Q: In searching for a house to rent for myself and my 18 year-old son, I have encountered application fees of up to $50 per adult living in the house. They also require a move-out fee. Is there any limit as to how much a landlord can charge for these types of fees?

A: No, there is no limit as to what a landlord can charge for these fees under Georgia or Federal law. If you think a particular fee is unreasonable, your only recourse is not to apply to rent that landlord’s rental property. When deciding whether a particular fee is reasonable, you should ask the landlord or leasing company to explain the reason for these charges.

Landlords who charge an application fee typically use this money to pay for the cost of running a credit check and criminal background check on the applicant(s). This fee is usually not refundable if your application is denied. To potentially cut down on this cost, you can obtain your credit report and bring a copy with you when you are negotiating your lease. The landlord is not required to accept your offered report as an alternative to running his own credit check, but if he agrees to accept it you could save yourself some money. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report from each of the nationwide credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — every 12 months upon your request. To obtain your free credit report, visit annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228. You may also complete an Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to:

Annual Credit Report Request Service

P.O. Box 105281

Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

Move-out fees are less common, but may be charged as long as the fee is included in the lease and the landlord is consistent in charging all tenants a move-out fee. If the landlord charges some tenants this fee, but not others, he might be in violation of the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discriminating against any person in the terms, conditions, or privileges of a rental on the basis of race, color, religion, familial status, or national origin. If you think that you have been the victim of such housing discrimination, you can file a complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development at http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/housing_discrimination.

Do you have a consumer question? Go to ConsumerEd.com to submit your question and read additional consumer tips. Always consult a lawyer about legal issues.

South Effingham played a double header at Griffin High School for the second round of the AAAA state playoffs on Wednesday. The Mustangs defeated Griffin in both games, 7-2 and 4-0. The wins advance the team to the Elite Eight on May 14. The Mustangs will face Marist.

GAME 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E L

South Effingham 1 1 0 0 4 0 1 7 8 0 6

Griffin 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 12 3 9

GAME 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E L

Griffin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 6

South Effingham 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 4 5 1 5

Commission disagrees about seriousness of audit findings

Effingham County Commission Chairman Wendall Kessler says even if the county’s financial audit is delivered to staff members today, it won't be public record until it's finished and that could take some time.

Kessler says when the draft report is delivered to staff members, they will answer any questions raised by it. The auditor would then take those answers and write his final report.

That’s when the document would be available to the public, he said.

Meanwhile, three commissioners say they’ve gotten an early look at the audit results and they would like to call a special meeting soon to discuss what they consider to be serious issues brought up by the report.

The chairman or any other three members of the commission can call a special meeting, according to state law. Four commissioners are needed in order for the commission to take any action.

Kessler issued a statement yesterday afternoon calling for “cooler heads” to prevail while the audit is completed.

Click here to read Wendall Kessler's letter.

Kessler said in the one-page statement that he has asked the auditor, Donald Caines of Rincon, to provide his findings to management no later than today.

“We do not have an audit, we do not have all of the information and I remain committed to the staff until such time as information and facts dictate otherwise,” Kessler said in the letter yesterday.

Several commissioners have said to reporters that they think the audit finds serious fault with County Administrator David Crawley and his wife, Patrice Crawley, the county clerk.

“I would caution the public and employees of the county against making any presumptions in this matter until the information is presented and the facts are known,” Kessler said.

“I have been troubled by the way in which this situation has been handled and I am concerned for the county’s best interest, however I cannot stand idly while accusations are being leveled without due process,” Kessler said.

“I remain in hopes that cooler heads will prevail and this necessary process can be concluded,” he said.

Three commissioners say they’re very concerned about what they learned in meetings with the auditor. Two others say the findings are minor things that don’t rise to the level of firing anyone.

Another says he hasn’t seen the audit results yet but still supports the Crawleys.

Commissioners Vera Jones, Forrest Floyd and Phil Kieffer say the audit’s findings are very troubling.

Jones said the audit raises many serious issues about how the county is being run. She said the county is in limbo and won’t be able to operate until those issues are addressed.

She listed nine items she remembered out of 27 things that will be mentioned in the audit, including questions about a conflict of interest, misappropriation of county funds, failure to follow policies and internal controls and misinformation given during public meetings.

She and Commissioner Kieffer are calling for a special called meeting as soon as possible to deal with the issues.

