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JANUARY  2008

Traffic Deaths

January 30--  A mother and daughter from Lyons died Wednesday morning in an Appling County traffic accident.  According to the coroner's office in Appling County, Jaunita Goethe and her three-year-old daughter, Jasmine, were killed in the wreck.  The accident happened about 20 miles south of Baxley at the intersection of  Highways 15 and 203.  The Goethe family was traveling south on Highway 15 when their Ford Expedition collided with a pickup truck.  The husband and father, Kenny Goethe, was driving. He was hospitalized at Meadows Regional in Vidalia.

Reward Offered in Vidalia Fires

January 30--  A rash of arson fires in Vidalia has prompted the State Fire Marshal's office to offer a $10,000 reward.  Vidalia Fire Chief Buddy Coleman says four abandoned houses in the area around Martin Luther King and 4th Avenues have been torched in the last few days, some vehicles parked nearby were damaged, and the cab of a dump truck was set afire.  One of the fires threatened an occupied home next door, but the occupants got out, according to the chief.

If you have any information, call the Vidalia Police Department at 537-4123.  You can remain anonymous and receive the reward if your information leads to the arrest and conviction of the arsonist.

Commissioners Considering Options for County Ambulance Service

January 30--  Toombs County commissioners have been notified their contract with Medstar for ambulance service will not be renewed when it expires July 10th.  The ambulance service is a subsidiary of Memorial Health in Savannah which recently sold its home health service to generate revenue.

Toombs County commissioner Louie Powell met with local ambulance personnel Wednesday. Afterwards, he said one of the options the county has is to run the ambulance service in-house with existing employees.  The ambulance service has 22 fulltime and part-time positions, however, it is short eight employees, according to Powell.  The county had budgeted $352,000 to pay Medstar in 2008.

Atlanta Growth Threatens S. Ga. Water

Vidalia Kiwanis Club President June Hunter welcomes Neill Herrin of the Georgia Water Coalition to Vidalia Tuesday.

January 29--  A lobbyist for environmental groups is warning that South Georgia's water supply is threatened by out-of-control growth in the Atlanta metro area.

Neill Herrin of Jesup works for the Georgia Water Coalition.  "Because        of the amount of development in the metro area, our rivers are already suffering serious damage.  They've paved so much that the base flow, the water that seeps into the ground when it rains and makes its way into the streams, those base flows have been impacted by pavement.  Now when it rains, they're full and when it doesn't rain they're empty.  That kind of pattern causes the streams to be gouged out and flood, and then to be bone dry, and that impacts the flow into our rivers and the recharge of our ground water," Herrin says.

Herrin also says years of neglect to the Atlanta area water system, and failure to invest in the infrastructure, causes huge amounts of wasted water.  "It's been cheaper for metro Atlanta to treat raw water out of streams and lakes and put it into leaky systems that it has been to fix the leaks.  Atlanta leaks something on the order of 50-million gallons of water a day.  They treat it, it's drinkable water, and it's squirted out into the ground.  A lot of it goes into sewers which also leak," according to Herrin.

Because the headwaters of the Altamaha River originate in Georgia, Herrin says its a resource Georgia doesn't have to share with other states and it should be protected from the kind of growth which has exacerbated the drought around Atlanta.

Zogby Polls Finds Weak Support for Sen Chambliss

January 29--  A new Zogby Interactive poll of likely voters in Georgia shows less than 40% of likely Georgia voters believe incumbent Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss deserves re-election. The survey also shows that he is locked in a statistical dead heat with former Senate staffer and new Democratic challenger Josh Lanier when their names and party affiliations are stripped from the question and just their biographies and key positions are provided to likely voters.

Asked whether Senator Chambliss deserves to be re-elected or whether it is time for someone new, just 38% said he deserves another six-year term in Washington. Nearly half—49%—said they think it is time for someone new to represent Georgia in the United States Senate, while 13% said they were unsure on the question.

When Chambliss’ biography is matched against the bio and positions of Lanier, the survey shows Lanier’s bio wins 47% support, compared to 45% who would favor Chambliss’ bio. Another 8% said they were uncertain whom to support.

The “blind bio,” a common tool of the public opinion research profession, measures the qualities that individual candidates bring to a political race by eliminating name identification from the equation. Of course, in real world politics, names are important features of every race.

The Zogby Interactive survey, conducted online during the dates of Jan. 9-11, included 860 likely voters in Georgia, and carries a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points.

Georgians are mostly pessimistic about the direction in which the country is headed, the poll shows. One in four – 26% – said they think the nation is going in the right direction, while 61% said they think the country is off on the wrong track. Asked about the state of the U.S. economy, just 22% said it was in good or excellent shape, while 50% said it is in poor or very poor shape.

Asked what issue is the most important facing America today, a plurality said the economy was most important, while terrorism was rated the second most important issue. The war in Iraq was seen as the third-most important issue facing the country.

Child Killed in Accident

January 28--  A five-vehicle accident west of Lyons killed a three-year-old girl and injured four other people Monday morning.

The state patrol says a car driven by 24-year-old Katebra Lashae Jones of Lyons slowed on Highway 292 near the intersection with the H.D. Wright Road and was hit from the rear.  That resulted in a chain reaction as three other vehicles plowed into the wreck.  The victim, little Janayla Howard of Lyons, was riding in the vehicle with 20-year-old Eshanah Janay Johnston of Lyons.  Johnston was injured as were 39-year-old Cynthia Edwards of Lyons and 41-year-old Kimberly Frix of Vidalia.  Uninjured was 35-year-old Van Tidmore of Lyons.

Senior Georgia State Trooper Steven Newsome investigated.

Governor Includes STC Building Money in Budget

January 28--  Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia stands to benefit from Governor Sonny Perdue's state budget for next fiscal year.  The governor's 2009 budget includes a $93 million bond package for the Georgia Department of Technical Adult Education.  One of the projects is a $4 million dollar automotive technology building at Southeastern Tech.

Senator Tommie Williams of Lyons says the building will be used to house a career academy charter school run jointly by Southeastern Tech and area school systems.  "A career academy is important for our kids to have some options they don't have now and for our high schools to have places to put kids in classes which are full now.  I'm committed to having a career academy in Toombs County and we're getting there," the senator says.

Twice the state has been unable to fund the local career academy, but Senator Williams is hoping the third time is a charm.  He has no doubt the school charter will be approved once the money is approved.  "I've never seen that as a problem.  You've got a number of schools willing to work together to make this happen.  Facilities money and operational money are the two issues.  I've got the facilities money, and I'm working on the operational money now and I believe I can do something there as well," he said.

Assessor Chairman Thanks Departing Appraiser

January 25--  The Toombs County Board of Tax Assessors has named an interim Chief Tax Appraiser to succeed Angela Waldron who resigned to take an appraiser's job in Bacon County.

Chairman George Powell says Willie Haynes will take the Chief Appraiser's job until further notice.  Powell also thanked Waldron for her job performance.  "When Ms.Waldron came to work here, our county was behind eight to nine years in property values.  The office wasn't computerized and everything was done manually.  She's updated our office with computers, she's unified our associates and sent them for training, we have new aerial photographs now, and she's done a tremendous job by bringing us into the 21st century.  She'll be sorely missed by our board and by taxpayers in Toombs County," he said.

Nearly eight hundred property tax evaluations were appealed last year and the county commissioners refused to accept a recommendation from the Board of Assessors that Ms. Waldron be given a pay raise.  Powell defended her work, "I know this has been a difficult time for a lot of people, but it's something that had to be done whether it was Ms. Waldron or someone else.  She's done us as a good job and I appreciate it," he said. 

Haines has been in the Tax Assessor's office for seven years and has been an appraiser for the last two and a half.  He received his level 3 state certification which is required for a county the size of Toombs nearly a year ago.

Toombs Unemployment Rate Jumps

January 24--  As you might imagine with the December closing of Simonton Windows in Lyons, the Toombs County unemployment rate went up.  According to the Department of Labor, the unemployment rate increased one-half percent to 4.8 percent from November to December.  However, on the bright side, the unemployment rate is the same as December, 2006 and is less than the regional rate of 5.3 percent and is the same as the national unemployment rate.  The 4.8 percentage equals 685 people out of work in Toombs County according to the Labor Department report.

