THE TYBEE ISLAND COMMUNITY IS MOURNING THE LOSS OF ONE OF THEIR OWN...AFTER A DEADLY CRASH HOW THE CITY OF TYBEE IS HONORING HER MEMORY THIS MORNING WE'RE TRACKING CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS AREA... WE LOOK AT THE TIMING OF SHOWERS IN YOUR CERTIFIED MOST ACCURATE FORECAST CHATHAM PARKWAY AT I-16 THANKS FOR STARTING YOUR DAY WITH WJCL 22 NEWS. GOOD MORNING -- I'M EMMA HAMILTON. AND I'M FRANK SULKOWSKI. METEOROLOGIST JONATHAN MYERS IS JOINING US NOW .... NOW, HERE'S YOUR STORM TRACKER RADAR... TODAY A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS, MAINLY AFTER NOON. MOSTLY CLOUDY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 90. SOUTHWEST WIND 6 TO 11 MPH, WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 20 MPH. TONIGHT A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BEFORE 5AM. MOSTLY CLOUDY, WITH A LOW AROUND 72. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 7 MPH BECOMING CALM AFTER MIDNIGHT. WEDNESDAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS, MAINLY AFTER 2PM. PARTLY SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 91. CALM WIND BECOMING SOUTH AROUND 6 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION IS 30%. WEDNESDAY NIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS, MAINLY BEFORE 8PM THIS MORNING .. THE CITY OF TYBEE IS MOURNING THE LOSS OF ONE OF ITS OWN. THE CITY SAYS ... ITS HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR - JAMIE SPEAR - DIED IN A CAR CRASH OVER THE WEEKEND. CITY OFFICIALS CONFIRMED ... SPEAR ... WAS INVOLVED IN A MULTI-CAR CRASH ON HIGHWAY 80 ... OVER THE WEEKEND. SIX OTHERS SENT TO THE HOSPITAL. WJCL 22 NEWS ... SPOKE WITH MAYOR BRIAN WEST ... WHO SAYS SPEAR ... WAS A BIG PIECE OF THE PUZZLE. "SHE REALLY TOOK CARE OF ALL OF US. SHE WAS KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, A MOM TO THE TO THE WHOLE COMPANY. AND, IT'S REALLY GOING TO BE DIFFICULT TO, TO, TO MOVE THROUGH TO THE NEXT STEP." MAYOR WEST SAYS ... THE CITY IS WORKING ON A MEMORIAL FOR SPEAR. WE NOW KNOW WHO THE WOMAN IS THAT DIED IN A CRASH IN THE LOWCOUNTRY OVER THE WEEKEND. BRITTNEY SHULER FROM HINESVILLE DIED AT THE SCENE. THE CRASH HAPPENED AT THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY ONE-70 AND SNAKE ROAD ON SATURDAY. TROOPERS TELL US SHULER WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND HIT A PICK UP TRUCK THAT WAS TURNING. THE THREE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE CAR WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. THE TRUCK DRIVER WAS NOT HURT. THE SOUTH CAROLINA HIGHWAY PATROL IS INVESTIGATING. NEW AT 5... THE CHATHAM COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE NEEDS YOUR HELP FINDING THE TWO PEOPLE CAPTURED IN THE IMAGE ON YOUR SCREEN... THEY'RE WANTED IN CONNECTION TO AN INCIDENT THAT HAPPENED AT THE OGLETHORPE MALL BACK IN MAY YOU CAN SEE THE TWO PEOPLE SEATED INSIDE A BUSINESS AT THE MALL. THIS WAS TAKEN BACK ON MAY 9TH IF YOU RECOGNIZE THEM OR HAVE ANY INFORMATION YOU'RE ASKED TO CALL THE CHATHAM COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE. WE ARE LEARNING THAT THE CITY OF RINCON'S MAYOR .. KEVIN EXELY .. HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH A VERY TREATABLE FORM OF CANCER. EXELY IS HALFWAY DONE WITH THE TREATMENT PROCESS AND IS RESPONDING WELL. HE'S EXPECTED TO MAKE A FULL RECOVERY EXLEY WILL BE ABSENT FROM TIME TO TIME ... BUT WILL STAY FULLY IN CONTROL AS MAYOR. HAPPENING LATER THIS MORNING ... GEORGIA WATERS WILL OFFICIALLY OPEN FOR THE START OF SHRIMPING SEASON. EVERY YEAR ... GEORGIA