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Feb 28-- Vidalia native son Gary Campbell is the town's citizen of the year for 2002. Long a leader in civic, church and community organizations, Campbell is Vidalia's 55th citizen of the year. He was honored in ceremonies Thursday night hosted by the Vidalia Kiwanis Club at the First United Methodist Church.
Feb 27-- A court hearing on removal from office of the Montgomery County Tax Assessors is in recess until Vidalia physician Dr. Ronnie Smith can prove everybody on his removal petition is actually a property owner in the county as required by state law.
Macon attorney Hale Almand challenged nine names on Smith's petition as arguments opened Thursday before Judge Frederick Mullis at the Wheeler County courthouse in Alamo. State law requires a removal petition contain the names of at least 100 property owners, but Almand claims the 106 names on Smith's list has only 97 valid names because the names of Joyce Powell, Melissa Moore, Karen Bishop, John Hudson, Bobby Mobley, Lois Wood, Sam Sullivan, Wally Adams and Ms. C.E. Thompson are not recorded in the courthouse as property owners.
Judge Mullis gave Dr. Smith until five p.m. Monday to produce proof that the nine own property, or he said he would dismiss the case. The tax assessors' attorney says if Smith can prove they own property, then they haven't been properly filing their property tax returns.
Dr. Smith says if the nine can't be confirmed as property owners, he'll get more signatures on a new petition and start the removal process all over again.
Feb 25-- The Vidalia city council spent most of its called meeting Tuesday hearing from Tony Zorn of Vidalia who's complaining about how the city is going about reclaiming leased hangars at the Vidalia airport and challenging dollar amounts which the city is offering for his hangar. Zorn feels the city's airport committee headed by Tom Peterson is operating in a closed fashion without input from area pilots. However, the city says pilot Donald Brantley has been attending committee meetings on behalf of hangar owners at the airport.
The city has been involved with a multi-million dollar upgrade of the airport in the last few years and is revamping procedures to bring privately-leased general aviation hangars up to city standards. Zorn says that will cost him an estimated $7,000 in improvements plus double his annual lease costs. And if he sells his hangar to the city, Zorn says the city's offer is $8,000 less than he paid for it. Mayor Ronnie Dixon advised Zorn to contest the city's offer through condemnation proceedings and arbitration if he's not satisfied. Two other hangar owners, Bob Moore and David Lovins, are also unhappy with the city's offer, according to city manager Bill Torrance, and they may also go to arbitration.
Zorn claims the general public should be made aware of the city's approach to the airport users, however, Mayor pro tem Chip Matheson says most people are not concerned with the handful of hangar owners and believe people who own airplanes can afford to pay the fees.
The city also approved the estimated $31,000 it will cost to pave a road into the airport for the Onion Festival air show. The festival committee will reimburse the city for the costs.
Feb25-- The Concerned Citizens Coalition of Vidalia has formed a committee to meet with the city about the future of city parks in primarily African-American neighborhoods. City manager Bill Torrance met with the coalition Monday night and said the city would appreciate any help it can get from the group. Member Carol Hansley says the parks are "looking delapidated" and need renewing. Torrance said graffitti and vandalism are a constant problem in the Flossie Hayes Park, and that neighborhood drug problems around Miller Park on Epstein Street have "run the small kids off." He also said the city would welcome the coalition's input on the future of the city swimming pool.
The coalition also honored Reverend H.W. Miller for ten years of service to the group as a past chairman and board member.
Feb 24-- High winds with the storm front which moved through the area Saturday downed power lines, dozens of trees, and damaged buildings in Lyons and Montgomery County. Bobby Dixon of the Lyons Presbyterian Church says the wind knocked down the church's fiberglass steeple. In Montgomery County, Sheriff Clarence Sanders reports a tree fell on the corner of Mae Jones home, and took off a porch attached to a mobile home. There were no injuries reported.
Feb 20-- A Montgomery County man has been cleared of most charges growing from an incident in which his wife was killed. Truck driver Reginald Burns of Higgston was arrested in December, 2001 after his wife was shot and killed when she opened fire on Montgomery County deputies who were attempting to serve her with arrest warrants. Deputy William Fulford had part of his hand blown off by the shotgun blast and deputy Michael Mayben was slightly injured. Burns answered the door the night of the incident.