Development Authority Recommends Loan

January 24--  A local company is growing and getting some economic development assistance.  The Toombs County Development Authority voted Wednesday to recommend a $100,000 loan to Meredith Industries for new embroidery equipment at its Vidalia plant.  The expansion is expected to create from six to nine new jobs.  Toombs County commissioners are expected to approve the low interest loan from the county's "Revolving Loan Fund" at its meeting in February.

Billboard Hearing Set

January 24--  The Vidalia Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing regarding location of billboards in the city.  The city is considering changes to its zoning regulations to specify outdoor advertising locations and spacing requirements.  The hearing is February 12th at 6:30 at city hall.

Last year was a good year for Vidalia on the stock market.  Officials say the city's $1.8 million dollar escrow account earned a seven percent return through brokers at Merrill-Lynch.  The money is used to pay off bonds which financed a city sewage treatment plant in the 1990's.

Meanwhile, retail sales in Vidalia were generally flat in 2007.  Sales tax collections were about the same as in 2006.  Hotel taxes were up nearly five percent and alcohol sales showed less than a one percent increase.

New Board Member at STC

Andy Kimbell (left) with STC President Dr. Cathy Meehan as he joins the STC Board of Directors.

January 24--  A Lyons businessman has been named to the board of Southeastern Technical College.  Andy Kimbell, owner of Truax Veneer, joins the seven-member board which provides community oversight of the school and helps the school president identify community needs.  The board includes representatives from Toombs, Tattnall and Montgomery Counties.

Election in Santa Claus Ruled OK

January 24--  The city election in Santa Claus last November has been given a clean bill of health by a superior court judge.

The defeated candidate for mayor, Al Lewis, contested the election which he lost to longtime incumbent Mayor Bernard Harden by nine votes.  Judge William Towson, Sr. denied Lewis' petition which claimed a long list of alleged irregularities in violation of state election law.

 No decision has been made yet on an appeal according to Alan Layne, attorney for Lewis.

Toombs Commissioners Looking for Revenue

January 24--  Toombs County raised property taxes this year and is in better financial shape than it has been, however, county commissioners are still short of money for capital improvement projects.

At a planning workshop Wednesday, Commissioner Louie Powell reported the county has only $500,000 remaining in special purpose local option sales tax collections to work with this year.  Meanwhile, the county is expected to seek bids next month to expand the county's construction and demolition landfill at a cost of $90,000 per acre.  Powell also warned commissioners some design flaws when the lined landfill was built may cost the county up to $2 million dollars to correct. At the same time, commissioners have plans to build up to nine convenience centers for the collection of household trash and recyclables. Estimated cost is $40,000 per center, plus land costs. 

To help revenue, the commissioners discussed charging a fee for anyone who uses the landfill.  Powell claims some commercial users claim to be private citizens when they bring a load to the dump.

They are also looking at adopting a county building code and hiring a building inspector to enforce it.  Some county residents build without a permit and end up avoiding permit fees and property taxes, according to Tax Assessor Board Chairman George Powell. 

Powell also alerted the commission that the next step in collecting more property taxes is revaluation of commercial property and personal property owned by businesses in the county.  He predicted that will cause more of an outcry that last year's revaluation of residential property and land.

STC Plans Include RN Program

January 22--  Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia is planning a program to graduate registered nurses.  

School president Dr. Cathy Meehan says a community survey showed strong support for an "RN" program, and that Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia would like to see one started.

"There's going to be a huge need over the next ten to twenty years for registered nurses and they make wonderful salaries.  And the nice thing about it is the two-year RN's make the same as the four-year RN's," Meehan says.

"Basically we have an aging workforce and the nursing occupation is no exception.  We can offer a two-year registered nursing program and we're already making plans for it.  To do that, the college has to have accreditation which hopefully we will receive in June.  Once we receive that, we can move forward with our plans for the RN program," she says.

According to Dr. Meehan, the new dental hygiene classroom building which is nearing completion would also be used for training the nurses.  "The Dental Hygiene program should start this summer.  We already have the director, the equipment is in the building and we should be having a ribbon-cutting for that in March."

The STC board and foundation are planning a major gifts campaign to raise as much as eight million dollars in the next five years.  The money would be used to help fund adult literacy, the STC auditoriums, partnering with local school systems, maintaining classroom technology and providing academic scholarships.

Montgomery Mother and Son Arrested in Shooting Death

January 21--  A mother and son from Mount Vernon have been arrested in the shooting death of the son's estranged wife.  According to the Jeff Davis County Sheriff's office, 28-year-old Allison "Nicky" Bamberg was found shot to death in her car early Friday evening.  Her final divorce hearing had been held last Monday and was awaiting signature by the judge.

Authorities believe she dropped her two children off to her husband at a convenience store in Uvalda where the two had an altercation.  The woman was in Jeff Davis County when her vehicle was fired on about a mile past the river bridge on Highway 221.  She was talking on her cell phone to her father and told him someone was shooting at her when the phone went dead.

The GBI is leading the investigation and has charged 30-year-old Damon Bamberg and his mother, 52-year-old Sonya Bamberg, both of Mount Vernon, with murder in the case.  Sources say the mother and the Bamberg's children were with the man in his car when the shooting took place.

The man and his mother are being held in the Jeff Davis County Detention Center pending bond.

Byrd Denies Wrongdoing

January 21--  Former state representative Roger Byrd denies any wrongdoing while he was a consultant for the Joint Development Authority in Jeff Davis County.  Byrd and six others are named in a grand jury indictment returned last week by a county grand jury.

Byrd says he worked four years ago on behalf of the Development Authority to help bring a Pennsylvania uniform manufacturer, Armitec, to Hazlehurst. According to newspaper reports, the indictment accuses Byrd of taking payments from both the Development Authority and the company.  The Development Authority earlier filed a civil suit in the case which prompted a criminal investigation by the district attorney. 

Byrd is accused of taking at least one payout of $100,000 in violation of the Development Authority's lease agreement with Armitec.  The company operated just over a year before pulling out and leaving the Development Authority with $2.3 million in bond debt.  The company's CEO, Bruce Davis, is also named in the indictment for theft and conspiracy to defraud the Development Authority.

Byrd was in the state legislature from 1981 to 2002 and currently is employed at Brewton Parker College.  He has yet to see the indictment but has contacted a local attorney to fight the charges.

Toombs Tax Appraiser Resigns

January 19--  The chief tax appraiser in Toombs County has handed in her resignation.  Angela Waldron says January 25th is her last day on the job in the Toombs County courthouse.  

The Toombs County commissioners refused to give Waldron a $5,000 salary increase in this year's budget.  Property revaluation work by her office generated an unprecedented amount of appeals to the Board of Tax Assessors and the Board of Equalization last year.  However, Waldron said she was catching up on revaluations which should have been done before her arrival.  No word yet from Tax Assessor Board Chairman George Powell on her replacement.

Mentors Needed for VHS Students

January 19--  Can you spare an hour of your time once a week to mentor a student at Vidalia High School?  

Mentor volunteer Miller MacEwen of Vidalia is seeking others who want to help students complete high school.  "So much in this country happens by virtue of individual initiative.  We want to stop or slow down that train which is taking this country down what I see as not a good path.  We want to change that path, and the way to do it is with the kids," he says.

According to MacEwen, "We're trying to get these kids through high school one kid at a time.  That's what a mentor does.  There is nothing to be afraid of in this mentoring.  It is simply spending time with a kid who needs to have someone they can relate to."

Currently, MacEwen has only six people including himself as volunteer mentors, and they need ten times that many.  If you can help, call MacEwen at 538-4035.

DA Charges Clerk in Courthouse Theft

January 17--  The case of the Toombs County clerk who allegedly stole money from the Toombs County commissioners' office is working its way through the criminal justice system.

District Attorney Steve Askew filed an accusation Thursday charging Brenda Galbreath of Ailey with 13 counts of theft by taking.  According to the accusation, Galbreath wrote checks to herself totaling $15,330 starting in February, 2005 through May, 2006.  She was the county payroll clerk during that 15 month period and was dismissed in June, 2006 after a county audit revealed the illegal payments.

