ST. SIMONS ISLAND

Longtime St. Simons Island residents Don and Margie Varnadoe were on a trip to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary when they were killed in a train derailment over the weekend.

Alcohol will be banned on St. Simons Island beaches during the weekend of the Florida-Georgia football game this year, according to Glynn County officials.

Salvage crews have began cutting apart the final two sections remaining of a cargo ship that overturned along the coast of Georgia almost two years ago.

A venting pipe is said to be what caused an oil leak on the Golden Ray, an overturned cargo ship being dismantled along the coast of Georgia.

Jul. 29—All he did was return a "Hello" from a woman in a pickup truck Monday night outside a convenience store on St. Simons Island, the youngster told police. For that courtesy, a man wearing his black hat backwards drove the pickup truck across a curb, plowed over the 14-year-old boy's bicycle and rambled away on the dirt alley behind the store, according to reports. The incident at the ...

Crews on the water and nearby beaches are cleaning up oil leaking from the remains of an overturned cargo ship being dismantled along the coast of Georgia.

A salvage team has begun assessing the damage caused by a fire inside the remains of an overturned cargo ship that's being dismantled along the Georgia coast.

Officials say crews have put out a fire that burned for hours inside the remains of an overturned cargo ship being dismantled along the Georgia coast.

Fire burned Friday inside the remains of an overturned cargo ship being dismantled on the Georgia coast. Sue Inman of the Altamaha Riverkeeper conservation group told The Associated Press she could see flames shooting from the open ends and the top of the Golden Ray on Friday afternoon as she watched from a boat about 300 yards (275 meters) away near St. Simons Island.

The Weather Authority is keeping a close eye on a line of thunderstorms just to the west of the I-75 corridor where a severe thunderstorms warning has been issued for Hamilton, Suwannee, and Clinch County until 3:00 PM EDT. These storms have a history on strong winds and hail.

An Incident Response team member holds a piece of debris recovered from St. Simons Sound. “It’s a disappointingly slow pace.”AdSalvage experts decided more than a year ago that the Golden Ray, measuring 656 feet long, was too big to remove intact. A hydrographic survey vessel creating imagery of the seabed around the Golden Ray wreck. AdConservationists worry the longer the shipwreck stays in St. Simons Sound, the greater pollution threat it poses to the area's waterways, beaches and saltwater marshes. Paul Hankins oversaw planning for a smaller-scale demolition of the Golden Ray until his employer, Donjon-SMIT, lost the job to a competitor.

FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2019, file photo, a Moran tugboat nears the stern of the capsizing vessel Golden Ray near St. Simons Sound off the coast of Georgia. Both ends of the cargo ship have been cut away and carried off by barges in a pair of giant chunks. “It’s a disappointingly slow pace.”Salvage experts decided more than a year ago that the Golden Ray, measuring 656 feet (199 meters) long, was too big to remove intact. Crews spent the entire month of February attempting a third cut through the ship's engine room, a section fortified with thicker steel. Paul Hankins oversaw planning for a smaller-scale demolition of the Golden Ray until his employer, Donjon-SMIT, lost the job to a competitor.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Business owners in coastal Georgia say they fear the revenue impact of an alcohol ban on the weekend of the Florida-Georgia college football game in nearby Jacksonville. Some commissioners have long disdained the party scene dubbed “frat beach” that overtakes parts of the resort island on that weekend. “It will definitely affect our bottom line, but sometimes you’ve got to think about more than your bottom line,” Hardman said. He said it would it be more effective for county police officers to crack down on illegal activity. But if it was patrolled right and the county funded the police enough, I don’t think you’d have any issues.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Commissioners in Glynn County voted unanimously Thursday night to ban alcohol from East Beach for the weekend of the Florida-Georgia football game. Glynn County commissioners ban booze on 'frat beach’ around #FloridaGeorgia game weekend to prevent furthering the spread of #COVID19 infections. https://t.co/c2MACtQc3C pic.twitter.com/dMIWTTUJTj — Brittany Muller (@BrittMullerNews) October 2, 2020The Nov. 7 game typically draws crowds to what’s been dubbed “Frat Beach” on St. Simons Island. The county is not shutting down the beach because that would be up to Governor Brian Kemp. He added they have contacted local universities and colleges to discourage coming to party at Frat Beach.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – A coastal Georgia county is considering banning alcohol from a popular beach on the weekend of the Florida-Georgia football game in nearby Jacksonville, Florida. The Brunswick News reports that the Glynn County Commission will consider the alcohol ban on East Beach on St. Simons Island on Nov. 6 and 7. The Nov. 7 game typically draws crowds to what's been dubbed “frat beach” on the coastal Georgia island. Glynn County police will be on the beach, as well as Georgia State Patrol and Department of Natural Resources officers. Glynn County Police Chief Jay Wiggins said officials are still discussing how police might enforce the ban.

