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The Vidalia Advance Established 1901
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The Lyons Progress Established 1894
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Vol. 124 No. 49
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
December 7, 2022
The best way to
make your dreams
come true is to
wake up.
- Paul Valery
News
BYTES
Mistletoe on
Main
Thursday, December
8, 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
at the Toombs County
Agricultural Center.
Christmas market will
feature items made by
special needs children.
Funds raised will benefit
student activities.
Christmas
Strings and
Bows
The Brewton-Parker
College Wind Ensemble
will be featured in a
seasonal performance,
"Christmas Strings
and Bows," at
the PAL Theatre in
downtown Vidalia on
December 12. The
doors open at 6 p.m.
and the show starts
at 7 p.m. Admission:
$10 for adults; $5 for
students and children.
Information: www.
thepaltheatre.com or
912-535-0290.
Santa Pictures
Fundraiser
Diamonds in the Ruff-
South Georgia will
hold a Santa Pictures
fundraiser event with
hayrides, petting
zoo, and more on
December 10, 10 a.m.-
2 p.m. at 1099 Ga-56 in
Lyons. Benefits animal
rescues.
Glenwood
Christmas
Parade
The City of Glenwood
will hold its annual
Christmas Parade
downtown on
December 10 at 11
a.m.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 6A
Obituaries Page 8A
From the Record Page 5A
Your Mind On Line Page 4A
Sports Page 1 B
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lyons Resident Changed
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Murder
AGENCIES ASSIST - Several law enforcement agencies, including the Toombs County Sheriff's Office and
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Region 12 Office, assisted in probing a homicide that occurred in Norman-
town on Thursday, December 1.
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail. com
A 20-year-old Lyons man re
mains in custody at the Toombs
County Detention Center after
being charged with felony murder
in the death of a Normantown resi
dent.
At approximately 11:12 a.m.
on Thursday December 1, the
Toombs County Sheriff’s Office
(TCSO) received a call reporting
that a person had been shot at a res
idence located at 124 Moore Road
outside of Lyons. On arrival at the
address, deputies found a deceased
Please see Murder page 12A
Murder Suspect
Aaron Coleman
Early Voting in Senate
Race Shatters Records
Georgia Power Rate
Hike Request Generates
Pushback from Public
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA - Georgia Power
customers can ill afford a nearly
12% rate increase at a time ram
pant inflation is making it harder
to buy food and fuel, more than
a dozen witnesses told state en
ergy regulators Tuesday.
“I’m tired of seeing compa
nies making record profits ...
when good people working ev
ery day are not getting increases
in their wages,” Linda Pritchett,
a city council candidate in South
Fulton, told members of the
Georgia Public Service Com
mission (PSC). “People simply
cannot afford this rate hike.”
Pritchett was among several
current and former politicians to
address the commission at the
Please see Rate page 5A
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
More than 1.8 million
Georgia voters cast ballots last
week prior to the U.S. Senate
runoff on December 6. The
record-setting turnout for one
week of voting underlined in
tense interest in the high-profile
race between incumbent Dem
ocrat Raphael Warnock and Re
publican Herschel Walker.
The Georgia Secretary of
State’s “Data Hub” reported
early Monday morning that
the early voting turnout was
1,868,127, or 26.7% of the
state’s 7,007,154 active voters,
but absentee ballots were still
arriving Monday and would be
counted through Election Day.
The 352,953 ballots cast
on Friday, the final day for early
voting, shattered the previ
ous one-day record for early
voting in Georgia set ahead of
the 2016 presidential election.
Counting absentee and military
voters, the total turnout reflect
ed 26.4% of active Georgia vot
ers, reported Dave Williams of
Capitol Beat News Service.
Please see Vote page 4A
Vidalia Police
Probe Shooting
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
The Vidalia Police Department (VPD) is
investigating a shooting that left one man hospi
talized early Saturday morning.
At 2:19 a.m. on December 3, the VPD re
sponded to the 200 block of Nita Drive in ref
erence to a reported shooting. Upon arrival, of
ficers found Cody Lee Faircloth, 22, of Vidalia,
injured from a gunshot wound to the face.
The officers immediately contacted EMS,
which transported the victim to Memorial
Health Meadows Hospital. Faircloth was later
transferred to Memorial Health University
Medical Center in Savannah, where he contin
ues to recover.
Anyone with information on this incident,
or any other criminal activity within the city of
Vidalia, is asked to contact Sergeant Shannon
Martin or Captain Roger Calloway with the
VPD Investigative Services Division at (912)
537-4123, or CrimeStoppers at (912) 386-
4480.
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Photo By Makaylee Randolph
IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME - A mother points out the lights on the city's Christmas tree to her
young child during a tree lighting event at Ronnie Dixon City Park in downtown Vida
lia. See more photos of area Christmas events inside today's edition.