|
|
Toombs County, GA Archives News Radio Stories |
Click on the county for ftp files of USGenWeb cemetery information. |
Soperton Landfill Closed by EPD
Sep 30-- The state Environmental
Protection Division has closed Soperton's
Federal Indictments
Sep 30-- Two area men have
been indicted by federal grand juries. Twenty-nine-
And a Soperton man, 29-year-old
Evan Lee Bolin, was indicted by a federal grand
Mount Vernon City Council Runoff
Sep 30-- Voters in Mount Vernon
go back to the polls Tuesday, October 8th, to
Refinery Chooses Evans County
Sep 30-- Officials in Appling
County are disappointed that a canola and soybean
WINGS Gets Shelter Grant
Sep 27-- A $500,000 grant
from the state of Georgia will help "Women
Police Chief Progress
Sep 26-- The city council
of Lyons may select the city's new police chief
Burglary Arrests in Lyons
September 24-- Police in Lyons
have made five arrests in connection
United Way "Good Start"
September 19-- The economy
may not be in the best of shape, but folks in
Twenty-two area service agencies
and their clients benefit from the annual
Sweet Onion Classic "Success"
September 18-- The 13th annual Sweet Onion Classic Golf Tournament at
Vidalia Country Club Wednesday grossed about $55,000 and will net over
$40,000 for local community projects according to tournament officials.
Tournament chairman Tom Findlay says the prime recipient of tournament
proceeds this year will be Southestern Technical College which will use about
$30,000 to help equip the new medical technology building now under
construction at the college. Findlay says overall the Sweet Onion Classic has
raised over a million dollars to benefit the community during its history.
Montgomery Elections
September 17-- Montgomery County voters went to the polls Tuesday for
the third time in a month and agreed to extend the county one percent
local option sales tax for five more years. Officials estimate the sales tax
will raise about $3 million over a five year period, and county commission
chairman Arnie Calhoun says it will help hold down county property taxes.
Also, voters in Mount Vernon voted for a new city council member to succeed
Mayor Joey Fountain who vacated his council seat to run for mayor. In a four-
way race, Altamaha EMC employee Jay Coursey drew the most votes, 172, to
retireee Marty Robinson's 137. Byron Braddy got 83 votes, and Susan Demmer
garnered six votes. Officials are unsure if Coursey and Robinson will have to
be in a runoff and city attorney Ed Morrison is researching past city election
laws to see if Coursey can be elected with a plurality. Probate judge Ruby Nell
Sanders says some veteran observers in the county say a plurality is all
that's been needed in the past to gain office in the city.
Toombs County Budget
September 17-- Toombs County commissioners are studying the county's
proposed budget for next year which includes a three percent raise for all
county employees. Overall, the $7,000,000 budget is about $10,000 less
than this year's budget. Tuesday commissioners agreed with a request from
commissioner Durwand NeSmith that the full commission meet with department
heads and county constitutional officers to review the budget in detail.
State solicitor Duston Tapley appeared before the commissioners and appealed
for a $5,000 salary increase, and tax assessor Ed Gartman requested and was
granted an additional $18,000 to hire another worker for his office. The draft
budget shows that the sheriff's office and detention center account for just over
a quarter of the county budget.
The commissioners are also considering a bid from a New Jersey company
to buy all of the county's old voting machines. However, before they sell,
the commissioners will advertise them for sale to any citizen in the county
who wants to buy one. Several private citizens have expressed an interest,
according to commissioner Louie Powell.
Democrats to Visit
September 17-- The state's two top democrats will visit Toombs County prior
to the November general election. Governor Roy Barnes is scheduled to attend
a fund raising luncheon October 2nd, and Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor will
be hosted by state representative Greg Morris of Vidalia September 24th.
Only One Bid for Lyons Project
September 16-- Only one bid was submitted last week for a water and sewer
project in Lyons. Officials say McLendon Construction was the lone bidder
with a cost of about $520,000 to install city sewage service in an area off
highway 178 in East Lyons. The city council will decide at its next meeting
if it wants to accept the bid or re-advertise the project for more bidders.
Vidalia Traffic Death
September 14-- A Lyons man was killed Friday in an auto accident. Police
say 52-year-old Walter "Junior" Jackson of Dorsey Jordan Road was killed
when his car struck a telephone pole at the corner of Kenworth and Highway
280 in Vidalia Friday afternoon.
