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The ADVANCE, March 10, 2021/Page 4A
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Ms. Magnolia
Letters have been edited for length and clarity.
Dear Ms. Magnolia,
As a young person, I was very con
cerned about keeping my body in good
shape. As I got older, I began to gain
weight, and I discovered that some of
my own morning activities were keeping
me from being my best. There are some
things that now help to keep me in better
physical, mental, and emotional shape
that I would like to share.
First, I keep a regular sleeping
schedule and don’t oversleep. When I
get up, I have a morning glass of cold
water. Then I exercise for 15 to 30 min
utes, usually stretching exercises, in
outside sunlight whenever possible for
increased energy and a more positive at
titude. After that I sit, take deep breaths,
and meditate or read a devotional for 15
minutes.
Before I take a shower and get
dressed, 1 weigh myself and record my
weight each day. Then I fix myself a
healthy breakfast which might be oats,
shredded wheat, or whole wheat bread;
some fruit such as apples, blueberries,
or bananas; and some dairy such as yo
gurt or chocolate milk.
1 don’t check my electronic devices
for emails or Facebook or Twitter until
after I’ve done all my morning routine
and am really ready to face the day.
There is a link between checking elec
tronics and stress, and who wants to
start the morning off stressed?
I just thought someone else might be
able to improve their health by sharing
what I have learned over the years.
Monica
Dear Monica,
Thank you for sharing.
If you have a question for Ms. Magnolia, please mail it to P.O. Box 669, Vidalia, GA
30475, or e-mail to tnsniagnoliaadvance@yahoo.com.
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AERIAL VIEW - This aerial view of the Toombs County Courthouse's western side shows
how traffic will shift on North Victory Drive as the southbound lane and adjacent park
ing are eliminated. Under new plans, traffic will flow north and south on one road
as the construction of the new Courthouse progresses. Eventually, landscaping and
parking at the entrance of the new Courthouse will replace the road.
TCC
continued from page 1A
of the Ross Bowen building.
The construction also in
cludes the renovation of the
adjacent Toombs County
Detention Center and the
addition of 70 additional
beds and 40 more cells. Lo
cating the Courthouse clos
er to the Detention Center
with a connecting corridor
between the two structures
will provide a safe and effi
cient way for the transfer of
inmates for hearings.
The first steps in the
project are the demolition
of the DOT building on the
east side of the Courthouse
and the Bowen Building on
the west. The demolition, to
be conducted by McLen
don Enterprises, will ne
cessitate eliminating park
ing and redirecting traffic
flow on the west side of the
Courthouse.
“Starting around March
15 we will be eliminating all
of the parking on the west
side of the Courthouse and
we will shift southbound
traffic on the North Vic
tory Drive thoroughfare on
the west side of the Court
house." The curbing will re
main temporarily and traffic
will flow in both directions
on a two-lane thoroughfare
on the west side.
“TQs objective is to
keep the North Victory
thoroughfare open as long
as possible during construc
tion, ideally until construc
tion on the new Court
house is complete,” Seabolt
said, adding that safety con
siderations may not allow
this to occur. “This is going
to be a three-story building
peaking at 95 feet, so once
we start going vertical, we
may have to close the thor
oughfare completely.” He
pointed out that long-term
plans call for eliminating
the thoroughfare altogether
and replacing it with park
ing and landscaping on the
new Courthouse’s eastern
front.
Beginning next week,
motorists will be redirected
through the thoroughfare
as bright orange barrels
block the southbound road
and parking area. “It will get
congested and we ask peo
ple to be cautious,” Seabolt
said, noting the road is a fa
vorite cut-through route for
parents getting their chil
dren to school on adjacent
Highway 292.
Seabolt said his com
pany is excited to be par
ticipating in the project
to replace the 56-year-old
Courthouse. “The majority
of the project team for TQ_
is local, so we feel we have a
little extra motivation to do
a good job.”
Events
continued from page 1A
are slated for April 17 and
the Derby will be held on
May 1 at Partin Park. The
just for fun SuperKids Race
and Run What You Brung
race will precede the Derby
on April 30.
Rally Races will be held
August 28 and 29, Novem
ber 20 and 21 and January
15 and 16. Sponsors for the
pageant, race cars and the
Derby are being sought.
