AL HACKLE

By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.

Back to authors

Published Content

Bulloch puts 3 well drillers on standby for Hyundai wells side effects mitigation

After some questions, four Bulloch County commissioners unanimously approved standby contracts Tuesday with three well drilling companies who would make service calls, potentially lower pumps or even drill new wells for adversely affected private well owners within five miles of the four high-volume wells created to supply water to Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America. The Bulloch County government owns two of the "Hyundai" wells and Bryan County owns the other two, although all four are geographically within southeastern Bulloch County near the Bryan County line. Together, the four wells are permitted by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to pump up to 6.625 million gallons per day on average over the course of a year. In a study summarized for the public in February 2024, EPD scientists predicted that the four large wells could draw down the water level in the deep Floridan aquifer by a maximum of 19 feet close to those wells. The "cone of depression" created by the withdrawal would slope upward from there, dropping the highwater mark about 10 feet at a five-mile distance from the wells, in the EPD's projections.

July 16, 2025
Brooklet Council identifies sole finalist for city manager job

Brooklet City Council members last week offered the job to Paul Dyal, recently of Lake City, Florida, making him the only current finalist to be Brooklet's first non-interim city manager. From 2012 until February 2024, Dyal served in various roles for the government of Lake City — population 12,783 as of July 2024 U.S. Census estimate — including as its interim city manager for one year, December 2021–December 2022, and confirmed city manager for just over one year, January 2023–February 2024, according to his resume.

July 15, 2025
Video could play a big role in Kent’s trial for shooting a police officer

When and if the case against Anthony DeJarion Kent for the April 16, 2024 shooting of a Statesboro police officer goes before the jury, a central part of the evidence will likely be video from officers’ body-worn cameras. Judge Ronald K. “Ronnie” Thompson, during a pretrial motions hearing Monday, said videos from the shooting encounter itself and the police capture of Kent a short time later would be allowed. The judge temporarily left it an open question whether a half-hour audio recording from a Georgia Bureau of Investigation jailhouse interview of Kent in the wee hours of the next morning would be admissible, after a GBI agent testified that Kent appeared to have been under the influence of “the remnants of something” at the time. But while the defense attorneys – Ogeechee Circuit Chief Public Defender Reneta Newbill-Jallow and Public Defender Kirk Cheney – challenged the admissibility of some recorded materials, nobody questioned that Kent shot Advanced Patrol Officer Joey Deloach that evening in the parking lot at Copper Beech Townhomes.

July 8, 2025
City renews retail recruiter agreement with GS for shorter term, accepts 2 free Hyundai EVs

Statesboro City Council entered its new fiscal year Tuesday with a shorter-term renewal of the city's small business recruiter agreement with Georgia Southern University, a new agreement with Hyundai for two years free use of two Ioniq 5 electric vehicles, and negotiations for EMC Engineering to take over design work for the Creek on the Blue Mile. July 1 is always the first day of a new fiscal, or budget, year for the city, but the mayor and council don't always meet on that day. However, their first regular meeting of each month is held at 9 a.m. on the first Tuesday, so it worked out that way for July 1, 2025, officially the start of fiscal 2026. City Manager Charles Penny even said, "Happy new year," to the elected officials and public.

July 2, 2025
First school board, then commissioners object to Statesboro annexation on Old Register Road

Following from objections expressed earlier by the Board of Education, the Bulloch County commissioners voted last week to object to the city of Statesboro’s proposed annexation of 102 acres between U.S. Highway 301 South and Old Register Road that would be part of a developer’s plan for more than 1,100 housing units in a larger mixed-use development. The moves by the county boards won’t necessarily prevent the annexation from occurring, but the commissioners’ filing could trigger a state-mandated arbitration process between the city and county governments.

June 24, 2025
It’s hurricane season 2025 after Debby and Helene’s ‘wakeup call’ to Bulloch

So far, so calm: the National Hurricane Center's maps showed no tropical depression, tropical storm or hurricane symbols as of Monday, June 16, just over two weeks into hurricane season. In fact, the map of the North Atlantic carried the message, "Tropical cyclone activity is not expected during the next 7 days."

June 17, 2025
D.A. Busbee offers explanation of his role in requesting GBI probe of county contracts

In a recent interview, District Attorney Robert Busbee of the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit offered an explanation of his role in requesting a GBI investigation into the handling of public works contracts by the Bulloch County government. Previously a defense attorney in private practice, Busbee was first elected in a May 2024 Republican primary victory over previous Ogeechee Circuit D.A. Daphne Totten and took office at the beginning of January. His request for a Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe involving the government of the largest of the four counties in the Ogeechee Circuit – the others are Effingham, Screven and Jenkins – came just two months into his term.

June 10, 2025