April 28, 2006---- Toombs County District Four Commissioner Mel Taylor wants to be re-elected in November, but he'll have to defeat two challengers to do it. Taylor qualified for re-election in the Democratic primary scheduled for July 18th. His challenger in the primary will be Toombs County farmer Bruce Herndon. The winner of the primary will face Republican challenger Steve Brown, a Vidalia insurance agent, in the November general election. Brown has no opposition in the Republican primary.

The incumbent for the District One Toombs Commission seat, Roy Lee Williams, is unopposed in the Democratic Primary.

Elsewhere, a longtime Democrat from Emanuel County, Representative Butch Parrish, has switched to the Republican Party and is facing no opposition in this summer's primary.

April 28, 2006---- The Canadian Forces Snowbirds flew 11 jets into Vidalia Regional Airport Thursday night in preparation for this weekend's Vidalia Onion Festival Air Show. Two of the planes are backups, and the other nine fly wingtip to wingtip in their aerial demonstration. The Snowbirds were in the 2004 Onion Festival Air Show and Major Corey Blakely says "we're glad to be back. This is our first public performance of the year and we're happy to be doing it in Vidalia." The air show gates open at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. The various acts start at noon and the Snowbirds are scheduled to fly about 3 p.m. both days.

April 27, 2006---- Toombs County commissioners voted Thursday to apply for a federal grant to buy new fire trucks for the county's six volunteer fire departments. The commission is seeking a ten-year loan of $552,500 to be repaid using tax revenue generated by the county's special purpose local option sales tax. It is also applying for a grant of $97,500 from the Rural Development Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The department says it will take up to a month to get approval for both the loan and the grant.

Johnny Moser, head of the Toombs County Fire Department Association, says work on this project started back in January, 2005. He's hopeful the new equipment will help county fire department's improve their insurance ratings and reduce fire insurance rates paid by county homeowners. "Our goal is to get the ISO rating down from 9 to 5. If we can do that, it will reduce insurance premiums by almost 40 percent." he says.

April 27, 2006---- For the first time, the Vidalia Onion Growers Committee sponsored the annual Vidalia Onion Festival Cookoff held Thursday night at the Vidalia Community Center. Previously, the event was sponsored by the Vidalia Rotary Club. There were 25 entries this year, and Jan Williams of Vidalia won first place in the main dish category for her "Mexican Onion Casserole" and first in the side dish judging for "Pizza Onion."

Two partners in a new Lyons restaurant called "The Bloom" took top honors in the appetizer and miscellaneous categories. John Lane won for his "Roasted Vidalia Onion, while Heather Gagnon won for her "Candied Onions."

April 26, 2006---- Only a few people showed up Thursday when congressional candidate Max Burns visited the Vidalia Onion Factory on the second day of his three-day bus swing through 22 counties which make up the new 12th Congressional District. The former congressman was defeated by John Barrow in 2004 and is trying to regain his seat. We asked him about campaign contributions, immigration and the cost of gas.

Burns says he favors using the country's farmers to grow products which can replace the country's dependence on foreign oil, and he believes it could be done this decade.

The former congressman is against any program which grants amnesty to illegal immigrants, however, he does favor a guest worker program to help employers who need the labor.

And Burns says recent charges by Georgia Democrats that he accepted campaign contributions in 2002 from former house majority leader Tom Delay and others who've had legal problems "are an effort to distract the people from the issues that matter." Burns says the $32,000 were legal campaign contributions. He also challenged Barrow to debate "anytime, anyplace." According to Burns, Barrow "is a liberal from Athens trying to campaign as a conservative from Savannah."

April 26, 2006---- A Swainsboro man will serve nine years in federal prison for child pornography. Anthony Wayne Alexander, Jr. was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Avant Edenfield after federal agents found numerous of pictures of child pornography on his laptop computer. A federal jury found him guilty during his trial in February.

April 24, 2006---- Twenty area high school seniors (pictured below) graduated from the first-ever Toombs-Montgomery Youth Leadership Course.  The students started the course in August to learn about civic, cultural and economic development topics in the community. 

