|
|
![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) |
Path: Home -> News -> Radio -> 2005 -> -> November
Archives News Radio | 2000 | May 2000 | June 2000 | September 2000 | October 2000 | November 2000 | December 2000 | 2001 | January 2001 | 2002 | June 2002 | July 2002 | August 2002 | September 2002 | October 2002 | November 2002 | December 2002 | 2003 | January 2003 | February 2003 | March 2003 | April 2003 | May 2003 | June 2003 | July 2003 | August 2003 | September 2003 | October 2003 | November 2003 | December 2003 | 2004 | January 2004 | February 2004 | March 2004 | April 2004 | May 2004 | June 2004 | July 2004 | August 2004 | September 2004 | October 2004 | November 2004 | December 2004 | 2005 | January 2005 | February 2005 | March 2005 | April 2005 | May 2005 | June 2005 | July 2005 | August 2005 | September 2005 | October 2005 | November 2005 |
November 30-- Two former employees of the Colony Bank of Treutlen County are facing embezzlement charges. A Treutlen County grand jury has indicted 25-year-old Adrienne Jordan and 39-year-old Donna Ware, both of Soperton, for thefts at the bank in 2004 and the first five months of 2005. Jordan was indicted on six counts and Ware on one count. Officials say more than $50,000 was allegedly stolen.
November 30-- Four women are facing prostitution charges in Lyons. After citizen complaints last summer, Lyons Police Chief Ricky Newsome started a five-month long investigation which culminated with the arrest of 20-year-old Tiffanie Morton of Vidalia, and three Lyons women; 57-year-old Willer Baena, 46-year-old Patricia Gonzalez, and 48-year-old Betty Ann Medders who's also facing crack cocaine charges.
Chief Newsome says his department is continuing its investigation and welcomes information on illegal drug and sex from members of the public.
November 30-- The Vidalia city council has okayed a grant request to the state for $100,000 to build another walking trail in the city. In other actions at a called meeting Tuesday, the council gave the go-ahead on design work for a runway extension at the Vidalia Regional Airport, and it appointed Chris Banks to the city's revolving loan committee.
November 30-- Montgomery County hopes it can get more roadsides mowed next summer with contract labor versus county road department employees. County manager David Curry says Ray Lamb of Metter has won a contract at a cost of $65 per mile. Curry says the contract requires three cuttings of 173 miles of county maintained roads. According to Curry, the county had a hard time this year getting its roadsides mowed one time with county employees.
November 29-- Third District Congressman Jim Marshall of Macon is back home after a Thanksgiving trip to Iraq. He was one of three congressman involved in an auto accident while in a VIP convoy near Baghdad. Marshall was not injured, however, Congressman Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania and Congressman Ike Skelton, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, were flown to a military hospital in Germany for examination. They were not seriously injured.
his return, Marshall reported the Georgia National Guard's 48th Brigade is getting high marks for its work in south Baghdad. The unit has about six months to go on its current deployment.
This was Marshall's sixth trip to Iraq and he observes, "We have ceded swaths of control to the Iraqi forces, and they are making steady progress." Even though he expects some reduction in U.S. troop levels next year, Marshall agrees with President Bush that "we can't withdraw until we finish the job. What we are doing is too important for the future of Iraq, the Middle East and the United States for us leave now," he says.
November 29-- A candidate for city council in Soperton is contesting an election he lost by one vote. Court officials say Kenneth Moseley has filed a petition in superior court asking a judge to declare the November 8th election "null and void" and to order a new election. Moseley lost to District One incumbent L.G. Strickland by a vote of 80 to 79.
November 29-- A Cobbtown couple's plane crashed into the side of a north Georgia mountain Sunday. The pilot, 56-year-old Randy Hackle, was found by campers Monday morning just over a mile south of where his two-seater Piper Cherokee clipped some trees on the side of Slaughter Mountain not far from Vogel State Park in Union County. Hackle was reported dazed and burned and unaware of what had happened to his wife. He was later transferred from a hospital in Gainesville to a burn center in Augusta.
A search party found Hackle's wife, Barbara, dead and still strapped in her seat. They said the plane was broken into pieces. Friends said Hackle farmed near Cobbtown and his wife worked at the Candler County hospital in Metter. The couple had left Murphy, North Carolina Sunday on the flight back to the Metter Airport where he kept his plane.
