The Advance. (Vidalia, Ga.) 2003-current, November 16, 2022, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Text124 No. 46 Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia November 16, 2022 The Red Fizzle See Shapiro 6A nee Brian Kemp’s Political Death Greatly Exaggerated See Yarbrough 6A The Vidalia Advance Established 1901 The Lyons Progress Established 1894 Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. - Mark Twain News BYTES Landslide Victories For Tillery, Hagan Vidalia Kiwanis Poinsettia Sale The Vidalia Kiwanis Club is holding its annual poinsettia sale. Six-inch red poinsettias 5-8 blooms) are $15 and eight- inch red poinsettias (10-14 blooms) are $25. Proceeds benefit Kiwanis community projects. Order deadline is November 30. Pickup is December 6 at the Dixon building, City Recreation Department. To order, contact vidaliakiwanis@gmail. com or a Kiwanis member. The 5:05 Event The 5:05 event with the Downtown Vidalia Association will be held at the Greater Vidalia Chamber on November 17 at 5:05 p.m. Vidalia Christmas Parade Vidalia's 2022 Christmas Parade will be held December 3 and the theme is "Christmas Vacation." Residents are invited to participate. The application deadline is November 18. For information, call 912- 537-8033, or visit www. vidalia.gov/DVA/page/ DVA-events. Bridge Work Scheduled Bridge construction on SR 4/US 1 over Altamaha River at West River Road (Appling County) to George Hill Road (Toombs County). Daily lane closures underway, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Completion in December. IN THIS ISSUE Editorials Page 6A Obituaries Page 8A From the Record Page 5A Your Mind On Line Page 4A Sports Page 1 B SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 30% OFF NEWSSTAND PRICES! Call 537-3131 (or delivery! By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com The Vidalia Fire and Police Depart ments gathered together for a banquet on Thursday November 10, to honor several public safety workers for their excellence in duty throughout the year. This is the first time the event has returned after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the team said they hope to continue the tradition from now on. Several volunteers and employees Please see Awards page 4A By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail. com The big red wave expected by the Republican Party in its bid to dominate Congress did not materialize in the Novem ber 8 election. But that was not the case in South Georgia as voters turned out to heav ily support Republican candi dates. The two local Republicans vying for reelection to state seats — Sen. Blake Tillery, Dis trict 19, Vidalia, and Rep. Leesa Hagan, District 156, Lyons — won by a landslide throughout the area, and Governor Brian Kemp and other Republicans vying for state posts outdis tanced their opponents by im pressively large margins in vot ing across this region. But one more very im portant race still hangs in the balance. There will be a run off between Republican Her- schel Walker and Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock for the U.S. Senate. Balloting Sen. Blake Tillery will take place December 6. All Georgians who were registered to vote by November 7 can vote in the December 6 runoff. Early voting begins on Novem ber 28. Kemp -Abrams Rep. Leesa Hagan Kemp handily defeated his Democratic challenger, Stacey Abrams, as well as Libertarian contender Shane Hazel. The Governor won by a 300,000 plus vote margin and his victo- Please see Vote page 3A Local Doctor: Ukrainians Persevere Amid Growing Sense of Nationalism By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail.com Just last week Vidalia physician Geoff Conner returned from a mis sion trip to war-tom Ukraine where he saw first-hand how the people there are defiantly holding on and continu ing to repel invading Russian troops. It was Conner’s second mission this year to the beleaguered country, and his “fifteenth or sixteenth visit” there since 2004 as a representative of Discipling Ministries International. Conner, the Reverend Pat Mc Coy from Fayetteville, and the Rev erend Dean Robbins of Statesboro, went back to Ukraine to deliver con tributions from Americans, and to meet up with “Brother Sasha,” DMI ministry director in Ukraine. Sasha, whose last name is not revealed to protect him from becoming a Russian target, has been a consistent link be tween the people of Ukraine and DMI for several years. The Ukranian pastor is among several volunteers who run the home bases for missions that DMI supports. After being displaced from Doneskt in the southern part of Ukraine after Please see Ukraine page 10A IN HAPPIER TIMES - Dr, Geoff Conner, a local physician, stands with a group of children in Ukraine. Conner just re turned from the war-torn country after making the sec ond trip there this year as part of Discipling Ministries Inter national, an organization which renders aid to Ukrainians. PSC Continues Georgia Power Rate Hearings By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail.com Georgia Power is proposing a 12% in crease in electricity rates over the next three years, along with other requests in 2023 that could burden ratepayers with reimbursing the company for spiraling fuel costs and the expansion of the Plant Vogtle nuclear facility near Waynesboro. The Public Service Commission (PSC) hearings held Tuesday and Thursday of last week, included testimony from experts for Georgia Power, consumer advocacy groups, environmental organizations, solar power groups, government agencies and energy consultants. In December, state regulators will decide how much more the company can charge its 2.7 million customers. Starting next year, Georgia Power’s plan would push up residential customers’ monthly rates by $14.32 — if the PSC ap proves it. The monthly cost to these custom ers would reach $16.29 by 2025, or about $200 per year. Georgia Power’s plan to transition to cleaner energy generation and newer tech nologies means investing $12 billion in in- Please see Hearings page 2A VFD and VPD Hold Annual Public Safety Awards Banquet Photo By Makaylee Randolph HONORING EXCELLENCE - Several employees, volunteers, and community members were honored at the annual Vidalia Public Safety Award Banquet on Thursday, No vember 10. Front Row, L to R: Vidalia Fire Department Chief Brian Sikes, Volunteer Firefighter of the Year Blake Mosley, Rookie of the Year Justin Johnson, Fire Officer of the Year Captain Robert Tillman, Back Row, L to R: Supervisor of the Year John Humphrey, Captain Roger Calloway, Rookie of the Year Scott Howard, Employee of the Year Tammy Peacock, 2022 Top Gun Award Recipient Lieutenant Kim Williamson, Officer of the Year Corporal Harley Robertson, Community Partnership Service Award Recipients Clint and Carl Cooper.

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The Advance. (Vidalia, Ga.) 2003-current, November 16, 2022, Image 1