The district attorney says the GBI investigation which started in August, 2006 provided enough evidence to give him probable cause to file the accusation without going to a grand jury.  "The difference in the indictment process and the accusation process is the district attorney makes the finding of probable cause and files an accusation.  The law provides that most felonies can be preferred by accusation and most of them are, and this one certainly met the criteria for that," Askew said.

The GBI also investigated reports of unauthorized overtime payments Galbreath paid herself, however, since Chairman Charles Rustin's office maintained no time cards at the time, there were no records to confirm how many hours were actually worked.  Payroll records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act showed Galbreath paid herself about $37,000 in overtime in 2005 and $24,000 in overtime in 2006 before her firing.

Galbreath's arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, January 31st in Toombs County Superior Court where she will be allowed to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.

$2M Suit Filed Against School Board, Clark and O'Connor

January 16--  The mother of the male student allegedly involved sexually with a female Montgomery County High School counselor is suing for more than $2 million in damages.

The suit was filed this week by lawyers for Rosa Sanchez against former school superintendent Dale Clark, her daughter Carrie O'Connor, and the Montgomery County Board of Education.

Atlanta attorney Jerome Lee claims Clark and the school board failed to meet ethical and legal obligations when they learned about the affair between Carrie O'Connor and the 16-year-old student.

"The information became available to the board and the superintendent and other teachers, and the school failed to act with the appropriate measures to stop the relationship and avoid further injury to the child.  They did not do that, in fact, certain individuals became obstacles to the proper measures being taken.  The entire affair did not get addressed in a meaningful manner until the GBI comes in and indicts the teacher for her relationship with the student.  That's really the basis for the lawsuit.  The board and its members and its leaders failed to protect the child," Lee said.

The suit claims Clark and the school board failed to discipline O'Connor until after she was indicted.  It also claims they suspended the student involved without due process and fired the teacher who reported O'Connor to the proper authorities. 

The attorney claims an attempt to negotiate a settlement with the school board was unsuccessful. Interim school superintendent Dr. Lynn Batten says the board attorney has been working on the case.  While the school board has insurance for board members and employees, the lawyer for Mrs. Sanchez says it could be negated if there's sufficient evidence of wrongdoing.

Salaries Skew Montgomery County BOE Budget

January 15--  The Montgomery County school system budget for this year is generally on target with the exception of administrative costs.  Interim school superintendent Dr. Lynn Batten told the school board Monday night admin costs are over budget because the board is paying former superintendent Dale Clark's salary and legal fees associated with lawsuits during her tenure.  For example, the school system paid board attorney Tom Everett $3,600 in legal fees in November.

Meanwhile, the special state audit of the school system should be finished by the end of the month, according to Dr. Batten.  "I have talked with Reggie Beasley, Regional Director of the Georgia Department of Audits.  He has indicated the audit should be completed by the end of January.  I will keep you updated on the audit completion date," he said.

Among other things, the audit is reviewing cell phone bills during the Clark administration when she issued cell phones to family members of school system employees.  The school board has now entered into a new agreement with Southern Linc for 56 cell phones which have been issued only to employees, including school bus drivers.

Dr. Batten told the school board the first thing on his 2008 to-do list is establish public trust in the school system.  As part of that, he has made cuts of nearly $43,000 in salaries which were granted during the Clark years but never approved by the school board.  He also saved over $45,000 by combining two positions into one at the high school.

A member of the audience, Sharon Strickland, publicly thanked Dr. Batten and said "confidence is being restored one small step at a time."

Dr. Lynn Batten (left) presents Distinguished School citation to Montgomery Elementary School Principal Randy Rogers.

The superintendent reported his peers from eight area school systems had met and coordinated a common school calendar for next school term which would have school starting on August 11th and ending May 22, 2009.  He also commended faculty and students at Montgomery Elementary School for making "adequate yearly progress" six years running and for being a Title One Distinguished School for each of the last three years.

New DFAC's Director Wants to Hear from "The Working Poor"

January 14--  Toombs County's new director of the Department of Family and Children's Services has been on the job nearly three months, and she wants to help the county's working poor.

Veronica Seleska moved from the Tampa area late last year and wants to help people "help themselves" to more productive lives.  "The biggest problem is the working poor.  They don't understand what they are eligible for, and that we can help them increase their income and education to help them become more self-sufficient Georgians."

Seleska manages a nearly $3 million dollar operating budget, including nearly a half-million dollars for foster care, and they're looking for foster parents. In the last fiscal year, Toombs County DFAC's had 133 children in foster care. "We don't have enough foster parents to take care of the children we provide services for, especially the older teenage children," she says.

Seleska's department provided over $37 million in Medicaid services and nearly $5.5 million in food stamps last fiscal year.  "This is a poor community in the sense of not enough jobs for the people.  We really need to get more information out to people of what's available for them and to help them get back to work," she reports. 

Lyons Mayor Starts Fourth Term

January 11--  Lyons Mayor John Moore is starting his fourth term as mayor and his 22nd year in the city government.  Before being elected mayor, he served on the city council as mayor pro tem for a decade.

After being sworn in to start another four-year term, Mayor Moore says he glad several long term projects are coming together.  "The renovation work downtown got completed, there's some more to be done on U.S. One north and south, we've got $500,000 worth of paving that's going to be done in the next 30 to 45 days, and we're going to build a new city hall," he said.

The Lyons city council has awarded a $248,311contract to McLendon Enterprises of Vidalia to construct "streetscapes" on Highway One in the city. 

The new 5,500 square foot city hall is planned for the corner of Highway 292 and Lanier Street.  The mayor says that will also allow more space in the old city hall for the Lyons Police Department.  "As of now, it looks like they will use the top and the bottom since they don't have enough space on the ground floor," the mayor said.  In the future, Mayor Moore says he'd like to see a new building for the police department and to see it stay open around the clock.

Also sworn in for new city council terms were council members Ivy Toole, Jr. and Willis NeSmith. 

On-Demand Jet Service in Vidalia

Vidalia Mayor Ronnie Dixon (r) welcomes DayJet's Milo Srkal to the Sweet Onion City's regional airport.

January 10--  A new jet service in Vidalia allows you to book a seat at your convenience to six locations in Florida and one in Georgia.  The DayJet Corporation of Boca Raton landed one of its five-seater business jets at Vidalia Regional Airport Thursday to announce expansion of its service.

"We did an initial review of the airport and found it meets all of the requirements for our level of service," said Milo Srkal, the coordinator of the airline's DayStop Program.

According to Srkal, the jet service takes business travelers off the highways and puts them in an aircraft for speedy arrival at their destination.  You tell the company what time you want to leave Vidalia and they send a jet to pick you up.  "Now you can connect to any one of our Dayport locations from anywhere from one dollar to four dollars per mile," he says.

City council members Brian Frost and Cecil Thompson along with Mayor Ronnie Dixon greeted the DayJet contingent at the airport.  "This is certainly going to be something that we hope a lot of businesses can use.  Of course, it couldn't happen without all the facilities that our airport has to offer.  We're excited about it.  Our airport manager Kevin Britton has been working on it quite awhile and I think it will be quite an asset to our community," Mayor Dixon said.

The jet service links Vidalia to DayJet ports in Boca Raton, Gainesville, Lakeland, Naples, Pensacola, Tallahassee and Savannah.  The company currently has 28 jets and has plans to extend service to locations all over the Southeastern U.S.

Information is available at www.dayjet.com.

Judge Denies Warrant 

January 10--  A Montgomery County magistrate has ruled there is insufficient evidence to issue a warrant in the case of a former county school superintendent who alleged the husband of a school system employee threatened to kill him.

A show cause hearing was held Wednesday morning before Magistrate Dwight Newsome at the courthouse in Mount Vernon.

Former Montgomery superintendent Jim Paul Poole testified that Darrell Adams drove into his driveway December 21st and yelled he was going to kill him.  Adams admitted that he threatened to beat Poole if he didn't stop talking about his wife, but denied a death threat.  His wife, Patricia Adams, is one of the two employees of the school system who recently had their salaries reduced by the school board as part of the fallout in the Dale Clark case.  Clark attended the hearing and gave her former employee a hug when the judge announced his decision.

The magistrate refused to issue a warrant for making a terroristic threat against Adams because there was no third party witness to corroborate Poole's allegations.  However, Judge Newsome did advise Adams to stay away from Poole in the future.  Adams said he had "no problem" with that.

