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See Azure 13A The Vidalia Advance Established 1901 The Lyons Progress Established 1894
124 No. 41
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
October 12, 2022
When a man tells
you that he got rich
through hard work,
ask him: ‘Whose? ’
- Don Marquis
News
BYTES
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.
Early Voting
Starts
October 17
Advance voting
in the November
8 General Election
begins October 17
and continues through
November 4. Voters
must visit the registrar's
offices in their
respective counties to
complete advance
voting Monday
through Friday, from
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday voting will be
held on October 22
and October 29 from
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The
last day to request an
absentee ballot will be
October 28.
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.
Food Truck Fest
Downtown Vidalia
Association is
sponsoring a Food
Truck Fest on Saturday,
October 22, 11 a.m.-
8 p.m. in downtown
Vidalia. Music, food
and fireworks. Free
admission.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 6A
Obituaries Page 8A
From the Record Page 5A
Your Mind On Line Page 5A
Sports Page 1 B
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Area Senate }
House Seats
On the Mid-Term Ballot
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail. com
Voters will choose a new state legis
lature and all the state’s top executives in
Georgia’s 2022 mid-term elections on No
vember 8. Georgia’s 14 U.S. congressional
seats and one of two U.S. Senate seats are
also up for election.
(See a roster of who is running and
questions that are on the ballot inside to
day’s edition of The Advance).
Area ballots for the November 8 Gen
eral Election will include two races of
particular local interest. Vidalia attorney
Blake Tillery is seeking reelection to his
District 19 Senate post and businesswom
an Leesa Hagan of Lyons is vying to win
reelection to her District 156 seat. Both
are Republicans.
Tillery is b eing challenged by Michael
“Buckle” Moore, a Democrat, from Doug
las, and Hagan is being challenged by
Lethia Kittrell, a Democrat, of Fitzgerald.
All four candidates were asked to com
plete a candidate questionnaire that fol
lows this article. Moore did not respond.
No local offices are in contention in
Wheeler County, however two unopposed
county commission candidates will be
listed on the Montgomery County ballot:
Clarence Thomas, District 4, and Leland
Adams, District 5. Two unopposed coun
ty commission candidates will be listed on
the Toombs County ballot: Alfred Cason,
District 1, and Tommy Rollins, District 4.
Please see Vote page 9A
The Future Is Now:
Robotically-Assisted Surgery at Meadows
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
Robotic surgery may
sound futuristic, but this
kind of state-of-the art medi
cine is now practiced almost
on a daily basis at Memorial
Health Meadows Hospital in
Vidalia.
Medical professionals
agree that robotically-assist
ed surgery is more precise,
less invasive, and conducive
to a faster recovery with less
discomfort for the patient.
And now, since this surgery
is readily available closer to
home for area residents, it is
not necessary to commute
long distances to larger facil
ities for treatment and care,
said Meadows Hospital CEO
Matt Hasbrouck.
The first robotically-as-
ROBOTIC PORT - Dr. Ferland uses traditional laparoscopic instrumentation through a robotic port.
Please see MHMH page 2A
Alamo City Council
Endorses Atlanta
Broadband Provider
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
In a called session heavily attended by city
residents on Monday, October 3, the Alamo
City Council voted two to four to endorse
Atlanta-based Culture Wireless over Wheeler-
based Glenwood Telephone Company/South
Georgia Broadband (GTC/SGB) for broad
band coverage in Wheeler County.
Please see Alamo page 3A
Squealin’ Good Weekend
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Lyons was packed with
food, festivities, and fun as
the 13th Annual Real Squeal
BBQ.& Music Festival took
over the city.
Friday night saw live
music and over 45 vendor
booths downtown, giving
the public a chance to expe
rience everything from food
trucks to axe throwing and
more. Meanwhile, Saturday
was a day packed with ac
tivities, as the Squealin’ Car
Please see Squeal page 4A
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
BACKYARD BBQ CHAMPIONS - The Sugar Creek Stick
Burners, from Telfair County, have BBQ traditions run
ning through their family, as cousins compete in the
professional competitions with their sponsorship from
Bubba Grills. The team took home the gold in their
first competition, winning the title of 2022 Real squeal
Backyard BBQ Grand Champions. L to R: Emcee Todd
Padgett, Team Member Brandon Merritt, Team Mem
ber Tony Collins, 2022 Miss Real Squeal Alaya Cutler.