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Heating assistance applications starting
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The Coastal GA Area Community Action Authority is still assisting eligible households with heating bills.
Georgia’s heating assistance program will start Tuesday for homebound and elderly households 65 years or older. The public can apply beginning Dec. 1. Payments will be made directly to the home energy supplier.
To participate in the program, the family must meet an income equal to or less than 125 percent of the poverty guidelines as follows: $21,504 for a one-person household, $28,116 for two-person, $34,728 for three-person; $41,340 for four-person, $47,964 for five-person, $54,576 for six-person, $57,060 for seven-person, $58,296 for eight-person; and for each additional person add $774 to the annual income.
Applicants must bring their most current fuel bill or statement of service from their heat provider. They must have proof of income for all household members for the past 30 days. This may be a check stub or an award letter granting public assistance, social security, VA or unemployment compensation. Applicants also must bring social security numbers and proof of age for all household members.
To apply for benefits in Bryan County, call 1-866-423-8081 for an appointment. Households will be served on a first-come, first-serve basis. The program will close when funds are exhausted. 

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Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port
GardenCityTerminal
The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

The Georgia Ports Authority's busiest April ever pushed its fiscal year-to-date totals to more than 3.4 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 8.8 percent, or 280,000 TEUs, compared to the first 10 months of fiscal 2017.

"We're on track to move more than 300,000 TEUs in every month of the fiscal year, which will be a first for the authority," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "We're also anticipating this to be the first fiscal year for the Port of Savannah to handle more than 4 million TEUs."

April volumes reached 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units, up 7.1 percent or 23,700 units. As the fastest growing containerport in the nation, the Port of Savannah has achieved a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 percent a year over the past decade.

"As reported in the recent economic impact study by UGA's Terry College of Business, trade through Georgia's deepwater ports translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater productivity," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "In every region of Georgia, employers rely on the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to help them become more competitive on the global stage."

To strengthen the Port of Savannah's ability to support the state's future economic growth, the GPA Board approved $66 million in terminal upgrades, including $24 million for the purchase of 10 additional rubber-tired gantry cranes.  

"The authority is committed to building additional capacity ahead of demand to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a trusted link in the supply chain serving Georgia and the Southeast," Lynch said.

The crane purchase will bring the fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156 RTGs. The new cranes will support three new container rows, which the board approved in March. The additional container rows will increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah by 150,000 TEUs.

The RTGs will work over stacks that are five containers high and six deep, with a truck lane running alongside the stacks. Capable of running on electricity, the cranes will have a lift capacity of 50 metric tons.

The cranes will arrive in two batches of five in the first and second quarters of calendar year 2019.

 Also at Monday's meeting, the GPA Board elected its officers, with Jimmy Allgood as chairman, Will McKnight taking the position of vice chairman and Joel Wooten elected as the next secretary/treasurer.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.

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