November 29-- Five members of the faculty at Brewton Parker are included in the 2005 edition of Who's Who Among America's Teachers, according to the college. Included are English professor Dr. Harry Bayne, music division chairman Dr. Glenn Eernisse, counseling director Jaunita Kissell, disability coordinator Dr. Kevin McCranie, and history professor Dr. Larry Toll.
November 28-- Tourism statistics in Georgia show that 58% of the visitors who spend money in the state are on family visits, 22% are here on business, and 16% are visiting for sports or entertainment events. Tyrone Spearman, head of the Tifton Tourism Board, spoke to the end-of-year board meeting of the Vidalia Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Monday. He reminded board members that the average county taxpayer also benefits because 40% of the sales tax money collected to support local option taxes come from visitors to the area.
Local tourism director Elizabeth Harville briefed the board on plans for the coming year including an audio tour via CD ROM, and preparation of package plans tailored to the interests of potential visitors.
November 27-- House majority leader Jerry Keen of St. Simons says "the votes aren't there yet" to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot proposing that a sales tax replace property taxes to fund public school education in Georgia. Keen is a strong proponent of the change, however, he admits there's not enough time to work out details of such a system before the next session of the legislature in January. He also says it will be difficult to find the needed 120 votes when many metro-area lawmakers are finding no support for the sales tax from their local school boards. School boards in wealthy districts fear they may lose tax revenue if they depend on a state sales tax for funding. However, in low wealth systems like Toombs County, school superintendent Dr. Kendall Brantley says more funding would be available than is currently the case with property taxes. Keen says he's "I'm still committed to the measure, but I don't think it will happen this coming session."
November 22-- Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue has authorized a reward for information in the death of a Vidalia man. The body of 33-year-old Lancelot "Sean" Summerset was found on July 5th in the 200 block of Columbia Lane in Lyons. He had been shot several times with a 9mm pistol according to Lyons police. After four months of investigation by local police and the GBI, officials say they have been unable to generate any "solid leads." Summerset's body was found in the pre-dawn hours of July 5th in an area of Lyons known as a "high drug area" according to police chief Ricky Newsome. The governor is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Summerset's killer. If you have information, contact the police department in Lyons.
November 22-- A 69-year-old great grandmother will spend time in a federal prison for stealing government money. The U.S. Attorney's office in Savannah reports Wilma Nicholson, former director of the Housing Authority in Alamo, will spend ten months in prison and repay over $46,000 which she admits stealing from Housing Authority rental receipts during a five-year period from 1999 to 2003. Nicholson pled guilty to the thefts and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dudley Bowen in federal court in Dublin.
November 22-- A Florida boat company is moving most of its manufacturing operations from Miami to Baxley. State officials and Contender Boats made the announcement Tuesday morning in the West Appling County Industrial Park. The company plans to invest nearly $13 million on a 25-acre site and create at least 424 permanent jobs in the next five years. The construction work will also create dozens of temporary jobs.
Contender is one of the world's top manufacturers of off-shore sport fishing boats. It produces a complete line of outboard-powered fishing boats ranging from 21 to 36 feet.
The Southeast Georgia Regional Development Authority, which includes Appling, Bacon and Jeff Davis counties, worked with Contender to make the move possible.
November 21-- A Lyons insurance agent has been sentenced after pleading guilty to insurance fraud in Toombs County. Meredith Dianne Sowell of Sowell & Sowell Insurance on North State Street in Lyons admitted to seven counts of keeping premium payments from four different customers for her personal use. Judge Kathy Palmer sentenced Sowell under the first offenders act to five years probation, 40 hours of community service, a $2,000 fine, and to make restitution of nearly $2,200 to the people she defrauded. She was also ordered to give up her state insurance license.
The Georgia Insurance Commissioner's office says Sowell is still facing six counts of fraud on customers in Chatham County in cases still pending.