Lawmakers Expect Some Property Tax Relief

Senator Majority Leader Tommie Williams (L) of Lyons and State Representative Greg Morris of Vidalia talk about the upcoming session of the Georgia Legislature.

January 9--  Two local legislators say they expect some kind of property tax relief to come out of this year's term of the Georgia legislature.  Senate majority leader Tommie Williams of Lyons and Representative Greg Morris of Vidalia talked with citizens Wednesday morning at a pre-legislative forum in Vidalia.

According to Morris, "By the end of the session, we'll have property tax reform for the people to vote on by changing the state constitution.  The consensus seems to be to do something about the school portion of the property tax by expanding the sales tax to cover that portion and delete it from the property tax bill that people have to pay."

Despite opposition from lobbyists representing cities, counties and school boards, Morris says he believes citizens should have the right to vote on a constitutional amendment to replace property taxes with a sales tax.

"The bottom line is people ought to have the opportunity to choose for themselves.  If they vote it up, that's a good thing.  If they vote it down, then I'll accept it.  What I cannot accept is the idea that just because it's controversial, the citizens of Georgia shouldn't get a chance to vote on changing their Constitution.  It's the fair thing to do," Morris says.   

City Declares Temporary Moratorium on Billboards

January 8--  You may have noticed the 18 billboard signs which have mushroomed in Lyons lately.  The city fathers in Vidalia have, and they've declared a moratorium on any more billboards in Vidalia until a city council committee has time to review the city outdoor advertising ordinance.  That decision was made at the city council's first meeting of the New Year Monday night.

Outgoing Vidalia Mayor Pro Tem Chip Matheson gives the oath of office to incoming 4th Ward City Councilmember Lisa Chesser Monday night at Vidalia City Hall.

The council also welcomed new city council member Lisa Chesser and Vidalia's first black Mayor Pro Tem, veteran council member Raymond Turner.  Councilman Brian Frost also started his second term in office.  Chesser succeeds fourth ward city councilman Chip Matheson who saw lots of improvements during his 20 years on the council. 

"The paving of all the dirt roads in Vidalia, all of the subdivisions now have city water and sewer, we invested a little over a million dollars in recreation facilities, the community center, Darby gym was renovated, the downtown renovation, and the city was responsible for about a million dollars of the 280 one-way pairing which, when it's all said and done, will be an asset to the community," Matheson said.

Matheson says the city is in good financial condition and is confident it will continue to be a progressive town. 

Weekend Drug Arrests in Toombs

January 7--  Seven people are facing drug charges following a weekend of drugs arrests in Toombs County.

One of the seven, 50-year-old Charlie Marion Phillips of 471 Ponderosa Road in Lyons, is alleged to be a drug dealer.  "He's a pretty good size seller.  We had a six months investigation going in this case and he was actually selling to an undercover agent," says Toombs County Sherif Junior Kight.  Officers found three pounds of marijuana in Phillips' house Friday night and took him to jail.  He was later released on a $20,000 bond.  The East Central Drug Task Force and the GBI assisted in the investigation.

On a smaller scale, 24-year-old Russell Sweat is being charged with a probation violation after he and 35-year-old Samantha Jane Glission were found with a small amount of marijuana at her home in the Cedar Crossing area.  

And a traffic stop near the Tattnall County line resulted in drug and other charges including weapons violations against four occupants of the car.  They're identified as 23-year-old Michael Morris of Swainsboro, 25-year-old Kenneth Mosley of Stillmore, and 19-year-old Timmy Smith and 20-year-old Jonathan Williams, both of Metter.

Sheriff Kight says his department will continue to investigate and look for drug dealers and users wherever they can find them.  "We've got to stay proactive on the drug problem in Toombs County.  If we do that, we'll be okay, but if we drop back, we'll have problems," he said.

Governor Opens Men's Conference in Vidalia

Senate Majority Leader Tommie Williams of Lyons (right) welcomes Governor Sonny Perdue to a Christian Men's Retreat Friday night in Vidalia.

January 5--  Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is asking men to be honest with themselves and their families in order to become good leaders in society.  "Sometimes football coaches say half of life is showing up, and that's certainly true with being a husband and a father.  I told the group tonight you can talk to children till you're blue in the face, but if they don't see the principles that you tell them about lived out in your life, it's meaningless. We need to be good examples like God has called us to be.  That's what real leadership is about," he said.

Governor Perdue spoke at the First Baptist Church in Vidalia Friday night at a conference designed to help men walk through life with integrity.  He enjoyed the opportunity, "Well, I did.  I applaud the First Baptist Church of Vidalia for having a men's retreat. It's very important where you can share some things men need to hear on a regular basis so we can be the types of leaders that God has called us to be."

Over a hundred men from the area attended the conference and heard the governor talk about the difference "walking the walk" can make in their lives. "If we can have the integrity of leadership that this conference is about, it makes a huge difference in our homes, our children, our wives and families.  And then, those circles ripple out to our workplace and our communities.  There's a difference there and people can tell a difference," he said.

Governor Perdue recently drew national media attention by holding a prayer service asking God for rain.  As a Christian, he says he was surprised by the attention, "Frankly, I was a little surprised at how the national media took our praying for rain.  I almost felt a little sorry for them for their lack of faith in knowing where rain came from."

Clark - O'Connor Cases Delayed

January 3--  The setting of trial dates in the cases of former Montgomery County school superintendent Dale Clark and her daughter Carrie O'Connor has been delayed due to illness of their attorney.

Clark is suing Dale and Deloris James of Alston for libel regarding alleged comments about her conduct as county school superintendent.  Her daughter is under criminal indictment for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student while she was a counselor at Montgomery County High School.

Both Clark and O'Connor are being represented by Macon attorney Althea Buafo.  On December 28th she notified Judge Frederick Mullis she would be unable to attend the civil and criminal calendar calls in Montgomery County Superior Court this week due to illness.  She asked the judge to reschedule a calendar call in three to four weeks.

In all likelihood, the delay precludes a civil trial for Clark and a criminal trial for O'Connor during the February term of Montgomery County Superior Court.  Meanwhile, O'Connor remains on leave with pay.  The county school board will have to decide by mid-April if it will renew her contract.

Board Attorney Files Brief in State Supreme Court

January 3--  The Montgomery County school board attorney is asking the Georgia Supreme Court to dismiss the case of Dale James against the school board and former superintendent Dale Clark.

James is appealing a Superior Court decision last August refusing to order the school board to place him on its meeting agenda.  James claims he has a constitutional right to address the school board and was blocked by Clark when she was superintendent because James wanted to make allegations of her wrongdoing.

 Board attorney Tom Everett says there is no specific entitlement under Georgia law allowing citizens to address a board meeting.  He argues that public participation is at the discretion of the school board.

The Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments in the case for next month. Meanwhile, since the arrival of interim school superintendent Dr. Lynn Batten, the school board is allowing public participation during its meetings. 

Local Health Firm Included in Sale

January 3-  A Vidalia location is included in the sale of CareOne home health services to a publicly-traded company.  The parent company of Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah has sold six locations in Georgia and one in South Carolina to Amedisys, a home health nursing company headquartered in Baton Rouge, LA.  The company says it will retain the 160 employees in the two states.

Barrow on New Year

January 2--  The New Year signals a return to Washington for lawmakers, and Georgia Congressman John Barrow of the 12th District has been preparing by meeting with constituents around the district.

What he hears is a lot of dissatisfaction with the level of service of government agencies like the Veterans Administration and the Social Security Administration.  "Some things I hear over and over again, and it seems to me we need some legislative solutions to cut through some of the bureaucratic red tape," he says.

Congressman Barrow says something has to be done about health care for the 47 million Americans who have no health insurance.  He believes they need to pay something for the care they receive at hospital emergency rooms.  "Those folks are a drag on the folks in the economy who are paying  not only the full cost of their own health care but also are paying sort of a surcharge for those who get their care in the emergency room," Barrow says.  

Regarding the Democratic Party candidates running for President, Congressman Barrow is not thrilled by the choices.  "I'm sort of like a lot of people.  I'm not happy with the choices we've got.  But, somehow as a country we'll get through this.  We may have to hold our nose, but we've done that in the past and we may have to do it again," he observes.

