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May 28--After 15 months on active duty and a year in Iraq, soldiers of south Georgia's 878th Engineer Battalion are coming home. The unit is expected to return to Fort Stewart Friday, June 4th with a welcome ceremony planned for three p.m. at the Newman Gymnasium on the post. In Toombs County, a welcome home parade will be held at four p.m. on Thursday, June 10th with members of Company C departing the National Guard armory in Lyons, traveling to Highway 292 in Lyons and heading west to Vidalia where they will take a left on Stockyard Road and cross over to Highway 280 and travel back to Lyons where they'll be treated to a supper in the social hall of the Lyons First Baptist Church. Cynthia Boyette of the unit's family support group thanked the Lyons Merchants Association for their help in organizing the welcome home festivities.
May 28--The Pineland State Bank in Cobbtown was robbed at gunpoint Thursday morning. FBI Agent Cornelius Harris says two black men in their 20's entered the bank about 9:30 and demanded money from two tellers. He says they took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled in an older blue car, make and model undetermined. They were last seen heading in the direction of Lyons. Investigator Gary Barnard of the Tattnall County Sheriff's office says this makes the third time the bank in Cobbtown has been held up in the last few years.
May 28--The state highway department has asked Montgomery County authorities to close the bridge over Tiger Creek on Thompson Pond Road. County manager Keith Hamilton says the bridge needs structural repairs that are expected to take at least two weeks to complete. Drivers will have to use a detour until the work is finished.
May 26--A Toombs County magistrate has set a $1.2 million dollar bond for alleged thief Tina Wheeler of Tarrytown. Magistrate Pam Griggers says the bond is set by doubling the amount Wheeler is alleged to have stolen from the Vidalia Onion Growers Committee which is estimated at $639,000. The 35-year-old woman was employed by the onion growers as a receptionist and bookkeeper in 1994 and promoted to office manager in 1996. Police say she is facing 95 counts of theft, 251 counts of forgery and three counts of preparing false documents. Officials say Wheeler, currently held in the Toombs County jail, may file a motion in Toombs County Superior Court to reduce the amount of bond.
May 26--Toombs County commissioners got good news and bad news this week from the state highway department. The good news is that the department has given approval for the county to proceed with a contract to pave roads in the Quail Ridge sub-division south of Vidalia. Nearly two miles of roads will be paved including Quail Drive, Dove Drive, Pheasant Drive, Hawks Trail, Falcon Drive and Bluebird Drive. Nearly half of the estimated half-million dollar project will be paid for by the county using local sales tax collections.
The bad news is that the state has again slipped the planned start date of widening U.S. One from Lyons to Interstate 16. Commission chairman Charles Rustin says the project has been pushed to 2007 and he's beginning to doubt it will ever be done. Rustin says the latest DOT excuse is environmental concerns regarding wetlands along the right of way. The project has been delayed repeatedly for more than a decade.
May 26--A grant to help pay for the new domestic violence shelter in this area has been accepted by the Montgomery County commission. The commissioners held a called meeting Wednesday to accept the $75,000 from the Department of Community Affairs and $10,000 in local matching funds which are being provided through local contributions to the Refuge Domestic Violence Shelter in Vidalia. The new shelter for battered women is expected to open in June.
May 25--With the exception of Treutlen High School, area high schools pass rates generally met or exceeded the state average on the annual high school graduation tests. In English Language Arts testing, 99 percent of Toombs County High School juniors passed the test, three points higher than the state average. Montgomery County High School equaled the state average of 96, Vidalia High School with a pass rate of 95 percent was one point below the average, and Treutlen students with 93 percent passing were three points below.
In math, Toombs students had a pass rate of 99 percent, four points above the state average of 95 percent. Ninety-eight percent of Vidalia students passed the math test and were three points above the state average, Montgomery students with 96 percent passing were one point above, and Treutlen students with a 92 percent pass rate were three points below the state average.
Montgomery County High School led the area in social studies pass rates. The Eagles had a pass rate of 92 percent and exceeded the state passing rate of 85 percent by seven percent. Vidalia's social studies passing rate of 89 percent is four points over the state average, Toombs County's pass rate is the same as the state average, and only 75 percent of Treutlen students passed the social studies test, ten percent below the state average.
