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(Copyright 2007. News agencies, radio and TV
stations, other media outlets must credit Newsbreak from Vidalia Communications Corp to use these reports.)
September 20-- Members of the Sweet Onion Classic Board and the Toombs County Emergency Management Agency gather around a $30,000 check generated by a field of 100 golfers who took part in the 18th Sweet Onion Classic Golf Tournament Wednesday. The money is earmarked to pay for an EMA mobile command post. The Sweet Onion Classic has raised over a million dollars for community projects since its inception. (Photo courtesy of Doug Baird)
September 19-- From teenagers to grandparents, people are discovering there's a way to improve themselves at the adult literacy center operated by Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia.
Some come to learn how to read or do math, and with some work, they can leave with the equivalent of a high school diploma called a General Education Diploma (GED). Everyone has their own story, and in the case of Hannah Edge of Kibbee, she was home schooled by her mother and needs a GED to go to college. "I really enjoyed it. There are a lot of kids who are going through it and it encouraged me because I wasn't the only one," she said.
Hannah says it's obvious these days you need at least a high school diploma to get a job, "I feel good. I feel like I've accomplished something I put my mind to doing." Her plans now are to go to college and major in early childhood education.
Since the community joined the Certified Literate Community Project several years ago, officials says the illiteracy rate has dropped from 41 percent to about 38 percent.
Literacy Center staff member Margaret Fullam says over 300 people get their GED from STC each year, and she'd like more to try. "The most important thing they need to realize is everyone here is in the same situation. It's a very relaxed environment and we really care about our students. It's designed for what they need," she says.
September 19-- If she's been suspended, it's news to her. A report on AJC.com says Montgomery County school superintendent Dale Clark has been suspended with pay. Last week, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission voted to revoke the educator credentials of both Clark and her daughter, Carrie O'Connor.
Clark says she's not aware of any disciplinary action taken by the Montgomery County school board, and board chairman Randall Morris says no action has been taken by the board in Clark's case. Last month the board put O'Connor on admin leave with pay following her criminal indictment for allegedly having sex with a student.
Morris says he expects the board will meet soon to explore its options regarding the superintendent.
Clark says both she and her daughter plan to appeal the decision of the PSC.
September 18-- Voters in Treutlen County Tuesday approved two questions needed to build a new school complex in the county. Seventy-nine percent voted to continue a special purpose local sales tax for education, while 71 percent agreed to the issuance of $7.9 million in bonds to help build new buildings to house students in kindergarten through the 12th grade. The state will provide an estimated $14 million for construction.
Of the county's six voting districts, only Orland voted against both questions, and Lothair defeated the bond issue by one vote.
ESPLOST Bond Issue Voting District YES
NO YES
NO Soperton 262
51 236
71 Orland 25
34 17
41 Blackville 32
4 31
5 Lothair 42
26 33
34 Gillis Springs 14
4 15
4 Oglethorpe 34
11 26
9 Absentee 79
11 77
11 Total 488
132 435
175
September 18-- Vidalia police made a drug bust and found a three-week-old baby in the middle of what they called "an unfit environment." Officers say they called the Department of Family and Children's Services to 701 Second Avenue to rescue the child from the drug den which had no running water nor sewage and was infested with rats and insects. Police arrested 29-year-old Jerryl Flowers and 26-year-old Shalinda Nicole Brown.
September 18-- The August term of the Toombs County grand jury returned 28 indictments including one for involuntary manslaughter. Latoya Dixon is accused of unintentionally causing the death of Diamond Johnson in April of last year. She allegedly failed to notify the staff at Meadows Regional Medical Center that Johnson had ingested cocaine.
Three people were indicted for molesting girls under the age of 16. Accused are Henry Reaves, Mark Thompson and Clint James. James is also accused of distributing cocaine.
Eleven burglary indictments were returned against Jerry Holcomb, Shannon Strickland, James Hewitt, Carnell Whitfield, Steven Kirven, Andrea Atkins, Nicholas Phillips, Mathew Williams, Lourinza Jordan, Charles Carter and Bennie Lee Ellis.
Accused of robbery are Al Carbone, Phillip Smiley, Willie Lee Edwards, Jr., Rafael Ramsey, Jerrold Law, Quinton Wright, and La'Nora Hamilton.