November 21-- A veteran of the Ware County Tax Assessor's Office is the new chief tax appraiser in Toombs County. Angela Waldron succeeded long-time appraiser Ed Gartman in September. George Powell, chairman of the Toombs Board of Tax Assessors, believes the county will benefit from Waldron's 30 years of experience and her computer skills. After two months on the job, she believes there are many homeowners in Toombs County who are paying too much in property taxes because they haven't filed for homestead exemptions. She's also starting a county-wide revaluation of property values. As a result of the revaluation, she expects the property tax appraisal many of us receive next April will be higher than this year.
November 21-- A member of the board at Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia has been elected to a statewide position. Pollyann Martin is the new vice president of the Technical College Directors' Association of Georgia. The association works on increasing the value of technical and adult education in Georgia.
November 19-- Maybe an election year is not the best time to stir the pot when it comes to how education is funded in Georgia. One of the state constitutional amendments which has been discussed for the next session of the general assembly would impose a statewide sales tax and eliminate property taxes as a primary source of local education funding.
At a campaign rally last week in Tattnall County, Governor Sonny Perdue told Newsbreak "I think that's off the table." We've been unable to contact House Majority Leader Jerry Keen of St. Simons, a strong supporter of the amendment, for his take on the governor's remarks.
However, Governor Perdue says he will support a non-controversial amendment referred to as "Hope Chest." It would require that state lottery funds for education be used only to fund Pre-K programs and the Hope scholarship program. The lock box approach would prevent spending of lottery funds for things such as technology and other projects which fall under the education umbrella. Legislators say the amendment would make more money available for the Hope program. Legislators did some "refining" of what Hope could pay for last year because of fears the program was running out of money.
November 18-- Governor Sonny Perdue takes issue with the Atlanta Journal Constitution for opposing state incentives for economic development, and for refusing to publish facts that the paper's parent company sought and was granted similar tax incentives in Atlanta.
The governor attended a political rally for his re-election Thursday night at Wayne Dasher's pond house near Glennville. Afterwards, in a Newsbreak interview, the governor responded to questions about the AJC. Thursday the newspaper published an editorial criticizing Perdue for using tax and other incentives to attract 2,000 new jobs to the Columbus area for insurance giant, AFLAC. At the same time, the paper asked the governor's office if it wanted to provide a response to the paper's editorial. However, when it published the state's response, editorial page editor Cynthia Tucker deleted a statement noting that Cox Enterprises received $6.7 million in tax incentives to relocate its corporate headquarters to Fulton County. The governor's office immediately issued a statement saying the paper "used a form of censorship to hide its own hypocrisy."
Governor Perdue told us, "I think that's hypocritical when they do that and then complain about the state trying to use incentives to bring jobs to Georgia."
"We pointed that out to them and their editors insisted that it be taken out," the governor said. "If its good for one (AJC), its good for the other (AFLAC), and if you're going to be a free press, it's not up to you to delete what's in there. Let the people read the truth," he said.
According to Perdue, "AFLAC could have put those jobs anywhere in the country or internationally." What the state did was good for the state's economy, he said, "and if the AJC wants to take that on, then I'm willing to take them on. That's what we did, we pointed out their hypocrisy, and I think they're a little stunned by it."
Before the interview, Governor Perdue was introduced to a large crowd of south Georgia supporters by State Senator Tommie Williams of Lyons.
November 17-- United Way officials announced record pledges and collections at the campaign's victory luncheon Thursday. Campaign chairman Brent Sammons reports the campaign has raised $512,242.00, over $37,000 more than its goal of $475,000. Director Patricia Dixon says this year's campaign was "awesome" and may allow the United Way board to add additional agencies in 2006. Currently the agency supports 25 social service agencies in Toombs, Montgomery and Wheeler Counties. Sammons thanked volunteers for their "hard work" this year and reminded them "it's all for a very good cause." Next year's campaign chairperson, Doug Baird, says "it'll be a challenge, but we'll try to do even better next year."
November 17-- A local lawmaker and a Vidalia businessman were part of Governor Sonny Perdue's 40-member trade delegation to Israel last week.
Senator Tommie Williams of Lyons says the mission landed two Israeli companies which plan to join 40 others which have U.S. operations based in Atlanta. "Israel is on the leading edge in many areas of technology. We are funding technology incubator programs at Georgia Tech and the Medical College of Georgia, and we'd like to attract Israeli companies to Georgia to take part in this initiative," Senator Williams says.
