Newspaper Page Text
(The
Sharing Some
Advice For
The New Year
See Yarbrough 6A
Getting off to a
Great Start in 2023
The Vidalia Advance Established 1901 The Lyons Progress Established 1894
with the Ham &
Collards Quiche
See Azure 10A
Vol. 125 No. 1
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
January 4, 2023
The only normal
people are the
ones you don’t
know very well.
-Alfred Adler
News
BYTES
Legislative
Luncheon
State Rep. Leessa Hagan
and State Sen. Blake Til
lery are confirmed speak
ers for the Greater Vidalia
Chamber's annual legis
lative luncheon to be
held Thursday, January 5,
1:30 p.m„ at Lyons First
Baptist Church. U.S. Rep
resentative Rick Allen
and U.S. Senator Raphael
Warnock may also at
tend. Tickets are $45. For
more information, call
912-537-4466 or email:
info@greatervidalia-
chamber.com.
MLK Holiday
Parade
The annual MLK Holiday
Parade will be held Janu
ary 16 at 11 a.m. on High
way 280 in downtown Vi
dalia. Grand marshal will
be Wilson Johnson. For in
formation, contact Mi
chael Johnson at 478-
494-8253
DOT Announces
Lane Closures
GA DOT announces that
lane closures will occur
daily on SR 4/US 1 over
the Altamaha River, from
West River Road in Ap
pling County to George
Hill Road in Toombs
County. Closures are
scheduled Monday-Fri-
day, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m„
now through May 2023
during bridge construc
tion.
Car Seat Class
Montgomery County resi
dents are invited to a Car
Seat Class at Higgston
Fire Department, 310
James Street, Higgston,
on January 7, 10 a.m. un
til noon. To register for
one of the 10 slots avail
able, call 912-403-9882.
Sponsored by Higgston
Fire Department, Toombs-
Montgomery EMS, Geor
gia Department of Public
Health, and Safe Kids
Toombs.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 6A
Obituaries Page 8A
From the Record Page 5A
Your Mind On Line Page 10A
Sports Page 1 B
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DAMAGE TO PATROL VEHICLES - During the pursuit, Smith struck two patrol vehicles, a car from the VPD, and a
truck from fhe TCSO, as he atfempfed fo evade law enforcement.
Marquis Javon Smith
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
A high-speed chase ran through Vidalia
on Monday, January 2, as the Vidalia Police
Department (VPD) and Toombs County
Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) attempted to detain
a suspected vehicle thief.
At 6:50 a.m. on Monday the Toombs
County 911 Dispatch received a call regard
ing the theft of a vehicle. The victim, Billy
Batay, told dispatchers that a black male had
stolen a black Ford F-150 from his residence,
located at 3910 Highway 297. Batay said that
he entered his garage and found an unidenti
fied black male standing next to his vehicle.
After Batay confronted the man and yelled
for him to leave the garage and property, the
Please see Chase page 1OA
( tresser Named Sweet Onion Citizen
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Former City Councilwoman and current
Sweet Onion Golf Authority Secretary Lisa
Chesser was recognized as the December Sweet
Onion Citizen at the Vidalia City Council
meeting on Monday, December 12.
The Sweet Onion Citizen Award became a
monthly award for standout citizens in Vidalia
around two years ago; it serves as recognition
of an individual’s heart for service.
“You really want to get this [award] right in
December, when you think about how Christ
set the example of how we are to serve our fel
low man. Tonight, I believe we will be able to
recognize someone that truly has a heart for our
community and has served our community for
a long time,” Mayor Doug Roper remarked.
Along with having served three terms on
the Vidalia City Council and acting currently
as the Sweet Onion Golf Authority Secretary,
Chesser is also a board member of the Toombs
County Library Board of Trustees. She is also
Please see VCC page 3A
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
SWEET ONION CITIZEN - Former City Councilwoman and current Sweet Onion Golf
Authority Secretary Lisa Chesser (left) was recognized as the December Sweet On
ion Citizen at the Vidalia City Council meeting on Monday, December 12. Here, she
poses with Mayor Doug Roper (right) and her award.
Temporary Homeless
Shelter Warms Hearts
Respiratory Illnesses
On The Upswing
During Freeze
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail. com
Several hearts and bodies were
warmed during the recent freeze, as
the City of Vidalia opened a temporary
homeless shelter to ensure those with
out shelter would be safe during the
cold spell.
“The increase in homeless popula
tions is an issue that all communities
are facing across the country. It truly is
one of the most intricate and difficult
situations for which a city and com
munity can develop and institute long
term solutions. In this particular case,
with the impending weather and ex
treme cold, there was no time to wade
through all of those intricacies; this was
about saving lives,” Mayor Doug Roper
explained.
Roper said that at the beginning of
Christmas week, officials began moni
toring the expected weather. When
they realized the severity and longevity
of the cold weather, they immediately
began making arrangements to open a
temporary place for the homeless pop
ulation to seek shelter.
The biggest challenge for the cre-
Please see Shelter page 5A
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
Cases of COVID and other respiratory ill
ness have been trending upward in the Toombs,
Montgomery and Wheeler region, paralleling
spikes across the state and country, and bring
ing back masking in area medical facilities.
Dr. Karen McColl, Chief Medical Officer at
Memorial Health Meadows Hospital in Vidalia,
said that high level transmissions for COVID
necessitated a return to masking of employees,
incoming patients and guests at Meadows. Mc
Coll said she will continue to track transmis
sion rates and other data to assess when it might
be safe to reprieve the masking requirement.
McColl said Meadows is also seeing an
increase of patients with Type A and Type B
Please see COVID page 10A
