|
|
![The State of Georgia History and Genealogy Project - [AHGP-GA]](http://toombs.150m.com/j/ahgpga2.jpg) | Toombs County, Georgia History and Genealogy Project | ![The American History and Genealogy Project - [AHGP]](http://toombs.150m.com/j/tinyahag.jpg) |
Toombs County, GA Archives News Radio Stories |
Click on the county for ftp files of USGenWeb cemetery information. |
May 29-- A jail "trusty" at the Montgomery County Jail in Mount Vernon shot himself in the shoulder Thursday. Sheriff Clarence Sanders says Mikie Perry Pope got a disturbing phone call from his wife saying she was leaving him. Later he took a .22 caliber pistol from a closet in the sheriff's office and went outside the jail and shot himself. Sheriff Sanders says Pope has been in and out of the state mental health hospital in Milledgeville and has a history of drug abuse. He was in jail for burglary and arson. Sheriff Sanders says Pope was admitted to Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia and is in satisfactory condition.
May 29-- A Toombs County jury has found a Lyons man guilty of sexually molesting his ten-year-old daughter. George Patrick Edenfield of Reedy Creek Circle was found guilty on eight counts of molesting the little girl over a four-year-period from 1998 till June of last year. Toombs County Sheriff Junior Kight says officers found out about the abuse when the little girl told a woman she was visiting. The sheriff says the girl's mother was aware of the abuse, but did not report it. However, the mother, Donna Edenfield, tells us she knew nothing about the situation until a day before her husband was arrested. She says her daughter gave her a note, she was shocked, and didn't know what to do. Sheriff Kight believes the jury was also influenced by pornographic pictures found on Edenfield's computer which was confiscated by police. Judge Walter McMillan is scheduled to sentence Edenfield Thursday in Toombs County Superior Court.
May 28-- The Georgia Court of Appeals has upheld a Superior Court ruling that Montgomery County Tax Commissioner Lawana Sharpe does not have to make restitution to the county for tag fee commissions she collected from 1990 until 2001.
The Montgomery County commissioners have been trying to get a ruling which would direct Sharpe to refund over $80,000 which an audit three years ago showed she had collected contrary to state law. However, the Appeals Court supported an earlier decision by Judge Frederick Mullis which ruled that the commissioners knew Sharpe was collecting the commissions and could not demand payments which they had made voluntarily.
The Tax Commissioner made a statement thanking those who have supported her during the court hearings and says she plans to seek re-election to the office she's held since 1981.
Mackey Bryant, the county attorney for Montgomery County, says he is surprised that the lower court ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeals. He also says it is highly unlikely the District Attorney will respond to the county commissioners' request for criminal prosecution of the Tax Commissioner. He says if the case could not hold up in civil court, its chances in criminal court are even less.
May 23-- The TUMI Luggage operation in Vidalia has been downsizing over the last year as the company transferred all of its manufacturing operations overseas. As a result, the position of the Vidalia TUMI boss, senior vice-president John Futral, has been eliminated as of June 1. He says the local TUMI workforce has declined by over 200 jobs in the last year, from 365 to 157 employees. Futral says he believes TUMI will maintain its distribution and repair operations in Vidalia. He is being succeeded by Richard Lawrence who will be vice-president of operations. Futral turned down the company's offer to put him in charge of manufacturing in Hong Kong because he wants to remain in this area.
May 23-- A Santa Claus woman has been arrested for possession of marijuana. Toombs County Sheriff Junior Kight reports officers found a small amount of marijuana at the Santa Claus Minit-Mart and at the Dancer Street residence of 47-year-old BiBi Morris. She's facing drug charges and is out of jail on bond.
May 23-- The Georgia Municipal Association announces the award of just over $8,500 to the city of Vidalia. The funds will be used by the city to buy safety equipment for the fire, police and recreation departments.
May 22-- It was a neck-and-neck race at Montgomery County High School for top academic honors. Only one-hundredth of a point separated valedictorian Morgan Rogers and salutatorian Josh Sanders and Josh says he should have studied just a little bit harder. Morgan is proud of her accomplishment and is planning on studying plant pathology at the University of Georgia. Josh plans to study biology at Brewton Parker.
May 22-- An aspiring writer and a future lawyer are the top students this year at Toombs County High School. The valedictorian in the Class of 2003 is Eric Rodriguez who wants to be a writer, but doesn't like literature and plans to learn to be an electrician at Southeastern Tech. Eric says he already working on a historical fiction novel about the Far East. The salutatorian is Josh Dees who plans to study pre-law at Wyoming and play college basketball.