From front left to right, they are Beth Benton, Carly Floyd, Jessie Williams, Morgan Brazell, Caitlin Cooper, Mary Catherine Farrell, LaToya Tufts, Aspen Smith, Caroline Hilton, Olivia Dowd. Back row, John Dixon, Mitchell Brown, Logan Lollis, Rhett Kicklighter, Tony Howard, Bradley Benton and not pictured is John Sharpe, Steve Burton and Areli Saucedo.

April 21, 2006---- It was a close race the last time Republican Max Burns and Democrat John Barrow ran for congress, and this year's campaign is already showing some strain between the two.  Barrow beat Burns by a narrow margin in 2004, but redistricting has redrawn the 12th congressional district and removed some of Barrow's base of support in his hometown of Athens.  

The Democratic Party of Georgia has issued a press release calling Burns "Dirty Money Max" and saying he should return campaign money he received from three Republicans who have since had legal problems.  Since 2002, the Democrats say Burns has received over $32,000 from indicted former House Majority Leader Tom Delay, bribery-convicted former representative Randy Cunningham, and Congressman Bob Ney, accused of accepting bribes from lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

In response, the Burns' campaign says Democrats are trying to deflect attention from Barrow whom they say told people in Boston he favors amnesty for the 11 million aliens in the country.  

Meanwhile, Burns reports he raised more campaign money in the last quarter than Barrow.  Barrow's campaign counters by saying Congressman Barrow has over a million dollars in his campaign chest, almost twice the amount held by Burns.  According to the Barrow people, that's not a "gap" Burns can close before the November election. Burns is starting a 22-county bus tour next week.  He's scheduled to be at the Vidalia Onion Factory on Highway 280 Wednesday afternoon at 3:15. 

April 21, 2006---- The Toombs County school board will find out next month if it has enough money to build the kind of building it wants to construct for a new Lyons Upper Elementary School.  So far, five contractors have responded to a request for bids to build the school, and bids will be opened Tuesday, May 2nd at the school board offices in Lyons.  Superintendent Dr. Kendall Brantley has told the school board it may have to drop the school gymnasium from the plans if the bids come in too high.

April 20, 2006---- A second Vidalia man has died of injuries suffered in a Wednesday morning wreck in the city. Twenty-four-year old Greg Slade was taken off a ventilator and died early Thursday at the Medical College of Georgia hospital in Augusta. He was a passenger in a car which collided with a Georgia Power pickup truck Wednesday morning on Center Drive in Vidalia. The driver of the car, 19-year-old Scott Meehan, son of STC President Dr. Cathy Meehan, died Wednesday evening in Memorial Health Medical Center in Savannah. The driver of the truck was banged up, but not seriously injured according to Vidalia police.

April 19, 2006---- Toombs County homeowners received their property tax assessments and many are surprised at the increased value of their property. However, there's some good news to go along with the bad. The county portion of your homeowner assessment is protected against inflation thanks to legislation introduced by State Representative Greg Morris in 2003 and approved by voters by a six-to-one margin in 2004. Assuming you applied for homestead exemption, and until the property changes hands, you will not pay any increased property taxes on your home and up to five acres of land around it. That's because the law requires that your homestead exemption is automatically increased to cover any increase in the amount of your assessment.

Meanwhile, property owners who question increased assessments may appeal to the Toombs County Board of Tax Assessors followed by the Board of Equalization and, if not satisfied, to Superior Court.

April 19, 2006---- Two Vidalia men were seriously injured in an auto accident Wednesday morning just before seven o'clock.

Reports say a Honda driven by Scott Meehan, son of STC President Dr. Cathy Meehan, collided with a Georgia Power utility pickup truck on the curve just south of the intersection of Center Drive and Pinecrest Drive. A passenger in the car, Greg Slade, was also injured. Both suffered head injuries and have been airlifted to a Savannah hospital for treatment.

