The city of Savannah has determined it needs to re-bid a multimillion dollar project that would raise President Street to alleviate flooding and provide entrances for the Savannah River Landing site.

Staff is also recommending condemnation to acquire about half an acre along General McIntosh Boulevard from the owners of the Savannah Marriot Riverside for the project.

John Sawyer, Savannah public works and water resources bureau chief, said the condemnation is not a “hostile” taking and both the city and the property owner, Columbia Properties Savannah LLC, agreed the method would be the best way to transfer the land.

City spokesman Bret Bell said the acquisition amounts to a land swap and the company would be given an equal amount of city-owned land next to the hotel’s parking garage.

The “friendly” transfer is not a case of the “evil government” coming and taking property, Bell said.

Representatives from the Kentucky-based corporation declined to comment.

Sawyer said he did not want to go into details about why the road improvement project has to be re-bid, but some issues could not be resolved. The city typically makes sure the contractor is comfortable with the bid before awarding contracts to keep problems from cropping up after the project begins, he said.

Sawyer said it could take two months to re-advertise and select a contractor.

Staff had expected to present the contract for approval at the June 27 City Council meeting after receiving bids from two contractors. McLendon Enterprises’ low bid of almost $30 million came in about $8 million less than the bid submitted by TIC — The Industrial Company. Both bids exceeded the city’s original cost estimates and budget for the project.

None of the companies returned calls Tuesday seeking comment.

To make up for a shortage in funding, staff recommended the city issue about $20 million in bonds. The borrowed money would also be used to complete three drainage projects and provide $10 million owed to the Savannah-Chatham public school board.

Issuing the bonds will be put on hold until the city receives the new bids, said acting Assistant City Manager Dick Evans.

“If they are more favorable, we won’t have to borrow as much,” Evans said. “If they are less favorable, we’ll have to re-evaluate.”

With the road improvements, the city hopes to help spur development of the Savannah River Landing site east of the Marriot along President Street. Before the recent economic downturn, a $575 million market value was predicted for the 40-acre site, which was to be an extension of the downtown Historic District featuring residential and commercial development.

24-hour jail bookings for Savannah-Chatham County are now posted. Visit booked.savannahnow.com to view photos and information.

All information has been obtained from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department.

All individuals posted have not been convicted of a crime and are innocent until proven guilty.

A contractor for Georgia Department of Transportation has scheduled emergency guardrail repair in Chatham County from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., weather permitting, through Friday. Crews will be working in half-mile to one-mile increments and relocating frequently. Motorists should be alert to changing work patterns.

Motorists should expect minor delays. Motorists are advised to reduce speeds as they travel through these maintenance work zones. Message signs, barrels and/or cones will be utilized to alert the public of the upcoming changes.

Areas where work will occur are:

• Ga. 26 at Allen Boulevard (lane closure)

• Ga. 26 at Interstate 516 eastbound (narrow ramp lane)

• Ga. 204 eastbound at mile marker 11.5 (close shoulder)

• Ga. 204 westbound at mile marker 11.6 (lane closure)

• I-516 westbound at mile marker 2.9 (close shoulder)

• I-516 westbound at mile marker 3.5 median (close shoulder)

• I-516 westbound at mile marker 4.3 median (lane closure)

24-hour jail bookings for Savannah-Chatham County are now posted. Visit booked.savannahnow.com to view photos and information.

All information has been obtained from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department.

All individuals posted have not been convicted of a crime and are innocent until proven guilty.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday that at least 17 states have tax-free periods planned this year, mostly for spending on school items.

In Georgia, businesses won't be charging sales tax on clothes, shoes, school supplies and computers on those two days in August set by the state.

There are limits. A pair of shoes and an item of clothing can't cost more than $100. School supplies can't cost more than $20 per item, with a $1,000 limit on computers and accessories.

The newspaper reports Georgia has had an annual sales tax holiday for more than a decade. There were no sales tax holidays in 2009, 2010 and 2011, when state officials said they couldn't afford it.