Call the Main Street office
at (912) 526-6445 for more
information about the Der
by, or go to https ://lyons-
mainstreet.com/southeast-
georgia-soap-box-derby/.
Even though the 2021
Tales from the Altamaha
production has been can
celed, a new springtime
event will encourage out
door socializing. After in
troducing a ribeye grilling
contest during the 2020
Real Squeal, Lyons Main
Street will repeat the event
as a Ribeye Ramp-up, sanc
tioned by the Steak Cookoff
Association, on May 8 and
9 at Partin Park.
Cook-off competi
tions will include a Double
Steak Contest both days,
an Anything Soup Ancil
lary Contest on Saturday
and a Chicken Wings An
cillary Contest on Sunday.
Steak plates will be sold
to the public on Saturday.
Entry fee per steak contest
is $150, and $50 for each
ancillary contest. The top
steak payout will be $ 1,000.
Top honors in the ancillary
contest will be $250.
Walker shared two
highlights from a 2019
Toombs County Economic
Report for tourism. The
report stated that “Each
Toombs County household
would need to be taxed an
additional $383 per year to
replace taxes generated by
tourism economic activ
ity.” The report also noted,
“The 2019 unemployment
rate in Georgia was 4.9%,
but without the jobs sup
ported by the tourism in
dustry, it would have been
8.9%.” Walker concluded,
“The little pieces of tourism
activities that we do make a
difference.”
Chamber of Com
merce and Development
Authority Director Michele
Johnson reported that the
Toombs County Workforce
Strategy Project, facilitated
by the Carl Vinson Institute
of Government (CVIOG),
will begin project work with
the Steering Committee on
March 30 and 31. This plan
ning process will involve
key business, community,
and education stakehold
ers. Mayor Willis NeSmith
is a member of the Steering
Committee.
A public hearing will
be held in the Lyons City
Council Chambers on
April 6 at 5:30 to address
concerns about water rate
adjustments for 2021, 2022
and 2023. This hearing will
occur before the next regu
lar Council meeting at 6
p.m.
Photo by Rebekah Arnold
MEADOWS CEO SHARES BENEFITS OF HCA ACQUISITION — Alan Kent, CEO of Meadows
Regional Medical Center, spoke to the Kiwanis Club at the February meeting about
the effects of Covid-19 on the local healthcare system, next steps in the pending sale
of the Medical Center to the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), and the benefits
that HCA system will offer to Vidalia and surrounding counties.
Tillery: Week Eight Highlights
This week was
an odd one for me
at the legislature. I
told you last week of
my abnormal CO-
VID-19 test. Due to
that test, I was not
allowed to come to
the Senate for com
mittee meetings or
votes this week. For
tunately, any symp
tom I had was mild, a huge blessing since
I live with and take daily medication for
asthma. Technology allowed me to keep
up with the Senate’s actions and stay en
gaged under the Gold Dome. I followed
the live stream of session votes and com
mittee meetings and participated in over
60 video or conference call meetings with
colleagues, constituents, or others with
state budget concerns. While technology
kept me engaged, I’m ready to be back in
person.
With one more week behind us, mo
mentum has been building here under
the Gold Dome and our sights are set on
Monday, Crossover Day. As you may re
member, this is the deadline for all bills
originating here in the Senate to make it
out. That means we’ll be busy in chamber
discussing a list of bills that will impact
you. From what I’ve seen, a few of these
will be elections related. But first, here’s
an overview of some of the legislation that
made it across the Senate floor this week:
One of the big themes this week was
Education. Senate Bill 204 creates a 5-year
pilot program that would allow students
16 or older to get a high school diploma
through eligible schools within the Tech
nical College System of Georgia (TCSG).
By meeting certain coursework require
ments, this “Dual Achievement Program”
would help Georgians not only get a tech
nical degree or certificate, but would also
allow them to finish their high school
education. Schooling isn’t a one size fits
all model by any means and the typical
high school route isn’t best for everyone.
SB 204 allows these students to go back
and finish what they started in a way that
works for them.
