Newspaper Page Text
(Eift Aiiuancg
The ADVANCE, January 4, 2023/Page 2A
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
REAKING GROUND — Members of the congregation gathered at the construction site to celebrate the ground
breaking of the new Connection Church facility in Vidalia, Here, church staff members pose at the site. L to R: Wade
McLeod, Dustin Carter, Anna Willyard, Laura Kilgore, Frankie Toole, Blake Hardiman, Billy Shiver, Carlos Lora, Corbin
Howard, Ethan Floyd, Elizabeth Whitson, Kaitlyn Macker and Andrew Macker.
Connection Church Breaks
Ground for Permanent Home
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
DREAMING OF THE NEW FACILITY — Diagrams of the new
facility were displayed for attendees to see the planned
design of the new church. Here, Lead Pastor Billy Shiver
shows the design to children,
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Connection Church of
Vidalia gathered in a grassy
field beside the Memorial
Health Lucy Pierson Build
ing on Meadows Lane, to
celebrate the groundbreak
ing of the church’s new per
manent facility on Decem
ber 5.
The church members
have met in various loca
tions, most notably the
large auditorium of South
eastern Technical College,
for several years, while
dreaming of the day they
would be able to have a
facility of their own. The
church bought the land
from the Toombs Coun
ty Hospital Authority in
2020, and has since been
making plans for the build
ing’s construction, which
will be completed by Pope
Construction.
Lead Pastor Billy
Shiver commented on the
groundbreaking. “In 2015,
we set out to plant a church
that was focused on one
thing - connecting people
to a growing relationship
with Jesus Christ; over the
last 8 years, God has been
faithful! We have seen hun
dreds of lives transformed
by the gospel and even
more people experiencing
true Christian community
in small groups throughout
our city. We are so excited
about our new permanent
facility because we believe
it will serve as a launching
pad for us to continue to
reach people in our com
munity and around the
world,” he emphasized.
March 2024 is the ex
pected completion date of
the new church.
Crossword Puzzle
Solution, page 4A
CLUES ACROSS
1. Basics 30.
4. Swiss river 31.
7. Constrictor snake 32.
8. Building occupied by monks
10. Discount 39.
12. Deal a blow to 41.
13. Relating to the car 42.
14. Thyrotropin 43.
16. Loud, unpleasant noise 44.
17. Large intestines 45.
19. Move with a curving trajectory 46.
20. Witnesses 48.
21. You need both to live 49.
25. Dash 50.
26. Network 51.
27. Dig 52.
29. C. European river
CLUES DOWN
1. Engulf
2. Waterside hotel
3. Printed cotton fabric
4. Defensive nuclear weapon
5. One who follows the rules
6. Lace up once more
8. Fire byproduct
9. Flankerings
11. Outer
14. One-time aerospace firm
15. Seafood
18. Commercial
19. Epoxy hardener (abbr.)
20. Samoan monetary unit
22. Type of gland
23. Arrest
Supplement with difficulty
Corporate executive
Carroll O’Connor’s onscreen
wife
No variation
Airborne (abbr.)
“Heidi” author
Affirmative
Pie mode
W. Asian country
Grotesque or bizarre
Delicacy (archaic)
Textile
Denial
Electronic data processing
Attempt
24. Check
27. Past participle of be
28. Alias
29. Major division of geological time
31. Kids programming channel (abbr.)
32. Joked
33. Helps little firms
34. Roman numeral 50
35. Impressive in size or scope
36. Domineering leader
37. A person who delivers a speech
38. One after 89
39. Young hawk
40. The scene of any event or action
44. A team’s best pitcher
47. Integrated data processing
Grand Jury Returns
Indictments in 15 Cases
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail. com
The Toombs County
Grand Jury convened on
December 12 to consider
15 bills of indictment in
criminal cases presented
by Middle Judicial Circuit
District Attorney John A.
“Tripp” Fitzner III. The
Grand Jury returned 15 true
bills in a session presided
over by Toombs County Su
perior Court Judge Tommy
J. Smith. Additionally, in
conjunction with its other
duties, the Grand Jury ap
pointed Kathy O’Neal to the
Board of Equalization.
