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In the 155th House District, Democrat state representative Greg Morris of Vidalia will have opposition in the November general election from Rick Berry of Mount Vernon who's running on the Republican ticket. In State Senate District 19, incumbent Republican Senator Tommie Williams of Lyons will be opposed in November by Democrat Hugh McCullough, a Glennville attorney.
Another Republican senator, Jack Hill of Reidsville, is being opposed for the District 4 seat in the July 20th primary by Republican attorney Felix Moring of Soperton. The winner of that race will face Democrat Chris Oliver of Rincon in the November election. Also facing opposition in July, representative Butch Parrish of Swainsboro is challenged by Swainsboro retiree Bill English.
Other area state representatives facing general election competition are DuBose Porter of Dublin being challenged by Dublin banker Louise Shackleford, and in Glennville Democrat Bert Oliver will face Republican Terry Barnard.
In other races, in the Middle Judicial Circuit, both Superior Court Judge Kathy Palmer of Swainsboro and District Attorney Steve Askew of Vidalia are unopposed in their bids for re-election.
The Democrat primary will see three races for Toombs County Board of Education as all three incumbents are being challenged. In District 2, Darrel Nobles is challenged by Jerry Hattaway, District 4's Duane Tomlin is opposed by Marshall Gomez, and District 6 incumbent Wayne Kirkley faces Daniel Caraway.
In the November general election, incumbent sheriff Junior Kight will face former Vidalia police officer Glenn Joiner, county commission chairman Charles Rustin is challenged by former chairman James Thompson, coroner Mandel Edenfield is opposed by funeral director Ron Hall, and state solicitor Dustin Tapley faces Vidalia attorney Tommy Smith.
The clerk of court job being vacated by veteran clerk Dwight Newsome is being sought by four candidates. In the Democrat primary, Toby O'Neal of Ailey and Tracy Braddy and Craig Snead, both of Mount Vernon are running. The winner will face Republican Keith Hamilton in November. In another county-wide race, tax commissioner Lawana Sharpe faces opposition from Loretta Lane of Ailey.
In the non-partisan Montgomery Board of Education races, District 2 incumbent Wayne Goff faces James Buddy Thigpen of Uvalda, and in District 3, incumbent Gary Braddy is challenged by Connie Hill and Steve McLeod, both of Mount Vernon.
In the race for probate judge, Grace Proctor is bowing out with three candidates seeking her job including current probate clerk Inez Warnock, former deputy sheriff T.J. Hudson, and contractor Jimmy Joyner. There's only one contested board of education race with John Brewton challenging incumbent June Mason in District 1, and Jeff Raiford will be new to the board in District 2 succeeding Charles McDonald who's not offering for re-election.
Williams, who required 128 stitches to close numerous dog bites on her arms and body, says the dog attacked when she reached for his collar to take him back inside. Her daughter was bitten when she attempted to pull the dog off her mother. The dog was a three-year-old mixed-breed German Shepherd and Rotweiller which Williams had raised from a puppy. She said the dog had never been mistreated and they still don't understand what caused the attack. She was informed by the Health Department that he tested negative for rabies. The woman said Lieutenant Hill had no option but to shoot the dog when he arrived on the scene.
Also a third hat has been thrown into the race for Toombs County tax commissioner. Marion Grier of Vidalia, a former employee in the tax assessor's office who now works in the Candler County tax assessors office, has qualified to run in the Republican primary. Earlier, county tax assessor Ed Gartman and tax commission clerk Julie Hart Reaves qualified for the Democratic primary.
And in Montgomery County, physician Dr. Ronnie Smith is challenging commission chairman Wyman Morris in the Higgston-Alston district. Smith sued the Montgomery County board of assessors last year over a tax revaluation dispute which has yet to be fully resolved. However, Smith says his decision to run for the county commission is based on a number of issues which he says are concerning many people in the county. Smith says he'd like to see a more proactive approach to challenges facing the county including compliance with state laws.