Allen Rice of Savannah Luggage Works believes he can find new business for his company with the Israeli military. "Part of our foreign aid program to Israel includes funds which must be spent in the United States, and the Israeli forces spend a large part of that money," according to Rice. Savannah Luggage, which already makes armored vests and other products for the U.S. Army, is positioned to expand its customer base. "We are always looking for new business to grow our company and to create new jobs for our area," Rice says. He's hopeful some contacts he made during the trip will lead to new customers in Israel.
November 16-- The Vidalia city council has approved a reorganization of the city police department as recommended by new Chief Frank Waits. The new structure adds an Assistant Chief at the rank of major, creates an Office of Professional Standards headed by a captain, and reduces the number of police lieutenants from five to four.
Chief Waits says Captain Roger Callaway has been promoted to major and is the new assistant police chief. Lieutenant Clint Kennedy has been promoted to captain and will head the professional standards office. According to Chief Waits, Kennedy will be responsible for police officer training and will conduct any internal investigations, if needed.
Elected officials promised to reorganize the department last Spring after a sex scandal involving former police chief Darrell Collins and subordinates in the department.
In other actions at the Monday night council meeting, the council authorized Van Page and Associates to design a new fire station to replace the station on McIntosh Street and to be located west of the downtown area. It also gave the go ahead to seek bids for nearly half-million dollars worth of resurfacing on 15 city streets, and okayed installation of a red light at the corner of Third and Church Streets by the post office.
November 14-- Toombs County school officials held a groundbreaking Monday for a new upper elementary school. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the beginning of site prep by Ellis Wood Construction of Statesboro. School superintendent Dr. Kendall Brantley says he hopes construction will start in March and be completed by August, 2007. Bids have yet to be let for the estimated $9 million project. The school will be located behind the Toombs Middle School on U.S. Highway One.
Dr. Brantley also reports a $50,000 contract has been awarded to Ellis Wood for parking lot paving at Toombs County High School.
November 15-- A sophomore at Vidalia High School has won the local VFW Auxiliary Voice of Democracy essay contest. Morgan Brazell competed with 19 other students for the honor on the theme, "How I Demonstrate My Freedom." She now moves to district-level competition being held this weekend in Soperton.
November 15-- The window opens Tuesday for seniors on Medicare who want to sign up for the new federal drug prescription program. For many, it can mean an average savings of 50 percent on their prescription drug bills. Vicky Michaels with the State Health Insurance Program says there are 42 different plans from which seniors can choose. "It's best to narrow the options by determining which plans cover the drugs you take, and what plans are available from your pharmacist," Michaels reports. She recommends consulting with your druggists on the options.
For many with retirement plans from the federal government and large companies, officials say their prescription benefits are probably comparable to the new Medicare drug program, so they don't need to enroll.
For people with limited incomes, the new drug plan will be a free or very low-cost benefit.
You can get detailed info at www.medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-669-8387. The initial enrollment period continues through May 15th. Benefits for those who enroll now will start January 1st.
November 15-- Students at Montgomery County High School held a memorial service Monday morning for a member of the school who was killed Friday in an auto accident. The funeral for 16-year-old Stephen Ryan Foskey was held Monday afternoon. The junior at Montgomery County High School died Friday afternoon when he was thrown from his vehicle when it wrecked on Church Street in Mount Vernon. Sheriff Clarence Sanders said the boy was not wearing a seat belt.
November 12-- A company which has been leasing a Collins warehouse to store human waste fertilizer has been ordered out of town. The Tattnall Journal reports a superior court judge ordered Commodity Storage International to remove 600 tons of "bio-solids" from the town by this weekend. The smell of the waste caused an uproar in the town and Mayor Kenneth Jarrell says it was making people sick.
November 11-- Vidalia police are warning businesses about a check scam that has burned several local establishments. Police say people receive letters which say they have won a lottery. If they respond, they receive a check to be redeemed and returned to the sender to cover processing fees or taxes prior to receiving their winnings. However, local merchants who have cashed the checks have found out the checks are counterfeit. Detective Derek Williams says some of the checks are for as much as $2,000 or more. If you've received such a letter or have been issued a counterfeit check, you're asked to contact your local bank or the Vidalia Police Department.
