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The ADVANCE, April 14, 2021/Page 2A
SE Georgia Chapter of Red
Cross Announces Vidalia-Based
Community Volunteer Leader
The Southeast Georgia
Chapter of Red Cross an
nounces the appointment
of Leitha Barfield, Ameris
Bank, as a Community Vol
unteer Leader for Toombs
and Montgomery Coun
ties. Barfield’s role is to
work in partnership with
the Executive Director to
build a diverse and inclu
sive volunteer base to deliv
er the Red Cross mission.
As a Community Vol
unteer Leader, Barfield
will serve as an advocate
representing Red Cross
volunteer needs within the
community. She will work
with service clubs, schools,
churches, the business
community and others to
expand Red Cross reach.
Barfield will be engage
the community in start
ing Red Cross Clubs in
high schools and technical
schools, organizing blood
drives, training people in
delivering preparedness
programming, fire safety,
and recruiting disaster vol
unteers. She will also work
with members of the com-
Leitha Barfield
munity to identify commu
nity needs.
Originally from Way-
cross, Barfield moved to Vi-
dalia in August of 1985. She
is a 1991 graduate ofVida-
lia Comprehensive High
School, a 2015 graduate
of Southeastern Technical
College, and a 2017 gradu
ate of The Center for Legal
Studies through Valdosta
State University.
Barfield has served as
chair and co-chair with
the Toombs-Treutlen Re
lay for Life, is a member
of the ABWA, and has vol
unteered with the Vidalia
Onion Festival and Real
Squeal. She has been in
banking a total of 11 years
and is currently employed
as a Commercial Bank
ing Assistant with Ameris
Bank in Vidalia.
Barfield has been mar
ried to her husband, Mi
chael, for 20 years, and has
two daughters, Summer
Adams and Haley Barfield,
and a granddaughter,
Harper Warnock.
The American Red
Cross shelters, feeds and
provides emotional sup
port to victims of disasters;
supplies about 40% of the
nation's blood; teaches
skills that save lives; pro
vides international human
itarian aid; and supports
military members and their
families. The Red Cross is a
not-for-profit organization
that depends on volunteers
and the generosity of the
American public to per
form its mission. For more
information, visit redcross.
org or CruzRojaAmeri-
cana.org, or visit on Twit
ter at (a)RedCross.
Lyons
continued from page 1A
to the body of Brandon
Colson. The suspect was
soon apprehended, and on
April 1 of this year, Israel
Williams received a sen
tence of life without parole.
Williams’s trial was delayed
by the pandemic restric
tions.
Walker read a letter
from a grateful Middle
Judicial Circuit District
Attorney Tripp Fitzner
regarding the settlement
of the State of Georgia vs.
Israel Williams: “I want
to compliment everyone
involved in the Lyons Po
lice Department for their
hard work and diligence
concerning the missing
person case of Brandon
Colson and subsequent
murder investigation. This
was a difficult case and the
persistence your officers
showed in continuing to
search for Brandon speaks
very highly (of the depart
ment). In particular, I want
to recognize Detective An
drew Britton (who) did
an exceptional job on his
investigation and I am con
fident we would not have
successfully prosecuted the
case without his persever
ance. Moreover, Detective
Britton was very profes
sional on the witness stand
and represented you and
the City of Lyons well. His
exceptional work should
be commended. Prosecu
tion is a team effort. I am
grateful to have Detective
Britton and your officers
on our side to make Lyons
and Toombs County safer
for everyone.”
Walker presented the
letter from Fitzner to Brit
ton in recognition of his
exceptional work. Family,
Council members and the
public in attendance also
showed their appreciation
with applause.
Britton spoke briefly
and humbly, “Chief Walker
was with me every step, I
didn’t do it alone. It was
definitely a joint effort.
Hats off to the Chief, he
makes it easy for me to do
my job. I appreciate the
recognition.”
Reporting for the
Chamber, President Mi
chele Johnson told the
Council, “The Greater Vi
dalia Chamber has created
a Help Wanted Facebook
page as a service to our
Chamber members. Mem
bers may post information
regarding open positions in
their businesses at anytime
and the public is invited to
view those and to interact
with the companies di
rectly.” The Greater Vidalia
Chamber is the recently
revealed renaming of the
Toombs-Montgomery
County Chamber of Com
merce.
Johnson also reported
that the Development Au
thority has executed a low-
interest loan of $400,000
under the Toombs County
Revolving Loan program.
Vidalia Motor Sports, LLC,
met all criteria of the ap
plication and will, in turn,
generate a $1.5 million
investment and create 14
jobs to benefit the county.
City Manager Jason
Hall informed the Coun
cil that after the City ad
opted its FY 2021 capital
budget in March, a request
was received for access
to municipal sewer for an
industrial project under
construction located West
of H.D. Wright Road be
tween U.S. Highway 280
and Georgia Highway 292.
The project, to begin on
June 1, will be a $4 million
investment and will cre
ate 40 new jobs packaging
and distributing citrus fruit
to local suppliers. Because
of this essential benefit to
the City, the Council ap
proved an amendment to
the FY2021 capital budget
by adding an appropriation
of $110,000.00 to extend
sewer service to Southern
Mark Industries.
Further, Hall gained
approval from the Coun
cil to use these additional
funds for an emergency
contract to extend the
sewer to the Southern
Mark Industries property.
As stated in the resolution
presented, “customary bid
requirements would create
an undue hardship for the
project; the City Charter
allows for the Council to
declare emergencies and
to adopt emergency ordi
nances.”