Floyd said as soon as the audit report is available, he would like the county commission to call a special meeting to deal with the results.

“At this point, I’ve lost confidence” in the Crawleys, Floyd said. “That may change.”

“There are definitely some financial and economic internal control issues that are very concerning,” Kieffer said.

Kessler and Commissioner Steve Mason say they met with the auditor and the report will show problems that would not be fireable offenses.

Commissioner Reggie Loper said he hasn’t seen the audit findings and he can’t comment on something he hasn’t seen. In the meantime, Loper said he has full confidence in the Crawleys.

Mason said he talked with the auditor and that the 27 items can be explained.

Mason says some of the items are repetitive and others are “very little things” that might result in a “slap on the wrist” for staff not following procedures.

One item, for example, cited the clerk for not having the minutes stored in a binder when they were loose in a box because she had been making copies.

He said one of the items concerns how money that was directed to Keep Effingham Beautiful was spent. He says a separate audit of those funds will be done and if anyone did anything criminal, charges will be filed, just as charges were filed against Ruthie Michelle Newland.

Newland was the county purchasing director. She was arrested in May 2011 and accused of using a county credit card for personal purchases and then modifying billing statements to make them appear valid.

She pleaded guilty in June 2012 to felony charges of theft by taking and forgery. She was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay $12,600 in restitution.

Kieffer said the questions about Keep Effingham Beautiful regard $80,000 to $90,000 that “may have been directed to a private account.”

He said the issues found in the audit are “big, very big.”

Mason said the county administrator hasn’t been given the audit results yet and can’t reply to charges he hasn’t seen.

David and Patrice Crawley were at work yesterday, but they could not be reached for comment.

Mason said he hasn’t been given any reason to lose faith in the Crawleys.

Kessler has said he has confidence in the Crawleys.

“There are some concerns that have been brought up and we have been working through those,” he said earlier this week. When asked what the concerns were about, Kessler said budget and financial issues, “a lot of different issues” that come up at this time of year.

“I can’t say any of them would rise up to the level of someone being fired or resigning,” Kessler said. “I have all of the confidence in the world in both of the individuals.”

Kessler, who only votes in case of a tie, said he thinks the Crawleys should be able to address any concerns in a public forum.

Jones, Floyd and Kieffer said they expected to be considering the resignations of the Crawleys during the commission’s regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday.

The meeting was canceled at the last minute for lack of a quorum.

The Crawleys asked Mason and Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie to accompany them as they took some personal belongings from their county offices last weekend. Mason said the Crawleys wanted him and the sheriff there so they could document that they were not taking any county property.

View photos from the South Effingham High School prom held Saturday at the Hilton Desoto.

Two repeat meth offenders from Guyton were arrested last week outside the courthouse in Springfield.

The drug suppression unit of the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office got a tip that the pair were on their way to the courthouse and that they had drugs on them.

Deputies stopped 30-year-old Robert Stanley Davis and 44-year-old James Grover last Thursday in a vehicle outside the courthouse, according to sheriff’s spokesman David Ehsanipoor.

They found methamphetamine and Roxicodone inside of the vehicle and hidden in an orifice in Davis’s body.

They also discovered a meth lab at Grover’s residence in the 200 block of Southern Charm Way.

Grover was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of pseudoephedrine and conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine.

Davis was charged with criminal attempt to manufacture methamphetamine, unlawful sale and possession of pseudoephedrine and possession of methamphetamine.

Davis was arrested on several meth-related charges including trafficking methamphetamine in April of 2012 as well as manufacturing methamphetamine in October 2012. He was out on bond at the time of the arrest last week.

Grover and Davis are being held in the Effingham County Jail.

LaTrelle Pevey sells residential real estate for a living, so rarely does an incoming telephone call go unanswered.

“Only if I’m with a client or in a closing will I put my phone on silent, and even then I keep my earpiece in just in case there’s a lull and I can answer,” Pevey said. “And I always get back to a missed call. That’s how you do business. You gotta be available.”

The ratio of answered-to-returned calls is changing for Pevey and other Realtors who work in Effingham County. Effingham is “slamming” as the spring home buying season ramps up.

April saw 74 sales within the county, the most since the housing bust leveled the residential market in Savannah’s neighboring county, with 65 more homes under contract heading into May.