A Montgomery County jury acquitted Burns on one count of assault, two counts of making terroristic threats, and one count of obstruction of justice. The jury was hung on a second obstruction charge.
Defense attorney Mitch Shook has put Montgomery County on notice he intends to file a federal lawsuit alleging the deputies violated the civil rights of 36-year-old Cheryl Burns. He's seeking damages of $2 million on behalf of her husband and two children. During the superior court trial, Shook says probate judge Ruby Nell Sanders testified that neither the oath of office nor the bond of one of the deputies, deputy Dana Cooper, is recorded in the courthouse which Shook claims is required by state law. Sheriff Clarence Sanders says he witnessed the deputy's swearing in by Judge Gary Braddy when she joined the department in 1998, but doesn't know why it was never made a matter of record. The lawyer says the technicality could call into question all the arrests the deputy has made in the last five years. He argued that Sheriff Sanders or more experienced deputies should have served the warrants on Burns due to previous run-ins between her and the department.
Feb 20-- An East Georgia College professor is pleading not guilty in the death of his wife last year. Walter Mason's attorney entered a not guilty plea for his client last week. The professor was arrested last May after his wife was found in their home in Swainsboro with a fatal stab wound in her throat. He's been out on bond since last June pending a trial which has yet to be scheduled.
Feb 20-- Wheeler County commissioners plan on calling a referendum on a one percent special purpose local option sales tax. If approved by the voters, funds would be used for a county recreation complex, funding of a county 911 system and ambulance service, and by city officials in Alamo and Glenwood. The date of the vote has yet to be set.
Feb 18-- A shooting Monday evening killed a Montgomery County woman. Sheriff Clarence Sanders says Nancy Smith bled to death after being shot in the neck by her common law husband, Frank Lloyd. Officers says the woman's body was found on Pernell Street, the dirt road which runs in front of the couple's home in Higgston, after Lloyd allegedly shot her with a .22 caliber magnum pistol. Five children were at the house at the time of the shooting. Sheriff Sanders said two belonged to the couple, one to the dead woman, and two were staying at the house while their parents were off working. He says the kids have been placed with other family members. The GBI is assisting with the investigation. No motive yet for the killing.
Feb 17-- A Monday morning fire destroyed a home on the North Thompson Pond Road. Vidalia Fire Chief Buddy Coleman says the home of Mildred Sowell was engulfed in flames when firemen arrived on the scene. She told him a heater in the wood frame house started the blaze. Volunteer firemen from Montgomery County and Normantown also responded. There were no injuries.
Feb 16-- The local authority which will oversee construction of a new Vidalia-Toombs County sports complex continues its organization efforts. At its latest meeting Thursday, Lyons Mayor John Moore signed an agreement for Lyons to participate along with the city of Vidalia, Toombs County, and the Vidalia and Toombs County boards of education. The group is now reviewing draft bylaws for what will be called the "Three Rivers Sports Complex Authority." The complex is planned for construction off the Ezra Taylor Road between Vidalia and Lyons and will be shared by the football teams of Toombs County and Vidalia. Up to $2 million in sales money will finance the stadiium.
Feb 16-- The defense came up one juror short in getting a not guilty verdict in the sexual assault case of former Montgomery County High School coach Hector Ramirez. After deliberating for more than four hours Saturday, the jury of four women and eight men voted eleven to one to acquit the coach of charges that he had sex with a former student, 18-year-old Tiffany Burkett. After being assured by the jury it was hung, Judge Phillip West declared a mistrial, and prosecutor Karen Jenkins later told defense attorney Frances Stubbs the district attorney will decide if the state will seek a new trial. In his summation, Stubbs raised doubts about the credibility of testimony given by the girl and cautioned the jury, "don't base your verdict on the testimony of a liar."
Feb 16-- Official logos for the upcoming Vidalia Onion Festival have been selected. The logo for the 26th annual festival was designed by Tammy Lynn, a graphic designer at Meadows Regional Medical Center. And the winning designer for the logo you'll see at the Onion Festival children's parade is Joel Toole, a freshman at East Georgia College. Both logos will adorn t-shirts and various other festival items during this year's festival April 10-13.