May 21-- One hundred-thirty-four Vidalia High School seniors are in the class of 2003. Jamie Davis has the highest high school grade point average and is the Indians' valedictorian. Her plans are to attend Mercer University in pre-med and then study cardiology in medical school. The class salutatorian is Jonathan Banks who will study mechanical engineering in the Georgia Tech program at Georgia Southern. Jonathan is the VHS star student this year and says he narrowly edged out Kimberly Lawrence for salutatorian honors.
May 20-- Toombs County school officials spent over two hours Monday working out details of the new school uniform policy which goes into effect in the new school year. The new rules on what kids and faculty can and cannot wear to school will be sent to all concerned as soon as possible, according to school superintendent Dr. Kendall Brantley.
Some of the highlights....tops can be any solid color, but they must be tucked in at all times, blouses must have sleeves and a high neckline, and no professional or college jerseys will be permitted. Bottoms must be a different color from tops and must be either blue, black, white or khaki, no hip huggers, low riders or baggy pants allowed, and no shorts allowed except in PE or sports settings and then they must be knee length. No trench coats and, with the exception of school logos, logos on clothes can be no larger than a credit card.
Dr. Brantley says school officials will meet with local clothing suppliers Monday so they can stock up for shoppers before school starts again in August.
May 19-- The head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has reacted to a series of articles which appeared in the Savannah Morning News in March about the 1997 death of Henry Dickerson, Jr. of Vidalia. Director Vernon Keenan addressed citizens at Vidalia City Hall Monday morning and said he is confident in the finding of state medical examiner, Dr. Chris Sperry, that Dickerson died of drowning due to cocaine intoxication and severe heart disease.
Reporters for the Savannah Morning News have claimed local and state officials botched the investigation into Dickerson's death after his body was found in the pool of city attorney Reid Threlkeld several hours after a prowler was reported at the nearby home of Vidalia city manager Bill Torrance. Dickerson had a police record as a peeping tom.
Keenan says after he and his staff met with reporters Tuck Thompson and Brett Bell it was apparent, "much of what we had to say they were not interested in." GBI public affairs officer John Bankhead says its important that newspapers report the truth and publish opinion on the editorial page. According to Bankhead, the Savannah reporters manipulated the truth in their story about Dickerson.
May 16-- The first high school graduation in the area is the Robert Toombs Christian Academy graduation Monday night. Heading the graduating class is valedictorian Lindsay Calhoun with the highest grade point average in her class for four years. Lindsay has attended RTCA since kindergarten and is thankful for the school's small size and personal attention. She has been selected for the honors program at the University of Georgia where she's thinking about a business major. The RTCA saluatorian is Sarah Stanley who says RTCA's religious-based program is important to her. Sarah plans to major in music at Mercer University.
May 14-- The Toombs County school board is meeting Monday morning to approve details of a school uniform policy for students next school term. Unlike Vidalia school officials, who've approved a school dress code for Vidalia High School, Toombs County's dress code will apply to all schools from kindergarten through high school. Once details are okayed by the board of education, school superintendent Dr. Kendall Brantley says local clothing stores will be notified so they can stock approved colors. Likewise, he says parents will be informed in plenty of time to get their shopping done before school starts again.
At its monthly meeting Tuesday night, a crowd of parents showed up to discuss discipline at Toombs Central Elementary. Superintendent Brantley says they were concerned about disruptive students being isolated in classrooms by partitions which they called "the box." The school board backed school administrators, but agreed that one side of the isolation booth must be open so students could see the teacher. Parents were satisfied after the meeting, according to Dr. Brantley.
May 14-- Cell phone users in Toombs County will soon be paying a monthly surcharge. Toombs County commissioners Tuesday gave county 911 director David Powell the go-ahead to implement a wireless charge of a dollar a month per phone. Powell is now coordinating the program with local cell phone providers and says he expects the new charges to appear on cell phone bills sometime this summer. The proceeds will help pay for county 911 operations which have been operating at a deficit ever since the program started. Powell also expects the surcharge to be applied in Montgomery County at a later date.
May 14-- Toombs County commissioners have adopted an ordinance to put teeth into enforcement of anti-dumping efforts. Commissioner Louie Powell says the new county law is aimed at stopping people from dumping everything from scrap tires to sofas to dead animals around county dumpsters. The county's environmental enforcement officer and sheriff's deputies will arrest offenders who'll be faced with fines of up to a thousand dollars and 60 days in jail.
May 14-- Voters in Toombs County will decide in September if they want to continue a one percent local option sales tax. Local governments use the sales tax revenue mostly to support road repair, public works projects and recreation. If approved, officials estimate Vidalia would receive $10 million, Toombs County $9 million, Lyons $3.6 million and Santa Claus $230,000 during a five-year period starting in January. The referendum is September 16th.
