Newspaper Page Text
May 5, 2021
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
Hot Chicken
Salad
See Azure 9 A
Great Day
At Derby Hill
See Sports 1B
The Vidalia Advance Established 1901
nee
The Lyons Progress Established 1894
They didn’t want it
good, they wanted it
Wednesday.
- Robert A. Heinlein
News
BYTES
DOT Announces
Road Closing
The Georgia Department
of Transportation has issued
an advisory that Henry
O'Neil Road will be closed
through May 8 to construct
a new roadway alignment
as part of a widening
project on U.S. Highway
1. H. Powell Road can be
used as an alternate route
to U.S. 1.
DFCS-PCS Youth
Summit Set
The DFCS-PCS 2021 Youth
Summit will be held
Saturday, May 22, from 10
a.m. until 2 p.m. Register
at: https://guideinc.org/
youthsummit. For more
information, contact the
area office of the Council
on Alcohol and Drugs at
912-523-5445.
Rubber Duck
Race
A Rubber Duck Race will
be held virtually during
May. Proceeds benefit
action pact. For more
information, visit info@
actionpact.org.
2nd Annual Trivia
Challenge
The Alzheimer Association's
Annual Trivia challenge
is scheduled for May 13.
Sponsors are DOT Foods
and the Vidalia Rotary
Club. For information, call
912-537-6249.
United Way Golf
Tournament
The 27th Annual United
Way Golf Tournament for
Toombs, Montgomery
and Wheeler Counties
will be held May 13 at the
Swainsboro Golf Club. For
more information, call 912-
537-2776.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 5A
Obituaries Page 7A
From the Record Page 8A
Your Mind On Line Page 2A
Sports Page 1 B
SUBSCRIBE
AND SAVE
30% OFF
NEWSSTAND
PRICES!
Call 537-3131
(or delivery!
Ambulance Entrance
Cancer Center
Main Entrance
► Patient Drop Off
A Discharge
A Shipping & Receivi
A Women's Center
u/p are a Smoke-Free Campus
Meadows Health Joins
HCA Healthcare’s South
Atlantic Division
HCA Healthcare’s
South Atlantic Division
has completed the pur
chase of Meadows Health
in Vidalia.
The hospital will be
renamed Memorial Health
Meadows Hospital. This
connects it to Memorial
Health University Medical
Center in Savannah and
reflects HCA Healthcare’s
presence in the region.
Memorial Health
Meadows Hospital and its
employed physician prac
tices will take on a new icon
- the Caring Star - which
represents the critical link
between team members,
physicians, patients and
community
The well-known can
cer center at Memorial
Health Meadows Hospital
will continue to be named
the Tommy and Shirley
Strickland Cancer Center.
“As a part of HCA
Healthcare, Memorial
Health Meadows Hospital
will be able to expand its
innovative and patient-fo
cused care,” said Alan Kent,
President and CEO for
Memorial Health Mead
ows Hospital. “We chose
HCA Healthcare because,
like us, they are commit
ted to high-quality, com
munity based hospitals
and are focused on serving
patients and giving back in
a meaningful way to the Vi
dalia area.”
“We are committed to
continue the services and
high quality care provided
at Memorial Health Mead
ows Hospital,” says Hugh
Please see HCA page 10A
NEW NAME - FICA Healthcare's South Atlantic Division has completed the
purchase of Meadows Health in Vidalia, The hospital will be renamed Memo
rial Health Meadows Hospital. This connects it to Memorial Health University
Medical Center in Savannah and reflects HCA Healthcare's presence in the
region, Memorial Health Meadows Hospital and its employed physician prac
tices will take on a new icon - the Caring Star - that represents the critical link
between team members, physicians, patients and community.
Governor Issues New COVID-19
Guidance Executive Order
Last week Governor Brian Kemp
signed a new executive order regard
ing COVID-19 guidance in Georgia,
which will be in effect from May 1 un
til May 30:
Key provisions of the new execu
tive order:
1. Modifies the social distancing
and sanitation requirements for resi
dents and visitors to “strongly encour
aged.”
2. Eliminates the restaurant and
bar table distancing requirements and
workers mask requirement.
Please see COVID page 10A
Ailey Man Killed in Wreck
A 24-year-old man
from Ailey was killed in
a one-vehicle rollover in
Montgomery County on
April 29. The Georgia
State Patrol, which in
vestigated, identified the
victim as Bradley Wyman
Helms.
The GSP report said
that Helms was driving
east on Eddie Clyde Road
shortly after 11 p.m. when
the Polaris Ranger he was
driving traveled across
the roadway and struck an
embankment. Evidence
gathered at the scene in
dicated that Helms ap
plied heavy breaking that
caused his vehicle to skid
Please see Wreck page
3A
Late Councilman Ben Mitchell Honored
With Renaming of Street at Faison Park
HONORING COUNCILMAN - Surrounded by members of the Lyons City Council,
the widow of Lyons City Councilman Ben Mitchell and her son, Quincy, accept
a commemorative street sign honoring the Councilman, The sign renames the
street in Vincent Faison, Sr, Park in honor of Councilman Mitchell who served on
the Council for over three decades.
16-Year-Old Killed, Two Others
Injured in Wreck Near Alamo
A sixteen-year-old
girl lost her life in a one-
vehicle accident Sunday
afternoon in Wheeler
County. The incident,
which occurred at Wheat
Road and Robin Road,
injured two other juve
niles.
The Georgia State
Patrol (GSP), which is
investigating the incident,
identified the victim as
Paulette Anaya McLeod.
In its report, GSP de
termined that the Polaris
Ranger in which the vic
tim was riding was travel-
Please see Alamo page
4A
Special Election to Fill
District 156 House
Seat Set for June 15
Ben Mitchell served as a member
of the Lyons City Council for some 30
years, passing away in December 2019
while still in office. He was a beloved
and respected member of the commu
nity whose influence is still apparent
in many ways. Recently, he was hon
ored in a ceremony at Lyons City Hall
during which the road traversing Vin
cent Faison, Sr. Park was renamed in
his memory
The Lyons City Council had
planned an outdoor ceremony at Fai
son Park on April 24 to honor Coun-
Please see Park page 2A
Secretary of State
Brad Raffensperger has
announced June 15 as
the date for the special
election to fill the vacant
seat of District 156 Rep
resentative Greg Morris
ofVidalia.
Morris resigned from
his House seat after being
elected as the new State
Transportation Board
member to represent
the 12th Congressional
District. Morris took his
Please see Election page
3A
# Appling
Healthcare
Group ofVidalia
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 | Cindy Holton, NP-C
Joseph Foust, MD FAAFP
1702A Meadows Lane
Vidalia, GA 30474
(912)705-4905 www.ahcs.