Juan Gibson definitely had a game plan when he arrived at Jones Red & White food market for the Savannah Morning News Grocery Grab challenge in Habersham Village on Saturday morning. 

The Statesboro native headed straight for the meat section and racked up over $650 worth of food during the 99-second shopping spree.

"I have about 17 brothers and sisters," said Gibson, "and now I think I can feed them all." 

Gibson was the lucky winner chosen out of nearly a thousand entrants to participate in the challenge. 

Click the play icon above to watch footage of Gibson's performance.

ALBANY, Ga. — The NAACP is trying to block Monday's scheduled execution of a Georgia inmate set to die for killing another prisoner.

The state president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Edward DuBose, said Warren Lee Hill is mentally disabled and should not be put to death.

"What we're saying is Georgia is about to engage in an extremely barbaric and inhumane act," DuBose told WALB-TV. "To kill a person who may not even be able to appreciate the fact that he is being executed."

The group held rallies in Albany and other cities on Friday, and it is planning vigils on Monday asking Gov. Nathan Deal to block the execution.

The state has denied the execution should be postponed, and it is planning to use a new procedure during Hill's scheduled lethal injection.

Hill was sentenced to die for the 1990 beating death of fellow inmate Joseph Handspike. His lawyers are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the execution because of what they argue is new evidence in the case.

Hill bludgeoned Handspike with a nail-studded board while his victim slept, authorities said. At the time, Hill was already serving a life sentence for the 1986 slaying of his girlfriend, Myra Wright, who was shot 11 times.

Hill's lawyers have long contended he is mentally disabled and should not be executed because the execution of mentally disabled offenders is prohibited by state law and a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

The state has argued that Hill's mental disability has not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The NAACP said the state should take review its requirements to have someone declared mentally disabled.

"I think until we change the law we will deal with this over and over again," said DuBose.

The state plans to use a compounding pharmacy to obtain an execution drug for Hill, making it one of the first states to acknowledge using these pharmacies as execution drugs become increasingly difficult to get.

The state's supply of pentobarbital expired in March, and it has become tougher for states to get the drug because the manufacturer has said it does not want it used in executions.

The Stacy Project Savannah held their first annual Summer Bash Saturday at Daffin Park.

Click here to view a Spotted® gallery of the Summer Bash

The event, with the help of Outreach Ministries gave away food, beverages and clothes to those in need. It also included face painting and Christian rappers and performing artists.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for Chatham County until 4:30 p.m. tonight.

Flash flooding is expected in and around I-16/I-95, Bloomingdale, Pooler, Marlow, Savannah Airport, Port Wentworth and Faulkville.

Come back to savannahnow.com for more weather and latest news updates.

The Effingham EMA has advised that an 80-acre pond in Bulloch County is being held back by a failing dam. That water is being released in to the already flooded Ogeechee River.

Residents are advised to use caution.

The USA Men’s Wheelchair Basketball team made a stop at Savannah State University on Saturday. The team was in town to practice for an upcoming trip to Bogota, Colombia for the Americas Cup.

Executive Director for the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, Randy Schubert, said the support the team has received from SSU and the community has been outstanding.

“We had a sense that the hospitality and the welcomeness from the community to our group would be high, and it’s proven to be that and then some. Everybody has been fantastic,” Schubert said, “The biggest thing we strive for and tell people is that we don’t want you to look at the chair, look at the elite athletes. These are Olympic-caliber athletes.”

The team brought home the bronze medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and point guard Paul Schulet, who has been on the team since 1998, says that the experience was memorable.

“London was jaw-dropping. You felt like a superstar while you were there, and when you’re just an athlete you don’t think of yourself like that. To come home with the bronze meant a lot to us,” Schulet said.

Schulet won’t be making the trip to Colombia, but said he believes the team will make him proud.

“Anytime you go to a qualifier for the world championship, it’s intense,” Schulet said, “We’re really excited for our guys to go, and we know they’ll perform strongly.”