Seven people indicted in aggravated assault cases are Elbert Mincey, Belinda Singleton, David Moore, Ronald Rueff, Marcial Temoxtle, Tiffany Caesar and Isaac Cannida.
In other cases, Anthony and Tashia Johnson were indicted on multiple counts of credit card fraud. Drug-related cases were returned against Larry Collins and James Hatten.
Treutlen High School cheerleaders with Governor Sonny
Perdue and principal David Avery and a $2,000 check in honor of the school's
Governor's Cup Award for SAT achievements the last three years.
September 17-- Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and State School Superintendent Kathy Cox spent Monday visiting five high schools which have won the Governor's Cup trophy honoring improvement in SAT scores.
In Class A, the winners are the students at Treutlen High School. "The SAT Governor's Cup was created to award the schools for academic achievement. The students here at Treutlen High School have won the Class A state championship, that means they've improved their SAT scores over the last three years more than any other Class A school in Georgia. I'm really proud. There's really lots of enthusiasm and we want to keep the academic achievement going here," the governor said.
School superintendent Kathy Cox commended the progress being made by the Treutlen students, "High school is really about academic achievement, and with the great opportunities we have in Georgia to go to technical college, and pursue the HOPE scholarship and go to a university, we've got to make sure our kids are leaving high school with a diploma and the skills they need to be successful."
The governor and superintendent were welcomed to a gathering of the Treutlen student body at the school gymnasium by principal David Avery and county school superintendent Chuck Ellington. "We've had a lot of hard work by our students and staff, and I appreciate the leadership Mr. Avery is providing to our high school. Our students have earned this honor, and I thank the governor and the state school superintendent for recognizing their hard work," Ellington said.
In addition to a huge trophy, winning schools in each classification get a $2,000 check to help with future SAT preparation. Other winners this year include Mitchell-Baker High School in AA, Perry High School in AAA, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe in AAAA, and Alpharetta High School in AAAAA.
September 16-- A career academy for students in the Toombs county area is a step closer.
The school boards in Toombs County and Vidalia are submitting a joint application for one of five charter schools the state is funding next year. They are seeking $3 million in startup money for the "Southeastern Early College and Career Academy" to be established at Southeastern Tech in Vidalia.
The Toombs County school board approved the application at its September meeting and the Vidalia board is expected to do the same in time to meet the October 1st application deadline. Toombs chairman Danny Bowen believes the joint venture is the way to go, "The vocational-technical portion in our school system is one of the most expensive we have. We can't afford to offer the variety of what kids need these days, and I think this will be a great boon to the whole community."
The career academy concept helps students stay in school by giving them real-world job skills. Southeastern Tech executive vice-president Barry Dotson says, "This is going to bring a lot more employment opportunities to students in this area. I think we'll see many benefits to students and their families."
State Senator Tommie Williams of Lyons has been working with the school boards to get the project off the ground, "I'm very excited that the school board voted unanimously to place a career academy here at Southeastern Tech. The students are the beneficiaries. They are going to have a place to go to get a skill that will get them a job and a career in life."
School systems in Montgomery and Tattnall counties are also being offered the opportunity to take part in the career academy, but have yet to act.
September 14-- Five teenagers, including two members of the Treutlen High School football team, are facing armed robbery charges. Treutlen County Sheriff Tommy Corbin says the five are accused of holding up McLeod's Food Store in downtown Soperton last Sunday night. According to the sheriff, 18-year-old Allen Lovett and 17-year-old Jeleel Montgomery entered the store and held guns on employees. They fled the store with a cash box and cash register drawer containing an estimated $4,000. He says the getaway car was driven by 17-year-old high school quarterback Brandon Taylor. Also in the car were 17-year-old Tyrus Deese, the high school fullback, and 17-year-old Jerome Jordan, Jr.
Sheriff Corbin reports most of the money has been recovered and says the community is shocked that the athletes are involved in the crime.
Taylor was featured in a front page photo of the Soperton paper this week receiving a championship ring from the local booster club. He won the state Class A track meet last year in the 100-meter hurdles.
September 14-- Rumors are rampant that Oxford Apparel in Lyons may be sold to a Chinese company. A company official says it doesn't comment on rumors, however, representatives from Li & Fung and Oxford met Thursday in Lyons.