November 11-- Officials of Southern Nuclear Operating Company say there is no threat to public safety related to an inventory discrepancy of spent fuel rods at Plant Hatch. Spokesperson Steve Higgenbottom says about 40 percent of one 12-foot long fuel rod is not accounted for in the inventory. He says an investigation is underway and should be completed by mid-December. The company believes the radioactive material is in another location in the spent fuel pools or was shipped to a licensed disposal facility. Higgenbottom says they are confident the material was not stolen from the plant due to alarms and security systems which would have been activated.
November 10-- Incomplete mobile home records in the Toombs County Tax Commissioners office will cost the county nearly $50,000 in non-collectable property taxes. Tax Commissioner Julie Reaves says many records from 1998 and 1999 contain no identification numbers on mobile homes. As a result, Toombs County commissioners have approved her recommendation to write-off property taxes for 495 mobile home owners in the county. Hart says the new county mobile home ordinance requires owners to register with her office before they can get electric power, and she expects that to solve the identification problem in the future.
November 10-- Toombs County commissioners have voted to change the county's health insurance coverage from Blue Cross-Blue Shield to Central Reserve Insurance. Toombs Commission Chairman Charles Rustin says the change will save the county about $5,000 a month in insurance premiums with a smaller employee deductible, cheaper drug co-pay, and a life insurance benefit. Commissioner Louie Powell says he voted against the change because he has concerns about the company's "B-Plus" insurance rating and some legal problems it had in Texas. However, Rustin says he's satisfied with the company's rating and reputation after talking about it with the State Insurance Commissioner's office. Powell also notes the Central Reserve premium could go higher after its evaluation of each employee's medical history and health condition.
Meanwhile, Toombs Commissioners are reviewing the county's 2006 proposed budget of $7.9 million, about a $400,000 increase over this year. Finance chairman Powell says increased fuel costs and paying for next year's elections make up most of the increase.
November 09-- Nine employees from four manufacturing companies in Toombs County were nominated for the annual manufacturing "Employee of the Year Award" sponsored by the Tumi. She's been at Tumi for seven years and is credited with streamlining the companies shipping procedures. Other employees nominated included Tina Weeks of Tumi; Bill Baldree, Sonya Eason and Matt Shafer, all of Trane; Salvador Martinez, Judith Mendez and Chantima Todd, all of Savannah Luggage Works; and Billy Mincey of Bestline Sash and Door.
At the annual award ceremony hosted by the Toombs-Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, Chuck Stallworth of the Aelera Corporation told how his information technology company searched worldwide for an offshore operation only to end up locating in Savannah. He challenged local leaders to develop a technology infrastructure which will support jobs of the future. Stallworth is concerned about Georgia's high school dropout rate, and believes the weakened family structure in the country is a major problem with our education system.
The IT chief points to towns like Swainsboro and Fitzgerald which are developing technology parks. Such parks make them attractive to companies like Alera by providing access to backup power sources and multiple telecommunications providers.
November 8-- Only two seats were contested in Tuesday's Vidalia city election and voters returned incumbents to office by large margins. With two-thirds of the vote, Mayor Ronnie Dixon was reelected to a fourth term over challenger, Dr. Wayne Mosley. Dixon received 1,158 votes to Mosley's 734. Mayor Dixon appealed for unity and asked Mosley's supporters to "return to the fold and help us move Vidalia forward." Dr. Mosley said, "We ran a good campaign and I was glad to see the mayor's campaign picked up on our issues of open government and citizen involvement during the last week of the race." He promised to remain engaged as "citizen Mosley."
In the second ward city council race, challenger Bob Lawler lost to incumbent Eddie Tyson by 221 votes. Tyson got 68 percent of the votes and commended Lawler for running "a clean race." The retired banker starts his third term on the council in January.
Just over 37 percent of the city's 5,058 active registered voters went to the polls Tuesday. Reelected without opposition were council member Cecil Thompson and school board members Mac Jordan and Bill Bedingfield.
Elsewhere, unopposed were Lyons city council members Ben Mitchell, Tracy Johnson and Wayne Hartley; and Mount Vernon council candidates Craig Sneed, Jay Coursey and Howard Thigpen.
