Georgia’s coast will soon have a public bus system thanks to $2.5 million in funding from the federal government. The Coastal Regional Careers plans to begin running weekday business hours by late summer, 2009. The fleet of busses will run through Glynn County and neighboring Camden, McIntosh, Long, Chatham, Effingham, Bryan, Liberty and Screven counties for only $3.00 for each county line crossed. Passengers will be able to call a dispatch center to schedule a trip anywhere within the nine counties. A fleet of 60 new vehicles has been ordered, a combo of vans and shuttle buses, all capable of transporting individuals in wheelchairs. If the program is popular enough, hours may be extended and could also run on weekends. 

The price of a 1^st class stamp went up from 42¢ to 44¢ and a postcard from 27¢ to 28¢ effective 5/9/09. I personally didn’t realize it until Monday and wish I had a larger stash of the “Forever” stamps on hand. 

As we all know, property values are falling, even in our area.  There is a little known method to keep your tax assessment in line with current values.  The State of Georgia has a requirement that property owners file a Form PT-50R Property Tax Return every year, and your non-filing of that form is used as confirmation that you agree with the prior year's assessment.  Most of us have never heard of this form (let alone filed it), because in an area of rising prices, we were usually happy with the lagging values.  If you didn't file this form, the government deems that you are filing in acceptance with last year's value. 

Our local Glynn County newspaper, The Brunswick News, recently ran a very interesting article about an organization working out of our neighboring McIntosh County, the Altamaha Riverkeeper. This article featured one of their CoastKeepers, Wendy Galan, and her reflections on her first year with the Riverkeepers. This group was founded to protect one of our most vital natural resources, the Altamaha River which is Georgia’s biggest river, including its tributaries the Ocmulgee, the Oconee and the Ohoopee. They monitor pollution throughout the waters and also land-based actions impacting the waterways and wetlands. 

Google has a great new service that I use frequently on my cell and even when I am on a land line. You can dial 1-800/GOOG-411 and simply SAY what you are looking for and then GOOG-411 will connect you with the business without any fees or charges (only the air time your cell phone provider charges for minutes will apply). No computer or Internet connection or keypad is required as it is voice activated!  If you are calling from a mobile device, the system can even send you a text message with more details and a map! Simply say “text message” or “map it.” 

FREE is always a good thing, particularly when it is such a useful tool.  Try it out and I 'll wager you'll be using this service often.