Feb 14-- A contract has been awarded for paving of two roads in Toombs County. Toombs commissioners opened bids Friday and awarded a $717,000 contract to Edward Dykes Construction for paving over two miles of the Henry O'Neal Road and the Ben Hill Usher Road. Officials say the state will pay about half the costs of the project.
Feb 13-- A Macon attorney has filed an appeal in Montgomery County Superior Court to have a judge throw out a recently ordered countywide property revaluation. Lawyer Hale Almand has been hired by the county Board of Tax Assessors to challenge last month's decision by the county Board of Tax Equalization. The appeal was filed Thursday and Almand says he's hoping for an expedited court hearing of the case.
Feb 12-- The recent property tax dispute in Montgomery County has brought charges and counter-charges about the qualifications of members of both the Board of Tax Assessors and the Board of Tax Equalization. The state requires board members to attend state-run training sessions at various times during their tenure.
On Wednesday, the head of the property tax division of the state department of revenue responded to our request that he review the qualifications and render a judgment. Larry Griggers says both assessor board members, Howard Morris and Robert Brewer, are current with their training. Likewise, equalization board members Don Burchelle, Thomas Thompson and Roy Curl are current. Alternate board member Russel Smith's training currency expired in December, 2001. Griggers also confirmed that equalization board member Thompson should not have been on the board of equalization while he was a member of the Ailey city council. He resigned from the council in December, but has been on the board since 1993. That's a violation of state conflict of interest laws, according to Griggers.
And he says county tax appraiser Lawrence McCall doe not meet state requirements to be Montgomery's county's chief appraiser. McCall is a level 2 appraiser, but the county requires a level 3 appraiser, according to state law.
The director also reports that Montgomery County has been informed his department is turning down a request to review last year's property revaluation. He said it would be inappropriate since it might bias the appeal process.
Feb 11-- Montgomery County citizens who live within about four miles of the Vidalia city limits may soon be paying more for fire insurance. Montgomery County commissioners are refusing to pay a share of the costs of a fire truck used by Vidalia to respond to the fires, and the Vidalia city council voted Monday night to discontinue the protection. Vidalia city manager Bill Torrance says former county commission chairman Arnie Calhoun made a verbal commitment to pay 25 percent of the costs, but he's been unable to get the full commission to approve payment.
In other news, the Montgomery County commission held a called meeting Tuesday and approved a request from the Board of Tax Assessors for the county to hire an outside attorney to appeal the January decision by the Board of Tax Equalization which ordered a new county-wide property revaluation. The commissioners also okayed a property tax refund of $1,900 to landowner Van Thompson for overcharges on his tax bill. And the commission terminated county public works and emergency management director Danny Fountain. County manager Keith Hamilton says a replacement will be hired for the emergency management job.
Back in Vidalia, the city has awarded a contract to T&A Construction to extend water to newly annexed areas of Forest Lake Drive and the Bob Sharp Road. And, the city is requesting bids from companies which may want to operate the city's public works department. The city's contract with OMI, Inc expires the end of May and officials want to see if they can get a better deal elsewhere. OMI has been doing the job for the past nine years.
Feb 9-- Nine young women competed in the 2003 Miss South Central Georgia Scholarship Pageant in Vidalia and the winner is Angela McCall of Mount Vernon. Angela has won more than $10,000 in scholarship pageants and will now have the chance to compete for even more at the Miss Georgia pageant this summer in Columbus. First runner-up was Mindy Swain of Reidsville and Lindsay Sikes of Claxton gets second runner-up. Celena Mead of Santa Claus was named Miss Congeniality.
In the Teen Miss South Central Georgia, Quortney Wright of Lyons took the crown with first runner-up Calah Tatum of Dexter and second runner-up Kristen Sanders of Lyons.
Feb 7-- The Montgomery County Board of Tax Assessors is going to court to try and get a judge to overrule a decision by the Board of Tax Equalization. On January 16, Vidalia physician Dr. Ronnie Smith appealed to the equalization board regarding the tax assessor's revaluation of his property and got a decision ordering a new county-wide property revaluation due to lack of uniformity in the 2002 revaluation.
In a called meeting Friday, tax assessor board chairman Robert Brewer and member Howard Morris both voted to appeal the case in Montgomery County Superior Court. A third board member, 78-year-old James Fortner, resigned January 22 citing "family health problems."