November 8-- Only two seats were contested in Tuesday's Vidalia city election and voters returned incumbents to office by large margins. With two-thirds of the vote, Mayor Ronnie Dixon was reelected to a fourth term over challenger, Dr. Wayne Mosley. Dixon received 1,158 votes to Mosley's 734. Mayor Dixon appealed for unity and asked Mosley's supporters to "return to the fold and help us move Vidalia forward." Dr. Mosley said, "We ran a good campaign and I was glad to see the mayor's campaign picked up on our issues of open government and citizen involvement during the last week of the race." He promised to remain engaged as "citizen Mosley."
In the second ward city council race, challenger Bob Lawler lost to incumbent Eddie Tyson by 221 votes. Tyson got 68 percent of the votes and commended Lawler for running "a clean race." The retired banker starts his third term on the council in January.
Just over 37 percent of the city's 5,058 active registered voters went to the polls Tuesday. Reelected without opposition were council member Cecil Thompson and school board members Mac Jordan and Bill Bedingfield.
Elsewhere, unopposed were Lyons city council members Ben Mitchell, Tracy Johnson and Wayne Hartley; and Mount Vernon council candidates Craig Sneed, Jay Coursey and Howard Thigpen.
November 8-- State Representative Greg Morris of Vidalia expects the General Assembly to consider six constitutional amendments in the coming session, however, he believes only three will make it to the ballot for an up or down vote by the people next November.
In a speech to the Vidalia Rotary Club, Morris predicted general assembly approval of constitutional amendments on eminent domain, state assistance to faith-based groups, and what's called "The Hope Lockbox," i.e., tightening the rules on how lottery funds are used to support education.
He does not expect approval of amendments regarding immigration reform, a taxpayer bill of rights, and changing the way public education is funded from property tax to a state sales tax. Even though he approves the sales tax for education, Morris believes urban legislators will keep the measure from getting on the ballot.
November 8-- Bishop Anthony Owens has served two years in the state prison in Alamo for bigamy. Upon his release the traveling minister says he will apologize to his eight wives. According to a report on television, Owens says he's divorced some of the women, but can't remember which ones. His marriage to a Duluth woman in 2002 led to his bigamy conviction when she learned about the preacher's other wives and called police.
November 4-- City election officials in Vidalia want you to know there are only two voting places in the city for the Tuesday city election. If you live north of Highway 280, you will vote in the Old Health Department building on Morris Street. If you live south of 280, you will vote at the Vidalia Police Department. The city has 5,155 active registered voters. City voting registrar Sandy O'Neal estimates more than 200 voters cast absentee ballots and over 30 voted in advance as of Friday. The only contested races are for mayor and second ward city councilman. The polls are open from seven till seven Tuesday. Radio stations 98Q, Goldies 97AM, and Sweet Onion Country 1017 FM will have results Tuesday night.
November 4-- Toombs County gospel group "The Wardlaw Brothers" have filed a federal lawsuit against their record label. The suit alleges Dina Andrews and her Atlanta-based "Knew Records" committed deceptive trade and business practices and engaged in copyright fraud plus other violations of her contract with the Wardlaws. The five brothers want a court order terminating their contract, awarding damages and returning their copyright interests. The suit was filed Thursday in Atlanta.
November 4-- A federal grand jury has indicted three people for fraud in connection with hurricane relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The U.S. Attorney in Savannah says the three posed as Red Cross workers soliciting relief money from people in the Dublin area. Those indicted are identified as Danielle Shanez, Shari Holder and James Dixon.
November 4-- This year's funding bill for the U.S. Department of Agriculture includes money for water quality research for the Altamaha River Basin. Senator Saxby Chambliss says $100,000 is earmarked for the study, "to help protect and preserve the river and surrounding lands for future generations."
November 4-- The Harvey's supermarket chain is closing its distribution center in Nashville, Georgia. The company says its stores will be supplied by Food Lion distribution centers in South Carolina and Florida. The closure will affect about 200 employees. Harvey's is a member of the Brussels-based Delhaize Group and operates 67 stores in Georgia and Florida.
November 4-- Campaign disclosure reports have been filed at Vidalia city hall in advance of Tuesday’s city election. There are only two contested races. Incumbent mayor Ronnie Dixon is challenged by political newcomer, Dr. Wayne Mosley, and incumbent second ward city councilman Eddie Tyson faces Bob Lawler, who is also making his first run at public office.
