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The Lyons Progress Established 1894
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
SIGN UPS
See Sports
January 26, 2022
Instead of giving a
politician the keys
to the city, it might
be better to change
the locks.
COI/VD Spikes Here
- Doug Larson
News
BYTES
Chamber
Annual Meeting
February 3
Registration is open
for the Greater Vidalia
Chamber's annual
meeting on February 3.
The event, featuring the
Swingin' Medallions, will
be held at the Vidalia
Community Center.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets are $50. Call
912-537-4466 or email
Debbie at debbiee@
greatervidaliachamber.
com for more
information. Deadline
January 27.
“The number of people testing
positive right now in the area is much
higher than that of the delta surge...
Saturday, Toombs, Montgomery,
Appling, and Jeff Davis Counties
had the highest number of infections
they have seen yet throughout the two
years of the pandemic.”
- Karen J. McColl MD
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Montgomery, Toombs, and Wheeler
counties are facing a spike in COVID cases
as the omicron variant spreads across South
Georgia. Memorial Health Meadows Hos
pital and local school systems are altering
their normal practices and protocols in re
sponse to the trend.
According to Meadows Chief Medical
Officer Karen McColl, the number of posi
tive COVID tests within Toombs and Mont
gomery Counties is at an all-time high. “The
Please see COVID page 11A
4 Patient Discharge
■4 Women's Center
► Cancer Center
▲ Exit
■
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1 We are a Smoke-Free Campus
r
1
J_ Memorial
Meadows |
| y Health
Hospital I
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
FREE TESTING - Memorial Health Meadows Hospital is currently offering free drive-
fhrough testing to help control and stop the spread of COVID. This testing is available
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m, to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
The testing site is located in the hospital's rear parking lot.
Tales From
the Altamaha
Tryouts
"Tales from the
Altamaha" folk life play
will continue cast tryouts
Thursday, January 27, at 6
p.m. at The Blue Marquee
Theater in Lyons. Ages
5 and up welcome!
Actors, stagehands, and
musicians wanted. Have
questions? Call Lyons
Main Street at 912-526-
6445. Find out more
at www.lyonsmainstreet.
com/tales-from-the-
altamaha.
Joined
Together Quilt
Show
Quilts of Toombs County
and beyond will be
featured in a show
January 29-February 26
at the Altama Museum
of Art and History, 611
Jackson St., Vidalia.
Gallery hours are
Monday, Thursday, Friday
and Saturday, 10 a.m.
until 2 p.m. A closing
reception will be held
Saturday, February 26,
noon until 3 p.m.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 6A
Obituaries Page 5A
From the Record Page 9A
Your Mind On Line Page 3A
Sports Page 1 B
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NEWSSTAND
State Closing Prison
In Reidsville
The Georgia De
partment of Corrections
(GDC) is closing its
main maximum security
prison in Reidsville.
Constructed in the
late 1930s, Georgia State
Prison houses approxi
mately 1,530 inmates. A
GDC official said cur
rent inmates will be reas
signed to other facilities
around the state.
The GDC’s an
nouncement last week
follows a proposal from
Governor Brian Kemp to
Please see Prison page
13A
Toombs Development Authority
Welcomes Two New Members
Submitted Photo
JOB WELL DONE - Toombs County Development Au
thority Chair Garrett Wilcox, right, presents service
awards to outgoing Authority members Harry Moses,
left, and John Robinson, center, The Authority wel
comed two new members, Brian Bishop and Trent
Williams, during its January 20 session.
Two new members
were appointed to the
Toombs County Devel
opment Authority by the
Board of Commissioners
of Toombs County.
Brian Bishop was
named to fill the City of
Vidalia position vacated
by retiring board mem-
Please see TCDA page 11A
Construction of Wheeler’s New
School Nearing Halfway Point
On Target for Fall ’22 Opening
Photo by Deborah Clark
HALFWAY POINT - Wheeler County School Superintendent Suzanne Couey and
School System Facilities Director Greg Wilcher pause outside of the entrance
to the new school to inspect work progress. Construction on the building is ap
proaching the halfway mark and an opening is scheduled for fall 2022.
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
Despite initial setbacks because
of weather, an unexpected encounter
with an old foundation, a few supply
chain issues and some construction
crew concerns due to COVID, the
new Wheeler County School is still on
target for a fall 2022 opening.
The $36 million, 167,264-square-
Please see WCS page 12A
AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL
4 lb Ground Beef
1 Pack Hamburger Buns
10-Thin Cut Pork Chops
1 lb Sausage Dogs
'AT COMPANY
FARM TO TABLE
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We Deliver
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Call 537-3131
(or delivery!
Vidalia, GA • 912-386-4623 • www.reedycreekmeat.org