Meanwhile, Dr. Smith has filed a petition in superior court containing 125 property owners' names calling for the removal from office of Brewer and Morris claiming they had failed to maintain their state required training standards. Brewer denies those allegations and questions the qualifications of board of equalization members Don Burchell, Thomas Thompson, Roy Curl and Russell Smith. He says none of them have completed all of their required training, but that has not been made an issue by Dr. Smith.
Feb 6-- The Red Cross has re-organized its structure in this area with the Toombs-Montgomery Chapter being designated a service center under the auspices of the Bulloch County Chapter headed by Kathleen Kosmoski. The local service center is located in the Ross Bowen Building near the Toombs County courthouse in Lyons, and new office manager Debbie Toole wants residents to know she is ready to provide Red Cross services and support. With a possible war with Iraq on the horizon, that aspect of Red Cross service is even more important. The United Way funds a portion of the local service center's operating funds, but donations and volunteers are still needed to provide adequate service, according to Kosmoski. The service center number in Lyons is 526-3150.
New members of the advisory council include Trent Aikens, Macky Bryant, Marion Forrest, Cheryl Gay, Joy Lewis, Elaine Mincey, Lynn Moore, Kendall Palmer, Doris Smith, Randy Templin and Ann Todd.
Feb 5-- Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia reports no interruption of service due to Red Cross blood supply problems. A spokesperson for the hospital said the Red Cross quarantined about 75 percent of the hospital's supply after discovering white particles in some blood which had been distributed to numerous hospitals in southeast Georgia. Since then, new blood has been supplied and hospital officials says Meadows is back up to about 90 percent of its normal inventory. No surgeries were cancelled and emergency room operations were not impacted, according Cheryl Gay at the medical center.
Feb 5-- The Lyons city council has authorized Mayor John Moore to get some cost estimates on the city providing water and sewer to the joint Toombs County-Vidalia sports stadium which will be built between Lyons and Vidalia. The city has previously agreed to be a partner in the project, however, the amount of monetary support has yet to be determined. The council asked the mayor to get some "ballpark" estimates from the city's engineering consultant.
At its meeting Tuesday night, the council also set qualifying dates for this year's November 4th election to elect the mayor and two city council members. Elections will be held for the Ward 3 seat now held by Ivey Toole and the Ward 5 seat of Drayton Oliver. Qualifying will be from September 8th thru the 12th.
Feb 5-- A spokesman for Governor Sonny Perdue says a review panel to look at the job status of Treutlen County Sheriff Wayne Hooks should be appointed, "shortly." Sheriff Hooks is under federal indictment for allegedly assaulting two people arrested for DUI. The governor will appoint a three-member panel consisting of two county sheriffs and the state attorney general to review the case and make a recommendation to the governor whether Sheriff Hooks should remain on the job or be suspended with pay until his court case is resolved. His deputy, Ryan Griner, is also charged in the case and has been suspended with pay by the Treutlen County commissioners.
Feb 5-- Two south Georgia men are going to federal prison in fraud cases. Seventy-six year old Erwin Rabhan of Swainsboro will serve five years and pay over $11.5 million in restitution. He defrauded banks in Atlanta and Florida for money to build a baby formula factory for the Kingdom of Swaziland and to construct a catfish processing plant in Wrightsville.
And a former Douglas CPA, 42-year-old Ralph Wills got a five-month jail term, five months of home confinement, and a $15-thousand fine for filing a false tax return for tax year 1988.
Feb 4-- The chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Tax Assessors wants to appeal the recent decision of the county board of equalization which ordered a new county-wide revaluation of property. Robert Brewer asked the Montgomery County commission to endorse his position at their meeting Monday, however, the commissioners refused. At the same time, assessor board member Howard Morris says he's still undecided if the decision should be appealed to superior court. The deadline to file an appeal is February 17.
Brewer also disputed allegations that the board of assessors is not qualified and said the Georgia Department of Revenue has certified the qualifications. The commission granted his request for $2,500 to upgrade the tax assessor's computer system and to provide additional training for office staff. Brewer also recommended all taxpayers check their bills to ensure conservation credits were deducted from bills. He knows of at least one taxpayer who was overcharged and may be due a refund from the county.