May 14-- Toombs county commissioner Mel Taylor says the state highway department is expected to help the county finance paving of the Clifford Rogers Road near Johnson Corner. The project would pave 4.2 miles if the county can get needed right-of-way. The DOT has also given the go-ahead to resurface nearly two miles of the Cedar Crossing-Alston Road.
May 13-- After three months of study by a ten-member committee including two students, the Vidalia school board has approved a dress code for students which was recommended by the school council at Vidalia High School. At its meeting Tuesday night, the board got an in-depth briefing on the new two-page dress code from principal Mitch Harrington. And school superintendent Dr. Tim Smith says it outlines appropriate attire for an academic environment.
It prohibits low-slung baggy pants for boys, and revealing high cut skirts and low-cut blouses for girls. And only seven solid colors will be allowed for tops and bottoms: red, white, blue, maroon, gold, black, and khaki. Dr. Smith believes most students will accept the new rules, while a minority may try to challenge the system. Three-time violators will get out of school suspension. The new Vidalia High dress code takes effect when school starts in August.
Next year's tentative school budget of nearly $23 million was also approved, about a five percent reduction from this year's budget. Final adoption is expected next month.
May 12-- Some good job news for the Toombs County area. A Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse is planned for Vidalia and with it comes an estimated 110 retail jobs. Monday night the Vidalia city council agreed to apply for a half-million dollar state grant to provide city infrastructure to the site which is located on Highway 280 between Walmart and the Vidalia Onion Factory. City manager Bill Torrance hopes the state will approve the grant in June. If all goes well, the city expects to complete its work by December and Torrance says Lowe's is planning a January opening for the 97,000 square foot building supply business.
In other news, the council heard a briefing on area water quality from Nicholas Overstreet of the area regional development center. While most area creeks have a higher than average quantity of bacteria, Overstreet says they are still safe.
The city council is also preparing its annual list of city streets for resurfacing this summer, heard that 13 animals were adopted at a recent "Pet Adopt-A-Thon" at the city animal shelter, were informed that some business owners downtown need a reminder on sharing downtown parking, and were informed by Martha Horne that she is closing her 11-year-old downtown business "Country Lane" so she can have more time off.
May 9-- A trial date has been set for Treutlen County Sheriff Wayne Hooks. The sheriff is under federal indictment for allegedly violating the civil rights and assaulting two men he arrested for driving under the influence. The trial will start Monday, July 7th in front of chief Judge Dudley Bowen in Dublin. Representing the government will be U.S. Justice Department civil rights attorney Lisa Krigsten and assistant U.S. Attorney Frank DiMarino of Savannah. Hooks' deputy, Ryan Griner, will be tried at the same time on charges of assault and obstruction of justice.
May 9-- Local lawmen are keeping the pressure on in Lyons regarding illegal drugs. In the second case in two weeks, Toombs County Sheriff Junior Kight says cocaine and marijuana valued at over $2,500 was found and seized at 166 North Hall Street Thursday. Harold Zorn Wright of that address is being charged with drug trafficking.
May 6-- The Montgomery County Board of Tax Assessors, trying to fight an order to re-do last year's county tax revaluation, says an audit by the state of Georgia supports the assessors' claim that the revaluation was conducted uniformly. At a Tuesday afternoon press conference, board attorney Hale Almand of Macon says the audit is evidence he will use in court to argue against another revaluation.
The state audit has a disclaimer that says it is subject to change resulting from legal requirements. Vidalia physician, Dr. Ronnie Smith, whose appeal to the Board of Equalization sparked the revaluation order, suspects the order is based on erroneous data and not on the evidence considered by the Board of Equalization. The case is scheduled to be heard in August.
In a related matter, Dr. Smith has resubmitted a petition containing 360 names which seeks to have board of assessor members Robert Brewer and Howard Morris removed from the board. The petition claims they failed to maintain training for the job as required by state law and did not property and impartially discharge their duties.
A hearing on the petition is scheduled for June 9th before Judge Frederick Mullis in Montgomery County Superior Court.
May 6-- Toombs County ambulance driver Rhonda Taylor is facing three misdemeanor charges following an accident last week which killed the patient in the ambulance, 46-year-old Martha Smith of Hazelhurst. Chatham County police are charging Taylor with vehicular homicide, driving too fast for conditions and using defective tires. A spokesperson at Meadows Regional, which operates the ambulance service, denies police allegations that the tires were bald. However, public relations director Cheryl Gay says they've been unable to examine the ambulance since it was impounded after the accident in Savannah.