Vidalia police are investigating the accident. The car skidded over 300 feet before impact, according to reports from the scene. The driver of the Georgia Power truck was not injured.

April 19, 2006---- Georgia national guardsmen from the 48th Brigade Combat Team will start arriving home Wednesday night from Iraq. The troops are ending a year deployment to the combat zone and are scheduled to begin their return tonight at Hunter Army Airfield and Fort Stewart. Governor Sonny Perdue will be on hand to welcome the soldiers home.

April 17, 2006---- Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson (left) visited the Sweet Onion City Monday in support of State Representative Greg Morris of Vidalia.  So far, Morris is unopposed, however, some prominent state Democrats are reportedly trying to find a candidate to oppose Morris in November.  Richardson says he's confident Governor Sonny Perdue will be re-elected this year and that Republicans will increase their numbers in the House of Representatives.  Morris, who switched to the Republican Party last year, says laws on immigration, eminent domain, pro life, sexual predators and others passed this year could not have been passed had the Democrat Party remained in control of the legislature.

April 17, 2006---- A senior at Vidalia High School is the queen of this year's Vidalia Onion Festival.  Eighteen-year-old Joni Cox of Tarrytown was crowned Saturday at the annual Onion Festival Pageant sponsored by the Vidalia Charter Chapter, American Business Women's Association.  Others crowned Saturday include Junior Miss Vidalia Onion Haley Newsome, a junior at Appling County High School; Miss Spring Onion, Camille Mixon of Lyons; Little Miss Onion Sprout, Kayla Davis of Vidalia; and Little Miss Onion Seed, Marah Mimbs of Vidalia.

April 17, 2006---- There'll be a detour on state highway 130 in Vidalia following the Onion Festival.  Starting May 1st and continuing for about two months, Highway 130 from 280 north to Orange Street will be closed due to overpass construction.  Tim Adams of McLendon Enterprises says truck traffic will be detoured down Highway 292 and local traffic will use Church Street.  You'll see the detour signs, he says.

April 17, 2006----  Police call it a "smash and grab" and it was costly to Arlene's Fine Jewelry in downtown Vidalia.  Three such burglaries occurred in Vidalia in the early hours of Friday, April 7th and Sunday, April 9th.  At Arlene's, thieves smashed in the front door and a showcase housing expensive wedding sets and other jewelry.  Police detective Derek Williams says the loss "was substantial."  The subsequent break-ins occurred at Buddy's Florist and Unique Finds, both located near each other at 204 Northeast Main Street.  Some petty cash was stolen from Buddy's and nothing was found missing at Unique Finds.

No arrests have been made and police are asking anyone with information about stolen jewelry to call the Vidalia Police Department.  They are also urging merchants to check their store security and test their alarm systems.  Williams says although an audible alarm went off at one of the stores, the alert was not forwarded to the security company.

April 17, 2006---- Vidalia police announce arrests for child molestation and forgery.  Lieutenant Ray Corbett says 42-year-old Joe Bobbitt of 803 Estelle Drive was arrested on child molestation charges following an investigation sparked by a citizen complaint. And 30-year-old Muhammed Abdul Wimby of Atlanta is charged with forgery.  He allegedly was passing counterfeit $20 bills at a Vidalia Enmark store.

April 14, 2006---- Each year new and used car dealers in Vidalia get together and help the Vidalia Police Department honor outstanding members of the police force.

At this year's awards dinner, Lieutenant Randy Clark, a former Marine and 23-year veteran of the department, was voted the Supervisor of the Year. A former 911 operator and three-year dispatcher for Vidalia police, Lawanda Beasley, is the Employee of the Year. The Rookie of the Year is officer Aaron Rollins, and the Officer of the Year is Corporal Gary Colson.

Major Roger Callaway and Lieutenant Ray Corbett received 20-year service awards, and the department named Wayne Wheeler of Vidalia as its citizen of the year for his support of the department's men and women.

The department's new police chief, Frank Waits, says he's impressed with the officers in the department and proud of their service to the community.

