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Smith also made a claim in a TV interview that Morris profited from the sale of a pickup truck to the county. However, county records show that the county commission approved the sale and that the chairman sold it for the same price he paid for it.
In another claim, Dr. Smith says the county is not complying with state law in how it spends insurance rollback funds. County officials say the county attorney has given them a clean bill of health regarding administration of the insurance refund of nearly $173,000 and that the money was spent for the county's solid waste program in accordance with state law. Sources say Dr. Smith has it in for the county commission for hiring an attorney to defend the Board of Tax Assessors in a suit filed by Dr. Smith. The Georgia Supreme Court ruled in the county's favor a few weeks ago.
October 19-- A former executive secretary for Ladson Investments in Vidalia has been charged with multiple counts of theft and fraud. Vidalia Police Detective Shannon Hayes says police started an investigation in August of 35-year-old Tonya Blocker Keene of Toombs County at the request of company officials. After two months of work, police are charging Keene with 75 counts of theft by taking and 37 counts of forgery. They say she is accused of stealing $711,382.93 over a period of more than ten years. She resigned from the company this summer. Police say Keene turned herself in to them Tuesday afternoon and was booked at the Toombs County jail pending a first appearance hearing.
October 19-- Former Vidalian and U.S. Attorney Rick Thompson is being sued by former state senator Van Streat Sr. of Nicholls. Two years ago Thompson issued a news release regarding his intent to investigate the findings of a special state prosecutor who had recommended an indictment against Streat be dropped. Streat had been accused of helping a convicted killer be moved to a different prison in exchange for campaign contributions. At the time, Streat was running in a newly formed senatorial district against Senator Tommie Williams of Lyons and lost the election. In his suit, Streat alleges he was approached by Senator Williams about dropping out of the race, and claims Williams said he was friends with a federal prosecutor who would investigate Streat if the state charges were dismissed. Senator Williams denies Streat's allegations and says the suit, which was filed last week in U.S. District Court in Augusta, is politically motivated.
In October, 2002, attorneys for Streat asked the Justice Department to investigate Thompson's actions. Thompson resigned 15 months later, and in February of this year, the Office of Professional Responsibility concluded that Thompson abused his authority and violated the public trust. He now practices law in North Georgia and has 30 days to respond to the lawsuit with his side of the story. He can't comment on the case now because district court rules prohibit lawyers from discussing pending litigation.
October 18-- Over a hundred workers at the Hedstrom plant in Hazelhurst are without work after the Illinois-based company went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed the plant last week. The company manufactured leisure products such as water skis and gym sets for children. Some employees had been at the plant for 40 years, according to local officials.
October 18-- Republican Congressman Bill Thomas of California, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, led congressional efforts to reform Medicare last year. Today in Savannah he criticized Third District Congressman Jim Marshall who is airing re-election ads claiming that he (Marshall) helped send more Medicare dollars to rural hospitals. Thomas says Marshall had nothing to do with the bill and only voted for it when he saw it was going to pass anyway and after he got the OK from house minority leader Nancy Pelosi of California.
Meanwhile, Marshall's opponent in the race, Calder Clay of Macon, made a visit to Toombs County and said it will be a close election, but he's pleased with the support he's getting. Clay expects to lose in Bibb County, but make a strong showing in other parts of the district.
October 15-- Residents of the Quail Ridge sub-division south of Vidalia will soon have paved streets. Toombs County commissioners awarded a $338,000 paving contract to McLendon Construction Friday to pave 1.8 miles of road. The state will pay $184,000 of the project with the county using local option sales tax money to pay the balance. County records show that Toombs County has spent over $900,000 in sales tax collections this year for projects on 16 county roads.
October 15-- Earlier we reported that Democrat Hugh McCullough of Glennville, running for the state senate against Senator Tommie Williams of Lyons, had received no campaign funds from political action committees. Further investigation shows that the Tattnall county lawyer has received a $2,000 contribution from a Fulton County PAC called "Civil Justice PAC" which is funded by trial lawyers. McCullough, who opposes tort reform, has received two-thirds of his campaign contributions from trial lawyers including the firm of former Governor Roy Barnes.
Meanwhile, Senator Williams, who favors tort reform, has received campaign contributions from 71 individuals and parties connected to the medical community and insurance companies.
October 15-- A 5th grade teacher at Toombs County Upper Elementary School is the Toombs County teacher of the year. Jaunita Wimber of Soperton has been teaching for 31 years and observes the lack of parental involvement is the biggest change she's seen in public education during her career. Others honored for classroom excellence at Thursday night's meeting of the Toombs school board were Trina Graham from Lyons Primary, Lyn Akins from Toombs Central, Brenda Corbett from Toombs County Middle School, and Doug Alexander from Toombs County High School.