In the mayor’s race, Mayor Dixon reports campaign contributions of nearly $7,000 including a $1,000 donation from the Georgia Association of Realtors. Fourteen individuals made contributions of more than $100 to the mayor which totaled just over $3,500. The remainder of his contributions totaled $2,375 and came from people contributing less than $100 each.
Dr. Mosley reports no campaign contributions, but had spent nearly $4,400 on his campaign as of November 1.
In the city council race, incumbent Eddie Tyson reports receiving nearly $3,600 in contributions while Bob Lawler reports donations of $690.
Disclosure reports are a matter of public record and may be inspected at the city voting registrar's office at Vidalia city hall.
November 3-- A four-year-old boy is dead following an apparent accidental shooting at his home near Oak Park Wednesday night. Emanuel County Sheriff Tyson Stephens says little Jacob Daniel Clark was hit in the head when a pistol held by his four-year-old stepbrother went off. The boys father, David Faircloth, told police he was awakened by the sound of a gunshot about 11 p.m. He discovered the boy lying motionless on the floor with his brother crying and holding a handgun. The sheriff said the gun had been kept on top of the refrigerator and the two boys had used a chair to get the gun to play with.
The sheriff said the accident could have been avoided if a gun lock had been on the pistol. He reports free gun locks are available at the sheriff's office in Swainsboro.
November 3-- Starting in January, residents of Lyons will have to pay the city for roadside pickup of brown goods, white goods and mixed trash. Until now, the city has picked up items like mattresses, refrigerators, washers, sofas and chairs at no charge and delivered them to the Toombs County landfill. At Tuesday night's city council meeting, the council was told the city can save an estimated $3,800 per month in landfill fees if it charges residents a $10 flat fee plus $5 for each item.
Mayor John Moore says the fee system will help the city stay within its budget in 2006. The city council approved a $3 million dollar budget for the new year and a property tax millage rate of 1.89 mils, the same rate as this year. Residents can avoid paying the fee by hauling the items to the landfill themselves.
November 3-- An expert from the University of Georgia says bio-diesel fuel is cleaner than petro-diesel and it reduces our dependence on foreign oil. Dr. George Shumaker from the College of Agriculture spoke in Lyons at a bio-diesel conference hosted by NeSmith-Traffic Oil. However, Dr. Shumaker admitted bio-diesel made with soybean oil is not significantly cheaper, and that Georgia farmers would have trouble making a profit on soybeans because the state has insufficient crushing capacity to process the beans. Some farmers in the area have begun using bio-diesel in their farm equipment and NeSmith is now distributing the fuel.
November 2-- Recent county commission and school board elections in Montgomery County could be challenged in court because the county is not in compliance with the U.S. Voting Rights Act. The law requires representation based on "one man- one vote," however, officials say Montgomery County voting districts are out of balance when it comes to numbers of registered voters. For example, the Ailey district includes 339 voters while the Alston-Higgston district has 1,140 registered voters.
Because of the disparity, Jo Hamilton of the county Board of Registrars recommended Tuesday that the county commission request a reapportionment study by the state of Georgia. The study will equalize the number of voters in each district and could significantly change the geographic boundaries of each district. The commissioners voted to accept the recommendation.
A staff member in the state reapportionment office believes a study could be completed in time to allow enabling legislation to be passed during the next session of the general assembly. Once signed by the governor, the reapportionment must be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice.
In other actions, commission chairman Charles Truett says appropriate legal notice has been given to W.L. Coleman of Vidalia regarding the county's plans to pave Dead River Road. Coleman has refused to relocate private water lines which he installed on county right-of-way. The county says it will do the work and hold Coleman liable for the costs.
And the commission appointed James Day to succeed the late Hurtis Ricks on the board of the Department of Family and Children's Services.
November 2-- A Lyons man has been arrested and charged with assaulting a woman in Glennville last month. Toombs County Sheriff Junior Kight says Wayne Grant was arrested and charged with aggravated sexual battery and burglary. He was taken to the jail in Tattnall County.