The top four performing teams from the Americas Cup will travel to Seoul, South Korea in August of 2014 for the Men’s World Championships.

ATLANTA — Mike Minor struggled early before recovering to throw seven strong innings, and also hit a go-ahead double that led the Atlanta Braves over Homer Bailey and the Cincinnati Reds 5-2 Saturday.

The Braves, who lost starting outfielders Jason Heyward, B.J. Upton and Justin Upton to injuries in the first two games of the series, found success with their fill-ins. Jose Constanza, recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, started in left field and hit leadoff with Reed Johnson in center and rookie Joey Terdoslavich in right.

The patchwork outfield combined for seven hits, including three by Constanza, and Brian McCann and Dan Uggla hit home runs.

Minor (9-4) snapped a streak of five straight starts without a win. The left-hander allowed two runs on six hits and one walk — including only one hit in his last five innings.

Minor’s two-run double in the fifth gave the Braves a 3-2 lead.

Bailey (5-8) lost his second straight start since throwing his second career no-hitter on July 2. He faded after being given an early 2-0 lead, allowing four runs and 10 hits in six innings.

Minor appeared headed toward a short outing when he threw 51 pitches in the first two innings. He gave up singles to Shin-Soo Choo and Joey Votto and walked Brandon Phillips to load the bases with one out in the first. Minor escaped by striking out Jay Bruce and ending the inning on Todd Frazier’s liner to third base.

The Reds took a 2-0 lead in the second. Zack Cozart tripled, Chris Heisey doubled and Choo hit an RBI single.

Minor then recorded 11 consecutive outs, providing his teammates an opportunity to rally.

After McCann’s 12th homer in the fourth, the Braves took the lead with two runs in the fifth. Johnson singled, Terdoslavich hit his first career double and Minor followed with a sharp grounder down the left-field line that drove in both runners.

Constanza hit an RBI single in the sixth. Uggla hit his 17th homer off Alfredo Simon in the seventh.

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said before the game he is confident Heyward can recover from his strained right hamstring by resting through the All-Star break. Gonzalez said the “trickiest” injury is Justin Upton’s left calf strain. He said calf injuries can be nagging.

B.J. Upton, who has a right adductor muscle strain, said he felt “a little better” Saturday but couldn’t predict if he expects to be ready after the All-Star break.

The Braves plan to delay decisions on possibly placing the Upton brothers on the disabled list until after the break.

Notes

Minor earned his first win since June 9 at Dodger Stadium. ... Minor struck out in his first at-bat and was hitting only .086 before surprising the Reds with his fourth career double and first this season. ... Choo has an 11-game hitting streak. ... The Braves optioned LHP Alex Wood to Triple-A Gwinnett. He is expected to be recalled after the All-Star break. ... The Reds had been 4-0 in Bailey’s first four starts against the Braves, including a 5-4 win on May 7. ... The four-game series ends Sunday when Reds rookie LHP Tony Cingrani faces RHP Julio Teheran.

Dozens of volunteers helped the Humane Society for Greater Savannah promote adoptions and raise awareness for the animal shelter Saturday by performing a flash mob during the Sand Gnats game at Grayson Stadium.

Click 'Play' to watch video of the flash mob

The flash mob was held as part of the ASPCA $100K Challenge. The goal of the HSGS is to have at least 787 adoptions before the challenge ends Aug. 31.

Swimming is all about numbers, and if there’s one thing Wilmington Park’s swim teamhas every summer, it’s numbers.

The Barracudas are the largest team in the Savannah Coastal Swim League with 106 swimmers, and Wilmington Park rode all of those strong backs to a victory in the SCSL City Meet on Saturday in the Chatham County Aquatic Center.

Wilmington Park swimmers claimed three of 12 age group high point awards and hung on to edge the 2012 City Meet champion Isle of Hope Sharks.

