Robin Kemp

Clayton

Accountability Reporter at The Current GA

🇺🇦 Personal acct. Now @thecurrentga,was https://t.co/MZ8frWQLbq A spicy Popeyes sandwich out here in a Chick-Fil-A world. New Orleans native ⚜️ PROUD CNNer 89-96

Articles

In bid to recertify city fire service, Midway buys trucks, hires chief

3 weeks ago | thecurrentga.org | Robin Kemp

The City of Midway, having walked away from the Liberty County Board of Commissioners’ offer to stand up a full-time fire station over 5 years, is scrambling to piece together a new fire department ahead of a Friday visit from state regulators. The Georgia Municipal Association, a nonprofit group for Georgia cities, is helping to front the cost of at least one new fire truck and equipment through a private lender.
Liberty County voters consider keeping 1-cent school sales tax March 18

1 month ago | thecurrentga.org | Robin Kemp

Liberty County voters consider keeping 1-cent school sales tax March 18Liberty County voters are deciding whether to extend the existing one-cent sales tax for schools. Early voting started Feb. 24, and as of March 5, 2025, 564 in-person and 6 paper mail-in or drop-box votes had been cast. The referendum is set for March 18.
Midway fire certificate suspended immediately

1 month ago | thecurrentga.org | Robin Kemp

Overview: State fire officials have suspended Midway's certificate of compliance. The city and county are working on an agreement for Midway to pay Liberty County for fire services while it decides whether to accept the county's help permanently or start its own fire department. But state regulators say they are out of patience and will revoke Midway's certificate if it does not show serious progress by April 1.
Memorial Health halts transgender surgeries: 5 things to know

2 months ago | thecurrentga.org | Robin Kemp

For years, Savannah has been a beacon for transgender people seeking gender-affirming health care. Now, that care is harder to access. Last Thursday, Memorial Health University Medical Center abruptly canceled all gender-affirming surgeries, leaving patients in distress after executive orders aimed at transgender people. One of those patients is Indigo, a transgender man who learned from his surgical provider last week that Memorial Health had cancelled his pre-approved double mastectomy.
Liberty County plans to honor civil rights pioneer Ralph Waldo Quarterman with statue

2 months ago | thecurrentga.org | Robin Kemp

Ralph Waldo Quarterman’s modest tombstone in Baconton records his birth and death dates, but it’s the time in between that was monumental. Born Sept. 3, 1918, in Walthourville, Quarterman was a child in 1925 when the Liberty County United Daughters of the Confederacy erected a Confederate soldier statue at the county courthouse. Quarterman died on May 28, 1964 — just 22 days before Congress passed the Civil Rights Act and 35 days before President Lyndon B. Johnson signed it into law.
Cole resigns from Liberty County Development Authority

2 months ago | thecurrentga.org | Robin Kemp

Overview: The Liberty County Development Authority has accepted the resignation of Chief Operating Officer Carmen Cole, who had been accused of using public funds for personal expenses. Cole has repaid the charges and the authority is implementing tighter financial controls to prevent similar problems in the future. The Liberty County Development Authority says it accepted the Jan. 31 resignation of Chief Operating Officer Carmen Cole, retroactive to Jan.
Liberty County BOC approves solid waste rate hike

2 months ago | thecurrentga.org | Robin Kemp

Overview: Liberty County residents and businesses are facing increased costs for solid waste services, with residential rates set to increase by 3% each year from 2026 to 2029, and commercial customers paying more for roll-on/roll-off, dumpster, and tipping fees. The county's smallest municipalities will see the largest price increases, with Walthourville and Allenhurst going from $15.80 to $77.94 per year by 2029.
Liberty County BOC passes fire agreement for Midway's consideration

2 months ago | thecurrentga.org | Robin Kemp

Overview: The City of Midway is one step closer to full fire coverage after the Liberty County Board of Commissioner approved a draft contract approved by the Liberty County Board of Commissioners. However, Mayor Levern Clancy said the council had not seen it and would not clarify details of any possible millage rate to pay for the proposed Midway Fire Protection District.
Liberty County considers solid waste price hike

2 months ago | thecurrentga.org | Robin Kemp

Overview: The Liberty County Board of Commissioners is considering raising solid waste service fees to cover a $1.03 million shortfall, which could affect property owners and businesses already struggling with high property tax bills. For Liberty County residents and businesses already struggling under hefty property tax bills, another budget hit could be coming.
'The House on Biscayne Bay': A Miami mansion tale of wealth, deceit, and scandal

2 months ago | thecurrentga.org | Robin Kemp

The House on Biscayne Bay is pure escapism, set in the early days of Miami’s colonization by wealthy Northerners and land-boom speculators and told in the voices of socialites and social climbers who might like a beach read. The novel opens with commentary by Anna Barnes, whose husband has commissioned an architect to build a nouveau-riche Jazz Age behemoth to rival Vizcaya. Anna does not approve of her husband’s extravagance. But Anna is not the main character — “the house,” Marbrisa, is.