April 12, 2006---- She's not afraid of change and she fully intends to keep learning "the rest of my life." Thirty-three-year old Sandra Williams of Collins is representing Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia in the statewide "Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership" program this year.

Williams spent eight years as a military policewoman in Washington State and Alaska before leaving the Army for a career in civilian law enforcement. After five years on the beat, the Nebraska native decided on a career change which brought her to the Surgical Technology Course at STC. "I'm looking forward to working with surgeons and helping people," she says.

She also mirrors a reality of work in the world today. "You've got to understand technology and prepare for change or you'll become obsolete," she observes. And as the mother of a young child, she has concerns about U.S. schools. "They are behind international schools and we've got to improve in order for our young people to compete in a worldwide economy." she says.

Williams will compete in Atlanta next month with students from other technical colleges for the state GOAL award. "I'm very proud of this high honor at STC and hope I don't let them down," Williams says about the state competition.

April 11, 2006---- After waiting six months for a state permit, Toombs County reopened its construction and demolition landfill this week. The county spent a million dollars last year expanding the landfill and work was completed in November, however, the state EPD bureaucracy failed to act on the county's permit request until Senator Tommie Williams of Lyons called on the county's behalf. It worked. Commissioner Louie Powell said the approved permit was faxed to him less than an hour later.

Toombs County commissioners also report they're getting closer to paving the Dixon Lake Road. Commissioner Mel Taylor says only three more right-of-way deeds are needed before the county can seek bids on the project.

And the commissioners have a called meeting April 27th. They're planning on passing a resolution seeking federal funds to buy fire trucks and equipment for the county's volunteer fire departments. The plan is to modernize the departments to help lower fire insurance rates for county homeowners.

April 11, 2006---- Democratic and Republican primary elections will be held this summer July 18th. Candidates who wish to qualify for the primary will do so the week of April 24th. They are two seats up for re-election this year on the Toombs County commission. Included are Commissioner Roy Lee Williams' District One seat and the District Four seat held by Commissioner Mel Taylor.

April 11, 2006---- Millie Dugan moved to Vidalia seven years ago when her husband was transferred here with Dot Foods. Monday night, the Vidalia Onion Festival Committee presented Millie's design to the city council as the winning entry in this year's Onion Festival logo competition.

In other city council news, the council has dropped an initiative to rename a city street after the late Coach Ray Fuller of Vidalia High School. Councilman Raymond Turner says the issue died when no one showed for a public hearing on a proposal to rename Thompson Street Extension in honor of Coach Fuller.

The council also okayed nearly $456,000 to extend city sewage west on Highwayt 280, and announced that part of Orange Street will be closed Monday and Tuesday due to construction. Vidalia Onion Market Opens Monday

April 10, 2006---- Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin announces the 2006 Vidalia Onion market is opening Monday, April 17th. Irvin met Monday with growers in the Vidalia area and says government inspectors are satisfied this year's sweet onions are ready for sale. The commissioner predicts a good crop.

Since most Vidalia onions are planted and harvested by immigrant workers, Irvin believes a federal immigration policy is way overdue. "Most people want immigrants to be legal and to pay taxes for the services they receive," he observes.

The commissioner says his department is also keeping an eye on the state's poultry farms due to the bird flu threat. "We're increasing surveillance and blood testing of the flocks,'' he said. Irvin also recommends consumers make sure chickens are cooked at 170 degrees and are well-cooked prior to consumption.

Irvin has been the state's Agriculture Commissioner for 37 years and is seeking re-election to what he says will be his final four-year term. He's not expecting any opposition in this summer's Democratic primary election, but will face a Republican opponent in the November general election. At least four Republicans are expected run in the primary.