Dominant performances by 7-year-old Gaby Van Brunt, 6-year-old Elyssa Maust and 11-year-old Grace Van Brunt combined with timely contributions up and down the lineup allowed Wilmington Park to withstand an afternoon rally by Isle of Hope. During the meet’s morning session for swimmers ages 10 and under, Gaby Van Brunt, Maust, 8-year-old Jackson Graham and 10-year-old Abi Hernandez helped the Barracudas build a seemingly insurmountable lead.

But Isle of Hope rallied behind horses like 14-year-old Brennan Pastorek, 12-year-old Harrison Wayner and 15-year-old Jacqueline Hendrix. All three claimed high-point honors for their efforts during the afternoon races for older swimmers, but Wilmington Park swimmers like 13-year-old Ann Bell and 15-year-old Devin Horan earned enough points for the Barracudas to close out the victory.

“I’m so proud of the kids that swam in the morning for putting us out to such a big lead, and I’m proud of the afternoon kids for keeping it up so I’m proud of all of them,” said Wilmington Park’s first-year head coach Townley Smith. “This is what we wanted and talked about all season. In the morning, we were getting top points in almost every event, and I told the older kids that the younger ones got us the lead and I asked them to keep it.”

With more than 100 swimmers, Wilmington Park practiced in three sessions every day to accommodate every age and ability category. The hard work paid off on Saturday as the Barracudas swam to first place finishes in 15 of 32 events in the morning session.

“Every single point we earned helped us win this meet,” Smith said. “We have wonderful parents and they keep it all in line for us, and we’re so grateful for our parents who get our swimmers where they’re supposed to go when they’re supposed to go. After weeks of controlled chaos, it all worked out.”

Isle of Hope’s Sam Parker was a bright spot during the morning session for Sharks, winning all eight events he entered and setting a new meet record in the Boys 9-10 50-yard backstroke with a time of 33.76 seconds. Parker won the high point award for his age group, and his older brother, 15-year-old Jackson Parker, was a part of two winning relay teams and didn’t place worse than third in any of his individual events.

Pastorek set a new meet record in the 100-yard Individual Medley with a time of 56.23. He now owns four meet records, including an 11-12 IM record he set last year at the City Meet.

High Point Winners from the 2013 Savannah Coastal Swim League City Meet:

6-under Girls – Elyssa Maust, 6, Wilmington Park Barracudas

6-under Boys – Colby Brenna, 6, Savannah Golf Club Stingrays

7-8 Girls – Gaby Van Brunt, 7, Wilmington Park Barracudas

7-8 Boys – Reed Lotter, 8, Landings Lighting Bolts

9-10 Girls – Alex Wayner, 9, Isle of Hope Sharks

9-10 Boys - Sam Parker, 10, Isle of Hope Sharks

11-12 Girls – Grace Van Brunt, 11, Wilmington Park Barracudas

11-12 Boys – Harrison Wayner, 12, Isle of Hope Sharks

13-14 Girls – Madison Mataxas, 13, Savannah Golf Club Stingrays

13-14 Boys – Brennan Pastorek, 14, Isle of Hope Sharks

15-18 Girls – Jacqueline Hendrix, 15, Isle of Hope Sharks

15-18 Boys – Tyler Rucker, 15, Mayfair Marlins

Team champions from the 2013 Savannah Coastal Swim League City Meet

Small Team Division

1. Landings Lightning Bolts (1,182)

2. Savannah Golf Club Stingrays (999)

3. Bluffton Redfish (896.5)

Large team division

1. Wilmington Park Barracudas (2,256)

2. Isle of Hope Sharks (2,118)

3. Mayfair Marlins (1,162.5)

The second annual Savannah High/Beach Alumni basketball game was all about camaraderie and fun Saturday at Savannah High — that is until the final two minutes of the Old School men’s game.

Savannah High tied it up with about four minutes left and then padded its lead to five points with 2:30 remaining, but Markecis Wall of Beach started to heat up from distance — making two clutch 3-pointers in the final seconds to bring Beach within two points. Wall, who was the Savannah Morning News player of the year in 2003, had one last chance at the buzzer, but his 30-footer from the left wing rattled in and out of the hoop as Savannah held on for a 43-41 win.