Press reports say the Onion Committee's annual operating budget is about $400,000 which is funded by growers and shippers who pay a 12-cent assessment for each 50-pound bag of onions they sell.
Meanwhile, in Toombs County, tax assessor Ed Gartman has announced he plans to run for county tax commissioner. Incumbent Glenda Williams is not seeking reelection.
In actions at its April meeting, the commissioners approved purchase of a new $78,000 ambulance for Meadows Regional, and okayed $20,000 to start renovation work on the former Oxford building in Vidalia to accommodate relocation of the Pineland Mental Health Center.
Meanwhile, the J.D. Dickerson Primary School in Vidalia is receiving a nearly $25,000 award from the state department of education recognizing the school's five years of annual yearly progress. As a distinguished Title One school, J.D. Dickerson representatives are invited to the Georgia Schools of Excellence banquet next month in Atlanta.
Sheriff Kight, no relation to the dead man, reports the GBI is always notified to investigate cases of "deadly force" and that its standard operating procedure to place the involved officers on administrative leave pending completion of the investigation. Informed sources say Kight had suffered a head injury in his past which made him "unstable" at times.
Meanwhile, more and more buildings along the one-way pair right-of-way are being torn down or moved. The latest is the railroad building on Southeast Main Street which is being relocated. Half of the building will be used by a private citizen for a cabin, and Vidalia attorney Hugh Peterson says he and his partner Massie McIntyre are moving the other half of the building to be used as an office building.
In Lyons city council action, the council approved $6,200 for drainage improvements on Washington Street, and okayed a request from Soap Box Derby chairman Charles James to move this year's derby back to Victory Drive from Partin Park. He said the initial plan to move the derby to the park was too complicated, and that despite new home construction along the Victory Drive location, he thought it best to go back to the original hill. The derby is scheduled for Saturday, April 24th.
In other actions, Montgomery Commissioners renewed health insurance for county employees to the tune of nearly $10,000 a month, and appointed Marvin Fountain to the senior citizens advisory committee.
Meanwhile, the campaign bus of republican congressional hopeful Calder Clay of Macon rolled into Vidalia. Clay is challenging democratic incumbent Jim Marshall of Macon. He says he intends to hold Marshall accountable for a voting record which he says is not representative of the conservation Third Congressional District.
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. Toombs County Qualifiers
April 30-- There are four contested races in the Democratic primary and one in the Republican primary coming up July 20th in Toombs County. The tax commissioner's race on the Democrat ballot is between tax assessor Ed Gartman and county tax office clerk Julie Hart Reaves. In the Republican race, Marion Grier of Vidalia and Summy Pittman of Toombs County are running for a spot on the general election ballot.
Montgomery County Qualifiers
April 30-- There are nine contested races in the July 20th primary election in Montgomery County. Sheriff Clarence Sanders faces opposition from Tony Phillips of Ailey. County commission chairman Wyman Morris is opposed in the Democrat primary by Vidalia physician Ronnie Smith, and the winner will face Republican Bill Teem of Vidalia in the November general election. In other commission races, District 1 commissioner Arnie Calhoun is opposed by Mark Burns of Tarrytown, District 3's Brandon Braddy faces Willie Cauley of Mount Vernon, and in District 5, incumbent Harold Mobley is not running and his seat is being contested by John Carpenter and Charles Truett, Jr., both of Uvalda..
Treutlen County Qualifiers
April 30-- There are five contested races in the July 20th Democrat primary election in Treutlen County. Three county commission seats will be contested including incumbent commission chairman George L. McLendon who's facing Royce Clark and Maynard Edenfield. District 1 incumbent Joe C. Webb is challenged by Mickey Jackson, and in District 3, incumbent Hugh Gillis Jr. is not running leading to a contest between Hugh Beasley and Alvin Wheeler.