November 2-- The slander case of Vidalia city manager Bill Torrance against local attorney Mitch Shook is set for trial next month in Toombs County Superior Court. Judge Walter McMillan scheduled the civil case for trial starting December 12. Torrance claims Shook slandered him at a Vidalia restaurant three years ago. Shook has denied the allegations.
November 1-- In the old days, the Kiwanis Club of Vidalia sponsored a Fall Fair which filled up the tin tobacco warehouses on Highway 280 with farm animals for judging, homemade cakes and pies, crafts and games designed to attract families to the fair. This year, Abe Glaser of the Kiwanis Club says they're offering similar fare in addition to the carnival rides.
Housed under large tents at the Kiwanis Fairgrounds on Airport Road, Glaser says FFA chapters from 22 counties are bringing hogs and cows for judging. Additionally, the fair will include an auction Friday night, a petting zoo for the little kids, and a Dutch Oven cooking demonstration.
If it's successful this year, Glaser envisions even bigger fairs in Vidalia in the future. "Once they realize what kind of venue we have, I think even more participants will come," he says. Glaser would like the Kiwanis Club to acquire its own land for the fair. "We currently rent land from the city, but I'd like to see us buy up to a hundred acres as a permanent home for our fair," Glaser says.
The fair opens Thursday night and continues through Sunday afternoon.
News Break - Vidalia Communications
News Break - Vidalia Communications
Searched for http://www.vidaliacommunications.com/news.shtml Search Results for Jan 01, 1996 - Aug 03, 2005
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. Four Women Accused of Prostitution in Lyons
Vidalia Seeks Rec Grant
Montgomery OK's Mowing Contract
November 29
Congressman Returns From Iraq
November 29
City Council Race Contested in Soperton
November 29
Cobbtown Couple's Plane Crashes, Woman Killed
November 29
BPC Faculty Named to Who's Who
November 28
Tourism Equals $$$'s
November 27
House Majority Leader Confirms No Sales Tax for Schools
November 22
Reward Offered in Lyons Killing
Former Alamo Housing Official Sentenced
Baxley Lands Major Boat Maker
November 21
Lyons Insurance Agent Sentenced
New Toombs County Tax Assessor
STC Board Member Elected to State Position
November 19
Education Sales Tax Amendment Shelved
November 18
Governor Notes AJC "Hypocrisy"
November 17
Record United Way Campaign
Local Leaders on Trade Mission to Israel
November 16
City Council Approves VPD Reorganization
November 14
Groundbreaking for New Toombs Upper Elementary School
November 15
Vidalia Voice of Democracy Winner
Sign-Ups Starting for Medicare Prescription Drugs
Teenager Killed in Wreck
November 12
Judge Orders "Bad Smell" Out of Collins
November 11
VPD Warning of Check Scam
Plant Hatch Investigating Missing Spent Fuel
November 10
Mobile Homes Dropped From Tax Rolls
Commissioner Concerned About Health Insurance Switch
Vidalia BOE Renting Storage Building
November 10-- The Vidalia school board got some good financial news this week. School superintendent Dr. Tim Smith reports the school system is leasing the old Oxford building next to the high school to the Trane Company for storage. The company has agreed to rent the building for just over $100,000 a year, according to Smith.
November 09
Manufacturing Employee of Year Named
November 8
Incumbents Reelected in Vidalia
Representative Morris Evaluates Constitutional Amendments Chances
Representative Morris Evaluates Constitutional Amendments Chances
Bigamist Minister Getting Out of Jail
November 4
Vidalia City Election Polling Places
Indictments Returned in Katrina Fraud Case
Altamaha River Research Funding
Harvey's Closing Distribution Center
Vidalia City Election Campaign Reports
November 3
Boy Killed in Oak Park
Lyons Sets Fees for Some Roadside Pickups
BioDiesel Reduces Overseas Dependency
November 2
Montgomery Requesting Reapportionment
Lyons Man Charged
Torrant-Shook Trial Date Set
November 1
The Kiwanis Fall Fair, "More than a carnival..."
References
http://www.vidaliacommunications.com/news.shtml
http://www.vidaliacommunications.com/news.html
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.vidaliacommunications.com/news.shtml
GeoUrl.Info 
News Radio Archives Home
URL: http://toombs.150m.com/news/radio/2005/November.htm Updated: Thursday, December 01, 2005. Top