After the final buzzer sounded, the Bulldogs and Blue Jackets shook hands and embraced, appreciating the way basketball brings the community together.

“We came out to have a good time, but we try to come out and play hard,” said Wall, who was named the Bulldog MVP for the Old School game. “I felt it on that last shot — I thought it was going in. It felt like 2003 again.”

For Savannah High’s Gregg Ewaldsen, it felt like 1973 again. Ewaldsen, 57, is the father of Savannah Christian’s rising senior, Chandler Ewaldsen, who won the Hollis Stacy Award this year. He showed off a solid all-around game — knocking down several shots with his smooth jumper, while showing the inside game that earned him a basketball scholarship to Georgia back in the day.

Ewaldsen plays regularly, and his game has a certain old-school quality. But his brand new neon green Nikes showed that Ewaldsen is still young at heart.

“My son Andrew (14) picked these out,” Ewaldsen said with a laugh after receiving MVP honors for the Blue Jackets. “Things got a little interesting in the last couple minutes. They started to try to get me the ball in the block like in the old days, and it worked a time or two. It was a lot of fun, I practiced the last few weeks to get ready for the game and I got to play a little more this year.”

Ewaldsen and Marvin Lloyd (Savannah High Class of 1972) were the two oldest players on the court. Lloyd started and made a strong move to the hoop early — drawing a foul and converting one of two. He later tweaked his leg and missed the rest of the game.

“I wish I had a couple 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-7 guys like that on my team,” Savannah High coach Tim Jordan said. “And they showed they can still play. It was like an NBA All-Star game out there, where everything gets serious in the last few minutes. And you know it’s going to be that way in an old school Savannah High/Beach game.

“But the important thing is we raised money for both of our athletic programs. This event is like a family/high school reunion and we’re looking forward to having it for years to come.”

The younger men’s game, featuring players who graduated after 2000, had plenty of fireworks. Beach trailed by seven at the half, but Markeith Cummings, who recently graduated as the all-time leading scorer at Kennesaw State, took over in the second half scoring 19 of his game-high 26 points. He had five 3-pointers and four dunks in the game as he went head-to-head with James Sinclair, the Savannah High graduate who is a rising junior at Western Carolina.

Sinclair played well — scoring 15 points — and he was named the MVP for the Blue Jackets. But Cummings, the MVP for Beach, wouldn’t be denied late in the game.

“He’s got a slight height advantage on me,” Sinclair said with a smile afterward. “But it’s a game of runs, and he had a great run to end it. This was a fun experience being back in the gym where I made a name for myself. If my knees hold out, I’ll keep on playing in this into my 50s.”

Cummings, who is leaving to play professionally in the Philippines later this week, won the dunk contest after the game, beating out Sinclair in the finals.

“I’m just happy to come out and give a little back to the city I grew up in,” Cummings said.

In the women’s game, Beach beat the Blue Jackets 37-24 as Adosha Kelley from the class of 2000 earned MVP honors. The former Armstrong Atlantic player scored eight points and showed off a versatile game.

Savannah High’s MVP was Sonia Heyward, who knocked down three 3-pointers among her 12 points.

“It was like being in high school again,” Kelley said. “I hadn’t seen people like (Beach teammate) Brandi Williams since we graduated, and we had a lot of fun.”

Next year’s games will be played at Beach’s new gym.

“This is a great event — there was no animosity in that gym, just love,” said Enos Garvin from Savannah High’s class of 1985. “We need to spread events like this out to other schools. It would be a community outreach and be great for our city.”

Savannah Morning News photographer Richard Burkhart won the Photo of the Year award on Saturday at the Georgia Associated Press Managing Editors Awards ceremony, held in Atlanta.

The photo was taken by Burkhart following the May 2012 standoff at the Olde Pink House and subsequent manhunt. In addition to Photo of the Year, the picture also won first place in the Spot News Photo category.

The Morning News won a total of seven awards, competing in Division 3 against the largest circulation newspapers in Georgia.