Two competitive bids
to the City from local con
tractors were considered
for the emergency ordi
nance. McLendon Enter
prises, offering a bid of
$107,359.10, is able to be
gin the project right away
to complete the work by
the needed date of June 1.
For this reason, and with
adequate funds approved
to be added to the budget,
McLendon will provide
the extension of the sewer.
A public hearing, hav
ing been publicized for
more than 30 days, was
held at 5:30 p.m. preceding
this regular April Council
meeting to consider the
proposed changes in water
rates and wastewater rates.
There was no protest by
the public. Therefore, the
water rate adjustment was
approved to be in effect
until May 2024 unless it is
amended by a future City
Council action. The new
water rates can be viewed
on the City Links at www.
lyonsga.org.
Darriel Nobles was
present at the Council
meeting, but in another
capacity from his Toombs
County Commission posi
tion. Nobles, his wife, Lu-
cretia, and a host of volun
teers, chair the local blood
drives.
Nobles said, “I want
to thank you for the use of
the Callaway Center. Every
town needs a blood drive
and that’s one of the things
we can do to give back
to the community that’s
been so good to us. A year
ago, we moved from the
Ag Center to the Callaway
Center and we asked the
Lions Club and the City
of Lyons to sponsor our
blood drives. We have been
very successful with them.”
Nobles wanted the
Council to know that, for
the first time, the volun
teers have received a cer
tificate of recognition as
a Premier Blood Partner
with the American Red
Cross for collecting 400
units of blood. In 2020,
the local partners collected
438 units of blood. Collec
tions in 2021 are also going
well.
Mayor Willis NeSmith
told Nobles, “We appreci
ate what you and Mrs. Lu-
cretia do. It takes up a good
bit of time for you to call
people for appointments.
You keep it up.”
wm
[Commissioners
V K
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ROAD CLOSURE— As construction activity increases at the new Toombs County Court
house complex in Lyons, public safety is a top priority with City of Lyons and Toombs
County officials, In an effort to maintain safe traffic patterns, beginning Monday, April
19, traffic flow will be halted on the North Victory Drive thoroughfare on the west side
of the existing courthouse, There will no longer be an exit from the courthouse to Geor
gia Route 292 (NW Broad Street) in Lyons; however, there will still be an entrance from
Highway 292 on the east side of the courthouse, and the only exit will be to U.S, High
way 280. "The final plans for the new complex eliminate the thoroughfare and officials
felt the best decision in the interest of public safety was to move forward with this
implementation. Officials are asking the public to limit the traffic in the area to court
house business only," said Chris Seabolt, Project Manager for TQ Constructors, Inc.,
which was contracted for the new courthouse construction.
(L to R): Back Row: Les Bateson, Hannah Henry, Chasity Denmark, Bryant Oliver, Front
Row: Cole Smith, Amber Seabolt, Lilly Parker, and Marlee Veal,
FFA Team Wins State Land Judging
The Wheeler County
FFA Land Judging Team
recently won the State
FFA Land Judging Career
Development Event. The
event was held at Camp
John Hope in Ft. Valley on
Saturday, March 27. This
marks the 1st time a team
from Wheeler County FFA
has ever been named State
Champion in Land Judg
ing.
Team members includ
ed Lily Parker, who was the
high individual overall at
state, and Amber Seabolt,
who was 2nd high individ
ual overall at state. Marlee
Veal and Cole Smith were
also team members.
Wheeler County FFA
became eligible to compete
at the state event after win
ning the Area 4 Land Judg
ing Career Development
Event on Tuesday, Janu
ary 12, at Toombs County
High School in Lyons, GA.
The team is now qualified
for the National competi
tion in Oklahoma.
The Land Judging Ca
reer Development Event
provides students the op
portunity to determine
land classification, use, and
treatment practices for se
lected sites. The students
must consider topsoil tex
ture and thickness, effective
depth, permeability of sub
soil, slope, erosion, drain
age, and land capability.
FFA is a national or
ganization of over 600,000
members preparing for
leadership and careers in
the science, business, and
technology of agriculture.
FFA is an integral part of
the agricultural education
program in public schools.
The FFA mission is to make
a positive difference in the
lives of students by devel
oping their potential for
premier leadership, person
al growth, and career suc
cess through agricultural
education.
The team was trained
by FFA Advisors Bryant
Oliver, Les Bateson, Han
nah Henry, and Student
Teacher, Chasity Denmark.
ask Af *
Ms. Magnolia
Letters have been edited for length and clarity.
Dear Ms. Magnolia,
/ dislike April Fool’s Day because
/ have never liked practical jokes. Why
do some people get carried away and
get hurtful?
Reader
Dear Reader,
Like you I don’t like practical
jokes because some people are cruel
and like to make other people look
ridiculous or to actually harm them
and excuse it with “Can’t you take a
joke?’’ I really don’t know why some
people let the evil side of their human
nature take over and hurt others. We
all have a good and an evil side to
our nature, but our goal should be to
make the good control the evil.
But from another point of view:
When I was young, my father and the
older men working around the farm
used to play jokes on the younger,
more inexperienced men, such as
sending them out to bring in a bad
bull without warning them about how
to handle him. I got upset once and
told my father how unkind I thought
it was. He explained to me that that
was the way of teaching the younger
men not to blindly trust what every
one told them but to ask questions
when they are unsure about instruc
tions or situations. He said that they
would not always be around men who
would lead them right so they needed
to learn to be cautious, not to take
everyone at their word, and to “look
deep before they leap.”
If you have a question for Ms. Magnolia, please mail it to P.O. Box 669, Vidalia, GA
30475, or e-mail to msmagnoliaadvance@yaboo.com.