Mayor Optimistic 

January 1--  Vidalia Mayor Ronnie Dixon says the city is in good shape as we enter the New Year.  "We're in great financial condition at this time.  A lot of projects we've been working on are coming to fruition," he reports.  

The good news for Vidalia motorists and merchants is that the $18 million dollar one-way pairing project through downtown should be completed by year's end.  "It's still a headache, but by this time next year, it should be complete and people are seeing a lot of progress with it," he said.

The eastbound leg of the project includes significant drainage improvements and should do away with flooding of the highway at the Green Street intersection every time there's a downpour, according to the mayor. 

Red Cross Honors Lyons Donors

Loyal Blood Donors in Lyons from left to right are Darrell Nobles, Jack Durst, Billy Robertson, Hardy Thomas and Melvadean Williamson.  Together they have donated 75 gallons of blood to the Red Cross over the years.

January 1--  A New Year's eve blood drive in Lyons Monday provided an opportunity for the American Red Cross to honor five residents who together have donated 75 gallons of blood.

Billy Robertson has donated 20 gallons in his lifetime.  "The first pint of blood I ever gave was when I was 16 years old and in high school.  I'm proud of it," he says.

Others honored are Jack Durst and Hardy Thomas for 15 gallons apiece, Melvadean Williamson for 14, and Darrell Nobles for 11 gallons.

Meanwhile, Nancy Martin of the Red Cross is hoping a new generation of donors will follow in the footsteps of those honored Monday.   "We need to focus on getting young adults to start giving blood and being as dedicated as this generation was.  We're starting to lose our donor base which is made up of people over the age of 55," she said. 

JANUARY  2008

DECEMBER 2007

Probable Cause Hearing Scheduled

December 28--  A former Montgomery County school superintendent has filed a criminal complaint against the husband of a school system employee.  Jim Paul Poole alleges Darrell Adams threatened to kill him. Adams wife, Patricia, is the business services clerk at the county school board office who had her annual salary reduced by $16,000 earlier this month at a called meeting of the board of education.  Poole was among several citizens at the meeting, but made no public comments.

According to an incident report at the Montgomery County Sheriff's office, Adams followed Poole and his wife, Alice, to their home in Uvalda on Friday, December 21st.  He later admitted to Deputy Dana Cooper that he pulled into their driveway and yelled to Poole that he would "beat his a--" unless Poole stopped talking about his wife.  Deputy Cooper reported Poole and his wife are in "fear of their life."

A hearing to determine if a warrant alleging terroristic threats and disorderly conduct should be issued will be held in Montgomery County Magistrate's Court Wednesday, January 9th at 9:30 a.m.

Vidalia Motel Scene of Drug Bust

December 28--  Vidalia police raided a motel room early Friday morning and arrested the occupant whom they said converted the room into a lab to cook crack cocaine.

Acting on a tip from a concerned citizen, officers say they searched a room in the Royal Inn Motel and found 23-year-old Sean Thompkins of Roosevelt Street in Vidalia. Police seized more than $4,000 worth of drugs and $2,000 in cash.

In the parking lot, they found 24-year-old Tyson Davis of the same Roosevelt Street address in possession of crack cocaine.

And in a separate drug case, Vidalia police report the arrest of 25-year-old Leslie Halligan of Uvalda.  They say she was found smoking crack in her car at the Flossie Hayes Park.

Prosecutor Recommended for Judge Vacancy

December 28--  A state court prosecutor has been recommended to fill a judicial vacancy in Treutlen County.  Governor Sonny Perdue's Judicial Nominating Commission is recommending Treutlen County solicitor-general James Garner to be the new state court judge in Treutlen County.  If approved by the governor, Garner will succeed Judge Donald Gillis who earlier was named to the Superior Court bench in the Dublin Judicial Circuit.

Congressman Optimistic About Iraqi Progress

December 27--  A Georgia congressman who has made more trips to Iraq and Afghanistan than any other in the past four years is optimistic about what he saw on his last trip in November.

Congressman Jim Marshall, who formerly represented this area in Washington, says there's no doubt the increase in U.S. troops earlier this year paid off.  "There's no question that we've made an awful lot of progress in the last year.  The trends are positive at the moment, and to the extent that you can feel good about Iraq and that's a stretch, but to the extent that you can, I feel pretty good about it," he said.

Marshall says he is basing his evaluation on the willingness of Sunni leaders to work with U.S. Forces to seek out and destroy terrorists.  "It's because of what the Iraqis are doing at the local level.  We would not be where we are security-wise except that Sunni leaders have said they'd rather work with us than let these jerks dominate them and pick us off one at a time.  That's a very positive thing that's happening at the local level.  It needs to happen at the national level, there needs to be some kind of reconciliation between Shiite and Sunni," he believes.

Congressman Marshall has made a dozen trips to the war zone and earlier spent a week at a remote U.S. Army special forces outpost in Afghanistan.

Indictments Returned

December 26--  A Toombs County grand jury returned 40 indictments before adjourning for Christmas.  Among those indicted is former Toombs County tag agent Marisol Cruz Delgado who was indicted on 18 counts of fraud and forgery while working in the office of the Toombs County Tax Commissioner.  She allegedly overcharged Hispanic clients for vehicle title bonds in the Spring and Summer of 2006.

In other fraud cases, Amanda Anderson was indicted for food stamp fraud over a two year period, Tammy Jean Dees faces insurance fraud charges, and Samantha McLendon is charged with check forgery.

In two sex cases, Johnnie Ray Jones was indicted for sexual molestation of a nine-year-old girl, and Aaron Lee Moody is charged with six counts related to rape and sodomy.

Twenty-six people were indicted in connection with burglaries, robberies and theft.  Burglary indictments were returned against Charity Cravey, John Darden, Tira Jenkins, Gregory White, Ceapher Forman, Jose Lira, Christopher Harris, Jermariah Holland, Charles Tavaris James, Damion Mathews, Samantha McLendon, Ronnie Hackle, Christopher Moss and Johnnie Kicklighter.

Indicted for robbery are Donald Sharp and Larry Mobley.  Theft indictments were returned against Joseph Statum, Lloyd Cook, Travis Lamoy, Johnny Brannon, John Darden, Aaron Adams, Suzanne Currie, Harold Maddox, Jr., Elzie Alford, and Elton Burnette.

Eight people indicted in drug cases include Kamil Ransom, Kenneth Rowland, Kendall Sanders, Luther Hunt, Jamie Springer, Tiffany Thomas, Wayne Ward, and J.B. Gillis, Jr.

In other cases, aggravated assault indictments were returned against Lideo Perez, Juan Reyes and Kenneth Jacobs; Narconda Locke for kidnapping; Stephen McKee and Alfonzo Walker for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; Tina Elise Hill for damaging a Lyons police car;  Michael Phillips for criminal trespass; Garrett Anners and Dustin Hedden for damaging Vidalia Recreation Department vehicles; Needum Hunt for escape enroute to court; Ramon Almanza for obstruction of an officer and Rosemary Wickstrom for making false statements to an insurance investigator.

The grand jury also re-appointed Jack Gibson and George Chapman, Sr. to the Toombs County Board of Equalization.

Blue Angels "Recon" Team Visits Vidalia

Navy Lieutenants Dan McShane (left) and Frank Weisser made a recon trip to Vidalia Friday in preparation for the 2008 Vidalia Onion Festival.  Vidalia is the first stop on the Blue Angels' 2008 itinerary.

December 26--  The New Year is just around the corner and planning is hot and heavy for the 2008 Vidalia Onion Festival Air Show.  The show's headliners, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, paid a reconnaissance visit to Vidalia in preparation for April's show.

"We take a day at each show site and go the months of November and December to plan ahead of time and make sure we are connected to the air show site because we are a team," says Navy Lieutenant Frank Weisser.

Lieutenant Weisser has spent time flying off carriers in the Persian Gulf in support of troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He says the Blue Angels are proud to represent the pilots doing the heavy lifting in the war on terror. "We're trying to show you a little of their professionalism and their expertise here at an air show.  Since the young people of America can't see what they do on a daily basis, this is an opportunity for us to show just a small piece of what they do," Weisser says.