Credit Card Option for Toombs Taxpayers
September 13-- If money is
a little tight around your house when you get
Meanwhile, Toombs County commissioners
have set the county's property
Montgomery Voters Back to Polls Tuesday
Sep 13-- For the second Tuesday
in a row, voters in Montgomery County
And voters in Mount Vernon will
also vote for an open seat on the city
Police Get Tough on Rivalry Vandalism
September 12-- Police in Lyons
and Vidalia say enough is enough when it comes
Armed Robbery Suspects Arrested
September 12-- Police in Mount
Vernon have made two arrests in the armed
Consolidating High Schools "Dead Issue"
Sep 11-- Even though the Montgomery
County School System is
The Montgomery County school board
is facing some hard decisions
Officials won't know until the end
of September or early October
Local Runoff Results
Sep 11-- In the republican
runoff for lieutenant-governor, senator Mike Beatty
Beatty won in 100 of Georgia's 159
counties, including Toombs, Montgomery and
In other runoffs, voters in Toombs,
Montgomery and Treutlen went with the
Suspects Still Free
Sep 10-- Police in Mount Vernon
say they have yet to catch two men wanted
Boy Charged With Shooting
Meanwhile, a 17-year-old Vidalia
boy is being charged with aggravated
Portable Signs Regulated in Vidalia
Sep 9-- The Vidalia city council
is taking steps to control the proliferation
In other news, the city of Vidalia
has recieved a $250,000 check from the state
EPA OK's Funding
Sep 9-- The Environmental
Protection Agency has cleared spending of
Treutlen Leads Area SAT Scores
Sep 6-- Seniors at Treutlen
High School lead the area in Scholastic
Based on results provided by the
schools, among college-prep students, Treutlen
Among seniors not enrolled in college
prep courses, Treutlen is tops with a total
Growth in Student Enrollment
Sep 6--Most area schools are reporting
increased enrollments as the new school
Brewton Parker College in Mount
Vernon has a four percent increase in
Among public school systems, Vidalia
reports a system-wide increase of 71 students
Skeleton Found in Nunez
Sep 5-- It could be a while
before the state crime lab can come up with a
Lothridge Resigns
Sep 5-- A month after she
started as director of the newly created
Not Guilty in Chinese Trial
Sep 4-- After hearing
two days of tedious translated testimony, a Toombs
Lyons City Council
Sep 4-- Bids will be opened
September 12th in Lyons for a water and sewer
Meanwhile, Lyons mayor John Moore
says he expects city property taxes in
At its September meeting, the council
agreed to meet in closed session September
The council also agreed to help
mount another push to clean up Hallmark Park off
Montgomery County Will Appeal Decision
Sep 3-- The case of Montgomery
County Tax Commissioners Lawana
Sharp's daughter, Stacie Randolph,
attended the commissioner's meeting
County attorney Macky Bryant is
appealingl the case to the Georgia Court of
Roy Fletcher Dies
Sep 3-- One of Vidalia's leading
citizens was buried Tuesday. Seventy-
Safe Found in River
Sep 3-- Divers last week found
a safe which had been stolen from a Mount
News Break - Vidalia Communications.
This site is a member of The American History and Genealogy Project (AHGP), an unincorporated not-for-profit network of independent sites devoted to History & Genealogy, and covering North American Countries and Territories. For more information about our group, including how you can join us, please see our About page.
inert landfill which was used to
dispose of yard trash and some household items
like old sofas. Mayor Greg
Higgs says the city has to pay a $5,000 fine for
violating state law on operating
the landfill and must meet state standards before
the landfill can be reopened.
The city won't be able to do any curbside pickup
until further notice, and Mayor
Higgs says that may not happen until after
the first of the year.
year-old Eric Stokes of Toombs
County was indicted by a grand jury in Statesboro
for possession of a firearm by
a convicted felon. He's accused of possessing two
semi-automatic pistols and aiding
and abetting interstate commerce of the weapons.
jury sitting in Dublin on three
counts related to the manufacture and possession
of methamphetamine. Bolin
was arrested by Treutlen County sheriff Wayne Hooks
in August after he found a meth
lab in Bolin's home at 711 Louisiana Avenue
in Soperton.
vote in a runoff election for city
council. The two top vote-getters in the September
17th special election, Jay Coursey
and Marty Robinson, are in the runoff. Coursey
received 172 votes and Robinson
got 137 votes in the earlier voting. The winner
will fill the unexpired term of
Mayor Joey Fountain who resigned from the city
council to run for mayor.
oil refinery has bypassed Baxley.