Li & Fung is a multi-billion dollar trading company based in Hong Kong which bought Oxford's ladies wear division in Gaffney, South Carolina over a year ago. Talks are said to be continuing with a high degree of confidence that the Chinese will buy some or all of Oxford Apparel.
September 14-- You'd think the practice of using Toombs County equipment and personnel on private property would be a thing of the past. However, Toombs County commissioners admitted it has been going on and passed a resolution at their September meeting to stop it.
According to Commissioner Steve Brown, the county has for years provided labor and equipment to help people bury dead large animals like cows and horses and to fill in abandoned wells. Under the new policy, citizens will be on their own to handle such situations in the future.
September 13-- The Georgia Professional Standards Commission voted Thursday morning to revoke the education credentials of the Montgomery County school superintendent and her daughter.
The commission's Ethics Committee recommended the revocations Wednesday. See story below.
September 12-- The Ethics Committee of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission is recommending the state revoke the professional credentials of two Montgomery County school system employees.
Seven members of the committee met in Atlanta Wednesday and voted to sanction county school superintendent Dale Clark and her daughter, former Montgomery County High School counselor Carrie O'Connor. O'Connor has been indicted for having sex with a 16-year-old male student last school term and is currently on leave with pay due to a deal with the county school board.
The Ethics Committee voted to revoke Clark's credentials due to her alleged failure to report the inappropriate sexual contact between her daughter and the student, and for the alleged misuse of public funds by allowing school system cell phones to be used by family members of some school system employees over a period of years.
The full Commission will consider the committee's recommendations when it meets Thursday in Atlanta. According to state policy, an individual whose certificate has been revoked can't be employed during the period of revocation and must wait at least three years before applying for recertification.
If the Commission approves the revocation recommendations, Clark and O'Connor will have 30 days to request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. If the judge upholds the Commission's decision, appeals can be filed in Superior Court and, if necessary, with the Georgia Court of Appeals.
Two members of the Montgomery County school board, Monty Burns and Gary Braddy, were in Atlanta to witness committee deliberations Wednesday. Both broke ranks with other members of the school board in recent months and Braddy said he believes the school board has lost control of the school system.
The Professional Standards Commission launched its investigation of O'Connor after being notified of her alleged conduct by former Montgomery County High School teacher Chris Bowman. Her mother gave Bowman a letter of termination for insubordination and later, during a meeting at Clark's house, offered to withdraw it and give him a good recommendation if he would resign voluntarily. He claims the offer "fell off the table" when she learned about his letter to the PSC.
The investigation of Clark was based on a complaint by citizen Dale James of Alston who alleged co-mingling and misuse of public funds, theft by taking, bribery and obstruction. James also went to court seeking an opportunity to address a school board meeting but was denied by Superior Court Judge Phillip West.
September 11-- Participants in the 2007 Memorial Service for those
killed on 911 render salutes during playing of the National Anthem at Meadows
Street Park in downtown Vidalia Tuesday.
September 11-- A Toombs County man has been arrested in the death of a woman's whose beaten body was found last week in Montgomery County.
Toombs County Sheriff Junior Kight confirms that Ernest Shaw, Jr. of Taylor Springs Road was arrested on a Montgomery County murder warrant Tuesday afternoon and transported to the Toombs County jail in Lyons.
The body of 38-year-old Elizabeth Richardson was found in the woods off J.L. Coleman Road last Thursday. Montgomery County Sheriff Clarence Sanders said she was last seen by her family Saturday, September 1st. He says a witness saw Shaw strike at the woman and pull her by the hair into his truck. When he returned to his house, she was not with him.
Shaw will transported to the Irwin County jail and held pending court hearings, according to Sheriff Sanders.
This Toombs County dumpster site shows what the
county government is up against everyday. The county commissioners have a
plan to do away with these sites. Look below to see what they hope to
establish.
September 11-- An hour-long discussion about the location of a proposed trash facility in Toombs County dominated the September meeting of the county commission.
A group of homeowners in the district of commissioner Steve Brown filed a petition objecting to plans to locate the facility at the intersection of Aimwell Road Extension and the Lyons-Center Road. The commission spent nearly $20,000 to buy six acres of land and plans to develop just under an acre for what it calls a "convenience center." The project is currently on hold pending determination of wetland status by the Army Corps of Engineers.