Among the evidence released was audio from the 656-foot Golden Ray cargo ship’s black box, which recorded 10 terrifying minutes of the vessel’s South Korean crew members trying to save it. Coast Guard Capt. RELATED: One year later: Golden Ray cargo ship still lays in St. Simons Sound | Previous coverage of Golden Ray incident, rescue, removalThe ship is still in the sound a year later. The Coast Guard said hearings like these are generally meant to determine what happened to prevent future issues and see what lessons can be learned and are not meant to determine civil or criminal responsibility. The Coast Guard has established an email address for the public and interested parties to provide information, ask questions and make comments related to the ongoing investigation and scheduled hearing.

GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. If the view from the Sydney Lanier Bridge wasnt enough to grab your attention, the beach at St. Simons Island may do the trick. Glynn County officials and business owners are getting ready to welcome tourists this Labor Day weekend. Kristine Zeh has owned The Still liquor store in St. Simons Island for the last 9 years. The store has been a fixture in St. Simons for decades. I love it when they come back and say they were here when the original owners owned it.

A 32-year-old Glynn County man accused of threatening to blow up an Internal Revenue Service office in New York has been indicted on federal charges, the Department of Justice announced Friday. Benjamin Stasko of St. Simons Island is charged with willful threat to kill using firearms or explosives and interstate transmission of a threat to injure, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. The charges stem from a threat made in a comment posted July 6 on the IRS website. According to the Justice Department, the threat claimed a pipe bomb was planted in the Ted Weiss Federal Building in New York. Investigators later located Stasko in St. Simons Island and placed him under arrest.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Tiger Woods didnt play in the PGA Tours RBC Heritage last week but did spend time at the Frederica Golf Club on St. Simons Island, Ga., according to multiple reports. According to the Golf Channel, Woods and his son, Charlie, played the course last Saturday. According to the Golf Channel report, Woods traded text messages with St. Simons Island resident Davis Love III, and Love said that Woods enjoyed the island. He didnt compete in the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, SC, which is a quick drive from St. Simons. Woods wasnt in the field at The Players Championship in March after saying his back wasnt going to allow him to play.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. The St. Simons Sound Incident Response Unified Command is making strides in its mission to remove the Golden Ray ahead of the peak of hurricane season. Its a catamaran lift vessel coming in from Texas that will straddle the Golden Ray. Workers with the St. Simons Sound Incident Response install a 150-foot wide section of netting on the environmental protection barrier (EPB) surrounding the motor vessel Golden Ray in St. Simons Sound, Georgia, May 29, 2020. The fourth of 28 sections of environmental protection barrier netting was installed by St. Simons Sound Incident Response workers around the motor vessel Golden Ray in St. Simons Sound, Georgia, May 29, 2020. Crews were able to spend time on the ship to identify spots of concern on the Golden Ray.