May 6-- The Montgomery County Commissioners have made another appointment to the county's Board of Tax Assessors. Derrick Barnes, appointed only last month, has tendered his resignation and Tuesday commissioners named Frank Brantley to the job. Brantley returned to Montgomery County after retiring as the Putnam County administrator.
The commission also voted to buy 15 acres of land adjacent to the county's recycling center for $3,000 an acre, and agreed to investigate state funding assistance to pave Fairway Drive and Deer Court and resurface a portion of Lakewood Drive, all in the Rocky Creek area.
May 6-- The city of Vidalia is considering extending the city sewer system out Thompson Pond Road. The city council has okayed a survey of residents to determine interest in the service. The council has also approved a $100,000 revolving loan to Precision Manufacturing Technology to pay off a lease-purchase on a punch press to preserve up to five jobs at the plant.
May 5-- A late night storm Friday sent runners and walkers in the Toombs Relay for Life packing. Chairperson Gail Dixon says the relay raised almost $67,000. Top teams in fund raising are John's Country Junction with $10,478; Vidalia First United Methodist with $6,286; Darby Bank and Trust, $6,119; and J.R. Trippe Middle School, $3,858. The goal was $80,000.
May 5-- The manager of Plant Hatch has been selected for a two-year loaned executives program and is leaving the plant for Atlanta Monday. Pete Wells will work at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations where he will lead teams inspecting nuclear plants in the United States. Afterwards, he will return to Southern Nuclear at the corporate headquarters in Birmingham. His successor at Plant Hatch is George Crawford who is currently the manager of Plant Vogel near Augusta.
May 5-- Police in Lyons found 14 small bags of cocaine Sunday night. Chief David Prescott believes a dealer saw officers approaching and dropped the drugs on the ground near a public housing complex on East Columbia Avenue. Chief Prescott values the find at about $1,000. He says a bust a couple of months ago in the same area netted over a hundred bags of cocaine.
May 2-- An ambulance from Meadows Regional Medical Center wrecked near Savannah Thursday afternoon and the patient being transported was killed. Authorities in Savannah say 46-year-old Martha Smith of Hazelhurst died when the ambulance overturned on Highway 204 near Joyner's Corner. The paramedic in the ambulance, Mel Young, was admitted to Memorial Medical Center while the ambulance driver, Rhonda Taylor, was treated and released.
Meadows Regional manages and operates the ambulances which are owned by Toombs County. A medical center official says the wreck reduces the fleet from five to four and they will still be able to provide adequate coverage until a new ambulance can be obtained.
May 2-- A Superior Court judge has dismissed a petition which sought a recall election for Toombs County coroner Mandel Edenfield. Senior Judge William Neville held a hearing on the recall petition Friday morning at the Toombs County courthouse and said he "could find nothing but conclusions without facts" in the petition which had been sponsored by Vidalia minister Vincent Drummer. Drummer signed a dismissal motion in the case Thursday and did not show up for the hearing. However, Judge Neville said Drummer could not speak for the other 102 peoples whose names were on the petition and ruled that the case is "without merit and is dismissed."
In a much publicized effort, Drummer claimed Edenfield was incompetent and racist after he was quoted in a newspaper story about the drowning death of 28-year-old Henry Dickerson, Jr.
The coroner says the whole situation was "uncalled for" and that he intends to seek re-election to the job as long as his health is good.
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. Jail "Trusty" Shoots Self
Child Molestation Guilty Verdict
Montgomery Tax Commissioner Cleared
TUMI Senior VP Position Cut
Santa Claus Drug Arrest
Vidalia Gets GMA Grant
Close Race For Top Honors at MCHS
Toombs County High School Class Leaders
Vidalia Class of 2003 Top Grads
Toombs Schools Working on Uniform Details
GBI Questions Newspaper's Veracity
RTCA Top Grads
Toombs BOE to Approve School Uniform
Cell Phone Surcharge Coming
No Dumping Ordinance Adopted
Local Option Sales Tax Vote in September
Road Paving Plans in Toombs
Dress Code Approved for Vidalia High School
City Seeks Job Grant for Lowe's
Trial Date Set for Sheriff
Another Lyons Drug Bust
Montgomery County Says Audit Supports County Revaluation
Ambulance Driver Charged
Montgomery County Appoints Assessor, Again
Vidalia to Survey for Extending Sewer
Toombs Relay Hit By Storm
Plant Hatch Manager Moving
Cocaine Find in Lyons
Patient Dies in Ambulance Wreck
Judge Dismisses Coroner Recall Case
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/2003/May.htm Updated: Friday, May 30, 2003. Top