SHRIMPERS BRING IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THE STATE WJCL 22 NEWS' KYRON NEVEAUX IS LIVE ON THE WILMINGTON RIVER THIS MORNING. KYRON, HOW IS THIS SEASON ANTICIPATED TO TURN OUT? EMMA- GEORGIA SHRIMPERS ARE EXCITED TO OFFICIALLY HIT THE WATERS TODAY.. THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES CHOSE TODAY AS A START DATE BECAUSE - UNTIL TODAY - THERE WASN'T ENOUGH PRODUCT IN THE WATER. LAST YEAR THE GEORGIA SHRIMP MARKET TOOK A HUGE HIT WITH IMPORTED SHRIMP BEING THROWN INTO THE MIX. BEFORE 2024, GEORGIA SHRIMPERS WERE LANDING AROUND 2.4 MILLION POUNDS OF SHRIMP EACH YEAR... THAT IS VALUED AT ALMOST 9 MILLION DOLLARS... ACCORDING TO THE GEORGIA DNR WITH THE INCREASED AVAILABILITY OF IMPORTED SHRIMP ...SHRIMPERS SAY CUSTOMERS NEED TO BE MORE AWARE OF WHAT THEY'RE BUYING. <BILL HARRIS, SAPELO SHRIMP COMPANY> 5A/6A "GEORGIA'S BOTTOM IS A LITTLE SOFTER THAN A LOT OF OUR OTHER ATLANTIC STATES. AND US GEORGIA SHRIMPERS FEEL LIKE THAT PRODUCES A SWEETER TASTING SHRIMP. " GEORGIA STATE WATERS BEGIN AT THE BEACH... UP TO THREE MILES FROM SHORE. BEYOND THOSE THREE MILES ARE FEDERAL WATERS. SHRIMP SEASON WILL END IN DECEMBER...BUT IF THE SEASON GOS WELL, IT COULD BE EXTENDED THROUGH FEBRUARY. BULLOCH COUNTY ... HAS SEEN NEARLY SIX-THOUSAND NEW RESIDENTS MOVING THERE ... SINCE 2020. NOW ... THEY'RE IMPROVING FIRE COVERAGE. THE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT ... WELCOMED THREE NEW FULL-TIME STAFF MEMBERS ... INTO A RENOVATED FIRE STATION ... JUST NORTH OF STATESBORO. THEY SAY ... RESPONSE TIMES SHOULD IMPROVE. <CHIEF BENJAMIN TAPLEY, BULLOCH COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT> "WELL, DECREASED RESPONSE TIMES IS THE NUMBER ONE THING. BULLOCH COUNTY ...IS STILL LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED ... CALL PATRICIA JONES ... AT THE NUMBER ON YOUR SCREEN./// ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS ... DRIVING ON DETERIORATED ROADS IS COSTING DRIVERS 14-HUNDRED DOLLARS A YEAR IN OPERATING COSTS AND LOST TIME. AS THE ROADS CONTINUE TO CRUMBLE ... HOW BAD IS THIS PROBLEM NATIONWIDE AND WHAT'S THE WORST THING A BAD ROAD CAN DO TO YOUR CAR? HEARST TELEVISION'S NATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE UNIT GOT THE ANSWERS...BY PARTNERING WITH MOTOR. IT'S AN AUTOMOTIVE DATA FIRM PARTLY OWNED BY OUR OWN PARENT COMPANY. THEY SURVEYED MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED AND 60 AUTO SERVICE AND REPAIR SHOPS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND FOUND 68 PERCENT SAY THEY'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES NEEDING REPAIR DUE TO POOR ROAD CONDITIONS OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. RE-ALIGNMENTS... ALONG WITH NEW TIRES ... AND SUSPENSION PARTS ARE THE THREE MOST COMMON REPAIRS FROM BAD ROADS. ON AVERAGE .. SHOPS GET ABOUT TEN CARS NEEDING THESE TYPES OF REPAIRS A MONTH. STEPHEN CARROLL: AS MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH INFRASTRUCTURE. WE'VE SEEN THAT THESE RATES OF INCIDENCE ARE CONTINUING TO RISE. TONIGHT AT SIX .. MORE FROM THE SURVEY IS REVEALES. PLUS - NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL SHOW YOU THE HIDDEN DAMAGE A POTHOLE OR CRACK IN THE PAVEMENT CAN DO TO YOUR VEHICLE. THIS IS ALL PART OF A PROJECT THIS YEAR TO DIG DEEPER INTO INFRASTRUCTURE HERE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY...FROM ROADS, TO BRIDGES, DAMS, AND MORE. AND HERE'S A LOOK AT YOUR TRAFFIC TRACK 22. THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS ON THE ROADS THIS MORNING.