Effingham’s momentum helped the Savannah-area market, which includes Chatham and Bryan counties as well, post a 23 percent jump in sales in April compared to April 2012. The 447 sales made April the third busiest month of the last half-decade and promises a summer Savannah’s real estate market hasn’t seen since before the recession.

“We’re selling a lot more and our new inventory is still slow coming in, so our market is going to keep on like this through the summer,” said Donna Davis, president of the Savannah Area Board of Realtors. “We can now say it has picked back up to where it was in the mid-2000s, and at a much more sustainable pace.”

The inventory, or the number of homes list for sale, jumped in April as would-be sellers put their homes on the market in anticipation of the buying season. But the months’ supply of inventory, a measure that reflects the number of months it would take to exhaust the current inventory at the average sales pace, continued to make Realtors smile.

The three-county average is under 10 months, and the pickier home shoppers are finding it more difficult to “find what they are looking for,” said Tommy Danos, a Realtor with ERA Southeast Coastal Real Estate.

“That’s another indication, besides stats, that inventory is dropping,” Danos said. “You can see in some areas and some specific price points where the sellers are calling the shots now, and prices are rising as a result.”

Effingham’s momentum is related to price and inventory. But the county’s median price has remained low even as the supply has dropped to 7.3 months. The median price in Effingham is $135,780, compared to $162,950 in Chatham County and $227,500 in Bryan, and isn’t appreciating the way Chatham’s and Bryan’s prices are due to an abundance of cheap, developable lots owned by builders eager to meet buyer needs.

The stable, low prices have made Effingham a hotspot for first-time buyers, Pevey said.

“It’s nice to see those lower price point homes being sold because we were inundated with that in our market,” Pevey said. “At the same time, we are seeing empty subdivisions with those kinds of homes coming out of the ground, so there is a pipeline for more supply.”

LOCAL HOME SALES SNAPSHOT

The summer home-buying season in the Savannah-area housing market (Chatham, Bryan and Effingham counties) got of to a hot start in April, with sales up 23 percent year over year in the month. A look at the local market (numbers include residential real estate, including single-family homes, modulars, townhomes and condominiums):

Month Inventory New Sales Pending Price

April 2013 3,893 739 447 350 $201,881

March 2013 3,019 542 379 324 $200,578

February 2013 3,668 555 290 234 $186,014

January 2013 3,871 641 302 274 $176,276

December 2012 3,139 380 372 163 $171,651

November 2012 3,272 481 383 220 $209,104

October 2012 3,424 710 388 242 $188,796

September 2012 3,298 509 333 242 $188,600

August 2012 3,477 638 468 223 $191,063

July 2012 3,460 610 444 278 $221,061

June 2012 3,630 649 471 283 $198,998

May 2012 3,584 639 397 331 $169,125

April 2013 3,893 739 447 350 $201,881

April 2012 3,694 648 363 275 $198,823

April 2011 4,480 663 324 295 $186,350

April 2010 5,285 804 342 367 $199,564

Source: Savannah Multi-List Corp.

Students at Sandhill Elementary School got some career and transportation lessons last week from special visitors.

Members of the Effingham County Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services, along with members of the 165th Georgia Air National Guard, gave students information and mini-tours of a variety of equipment. JCB also brought along a skid steer.

The fire department showed students equipment and explained some required training to be a firefighter.

EMS staff explained when to call 911 and the importance of knowing your address.

Lieutenant Jim Fox and his rescue dogs, Riley, Rocky and Dexter, put on a show for the students.

The animals are disc-dogs, trained by Fox with Frisbee-type toys.

Fox said his work with animals has a purpose.

“I want to spread the word on pet rescue,” Fox said.

Fox said he wants people to realize rescue dogs are just as good as any pure bred dog.

Fox showed the students just how smart and trainable rescue dogs can be during his presentation.

Sponsored by TailsSpin and Guyton Pet Lodge, the dogs retrieved thrown discs and responded to a number of commands.

Students got a chance to climb in and on a cutvee, a Humvee with no armor. The vehicle is used for patrol and administrative duties.

Deputies with the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department also were on hand with K-9 officers, A.J. and Duke. Deputy Brian Mundy also discussed gun safety.

The Coastal Bank, headquartered in Savannah, recently promoted Chap Bennett to executive vice president of commercial real estate and specialty lending. In his new position, Bennett will lead the bank’s mortgage company and construction lending department in addition to its structured finance services.