Citizen Steve Miller asked the commissioners for a status report in case of county tax commissioner Lawana Sharpe. The county is appealing a superior court decision which said she did not have to repay erroneously collected tag registration fees, and is also seeking a criminal investigation by the district attorney. Commissioners had no status reports on the case, but Miller said he had talked with the district attorney and did not expect any action to be taken by the DA.
Miller also asked why Sharpe had her daughter working for her in violation of county personnel policy. County attorney Macky Bryant said the policy does not apply to constitutional officers unless they agree to it.
In other actions, commissioners approved the county's 2003 budget which includes no pay raises for county workers; awarded a nearly $187,000 contract to Ross Construction of Ocilla to wide and resurface just over two miles of the Conaway-McDonald Road; and turned down a request from the city of Vidalia to pay 25 percent of the cost of a fire-knocker which is used to respond to fires in Montgomery County within five miles of the city limits. That decision may result in higher fire insurance rates for home and business owners in that area.
Feb 3-- Lyons police have two people in jail in connection with a convenience store holdup. Investigator Ricky Newsome says it took officers about 24 hours to arrest 28-year-old Michael Jason Cook of Vidalia and 23-year-old Teresa Lynn Sawaya of Lyons at the woman's mobile home on the S.A. Harden Road. They are accused of armed robbery of the Flash Foods store in Lyons just before 3 a.m. Friday morning. Newsome says surveillance videotape from the store and other leads led police to the pair. They are also charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
Feb 3-- The local authority which will oversee construction of a joint Vidalia-Toombs County sports stadium is a work in progress. Voters authorized the boards of education in Vidalia and Toombs County to collect up to $2 million in sales taxes to finance the venture in a 1999 referendum.
The project is a joint effort among the two boards of education, Toombs county, and the cities of Lyons and Vidalia. The school boards will provide funding for the complex, Vidalia is providing 30 acres of land off the Ezra Taylor Road, Toombs County commissioners are expected to provide road paving, and the city of Lyons, according to Mayor John Moore, also wants to participate, possibly with water and sewage, once engineering specs for the project are provided.
Last week the stadium authority met and worked on plans for opening a bank account and for employing a civil engineer. School board chairmen Danny Bowen from Toombs and Mac Jordan from Vidalia are co-chairmen of the authority. The next meeting is set for the Vidalia Board of Education office on February 13th.
Feb 1-- A 20-year-old Vidalia man has been arrested in the brutal killing of a woman. A joint statement from Vidalia police and the GBI says Seth Boyd Jackson of 321 Jerriel Street was arrested Friday for the November murder of Katie Ruth. The 41-year-old woman's body was found in her trailer home on Bay Street by her father, the Reverend H.W. Miller. At the time, police suspected she had been molested before her throat was cut. Authorities have been waiting for DNA analysis, and the statement says the GBI crime lab provided additional leads which led to Jackson's arrest. Police are not speculating about his motives, but note that Jackson was known to the woman. He's being held in the Toombs County Detention Center on a murder warrant and police say additional charges may be filed.
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. Vidalia Citizen of Year
Names on Tax Petition "Challenged"
Zorn to Council "Unfair"
Parks Concern "Concerned Citizens"
Saturday Storm Damage
Jury Clears Burns on Most Charges
Professor Pleads Not Guilty
Wheeler Commissioners Want Sales Tax Vote
Homicide in Higgston
Fire Destroys Home
Three Rivers Sports Complex Authority
Hung Jury in Coach Case, Charges Dropped
Onion Festival Logo Winners Named
Commissioners Award Contract
Assessors Hire Macon Lawyer, File Appeal
State Opines on Tax Officials' Qualifications
Fire Protection Removed
Pageant Queens Named
Montgomery Tax Assessors to Appeal
Toombs-Montgomery County Red Cross Re-Organizes
Meadows Blood Supply Adequate
Lyons Researching Stadium Project Costs
Treutlen Review Panel "Soon"
Federal Sentences
Split on Montgomery Revaluation Appeal?
Armed Robbery Suspects Arrested
Stadium Authority "Still Starting"
Arrest in Murder Case
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URL: http://toombs.150m.com/news/radio/2003/February.htm Updated: Sunday, March 16, 2003. Top