The Farmers Oilseed Cooperative will locate
its $50 million processing refinery
in the Claxton-Evans County Industrial Park.
Cordele had also been in the running
for the plant.
in Need of Gods Shelter (WINGS),"
build a shelter for abused women and
children in the Vidalia area.
Karen Brantley, who's been chairing the campaign
to raise money for a shelter, says
officials in Montgomery County led the way
in applying for a regional grant
to build the new facility. Montgomery County
commission chairman Arnie Calhoun
was in St. Simons Friday to accept the
check from the Department of Community
Affairs. Brantley says the Toombs
area has some of the highest rates
of domestic abuse in the state and WINGS
hopes the shelter will turn the
tide on that situation. She says they still need to
raise another $150,000 to fully
fund the construction which she thinks will
start early next year.
at its Tuesday night meeting.
Mayor John Moore says the council has
interviewed six candidates and
held a closed meeting to discuss which
person should be hired. Interim
police chief Jack Caves has held the job
since chief James Reid resigned
several months ago.
with burglaries and desecration
of a church. Investigator Richard Newsome
reports 19-year-old Benjamin Delegal
of Lyons and 20-year-old Craig Johnson
of Metter along with three teenagers
under age 17 are being charged with four
counts of burglary and one count
of vandalizing the East Gordon Church. Three
other homes on State Street were
burglarized and police said the thiefs left gang
writing on walls and furniture
in the houses and the church. Officers searched
a house at 110 South Madison Street
in Lyons and recovered most of the stolen
property.
Toombs, Montgomery and Wheeler
counties are optimistic when it comes to
this year's annual United Way campaign.
At the kickoff meeting Thursday,
officials were elated when the
pacesetter companies reported initial donations
totaling nearly $188,000, nearly
half of the $385,000 goal. Campaign chairperson
Eddie Tyson said he was confident
the goal would be met after local Trane
Company manager Denny McShane reported
Trane employees and the company
were contributing nearly $107,000
to the cause. Other initial pacesetter contributions
include over $25,000 from Plant
Hatch, nearly $14,000 from Darby Bank,
$10,000 from Meadows Regional,
over $9,000 from Walmart, and $8,800 from
Southeastern Tech. Other
fundraisers have raised nearly $16,000.
campaign with almost 100 percent
of all contributions staying in the local
area, according to United Way director
Patricia Dixon. The campaign will
continue through November 21st.
your Toombs County property tax
bill this year, you'll have the option of
paying with a Visa or Mastercard.
Toombs County Tax Commissioner
Glenda Williams is running a 90-day
pilot program with BB&T Bank
starting when this year's tax bills
go out in October. If there's enough
interest in the credit card option,
Williams says it will be considered for
permanent use.
tax rate at 11.97 mils, the same
rate as last year, but the taxes will bring in
about $100,000 less than last year
because the county tax digest went down
this year. Tax assessor Ed
Gartman says overall the county tax digest had a
net loss of over $3.5 million.
Gartman says property taxes pay for about
half of the county budget.
Toombs commissioners are meeting at nine o'clock
Tuesday and are expected to approve
the county's 2003 budget.
are being asked to come to the
polls. The county is seeking voter approval
to extend its one percent local
option sales tax which officials estimate will
raise about $3 million over a five-year
period. Commission chairman Arnie
Calhoun earlier told a commission
meeting that approval is critical to the
financial well-being of the county.
council. Four candidates
running for the seat formerly held by Mayor
Joey Fountain are Byron Braddy,
Jay Coursey, Susan Demmer and
Marty Robinson.
to the vandalism which has damaged
or destroyed property as a prelude to the
annual football clash between the
football teams in the two towns. With the game
set for September 20th, vandals
have already struck by spray painting "TCHS"
on the entrance sign at Sharpstead
sub-division and on the fieldhouse at Charles
Wood Field. Lyons police
chief Jack Caves says there's nothing wrong with a
good rivalry on the field, but
damaging property is stepping over the line. Both he
and Vidalia police chief Daryl
Collins say vandals will be prosecuted and if damage
exceeds $500, is will bring a felony
charge.
robbery and shooting Monday at
Radford's Cleaners in the town. Police
chief B.L. Horne says 20-year-old
Roger Peeples and 19-year-old Michael
Hunt, both of Mount Vernon, are
both being charged with armed robbery
and aggravated assault. He
says anonymous tips led to their arrests Wednesday
and the chief thanked county sheriff
Clarence Sanders and chief deputy Calvin
Burns for helping him with the
case. Dry Cleaner's owner Raymond Salter of
Soperton is recovering from a gunshot
wound in the wrist which happened
during the robbery.
