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The Kids Are Coming!!! Deadline February 7 7 - ShA na The Vidalia Advance Established 1901 The Lyons Progress Established 1894 VHS Wrest/in j Fourth in State Duals Vol. 123 No. 5 Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia February 3, 2021 I’m a shepherd, not a sheep, and I’ve always prided myself on being a leader and not a follower. - Dustin Diamond News BYTES Artists Call The city of Vidalia and the Downtown Vidalia Association are seeking artists and/or artist-led teams to submit proposals for a mural to be installed on an exterior wall on West Meadows Street in downtown Vidalia. Renderings are due February 19. For more information contact the DVA at dvamainstreet@ vidaliaga.gov or call 912- 537-8033. Art at Altama Museum Art from the collection of Cecil Smith is on display in the Meadows Gallery of the Altama Museum. Free and open to the public Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Contact: AltamaMuseum.org or FB@Altama Museum. "Chocolate Walk" Downtown Vidalia Association is sponsoring a "Chocolate Walk—Let Us Treat You While You Shop" in downtown Vidalia on Saturday, February 6, from 10a.m. until 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 each an available at the DVA Office, 128 Church Street, J. Leigh Hair Studio and Merle Norman. COVID-19 Vaccinations Underway Healthcare providers, first responders and persons aged 65 plus and their caretakers are currently eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations. For more information, call the Georgia COVID Hotline at 844-442-2681. IN THIS ISSUE Editorials Page 5A Obituaries Page 7A From the Record Page 10A Your Mind On Line Page 2A Sports Page 1 B SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 30% OFF NEWSSTAND PRICES! Call 537-3131 (or delivery! Infusion May Have Been a Lifesaver For Jesup Woman with COVID By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail.com “l think it might have saved my life,” Holly Thompson said about the infusion she received after testing positive for COV- ID-19. The Jesup resident conclud ed she was most likely exposed to the virus during a camping trip with friends on New Year’s weekend. By the following Mon day she began to feel ill. Her symptoms included a severe headache, scratchy throat, a dry cough, joint pain and fever. She recognized the warning signs and after she received a call from someone in the camping group that one of them had tested posi tive for COVID-19, she knew she needed to seek immediate medical attention. Thompson opted to travel to Brunswick, 45 minutes away, be cause she wanted rapid testing, which was not available in Jesup BACK AT WORK - Holly Thompson, a paralegal, works at her desk in a Jesup law office. She recently returned to work after contracting COVID-19 which resulted in a monochronal antibody infusion that she says may have saved her life. at that time. Her husband, who drove her to Brunswick, also tested positive for COVID. Since Thompson was con sidered high-risk-she suffers from a rare kidney disease, is an insulin-dependent diabetic and sustained a heart attack two months before contracting COVID-19—she was sched uled for a monochronal anti body infusion two days later. Thompson said the infusion was explained to her as a way to try to block the virus from spreading to other organs in her body, especially to her lungs and heart. There is a short pe riod of time to administer the drug for it to be successful. Re search has shown the therapy is most effective within 10 days of a positive COVID test. Thomp son was fortunate. Many people have missed their opportuni ties for treatment because of a patchwork system that can de- Please see Infusion page 3A Vidalia Teacher Bobby George on His Way to National VFW Competition Wins Local, District and State Titles Photo by John Koon TEACHER OF THE YEAR - Vidalia High School teacher Bobby George, second from right, was named Teacher of the Year by the Toombs County, District 6 and Georgia VFWs and Auxiliaries in a ceremony on January 30. He will now compete with other educators across the nation for the national award. Shown with George at the awards ceremony are, from left, Shirley Curl, President of the Lyons and District 6 VFW Auxiliaries; Pat Dobbins, Chaplain, Georgia VFW Auxiliary; Tony Dobbins, State Adjutant, Georgia VFW; and John S. Sharpe, Jr., Principal at VHS, Vidalia Loses Treasured Citizen, Helen Threlkeld Darby With the passing of Hel en Threlkeld Darby, 102, on January 27, the community lost one of its most treasured citizens. The wife of the late James Darby, she was well known for her generous na ture and willingness to step up to volunteer where she was needed. When she was named Vidalia Lady of the Year in 1983 Mrs. Darby was lauded as “charming, loving, sincere and unselfish.” In an interview pub lished in The Advance when Please see Darby page 4A Helen Threlkeld Darby Federal Grants and Loans Provide 10 New Vehicles for Montgomery County Vidalia City Schools his tory instructor Bobby George is on his way to national competi tion in Washington, D.C., after winning local, district and state awards as “Teacher of the Year.” George garnered the Toombs County Veterans of Foreign Wars and Auxiliary honors, as well as the District 6 and Georgia VFW and Auxiliary awards in a presentation cere- Please see George page 4A COVID-19 Update Monday, February 1 ^ A Number of Confirmed Cases/Hospitalizations/ Deaths (Cumulative from March 2020) Toombs County. 2638/154/74 Montgomery County. 665/38/18 Treutlen County. 567/46/17 Wheeler County. 440/33/19 Meadows Regional Medical Center COVID-19 Patient Census Monday, February 1:20 COVID patients in-house COVID admissions over the last seven days, 1-25-21 to 1-51-21): 14 SHERIFF AND STAFF - Gathering for the delivery of new vehicles to the Sheriff's Department were, from left, Sheriff Doug Maybin; Commission Chairman Leland Adams; Chief Deputy Ron Bivins; Commissioner Ginger Morris; Deputy Tyler Wimpey; Deputy Ben Maybin; Commissioner Chad Kenney; Deputy Cody Johnston; and Commissioner Tim Williamson. Federal grants and loans are providing 10 new vehicles for Montgomery County. These new additions replace vehicles up to 26 years of age and with high mileage and high maintenance costs, said Coun ty Manager Brandon Braddy. The new vehicles will go to the county’s Sheriff’s Office, Please see M0C0 page 2A AGE HEALTHIER & LIVE HAPPIER Find out how you can start feeling better with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy and SAVE $25 off your BioTE®visit with code BI025, until March 1, (912)367-4122 105 East Tollison Street, Suite C | Baxley, GA | 31513 Matt Hodges, FNP-BC nlr Appling Healthcare