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The Vidalia Advance Established 1901
The Lyons Progress Established 1894
Vol. 123 NO. 3
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
January 20, 2021
Defeat may serve as
well as victory to
sha1<£ the soul and
let the glory out.
-Edwin Markham
News
BYTES
COVID-19
Vaccination
Information
Healthcare providers,
first responders and
persons age 65
plus, are eligible to
receive COVID-19
vaccinations. The
South Central Health
District, which serves
Montgomery, Wheeler
and Treutlen counties,
has moved to an
appointment-only
system for scheduling
vaccinations. Call
478-275-6570 or visit
southcentralhealth.
org for information.
The Southeast
Health District,
which serves Toombs
County, also requires
appointments. For
information, call
l-855-473-4374 or visit
their website at www.
sehdph.org. Meadows
Health is administering
vaccinations in Vidalia
by appointment.
Call 912-535-7233 for
information. The State
of Georgia's new
COVID hotline is 844-
442-2681.
SBA Reopens
Protection
Program
The U.S. Small Business
Administration
reopened the
Paycheck Protection
Program loan portal
to PPP-eligible lenders
with $1 billion or
less in assets for first
and second draw
applications on
January 15 and to
all participating PPP
lenders on January 19.
See story on page 2A.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 5A
Obituaries Page7A
From the Record Page 10A
Your Mind On Line Page 2A
Sports Page 1 B
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Meadows Boards
Approve Sale to HCA
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
Almost a year and half after
preliminary negotiations began,
the acquisition of Vidalia’s Mead
ows Health by Hospital Corpora
tion of America (HCA) is moving
toward completion. The deal is
expected to be closed on or before
April 30.
Meadows Health Alliance,
Inc., (MHA) the parent company
of Meadows Regional Medical
Center, signed a letter of intent for
a merger with HCA in September
2019. Last week MHA, the Board
of Directors of Meadows Health
Regional Medical Center, and the
Toombs County Hospital Author
ity approved the sale of the medical
center and most of its assets for $73
million.
The transaction will not be
finalized, however, until a public
hearing is held and the proposed
merger gains a nod from Geor
gia’s State Attorney General. Since
MRMC is a community-owned,
not-for-profit facility being sold to
a for-profit entity, the hearing and
state’s approval are part of the pro
cess for assuring the community
Please see MRMC page 13A
Local Patriot Recounts Events
Of January 6 at Nation's Capital
RALLY IN WASHINGTON - Heather Davis, right,
a Vidalia businesswoman, stands with a
friend in front of the Washington Monument
on January 6. Davis attended the rally to
support American ideals and the achieve
ments and policies of President Trump.
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail. com
Vidalia businesswoman Heather Davis
defines herself as a patriot. That is why she
decided to join others like herself in Wash
ington, D.C., on January 6 in what she be
lieved was an effort intended to reinforce
American ideals and to be an acclamation of
the policies and achievements of President
Trump. What unfolded before her eyes was
an experience she will never forget.
Davis shared that she has been a reg
istered Republican for most of her life but
has not always identified with any political
party. She said she votes for the actions and
principles of the candidate and not neces
sarily the party. “I voted for Trump because
he was independent of our two-party sys
tem. I have never called myself a Trump sup
porter until recently. When you look back at
his campaign and presidency, he has kept his
promises to the American people.”
She said of Trump, “He has been ridi
culed, belittled and disrespected by the
media, Democrats and Republicans alike
for the entirety of his presidency. But he re
mained strong and persisted with his agenda
and consistently kept his promises to the
American people. Why would I not support
this man?”
Once she made the decision to journey
Please see Patriot page 14A
COVID-19 Update
Monday, January 18
Number of Confirmed Cases/Hospitalizations/ Deaths
(Cumulative from March 2020)
Toombs County. 2504/149/68
Montgomery County. 630/35/13
Treutlen County. 517/43/14
Wheeler County. 423/30/19
Meadows Regional Medical Center
COVID-19 Patient Census
Monday, January 18:27
COVID patients in-house
COVID admissions over the last seven
days, 1-11-21 to 1-17-21): 13
Area Home Sales Over $90M
By Mike Branch
Sports Editor
sports 7 advance@gmail. com
The Altamaha Basin
Board of Realtors (ABBR)
handed out the awards for
the 2020 year in December
and even with a year full of
uncertainty and COVID
people were still buying
and selling homes, and the
local brokers proved that
they have the experience
to weather the storms.
The top selling broker
across the ABBR was Tom
Peterson Realtors with
over $20 million in home
sales. They were followed
very closely by Brown Re
alty who also crossed the
$20 million threshold, and
Lovins Realty was in third
place.
Sara Brown from
Brown Realty was the top
selling agent with over $ 16
million in sales. She was
followed by Stephanie Ca-
palbo with over $9 million
and then Maggie Brice
Snell with over $7 mil
lion. Charles Tapley also
crossed over $7 million in
sales on the year.
Two other agents
passed $5 million in sales,
Victoria Bateman and
Please see Sales page 3A
V TOM N
PETERSON, INC.
REALTORS
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Photo by Mike Branch
NUMBER ONE SELLERS - Tom Peterson Realtors was named top Real Estate
Company for 2020 by the Altamaha Basin Board of Realtors. The number one
sales agents responsible for the accomplishment are pictured left to right, Greg
McKenzie, Jr., Ann Todd, Pat Mitchell, Rob Roulan, Chris Kight, Tom Peterson,
Jimmy Dixon, Nancy Peterson, Karen Clark and Billy Clark.
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Weight loss visits starting at $45, every other month!
1702A Meadows Lane | Vidalia, GA | 30474 | (912)705-4905
