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Vol. 123 No. 34 Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia August 25, 2021 No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. -Aesop News BYTES Meadows Offering Vaccinations Memorial Health Meadows Hospital is operating a public COVID vaccination clinic. Call 912-535-SAFE (7233) to schedule a free vaccination. DOT Schedules Roadwork The Georgia Department of Transportation is conducting bridge construction activities on SR4/US1 overAltamaha River in Appling and Toombs counties. The area affected includes West River Road (Appling) to Bob Cato Road (Toombs) Daily Lane closures will occur Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. through August 31. Book Sale at Library The Friends of the Vidalia-Toombs County Public Library will be conducting a book sale fundraiser at the library through August 31. In addition to paperback and hardcover books, also offered for sale are puzzles, audio books and DVDs. Proceeds benefit the library. Food Giveway September 2 Mayfield Zion AME Church is holding a free food distribution on September 2 at 11 a.m. at the Wheeler County Recreation Center, 125 Snowhill Baptist Church Road, Alamo. IN THIS ISSUE Editorials Page 5A Obituaries Page 7A From the Record Page 8A Your Mind On Line Page 10A Sports Page 1 B SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 30% OFF NEWSSTAND PRICES! Call 537-3131 (or delivery! Toombs County High School Implements Unique Pathway By Makaylee Randolph Contributing Writer Beginning this semester, Toombs County High School will implement a unique pathway option for students through the creation of the new Heavy Equipment Operations program. This Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) program is the first of its kind in Georgia and makes Georgia only the third state in the country to have this option for stu dents. Toombs County Superintendent of Schools Barry Waller shared his excitement for the opportunity to of fer the pilot program for the state of Georgia, as well as being a part of the partnerships this program will build. “An opportunity like this is truly once in a lifetime to be able to create WORKFORCE NEEDED — Local industries, such as McLendon Enterprises, are in need of heavy equipment operators to con tinue projects, such as the U.S, Highway 1 improvements that McLendon is currently conducting during the national work force shortage. A pilot program being launched at Toombs County High School may provide the solutions employers like McLendon are seeking. a new educational option that fur ther prepares students for life after high school. Also, this would not be possible without the support and en thusiasm from local industry, such as McLendon Enterprises,” he said. The goal of this program is to equip high school students with the skills to operate heavy machinery and equipment. These skills will al low graduates to enter the workforce prepared to be avaluable accessoryto industries and to earn good salaries. “In essence, where normal students entering the workforce after high school will make around $30,000, students who complete this path way will be able to make upward of $40,000 to $50,000 per year,” Waller Please see TCHS page 10A Qualifying Held for Nov. 2 Municipal Elections Roper, Johnson to Face Off Again for Mayor’s Post By Deborah Clark , Qualifying Regional Editor for the Novem- dclarkadvance@gmail.com her 2 munici pal elections was held across the area last week with most candidates facing no opposition and with re matches in two races. In the City of Vi- dalia, qualifying began Monday and ended Wednesday for Mayor, two City Council seats and two School Board posts. Qualifying for three spots on the Ly ons City Council began Monday and ended Fri day. Qualifying for one at-large seat on the Santa Claus City Council was extended un til Tuesday at 5 p.m. because no one has an nounced for the seat. In Montgomery County, incumbents in the cities of Mount Vernon and Ailey are un opposed and Jennifer Sikes, Election Superin tendent, Mount Vernon, cited Georgia Code 21-2-291 to issue a no tice to cancel those elec tions. In the City of Ala mo in Wheeler County, the qualifying period was extended through Tuesday because no one qualified to seek one of three posts up for elec tion on the Alamo City Council. Alamo resi- Please see Elections page 3A COVID Hits Area Hard; Peak of Epidemic Nears By Makaylee Randolph Contributing Writer The spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant continues to plague the area as doctors and local government officials attempt to protect citizens. As of Monday, August 23, Memo rial Health Meadows Hospital reported that 44 patients were being treated at that facility for COVID. Of this number, 13 were on ventilators. There have been no COVID-positive children admitted thus far. Slowing the wave of COVID was an intense topic in community meetings last week as both the Vidalia City Council and Toombs County Commission ad dressed the subject during monthly ses sions. Please see COVID page 3A Gregory Johnson Doug Roper Police Make Arrest in 2020 Death of Vidalia Doctor Seven Indicted in “Ace in the Hole 2” Drug-Trafficking Conspiracy in Toombs By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail. com Lyons Police Chief Wesley Walker said Monday morn ing that an arrest has been made in the 2020 death of Vidalia physician Nancy Shaw. Gregory Van Mosley, 65, of Lyons has been charged with in voluntary man slaughter after evidence received recently from the State Crime Lab al lowed authorities to pursue prosecution in the case, Walker said. Mosley was taken to Greg Mosley the Toombs County Jail for processing where he posted a $5,000 prop erty bond and awaits ar raignment. The body of Dr. Shaw, 62, was dis covered in a ditch on Skyline Bou levard in Ly ons around 3 a.m. May 7. A Lyons police man was on routine patrol when he encountered a vehicle parked on the wrong side of the road with its engine running and the driver’s door Please see Shaw page 4A ACE IN THE HOLE 2 — This file photo documents the roundup of suspects in the "Ace the Hole" drug traf ficking conspiracy in Toombs County in January 2020. Last week, U.S. District Court in Statesboro announced the indictment of seven additional suspects in the second phase of the case that targeted the distribu tions of heroin and fentanyl-tainted heroin in Vidalia and the greater Toombs County area. Seven defendants are accused of participating in a major drug traffick ing conspiracy in an in dictment newly unsealed last week in U.S. District Court in Statesboro. The investigation into “Operation Ace in the Hole 2,” under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), targeted the distribution of her oin and fentanyl-tainted heroin in the Vidalia and greater Toombs County area, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Each of the defen dants is charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Heroin, Eutylone (bath salts), Fentanyl, and Metham- phetamine, a charge that carries a statutory penalty Please see Ace page 2A $45 WEIGHT LOSS MANAGEMENT kiF Appling every other month! Ask about our $25 weight loss injection! Baxley Blackshear Vidalia (912)367-4122 (912)705-4910 (912)705-4905 Healthcare