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Vol. 123 No. 1
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
January 6, 2021
Prediction is very
difficult, especially
if it's about the
future.
-Niels Bohr
News
BYTES
COVID-19
Vaccinations in
Montgomery
COVID-l 9 vaccinations
will be provided by the
Department of Health in
Montgomery County at
its facility on West Broad
Street on January 11
from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30
a.m. No appointments
are necessary. Persons
eligible for the vaccine
include front line health
care workers, first
responders, and persons
over the age of 65.
First Doses of Covid-19
Vaccine Administered
Meadows Health re
ceived its first shipment of
the Moderna COVID-19
vaccine on Wednesday
December 23, and imme
diately began administer
ing the vaccine to health
care workers.
Meadows Surgeon
Kurt Hofmann, M.D., was
the first to receive the vac
cine, followed by Presi
dent and CEO Alan Kent.
Approximately 40 doses
of the vaccine were given
on Wednesday.
“We are excited to
be able to offer this vac
cine to our employees at
Meadows who have been
tirelessly battling on the
front lines of this pan
demic,” said President
and CEO Alan Kent. “By
ensuring the safety and
health of our team mem
bers and medical staff, we
can continue to take care
of our families and com
munity.”
While the vaccine
is not mandated for em
ployees, officials say over
100 have already taken it.
“This is an incredible
step toward healing and
making our world safe
again,” said Chief Medi
cal Officer Karen McColl,
M.D. “Even though vac
cines are becoming avail
able, now is not the time
to let our guard down. We
should continue to wear
masks, socially distance,
and sanitize and wash our
hands to keep the virus
FIRST DOSE - Meadows Health Surgeon Kurt Hofmann, M.D., receives the first from spreading”
Moderna Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday, December 23. The vaccine was ^
administered by Tiffany McKinley, Meadows Health RN and Occupational Please see Vaccine page
Health Coordinator. 10A
MLK Day
Parade in
Vidalia on
January 18
"Pushing the Dream
Forward in Unity" is the
theme for the 2021
Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Day parade to be held
along Georgia Highway
280 in Vidalia on January
18. The parade kicks
off at 11 a.m. and will
include floats, marching
bands, equestrian groups
and decorated vehicles.
MLK Day
Park Event
The Community Men
in Action's MLK Day
Park Event will held
Monday, January
18, at 1 p.m. in the
Vidalia Amphitheater.
The community
remembrance
celebration will follow
the MLK Day Parade in
downtown Vidalia.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 5A
Obituaries Page 7A
From the Record Page 10A
Your Mind On Line Page 4A
Sports Page 1 B
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Chicken of the Sea
Helping to Meet Challenges
of a Global Pandemic
(Photo Courtesy of Chicken of the Sea)
CHICKEN OF THE SEA HEROES - Since the beginning of March, the Chicken
of the Sea plant in Lyons increased production by 20%, increased work
force by 10%, and produced 26 million cans of shelf-stable tuna, As es
sential infrastructure workers helping to meet the challenge of feeding the
masses during the health pandemic, all employees received regular "hero
bonuses" throughout the year to help build up production capability.
In the past several months, indi
viduals, organizations, government
agencies and businesses have come
together to mitigate the effects of
COVID-19. Among the corpora
tions stepping up to meet this global
challenge is Chicken of the Sea, a
subsidiary of Thai Union Group,
which has a large production facility
in Lyons.
Greg Riekhof, General Manager
at the Lyons plant, noted, “When
the COVID-19 pandemic crisis first
began in North America, Chicken
of the Sea implemented a COVID
Response team at Corporate Head
quarters in El Segundo, California,
and locally here in Lyons.” Thanks to
Thai Union Group Corporate-Wide
Emergency Management training,
Chicken of the Sea was among the
first corporations to suspend travel,
provide daily temperature checks,
set up social distancing markers,
create new breakroom space, and
require masks. “The plant has stead
fastly followed best practices and
guidelines from around the world,”
Riekhof emphasized.
Craig Rexroad, Director of
Communications, said, “As one of
the world’s largest seafood compa
nies, Chicken of the Sea has a long
standing commitment to operate in
a socially and environmentally re
sponsible way in order to bring con
sumers healthy, responsibly-sourced
seafood.”
In response to the challenging
times presented by the COVID-19
pandemic, Chicken of the Sea do
nated more than three million serv-
Please see COS page 12A
COVID-19 Update
Monday, January 4
Number of Confirmed Cases/Hospitalizations/ Deaths
(Cumulative from March 2020)
Toombs County. 2205/140/61
Montgomery County. 572/29/9
Treutlen County. 427/37/14
Wheeler County. 403/27/18
Meadows Regional Medical Center COVID-19 Patient Census
Monday, January 4:22 COVID patients in-house
COVID admissions over the last seven days, 12-28-20 to 1-3-21): 14
Montgomery County Officials
Sworn In December 29 at
Courthouse Ceremony
Photo by Deborah Clark
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TAKE OATH - Judge Howard
C. Kaufold, Jr., Oconee Judicial Circuit, administers the
oath of office for newly-elected or reelected Montgom
ery County Commissioners, from left, Ginger Byrd Morris,
District 3, Post 1, placing her hand on a Bible held by her
father, Tommy Byrd; Chad Kenney, District 1; and Tim Wil
liamson, District 2,
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
There was a chill in the
air but the sun was bright as
several Montgomery Coun
ty officials took their oaths
of office in an outdoor cere
mony at the historic Court
house in Mount Vernon on
December 29.
Judge Howard C.
Kaufold, Jr., Oconee Judi
cial Circuit, administered
oaths to the county’s con-
Please see MoCo page 4A
ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS
• Primary Care • Chronic Care Management • Health Maintenance Screenings
• Acute Care • Weight Management • Physical Exams • Disease Prevention
• Sick Visits • Telehealth Visits • COVID Antibodies Screenings
Mandi Wright, FNP-C
^Appling
Joseph Foust, MD FAAFP nl Healthcare
1702A Meadows Lane
Vidalia, GA 30474
(912)705-4905 www.ahcs.org
