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High city fuel costs and less consumer spending mean some Savannah property owners will pay more in property taxes this year.

Large distribution warehouses are in the works for a stretch of Jimmy DeLoach Parkway, but some soon-to-be neighbors remain fiercely opposed to the sprawling complex.

Holy Gordon Varnedoe!

Savannah's own Batman turned out once again Friday for the premiere of the newest Batman movie, "The Dark Knight."

"I'm for truth, justice and the American woman," Varnedoe joked as he plastered Batman stickers on movie-goers at the Victory Square Stadium 9. Asked to spell his name, the costumed crusader deadpanned "B-R-U-C-E W-A-Y-N-E."

Varnedoe said he's always loved Batman and noted that as far back as 1956 his high school annual has a photo of him dressed as the Caped Crusader. He estimated he has dressed up for at least five previous Batman premieres.

At 25, Darrel Stoney is young, is enthusiastic and represents the new face of Savannah Fire & Emergency Services, a department in transition.

"We're losing a lot of our senior people to retirement - it goes in waves in the fire service," Chief Charles Middleton said before a graduation ceremony for 27 new firefighters Friday. "We're bringing in new people who are eager to learn."

Middleton said the department is also trying to pass along the knowledge and experience of retiring firefighters, before they leave.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - A storm off the Southeast coast sent bands of blustery weather into Georgia and South Carolina on Friday, and forecasters warned it could spin into a tropical depression.

Fingerprints from a can of Slim-Fast helped nab a 16-year-old suspected burglar, police said.

Savannah-Chatham police tracked down a juvenile more than a year after he allegedly ransacked a home on East 35th Street and caused more than $10,000 in damages.

The victim's home was burglarized April 24, 2007. The home was ransacked and extensively damaged. Food was strewn throughout the residence, including a can of Slim-Fast that had been thrown across the room.

The can was fingerprinted, but resulted in no matches.

On July 6, a Savannah teen was arrested and charged in connection with a burglary to a home on East 60th Street. The fingerprints, when fed through the system, came back with the hit on the April 2007 burglary.

The teen was charged in connection with both burglaries. He's scheduled to appear in Juvenile Court next month.

Standing next to his mother, Shawna, in the crowded Hunter Army Airfield hangar, Adam Webster eagerly awaited the return of his father.

Leisure Services pool members from around the city of Savannah met at the Daffin Park pool for a swim meet Friday.

Skyrocketing gas prices have some drivers running on fumes in hopes of making it long enough to catch a price drop at the pump.

At least one Savannah-based towing business has seen an increase in motorists stranded because they ran out of fuel.

At Bubba Daiss Towing, monthly calls for fuel have recently shot up from an average of two to 10.

Owner Raymond "Bubba" Daiss said his business is the largest provider of service for AAA club members in the area, covering from Tybee Island to Pooler.

"We've seen a decrease for traditional calls," Daiss said. "We believe people are driving less."

Daiss said his business, located at 2608 Tremont Road, gets 200 to 400 calls every week.

FORT STEWART - Husbands, fathers, sons, brothers.

Soldiers.

Men who won't be easily forgotten.

Three Eastern redbud trees were dedicated along Warriors Walk on Thursday morning, marking the sacrifice made by three non-commissioned officers serving with the 3rd Infantry Division. The new additions bring the number of trees in the installation's memorial grove to 414.

Family members of Staff Sgt. James P. Snyder, Sgt. Steve McCoy and Sgt. 1st Class Jason Dene made the somber walk down a treeless portion of Warriors Walk under a cloudy, threatening sky.

Concern about one element of a proposed recycling contract led the Savannah City Council on Thursday to postpone consideration of a curbside program for city residents.

Holly Riley followed news of the Feb. 7 Imperial Sugar explosion and felt helpless.

"I wanted to be there doing something, and there's nothing you can do," Riley said.

Now, she may be changing that.

Riley was among the 11 women and 10 men who showed up for Savannah Fire & Emergency Services' open house recruitment Thursday evening.

Riley, who sells uniforms to first responders for a living, has met most of the rescuers and picked their brains, she said.

Vernon Jones sounded almost as much like a Republican Thursday as the one he's seeking to replace.

Jones, CEO of DeKalb County, is in an Aug. 5 runoff against Jim Martin for the Democrats' U.S. Senate nomination.

Jones finished first in Tuesday's primary, but fell short of the majority needed to win the nomination. That set up the showdown with Martin, a former state House member.

The winner will face GOP incumbent Saxby Chambliss in the Nov. 4 general election.

"I am a conservative Democrat, along the lines of Sam Nunn, Zell Miller and Richard Russell," Jones told reporters at Savannah City Hall on Thursday.

All were U.S. senators and Miller, who also served as governor, supported President Bush and spoke at the 2004 GOP national convention.

SPRINGFIELD - The economic news out of Effingham County continues to worsen as it was announced Thursday the Savannah Yacht Co. had shut down operations after its mortgage holder foreclosed on the company.