Bennett has worked with The Coastal Bank for more than 12 years and most recently served as the manager of special assets, where he oversaw the management of all non-performing assets and maintained efforts to minimize risk and preserve capital. Due to his exceptional work in this position, The Coastal Bank has significantly reduced its number of non-performing assets. Prior to his position as manager of special assets, he also served as the senior credit officer at The Coastal Bank.

With a strong commitment to Effingham County, Bennett currently serves as the vice chairman of the board of directors for the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority is a past president of the Effingham Chamber of Commerce and a past board member at Effingham Hospital. He is a member of Springfield United Methodist Church and resides in Rincon with his wife, Bobbi Jo, and their three children.

Bennett also was appointed by the lieutenant governor in 2009 to serve on the Council of Regional Commissions and was the past division chair of the Community Bankers Association of Georgia.

Originally from Thomson, Bennett earned a finance degree from Georgia Southern University and graduated with honors from the University of Georgia’s School of Banking. He has been named one of the region’s top “40 Under 40” by the Savannah Business Report.

Visitors to Rincon on Saturday can get a taste of the past with the Civil War Experience starting with a cannon firing at 10 a.m.

The free event is being presented by Fuller Chevrolet and will be held off Ga. 21 across from Wal-Mart.

Approximately 60 period re-enactors are expected to participate and are coming from Effingham, Augusta, Claxton and South Carolina.

There will be an opening ceremony at 10:30 a.m. with drummers gathering for a word and prayer.

Music will be provided at 11 a.m. by Al Perry, noon by the Pace Brothers, 1 p.m. by Marie Hall and at 2 p.m. by Anna Kessler. There will be cannon firings every hour on the hour.

Vendors will be open until 6 p.m.

Chamber of Commerce Director Rick Lott said that all throughout the day on May 18, the public can watch as soldiers go about life as it was in battle camps of the period. Soldiers will march and drill, rest and cook, and fire their rifles.

The local United Daughters of the Confederacy will also be on hand with a tent so they can show what life was like for the ladies in that time, and there will be a small cavalry exhibition coming in from South Carolina, Lott said.

Some puppies’ loss was Rincon’s gain.

A 4-year-old Belgian Malinois that wasn’t a very good mother to her pups was donated to the city of Rincon as a K-9 for drug identification and tracking.

The dog, Cpl. Senna (pronounced CEE’-nuh), was introduced Monday night to the Rincon City Council.

The dog is the first K-9 the Rincon Police Department has had since the force was started 56 years ago, said Police Chief Phillip Scholl.

City Council members had already approved acquisition of the dog, which was donated through the Military Working Dogs program at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.

As a corporal, the dog has a higher rank than her handler, Officer Michael Giaquinto, who has been with the Rincon department for 11 months.

“She directs him where to go,” Scholl said. “He’s having to follow her orders.”

Giaquinto, who has been a police officer for 11 years, says handling dogs is the best part of his job.

He first trained as a dog handler when he was a police officer with the Department of Defense in Beaufort, S.C.

He was there three years and worked with an explosives dog half of that time. As part of his training, he spent 10 weeks at Lackland Air Force Base — training that has transferred to his current assignment.

Giaquinto said he’s OK with taking orders from Senna. He said she has the talented nose. “She tells me where to go,” he said. “She’s way better at it than I am.”

Military personnel train dogs at Lackland Air Force Base to work for the various branches of the service. Dogs that are no longer needed are sometimes donated to local police departments.

Senna was born in Europe and traveled to Lackland when she was 9 or 10 months old. The dog was used as a breeding dog, but she didn’t want to take care of her puppies.

Scholl said a high prey drive is required for narcotics work and sometimes that drive prevents dogs from being maternal.

“She wasn’t a very good mom,” Giaquinto said. “She’s a good dog, just not a good mom.”

Giaquinto flew to Texas about three weeks ago and chose Senna from seven dogs. They flew back, with the 75-pound dog wearing a muzzle and riding with him in the cabin of the plane, at a bulkhead.

He said since the dog was used for breeding, she was not trained at all during her four years at Lackland.

All the training has been up to him.

Giaquinto said the program that doles out dogs to police departments saved the city at least $5,000, the cost of an untrained dog. The dogs cost $10,000 to $15,000 if they are trained, he said.