April 29
Missing Boy
April 29-- Lyons police are asking for the public's help in the search for a missing 16-year-old boy. Police Chief Ricky Newsome says Thomas Adams is a white male, six feet tall, 160 pounds, with brownish-blonde hair last seen wearing a gray shirt with blue stripes, blue jeans and white tennis shoes. The boy was last seen Tuesday at the Toombs County Alternative School in Lyons. If you know the whereabouts or have information about 16-year-old Thomas Adams, please call the Lyons police department at 526-3638.
Dog Bites Woman/Child
April 29-- A Vidalia police officer had to shoot and kill a dog Tuesday after it attacked its owner and her daughter. Police Lieutenant David Hill filed a report which said the dog severely injured Connie Williams and slightly injured her daughter, 18-year-old Latisha Williams, in the front yard of their residence at 108 Louisiana Drive in Vidalia. Both were taken to Meadows Regional Medical Center for treatment, and the dog was turned over to the county health department for testing for rabies and other diseases.
Onion Fest Buses
April 29-- Onion Festival officials are urging you to take the bus to the Onion Festival Air Show. Because of traffic congestion around the airport, transportation chairman Howard Hill says buses will be running Saturday and Sunday and are the easiest way to get into the airport for the air show. You can catch the buses, which are free, across from Lowe's on Highway 280, in the old Walmart parking lot, and at the Ed Smith Recreation Complex on Stockyard Road. Last year the air show attracted nearly 70,000 visitors in two days and officials says the Canadian Forces Snowbirds are expected to draw as many this year.
April 28
Chairmen Challenged
April 28-- Both county commission chairmen in Toombs and Montgomery counties are being challenged in upcoming elections. In Toombs County, former commission chairman James Thompson qualified Wednesday to run in the July 20th Republican primary ultimately leading to a general election race in November against incumbent commission chairman Charles Rustin who is running in the Democratic primary. Thompson says he's basing his campaign on reducing property taxes and restoring financial accountability in the Toombs County commission's office. Commission chairman Charles Rustin admitted at the last county commission meeting that the county hasn't had a correct financial statement since last July.
April 23
Lady of Year
April 23-- Since 1972, Beta Sigma Phi sorority in Vidalia has selected a lady of the year based on volunteer service to the community. The 2004 Lady of the Year is Debbie Kittrell, a graduate of the Leadership Toombs-Montgomery program who is heavily involved in many aspects of the community. From church activities to working for the Boys and Girls Club, the onion festival, the Brewton-Parker Alumni Board, and the Ohoopee Regional Council for the Arts, Debbie believes its rewarding to volunteer.
April 22
Which Onion Committee??
April 22-- Disclosures this week that as much as a half-million dollars or more may be missing from the Vidalia Onion Committee created some confusion. Some folks thought the story was about the Vidalia Onion Festival Committee, but not so. The festival committee has no connection with the federally-mandated Vidalia Onion Committee which is a group of some 134 onion growers in this part of Georgia who market and promote the Vidalia sweet onion. The growers onion committee is headed by Bo Herndon of Toombs County who was elected chairman of the committee in January and is credited with alerting USDA officials and law enforcement of suspected financial problems at the committee's office in Vidalia.
Arrest in Jeff Davis Killing
April 22-- A Hazelhurst man has been arrested in connection with the beating death of an elderly Jeff Davis County general store operator. The Jeff Davis County sheriff's office is charging Rodney Parlor with the killing of 74-year-old Mary Sharpe on March 19th at her store. Officials claim Parlor has confessed to beating the woman everybody called "Granny" following an argument.
April 21
Money Missing from Onion Committee
April 21--Unconfirmed reports say more than a half-million dollars may be missing from the Vidalia Onion Committee. Vidalia police report an investigation has been underway since March and that bank records are being examined to determine exactly how much money is missing. No arrests have been made in the investigation which is being spearheaded by the GBI. The Onion Commitee is a grower-funded group which was created in 1989 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to market and promote the Vidalia Onion. The current chairman of the committee is Bo Herndon of Toombs County who referred questions to Susan Hiller from the USDA who is working out of the Onion Committee offices in Vidalia. Hiller also had no comment and referred us to George Chartier with the Department of Agriculture public affairs office in Washington. He's yet to return phone calls.