It was also announced that Toombs school superintendent Dr. Kendall Brantley is one of four finalists for superintendent of the year statewide in competition sponsored by the Georgia School Superintendent's Association. Other nominees are superintendents from Gwinnett, Muscogee and Haralson counties. The winner will be announced in December.
Dr. Brantley also announced that the Georgia Accrediting Commission has accredited the Toombs county school system and each of its schools with its highest accreditation, and he had kudos for the showing the Toombs High School Technology Student Association made at the national conference in Nashville. The Toombs chapter placed 8th nationwide in the mechanical challenge category, while student Mary Catherine Farrell won 5th place in prepared speech and Alisha Sturgis won ninth in technical design. The board also honored the middle school softball team for winning it's league championship.
October 13-- A 32-year veteran of the classroom is the Vidalia City School System's teacher of the year. Mary James, a second grade teacher at J.D. Dickerson Primary School, was named in ceremonies Wednesday afternoon. School principal Robert Warnock says she has a real concern for children and is also a leader in the school. She was chosen from a group of teachers of the year in other schools including Faye Mosley at Sally Meadows Elementary, Susan Murray at J.R. Trippe Middle School, and Sarah Montford from Vidalia High School.
October 13-- Three escapees from the Montgomery State Prison in Mount Vernon are back in custody. The three were caught late Tuesday afternoon as they walked out of a grocery store in Marietta, Okalahoma. A fourth escapee had been caught Monday night in Birmingham, Alabama when he was shot during a burglary attempt at a residence. Department of Corrections officials say they will be returned to Georgia and reassigned to a different prison. The truck they stole from Randall Clark of Uvalda Saturday night after the breakout has yet to be recovered. They were driving a Jeep Cherokee stolen from Cobb County when they were captured.
October 13-- The Vidalia school board saved $400,000 due to budget cuts this year, and Tuesday night the board supported a motion by member Mac Jordan to allocate half of the savings directly to individual schools. Each Vidalia school will receive $50,000 to be used for improving academic performance in the school. School administrators and school councils will tell the board by early November how the money will be used starting in January.
The school board also endorsed a project by the Vidalia All-Sports Boosters to sell personalized bricks to help pay for a field house at the new Vidalia High School football field. In other actions, a portion of the recently-acquired Oxford Building is being renovated and will be leased to raise revenue for the school system. Also, the board okayed a pilot project to help kids in the J.R. Trippe Alternative School.
October 12-- If campaign funds are any measure, State Senator Tommie Williams of Lyons has a clear advantage in his campaign for re-election. The Republican incumbent is being challenged in the 19th Senatorial District by Democrat Hugh McCullough, a Glennville lawyer. In his latest campaign disclosure report, Senator Williams reports campaign contributions of nearly $290,000 compared to just under $60,000 in contributions reported by McCullough. Williams campaign has received contributions from 42 political action committees. McCullough has none. As of September 30th, Senator Williams had spent just over $169,000 and McCullough reported campaign expenses of nearly $36,000.
October 12-- If nothing else, he's persistent. For the past 14 months, Stephen Brown of Toombs County has been trying to persuade the Toombs commission to pave the Ben Jackson Road. He says he has agreement from property owners for right-of-way and he can't understand why no progress is being made. At Tuesday's meeting of the county commission, Chairman Charles Rustin told Brown his road doesn't meet state criteria for paving, and that it's way down the list for county paving.
Meanwhile, after years of right-of-way negotiations, the county is moving to start condemnation procedures against three property owners on the Clifford Rogers Road. County attorney Howard Kaufold says a special master will be appointed to arbitrate fair market value for land owned by Ben Neely, Bradford Deen and the estate of Alan Rogers.
The commissioners also supported a recommendation from county tax commissioner Glenda Williams to write off $28,000 in un-collectable property taxes dating as far back at 1972.
October 12-- It's been a very good year for retail sales in Vidalia. The city council was told Monday night that local option sales tax collections are running ten percent ahead of last year.
And local officials are hoping that the nearly $3 million investment in the county industrial park north of Lyons will payoff soon. Consultants for manufacturers in California and New Jersey have recently visited the park to see the new spec building and both say they have plans to bring company officials for a visit.