Reporter Linda Sickler got the first place award in Feature Writing for her story on a 1909 murder at the Gribble boarding house and the ghosts said still to haunt Savannah today.

“It’s always good to see great work get noticed by others, and these were exceptionally tough categories to win,” said Susan Catron, executive editor for the Savannah Morning News/savannahnow.com. “The news team supports each other well and that commitment makes this level of work possible.”

OTHER AWARDS

Business coverage: Mary Carr Mayle, second place

Editorial Writing: Tom Barton, third place

Best Web Site: Savannahnow.com, third Place

Feature photo: Burkhart, third place

Current Morning News reporter Marcus E. Howard was honored with a third place prize in Business coverage in Division 1 for work he did at The Cherokee Tribune.

24-hour jail bookings for Savannah-Chatham County are now posted. Visit booked.savannahnow.com to view photos and information.

All information has been obtained from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department.

All individuals posted have not been convicted of a crime and are innocent until proven guilty.

ATLANTA — An advocacy group is still trying to collect signatures to block public financing for a new stadium proposed for the Atlanta Falcons.

The director of Common Cause of Georgia, William Perry, tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (http://bit.ly/12vCtJS ) his staff has collected several thousand signatures so far.

But at least 35,000 are needed to force a vote on the city of Atlanta's plan to use $200 million in tax revenues to help fund the $1 billion stadium.

Even if the group gets enough signatures, city attorneys say a petition won't withstand a legal challenge to let the financing go forward.

The petition deadline is Aug. 10.

The stadium is set to open in 2017, but city and state officials still haven't secured the land for their favorite site near the Georgia Dome.

The National Weather Service in Charleston, S.C., has extended a flash flood warning for Chatham, Bryan and Effingham counties until 8 p.m. Sunday.

Numerous showers and a few thunderstorms will impact extreme southern South Carolina and southeast Georgia through early Sunday evening, according to the service. Though widespread heavy rainfall is not expected, meteorologists say the combination of saturated soil and occasional heavy rain heighten the chance for flooding.

If flooding develops, move to higher ground.

ATLANTA — Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman will not play in the All-Star game after jamming his left thumb.

General manager Frank Wren said Sunday that Freeman’s injury will keep him out of the game.

Freeman jammed his left thumb on the first play of Saturday night’s 5-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons fielded Chris Heisey’s grounder and threw slightly wide of first base, forcing Freeman to catch the ball in Heisey’s path. Heisey hit Freeman’s glove and was out.

“I guess my thumb was in the wrong place,” Freeman said. “It’s just one of those freak injuries I seem to run into every year.”

Freeman remained in the game. He wore a soft splint on his left hand and was not playing in Sunday’s game.

He said there is “a little bit of tiny swelling” in the thumb.

“I can still bend it and do everything,” Freeman said. “It’s not too bad, so I’m just going to take a day off and see how it goes.”

Freeman made the All-Star roster by finishing ahead of Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig on the fan vote. Freeman will still make the trip to New York for the All-Star game.

Before the decision was made that Freeman will not play in the All-Star game, he said the priority is protecting his health for the NL East-leading Braves.

“I’ve got to look out for the best interests of this team, so I’ve got to be available to play in the second half,” Freeman said. “If I can’t play in the All-Star game, we’re better off if I’m able to play in the second half.”

Manager Fredi Gonzalez said Freeman can receive treatment for the injury while at the All-Star game.

“I think he needs to go,” Gonzalez said. “You never know when that chance will come again.”

Evan Gattis, who had been out since June 18 with a right oblique strain, was activated from the 15-day disabled list. Gattis came off the DL after playing only two games in his injury rehabilitation stint with Triple-A Gwinnett. The original plan had been for Gattis to remain with Gwinnett through Sunday.

“It was good,” Gattis said of his rehab stint. “I felt good to square up the ball last night. That tells me I’m ready.”

Gattis, whose primary position is catcher, has started 11 games in left field and only three games at first base.