The homeowners believe the center should be located a mile away at the county landfill, however, experts claim that would require a costly major modification to the landfill permit and use up acreage needed for the landfill in the future.
Unless the Corps of Engineers stops the project, odds are it will go forward. Commissioner Brown says it will not be unsightly and says such centers in other communities have been welcomed. "I know people in the northern counties of our state who live close to such areas and are pleased it's such a short distance for disposal of their household garbage. We're going to take under advisement what was said here today and then try to make a decision that will benefit the county as a whole,' he said.
Ultimately the county wants to build at least five more centers so that none will be more than a two mile drive for any resident. The new centers will replace 48 dumpster sites in the county which officials say are impossible to keep clean.
This is a manned "convenience center" in a nearby
county. Toombs County commissioners have plans to locate up to six of
these in Toombs County.
September 10-- After several months of community dissension about the use of school system cell phones by family members of employees, the Montgomery County school board voted 3-2 Monday night to authorize certain faculty and staff members to use the phones at system expense. Board members Monty Burns and Gary Braddy voted against the measure.
School board chairman Randall Morris says its a safety issue for the schools to have alternate means of communications. The school system gets a 90 percent discount if a minimum of 40 users are on the cell phone plan, and Morris says that's a great deal.
"We want to take advantage of the program, but we want to make sure there are no non-employees using the phones," he said.
School superintendent Dale Clark told the board all family members have returned the phones and their charges have been paid by employees. "Mrs. Clark admitted that is a mistake and we're hoping we can get it cleared up," Morris said. He also indicated there still may be some questions to be answered, "All five board members have been concerned about it, but we're trying to do it like we should do it, and that's find the correct answer and then deal with it like we should."
In a departure from board practice, the board met in executive session without the presence of embattled school superintendent Dale Clark. After nearly an hour, school board attorney Tom Everett escorted the superintendent into the meeting which then lasted another hour-and-a-half. After the closed door meeting, the board informed a half-full auditorium of people it had taken no action which would require a public vote.
The school board was also informed that some incorrect language used in it's August resolution regarding the partial rollback of this year's tax rate will cause it to hold three more public hearings. The 12.5 mils will cause a net increase in property taxes due to the countywide property revaluation. The public hearings will be held Monday, September 24th at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., and Monday, October 1 at 7 p.m.
September 10-- Montgomery County school superintendent Dale Clark says nothing illegal was done with school system cell phones. In 2006 she allowed family members of some school system employees to have cell phones which she said were paid for through employee payroll deductions. In response to an earlier Newsbreak story, Clark emphasized the school board paid for cell phones used by school system employees to maintain communications.
Clark critic Dales James of Alston claims some employees told investigators from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission they had never paid for cell phones. Clark says that's correct because those were the employees who used the phones for official business. "The only people who had payroll deductions were people who had phones issued to them for family members," she reports.
The superintendent says issuing the phones to family members may have been a mistake in judgment, but "it was not a mistake in terms of anything illegal happening."
Clark says she has sent a complete explanation of the phone system accounting to members of the school board and assumes they understand what happened since none have called her with questions. "The auditors are aware of it, and anybody involved with it from a financial standpoint it aware of it," she says.
September 8-- The cases of two Montgomery County educators are expected to come before the Georgia Professional Standards Commission when it meets this week in Atlanta.
The cases of Carrie O'Connor, the high school counselor who has been indicted on criminal charges of having sex with a student, and her mother, school superintendent Dale Clark, are expected to be examined by the commission's ethics committee Wednesday afternoon. If the committee recommends disciplinary action, it's recommendations will be considered by the full commission when it meets Thursday, according to Dr. Gary Walker of the PSC.
O'Connor has been placed on administrative leave with pay by the school board. Her alleged liaisons with a 16-year-old student were reported to the PSC last March by former teacher Chris Bowman. Superintendent Clark offered to withdraw a letter of termination she gave Bowman if he would voluntarily resign, however, he claims she withdrew the offer once Clark learned about his letter reporting her daughter to the PSC.