Senate Bill 187, Senate Bill 47 and
Senate Bill 107 are some other bills that
take a look at the different types of stu
dents in our state and the resources they
need to succeed. SB 187 would allow stu
dents with a disability to apply for a waiver
that would extend their eligibility under
HOPE Scholarship and provide them
more time post high school graduation.
SB 47 would expand the Georgia Special
Needs Scholarship to children eligible for
accommodations under Section 504 of
the Federal Rehabilitation Act. This would
allow them to enroll in another public or
private school that best accommodates
their needs. SB 107 is part of our state’s
longstanding commitment to the foster
care system and would waive tuition and
associated fees in TCSG, such as hous
ing and meal plans, for certain foster and
adopted children. All of these measures
passed the Senate and work to provide
each Georgian with the opportunity to
achieve a quality education.
We also passed several bills addressing
new realities due to the pandemic. Senate
Bills 168 and 195 directly relate to the
transition to working from home — SB
168 would allow shareholders of compa
nies to conduct their meetings virtually
and SB 95 would allow state agencies to
conduct teleconference meetings as long
as they participate as if they were physi
cally there. Senate Bill 200 focuses on our
local communities and would put into law
that businesses and religious institutions
are allowed to continue operations during
a state of emergency.
Senate Bill 142 was one of the more
debated topics of the week. This bill and
its supporting Constitutional amendment
would allow the people of Georgia to vote
on whether sports betting should be legal
in Georgia. I did not support this measure,
but it passed the Senate and if it passes the
House, it will be on your ballot in 2022. If
the Senate version is passed by the voters,
the proceeds raised from wagering will go
to the HOPE Scholarship, Pre-K, rural
broadband and rural healthcare.
The House of Representatives also
passed their version of the 2022 Fiscal
Year budget (House Bill 81) on Friday.
This proposal encompasses $27 billion in
total state funds and continues to provide
added allocations to the areas you would
expect — education, healthcare and pub
lic safety. The House also placed a large fo
cus on mental health. We’ve already start
ed conducting budget meetings on the
Senate side, and I will keep you updated
on our work.
This week, the Senate Ethics Commit
tee met for the final time before Crossover
Day and passed out three more election
bills on top of the ones we’ve discussed in
previous weeks. These are expected to be
heard by the full Senate on Monday:
• Senate Bill 241, a comprehensive
reform package, would establish provi
sions for absentee ballots, portable polling
places, the suspension of a superintendent
and more.
• Senate Bill 232 would require each
individual absentee ballot to contain a
unique bar code and tracking number to
make sure they are easily identifiable.
• Senate Bill 202 would restrict the
unsolicited mailing of absentee ballot ap
plications and impose a penalty for doing
so.
On a somber note, our area lost an
amazing person, educator and servant
this week with the passing of Mrs. Dianne
(Branch) Clark. Mrs. Dianne grew up in
Glennville, but moved to Telfair County
not long after retiring from the Wayne
County School System. In Wayne County,
Mrs. Dianne wore many hats including
curriculum director, Title-I director and
Pre-K director — all at the same time! She
wrote the original grant to start the Pre-K
program in Wayne County. If Mrs. Dianne
saw a need, she didn’t form a committee
to fill it — she just jumped in and did it
herself. She challenged my thinking on
state finances and education. Her com
ments were always firm, well-reasoned and
kind. Her love for her grandchildren was
unmeasurable. Our hearts go out to her
husband, Mr. Ralph, and her sons, Chris
and Jared. Mrs. Dianne simply made our
region and our world a better place.
Monday will be one of the busier
days of the session and we’ll start hearing
House bills immediately Tuesday morn
ing. From there, we’ll be meeting regularly
till Sine Die on March 31. If you have any
questions about the legislation we covered
this week or ones that are up ahead, please
don’t hesitate to reach out to my office.
Thank you for letting me serve you and let
me know if I can ever be of help.
Sen. Blake Tillery serves as Chairman of the
Senate Appropriations Committee. He
represents the Nth Senate District, which
includes Appling, Jeff Davis, Long,
Montgomery, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Wayne,
and Wheeler counties and a portion of Liberty
and Tattnall counties. He can be reached by
email at blake.tillery@senate.ga.gov.
By Sen. Blake Tillery
(R-Vidalia)