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report on a deadly plane crash in May 2019 in St. Simons Island. The small plane crash killed the pilot, who was identified as Roger Crane, 80, of Bluffton, South Carolina. According to the NTSB report released April 20, Crane had flown cross-country with St. Simons Island as his final destination. The final crash report echoes what had already been described by witnesses in 911 calls. One factor: Older pilots can afford planes that may be beyond their capabilities.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Coastal Georgia, including Glynn County, is under a flood watch until 8 a.m. Monday. As of 6 a.m., the total rainfall hit more than 4.3 inches. On Sunday, the National Weather Service Jacksonville tweeted that the St. Simons Island was seeing record-breaking rain totals. “Sometimes there’s a cold snap and (there’s) not as much rain, usually.”According to the National Weather Service, St. Simons Island hit the highest daily rainfall on record for the month of December. The last daily rainfall record for the month of December was set back in 1997 at 3.27 inches.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – A second arrest has been made after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection trainee was shot and killed about 12:30 a.m. Sunday outside Rafters in downtown St. Simons Island, authorities said. The Glynn County Police Department said an altercation began inside the bar on Mallery Street. According to police, the victim, identified as 37-year-old CBP trainee Wolf Valmond, was struck twice and later died of his injuries. Police said Jenkins was arrested and booked into the Glynn County jail on a charge of murder. “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and our thoughts are with Valmond’s family, friends and fellow classmates during this difficult time,” the CBP spokesperson said.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – A man was arrested after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection trainee was shot and killed about 12:30 a.m. Sunday outside Rafters in downtown St. Simons Island, authorities said. The Glynn County Police Department said an altercation began inside the music and pool hall on Mallery Street and then two men then went outside, where the suspect, 27-year-old Calvin Jenkins, got a firearm from a car and began shooting. Police said the victim was shot twice and began running toward Mallery Street and Ocean Boulevard. “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and our thoughts are with Valmond’s family, friends and fellow classmates during this difficult time,” a CBP spokesperson said. Jenkins was arrested and booked into the Glynn County jail on a charge of murder.

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Roughly two dozen pilot whales beached themselves on and near a Georgia barrier island, leaving 15 dead in the whale species' second mass stranding along the state's coast since July, wildlife officials said Thursday. He said the beached whales on St. Catherines Island were discovered Wednesday morning by a group of volunteers checking sea turtle nests for hatchlings. GALLERY: Pilot whales beach themselves along Georgia barrier islandAbout 26 total pilot whales were spotted in the area, and crews were searching the nearby waters for signs of anymore strandings. Pilot whales are members of the dolphin family and can grow up to 20 feet long and weigh as much as 3 tons. Though they typically live about 100 miles from shore, pilot whales are often involved in mass strandings, partly due to their social nature, according to the American Cetacean Society.

News4Jax reporter Jennifer Ready joins us from St. Simons Island where crews are searching for 4 crew members still inside capsized cargo ship. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Examinations of the carcasses of three pilot whales yielded no immediate answers to why they swam ashore and died on a popular beach in Georgia, state wildlife officials said Thursday. "There was no smoking gun that showed a natural cause of death or a human cause," George said. RELATED: Dozens rush to help beached whales on St. Simons Island | 3 pilot whales die after exceedingly rare' St. Simons Island strandingsPilot whales typically would be found about 100 miles from shore, George said. Pilot whales are often involved in mass strandings, partly due to their social nature, according to the American Cetacean Society. Georgia officials said at least 47 pilot whales survived the near-miss with the St. Simons Island beach.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. - Three pilot whales died after a pod of 50 came too close to shore Tuesday, with St. Simons Island beachgoers joining lifeguards and Georgia wildlife crews in the water to try to stop the large marine mammals from beaching themselves. "Something went wrong with the pod of pilot whales days or even maybe weeks ago that led them to end up this far from their natural habitat," George said Wednesday. It's very rare for us to see pilot whales strand in Georgia." George said most of the whales came within 50 feet of shore, and several tried to beach themselves repeatedly. "I think I saw a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence yesterday when the whales came up," said Lee Dorough, who was visiting from Nashville with her family and helped push the whales back out into the ocean.

