The Advance. (Vidalia, Ga.) 2003-current, September 29, 2021, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextStarr Hits Walk-Off Sports, page IB The Vidalia Advance Established 1901 The Lyons Progress Established 1894 ttcc Vol. 123 No. 39 Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia September 29, 2021 It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance. - Thomas Sowell News BYTES Passing Stories The art collection of Katlyn Colley will be on display at the Altama Museum of Art and History through October 30. For more information visit www.Altama Museum.org. Tire Amnesty Week The City of Vidalia is hosting Tire Amnesty Week September 27-October 1. For more information, contact jkirby@vidalia.gov or call 537-7661. Scarecrows 'Round Downtown The Downtown Vidalia Association is sponsoring Scarecrows 'Round Downtown. Applications are due September 29. Setup is October 4-11. For more information, contact the DVA at 537- 8033. Walk to End Alzheimer's A Walk to End Alzheimer's is scheduled October 2 at 10 a.m. at Southeastern Technical College. Register free online at http:ejchsadc,wixsite. com/website. Meadows Offering Vaccinations Memorial Health Meadows Hospital is operating a public COVID vaccination clinic. Call 912-535-SAFE (7233) to schedule a free vaccination. COVID Testing Underway Free COVID testing is available at a mobile site on the campus of Memorial Health Meadows Hospital. For more information, visit the Georgia Department of Health website: www. sehdph.org. IN THIS ISSUE Editorials Page 5A Obituaries Page 7A From the Record Page 10A Your Mind On Line Page 11A Sports Page 1 B SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 30% OFF NEWSSTAND PRICES! Call 537-3131 (or delivery! PSC Approves £9.4 Million Regional Gas Line Project By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail. com The Georgia Public Ser vice Commission (PSC) has approved a $9.4 million natu ral gas line project that will tie into recently completed lines in Wheeler County and ultimately impact several area counties. The PSC gave approval to Atlanta Gas Light (AGL) to construct the second phase of the multimillion dollar natural gas line upgrade that will even tually boost supply into Eman uel, Montgomery Toombs, Treutlen and Wheeler Coun ties. The project connects a Alamo Tap to Glenwood Existing Phase 1, Approved Phase 2 & Future Phase(s) . Atlanta Gas Light [Future Phase(s)| Wheeler Approved Phase 2| [Completed Phase 1 PROPOSED GAS LINE — This graphic shows the route of Phase 2 of a natural gas line expansion project that will substantially increase the capacity of the gas line running through Wheeler County, The $9.4 million project will benefit several area counties. Southern Natural Gas Co. inter state pipeline, which crosses in Wheeler County, to a tap line in Alamo, and enables extensions from this point. The nearly 8-mile project is estimated to exceed approxi mately $30 million and will al low for more economic devel opment in this area. The work is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. The pipeline infra structure in the Wheeler Coun ty area is currently constrained and will require upgrades with in established easements or rights-of-way that parallel State Highway 280 between the cities Please see PSC page 13A Special Education Decision Focus of MoCo BOE Session Photo by Makaylee Randolph SPECIAL EDUCATION ISSUE — Jason Randolph listens as his wife, Stacie, makes a statement to the Montgomery County Board of Education on September 20 about a decision impacting Special Education students. The Randolphs have a six-year-old daughter who attends Special Edu cation classes in the Montgomery County Schools. By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com The parents of a six-year- old Special Education student confronted the Montgomery Board of Education last week over a decision made during a recent hiatus caused by CO VID precautions. Jason and Stacie Ran dolph of Kibbee used the public participation portion of the Board’s regular session on September 20 to voice their dissatisfaction with an administrative action. The Randolphs took issue with the school administration’s treatment of Special Edu cation students during two weeks of virtual learning im posed during a COVID shut down of in-seat learning. According to the pair, the school administration decided to allow elementary Special Education students to attend half-day, in-seat in struction twice a week dur ing the two weeks of virtual learning rather than the five days of class time the stu dents normally receive. The parents claimed the break in classroom consistency was not only disruptive, but a potential setback to Special Education students. The students were to re ceive services and specialized instruction because of their inability to utilize a Chrome- Please see MoCo page 2A Turning the Comer With COVID-19 Crisis Elective Surgeries Resuming at Meadows By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail.com Toombs County and the surrounding area may have turned the corner with the CO- VID-19 crisis. The num bers are going down. “It looks like we might be on the other side of this. We are very excited,” said Dr. Karen McColl, Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at Memorial Health Mead ows Hospital Monday morning. McColl said that on Monday, the total number of COVID posi tive patients in house at Meadows was 27, with seven persons on venti lators. Last week, Mead ows was treating 34 CO VID patients with 16 of the most critically ill COVID patients on ven tilators. In the past several weeks, the local num bers were even higher, and this area was in the critical “red zone” on the Georgia Department of Health’s COVID update dashboard. Meadows was above capacity, with no beds available. Ad ditional personnel had to be brought in to help manage the patient load. Please see COVID page 4A Three Mount Vernon Men Charged in Drug Bust Timothy Jermaine Deron Malik Jackson Taven Tyjae Johnson Thomas Officers from the Oconee Drug Task Force, the Mount Ver non Police Department, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office arrested three suspects on September 17 after executing a search warrant at a residence in Mount Vernon. Seized in the search was a large amount of cash, marijua na, and firearms. Arrested were Deron Malik Jackson, Taven Ty- Please see Drugs page 4A SEIZED — Law enforcement officers recov ered cash, marijuana and firearms in a drug bust in Mount Vernon. The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival October 8 - Downtown Lyons October 1 - Partin Park www.therealsqueal.com BB£ COMPETITIONS • CAR SHOW • STEAK COOKOFF • STREET DANCE • FIREWORKS • ARTS & CRAFTS • INDIAN ARTIFACT SHOW • MUSIC SHOWDOWN

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The Advance. (Vidalia, Ga.) 2003-current, September 29, 2021, Image 1