“These dogs aren’t cheap,” he said.

Scholl and Giaquinto joked about checking her passport before she was hired. “She’s an Air Force brat,” Giaquinto said.

The dog tried to climb into a chair when she was waiting to be introduced to the City Council on Monday night.

Scholl likes to flap papers in her face to get her to bark.

Giaquinto said some of his fellow officers helped him build a fence in his backyard for Senna. She is living in his garage now, but when the concrete pad and kennel area are finished, she’ll live outside.

Giaquinto said she can’t get used to air conditioning because it would make her less effective when she has to work outdoors in the heat.

His two pet Labradors live inside the house and haven’t met Senna, who hasn’t and won’t ever go inside his house.

Senna has the “right demeanor,” he said. “She’s calm. When it’s time to work, she’s ready to work. She loves it.”

He trains her by repetition and uses a Kong dog toy and praise as a reward.

Giaquinto, who has a 5-year-old daughter, said the dog will be great with children, showing them they shouldn’t be afraid of the police.

“She’s another tool we can show to the community we’re not just looking to write tickets,” Scholl said.

In addition to sniffing for drugs, she’ll be helpful in tracking missing people, runaways and suspects.

A dog also can help keep a situation from escalating, Giaquinto said.

“When her switch is off, she’s a very gentle, docile dog,” Giaquinto said. “She behaves well.”

“I love her and give her affection, but personal dogs get away with stuff that I would not let her do,” he said. “Yes, she is a dog. She’s part of the family, but she has to be ready to work.”

The dog also will help other departments in the area, paying back some of the help Rincon has gotten over the years.

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office has two K-9s.

The dog has gotten a lot of support from the community. Tractor Supply donated supplies and Webb’s Animal Clinic has donated care.

The officer and the corporal will attend a four-week program in Chatham County in September, where both will be tested. After that, they’ll be certified to do police work.

Scholl said Giaquinto’s time is the biggest investment for the city. “I think the return is far greater than the expense,” he said. “The return can’t be measured monetarily. She could save his life, could save the suspect’s life.”

The department has 16 full-time officers and two full-time civilians.

An Effingham County teen is in critical condition after being struck by a car Thursday morning.

Initial reports indicate the 14-year-old was walking to his bus stop in the 2300 block of Ga. 30 when he was hit about 8:30 this morning, Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor said.

The child has been air lifted to MemorialUniversity Medical Center.

The accident is under investigation by the Georgia State Patrol and the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office.

Manufacturing jobs are target

The CEO and the chairman of Effingham’s Industrial Development Authority are going to China tomorrow in an effort to attract a couple of hundred manufacturing jobs to Effingham County.

Details on the prospect aren’t being released yet because things are still being negotiated, but CEO John Henry says the IDA has been working on the project since last fall.

“It represents two manufacturing companies and the potential for a couple of hundred jobs and an international headquarters facility,” Henry said.

Also going on the trip is IDA Chairman Dennis Webb.

--G.G. Rigsby.

CEO says the deal validates small company’s big project

Medient Studios Inc. will receive $3 million in state incentives for creating 1,000 jobs at a production and entertainment complex in Effingham County, according to CEO Manu Kumaran.

Kumaran said agreements with the state, which were approved unanimously Thursday by the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority, validate his small company’s big project.

“It’s recognition by independent third party of the validity of our project,” he said.

The deal with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and Georgia Department of Economic Development calls for the company to receive a $3 million grant for site preparation and building improvements.

It calls for $750,000 to be released after the first 250 jobs have been created and maintained for 12 months. Another $750,000 will be released after another 250 jobs are created and maintained for 12 months.

And $1.5 million will be released after 500 more jobs are created and maintained for 12 months.

The agreement says if not for the incentive, Medient might have located the project in New York or Pennsylvania.

The deal calls for Medient to invest $90 million in the project. The company must provide some documents to the state within 30 days, including a timeline and expected average wage for the jobs.

Also on Thursday, the IDA agreed to extend from May 18 to May 31 the deadline for Medient to provide a financial due diligence report.

IDA CEO John Henry said Medient is finalizing the report. He said he and Chairman Dennis Webb will be out of town next week on IDA business and he wouldn’t be able to review the financials until the end of the month.

The company, based in Los Angeles, gave the IDA board members a timeline that calls for construction on roads, utilities and a suspension bridge to begin Sept. 9. Construction on a reception building, main studio and Leaf concert area would start soon after that.