Meanwhile, various citizens in Montgomery County have obtained phone records from the school system after Dale James of Alston claimed the superintendent allowed school employees and, in some cases, their family members, to have cell phones under a school system contract. Clark said she made a mistake, and later told the school board the phones were being paid for by the employees through payroll deductions.
James disputes Clark's position, "We've got 72 counts of misuse of public funds with those cell phones. Every phone involved a misuse of funds. They were not taking the money out of the checks. Many of these employees testified to the PSC that they had never paid anything till last month. So, the contract between them, Southern Linc and the board required them to pay for the phones, but they have not."
Clark claims most employees have repaid the school system for the phone charges and has sent memos to delinquent employees requesting payment.
September 8-- Law enforcement officials say a woman whose body was found Thursday in Montgomery County was murdered. Sheriff Clarence Sanders says the body of 38-year-old Elizabeth Richardson of Taylor Springs Road was found in the woods off J.L Coleman Road.
According to the sheriff, the woman had been beaten to death. She was last seen by her family last Saturday, he said.
GBI agent Kendra Lynn is assisting Sheriff Sanders in the investigation.
September 8-- Vidalia police report the arrest of a 20-year-old man on drug charges. They say Christopher Cartrette of 712 Scott Drive is possession of a controlled substance and possession and sale of a dangerous drug.
Chief Frank Waits has released the department's monthly report which shows 13 burglaries and three armed robberies in the city in August. So far this year, police have investigated 171 burglaries and 12 armed robberies in Vidalia.
There have also been 204 cases of family violence and 210 cases of assault and battery to date in 2007.
September 7-- A superior court judge has denied a request that a citizen be allowed to appear before public meetings of the Montgomery County school board. Judge Phillip West signed an order Tuesday denying Dale James of Alston the right to be placed on the board's agenda. James went to court after the school board refused to hear his complaints about alleged misuse of public funds by school superintendent Dale Clark.
James believes Judge West is denying him a constitutional right, "He did not deal with the constitutional issues. The Constitution, I say, gives everyone a clear right to speak before any governmental body as long as he's addressing grievances. I have grievances and I have evidence to present to this board."
Judge West's order says giving every citizen the right to be placed on a board meeting agenda would undermine the board's control and management of the school district. School superintendent Clark was not surprised at his decision, "That's exactly what I expected to happen," she said.
According to the superintendent, lawyers have advised the board not to allow people to speak in open session to limit liability, "We can't control what they are going to say. If someone gets up and calls a teacher's name or an administrator's name, and they lambaste that person, then we as a superintendent and board are liable because we have given that person a public platform to do that. Normally, when people want to come before the board, they have an axe to grind, very few want to discuss board policy or changing school bus routes."
James says he has to confer with his lawyer before deciding if he will appeal.
September 6-- A Vidalia manufacturer is facing penalties from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The federal agency proposes penalties totaling $76,500 against Savannah Luggage Works, manufacturer of commercial and military products, including body armor vests. OSHA claims two workers have been injured due to the removal of machines guards on rivet/snap machines and plans to fine the company $63,000 for the violation. It also reports four other safety violations with fines of $13,500.
The company says it's taken corrective action to fix the problems and plans to appeal the fines. It has 15 days to appeal.
September 6-- When she was a young girl, her parents were told she should be placed in an institution. Today Shari Rusch Furnstahl has a Masters Degree in Education and specializes in working with special needs children and their parents.
She's also written a new book called "From Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones" which tells how she got help and advises others to be positive with fragile children. "The bottom line is the things I was born with were no doubt challenging, but it's the things people said to me and the way I was alienated and made to feel very, very small which could have been the most crippling. I'm grateful those early assessments weren't the only words I heard and other people told me what I could do if I was only willing to try."
Furnstahl will make five stops in the Vidalia area including a visit to Brewton Parker Tuesday night, a visit to Robert Toombs Christian Academy and the keynote speech to the United Way kickoff Wednesday, a book-signing Wednesday afternoon at the Cross Connection bookstore in Vidalia, and an appearance Wednesday night at the First United Methodist Church in Vidalia.
September 5-- The Lyons city council has voted to amend the city's ordinance on the issuance of beer and wine licenses. Councilman Ivy Toole, Jr. says he wants to deter sales of alcohol in areas around churches. His amendment would require any establishment within 300 feet of a church to derive no more than 35 percent of its gross revenue from the sale of alcohol. Toole earlier objected when the council gave a license to a new restaurant in Lyons near the Blue Marquee Theater which is used by a church group for Sunday services. Lyons city manager Rick Hartley says the city will have to hold a public hearing on the amendment before it can be adopted. He expects that to occur in November.