Who's Running, and Who's Not
April 21--The longest running legislator in the country is bowing out of elected politics. Senator Hugh Gillis of Soperton says he will not seek reelection in the newly redistricted 4th senatorial district where he would face Senator Jack Hill of Reidsville. Senator Gillis served in the Georgia legislature 54 years.
April 20
New Overtime Rules
April 20--White-collar workers who work overtime will make more money under rules announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Labor. For the first time in 50 years, rules governed by the Fair Labor Standards Act have been updated. Under the old rules, only white collar workers who made less than $8,060 were eligible for time-and-a-half overtime when they worked more than 40 hours a week. The new rules nearly triple the salary threshold and guarantees overtime for workers earning $23,660 or less. The new rules take effect in 120 days.
Burglary Suspects Arrested
April 20--Two men have been arrested in connection with burglaries in Vidalia and Toombs County. Twenty-five-year old Anthony Torres of New York and 21-year-old Lavoris Nails of Vidalia are being charged with the April 15th burglary of the Wendell Dixon home in Vidalia and with five other break-ins in various parts of Toombs County. Reports say the two took cabs to and from the Vidalia break-in on Adams Street and were dropped off at the bus station where they boarded a bus for Savannah. They were met by Vidalia police at the Savannah bus station before they could catch a bus bound for New York. They're now in the Toombs County jail and may face additional charges, according to police.
Another Grant for Lyons
April 20--For the second time this month, Lyons Mayor John Moore has been notified of a federal grant for the city of Lyons. Mayor Moore says $650,000 has been approved to help the city pay for downtown renovation work. Earlier this month, the mayor was informed that a downtown development grant of more than $700,000 had been approved.
Senator Hill Honored
April 20--State libraries are honoring state senator Jack Hill of Reidsville. He was presented one of six statewide "Outstanding Library Supporter" awards at the state capitol this year thanks, in part, for his help in obtaining state funding to build the new home of the Ladson Genealogical Library in Vidalia last year.
April 19
Altamaha Heritage Center Planning Starting
April 19--The city of Lyons has approved $50,000 to buy the old Masonic Lodge building in downtown Lyons to serve as the future home of the Altamaha Heritage Center. Retired Georgia Southern history professor and Lyons native, Dr. Fred Brogdon, got the idea when he saw the Appalachia Culture Museum in Boone, North Carolina. Dr. Brogdon says a board of volunteers will develop the non-profit heritage center to preserve the history of the Altamaha River basin. Located one block west of U.S. Highway One, the center will be a good draw for tourists to stop in Lyons and also learn about other regional tourist attractions.
April 15
Officers Return to Duty
April 15--Two veteran Toombs County deputy sheriff's are back on duty following a GBI investigation of a fatal shooting incident. Sheriff Junior Kight says deputies Wesley Miller and Michael Tapley have been removed from administrative leave and have returned to work. The two were involved in an incident on April 9th which resulted in the death of 61-year-old Don Kight in the yard of his residence off Highway 178 south of Lyons. Kight pulled a gun from his pocket and fired at deputies and was fatally wounded when the deputies returned fire. Sheriff Kight says both officers have been evaluated and provided counseling in the aftermath of the incident.
Pythons Move to Toombs County
April 15--Two eleven-foot pythons who escaped and were recaptured in Collins are reported to be living in Toombs County. The Tattnall Journal reports the large snakes busted out a window in the home of their owner late last month. One was recaptured the same day, but the second python roamed around Collins for nearly two weeks before it was recaptured in the back yard of a Collins resident. The snakes weigh nearly 70 pounds each and police say they understand they have been given to an unnamed Toombs County woman.