Last year the Blue Angels had to cancel their visit to Vidalia due to a fatal air crash which killed one of their members.  This year, the Atlanta native says they hope to make up for lost time.  "Vidalia is one of the shows, as a Georgia boy myself, that is highest on my list.  It's the start of our air show season so we'll kick it off in style," Weisser promises.

104th Christmas for Mrs. Howell

Mrs. Videlia Howell Celebrates Christmas #104!

December 23--  A Toombs County lady is enjoying her 104th Christmas this year.  Mrs. Videlia Mitchell Howell was born in 1903 in Montgomery County and grew up in Toombs County where she attended school in the Hillsborough community and joined the St. Luke A.M.E. Church of Lyons in 1916 at the age of 13.  In 1926, she married Oliver Howell, a brick mason, and they raised ten children, most of whom are still alive and living in New Jersey.

Mrs. Howell now lives with her daughter, Grace Winbush, and her home at 301 Cobbtown Road was filled with family when we visited Saturday for Mrs. Howell's 104th birthday party.  Growing up, the family sharecropped for a living and grew cotton, tobacco, peanuts, sugar cane, pigs and cows.

Her oldest daugher, 80-year-old Luereaner Johnson, says it's a very special time for the family.  She remembers her mother as a hard worker and someone who made sure her children "minded."

As far as we know, Mrs. Howell is the oldest person in Toombs County.  She has 33 grandchildren, 45 great-grandchildren and 15 great-great grandchildren.

Toombs County High School Wins National Recognition

December 20--  Toombs County High School has made the grade in the search for the best high schools in the nation.  U.S. News and World Report collaborated with Standard and Poor's School Evaluation Services to find the top ten percent of high schools, according to Susan Shafer of the data research company. "We really hope this list will promote and move the policy conversation about education forward in this country," she said.

Nineteen high schools in Georgia made the list and won either gold, silver or bronze ratings.  Toombs County High School is among thirteen schools which won bronze.  Shafer says she hopes the school will continue to excell in the new year, "I think it's good news.  We're going to be looking at schools again next year, and they've got to continue the effort.  They're in the top ten percent in the nation, but it's certainly not time to sit back and relax.  Congratulations, but keep up the good work," she noted.

According to Shafer, the search looked at how well schools were serving all their students.  "We tried to create a methodology that evaluated how well schools were serving all their students, not just those kids who were an automatic shoo-in to go to college.  We wanted to know how well these schools are serving all their students," Shafer said.

The only school in Georgia to earn gold is the Davidson Magnet School in Augusta.  Silver awards went to Columbus High School, Dalton High School, Dekalb School of the Arts, and Johnson Magnet School in Augusta.  Other schools to win bronze in this area include Bleckley County High School, Screven County, Telfair County and Jenkins County.

More details on the program are at www.schoolmatters.com.

January Ruling Expected in Santa Claus Election

December 19--  The longtime mayor of Santa Claus will remain in office until a judge decides if there should be another city election.  Mayor Bernard Harden defeated challenger Al Lewis in November's city election by nine votes.  Lewis filed a petition contesting the election and claiming irregularities in the conduct of the election.

Lawyers for Lewis and the city of Santa Claus squared off in Toombs County Superior Court Wednesday in a hearing before senior Judge William Towson, Sr.  

Lewis' attorney Alan Layne got testimony from city clerk Juanita O'Day that she has never had any state-mandated training for local election supervisors.  In fact, O'Day testified she didn't know she was the election supervisor until it came time to certify the election results the night of the election.  Layne also introduced an ad from The Advance newspaper announcing qualifying dates for the election.  The ad erroneously stated the election would be held November 5th instead of November 6th.  However, it turns out the city submitted the correct date and the error was made by the paper.

Defense attorney Wilson Smith questioned Mayor Harden about the election which was the first contested election in Santa Claus since 1985.  Harden said he arranged for the Tattnall County election supervisor, Diane Callaway, to act as an advisor to poll workers because Mrs. O'Day had been unable to attend training due to illness.  Later, certified poll manager Joy Tootle told the court they called Callaway only once on election day and that was for advice on who should sign certifying the results.  They were referred to the Secretary of State's office which directed Mrs. O'Day to sign.

Tootle, who's been a poll manager for 14 years in Toombs County, said she saw no voting irregularities.  She said she corrected two "unintentional minor irregularities" by telling candidate Lewis he should not be in the voting place and by asking his wife who was wearing a "Vote for Lewis" shirt to leave the building.

Judge Towson asked attorneys to submit written arguments to him by January 7th.  Meanwhile, the Secretary of State's office says Mayor Harden will continue in office pending the judge's decision regarding a new election.   

Bond Issue Will Be Needed to Finance New High School

December 18--  Montgomery County voters will have to approve a bond issue in order for the school board to build a new high school.  That's the bottom line of a planning meeting the board held Tuesday with representatives from the Georgia Department of Education, architects and financiers.  Architect Harold DeLoach estimates a 23-classroom school built on land behind the current high school will cost $11.4 million.  If the board opts to build on a new site and expand the school to 28 classrooms, his estimate is $13.4 million.

The school board has about $7 million in state and local funds to build the school.  In order to pay the balance, citizens will have to extend the school system's one percent school sales tax and okay school bonds for repayment over a period of years using sales tax revenue.  A vote would have to be taken as early as next Fall in order to have the school built and ready for occupancy by 2011.

In another action, the Montgomery school board upheld recommendations to reduce the salaries of two members of the school board's business office.  Raises given business manager Sandy Allen and business services clerk Patricia Adams during the Dale Clark administration were brought to the attention of interim superintendent Dr. Lynn Batten at the beginning of the school year.  The board voted to reduce Allen's pay by nearly $13,000 and Adam's pay by just over $16,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year.  Both had been making about $57,000 a year, according to Dr. Batten.  The board asked him to recommend a new salary structure for the two positions starting in July.

Toombs Budget Includes Pay Raise

December 18--  The Toombs County $9.7 million operating budget for 2008 includes a three percent pay raise for county employees.  Finance committee chairman Louie Powell says the raise adds nearly $120,000 to the county payroll.  Commissioners also okayed Christmas bonuses of $200 for each county employee at a called meeting Monday.  Powell reports the budget contains a $603,000 contingency fund to help with expansion of the county's construction and demolition landfill and $400,000 to pay off county loans from local banks.

Development Authority Seeks to Recover Loan

December 18--  The Toombs County Development Authority has been left holding the bag on a bad loan.  At a called meeting Monday, executive director Bill Mitchell reported Freddie Tippett who operated Custom Surface Decors in Lyons has defaulted on $88,000 the authority lent to his Hawke Investments.  The money was provided by the state as an economic development incentive to help create jobs.  

Treutlen Tornado

December 17--  The cold front that moved through Georgia over the weekend spawned a tornado in Truetlen County.  Sheriff Tommy Corbin reports it did quite a bit of damage late Saturday night in the Lothair community.    "It took out the firehouse.  The fire truck is still sitting there, and the desk, but the building is gone," he said.  Nearby, on John Deere Lane, the sheriff says the mobile home of Lonzie Parks was destroyed, "It totally wiped out the trailer.  It picked it up and twisted it around twice, but he came out without any serious injury," the sheriff said.

Sheriff Corbin says three other homes and a storage shed were damaged, several trees came down, and one of his patrol cars got hit by a falling tree with only minor damage. 

Trane Sold

December 17--  The Trane Company is being sold for $10.1 billion.  A joint press release from Trane and its new owner, Ingersoll Rand, says the transaction should be final by the end of March or in early Spring.  

Trane has more than 29,000 employees and 29 production facilities worldwide, including the Trane plant in Vidalia.  Ingersoll Rand has it's corporate headquarters in Bermuda with 80 manufacturing facilities worldwide and some 35,000 employees. Observers say the acquisition makes the company the largest manufacturer of climate control equipment in the world.

A spokesperson for Trane says the company's focus will be "business as usual" while details of the deal are worked out.  After that, Skip Colcord said it will be up to Ingersoll Rand to make decisions about the company's structure.  Meanwhile, Paul Dickard of Ingersoll Rand says Trane employees have been told there are no plans for major changes in management and production teams.  He says the Trane division will be run as a separate company within Ingersoll-Rand.