In science testing, its obvious most Georgia students are weak. Only 71 percent of the state's high school juniors passed the science test. Montgomery students did the best in our area with a pass rate of 75 percent, Vidalia was next with 73 percent passing, and Toombs County had a pass rate of 72 percent. Treutlen juniors were way below the state average with only 56 percent passing the science portion of the high school graduation test.
May 24--The former office manager of the Vidalia Onion Growers Committee has been charged with taking an estimated $639,000 from the committee. Vidalia Police Lieutenant Clint Kennedy says 35-year-old Tina Wheeler of Tarrytown turned herself in to authorities Monday morning. Wheeler is charged with 95 counts of theft, 251 counts of forgery and three counts of preparing false documents. Lieutenant Kennedy says the thefts occurred during a seven-year period. Wheeler left the job in March when members of the Vidalia Onion Growers Committee requested an investigation by the Vidalia Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A bond hearing for Wheeler is set for Thursday in Toombs County Superior Court. Until then, she is in jail at the Charles Durst Detention Center in Lyons.
May 24--Toombs County commissioners have received a proposed plan to redistrict the county to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act. Commission chairman Charles Rustin says the proposal from the state reapportionment office assures equal representation based on the 2000 census of Toombs County. District One commissioner Roy Lee Williams would add a portion of Toombs County and part of the city of Lyons to his district. District Three commissioner Durward NeeSmith gives up part of Lyons but gains the northern part of the county. District Four, represented by commissioner Mel Taylor, is reduced in size to include only the southern part of the county, and District Two commissioner Louie Powell gives up part of the city of Vidalia. The plan, if approved by the commission, requires enabling legislation by the state general assembly.
--Top graduates at area high schools include the following. The Toombs County High School valedictorian is Ashley Page Odom and the salutatorian is Ashley New. At Montgomery County High School, top honors go to valedictorian Daniel McCall and salutatorian Sheena Wood. Treutlen High School's valedictorian is Megan Shaw with salutatorian Natasha McCullough. And at Robert Toombs Christian Academy, the top grad is Mitchell Pittman and the salutatorian is Megan Shaw. Congratulations to all for maintaining the highest grade point average in their class.
May 19--The first group of area soldiers from the Lyons National Guard unit are home from Iraq. An advance party of 19 soldiers flew into Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah early Wednesday morning. Specialist Jonathan Roberts of Lyons is home for the first time since the unit deployed over a year ago. He's operates heavy equipment for Company C of the 578th Engineers and says his unit spent much of their time in direct support of combat troops assigned to the 1st Armored Division north of Baghdad. The rest of the unit is expected home by June 6th and a welcome home parade through Lyons and Vidalia is scheduled for June 10th.
May 19--The top graduate at Vidalia High school is valedictorian Sarah Hilton who says being second is not her style. Sarah took college courses at Georgia Southern during her senior year and plans to study biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech. The Vidalia salutatorian is Alicia Coleman.
May 17--What started out as a kidnapping and battery case in Vidalia Saturday morning ended in the shooting death of the assailant Saturday night in Wrightsville. Vidalia police report that 28-year-old Jamie Sanders of Lyons battered his estranged wife at a Morris Street address in Vidalia and then kidnapped her and took her to their home in McLendon Trailer Park in Lyons where he allegedly committed sexual battery and false imprisonment. The woman escaped and notified authorities who began a search. Saturday night Vidalia police spotted Sanders driving his wife's car and started a chase which went through Emanuel County into Johnson County where county Sheriff Rusty Oxford says Sanders wrecked the car in Wrightsville. Sheriff Oxford reports Sanders fired on Johnson County deputies when they approached his car. They returned fire and Sanders was hit twice. He was evacuated by air to an Augusta hospital where he later died. The GBI is investigating the incident, according to Sheriff Oxford.
May 17--The state Department of Transportation is reopening access ramps to the Ohoopee River on the Highway 292 bridge between Toombs and Tattnall counties. The department's decision to close the bridge nearly two years ago caused concern among people who use the river for recreation. After hearing from area legislators and county officials, the department has reversed its decision and says sheriff's offices in Toombs and Tattnall counties have agreed to help enforce the prohibitions on littering, fires and alcohol.