One can add another ailment to the numerous ones that have recently befallen the U.S. economy. This one, however, is of a more psychological nature and has to do with self-discovery or even schizophrenia.

The American Red Cross has been encouraging blood donations for decades, but Friday's drive included a special incentive for Savannah residents. According to Red Cross supervisor Wendy Boykin, donors who helped fill the blood bank Friday also got a shot at having their tanks filled.

COMING SUNDAY: With foreclosures on the rise, real estate agents modify the way they do business.

MOSCOW - In the Soviet days, Russians asked their American friends to bring blue jeans, rock records and other Western goods into the country. Today, Russians can buy almost anything they want there - but they are still begging for one item: Apple Inc.'s slick iPhone.

WASHINGTON - The tomato scare may be over, but it has taken a toll - it's cost the industry an estimated $100 million and left millions of people with a new wariness about the safety of everyday foods.

NEW YORK - A stunning sell-off dragged oil prices to their biggest weekly drop ever, and gas at the pump slipped by more than it has in months, giving consumers a rare breather in a year of record fuel prices.

Although Georgia Ports Authority is still working to finalize its numbers for fiscal 2008, which ended June 30, it's already clear the ports will post another exceptional year.

Despite the fact that the sluggish economy has left imports flat for the last few months, an increase in total tonnage and record export numbers have more than picked up the slack, according to GPA spokesman Robert Morris.

Exports now outnumber imports at GPA terminals and that's key to helping the nation's No. 4 deepwater port weather the current economic storm.

It's also likely played a major role in U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez's decision to visit our ports operation next week.

Gutierrez, who will also visit Gulfstream Aerospace, is expected to arrive at Georgia Ports' Garden City Terminal Monday, where he will tour the facilities, receive a briefing on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project - which his department must eventually sign off on - and hold a press conference on the docks.

WARREN, Mich. - When Coke bottle glasses just won't cut it for safe driving, a futuristic windshield might do the trick.

WASHINGTON - A plan emerging in Congress would require government approval of executives' pay at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as part of a federal lifeline for the mortgage companies.

The idea comes as lawmakers scramble to limit the potential taxpayer costs of the rescue plan and satisfy critics of the government-sponsored companies who fear an open-ended bailout.

Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, also wants to require that the companies delay issuing dividends until they reimburse the government, if the Treasury Department had to prop them up.

Frank, D-Mass., said Thursday the House plans to count any rescue effort under the overall $9.8 trillion statutory limit on the national debt. That approach is intended to answer charges that the aid amounts to a blank check.

Drinkers of Coca-Cola can expect to pay more starting this fall after the company's biggest bottler said Thursday that it would raise prices.

NEW YORK - Oil prices fell below $130 a barrel for the first time in more than a month Thursday, as a dramatic slide entered a third day along with a sharp sell-off in natural gas.

WASHINGTON - Construction of single-family homes fell in June to the slowest pace in 17 years, although a change in New York laws helped give a big boost to apartment building.

WASHINGTON - A man wanted by Liechtenstein for leaking secret banking information that identified millionaire tax cheats across Europe and the United States has described to congressional investigators how money was concealed.

A good friend and former co-worker presented me with a scenario including a two-part question. Abby recently received a desktop computer. In her household, the setup was strictly wireless with a laptop and a router. The router wasn't positioned in close proximity to her new desktop computer.

She was curious if there was a better way to set up the home, and were there any security risks if sharing sensitive financial data over the network.

To answer the first question, you can connect your desktop to a wireless network from any location in the house. There is a great device that got me through a number of on-location events in the past without running cables everywhere. Buy yourself a USB wireless modem for about $50.

They are super easy to connect to a computer and will activate your wireless networks just like a built-in wireless modem on a laptop. Installation is often as easy as plugging in the modem to the USB port (just like you would with one of those USB jump drives) and inserting the CD to install the drivers. Easy Cheesy.

ATLANTA - The Braves believe they're still in the NL East race.

ATLANTA - No one is making any guesses about Mike Hampton's next move after his latest injury setback.

ATHENS - Nearly six weeks away from Georgia kicking off the 2008 football season, Bulldogs athletic director Damon Evans sounds cautiously optimistic that legendary radio voice Larry Munson will return behind the microphone for the start of his 43rd season.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jerry Porter had surgery Friday to repair a torn hamstring tendon and the Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver will miss at least the entire preseason.

Savannah State University women's basketball player Patrice "Nikki" Robinson, the Tigers' leading rebounder and shot-blocker last season, was arrested July 9 on a charge of theft by deception.

The Imperial Sugar Refinery was burning and there was nothing Savannah native and former Harlem Globetrotter TyRone "Hollywood" Brown could do about it.

Brown, an 11-year veteran of the world-famous basketball team, sat in disbelief in Portland, Ore., as he watched CNN video footage of the Feb. 7 disaster in Port Wentworth.

Within minutes, he was frantically dialing relatives and friends throughout the Coastal Empire.

