I’ve written a lot in recent years about housing and home prices. I have been disdainful of just about every move the federal government has made — even those like the homebuyer tax credits that enjoyed broad bipartisan support. None…
Will there be a concerted effort to defeat Sunday sales?
Many, many municipalities in Georgia — including all in Chatham County — will be voting in a few weeks on allowing Sunday package sales of beer, wine, and liquor. I wasn’t the only one expecting a serious campaign to defeat…
More of the same in Georgia’s September jobs numbers
The best thing about yesterday’s release of September jobs data for the state of Georgia is that the press release only contained a little bit of spin — and that was justifiable spin. In recent months, the Dept. of Labor…
NYT tackles the “wealth effect”, finds that Las Vegas and Orlando are underwater
From the NYT piece Gloom Grips Consumers, and It May Be Home Prices: In Orlando, a city that trades in upbeat fantasies, the housing crash has been particularly painful. The total value of area homes has fallen below the total…
Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon update: The Train Wrecks joining Carolina Liar in Forsyth, line-up of bands on the course released
Well it turns out that the surprise headlining act Carolina Liar will only be playing from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on November 5th in Forsyth Park. The race starts at 7:30 a.m., so lots and lots of runners will…
Gove Scrivenor – Ships of the Sea Museum – 10/23/11
Here’s the press release: PRESS RELEASE 16th October 2011 GOVE SCRIVENOR RETURNS TO SAVANNAH ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 23rd FOR A FOLK MUSIC CONCERT 7:30 pm at Ships of the Sea Museum 41 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Savannah GA On…
The Street Light: What smaller government looks like
I sent this link out to my Twitter followers already. But I thought it deserved a post here on the blog. The Street Light is a great blog mainly about economic issues that I have found myself reading more and…
New construction still depressed, but a wave of remodeling
There was a slight uptick today in the index tracking homebuilder confidence, but the number is still extremely low. We’re not going to see any significant increase in new construction of owner-occupied units until much more inventory is absorbed. That’s…
Judge’s ruling an embarrassment for key Savannah city officials
Superior Court Judge Penny Haas Freesemann’s ruling in favor of Ruel Joyner can only be read as a huge embarrassment for all the Savannah city officials involved with the challenge to Joyner’s residency. I’ll include clickable and expandable thumbnails of…
Clerk of Council ruling overturned, Ruel Joyner ruled eligible to run for Savannah City Council from 1st district
The Savannah Morning News, as well as other local media, reported an hour or two ago that Superior Court Judge Penny Haas Freesemann has ruled Ruel Joyner an eligible candidate for the 1st district Savannah city council seat. I don’t…
Thoughts on the first poll in the Savannah mayoral race
In my City Talk column today, I take an extended look back at the numbers from the 2003 Savannah city election, especially the mayoral race. I consider factors like turnout and race that should be relevant again this year. I…
Another Georgia bank bites the dust
Three banks have been shut down by federal regulators so far this afternoon: First State Bank in Cranford, NJ; Blue Ridge Savings Bank Inc. in Asheville, NC; and Piedmont Community Bank in Gray, GA. There have been 79 failed banks…