May 14--The Toombs County school board voted unanimously Thursday night to have a school-sponsored prom next year at Toombs County High School. After weeks of negative publicity from the likes of CNN and Fox News, the school board passed a motion directing school principal Ralph Hardy to appoint a faculty sponsor for the prom and to form a junior-senior prom committee for next year's prom. The school system has been ridiculed by the media after it was reported that there were three private proms divided generally along racial lines, i.e., white, black and Hispanic. A delegation of local black ministers led by Reverend James Joyces met with the school board and appealed for official action to "remove this embarrassment from our county." They were joined in their request by Lyons city councilman Tracy Johnson and Lyons Concerned Citizen leader Calvin Wilcox.
May 12--The Vidalia school board approved a tentative budget for next year at its May meeting Tuesday night. After state cuts of a half million dollars, the board approved a budget of nearly $24.5 million, with just over $3 million paid by local property taxpayers. Superintendent Dr. Tim Smith said the system will use an estimated $300,000 of its $2.5 million dollar reserve fund to partially make up for the state cuts.
The Vidalia board will wait at least until its June meeting to make any decisions regarding a joint resolution for a voter referendum on a new special purpose local option sales tax for education. Both Vidalia and Toombs County school officials must specify how the sales tax money will be spent if the voters approve. The Toombs County school system would like to build a new upper elementary school, renovate Lyons Primary School, re-roof Toombs Central Elementary, and purchase new school buses. Collections on a prior one percent school sales tax are scheduled to cease early in the Fall, and local voters could be asked to approve a new five-year tax in the November elections.
May 12--The May 23rd graduation at Treutlen High School will be the last one presided over by outgoing principal Robert Carroll. He's retiring after 12 years at the helm of Treutlen High and says he's seen a host of technological improvements at the school. However, Carroll cautions that there's trouble ahead in public education unless parents start working closer with schools regarding their children's education. Carroll was honored at the May meeting of the Treutlen County school board.
May 11--A local Naval reservist is back on the job in Iraq after being injured in a mortar attack. Alan Douberly of Lyons was hit in the right leg by shrapnel when his Seabee unit came under attack May 2nd. Seven U.S. military service members were killed in the attack. In civilian life, Douberly is a security officer at Plant Hatch. His Naval reserve unit was called to active duty in February. His wife, Roxanne, works at the Toombs County Department of Family and Children's Services. They have four children. She says Alan was treated by military doctors in Iraq and returned to duty two days after the attack. The Navy Seabees were sent to Iraq to help with rebuilding of the country.
May 11--Toombs County's liability insurance on its ambulances expires in June and the carrier has informed the county it will not be renewed. Commission chairman Charles Rustin says the county has yet to find another insurer. An ambulance owned by the county but operated by Meadows Regional Medical Center was involved in a fatal accident near Savannah in May. A Hazelhurst woman was killed and her sons have filed suit, however, the county is not a defendant in the case. Rustin appointed commissioners Louie Powell and Roy Lee Williams to work with county attorney Howard Kaufold to investigate options. One option could be contracting the ambulance service to a third party, according to Powell.
In other actions, the commission passed a resolution authorizing use of rent money from Pineland Mental Health to reimburse the city of Lyons and the Toombs County Board of Education for taxes lost due to the removal of Oxford property from the county tax rolls. It also voted to amend the county budget to allow alignment of county accounts in accordance with state law. With the conversion to the state chart of accounts, commissioner Louie Powell says he expects a credible financial statement by the June meeting, something the county has been without since late last summer.
May 7--Montgomery County commissioners called off a Friday meeting regarding the future of the county jail. The commissioners and Sheriff Clarence Sanders closed the jail after it was labeled a fire hazard by the State Fire Marshall's office. Prisoners in the jail were relocated to cells in Toombs and Appling Counties. Thursday Sheriff Sanders, county commission chairman Wyman Morris and county manager Keith Hamilton visited the new Berrien County jail in Nashville for ideas on jail construction and financing. Hamilton says options include a special purpose local option sales tax or a bond issue, both of which would require voter approval, or federal and state grants, many of which require local matching funds. The county manager says the commission is currently gathering information on its options to replace the ancient jail in Mount Vernon.