"I got worried because I have relatives who worked there," the 1977 Beach High School graduate said. "I tried to call them but the lines were busy. It took me a couple of hours before I got through. And when I finally got through, (other relatives) told me what happened. Man, I was scared."

The explosion killed 13 workers. It severely burned dozens more.

REIDSVILLE - The 1,500-foot wooden bridge links the seventh green with the eighth tee at the newly redesigned Brazell's Creek Golf Course, and as it winds through the Georgia pines, you begin to feel like the victim of a practical joke.

SOUTHPORT, England - From sunny San Diego to bleak and blustery Royal Birkdale, the expression on Rocco Mediate's face didn't change.

Wardrobe malfunctions aren't exclusive to pop stars during Super Bowl halftime shows.

Incidents receiving less exposure have happened to Nick Abel, a relief pitcher for the Sand Gnats.

When Abel first arrived in Savannah on June 9, he got to the ballpark only about an hour before the game. As the team already was on the field warming up, Abel quickly was fitted for a uniform.

"The sizes were kind of different from what I was used to," said Abel, 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds. "The home pants are like parachute pants from MC Hammer days. I had to size down a little bit. I was out there, and I was running as hard as I could, and the wind was blowing me back, and I was gaining no ground."

He had a different problem with his road uniform.

"I don't know if they went to Baby Gap or something to get the pants," Abel said. "These pants, you could see my veins through them, they were that tight. The first pair of pants I had, I was warming up and tore them right down the inseam. I went back in and got another pair, problem solved."

ON THE WEB

MONDAY'S SCORE: Savannah Sand Gnats 9, Greensboro Greenjackets 6

MILWAUKEE - Richard S. Johnson aced the 14th hole on his way to shooting a 63 that gave him a one stroke lead over the Pappas brothers after the first round of the U.S. Bank Championship on Thursday.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Ahmad Rashad's daughter came home from middle school one day saying a classmate wanted her father's autograph.

ATLANTA - The three-day break for the All-Star game wasn't long enough to allow the Atlanta Braves to regroup at full strength for a workout on Thursday.

The Phillies' Chase Utley is so old-school that he comes to the plate at Citizens Bank Park to the guitar strains of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir." What usually follows is the loud crack of his bat and deafening cheers from the crowd.

Some days during the last six months, the side effects from chemotherapy treatments were nearly unbearable for Celeste Shearouse.

The pain, nausea, hair loss and other "gory" stuff seemed like a blur. But at the same time, it was impossible for Shearouse to stay down in the dumps for too long. She was absolutely certain - maybe more so than her doctors - that she would survive a treatable form of leukemia that, seven months ago, had turned on her with a vengeance.

The support that she receives from family, perfect strangers and the medical teams who care for her has been strong enough for this woman to sit up and say, "I can take it." And from the onset of her difficult journey, Shearouse has been positive that a bone marrow transplant would be the answer.

On March 8, days before a bone marrow transplant, Shearouse's story and the launch of a CaringBridge journal to update her condition, were detailed in this column.

Contribute to Vox Populi by calling 652-0370 or e-mailing us at vox@savannahnow.com. Be sure to write Vox Populi in the subject field. Not all responses are used.

Let's face it.

If you are in your teens or 20s, we expect nothing less than tank tops, flip flops and super short shorts on your long, skinny, carefree, ever-so-tan legs.

But as we grow up, get jobs and get families, we learn to take our style to the next step.

We all know how to dress up, but let's do a quick fashion check on dressing down, age appropriately, in style, of course.

Step 1: Take stock of you

Know your best features. Some people don't love their arms, others don't like their knees. But we all have our best attributes, so let them shine.

If you have great legs, don't be afraid of a great pencil skirt. Denim skirts are classic, whatever the age - as long as they approach the knee. Gone are the days for the skimpy cut off rock-star mini, but long dark denim will last through early fall.

Vacation Bible school was somewhat simpler at White Bluff United Methodist Church when Lisa McGalliard was a child.

"We sang. We did crafts. We had a snack," said McGalliard who grew up in Windsor Forest. "There was a little Bible story and that was it."

In the Bible Belt South, summertime memories are mixed with the Protestant staple that is vacation Bible school. Shortened as "VBS," the weeklong church program was once synonymous with Popsicle-stick crafts and campy singalongs.

But in recent years, vacation Bible school has received a face-lift. DVDs and video screens are everywhere, along with professionally recorded music, dancing and slick lesson books. Pre-packaged lesson plans come complete with dramatic skits, decorative posters, science experiments, games, songs and toys all centered around a cartoon theme. Classes of children grouped by age are moved from one station to another before an activity gets old.

Send items two weeks before an event to calendar@savannahnow.com or fax to Faith Matters, 525-0796. Notices must be typed and include the name and telephone number of a contact person to answer questions. Faith Matters items are printed in the Saturday Accent and Thursday Closeups as space allows. Additional events are published on savannahnow.com/know.

TODAY

Contribute to Vox Populi by calling 652-0370 or e-mailing us at vox@savannahnow.com. Be sure to write Vox Populi in the subject field. Not all responses are used.