October 12-- One of the inmates who escaped from the Montgomery State Prison in Mount Vernon over the weekend has been shot during a burglary in Birmingham, Alabama. Thirty-year-old Tracy Mullins is reported in stable condition at a Birmingham hospital. Officials say he was shot by the owner of a residence which he and the other three escapees were burglarizing. The others got away. Mullins was serving as three-year term for firearms possession and other offenses.
Department of Corrections officials say they have yet to recover the truck stolen from Randall Clark of Uvalda which was used by the convicts to leave the area. They were last believed to be driving another stolen vehicle.
October 11-- Four prisoners who escaped from the Montgomery State Prison in Mount Vernon Saturday night should be onsidered "dangerous" according to Department of Corrections officials. Authorities believe the four cut a hole in a security fence and later stole a pickup truck. Montgomery County Sheriff Clarence Sanders says a 1986 Toyoto truck owned by Randall Clark of Uvalda was taken from William Braswell's garage where it had been repaired.
The four are all white and are identified as 19-year-old Joshua Thompson, serving a 18-year sentence for killing a Cobb County teenager with a baseball bat; convicted armed robber Joseph Lee; 22-year-old Mical Sheer, serving 17 years for assault and burglary; and 30-year-old Tracy Mullins, in jail for firearms offenses. Officials say most of the men are from northwest Georgia.
October 8-- The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has advised Toombs County commissioners to cease trying to repair Dees Road near Grays Landing until the EPD and the Army Corps of Engineers can evaluate the impact such work may have on the nearby Atlamaha River. The county-maintained road also served as a dam for Dees Lake before it washed out after recent heavy rains.
At a called meeting Friday, Toombs commissioners discussed options. One would be an expensive, professionally-engineered dam. Another would be not to rebuild the dam at all, but build a road with appropriate drainage without a lake. Commissioner Durwand NeeSmith notes the dam has broken three times in the past and he's concerned about the county's liability if it rebuilds it this time.
October 8-- State representative Greg Morris of Vidalia reports campaign contributions nearly three times greater than those of his challenger, Rick Berry of Lyons. Morris is an incumbent democrat running for re-election in House District 155. His latest campaign disclosure report shows contributions of nearly $182,000 including fourteen cash gifts from political action committees. Republican Rick Berry's report reflects contributions of just over $66,000 with no PAC contributions to date. With less than a month to go till the election, Morris had a fund balance of $125,000 compared to Berry's balance of nearly $28,000.
October 8-- A Toombs County grand jury has returned 11 criminal indictments including two for child molestation. Joey John Brannon of Toombs County was indicted on six counts for molesting three girls under the age of 16, while Spencer Jared Sanders is charged with child molestation and cruelty to children. Others indicted include Justin Badie for cruelty to children; Ronald L. Smith for rape; Dewey Shealy III for robbery and forgery; Tara Hogue, Rhonda Phillips and Timothy Sutton, all for burglary; Debra Seidel for theft by taking; Barbara Polke for resisting an officer; and Eugene Dowd for damage to property.
October 5-- The Georgia Department of Transportation has awarded a $77,000 contract to Douglas Asphalt to resurface 1.8 miles of the Lyons-Center Road in Toombs County. The re-paving will start in Cedar Crossing and should be completed by early next summer. At the same time, Toombs County commissioners have approved a $35,000 contract to Sikes Brothers of Metter to pave a short portion of the road.
In Montgomery County, the county commission has approved a $140,000 contract to Douglas Asphalt to widen Sawmill Road with the county paying $64,000 of the project cost, and Littlefield Contractors of Waycross has been given the go-ahead to pave Dead River Road. The $593,000 contract will be paid for by a state grant of $425,000 and the balance by the county.
Portions of Dead River Road were washed away by Hurricane Frances rains and Montgomery County officials plan to apply for $108,000 in federal disaster funds to reimburse the county for the cost of repairs. Officials say 400 truck loads of dirt were hauled in to fix the damage.
In other actions at its October meeting, the Montgomery commission agreed to start work on relocating the county commission offices and the county development authority offices to the former Holland Construction Company office complex in Mount Vernon; agreed to set the county property tax millage rate at a called meeting October 26; heard a report that housing county prisoners in adjacent county jails has cost the county $32,500 since the old jail was closed last May; agreed to accept a road in a new housing development near the Conaway-McDonald Road, and changed the county beer and wine laws to allow a license to be issued to a non-resident.
October 5-- The Georgia Department of Transportation has bought the old railroad tracks from Vidalia to Hazelhurst to preserve right-of-way for future economic development. Hal Wilson of the DOT says over $400,000 was paid to Central of Georgia/Norfolk Southern Railroad to insure rail service could be reinstated "if needed" in the future. Wilson says the state already owns about 500 miles of rail statewide.
