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The ADVANCE, January 19, 2022/Page 9A
TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION — Robert Toombs Christian Academy's fourth grade Social Studies students
have been learning about the events that led up to our freedom. The students were given skittles and were forced
to give up their skittles based on the stamp act and tea acts. King George placed these acts on the colonists in order
for Great Britain to pay back their debt from the French and Indian War. "When it comes to this lesson each year, it's
always funny to see how the kids react when they learn they have to give back their skittles. The students quickly
learned they didn't agree with taxation unless they had representation," says Mrs, Lauren Boyd, RTCA's Fourth Grade
Social Studies Teacher, Left Photo: Jesse Clift and Joel Hussey are the King and Tax Collector; Right Photo: Eva Jo
Collins collects skittles from Emma Kennedy.
MAKING IT OFFICIAL — Vidalia Police Chief James Jer-
mon was officially sworn into office at the regular meet
ing of the City Council on January 10. Here, Janice
Jermon (center) stands alongside her husband, Chief
Jermon (left) as he is sworn in by Mayor Doug Roper
(right).
vcc
continued from page 1A
an officer-involved shoot
ing, and many other unfor
tunate events.
“I think it is going to
take all of us, it is going
to take a collective effort.
Myself, (City Manager)
Mr. (Nick) Overstreet,
and (Vidalia Police De
partment) Chief (James)
Jermon have already been
meeting. We’ve realized it
is going to take the faith-
based community, busi
ness community, school
systems — it’s going to
take all of us coming to
gether to address and for
mulate ways that we can
solve or mitigate some of
the issues that we have.”
He concluded the ad
dress with a message of
hope. “Just know that we
are here working hard ev
ery single day,” he reas
sured. “We have the best
for our city in mind, and
thank you to those who
are on the front lines doing
what you do every single
day.”
Appointments
Mayor Roper, Ward
1 Councilmember Cecil
Thompson, Ward 2 Coun
cilmember Jennifer Evans,
and newly-appointed Vi
dalia Police Chief Jermon
took the oath of office dur
ing the recent City Coun
cil meeting. In addition to
this, Roper announced his
appointment of John Ray
mond Turner to continue
to serve as Mayor Pro-
Tern, as he has for many
years.
Justin Franklin will
remain the City Attorney,
while Daniel O’Connor
was appointed to serve
as the Municipal Court
Judge. Paul Calhoun will
spend the year working as
the City Prosecutor, while
Johnny Vines will serve
the community as Public
Defender.
The Council unani
mously approved the
appointment of Chess
Fountain to the Vidalia
Development Authority
for a five-year term (ending
on December 31, 2026),
while naming Hal Chesser
to the same Authority for a
six-year term (ending De
cember 31, 2027).
Greg McKenzie, Jr.,
was appointed to the Vi
dalia Convention Visitors
Bureau, and Wendi Cason,
Julie Palmer, and Cindy
Reddick were approved
to join the Downtown Vi
dalia Association. These
individuals will serve a
four-year term on their
respective boards, which
will end on December 31,
2025.
Purchases and
Agreements
The Council approved
an agreement regarding
the American Rescue Plan
Act (ARPA) between the
Georgia Department of
Transportation and the
City of Vidalia. This agree
ment allows the City to
be reimbursed $32,000
for the work that has been
completed at the airport.
This reimbursement was
applied for by City Clerk
Amy Murray in July 2021
and is a federal grant with
no matched money re
quired.
The Georgia Depart
ment of Transportation
will use the Transporta
tion Investment Act (TIA)
Band 3 Railroad Work
in Vidalia to improve the
railroad crossings at Mor
ris Street and North Col
lege Street. Council ap
proved GDOT’s choice to
contract the work to R.W.
Summers Railroad Con
tractor, Inc. for finishing
the project at a cost a to
tal of $148,310 with state
funding.
PLEASE
RECYCLE
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"GmMW
“Yfs conW
Local Roots.
Local Branches.
Local Bankers.
Full Service Banking for Personal
and Business Use
121 CHURCH STREET, VIDALIA
912-403-3019
Member
FDK
Arrest
continued from page 1A
counts), felony murder
(two counts), possession
of a firearm during certain
crimes (two counts), and
possession of a firearm
by a convicted felon (one
count).
Authorities, who had
been searching for Pa
mela Harden’s 2021 Nis
san Rogue which was seen
leaving the murder scene,
recovered the vehicle in
Birmingham on Sunday,
January 9. "After the shoot
ing, Sanders stole the vic
tim’s vehicle and fled back
to Birmingham, Alabama,
where the vehicle was later
discovered abandoned,"
authorities said.