Henry cautioned that the timeline was ambitious.

Kumaran said Thursday he has not yet repaid $125,000 that he still owes toward $175,000 for 77 percent of the issued and outstanding shares of the company that he bought in August of last year.

Medient’s annual report, filed April 16, said the money originally was due Dec. 31, and then the date was extended to April 30.

Kumaran said some technical registration and financial reporting issues must be resolved before he pays the remaining amount.

Medient announced plans March 19 to build a movie studio and entertainment facility in Effingham County, taking up most of the IDA’s 1,500 acres near Old River Road and I-16.

Earlier this month, the company announced a $40 million agreement with Prime Focus Limited to provide production and post-production equipment, work-flow technologies and other elements for the megastudio.

Meanwhile, Henry said Matthew Morris will start June 3 as the new project manager for the IDA. Morris, who is public works director for the City of Springfield, will replace Ryan Moore.

Moore left to become director of economic development for the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government.

BOYS TRACK COACH OF THE YEAR

SCHOOL: Effingham County

THE NUMBERS: Ward and his Rebels ended Bradwell Institute’s six-year Region 3-AAAAA domination by overtaking the Tigers in the region championship 143-113. Ward, who earned Morning News All-Greater Savannah first-team honors as a hurdler at Calvary Day in 1998, previously coached the Rebels for four years before taking off 2012 and coming back this season. Ward was a star linebacker on Georgia Southern’s football team, helping the Eagles to national championships in 1999 and 2000.

THE DEFINING MOMENT: A key to the Rebels’ success came late in the season when the team’s best athlete, Tyjon Williams, tried the triple jump in practice and immediately began jumping competitive distances. Ward moved Williams to the triple for the first time in the region meet, and Williams won region with a jump of 45 feet, 3 inches.

WHAT’S NEXT: Williams’ return, along with sprinter Donte Williams, should make Effingham County a contender for another region title next season.

BRADWELL COACH DEANDRE DAVIS ON WARD: “He did an excellent job. The kids were running for him, and they had a wonderful season. The last couple of years you could see Effingham progressing. They had a good mix of athletes, and Tyjon was way under the radar.”

WARD ON WARD: “It was kind of set up for whoever came in was going to be very good. We had athletes. It was just a good time. I guess you could say we hit our pinnacle this year.”

— Donald Heath

ALL-GREATER SAVANNAH BOYS TRACK AND FIELD TEAM

STERLING BURNS, Bradwell Institute, junior

The Tiger doubled at region, winning the shot put and discus. He finished sixth at state in the discus with a throw of 140-6. He was seventh at state in the shot with a 46-10¾.

DAKEEM CARLTON, Bradwell Institute, senior

The Tigers’ long distance runner posted one of the area’s best times in the 3,200 with a 10:22.88 at sectionals.

JABARI GASTON, Bethesda, junior

The Blazer won a GISA Class AAA state title with a 21-5 in the long jump.

SAM GEHA, Benedictine, junior

The Cadet won the region in the 1,600, then placed fourth at sectionals and fifth at state with a personal best time of 4:37.57.

SAM HANNAN, Islands, senior

The senior had a 10:24.46 in the 3,200 to take sixth at sectionals.

ANDREW JOHNSON, Windsor Forest, senior

The Knights’ speedster ran 10.53 in the 100 in the region preliminaries before winning region, placing fourth at sectionals and fifth at state. He ran a 22.38 in the 200 in the region prelims.

COREY JONES, Richmond Hill, junior

One of the top 800 runners in the state, the Wildcat won region and posted an area-best 1:55.37 while winning sectionals before placing second at state.

BLAINE KETCHUM, Effingham County, senior

The Rebel placed second at sectionals in the pole vault and was tied for fourth at state with a vault of 12-6.

JEREMIAH MERCER, South Effingham, sophomore

The Mustang won region with an area-best 23-2 in the long jump and posted a top jump of 46-5 while winning the triple jump at the sectionals. At state, he placed seventh in the triple and eighth in the long jump.

JALEN MYRICK, Savannah Christian, senior

The sprinter, who is headed to Minnesota on a football scholarship, won the 100-meter dash at sectionals with a 10.97 and placed third at the Class A Private state championships

DEMETRIUS ROBERTSON, Savannah Country Day, freshman

The Hornet won the Private school area in the long jump (20-7), placed third in the 100 and fourth in the 200; he was third at sectionals and state in the 200.