Ingersoll Rand is described as "a global diversified industrial firm providing products, services and solutions to transport and protect food and perishables, secure homes and commercial properties, and enhance industrial productivity and efficiency."  The company's Hussman brand manufactures refrigerated display cases while its Thermo-King division builds refrigeration units for cargo trucks and ships.

The sale was discussed at a called meeting of the Toombs County Development Authority Monday morning.  Executive director Bill Mitchell reminded Authority members the sale of Simonton Industries to Fortune Brands last year preceded the announcement to close the Simonton plant in Lyons.  However, he's hopeful history will not repeat itself.

Williams "Excited" About New DOT Commissioner

December 16--  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know the Georgia Department of Transportation is dysfunctional.  In Toombs County, just look at the ongoing saga of the U.S. Highway One four-lane project which has been delayed for over a decade and you have an idea what new DOT Commissioner Gena Abraham is facing.  

However, she's the first commissioner to publicly admit the DOT is in a mess, and that's refreshing according to Senator Majority Leader Tommie Williams of Lyons who supported her appointment.  "It's a very archaic system they have, money was shifted around, and nobody really knew what was going on. But, they'll find out if they leave her there because she is really a crackerjack," Williams says.

Williams, who at one time chaired the Senate Transportation Committee, has been frustrated with the DOT bureaucracy.  He says he's excited that Abraham says she will demand total accountability.  "She is the right person for that job.  Their problem is the inability to deliver projects on time.  She's got problems with staff, problems with insubordination, problems with delivery, and problems with funding.  If she can get these things turned around, then maybe they can get projects moving and out on time," he said.

Senator Williams says the Senate leadership will work with Commissioner Abraham to pass any laws necessary to make DOT project procedures more efficient and effective.  "You know we've got about 6,000 employees over there and they need to be producing work and not lying to the public about when they'll get a job out," he said.

Vidalia Budget Shows Slight Increase

December 13--  The Vidalia city budget shows a slight increase in 2008.  The $7.2 million dollar general fund budget approved by the Vidalia city council this week is about $300,000 more than this year.  The city's $1.9 million water and sewer budget also shows a slight increase, but the city airport's $550,000 budget is a small reduction from this year.

Meanwhile, citizens will be paying more for trash service.  Due to rising fuel prices, Sullivan Environmental Services was granted an increase of 50 cents per residential cart and 35 cents per cubic yard for commercial dumpsters.

The Vidalia council awarded a $78,358.60 contract to McLendon Enterprises for water system improvements on the Ezra Taylor Road.  It also appointed Chris Black to the board of the Vidalia Recreation Department and reappointed John Sharpe to his second term on the board.

City officials say retail sales tax collections are lagging behind last year.  Finance director Bill Bedingfield reports local option sales tax collections are down less than one percent and he predicts collections will come in "flat" after December.  Collections of special purpose local option sales taxes are about 1.4% less than last year.

The Vidalia city council will hold its first meeting of the New Year a week earlier than normal so that new council member Lisa Chesser can be sworn in.  It's set for Monday, January 7 at six p.m.

Vidalia School Board Elects Officers

December 13--  The Vidalia school board has elected its officers for the New Year.  Lisa Adams was re-elected chairman, Bruce Asberry is vice-chairman, Hal Chesser is treasurer, Virginia Sharpe is assistant treasurer, and Mac Jordan is the parliamentarian. 

Unemployment Rate Up in State, Steady in Region

December 13--  The state has released unemployment rates for October.  The statewide rate went up two-tenths of one percent to 4.7 percent out of work.  In our eight county trade area, three counties showed slight improvement, one was unchanged and four showed more people out of work than a year ago.

Appling, Toombs and Tattnall showed slight improvement, Montgomery County showed no change, and Treutlen, Wheeler, Emanuel and Candler counties had increased unemployment.  However, the upcoming closure of Simonton in Toombs County will put more people out of work and increase the unemployment rate as the year ends.

Tougher Dog Fighting Bill Poised for Passage

December 12--  A state senator hopes the publicity surrounding the Michael Vick case will encourage passage of a tougher dog fighting bill in Georgia.  The Humane Society in the U.S. ranks Georgia 49th in the nation because we have no laws against owning dogs for fighting or against being a spectator at a dog fight.

Senator Chip Rogers of Woodstock hopes that will change when the legislature meets in January.  "What this bill will do is criminalize the entire industry of dog fighting," he says.  

Meanwhile, animal lovers in the Toombs County area are laying the groundwork to build a private animal shelter under the auspices of the Sweet Onion Animal Protection Society.  Therisa Ingley says an endowment from the Lake McDonald estate is making it possible.  "It will be a place where we can keep animals until we can find a home for them, as opposed to going to the animal control facility where they can only keep them for a limited period of time," she said.

The long term solution for stray animals, according to Ingley, is for people to have their pets spayed or neutered.

Toombs Budget Increases

December 11--  The Toombs County Commission is expected to approve a $9.7 million dollar budget for next year when it meets Monday morning at ten o'clock at the courthouse in Lyons.  The 2008 budget is $1.5 million more than this year.  Nearly 64 percent of the budget goes to pay salaries and benefits.

At its December meeting Tuesday, commissioners held an executive session and afterwards voted against a $5,000 pay raise for county tax assessor Angela Waldron who makes $50,000 a year.  However, it raised the salary of Willy Haynes in the Tax Assessor's office from $21,000 to $30,000, and gave county clerk Gail Widener a $6,000 raise to $40,000 a year.

In other actions, the commission agreed to terminate the lease of the state probation office in the Charles Durst Detention Center to make more room for the county sheriff's department.  It also approved a $1.50 monthly 911 surcharge for people who use Voice Over Internet Phones (VOIP).

The Middle Judicial Circuit is moving the office of the juvenile court judge from Sandersville to Lyons.  The commission accepted a low bid of nearly $12,000 to renovate an office in the courthouse for Juvenile Court Judge Sherri McDonald.

Commissioners were also informed volunteer fire departments will be inspected in January in an effort to lower fire insurance premiums; that bids should go out in March to expand the county's construction and demolition landfill; and that the Toombs County Boys and Girls Club is seeking funding for a new building.

Home For the Holidays Adopt-A-Thon

"Pick me, pick me," the puppies seem to say to a youngster and his Mom at Saturday's Pet Adopt-A-Thon.

December 11--  Over a hundred visitors stopped by the Vidalia Animal Shelter over the weekend and 24 took home pets.  Therisa Ingley of the Sweet Onion Animal Protection Society reports 19 dogs and five cats were adopted.  She also notes the special $20 holiday adoption rate, which includes spaying and neutering, is continuing through the end of December.

Torrance Appeal Denied

December 10--  The Georgia Court of Appeals has turned down the appeal of Vidalia city manager Bill Torrance in his libel case against the Savannah Morning News.

A Superior Court judge in Richmond County had denied Torrance's request to have a jury trial. The Appeals Court agreed Torrance failed to show the newspaper reporters acted with "actual malice" in their four part-series which was published in early 2003.

"It's a sad ending to it," Torrance said, "because I think those responsible for this yellow journalism should be held responsible and we should have at least been allowed to have a jury hearing to determine if there was actual malice which I feel very strongly there was."

Torrance thanked citizens of Vidalia who supported him and his family.  He also said he believes the paper's performance has hurt its readership and reputation in Vidalia. 

Weekend Drug Arrests in Vidalia

December 10--  Vidalia police report two weekend drug arrests.  Officers say 32-year-old Cedric Gene McKinnis of Katherine Drive was busted while delivering drugs to a user early Sunday morning in the parking lot of a local convenience store.  Police confiscated more than $4,000 worth of marijuana and cocaine and $3,100 in cash.

In another case, 22-year-old Gabriel Lamb of Toombs Street in Vidalia was arrested for possession of cocaine.

Adult Literacy Progress

Dr. Bernice Stokes talks about her trek from "GED to Phd" Thursday night at the Adult Literacy Center in Vidalia.

December 7--  As the year winds up, officials of Southeastern Tech's Adult Literacy Center are assessing the progress of this area's Certified Literate Community Program.