October 5-- Farmers in eight area counties are eligible for USDA disaster assistance in the aftermath of recent Hurricane Frances damage. Emergency low-interest loans are available to farmers in Toombs, Montgomery, Treutlen, Wheeler, Jeff Davis, Appling, Tattnall and Emanuel counties.
October 1-- The Georgia Supreme Court has denied the petition of Vidalia physician Ronnie Smith to unseat two members of the Montgomery County Board of Tax Assessors. Smith, who is now running for the county commission, alleged board members John Brewer and Howard Morris were not qualified to serve and that they acted in a discriminatory manner in matters relating to the county-wide property revaluation which increased the value of Smith's property.
Dr. Smith sued the county and lost in Montgomery County Superior Court, in the Georgia Court of Appeals, and now the state Supreme Court. So far, the county has paid Macon attorney Hale Almand nearly $55,000 to defend it in the case.
News Break - Vidalia Communications.
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October 31-- The apparent low bid to build one-way highway pairs in Vidalia is unacceptable to the state Department of Transportation and will be put back out for new bids, according to Vidalia city officials. The department opened bids on October 22nd with the low bid of $15.6 million submitted by Reeves Construction Company of Americus. Last week, Vidalia officials were informed the bid was 20 percent more than state estimates and would require new bids. Officials hope they can get the contract re-advertised and awarded before the end of the year.
Georgia Election Polls
October 31-- An Atlanta polling firm, Strategic Vision, is predicting a landslide victory in Georgia for President Bush. Pollster David Johnson says a poll of 800 likely voters shows Bush-Cheney with a 17 percentage point lead over Kerry-Edwards. The poll shows that Johnny Isakson with beat Denise Majette in the U.S. Senate race by 15 percent, and that over-two thirds of Georgians will vote to amend the constitution prohibiting gay marriage. Johnson also reminds us that the presidential election will be decided by the electoral college to give citizens of each state a voice in the election.
October 28
Not Exactly
October 28-- The Vidalia physician running for Montgomery County commission claims two county elected officials and the county manager filed for school property tax exemptions for which they don't quality, however, county tax officials have a different story. The law requires that you be over 62 and have a household income, excluding retirement, of less than $10,000 to qualify for the school tax exemption. Dr. Ronnie Smith has a copy of the 2003 exemption list which includes the names of commission chairman Wyman Morris, clerk of court Dwight Newsome and county manager Keith Hamilton. The tax assessors office says both Newsome and Hamilton were legally listed because the property is in a life estate or co-owned by their elderly mothers. Tax assessor Tom Williams says his office purged the list in January and chairman Morris' name was deleted. Morris says he doesn't know how his name got on the list in the first place since he doesn't remember filing for the exemption. Williams says he can find no record that Morris ever applied.
October 27
Chairman's Clerk Chauffeurs Voters
October 27-- Democrats in Toombs County are taking people to the polls and giving them lists of candidates to vote for, and the republican candidate for state solicitor doesn't like it. Tommy J. Smith observed Liz Futch, a clerk in Toombs County Commission chairman Charles Rustin's office, chauffeuring voters to the polls, and that's not all. Smith says Futch provides voters with a list of democratic candidates to vote for and how to vote on constitutional amendments. At the courthouse, Miss Futch said the van she is using is being paid for by Chairman Rustin and she sees no conflict of interest since she is on vacation this week. The list includes Chairman Rustin's name in bold print at the top, followed by John Kerry, Julie Hart Reaves, Mandel Edenfield, Duston Tapley, Greg Morris and Hugh McCullough. Advance voting has been going strong this week in Toombs County with officials estimating more than a thousand people voting as of Wednesday afternoon.
Traffic Death
October 27-- A Glenwood man died early Tuesday morning in a Treutlen County wreck. The state patrol says 26-year-old Erick Robert Williams was killed when his vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer in early morning fog at the intersection of Georgia Highways 199 and 46.
October 26
Vidalia OK's Tax Rate
October 26-- Vidalia residents will see no increases in their city property taxes in the coming year. The city council approved the same millage rate as this year at a called meeting Tuesday. It also awarded a $148,000 road contract to a Waycross firm for widening Broadfoot Boulevard to three lanes adjacent to Handy Andy.
