(Feb 14)-- Vidalia school officials plan to open bids in late March for a new sports complex behind Vidalia High School. The school board voted Tuesday night to advertise for bids for construction of the baseball, softball and other sports facilities being paid for by the one percent sales tax approved by voters in November, 1999. The board also gavc the go-ahead to seek a contractor for a $225,000 heating and air conditioning project at Sally Meadows Elementary School. And school officials are planning to rennovate the industrial arts lab at Vidalia High School to make room for an arts studio and two special education classrooms.

Vidalia schools also received kudos from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency for being one of the first school systems in the state to comply with a 1999 state law regarding school safety and emergency planning. State School Safety Director Karen Franklin encouraged parents to insure their emergency contact information is accurate and on file at their children's schools. She also advised parents to talk with their kids and report any information they may hear about potential incidents or students with behavioral/attitude problems.

(Feb 13)-- The GBI has cleared the Vidalia Police Department of any fault in the death of an infant. GBI agent Lee Sweat says Vidalia police officers responded to a domestic dispute Friday night at the residence of Russell and Shannon Jones at 1700 Lakeside Drive, Apt 6. The agent reports police used pepper spray to subdue Russell Jones who was being arrested on domestic violence charges. Later, the couple's two-week old baby daughter, Abagail, was taken to Meadows Regional Medical Center where she died. According to Sweat, an autopsy shows the cause of death as congestive heart failure not related to any actions taken by the police.

(Feb 9)-- The effort by Lyons city councilman Ivey Toole Jr. to strip Daryl Corley of one of his two city jobs has failed. In November, Toole was successful in a 3-2 council vote to remove Corley from the public works director job while remaining as the city fire chief. That action caused a public outcry when citizens learned it would cost an additional $60,000 to hire a public works boss, something Corley had been doing for about $6,000 in addition to his fire chief's salary. At the time, Toole claimed Corley was spread too thin to do a good job for the city. At the February city council meeting, Toole alleged that Corley was misusing city employees and had public works employee Joseph Boyle paint his house on city time. After that discussion, councilman Carlton Robbins made a motion that Corley be reinstated as public works director. Only Robbins and councilman Ben Mitchell voted for the motion, however, it passed when Mayor John Moore exercised his veto to override the votes of Toole, Drayton Oliver and Dickie Alexander.

The day after the city council meeting, Mayor Moore met with Corley and Boyle and reported no misappropriation of city funds to pay Boyle for the work he did for Corley. According to the mayor, Corley donated some of his sick days to Boyle to help him "make a check" after he had been absent from work. The mayor also said Corley exercised poor judgement and that he will not be allowed to employ subordinates in such a fashion in the future.