City Notebook

SECOND ARREST IN ROSS CASE

A second arrest has been made in the Dec. 24 shooting of Jennifer Ross.

Detectives last week charged Kevin Huckabee, 20, of Savannah. Huckabee was already in jail on charges unrelated to the shooting.

The Feb. 7 charging of Huckabee comes on the heels of the Jan. 31 arrest of Michael Thorpe, 25, for the same crime.

Acting Police Chief Willie Lovett commented that “Homicide investigations in general are very complex, particularly when you are dealing with multiple suspects. The key to solving cases like this rest with producing a domino effect, which shores up all the players. It takes time and a lot of teamwork, and we’re not done yet.”

More arrests are expected, police said as we went to press.

DRUG BUST ON THE EASTSIDE

This past Friday a major arrest on Seiler Avenue resulted in the confiscation of a large amount of drugs.

Police arrested Jamal Wright, 25, of Savannah, “after he tried to run from officers when they observed him loitering near a house in the 1100 block of Seiler” near a car with an improper tag.

Police say that after Wright took off running he “dropped several tablets, later identified as a controlled substance.”

The officers chased him until he entered the back door of a residence, where he locked himself inside. Moments later the resident came to house and let the officers in.

Officers arrested Wright for obstruction and returned him to the location where they first observed him. After further questioning, Wright told the officers “he had been in a car with an improper tag, but denied ownership.”

A search of the car turned up “more than three pounds of marijuana, five tablets of the designer drug XTC, 20 grams of crack cocaine, and one 45-caliber handgun,” police say.

Because of the quantity of drugs, the Counter Narcotics Team took over the investigation. Wright is now in the Chatham County jail.

A FOWLKES-Y WELCOME

About 120 guests filled up the historic, elegant but little-visited Alida Harper-Fowlkes House last Thursday in one of the opening events of Georgia Days 2006.

In a gala sponsored by the Georgia HIstorical Society and catered by John Nichols, guests got a chance to mingle in the Orleans Square headquarters of the local Society of the Cincinnatti.

The Harper-Fowlkes home was deeded to that organization in 1985 and since than has been open by invitation only.

GREENBRIAR KUDOS ANNOUNCED

Greenbriar Children's Center has announced its list of volunteers and donors of the year, to be granted their awards in a ceremony next week.

At noon on Thursday, Feb. 23, the group meets to honor the winners at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church.

Volunteers of the year were:

• Lawana Lucas (individual)

• Savannah Federation of Colored Women's Club (civic 0rganization)

• STL Savannah (small business)

• Valero LP (corporate business)

• Urban Christian Academy (education)

Donors of the year were:

• Mr. Earl Brownlee (individual)

• Clifton Baptist Church (church)

• Overcoming by Faith (church)

• Clergymen in Action (civic organization)

• Cumulus Broadcasting Savannah (corporate business)

“Each of our volunteers and donors have demonstrated the importance of ‘giving to the future of a child's tomorrow’ which resulted in positive outcomes for our children and the community,” a Greenbriar spokesperson said.

A DIFFERENT SUPER SUNDAY

No Terrible Towels or equally terrible referees were featured, but local museums offered a Super Sunday of an altogether more satisfying kind this past weekend.

Frigid temperatures did not at all deter turnout at the “Super Museum Sunday” celebration, in which local museums opened free of charge for the day.

Offered in conjunction with Georgia Days 2006, the event featured free admission for over 30 area museums, including some in nearby Effingham County.

ACADEMY NOMINEES PICKED

Congressman Jack Kingston last week announced his nominees to the service academies:

• Corey Wheeler, a senior at Benedictine Military School, was chosen as a principal nominee to the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. The Academy has made an offer of appointment to Corey.

• Michael Scott Jr., a senior at Benedictine, was also chosen as a principal nominee to West Point.

• Meredith Manuel-Ruley, a senior at Windsor Forest High School, was chosen as a principal nominee to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

• Blair Ritzert, a senior at Benedictine, was chosen as a competing alternate to West Point.

• Andrew "Trow" Ward, a senior at Savannah Arts Academy, was chosen as a competing alternate to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

• Christopher Bonneau, a senior at Benedictine, was chosen as a competing alternate to the Air Force Academy.

The academies will announce their appointments for the class of 2010 during the spring.