Jones, Schneider earn certified new home sales professional designation

Pattye Jones and Dawn Schneider from Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners' Rincon office have been awarded the Certified New Home Sales Professional (CSP) designation.

STC to offer Gulfstream information sessions

SAVANNAH – Savannah Technical College will begin offering monthly information sessions for prospective students interested in pursuing careers with Gulfstream. Information sessions will be held on the first Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. in the Industrial Technology Center on the college's Savannah Campus, 5717 White Bluff Road in accordance with the following schedule: May 2, June 6, July 11 (due to July 4 holiday), Aug. 1, Sept. 5, Oct. 3, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5.

Insurance Commissioner Q&A

Q: Now that I have children, do I need to make changes in my auto insurance coverage? A: Having a child affects all of your insurance considerations. But focusing on the family car, here are some special concerns. At this stage of your life, you may begin to interact with other parents, perhaps driving their children in your car while carpooling. To protect yourself you should consider increasing your liability insurance in case of an ...

Business classes offered for May

A series of three workshops entitled "Automating Your Bookkeeping with QuickBooks" will be held during the month of May.

Can you benefit from municipal bonds?

You've almost made it through another tax season. If you are getting a refund, you might be pretty satisfied with how things turned out. But if you'd like to see a somewhat different outcome in 2008, you may want to review all areas of your tax return, including your investment-related taxes. As you may know, some investments are more "tax-friendly" than others are - and municipal bonds might be some of the friendliest ones of all.

SBDC holding business startup workshop

A workshop entitled "Starting a Business" will be held on Aug. 18. It is a three hour class that begins at 6 p.m.

Directory pays off for Chamber

Karen Tanksley, publisher of the Effingham Herald, presented Effingham County Chamber President Brooke Graham with a check for more than $1,200 to the Chamber last week.

Ports, Panama Canal renew their alliances

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) and the Georgia Ports Authority, which owns and operates the Port of Savannah, renewed their ties Wednesday with the signing of a memorandum of understanding. The MOU, renewable for five years, was first signed in July 2003 and aims to unify efforts to encourage mutual economic benefits.

Jobless rate inches higher for June 2011

ATLANTA – State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that the preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate in metro Savannah increased to 9.5 percent in June, up 1.0 percent from a revised 8.5 percent in May. The jobless rate in metro Savannah in June a year ago was 8.8 percent.

Farm Service Agency issues crop insurance reminder

Hobby Stripling, state executive director of Georgia's USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), reminds producers of the need for insurance coverage for crops in order to be eligible for the agency's disaster assistance programs. Producers must purchase at least catastrophic (CAT) level of insurance for all insurable crops and/or FSA's Noninsured Crop Assistance Program (NAP) coverage for non insurable crops to be eligible.

Coastal Bank approved to offer new mortgage, down payment assistance programs

The Coastal Bank has been officially approved for two new mortgage loan and down payment assistance programs specifically designed to help low to moderate income mortgage customers.

More double-digit growth for the ports in FY2011

Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz announced Monday that the GPA handled more than 2.9 million TEUs (20-foot Equivalent Unit containers) at the Port of Savannah, more than 465,000 automobiles and machinery units at the Port of Brunswick and nearly 2.2 million breakbulk tons for all terminals in fiscal year 2011 (July 1, 2010-June 30, 2011).

Chamber sounds call for vendors to reserve space for Oktoberfest

The Effingham Chamber of Commerce is issuing a call for all area vendors interested in participating in this year's Effingham Oktoberfest to apply now.

SBDC holding startup workshop

A workshop entitled "Starting a Business" will be held July 21. It is a three-hour class that begins at 6 p.m.

Local Corps office to host course for contractors

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, will host a one-day "Construction Quality Management for Contractors" course on Aug. 17.

Motorcycle shop likes its view

Being back on Laurel Street in downtown Springfield is a welcome sight for Steve Harrell.

Tourists spent $21B in Georgia in 2010

Gov. Nathan Deal announced that domestic and international visitors spent $21 billion in Georgia in 2010, up 8.3 percent from 2009, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

Leading the way

The 2011 Leadership Effingham Class finished their year by presenting class group projects June 30 in the County Commission meeting room in Springfield.

Plan for the expected — but prepare for unexpected

To enjoy a comfortable retirement lifestyle, you'll need to have adequate financial resources in place. And that means you must plan for the expected - but prepare for the unexpected.

A home-grown choice at Madrac Farms