WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | G-8 World Summit
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President Bush has chosen Sea Island as the site of next year's Group of Eight summit. The G-8 summit brings together leaders of eight of the world's wealthiest countries and will have economic impact worth millions up and down the Georgia and Florida coasts. The summit is held every year, bringing together the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. They met just last month in Evian, France, and June 8-10, they will all meet on Sea Island.
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Check here for traffic control measures in Savannah, including Hunter Army Airfield gate closures, and Glynn County.
Here's a chronological listing of events in Savannah provided by the city.
City and county agencies will be staffing public information lines during the G-8 summit.
Due to the G-8 Summit, the Savannah's Residential Refuse Department has made temporary changes to refuse collection schedules.
You can read the transcript or listen to the audio of the message here.
Some shopkeepers have seen business pick up since yesterday, but others say it's still very slow.
Today a few protestors returned to Forsyth Park, the gathering point for demonstrators during the G-8 summit.
Downtown Savannah appeared pretty intimidating during the past week with military personal and police securing the streets for the G-8 summit.
Police and military personnel from all over the region helped secure the summit; we spoke with some who say they'll be back.
People around the Coastal Empire are breathing a sigh of relief, now that the G-8 summit is officially over.
The Bushes boarding Air Force One.President Bush wrapped up his visit to coastal Georgia with a news conference before boarding Air Force One at Hunter Army Airfield around 4:30pm.
The City of Savannah is hoping it can learn from the G-8 lockdown to fight future crime.
While G-8s in the past have been scenes of destruction, local business that chose to stay open were confident in the security in Savannah.
These are the first arrests we've seen at the summit so far, when a handful of protesters made their way right up to the gate of Sea Island.
In spite of protests, many leaders in Brunswick feel things went very smoothly.
The president answered a question from our own Sonny Dixon; stream the video (4.96 MB, .wmv format).
When we first found out the G-8 summit was coming to Sea Island, there were an estimated 5,000 protestors expected.
Four projectors cast rotating images onto a sphere, approximately six feet in diameter to create the effect of Earth in space.
Even though today is the last day of the summit, officials remind us it's still far from over.
The Group of Eight around the meeting table.The G-8 leaders met to discuss topics including trade, the global economy, the HIV epidemic, fighting poverty in the developing world and Iraq.
What started as an environmental march in Brunswick at the Hercules chemical plant soon escalated into something more.
Police pulled out their riot gear, but fortunately things ended peacefully.Boredom sparked a showdown between several G-8 protestors and police, which ended quickly and peacefully this afternoon.
One of the largest employers in Georgia, the Georgia Ports Authority, held court this afternoon to talk about how this summit is affecting them in the positive way.
Security made it difficult for family to visit a father's grave.Two local women had a hard time getting in to visit their father's grave on his birthday; due to increased security in Savannah, the cemetery was locked down.
The assistant to the president for homeland security took a tour of the area, and sat down with WTOC talk about how it's all running.
Due to the G-8 summit, access to River Street has been restricted, and it shows.
The county is first in the state to be protected by a new computer program that can alert authorities of possible outbreaks of disease or bioterrorism attacks.
School children turned out to greet Prime Minister Blair.Heads of state and other foreign dignitaries have begun arriving in our area to meet on issues key to the world's most powerful nations.
From neighbors to police, protests have people worried, but demonstrators say they hope to keep things civil.
The numbers expected were around 5,000, but only around 500 showed up, 400 of those journalists.
Hosting this summit is a chance for our government to show off all kinds of the innovative technology America can bring to the world table.
Since most other tourists chose to stay away from Savannah during the G-8, the chamber is capitalizing on the international visitors.
Demonstrators will take advantage of the G-8 to get their messages out.The G-8 summit is not only drawing world officials to the Coastal Empire, but also protesters, for an event to be held today through Thursday in Forsyth Park.
With so many people flying in over the last couple of days for the G-8, it's been quite busy, but not busy enough for many cabdrivers.
Members of a group called the Creative Coast turned a building into a three-story billboard for Savannah's high-tech industry.
This morning Dr. Condoleeza Rice said President Bush not only wants to discuss world economic issues.
The airport may be seeing increased business because of the G-8 summit, but some Savannah businesses aren't as lucky.
Inside the Incident Control Center.At a location we are not allowed to disclose, there is a command center very busy with up-to-date information at their fingertips.
With thousands of law enforcement agents here to guard Savannah, first aid stations have been set up in several locations specifically for them.
The president and Mrs. Bush arriving at Hunter Army Airfield.President George W. Bush arrived in Savannah for the G-8 summit, along with first lady Laura Bush, national security advisor Condoleeza Rice, and others.
Some business owners aren't taking any chances during the G-8.While most everyone is happy the summit is coming, now that they're getting down to the wire, some businesses are deciding they don't want to take any chances.
WTOC talked with the man who runs the Sea Island Company, Bill Jones III, about how they're getting ready.
WTOC spoke with the organizer of a peace and civil rights demonstration to be held during the G-8 summit in Forsyth Park.
The summit has taken months of planning, and they're putting on the final touches at Sea Island where it will all take place.
As the designated hospital for presidential care, Memorial Health is make sure it's ready for anything.
The Georgia Department of Transportation announces the temporary closure of the Interstate 16 ramp at MLK, Jr. Blvd., 9am until early afternoon on Tuesday June 8.
Mall workers are putting up barriers to keep vehicles and protestors out during the summit.
Security is starting to get tighter on the Coastal Empire waterways, as Coast Guard personnel from around the country prepare for the G-8 summit.
To support the G-8 summit, Hunter Army Airfield's gate at Mongomery Street will be closed from 5am June 6 until 9pm on June 10.