Senatorial Visit
October 26-- U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss led a campaign visit to Vidalia Tuesday on behalf of republican senatorial candidate Johnny Isakson who is favored to defeat democrat Denise Majette in Tuesday's election. Chambliss predicted a close victory for President Bush and said it will all depend on six key swing states in the electoral college.
Georgia Supreme Court OK's Amendment on Ballot
October 26-- The Georgia Supreme Court has okayed placing a constitutional amendment on the ballot Tuesday stating that Georgia will recognize marriage as only the union of man and woman. Meanwhile, opponents of the anti-gay marriage amendment headed by Representative Karla Drenner, the only openly gay member of the Georgia house, is reminding voters they will only see part of the amendment on the ballot. Drenner says the part voters won't see could limit the rights of both gay and heterosexual citizens. Those who favor the amendment see it as a means of limiting the power of activist judges who have opined in favor of gay marriage.
October 25
One-Way Pairing Project Bid
October 25-- The Georgia Department of Transportation has opened bids for construction of the long-awaited one-way pairing highway project in Vidalia. Reeves Construction Company of Americus submitted the apparent low bid of just over $15.6 million. Vidalia officials say work should begin after the first of the year and will take at least two-and-a-half years to complete.
The 155th House Race
October 25-- State representative Greg Morris of Vidalia is denying claims by his opponent in the race for the 155th House seat that Morris ducked a vote on a pro-life bill last January. Republican Rick Berry points to the House voting record which shows that Morris did not cast a vote on a bill that would have moved "Woman's Right to Know" legislation from the house judiciary committee to the health and human services committee. Closer examination of the voting record that day also shows that a Republican pro-life lawmaker, Terry Barnard of Tattnall County, performed the same as Morris and did not cast a vote on the legislation. Morris says if his not voting that day had meant anything, he would not have received the endorsement of the Georgia Right to Life political action committee last month. Berry says he's not challenging Morris' convictions, but he does think voters should be aware of his votes, or lack thereof.
October 20
Fred Stokes Youth Ranch
October 20-- Vidalia native son Fred Stokes is returning to his roots. After an NFL career which included a Super Bowl championship with the Washington Redskins, he's planning to start the Fred Stokes Youth Ranch on 80 acres where he makes his home in Montgomery County. He credits his success to people in the area who took an interest in him when he was young, and he'd like to do the same for others. After leaving the NFL in 1998, Stokes worked for STC in Vidalia helping young fathers get back on track, and he also went on the lecture circuit talking mostly with young people. He believes more adults need to "get in the game" and help guide the next generation. The youth ranch is expected to open early next year catering to boys from 12 to 18.
Local Flu Vaccine "Shot"
October 20-- Public health officials say, for the most part, their supply of flu vaccine in rural southeast Georgia is exhausted. Roger Naylor of the Southeast Health Unit in Waycross reports the Toombs County Health Department has given 2,000 doses and is out of vaccine. Health departments in Montgomery and Treutlen counties say they never got any vaccine this year and have been referring people to Toombs County. In the absence of vaccine, Naylor encourages good hygiene and frequent hand-washing to fight the flu bug. He also says there's no reason to expect anything other than a normal flu season this year. Health officials say there's a slight chance more vaccine may be available later in the year.
Kids Get Vidalia Flip-Flops in Iraq
October 20-- This past summer, alumni of the Leadership Toombs-Montgomery program spearheaded a local drive to collect flip-flops for kids in Iraq. Over 800 pairs of flip-flops were shipped to Fort Hood, Texas where they were added to a shipment of several thousand which had been gathered under the leadership of former Vidalians, Gary and Barbara Cluck. The flip-flops were distributed to kids like those pictured above. Mission Accomplished!
October 19
Executive Secretary Charged in Theft/Forgery
Former U.S. Attorney Faces Damage Suit
October 18
Hazelhurst Plant Closes
House Chairman Blasts Marshall
October 15
Paving Contract Awarded
Disclosure Correction
Toombs Teacher of The Year
October 13
Vidalia Teacher of The Year
Escapees Captured
Vidalia BOE Makes $$ Available
October 12
Campaign Disclosure
Toombs Commissioners & Roads
Vidalia Retail Sales Strong
Escapee Shot
October 11
Montgomery Prison Break
October 8
Dees Dam Road Repair "On-Hold"
Campaign Disclosure
Toombs County Grady Jury Indictments
October 5
Area Road Paving
DOT Buys Rail Right-of-Way
Federal Disaster Help for Farmers
October 1
Smith Appeal Denied
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URL: http://toombs.150m.com/news/radio/2004/October.htm Updated: Monday, October 31, 2004. Top