About The Advance. (Vidalia, Ga.) 2003-current | View Entire Issue (May 26, 2021)
Vol. 123 No. 21 Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia May 26, 2021 It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference. -Tom Brokaw News BYTES Early Voting Underway Early voting is underway for the special election to fill the House District 156 seat previously held by Greg Morris of Vidalia. The election is scheduled June 15. The District includes Toombs, Montgomery and portions of Appling and Jeff Davis counties. Consult local election offices for voting times and locations. VFW Auxiliary Schedules Memorial Day Observance Graduation 2021 Take Pride in How Far You’ve Come, and Have Faith in How Far You ’ll Go In this week’s edition, the com munity, through the pages of The Ad vance, salutes the graduating classes of Toombs, Montgomery and Wheel er counties. Each graduate’s photo is showcased in this special issue, along with congratulatory messages from the community. Congratulations to the 2021 grad uates and best wishes for a future filled with opportunities and promise. We are very proud of you! By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail.com The skies were clear this weekend as several area high schools held graduation ceremonies—and having the weather cooperate was important since most of the events were conducted on the school football fields. With the last vestiges of the health pandemic still hanging on, school officials were careful to conduct the cer emonies with safety in mind. Wide-open spaces assisted their objectives. The COVID-19 epidemic challenged the 2021 graduates as they worked toward completing their studies, but they per severed, and the diplomas they received were testaments to their hard work and Please see Grads page 9A RTCA Valedictorian RTCA Salutatorian WCHS Valedictorian WCHS Salutatorian Kaitlyn Reaves Carleigh DeFee Daniel Carey Jaci Hill VHA Valedictorian VHA Salutatorian TCHS Valedictorian TCHS Salutatorian Jordan Powell Jacob Thompson Mikenna Ryan Salem Caleb Zane Worth MCHS Valedictorian MCHS Salutatorian VHS Valedictorian VHS Salutatorian Allison Nicole Walker Kierston Marie Coleman Walker McCord Reagan Miller The VFW Auxiliary of Lyons/Vidalia will host the Memorial Day program for Toombs County at Southeastern Technical College on Monday, May 31, at 3 p.m. Free admission. Back to School Supply Drive Starts June 1 A back to school supply drive for Wheeler and Treutlen counties is scheduled June l-30. Drop off supplies at City Hall in Alamo and at Subway in Soperton. For information, call 478-697-3782. Splash Into Summer The Vidalia Aquatics Center at 2706 Sweet Onion Drive opens May 30. Go to Porks and Recreation at www. vidalioga.org for more information. Two Men Charged in Montgomery County Murder Investigation By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail.com A second suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of Zacheriah Douglas Wright, 20, of Toombs County. Wright was found wounded on RT Lane in rural Montgomery County on May 17 and transported to Memo rial Health Meadows Hospital in Vidalia where he died a short time later, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) report ed. An autopsy was performed on Wright and preliminary re sults indicate that Wright died from a single gunshot wound to the torso area. On Friday, May 21, the U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Ta’Lawrence Terraine Vickers aka “Saga,” age 35 of Atlanta, in Au gusta. The GBI previously secured arrest warrants for Vickers relating to the murder of Wright. Vickers was charged with malice murder, felony murder, posses sion of a firearm by a con victed felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and participation in Please see Murder page 12A Dr. Beverly Faircloth Named Assistant Superintendent for Montgomery County Schools By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail.com Dr. Beverly Faircloth has been named Assistant Super intendent and Curriculum Director for Montgomery County Schools. The Elemen tary School principal replaces Marcee Poole, who is leaving the school system at the end of June. The announcement was made during the Montgomery County School Board session on May 17. Eric Burns, current Assis tant Principal at the elementary school will assume Dr. Fair- cloth’s duties and faculty mem bers Leigh Ann Helms and Candace Keen will assist him. In other business at the May 17 session, local resident Stacey Randolph appeared Dr. Beverly Faircloth before the board to make two requests: that it consider mov ing the public comments to the end of the meeting so that is sues which come up during the session might be addressed by the pubic immediately rather than having to wait for the next board session; and that the Please see MoCo page 4A IN THIS ISSUE Suspect in Local Motel Shooting Still at Large Editorials Page 5A Obituaries Page 7A From the Record Page 8A Your Mind On Line Page 2A Sports Page 1 B A 24-year-old man is in stable condition in a Savannah hospital after being shot in a Sat urday night incident at a local business. Police are looking for a suspect who is facing multiple felony charges. Vidalia Police responded to a reported shooting at a motel in the 200 block of East First Street shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday and discovered vic tim Damion Bellamy in the motel parking lot. Bellamy who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, was Shooting Suspect Christopher Powell transported via heli copter to Memorial Health in Savannah where he is in stable condition. VPD investiga tors have identified 36-year-old Christo pher Powell as a sus pect in the case. Warrants have been issued for Powell’s arrest, charging him with aggravated as sault, aggravated battery posses sion of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of cer- Please see Shooting page 3A SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 30% OFF NEWSSTAND PRICES! Call 537-3131 lor delivery! Restore. Repair. Regenerate. Call to schedule a consultation regarding our new ground breaking treatment for Type 1, Type 2, & Pre-Diabetes, as well as other metabolic disorders. n!r Appling (Crestor Phone:(912)705-4900 | Fax:(912)705-2905 This treatment is not a cure, but an individualized treatment to get back the life you deserve. Healthcare METABOLIX 105 East Tollison Street, Suite C, Baxley, GA 31513