May 7--The state Supreme Court ordered the license of Vidalia attorney David Pittman suspended on April 27. A spokesman for the Georgia Bar Association says Pittman failed to respond within 30 days to an inquiry from the State Disciplinary Board regarding a complaint filed against him by a citizen. The Bar says Pittman's suspension could be lifted if there is no finding of probable cause.
May 7--Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue has signed a new law which gives schools a hammer for students with repeated absences. The education bill will revoke a student's driver's license for a year if there are more than ten unexcused absences in a year. Juvenile Judge Tom Rawlings of Sandersville, who is helping local schools crack down on truants, says parents need to get serious about their children's education and make sure they are in school.
May 5--The Lyons city council Tuesday night appointed veteran city councilman Ben Mitchell to serve as the city's mayor pro tem. In other actions, the council formed a committee to look at removal of some 400 junk cars around the city, introduced Vidalia attorney Sherri McDonald as the new city judge, and approved a nearly $38,000 contract with the state for prison labor details. It was also informed that a Connecticut firm has looked at two locations in Lyons and one in Vidalia for a call center to handle orders for Staples, and that regional tourism director Andrea Stein is leaving the Vidalia Area Convention and Visitors Bureau to return to her home state of North Carolina. The local tourism office will close for the summer while a successor for Stein is recruited.
May 4--The Montgomery County Commission voted Tuesday to close the county jail after a state fire inspector said the building, built in the 1800's, has the potential for a major fire with multiple loss of life. The commissioners met with Sheriff Clarence Sanders and reached agreement to immediately move nine prisoners to jails in adjoining counties, a move which officials say will cost $35 dollars per day per prisoner, nearly $9,500 a month. Montgomery County grand juries in the past have recommended replacement of the jail. The fire inspector inspected the jail in April and said deficiencies exist in all areas of life safety. He said the building has been out of compliance since the end of 1999 and is deficient in 12 of 14 areas inspected. The commissioners have a meeting scheduled with Sheriff Sanders Friday morning to discuss short term plans and long range solutions.
In other actions, the commission voted to proceed with bids for the paving of Dead River Road using a $500,000 community development block grant, approved a no-fee permit for the harvesting of timber in the county, and heard a report that property tax collections this year are running ahead of last year.
May 4--Emergency management agencies in four area counties are receiving state grants. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency says awards of $20,000 each are being made to the Emergency Management Agencies in Toombs, Montgomery, Tattnall and Wheeler counties.
May 3--After his election to Congress in 2002, Congressman Jim Marshall visited rural hospitals and asked what he could do to help them survive. One request was to help them gain access to the Indigent Care Trust Fund and now, two years later, its sounds as if he's had some luck. He says it will benefit 18 hospitals in the Third Congressional District including two in our area, Candler and Tattnall counties. Congressman Marshall says he worked with officials of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to change their interpretation of OB/GYN services which he said were impractical to expect from small hospitals. The change in policy will make the hospitals eligible for hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to help them care for indigent patients.
News Break - Vidalia Communications.
News Break - Vidalia Communications.
Internet Archive Wayback Machine views of http://www.vidaliacommunications.com/news.shtml
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Bridge Closed for Repairs
May 26
Bond Set for Wheeler
Good News/Bad News on Roads
Montgomery County Grant
May 25
Georgia High School Grad Test Results
May 24
Former Onion Manager Charged
Toombs Gets Suggested Redistricting Plans
May 21
More Honor Grads
May 19
Advance Party Returns
Vidalia Top Grads
May 17
Chase Ends in Shooting Death
State Reopening River Ramps
May 14
Toombs BOE Moves on Prom Problem
May 12
Vidalia School Board Tentative Budget
Treutlen High School Principal Honored
May 11
Local Reservist Injured in Iraq
Ambulance Insurance Problems
May 7
Jail Update
Bar Suspends Attorney
Students Could Lose Driver's License
May 5
Lyons City Council
May 4
Commissioners Close Jail
State Grants to EMA's
May 3
Help for Hospitals
References
http://www.vidaliacommunications.com/news.shtml
http://www.vidaliacommunications.com/news.html
http://www.waybackmachine.org/
URL: http://toombs.150m.com/news/radio/2004/May.htm Updated: Wednesday, June 02, 2004. Top