running on a tight budget, school
superintendent Dale Clarke says
merging the county high school
with Vidalia High School is not an
option. The school board
rejected the concept in a unanimous vote
this week.
on property tax millage rates and
won't be able to set the county tax
rate until they know the new value
of the recently revalued county
tax digest. Some have suggested
that a merger of high schools could
save the school system money, however,
Clark says school board
members were bombarded with phone
calls opposing the suggestion.
what the county school tax millage
rate will be. Public hearings will be
required if the millage rate is
not lowered to avoid a windfall tax
increase because of the property
revaluation.
of Jefferson has conceded the election
to Steve Stancil of Cherokee County.
In a close statewide race, Stancil
beat Beatty by a one percent margain, or 2,001
votes. Beatty could request
a recount, but his office says he's already called
Stancil conceding the election.
Stancil will face democrat incumbent Lieutenant
Governor Mark Taylor in November.
Treutlen counties. However,
observers say he lost because local runoff
elections in Cobb and Cherokee
counties turned out more voters in Stancil's home
terrority.
statewide winner for the school
superintendent's nomination. Barbara Christmas
defeated Joe Martin three-to-one
in Toombs and Montgomery counties and two-to-one
in Treutlen County. In the
republican runoff for secretary of state, Toombs, Montgomery
and Truetlen counties all voted
for the statewide winner, Charlie Bailey who defeated
Vernadette Broyles.
in connection with an armed robbery
and shooting Monday afternoon at a dry
cleaners in Mount Vernon.
Chief B.L. Horne reports police are still looking for
a 1984 burgundy colored Chevrolet
Caprice which was seen leaving the area
after the robbery of Radford's
Cleaners. He says two black males entered the
cleaners and shot owner Raymond
Salter without warning. Had he not reacted
by putting his hands in front of
his face, he could have been killed or seriously
injured. The bullet from
the small caliber handgun hit him in the wrist damaging
flesh and tendons. Salter
has been released from Meadows Regional Medical
Center and is recovering.
Police say the two men got less than $150 dollars in
the robbery and they suspect both
are still in the area.
assault in the shooting of his
uncle Sunday afternoon in Vidalia. Police
chief Daryl Collins reports Wesley
Cobb allegedly shot his uncle, Larry
Lee Cobb of Lyons, during a domestic
dispute at 1121 East 7th Street
in Vidalia. Police say the
uncle was shot with a .22 caliber rifle and
luckily only received a scalp wound.
of all those billboard type portable
signs you've seen mushrooming around
town. Monday night the council
amended the city's sign ordinance requiring
that temporary portable signs may
only be used to advertise one time events,
will only be allowed 30 days per
year, may not be located on public right
of way, and require permits prior
to placement. The council also ruled that
those small disposable signs on
wire frames require a permit and a $150 dollar fee,
most of which will be refunded
if the signs are removed in a timely manner.
Some exceptions were made for signs
for construction, political, real estate, church
and non-profit, charitable organizations.
of Georgia to rennovate 5,000 square
feet of the old Belk building downtown
as the new home of the Ladson Genealogical
Library. The remainder of the
building is also being rennovated
and architectural renderings of the new design
will be displayed at the September
26th general membership meeting of the
Downtown Vidalia Association.
$700,000 in federal funds to help
pay for infrastructure in the new Toombs
Industrial Park on U.S. One north
of Lyons. Officials have been waiting
over a year for the EPA clearance
in order to proceed with installation of
water and sewer in the new park.
Lyons Mayor John Moore is hopeful work
will begin in a week to ten days.
In addition to extending water and sewer lines
from Lyons, the project will include
a deep well and water tank in the park.
Mayor Moore estimates the overall
cost at up to $1.6 million. Financing is being
done by the federal grant, $500,000
in state funds, and by the city of Lyons.
Aptitude Test Scores. Both
Viking college-prep seniors and non-college-
prep seniors have higher SAT scores
than their high school counterparts in Vidalia,
Toombs County and Montgomery County.
leads the way with a total score
of 1143, Vidalia is second at 1077, Toombs County
is third with 1016, and Montgomery
County is fourth with 975.
score of 854, Toombs County is
second with 818, Vidalia is third at 771 and
Montgomery County is fourth at
745.
year gets started.
enrollment from last Fall and currently
has 1,269 students. In Swainsboro,
East Georgia College reports an
increase of nearly ten percent to 1,549 students
this fall.
for a total enrollment of almost
2,400 students. Montgomery County schools are
about the same as last year with
1,400 students, and Truetlen County schools report
an increase of 25 students to 1,125
pupils.
report on a skeleton which was
found in the Nunez area. Emanuel County
Sheriff Tyson Stephens believes
the remains are those of an adult female
and that they have been at the
wooded location near railroad tracks for up
to seven years. The sheriff
suspects that foul play was the cause of death.