Through an investiga
tion, it was revealed that
Sanders reportedly took a
bus from Tulsa, Oklahoma,
on January 11 to Los Ange
les. While en route to Cali
fornia, he was arrested.
"The arrest of Sand
ers at the Greyhound Bus
Station in FlagstafF was
executed in a manner that
ensured other passengers
and the public at the sta
tion were not placed in any
danger," said United States
Marshal David Gonzales.
"Sanders, who was recent
ly released from prison
and had 3 handguns in his
possession, told deputy
marshals at the time of his
arrest that if he had the op
portunity, he would have
shot at them in order to
make an escape."
"The U.S. Marshal’s
Service, with the assistance
of the Flagstaff Police De
partment, were able to es
tablish surveillance at the
Greyhound bus station. At
approximately 1:40 p.m.,
Sanders was positively
identified exiting the Grey
hound Bus and was taken
into custody by U.S. Mar
shal deputies and FlagstafF
Police officers," authorities
said.
Sanders was booked
into the Coconino County
Jail and will be extradited
back to Georgia.
Middle Judicial Circuit
District Attorney Tripp
Fitzner explained the ex
tradition process. “There
is an easy way and a hard
way to do this. The easy
way is if the suspect waives
extradition, meaning he is
not going to protest being
brought back to Georgia.
Then, it is just a matter of
filling out the paperwork
to get him back.”
Fitzner said if the sus
pect protests being brought
back, the extradition pro
cess becomes more in
volved and requires a gov
ernor’s warrant. “My office
has already started working
on that (process) because
we don’t want to be behind
if that is the case.” Fitzner
said his office has already
put together a packet of
paperwork to send to Gov
ernor Brian Kemp’s office.
Once Kemp issues a war
rant, it will be sent to the
Governor of Arizona.
Going through the
governors’ offices could
possibly stretch the process
out to weeks or a month
since the documents,
which have to be certified,
will go through the mail.
“That process is not fast,
but we are trying to be pro
active. We want to be in
a position to respond im
mediately and we should
know very soon whether
the suspect waives extradi
tion,” Fitzner said.
The suspect will ab
solutely be brought back
to Georgia, Fitzner said,
noting, “The extradition
process is governed by
uniform statutes that both
Georgia and Arizona have
adopted.”
After the suspect is re
turned to Toombs County,
he will have a first court
appearance, and his attor
neys have the option of fil
ing motions for bond and
preliminary hearings. After
he is indicted by a grand
jury, the suspect will be ar
raigned and his trial will be
placed on the court calen
dar.
Solar
continued from page 8A
their renewable energy
portfolio with collabora
tive, low-cost solar power
projects that deliver value
to their members and the
rural communities they
locate in, not only through
the clean energy they pro
vide, but also through the
manner in which it is gen
erated,” said Green Power
EMC President Jeff Pratt.
“By combining renewable
energy generation with
regenerative agriculture
practices, this innovative
solar portfolio with Sili
con Ranch will benefit the
people, land, environment,
and local economies in Jeff
Davis, Lee, and Montgom
ery Counties.”
The 252 MWAC port
folio further expands the
industry-leading part
nership between Silicon
Ranch and Green Power
EMC. Silicon Ranch pio
neered utility-scale solar
in Georgia and remains a
market leader, with nearly
two gigawatts across the
state. Georgia’s coopera
tives lead the nation among
electric co-ops for solar de
ployment, and in the past
six years have grown their
solar portfolio by 8,000
percent.
About Green Power
EMC
Green Power EMC is a
not-for-profit cooperative
founded in 2001 to support
38 of Georgia’s electric co
operatives in their search
for renewable resources.
The primary efforts of
Green Power EMC have
been to find, screen, ana
lyze, and negotiate power
purchase agreements with
Georgia-based renewable
resource providers. In ad
dition to sourcing renew
able energy, Green Power
EMC provides education
programs that help mem
ber-consumers learn both
the challenges and oppor
tunities of utilizing renew
able energy.
About Silicon Ranch
Corporation
Silicon Ranch is one
of the largest independent
solar power producers in
the country, with nearly
150 operating facilities
across more than 15 states
coast to coast. Silicon
Ranch owns and operates
every project in its portfo
lio and has maintained an
unblemished track record
of project execution, hav
ing successfully commis
sioned every project it has
contracted in its history. In
recognition of its holistic
approach to land manage
ment, which the company
has trademarked Regen
erative Energy®, Silicon
Ranch was named 2020’s
“Most Forward-Thinking”
company by Solar Power
World. Silicon Ranch pio
neered utility-scale solar
in Georgia and remains a
market leader, with nearly
2 Gigawatts across the
state.