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NATIONAL NEWSPAPER WEEK OCT. 2-8, 2022 #newspaperpower $©G Poge 6A The Vidalia Advance Established 1901 The Lyons Progress Established 1894 ncc National 4-H Week See Page 19A Vol. 124 No. 40 Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia October 5, 2022 Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start. -Anthony Bourdain News BYTES Early Voting Starts October 17 Early voting in the November General Election starts October 17. October 11 is the last day to register to be eligible to vote in the General Election. Visit the Registrar's Office in your county to vote in person or to pick up an absentee ballot. (Monday, October 10, is a state holiday and registrar's offices will be closed.) TWO GLORIOUS DAYS of BBQ, music, and fun are ahead this weekend for folks who mosey on down to the annual Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival in Lyons. The event will be held in downtown Lyons and at the Lyon's Recreation Department's Partin Park on Friday, Octo ber 7, and Saturday, October 8. The Real Squeal has been a tradition in Lyons each year since 2011. Admission and parking each day are free, By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail. com October is here, which means it is barbecue time in Lyons! The 13th Annual Real Squeal Barbecue and Music Festival will be held next weekend, October 7 and 8 throughout the city The event will fea ture vendors, barbecue competitions, live music, a car show, a disc golf tournament, and more! Friday Events Cooking Festivities will begin at 9 a.m. on Fri day, October 7, as the Backyard BBQ_Con- test heats up. This is the amateur cook-off competition for individuals, teams, fami lies, and more to earn bragging rights for their barbecue chicken and pork ribs. The Grand Champion of this competition will receive $350 and one Reserve Grand Champion will be awarded $250, while Please see Squeal page 2A w rats jp OCTOBER 7 - 8 IN LYONS Exhibit Kicks Off October 8 "Common Thread/ Common Ground," an exhibit, will kick off with a reception at the Altama Museum of Art & History on Saturday, October 8, from noon until 2 p.m. The exhibit will continue through October 31. The museum is located at 611 Jackson Street. Greater Vidalia Chamber Expo The Greater Vidalia Chamber's annual Business Expo will be held Thursday, October 13, from 4 until 7 p.m. at the Vidalia Community Center. Admission is $20 at the door. No charge for children under 5. BPC Gala Former UGA Bulldogs Head Coach Mark Richt will speak at the Brewton-Parker College Gala on October 18 at 6:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Vidalia. For sponsorship and ticket information, visit www.bpc.edu/ presidentsgala. IN THIS ISSUE Editorials Page 6A Obituaries Page 8A From the Record Page 5A Your Mind On Line Page 20A Sports Page 1 B SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 30% OFF NEWSSTAND PRICES! Call 537-3131 (or delivery! Head-on Collision Claims Two Lives By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com A head-on collision on Saturday morning claimed the lives of two drivers on Old River Road. The Toombs County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a representative from Life360, a Trooper Cleared By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com A Toombs County Grand Jury has cleared Georgia State Patrol Trooper Wade Manning, who was accused of misusing force in a January 9 incident in Lyons that resulted in the injury of a suspect. According to Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney Tripp Fitzner, a Grand Jury hearing is standard procedure in any event where officers use force in which individu als are injured. The hearing provides an op portunity for witnesses to present the Grand Jury with information so that it may be deter mined whether a trial is necessary. At the September 22 hearing, the Grand Jury determined that Trooper Manning’s ac- Please see Trooper page 3A popular smartphone app used for families and friends to track each other’s location and driv ing, at 8:08 a.m. on Saturday, October 1. The representative told the dispatcher that the app had detected a crash through the GPS moni toring feature, and that the owner of the phone had not answered any of the representative’s phone calls to check on the situation. City Revokes Hotel's License By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com In a called session on September 23, the Vidalia City Council voted to revoke the business license of a local hotel and to partner with Francis Energy to apply for a grant for EV Charging Stations. According to City Manager Nick Overstreet, the City has been working with the State Fire Marshal’s office and Toombs County Health Department to ensure that all businesses within the City are acceptable according to code and stan dards. “We’ve dealt with the Econo Inn; now, we have taken some action on the Budget Inn. We are going to continue to be look ing at properties to make sure that they are Please see VCC page 22A Georgia Power Ms for More Pate Increases By Dave Williams Bureau Chief Capitol Beat News Service A nearly 12% rate increase Georgia Power is seeking is just one of four the utility will be re questing during the next three years, a staff lawyer for the state Public Service Commission (PSC) said last Tuesday. If the PSC approves all four, the average residential customer bill could soar by $55 to $60 a month, not just the $16.29 month ly increase in base rates the com pany is asking for, Preston Thom as, representing the commission’s Public Interest Advocacy Staff, said on the opening day of hear ings on the rate hike request. “Staff have concerns with all of these different requests for rate increases in such a short period of time and the impact it could have on consumers,” Thomas told com missioners. The rate hike, which Georgia Power proposed in June, would take effect on Jan. 1. The increase is front-loaded, meaning $14.32 of the additional $16.29 would kick in immediately. The remaining $1.97 would become effective in 2024 and 2025. The increase is needed to strengthen the utility’s electric grid, add more renewable energy to its power-generation portfolio and improve customer service, Chris Womack, Georgia’s Power’s chairman, president, and CEO tes- Please see Rates page 16A Please see Fatalities page 2A The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival October 7 - Downtown Lyons October 8 - Partin Park www.therealsqueal.com • BBQ COMPETITIONS • CAR SHOW • STREET DANCE • FIREWORKS • ARTS & CRAFTS * INDIAN ARTIFACT SHOW • DISC GOLF TOURNAMENT