VIDEO: Three pilot whales died after a pod of 50 came too close to shore, with St. Simons Island beachgoers joining lifeguards and Georgia wildlife crews in the water to try to stop the large marine... Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

Paula English was in St. Simons Island and took this video when the pilot whales were beaching themselves. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

News4Jax reporter Jennifer Ready joins us from St. Simons Island where most of whales have returned to the water thanks to a massive volunteer effort.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. - The remains of several dead whales drew large crowds to the St. Simons Island shoreline Wednesday morning, a day after a viral video captured a massive rescue effort for about 25 pilot whales. The video, which was shared on News4Jax's Facebook page, shows the more than two dozen whales that had beached themselves along the shore. People who saw what happened all got together and helped get the whales back in the water. Thank you to everyone that helped those that couldnt help themselves today.White said apparently the whales have been near the shore recently, but it's unclear why. The Wildlife Division said pilot whales are the most common type to strand in large numbers.

Dramatic video shows dozens of beachgoers working together Tuesday to save nearly 50 whales that were beached or dangerously close to shore in Georgia. Multiple pilot whales repeatedly beached themselves on St. Simons Island on Tuesday, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said in a statement. A crowd gathered for an impromptu rescue operation, pushing the whales back out to sea. The rescue attempt was captured in a 15-minute video shared on Facebook by local resident Dixie McCoy. It shows dozens of people of all ages working to get the animals safely back into the water.

A 19-year-old man was arrested after another 19-year-old man was seriously injured in a hit-and-run crash over the weekend in St. Simons Island and helped by a good Samaritan, the Glynn County Police... Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Anyone who has driven through Fort Frederica National Monument has probably learned something about its history, or just taken in its raw, natural beauty. These are things that bring people to the St. Simons Island park, despite the government shutdown. Theus issued the following statement:We are very thankful for the support and help that Keep Golden Isles Beautiful has offered. Bloody Marsh Battle Site is on Old Demere Road, about 6 miles from Fort Frederica, in St. Simons. For more information, you can also visit: Keep Golden Isles Beautiful.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – The Glynn County Health Department has lifted the latest advisory for East Beach at the old Coast Guard station (10th Street East to Driftwood Drive) and Massengale Park Beach (Driftwood Drive to Cedar Street) on St. Simons Island. Water samples are tested only for enterococcus bacteria, which is found in warm blooded animals including humans, but also birds, raccoons, deer, dolphins and other wildlife. When a beach is under advisory, it means that the level of bacteria found in the water is above the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended standards. Subsequent water samples taken showed that the bacteria levels had dropped below EPA recommended limits, allowing the advisory to be lifted. For more information about beach water testing, visit gachd.org and click on the Environmental Health tab at the top of the page.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – After a St. Simons Island doctor and a woman were found dead at a medical clinic, police said investigation revealed the doctor killed the woman then himself. Glynn County police received a 911 call just before 6 p.m. March 6 of a person being found dead at Redfern Village on Redfern Drive. When officers arrived at the medical office of Dr. William Nelson, 63, they found his body and the body of Catherine Tortorete, 51. Glynn County police said the deaths appeared to be a murder-suicide, and further investigation showed Nelson murdered Tortorete and then killed himself.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – A pilot walked away from the crash of a small plane Monday morning at the Malcolm McKinnon Airport on St. Simons Island. The single-engine Cirrus SR20 was on takeoff when the pilot choose to land immediately and ran off the runway and into the grass by the fence line, according to a release by the Glynn County Airport Commission. The Glynn County Fire Department secured the area, but there was no fire. The plane was headed to the Tamiami Airport in Miami, where the plane is registered. The Airport Commission said the Federal Aviation Administration was granted permission to remove the aircraft.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – A woman died Saturday after she was struck by a falling palm tree outside her home on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Tom McLaughlin, who lives nearby, said Monday that there have been high winds for the past few days. News4Jax saw tree inspectors going through Carruth's condo complex, inspecting various palm trees on the property. Gene Bushor, a certified arborist, said it's very unusual for palm trees to fall, and usually decay in the trunk is the only cause. The memorial will begin at 8 p.m. Thursday at Ziggy Mahoney's on Retreat Village, St. Simons Island.