboro bank closed by the FDIC
It’s been more than a month since a Georgia bank was closed, but that changed today with the failure of First Southern National Bank of Statesboro. From the FDIC press release: First Southern National Bank, Statesboro, Georgia, was closed today…
Gas prices should continue downward slide
I predicted over a week ago that we should see average gas prices in the Savannah area fall eventually to $3.30 per gallon or less. But the price of crude has been bouncing around a bit, which could make that…