April 10, 2006---- A Toombs County pecan farmer says he's heard of thieves stealing onions from Vidalia onion fields, but he's never seen anything like happened to him last month. Jody Kemp says one night last month, thieves hit a newly planted orchard off Mount Moriah Church Road about seven miles east of Lyons. "They took 51 trees that night," he says. Kemp replanted the 12-acre orchard and a few nights later, 41 more trees were stolen. "Based on shoe prints at the orchard, we think there were three of them," Kemp reports. He estimates his loss at about $5,000 and he's offering a $1,000 reward for information. Call Kemp at 526-6862 or the Toombs County Sheriff's Office.

April 10, 2006---- Thirty-one volunteer teams walked all night Friday at Charles Wood in Vidalia and raised a record amount of money for cancer research. Campaign chairperson Cheryl Gay reports this year's Toombs County Relay raised $140,760.02. The top three teams in money-raising are Vidalia Federal with over $26,000; Darby Bank with over $15,000 and John's County Junction with more than $11,000.

April 06, 2006---- Jack Durst turned 92 Saturday, and last night his hometown named him its Citizen of the Year for 2006. In the annual ceremony hosted by the Lyons Merchant Association, Mr. Durst told his friends and family, "I don't really feel like I deserve it, but I really do appreciate it." His late older brother, former Toombs County Sheriff Charles Durst, received the honor in 1982.

After World War II, Mr. Durst returned home and later help found the Lyons Fire Department. He was the chief for 30 years. As a citizen, he was an early member of the Lyons Kiwanis Club, a charter member of the Lyons Jaycees, a scoutmaster, a civil defense volunteer and is a lifelong active member of the Lyons First United Methodist Church. A friend said, "I never heard him say anything negative about any person." And Jane Benton, who made the presentation, said a verse from Proverbs best describes this year's honoree, "A good name is more desirable than great riches and to be esteemed is better than silver and gold."

April 04, 2006---- The Montgomery County Board of Equalization ruled Tuesday that the county should conduct a county-wide revaluation of property. In response to an appeal filed by Dr. Ronnie Smith of Vidalia, the board found that the 2002 county revaluation was not done uniformly in violation of state property tax guidelines. After a hearing at the courthouse in Mount Vernon, board chairman Martin Moses said "the clear and convincing weight of the evidence shows the county's 2002 tax digest was incorrectly done."

Dr. Smith has contended the digest was illegal and has been fighting a legal battle since 2003. Smith's attorney, Howard Kaufold, presented evidence which he said showed property was evaluated in a "capricious and arbitrary manner." He presented the board a series a maps showing that property located side-by-side was often valued using different standards. The result is that, since 2003, some taxpayer's have been paying more in property taxes than others in Montgomery County. Former county tax appraiser James McCall attended the hearing but did not testify.

According to Dr. Smith, "Politicians have ruined this county with preferential tax treatment." He ran for the county commission in 2004 and was elected over Wyman Morris, the former commission chairman. At the hearing Tuesday, he repeated his campaign claim that, in the past, Morris had been given an improper homestead exemption. At the time, Morris said he was unaware of the exemption.

Smith is now calling for county tax officials and the county commissioners to meet and "cooperate, communicate and collaborate" in order to fix the county's tax digest.

April 04, 2006---- The county commissioners in both Montgomery and Treutlen counties have a problem. They need to build new jails, but there's not enough money. As a result, they're considering a joint venture to build a jail which would serve both counties. The Treutlen commissioners and the Montgomery commissioners opened discussions on such a project at a working meeting Monday night in Mount Vernon.

After talking about cost, staffing, prisoner population and location, the two groups agreed to appoint a feasibility study committee to investigate options and report back to the commissioners in the next 30 to 45 days. Tuesday, Montgomery Commission chairman Charles Truett appointed commissioners Brandon Braddy and Mark Burns to the study committee, and Treutlen commissioners will name representatives at their April meeting.

One concept discussed concerned a jail to house 60 to 80 inmates at a location equidistant from both Soperton and Mount Vernon. County sheriff's would transport prisoners to the jail which would be run by a jail administrator.

Financing is a challenge since neither county has sufficient retail sales to generate enough sales tax revenue to pay short-term debt for construction. A bond referendum was discussed as an alternative long-term solution.