April 14
HOPE OK at STC
April 14--Officials at Southeastern Tech in Vidalia are breathing a sigh of relief following passage of legislation regarding the HOPE scholarship. Legislators made some changes to the program this year to ensure lottery funding will meet the growing population of students in coming years. At Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia, school president Dr. Cathy Meehan says most students in this area will not be affected by the changes. Meehan reports 90 percent of STC's students are funded by HOPE grants, and that charges for their books and fees should have no impact on the students. For students who attend school on HOPE scholarships, Dr. Meehan says a 3.0 grade point average will be required starting with the high school graduating class of 2007, and that all students will still have to keep their grades up once in college.
April 13
Toombs County Financials Fouled Up
April 13--Toombs County commissioners have been unable to produce a monthly financial statement they can rely on since last summer. Finance committee chairman Louie Powell says county revenue and payments have been posted to the wrong accounts, and until that's fixed, any reports which are generated are wrong. For example, Powell says the county 911 account, which operates at a deficit, is showing a surplus of $400,000. An accounting firm has been auditing the books and is trying to make needed corrections, according to Powell. Commission chairman Charles Rustin says the county hasn't had a monthly financial report since last July and that "when we get it right, we'll have one."
School Grants
April 13--The Wheeler County school system is receiving one of 74 "Reading First" grants approved by the state board of education. The $470,000 grant will cover a three-year period and is designed to help children learn to read well by the end of the third grade.
Roads and Real Estate
April 13--The Vidalia city council made decisions on roads and real estate at its April meeting Monday night. The council approved $27,212 to buy right of way on the west side of the old Darby Supply vacant lot to allow widening of Broadfoot Boulevard, and it voted to proceed with right-of-way acquisition to extend Collins Drive between the Sweet Onion Cinema and the new Sears store. The council also okayed an offer of $15,000 to Greg Fowler for property at the intersection of Brice Road and Highway 292. At one time, Fowler sought to build a service station at the intersection but met with zoning opposition from residents of the area. On another zoning issue, the council approved a variance for Darby Bank to build a new branch on Maple Drive. And if you haven't paid your city property taxes, you'll be getting a letter from the city. Officials say 449 letters are going out to delinquent taxpayers.
April 12
Prom Trio in Toombs
April 12--Spring is prom time, and this year there's a new prom being organized by Hispanic students at Toombs County High School. A front page story in Sunday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution recounted how an Hispanic student named Yuri Florez and her friend Jennifer Hart started planning the Latino prom after Hart was refused a ticket to the white prom when Hart revealed her date would be Mexican. Students at Toombs County High School also have a black prom. Andrea Cruz of the Southeast Georgia Communities Project, a non-profit organization which helps the area's migrant population, says she'd rather see all the students have one prom. And Dr. Kendall Brantley, Toombs County school superintendent, says the parties are organized by private student groups with no sponsorship from the school system. Brantley says there would be one prom open to all if the school system was involved.
Robbins Steps Down
April 12--A veteran member of the Lyons City Council has resigned. Lyons mayor pro tem Carlton Robbins has retired and moved to a farm in Screven County. He's been on the city council for 12 years. Lyons businessman Wayne Hartley was appointed by the city council to fill Robbins' un-expired term. At the same time, the council named attorney Sherri McDonald as the new city judge succeeding Mike Dennard, and approved $50,000 to buy the Masonic Lodge building in Lyons for future use as a regional heritage center.