He says there are no unsolved murder
cases in Emanuel County and the
Toombs County Sheriff's office
has no record of a missing person from this
area. Because of the age
of the case, officials say it could be a while before
the crime lab gets around to it.
Vidalia Area Convention and Visitors
Bureau, Chari Lothridge is resigning.
She said the resignation was for
personal reasons. The new bureau is governed
by the Regional Tourism Commission
of Toombs and Montgomery counties and
is designed to attract visitors
to the two-county area. Tourism chairperson Lisa
Adams says the resignation is a
setback for the new tourism organization, but that
recruiting efforts will be initiated
immediately to find a new director. Local governments
are helping fund the new regional
tourism council to spur economic development in the
local area.
County jury Wednesday acquitted
a Chinese man from Gainesville of
burglary. Wu Qin Di had been
accused of stealing almost $1,500 from the
home of Kenny Tang on Maple Drive
in Vidalia in April, 2000. A juror said
the translation from Chinese to
English made the case hard to follow, but in
the end the jury felt there was
insufficient evidence to convict.
project to serve 30 to 35 families
off Highway 178 in east Lyons. The project
is being funded with a half million
dollar state grant.
the coming year to remain at the
same two mils which was in effect this year.
The city council will hold a public
hearing on the tax rate at its October meeting
16th and 17th to interview six
candidates for the police chief's job, heard that a new
city garbage truck should be delivered
by September 23rd, and okayed a pro-life
demonstration in downtown Lyons
on October 6th. Similar demonstrations are planned
on Highway 292 and in Vidalia.
Northeast Broad Street. Local
residents say the park is a drug haven and that dealers
continually vandalize the park.
Mayor Moore says the police department needs
information from the community
to catch the dope dealers and users in action.
Sharp is entering a new phase.
Montgomery County commissioners voted
Tuesday to appeal a judge's decision
that Sharp would not have to repay
an estimated $80,000 in tag fees
which she collected over a ten-year period.
They also voted to ask the district
attorney to review their evidence for
possible criminal prosecution.
Judge H. Frederick Mullis ruled last month
that Sharp committed no fraud nor
deception and thought she was entitled
to the fees until the matter was
examined during the 2001 county audit.
and defended her mother.
She said Judge Mullis' decision should be allowed
to stand, however, commission chairman
Arnie Calhoun said the commission
has a responsibility to county
taxpayers to pursue the matter.
Appeals and has written a letter
to Oconee Judicial Circuit district attorney
Tim Vaughn requesting consideration
of criminal prosecution of the tax
commissioner.
seven-year old Roy Fletcher was
named the Vidalia citizen of the year
in 1987, and was acknowledged as
the father of Southeastern Technical
College for the role he played
in having the college located in Vidalia. He
was the school's first chairman
of the board and served nine years on the
board. Mr. W. Roy Fletcher Obituary - Savannah Morning News - posted Tuesday, September 3, 2002.
Vernon residence and dumped in
the Ocmulgee River near Lumber City.
Mount Vernon police chief says
17-year-old Christopher Powell of Glenwood
helped three others steal the safe
from his grandparents home. Police say
an estimated $10,000 was taken
from the safe. Powell and another teenager,
17-year-old Joshua Turner of Mount
Vernon, were later arrested on drug
charges in Vidalia. Turner's
father, Robert, and his uncle, Danny, were also
arrested by Mount Vernon police
and charged with the burglary and theft by
taking. Police chief B.L.
Horne says part of the quartet's motive was to get
money to buy drugs.
References
http://www.vidaliacommunications.com/news.shtml
Search
"toombs+county+georgia+news+radio" search on:
All the Web -
AltaVista -
America Online -
Chubba -
Deja - Excite -
Google -
Go - HotBot -
Lycos -
Northern Light -
Open Directory Project -
SurWax -
Teoma -
WISEnut -
Yahoo
URL: http://toombs.150m.com/news/radio/2002/September.htm Updated: Sunday, October 27, 2002. Top