The bottom line, according to Treutlen chairman George L. McLendon, is to find a way to pay for construction and operation of the jail.

April 04, 2006---- The city of Lyons will hold a public hearing May 2nd prior to amending amending the city's ordinance on pit bulls and other vicious dogs. Mayor John Moore says the good news for pit bull owners is that the city is backing off on its proposal to ban the dogs from the city. However, he says the bad news is they will have to have liability insurance and surety bonds payable to anyone injured by a dangerous dog. Details of the amendment will be discussed at the public hearing with the council expected to approve the measure after the hearing.

Pit bull owners at the meeting claim it's unfair to penalize them because the dogs have become the pet of choice of drug dealers who fight the dogs for money. The most recent incident occurred in Soperton where sheriff's deputies made arrests for dog fighting and drug possession.

The Lyons city council is also directing a crackdown on abandoned vehicles and dilapidated houses in the city. Officials say there are some 400 abandoned vehicles in Lyons, and owners of the old houses have ignored the city's request for removal. The next step is court action according to the city council.

April 03, 2006---- A baby girl from Vidalia died over the weekend from suspected ingestion of "crack cocaine." The two-year-old girl's mother has been arrested. Vidalia police responded to a call Saturday morning from the emergency room at Meadows Regional Medical Center where the child had been taken for treatment. She was airlifted and died enroute to Augusta. The mother, LaToya Dixon, was arrested and charged with felony murder, cruelty to children, contributing to the deprivation of a minor, and possession of cocaine.

Police detective Derek Williams says officers searched the woman's home in the Doe Run Apartments on Jerriel Street and found no drugs. He reports the Department of Family and Children's Services is assisting in the investigation and Dixon's other children have been placed with relatives. Officers say the official cause of death is pending an autopsy and results of toxicology tests.

April 03, 2006---- A Toombs County Sheriff's patrol car was totaled Sunday in Lyons when an alleged drunk driver ran a stop sign at the intersection of Highway 280 and Lanier Street. Sheriff Junior Kight says Allen Copeland of Lyons is charged with drunk driving, running a stop sign, and driving without a license and without insurance. Last week, three private cars parked in the sheriff's parking lot on Highway 292 were damaged when a car on the highway went out of control and plowed into them. There were no injuries.

April 03, 2006---- The sheriff of Coffee County is resigning following his indictment by a grand jury. Sheriff Rob Smith was indicted for using inmate labor for private gain, theft by conversion, malfeasance and for violating his oath of office. His resignation letter to Governor Sonny Perdue says he will resign as of April 15th.

April 03, 2006---- The operator of TV 46 who was arrested last month for deposit account fraud has a prior criminal record. Police records show that April McKinney of Glenwood was arrested for first degree forgery three times in 2000. Her first offense was in Baxley in March, 2000; in Crisp County in October, 2000; and in Wheeler County in November, 2000. She was fined in all cases and remains on ten years probation. On February 17th, she was charged with felony theft by a Vidalia car dealer whom she gave a bad check for more than $96,000.

April 02, 2006---- Senator Tommie Williams of Lyons completed his first term at majority leader in the Georgia Senate last week and said he was tired but happy with the results of this year's legislative session.

"We approved a $18.6 billion dollar budget including pay raises for state employees, more funding for schools and public safety, and overall I'd say it was a good session," he says. "With the exception of a hot debate over immigration legislation, I think we were less partisan that recent sessions, and I'm proud of that," Williams said. "We've done what we can to protect state benefits like food stamps and welfare from illegal immigrants," he noted.

Senator Williams is proud that a bill he introduced eight years ago finally got approved by the legislature. The law will allow state schools to use the Bible as the textbook for an elective course in Bible history. And he's also happy that lawmakers approved eminent domain legislation which he says will prohibit local governments and developers from taking private property for economic development reasons. "What happened with the Supreme Court and the Kelo case in Connecticut can't happen now in Georgia," according to Senator Williams.