April 11
Fatal Shooting
April 11--Two Toombs County deputies are on administrative leave while the GBI investigates circumstances surrounding a fatal shooting late Friday afternoon at a residence on Highway 178 in south Toombs County. Sheriff Junior Kight says a 911 call Friday at 4:50 p.m. reported a man with a rifle in his hands standing in the highway. A deputy responded and observed a man in his 50's in the yard of a residence with a rifle. The sheriff said the deputy asked the man identified as Don Kight to put the rifle down, and after several requests the man put the rifle on the back of a vehicle. A backup deputy arrived and Kight placed his right hand in his pants pocket and refused commands to remove his hand from his pocket. One of the deputies employed a TASER gun which prompted the man to pull a pistol from his pocket. He fired at the deputies who returned fire. Kight was pronounced dead at Meadows Regional Medical Center. Neither deputy was injured.
April 9
Meadows Offering Critical Care Planning
April 9--Today's medical technology can keep you breathing, but that's not the same as living. Most people say they don't want to be kept alive indefinitely by machines, however, unless they do some pre-planning with their family, the decision may not be theirs. With this in mind, Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia is offering a planning guide to make sure your family knows your wishes in critical medical situations. Registered nurse Pam Gerbis at Meadows says the planning guides are available free of charge and, once completed and signed, become a legal document to guide hospitals and doctors in your care. Medical Center personnel are available to do programs for civic organizations who would like to get copies of the planning guide for their members.
April 8
Vidalia Mayor Updates One-Way Project
April 8--Vidalia Mayor Ronnie Dixon says work is expected to start by the end of the year on the long-awaited one-way pairing project through the city. Mayor Dixon says the Department of Transportation will advertise for bids on the project in June. Meanwhile, the mayor says the DOT has already begun some temporary repairs on major roadways like Highway 280 and Georgia 130. The mayor also says a $706,000 federal grant will help the city with a streetscape project north of the railroad tracks on McIntosh Street.
April 7
Burglary Arrests
April 7--Three Collins men are being held in connection with a Toombs County burglary. Sheriff Junior Kight says the husband and son of the family maid are suspects in the breakin and burglary at the Charles Laughman home on Loop Road. Charged with burglary are 64-year-old Larry Stanfield, his 21-year-old son Ashley, and 20-year-old Kibby Morgan, all of Collins. The sheriff says a safe stolen from the home was found in a pond near Daisy and that most of the money and valuables in the safe have been recovered from the two boys. He says the maid and her husband were out having supper with the Laughmans Friday night while their home was being burglarized by the maid's son and his friend. See Reward Offered.
Lyons Grant Approved
April 7--Lyons Mayor John Moore got a long-awaited call from Washington Tuesday. On the other end, Third District Congressman Jim Marshall with news that a downtown development grant of $709,098 has been approved for the city of Lyons. Mayor Moore made the announcement at the Lyons city council meeting and said the money will be used in a four-block area of downtown Lyons to provide new infrastructure and make the town look better. The grant requires 20 percent in local matching funds for the project which Mayor Moore says will be accomplished over a period of years.
April 6
Montgomery Has New Tax Assessor
April 6--Montgomery County has hired a new chief tax assessor who meets state qualifications. Tom Williamson, who worked for 12 years as the chief appraiser in Telfair County, is a level three appraiser. He succeeds Lawrence McCall who retired the end of March. McCall and some members of the board of assessors were the targets of a lawsuit last year which challenged their qualifications to oversee a countywide property revaluation. Williamson is recommending that the Montgomery County commission adopt a timber harvesting ordinance to help the county track timber sales. He says surrounding counties are collecting more taxes on timber sales than Montgomery County, and suggests that a timber harvesting permit could increase county revenue. Commissioners agreed to consider the ordinance and also are looking at another county ordinance to control placement of mobile homes in the county.
Kiwanis Talent Winners
April 6--A senior at Toombs County High School was the top winner in the annual Vidalia Kiwanis Club Talent Showcase. Seventeen-year-old Katelyn Pierce says she needed the $500 scholarship to study music at Brewton Parker College. Katelyn hopes to teach music to elementary school children. Other winners are Ramie Partin in the junior division and Camille Mixon in the elementary division.
