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The Vidalia Advance Established 1901
The Lyons Progress Established 1894
RIZZA P O'CONNOR
The REAL I
Vol. 124 No. 5
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
February 2, 2022
Politicians are
people who, when
they see light at the
end of the tunnel, go
out and buy some
more tunnel.
- John Quinton
News
BYTES
Joined
Together Quilt
Show
Quilts of Toombs County
and beyond will be
featured in a show now
through 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.
Savor Vidalia
A celebration of
wine, food and jazz
is slated for Thursday,
February 10, 5:30 until
8:30 p.m. at the Pal
Theatre in downtown
Vidalia. Tickets are
$75 per person. For
more information, call
538-8687 or visit www.
visitvidalia.com.
Chocolate
Walk
Shop downtown
Vidalia on Saturday,
February 12, 10 a. m.
until 4:30 p.m. and
enjoy chocolate treats
while visiting merchants.
Tickets are $ 10 and on
sale at the Downtown
Vidalia Office or J.
Leigh Hair Studio and
Merle Norman.
Food
Giveaway
The Tri-County
Connection and
Second Harvest Food
Bank are sponsoring a
food giveaway at the
Old Montgomery High
School building, 701
Dobbins Street,
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 6A
Obituaries Page 5A
From the Record Page 8A
Your Mind On Line Page 10A
Sports Page 1 B
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NEWSSTAND
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
SWEET ONION FREEZE - The area experienced frigid temperatures this weekend as a cold front swept through. Many places experienced
ice and frost, including the fountain above at the Vidalia City Park.
Former Montgomery Official
Vernon Sumner Passes Away
Montgomery Coun
ty lost a community trea
sure as longtime County
Commissioner Vernon
Sumner passed away on
Sunday. Sumner served
two terms as the Com
mission representative
for the Kibbee and Tar-
rytown communities and
most recently had spent
his days enjoying life at
home with his family
Born in Appling
County and raised in
Toombs County Sumner
Please see Sumner page
Vernon Sumner qa
Community Mourns
Loss of John Robison
Those who knew
John Louis Robison, Jr.,
characterize him as a man
who was quiet by nature
but who had a power
ful impact on his com
munity No doubt his
legacy will be evidenced
in many ways for years to
come.
Robison, 61, of Ly
ons, died Saturday, Janu
ary 29, at Memorial Hos
pital in Savannah from
injuries received in an
automobile accident on
Please see Robison page
4A
John Robison
GDC: No Staff Will Lose Jobs
As Prison at Reidsville Closes
Undercover Operation
Nets Unexpected Arrest
Deante Canty
Justin Spires
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail. com
No staff at Georgia State
Prison in Reidsville will be los
ing their jobs, according to an
official with the Georgia De
partment of Corrections. This
follows a recent announce
ment by the GDC that it will
be closing the state’s oldest
maximum security facility A
time frame for the closure has
not been disclosed.
“The prison has not closed
yet. We have been slowly draw
ing down that population but
inmates are still housed there,”
said Joan Heath, Director of
Public Affairs for the GDC.
Heath said last Wednes
day, January 26, that the prison
staff was notified week before
last of the proposed closure,
and noted that prison staff will
be given the opportunity to go
to other facilities. “No staff will
be losing their jobs. All will be
reassigned,” she said. Heath
said the department will an
nounce additional closings in
the coming weeks once local
staffers are notified.
Please see Prison page 13A
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
An already tense situ
ation became even more
complicated when a local
man fled from authorities
during an undercover op
eration in Vidalia last week.
John Egbar, Deputy
Commander of the Southeast Re
gional Task Force in Macon, said
members of the task force came
to Vidalia Wednesday, January
26, in search of a suspect wanted
in connection with an assault on a
police officer in Candler County.
Investigators tracked the suspect
to Vidalia and received informa
tion that he was in a particular
vehicle.
When U.S. marshals and
members of the Vidalia Police
Please see Arrest page 4A
Wayne Wheeler Albert and Kim Cosnahan Tony McDonald
FREEZER’S FULL
Family Box
10 lb Ground Beef • 1-3 lb Shoulder Roast
10 lb Assorted Pork Chops
5 lb Cubed Steak
5 lb Beef Stew Meat
Vacuumed sealed, frozen, and
ready for your freezer!!
$99.99
Coll 537-3131
(or delivery!
204 Washington Street | Vidalia, GA • 912-386-4625 • www.reedycreekmeat.org