In the last four years, over 1,400 General Education Diplomas, or GEDs, have been earned by students in Toombs, Montgomery and Tattnall counties.  Toombs County teacher Bernice Stokes, who got her GED back in 1978 and has since earned four college degrees including her doctorate, advises anyone without a high school diploma to make a new start in the New Year. "If you're going to walk a thousand miles, you've got to make that first step.  That's the most important thing, and once you do that, the second is not as hard," she says.

The illiteracy rate has dropped from 41% to 38% since the local program started, and the program's first advisory board chairperson, Cathy Moses of Uvalda, says community support has a lot to do with the progress made so far.  "We've tried to get the word out and we've just had a lot of good community support financially and otherwise," she said.

At a literacy program appreciation dinner Thursday night, the state's assistant commissioner for adult literacy, Dr. Josephine Reed-Taylor, says while progress is being made, way too many Georgians don't have the education to make a good living.  "To have 1.4 million Georgians without a high school diploma, that's a travesty given all of the educational resources we have here in the state," she said.

Local literacy officials publicly thanked Cathy Moses for her leadership, Reverend Ron Southerland for personally giving time to help people learn to read, and to Vidalia Communications for supporting the program's efforts to inform the public.

Salvation Army Needs Bell Ringers

December 6--  Everybody is busy this time of year, but the Salvation Army in Vidalia could use a little of your time.  "We can raise the money if we have people out there to ring the bells," says local director Sandy Roberts.

The Salvation Army is trying to provide food, clothing and toys for over 350 families this Christmas and put their kettles out the week before Thanksgiving to get an early start.

"We had good response at first, it seems all of our good bell ringers have already volunteered, and now we need help to finish out," Roberts says.

If you can "ring the bell" for at least an hour, call Sandy at the Salvation Army, 912-538-8203.  "The kettles are doing great," Sandy says, "we just need somebody to bell ring."

If not for the $10,000 the Salvation Army expects to raise with the kettles, Roberts says many families would have no Christmas this year.

Montgomery Co Jail Groundbreaking in January?

December 5--  It sounds like it will be January before groundbreaking for the new privately owned and operated jail in Montgomery County.  During a conference call with Montgomery County commissioners Tuesday, representatives of Michael Croft Enterprises said the holidays and paperwork would delay their plan to break ground before the end of the year.

Montgomery commissioners have also okayed a $10,000 contract to make the county's 911 mapping digitally compatible with the Toombs County 911 Center. Toombs County administers the system for emergencies in Montgomery County.

And Montgomery commissioners are still searching for people to serve on the county tax assessor's board.  The five-member board resigned this year after a county-wide tax revaluation.  Three people have agreed to appointments, but two vacancies still exist.

County employees in Montgomery County are getting a week's pay for their Christmas bonus.  The county commission approved the $15,500 in bonus money at their December meeting.

State Auditors Still On the Job in Montgomery School System

December 5--  State auditors are in their second month of reviewing financial records in the Montgomery County school system.  Interim Superintended Dr. Lynn Batten told his school board this week he has has not been told when they will be finished.  Allegations of misuse of public funds were made against former Superintendent Dale Clark and sparked the examination of cell phone records, travel reports, grants and invoices in the board office.

Dr. Batten has conducted his own investigations since his arrival in September and has referred some of his findings to the District Attorney and the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.  He says he has heard nothing from either office.

Meanwhile, the superintendent is planning a board workshop later this month to discuss the feasibility of building a new county high school.  Nearly $4 million in state funds are available to help with construction and county voters have approved a local option sales tax for education to build a school.  Officials from the State Department of Education are expected to attend the December 18th meeting.

Charter School Seeks State Approval

December 5--  Local education officials are continuing their efforts to start a career academy in Toombs County.  Even though $3 million dollars in state funds were denied to build the school next year, Southeastern Tech President Dr. Cathy Meehan says a request for a state charter will be on the table when the state Board of Education meets in January. Approval of a charter for the Southeastern Early College and Career Academy could be granted in February.

At the same time, officials are reworking their application for state money to start the school on the campus of Southeastern Tech.  They are also asking school officials in Montgomery, Treutlen and Tattnall counties to consider sending students to the career academy. 

Chesser Wins Vidalia Runoff Election

Lisa Chesser (right) is congratulated by Vidalia Election Supervisor Sandy O'Neal on her election to the Vidalia City Council in Tuesday's runoff.

December 4--  For the second time in 30 years, the Vidalia city council will include a female member.  In Tuesday's runoff election, voters in Vidalia's fourth ward chose a hometown girl to represent them.  Lisa Chesser defeated Darren McClellan by 84 votes, 320 to 236.  "You do it with a sincere heart and a sincere desire to serve people and that's all I ever wanted to do.  So now, I get my opportunity and I'm looking forward to it," she said when the results were announced Tuesday night.

The first woman to serve on the Vidalia council, Jo Hamilton, was elected in the 1970's.  Chesser believes being a woman helped her to be a more effective campaigner, "People just seemed to be very open with me and very honest with me about some things they felt like they'd like to see changed.  Having a new perspective and not being involved in government, I think people are just ready for that," she said.

Chesser will succeed veteran councilman Chip Matheson, who chose not to seek re-election, in January. 

Lyons Gets Fed Funds

December 4--  The city of Lyons is one of four in the area to receive federal funds to enhance transportation.  Lyons will receive $300,000 to build a pedestrian and bike trail from downtown to the old train depot.  Three-hundred thousand dollars grants were also made to Metter and Glennville for downtown streetscapes, and Swainsboro gets $90,360 for signs on the Swainsboro bypass.

Toombs Targets Another Site for Model "Convenience Center"

December 4--  Toombs County commissioners are moving on in their quest to build a "model convenience center."  The Commission hopes to build up to eight aesthetically appealing centers where citizens can drop off their trash and recyclables.  The centers would be staffed and located so that residents would have to travel no more than two miles from their homes. 

At a work session Monday, commissioners looked at a piece of property in the Normantown area as a possible location.  Their first choice at the intersection of Aimwell Road Extension and the Lyons-Center Road is tied up waiting for approval from the Corps of Engineers.

The long term plan is to eliminate some 48 unsightly dumpster sites which are a constant source of complaint, according to the commission.

Vidalia Runoff Election

December 3--  Voters in Vidalia's Fourth Ward return to the polls Tuesday to vote in the city council runoff election between two political newcomers, Lisa Chesser and Darrell McClellan.  Chesser got the most votes in a four-candidate race November 6th but was unable to gain a clear majority.

Voting will take place from seven a.m. till seven p.m. at the old Health Department building on Morris Street and at the Vidalia Police Department.

Election officials report 68 people had voted in advance as of close of business Friday and that 114 absentee ballots had been requested.

Local Sex Offender Tracking Ongoing

December 3--  The Georgia Supreme Court has struck down a state law dictating where convicted sex offenders may live, however, they are still required to register with county sheriffs and provide their current home address.

"We won't be making any of them move, but we'll still keep a close on them and know where they live," says Toombs County Sheriff Junior Kight.

There are 27 registered sex offenders living in Toombs County.  Sheriff Kight says it's important for citizens to know where they are.  "Naturally if you live in an area and you have a sex offender living near you, particularly if you have children, you want to know who that sex offender is and where they live.  That also helps us keep them in line, also," the sheriff says.

A listing of sex offenders is maintained on the sheriff's office web page at www.toombscosheriffsoffice.com.  Sheriff Kight encourages citizens to become educated about these people, "If the citizens know who these people are, and if they see suspicious behavior, like walking down to a bus stop or a playground where children are, they need to let us know so we can get onto that and stop something before it happens," he asks.

Traffic Fatality

December 3--  One person was killed in a Toombs County auto accident.  The Georgia State Patrol says 28-year-old Rosendo Castro of Lyons was killed when his vehicle overturned on Highway 56 about three miles west of U.S. Highway One.  His wife and three children were not seriously injured in the Sunday afternoon accident.

Perfect Parade Weather

Pat Dixon of the Downtown Vidalia Association joins Chester Proctor for the radio float-by-float coverage of the 2007 Vidalia Christmas Parade.

December 1--  It was perfect weather Saturday for the Christmas parades in Vidalia and Lyons.  The Downtown Vidalia Association parade committee reports South Central Dance Academy won first and second place for their two parade floats and The Children of the World Daycare Center placed third.

DECEMBER 2007

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