CRAIG SHEFFIELD, Windsor Forest, junior

The area’s top hurdler won region and was third at both the sectionals and at state in the 110 high hurdles. His 14.84 in the sectionals was an area best. In the 300 hurdles, he won region and was fifth at sectionals. He had an area-best 39.77 at sectionals.

DAVID THORNTON, Bradwell Institute, senior

The area’s best distance runner won the region in the 1,600 and 3,200. He posted a 4:34.76 in the 1,600 at sectionals. His 10:18.18 at region in the 3,200 was tops in the area.

DONTE WILLIAMS, Effingham County, junior

The Rebels’ sprinter turned in a 22.21 in the 200 at sectionals.

SHIDEL WILLIAMS, Bethesda, senior

The Blazer, appropriately nicknamed “Speedy,” won GISA Class AAA state titles in the 100 (10.81) and 200 (22.3), and was second in the 400 (50.3).

TYJON WILLIAMS, Effingham County, junior

The Rebel leaped an amazing 6-10 in the high jump at the Statesboro Relays and starred at the region meet with three first-place finishes — in the high jump and setting personal bests in the triple jump (45-3) and the 400 (50.48). He was third at the sectionals in the triple and finished second at state in the high jump.

CHRIS WILLIAMSON, Liberty County, senior

The Panther had a 49.54 in the 400 and was fifth at sectionals.

HONORABLE MENTION

Benedictine — Daniel Hoffman

Bradwell Institute — Rashod Harris, Ziere Diggs, Desman Martin

Bryan County — Trent Minis, Johnny Lewis, Ryan Horton, Patrick O’Connell, Damion Dixon

Effingham County — Kevin Smith, Jesse Campbell, Marcel Henderson

Groves — Kevin Bivins

Jenkins — Jamelle Lanier, Justin Robinson

Johnson — Dwayne Dash, Evan Beamon, Corbin Mitchell

Liberty County — Dajuan Harding, Rashawn Harris, Jeremy Caldwell-Fabergas, Khaleed Barrett

New Hampstead — D’Andre Miller, Michael Clark

Richmond Hill — Michael Clark, Darryl Dunham, Deon Davis

Savannah Christian — Jacob Simmons, Nicholas Korzik

St. Andrew’s — James Ferencsik, Brandon Miller, Nate Mayo

HOW THEY WERE CHOSEN

Players were selected from Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty counties. Selections were based on regular season and postseason results and input from area coaches.

PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

Sunday: Boys tennis, Grayson Lowenthal, Savannah Country Day; Monday: Girls tennis, McKenzie Collins, Savannah Arts; Tuesday: Girls golf, Gianna Ruiz, Savannah Christian; Wednesday: Boys golf, Gus Beisel, Savannah Arts; Thursday: Girls soccer, Baley Jackson; Friday: Boys soccer, Thomas McCarthy; Saturday: Girls track, Taylor DeLoach, St. Vincent’s; Today: Boys track, Tyjon Williams, Effingham County; Monday: Baseball

BEST OF PREPS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS AND FIRST-TEAM SELECTIONS WILL BE HONORED ON MAY 21 AT THE SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS BEST OF PREPS BANQUET.

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that 911 lines are down this evening due to thunderstorms.

Calls for assistance can be made to 911, but will be transferred to the sheriff's office. Calls for assistance can also be made directly to the sheriff’s office at 912-754-3449.

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

TYJON WILLIAMS

SCHOOL/YEAR: Effingham County/junior

NUMBERS: Williams launched himself to the forefront of the local boys track and field scene this season with his amazing high jump of 6 feet, 10 inches at the Statesboro Relays, breaking the meet’s previous record of 6-7 set by Champ Bailey. But just as noteworthy was his performance at the Region 3-AAAAA championships when he won the high jump, triple jump, 400-meter run and ran a leg on the Rebels’ winning 4x400 relay team. He also ran a leg on the 4x100 relay team that qualified for sectionals. His first competitive jump in the triple was at region, where he jumped 45-3. “I was pumped that day,” he said. Williams finished third in the sectionals in the triple and second at state in the high jump.