April 5
Reward Offered
April 5--A reward is being offered in what local lawmen are calling the "chainsaw breakin." Toombs County Sheriff Junior Kight says a burglar used a chainsaw to cut a hole in the home of the Charles Laughman's on Loop Road Friday night. Then he says the thief stole a safe from the house and took it out through an outside doorway. The sheriff says the safe contained cash, guns and other valuables and that a $2,000 reward is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the crime.
Selective Prosecution Alleged
April 5--A superior court judge has been asked to dismiss a case against a Higgston man because of what his attorney claims is "selective prosecution." Reginald Burns' wife was shot and killed in December, 2001 when Montgomery County sheriff's deputies attempted to serve her with a warrant at her home in Higgston. The GBI said the deputies acted in self-defense. Burns answered the door the night of the incident and, in February of last year, a Montgomery County jury acquitted him 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, and Burns claims the District Attorney's decision to retry him on that charge is "selective and discriminatory." Attorney Mitch Shook introduced evidence that of four felony mistrials in the last 40 years in Montgomery County, none had ever been retried. He claimed that in this case, the state wants a criminal conviction against Burns to shore up defense of a multimillion dollar civil damage suit which Burns has filed against Montgomery County, the sheriff's department, Sheriff Clarence Sanders, and four of his employees. In a second motion, Judge Phillip West is being asked to change the venue of the trial in the event he does not grant the motion to dismiss. Burns claims he can't get a fair trial in Montgomery County due to publicity about the case. A decision on the motions is not expected for at least a month.
Wildfire Damage
April 5--Two wildfires in Toombs County Sunday blackened over 200 acres of land according to forest ranger Steve Campbell. He says firefighters from three counties help fight a wind-whipped 125-acre blaze on Coleman Road off of Highway 297 north of Vidalia. Another fire burned 80 acres off Highway 280 near the river. Campbell says outside burning is prohibited until further notice due to dry conditions.
April 2
Sharpe Named to Head RTCA
April 2--The assistant principal at Sally Meadows Elementary School in Vidalia has been hired to be the new headmaster at Robert Toombs Christian Academy in Lyons. RTCA board chairperson Susan Sullivan announced Friday that John Sharpe will assume his new position in July. He will succeed headmistress Ann Wilkes who has indicated she'd like to have more time to herself, and who is being offered the job of school counselor. Wilkes has been at the helm at RTCA for the past seven years.
Community Forum Friday
April 2--A room full of local leaders spent the day Friday trying to determine what direction Toombs and Montgomery Counties should take in the next ten years to ensure jobs and economic growth in the area. The community forum was called by Allen Rice, president of the local chamber of commerce. Rice said those attending formed a general agreement on areas of potential job growth in the future. Most of the attendees felt that turning Vidalia into a regional medical center has the most potential for job creation, followed by tourism and food and agricultural product processing. Other leading areas include defense and homeland security suppliers, services to the port of Savannah, and retail trade growth. Working groups were established to investigate each of the potential growth areas, and the forum will reconvene in October to see if any progress is being made.
April 1
Political Positioning
April 1--Qualifying for the July general election primary is the last week of this month, and Thursday two candidates were already in action in the Toombs County area. County commission chairman Charles Rustin reaffirmed his intentions to qualify for reelection during a noontime potluck appreciation dinner given at the courthouse in his honor by county employees. Rustin is expected to face opposition from former chairman James Thompson and says he believes he has the majority of support in the county.
UGA Amazing Student
April 1--A Vidalia High School graduate is being featured this week on the University of Georgia Amazing Student webpage. Law student Tiffany Smith smiles back at you from the page with a web story detailing her experiences and achievements at Georgia. The university is holding its Relay for Life this weekend and is honoring Tiffany for organizing its first relay when she was an undergrad and for helping raise more than $300,000 in two years.
References
http://www.vidaliacommunications.com/news.shtml
URL: http://toombs.150m.com/news/radio/2004/April.htm Updated: Satyrday, May 01, 2004. Top