In other actions, the council voted to change the name of Hallmark Park to Vincent Faison Park in honor of the late, longtime employee of the Lyons Recreation Department.
September 5-- The county-wide revaluation of property this year in Montgomery County has generated more appeals than ever to the county's Board of Tax Assessors. At the same time, the terms of the board members are expiring this year and all five members have decided to resign. County commission chairman Charles Truett says the assessors have the "most thankless job in the county."
At its September meeting, the county commission named four replacements with a fifth to be named later. The new tax assessor board members include Joe Strickland from Uvalda, Jesse Fountain, Jr. from Mount Vernon, Evonne Hicks from Ailey and Matt Mead from the Tarrytown area. They'll have to attend 40 hours of state training before assuming their duties.
September 5-- Over forty percent of the indictments returned by the Montgomery County grand jury last month were for alleged drug offenses. Of the sixteen indicted, one entered a guilty plea to possession of marijuana. Jason Berry of Vidalia was placed on 12 months probation. Others indicted on drug charges are Vicky Terrell, Mathew Boney, Brandon and Kimberly Moxley, Mindy Gay, Dominique Smiley, Douglas Powell, Kevin Coursey, Charles Ira, Gerald Davis, Neil Smith, Sherri Taylor, Justin Peoples, Rodney Burns, and Joanne Lashley.
In addition to the indictment of school counselor Carrie O'Connor for having sex with a student, three others were indicted in sex cases. Richard Smiley, Jr. of Mount Vernon and Mark Claxton of Uvalda are accused of statutory rape, and Danny Durden of Glennville is charged with three counts of aggravated child molestation.
Five people indicted for forgery are Pamela McGowan, Adam Owens, Diane Loutzenhiser, Jennifer Ray and Shemike Jordan.
Burglary indictments were returned against Ronnie Hackle, Michael Walden, Sheena Jackson, Raynard Gaddy, Alfred Burley, and Reginald Harvey.
The grand jury charges three people with aggravated assault including Brandon Baker, Tina Johnson and Anthony Mosley. Others indicted are Gregory Bacon for armed robbery, Joanna Adams for theft, and Howard Anderson for a counterfeit check.
September 6-- Homeowners in Montgomery County should see a reduction in their fire insurance rates. Thanks to improvements made by volunteer fire departments and the county, fire readiness has improved and that will cause a reduction in homeowner premiums.
County commissioner Dr. Ronnie Smith has been advocating improved fire protection since his election and is elated at the new ratings, "It's wonderful news. This was one of my campaign pledges to improve ISO ratings. We have achieved that and, in fact, far exceeded my expectations. The volunteer firemen, the county fire coordinator, everybody involved including the cities, have done a fabulous job in pulling this off."
Dr. Smith advises homeowners to notify their insurance companies and let them know their new rating. The lower the rating the better, he says, and any rating under a seven will qualify a homeowner for preferred insurance rates. Many of the ratings assigned by insurance companies for Montgomery County are now under seven, according to Dr. Smith.
LOCATION
OLD RATE
NEW RATE Mount
Vernon
6
5 Alston
7/9
4/9 Higgston
#1
9/10
4/9 Higgston
#2
No
Rating
5/9 Ailey
7/9
6/9 Uvalda
8/9
5/9 Tarrytown (to be announced) Mont Co Prison (to be announced)
September 4-- A man who was arrested Saturday night in Lyons killed himself in the Toombs County jail Sunday night. Sheriff Junior Kight says Russell Price was arrested in Lyons on child molestation charges. Lyons police chief Ricky Newsome says officers arrested Price after members of a Lyons family claimed he had molested a boy in the family. Price, who hanged himself with a bed sheet, was on probation for child molestation in Chatham County, according to Sheriff Kight.
September 3-- Toombs County commissioners met briefly Friday morning and, as expected, increased the county property tax rate by two mils. The increase to the tax rate is the first in years and commissioners say it was prompted mostly by higher costs for fuel and health insurance. They also promise the increase will allow them to stop borrowing from next year's tax receipts to pay for this year's bills.