INTERESTS: Williams stays busy with athletics throughout the year. He’s a wide receiver on the Rebels football team and plays forward on the basketball team. But he focuses on track in the spring, taking the time to study techniques of top high jumpers on YouTube.

WHAT’S NEXT: His rise in the high jump has spurred interest from Mississippi State, LSU and Georgia, Williams said.

WILLIAMS ON WILLIAMS: “I started as a freshman and I just kept improving throughout years. I was working on my legs because it takes a lot of power and effort to get over the bar. My first track meet (this year), I jumped 6-4 and kept going up from there. I got to 6-10 this year.”

ECHS COACH MIKE WARD ON WILLIAMS: “Tyjon jumped 6-4 last year and went to 6-10. You (improve) 6 inches in a year, that’s unheard of. It’s because of dedication. He’s on YouTube all the time, learning more about technique. He coaches himself and comes up with drills on his own. He’s a great athlete, but he’s a better kid.”

The 36th Bluegrass and Gospel Music Festival at Mossy Oak Music Park gets underway in Guyton Wednesday evening at 6 with a covered dish supper.

The annual Memorial Day weekend event entertains all with the unmistaken sound of banjos, guitars, fiddles, dobros, the big upright bass and great vocal harmonies.

Among those performing at this year’s five-day event are Dave Adkins & Republik Steele, The Jimmy Wolling Band, Kody Norris & The Watauga Mountain Boys, Danny Lanier & Blast of Grass, the Golden Valley Crusaders, Sometimes Later, the host band, Guyton’s own Lonesome Whistle and more.

A special “open stage” for local and area talents, those who play or sing for the pure pleasure of the music, is set aside each day.

Full five-day festival tickets are $40; daily tickets $20; young people 12-15 half price; and, under twelve free. Camper sites are $15 and $20 a night and tent camping is $5.

The indoor theater at the pavilion seats more than 700. There are more than 500 camp sites and there’s ample free parking at the alcohol-free, family-oriented event. For camping reservations, tickets and additional information call 912-772-5142 or 912-772-3467. You can also visit the 34 acre park online at www.mossyoakmusicpark.com.

An armed robbery suspect who was sought by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office turned himself in this afternoon.

Antonial Kirkland, 18, of Springfield, is in the Effingham County Jail, according to Sheriff’s Office Spokesman David Ehsanipoor.

Kirkland is charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, felony fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer and several traffic charges.

He’s charged in an armed robbery on Ga. 30 on April 30. The victim was robbed and struck with a pistol. 

Also charged in the same case is Leon Clemmons, 18, of Springfield.

There will be breast health education and screening forum tonight, May 21 at 6 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church. The church is located at Ga. 17 and Ga. 30, south of Guyton.

The Coastal Georgia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure has provided funding that allows Effingham Health System to provide mammogram screenings for qualifying underserved and uninsured women of our community.

A former SunTrust Bank branch manager has been convicted of forgery and sentenced to five years on probation and ordered to repay almost $2,500 in restitution to the bank.

Sidonie Pollack-Summers, 36, of Rincon, also must perform 200 hours of community service under sentence imposed by Chatham County Superior Court Judge James F. Bass Jr. following a jury conviction on Friday.

Assistant District Attorney Sarah Moorhead told jurors that in October 2008, Robert Kozlowski, treasurer of the Alee Temple Shriner’s Oriental

Band, visited the SunTrust Bank on Savannah’s southside to speak with Pollack-Summers, the bank’s branch manager, about reinvesting the organization’s $5,000 certificate of deposit that had recently matured.

Kozlowski and Pollack-Summers agreed upon reinvesting the monies into a TransAmerica Fund; which Pollack –Summers assured would realize a 6% return on the organization’s investment, Moorhead said.

In March of 2009, Kozlowski returned to the SunTrust Bank to change his mailing address on the account documentation.

After finding out Pollack-Summers was no longer employed at SunTrust, he was told that no such account with TransAmerica had been created, but that $3,000 had been invested in a SunTrust Fund, Moorhead said.

Upon further review, it became apparent that Pollack-Summers had forged Kozlowski’s signature when opening the $3,000 fund for the group and that the bank could not account for the remaining $2,000, Moorhead said.

 Pollack-Summers was arrested and booked in April  2009 for forgery in the 1st degree and theft by taking.

 Kozlowski and the Alee Temple Shriner’s were later reimbursed for the missing money, including interest by SunTrust Bank.