Newspaper Page Text
Daylight Saving
Time Ends
November 7
The Vidalia Advance Established 1901
Thanksgiving
Traditions
nee
The Lyons Progress Established 1894
Azure,
page 11A
Vol. 123 No. 44
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
November 3, 2021
When I was a boy, I
was told that anybody
could become
President; I’m
beginning to believe it.
~ Quoted in ‘Clarence
Darrow for the Defense’
by Irving Stone
News
BYTES
"Celebrate Art"
Exhibit
"Celebrate Art" Student
Art Exhibit 2020-2021
is slated for Sunday,
November 14, 2-4 p.m. at
Southeastern Technical
College. Elementary-
high school exhibits.
Sponsored by Art by
Gwen Studio.
Drive-Through
Veterans Day
Event
The Downtown Vidalia
Association is hosting a
drive-through Veterans
Day Celebration on
Thursday, November 11
at the Vidalia Community
Center. Lunch pick up is
at 11 a.m. Entertainment
starts at 11:30 a.m.
Lyons Christmas
Parade
December 3
The Lyons Lighted
Christmas Parade will be
held Friday, December 3
at 6 pm. Sign up online:
www.lyonsmainstreet.
com/lighted-christmas-
parade/ or on Facebook.
Register by November
8 to enter a drawing
for a free Family Pack
from Zaxby's and a $50
gift card from Andy's
Home Center. There is no
fee to register. Must be
registered by November
19 to be considered for
judging. $100 prize in 5
categories.
Vidalia
Christmas
Parade
December 4
"Inside Santa's Workshop"
is the theme for Vidalia's
2021 Christmas Parade.
The event will be held
downtown on December
4 beginning at 11
a.m. Applications for
parade participants are
available at City Hall,
the Downtown Vidalia
Association office and
online at vidaliaga.
gov/dva. Deadline is
November 19, fee is $20.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 5A
Obituaries Page 7A
From the Record Page 9A
Your Mind On Line Page 10A
Sports Page 1 B
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Altamaha EMC Announces
$29 Million Broadband Project
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
MOMENTOUS OCCASION — District 19 Sen, Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, speaks during last
week's announcement by Altamaha EMC of a $29 million project that will supply 1500
miles of fiber optic cable to the Toombs County area. The project will extend from Toombs
County to East Dublin, and cover Montgomery County, as well as portions of Tattnall,
Treutlen, and Laurens Counties.
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail. com
Last week Altamaha EMC announced
plans for a $29 million project that will supply
1500 miles of fiber optic cable to the Toombs
County area.
The project will extend from Toombs
County to East Dublin, and cover Montgom
ery County as well as portions of Tattnall,
Treutlen, and Laurens Counties. “We have
chosen to invest in the latest technology, which
can provide up to 10 gb /s, up and down as well
as symmetrically,” said Altamaha EMC Con
tracted Engineer Phil Proctor.
During an invitation-only event Friday
afternoon, the EMC detailed plans for its new
Altamaha Fiber cooperative to provide broad
band Internet to residential customers. Proctor
informed the crowd that test customers began
receiving services in July, making Altamaha
EMC the first electric cooperative to provide
customers with broadband south of North
Georgia. Test customers live in very rural ag
ricultural areas, with some located five miles
south of Vidalia. According to Proctor, these
test customers enjoy the best Internet speeds
Please see Broadband page 3A
Two maps, two visions:
Georgia's balance
of power for next
decade hangs in
the balance
By Tim Darnell
Staff Writer
Capitol Beat News Service
Democrats and Re
publicans will converge
at the state Capitol this
week to begin redrawing
Georgia’s congressional
districts, a once-a-de-
cade exercise to accom
modate population shifts
reflected in the U.S. Cen
sus.
Both parties are of
fering vastly different
visions for how Georgia
should be represented in
Congress, with Repub
licans seeking to main
tain their majority in the
Peach State’s 14-member
U.S. House delegation
and Democrats looking
to even things up.
Georgia House
and Senate Democrats
showed their cards Oct.
21 by releasing a pro
posed congressional
map ahead of the spe
cial legislative session.
Democrats said their
map would provide a fair
opportunity for voters of
color in Georgia to elect
representatives of their
choice, as minorities
would make up a major
ity of the residents in six
of the 14 districts (Dis
tricts 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, and
13).
“We are focused
Please see Maps page
13A
GBI Announces Promotion
of Kyle McNeal To Assistant
Special Agent in Charge
The Georgia Bu
reau of Investigation
(GBI) has promoted
Kyle McNeal to Assis
tant Special Agent in
Charge of the GBI Re
gion 12 Eastman Office.
McNeal is from Alamo
and currently resides in
Cadwell.
McNeal is assigned
to the Investigative Di
vision and will be re
sponsible for assisting
the Special Agent in
Charge with the super
vision of the staff as
signed to the Eastman
field office. This office
conducts criminal in-
GBI Agent Kyle McNeal
vestigations involv
ing major crimes such
as homicides, sexual
assault, robbery, crimes
Please see McNeal
page 4A
Photo by Rebekah Arnold
OAK TO BE PROTECTED — The public should not be alarmed as the Gregory M, Wil
liamson Memorial Southern Live Oak tree begins to literally take a different shape
in the coming weeks. The proper trimming of the tree will make it healthier and
will extend its life, as well as protecting it during construction at the Vidalia Library.
Toombs County Libraries
to Close During November
Memorial Tree Will Be Protected During Construction
By Rebekah Arnold
Toombs County Library Board
Behind the scenes, preparations for
the renovation of the Vidalia branch of
the Ohoopee Regional Library System
(ORLS) have been happening for well
over a year. This fall season will begin
to reveal more visible workings as the
building plans roll out. In addition to
the temporary closing of the two li
braries in Toombs County, the beloved
memorial tree in front of the build
ing on Jackson Street will experience
changes as well.
Libraries Temporarily Closing
In order to pack and move books
and materials from the Vidalia Library
to the Nellie Brown Memorial Library
in Lyons, both locations will be closed
from November 4 through the end of
the month. Volunteers will be packing
boxes and a moving company special
ized in moving libraries will do the
heavy work of disassembling shelving
and moving the boxes. The Vidalia City
School Board has generously offered
space in the old VHS library for some
books to be stored during the next year.
The most popular books and need
ed materials will be housed in the Nel
lie Brown Library, located at 166 West
Liberty Street, across from Lyons First
Baptist Church. This location will be
opened up as soon as possible after
Thanksgiving, and will be the main
Toombs County Library for the next
year while the Vidalia library under
goes renovations.
The Ladson Genealogical Library
located downtown across from the
Meadows Street park will be open for
computer use during the move in No
vember. There will be no due dates or
fines charged during this time.
Memorial Southern
Live Oak to be Protected
The public should not be alarmed
as the Gregory M. Williamson Memo
rial Southern Live Oak tree begins to
literally take a different shape in the
coming weeks. The proper trimming
of the tree will make it healthier and
Please see Libraries page 3A