At the same time, the commission approved a resolution for the spending of insurance premium taxes which are rebated by the state. The $523,000 will provide $97,000 for rural sanitation, $76,000 for fire protection and $350,000 for ambulance service.
In other news, Toombs County's consulting engineer has told the Corps of Engineers no wetlands have been disturbed by the clearing of just under an acre of land for a new county trash drop-off point and recycling center. Residents in the area around Aimwell Road Extension and the Lyons-Center Road are protesting building of the county convenience center in their neighborhood. The county has suspended work on the project until it gets a go-ahead from the Corps of Engineers.
Meanwhile, residents say the convenience center should be built near the entrance of the county landfill about a mile away. However, county commissioner Louie Powell says that would cost thousands of dollars more because of engineering fees the county would have to pay to get a permit from the state Environmental Protection Division.
September 3-- Four people are running for the Vidalia city council seat being vacated by longtime city councilman Chip Matheson. The 4th ward seat is being sought by Lisa Chesser, Darren McClellan, Don Davis and Craig Stuckless. Third ward councilman Raymond Turner and at-large member Brian Frost are running unopposed.
Also seeking re-election without opposition are school board members Lisa Adams, Bruce Asberry and Mary Virginia Sharp.
Vidalia voters will also have a chance in the November 6th election to approve local legislation designed to help them save money on property taxes. The law introduced by Representative Greg Morris will freeze property values on homes and home sites retroactive to the 2004 revaluation. The question was left off the city ballot in November, 2004.
September 3-- Lyons mayor John Moore is running for re-election in November and will face opposition. Lyons businesswoman Brenda Aaron, owner and operator of the Dollar Saver Thrift Shop, has qualified to run against the incumbent mayor.
Two city council members, Ivy Toole, Jr. and Willis NeeSmith, are running for re-election with no opposition.
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Toombs Now - Fun and interesting things that are happening in Toombs County-NOW. Vidalia Then - Pictures of Vidalia the way it used to look.
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(A Note to Readers: The items on these pages are summaries of local radio news stories aired on the three radio stations operated by Vidalia Communications Corporation, i.e., WVOP, 970AM; WTCQ-FM, 98Q at 97.7 mhz; and WYUM-FM, Sweet Onion Country, at 101.7FM. Complete reports are aired near the bottom of almost every hour on these stations.)
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September 20
Sweet Onion Classic Helps Local EMA
September 19
Literacy Rate Improving Locally
"Nobody Told Me" Super Says About Erroneous Report
September 18
Treutlen Voters OK ESPLOST & Bond Issue
Police Find Baby in Drug Bust
Toombs Grand Jury Indictments
September 17
Treutlen HS Wins Governor's Cup
September 16
Charter School Application Approved by Toombs BOE
September 14
Five Arrested in Soperton Robbery
China Company Looking at Oxford Operation in Lyons
No More County Resources on Private Property
September 13
Commission Revokes Educators' Credentials
September 12
State Committee Recommends Revocation for Montgomery Co Educators
September 11
911 Memorial in Vidalia
Arrest in Woman's Death
Trash Talk at Toombs Commission Meeting
September 10
School Board OK's Super's Recommendation on Phones
Superintendent Clarifies Cell Phone Payments
September 8
Professional Standards Commission Meets This Week
Death Under Investigation
September 25
Drug Arrest in Vidalia
September 7
Judge Denies Right to Be Heard, Supports School Board
September 6
OSHA Proposes Penalties Against Savannah Luggage Works
Teacher-Author to Keynote United Way Kick-off
September 5
Lyons to Amend Alcohol Ordinance
Board of Assessors Terms Expiring in Montgomery County
Montgomery County Grand Jury Indictments
September 4
Good News for Montgomery Co Homeowners
Man Hangs Himself in Jail
September 3
Toombs Commission Approves Property Tax Increase
One Contested Race in Vidalia Fall Election
Lyons Mayor Faces Opposition
References
http://www.vidaliacommunications.com/news.html
http://www.VidaliaTrader.com/
http://www.ToombsNow.com/
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URL: http://toombs.150m.com/news/radio/2007/September.htm Updated: Thursday, September 20, 2007. Top