Among those indicted
was Demario Roundtree,
who was charged with ho
micide by vehicle in the
first degree in the March
20, 2021, death of Donnell
Wesley Simpson. The five-
count indictment accuses
Roundtree of driving under
the influence of marijuana as
he operated a motor vehicle
on Rigsbee Drive in Vidalia
and striking and killing the
victim. The charges also in
cluded reckless driving and
driving without a license.
Michael Bryan John
son, Jr., was indicted on 10
counts in connection with a
case of aggravated child mo
lestation which occurred be
tween June 1 and August 24,
2022. Johnson is accused of
committing indecent acts
with a child of 16, as well
as the aggravated assault of
a second adult victim by
shooting at her, and theft
by taking of a cellular phone
owned by the second victim
and valued at $1,500. In ad
dition to two charges of ag
gravated child molestation,
Johnson was charged with
criminal attempt to com
mit a felony by intentionally
attempting to commit the
crime of Sexual Exploita
tion of Children; statutory
rape of a minor; child mo
lestation; enticing a child for
indecent purposes; aggra
vated sexual battery; aggra
vated assault; possession of
a firearm by a first offender
probationer; and theft by
taking.
Otis Lee Harris, Jr., and
Cristian Antonio Ramirez
were indicted on nine counts
in connection with a June
30, 2022, incident in which
a man was shot and wound
ed. Harris and Ramirez were
accused of knowingly and
intentionally attempting to
commit the crime of malice
murder in the incident. The
two men were also accused
of shooting at four other
persons present during the
incident. These four persons
were not wounded. Charges
against Harris and Ramirez
include five counts of crimi
nal attempt to commit mur
der and four counts of aggra
vated assault.
Other indictments in
clude:
• Kenneth Sentel
Brownlee for the offense of
possession of a firearm by
a convicted felon in a Sep
tember 1, 2020, incident.
Brownlee was also indicted
for battery after allegedly
striking a man in the face
during the incident.
• Steven Alexander
Douglas for the offenses of
burglary in the first degree
and the obstruction of an
officer in a December 11,
2020, event.
• Israel Navejar for
the offenses of aggravated
assault-family violence, the
possession of a firearm dur
ing the commission of a
felony, cruelty to children in
the third degree, and simple
battery-family violence, in a
December 16, 2020, event.
• Sherman Dwayne
Kirkland for the offenses of
possession of a firearm by a
convicted felon and theft by
receiving stolen property in
a February 24, 2021, inci
dent.
• Jermaine Maurice
Brown for the offenses of
possession of methamphet-
amine with intent to distrib
ute, possession of cocaine
with intent to distribute,
possession of a firearm dur
ing the commission of a
felony, and possession of a
firearm by a convicted felon
in an April 30,2021, case.
• Malique Rheem Har
rington, Marcus Lance
Grimes, and Miguel Guti-
erres for the offense of un
authorized possession of a
weapon by an inmate in a
June 12,2021, case.
• Anthony Jamar Har
vey for the offense of ob
struction of an officer in a
December 20,2021, case;
• Antonio Smiley for
the offenses of rape and ag
gravated assault in a March
5.2022, incident.
• Jerome Gregory Turn-
quest for the offenses of ag
gravated assault for shooting
at a person and possession
of a firearm by a convicted
felon in an August 20, 2022,
incident.
• Grable Leon Rhymes,
Jr., for the offense of aggra
vated stalking in an October
8.2022, case.
• Charles Mitchell Key,
Jr., for the offenses of aggra
vated assault-family violence
(two counts), aggravated
battery-family violence, and
battery-family violence, in
incidents occurring on Oc
tober 19,2022, and Novem
ber 12,2022.
• Steven Bernard Searcy
for the offenses of aggra
vated stalking and fleeing or
attempting to elude a police
officer in an October 20,
2022, event.
terifi
BOARD TRAINING — Existing and incoming members of the Greater Vidalia Chamber
Board of Directors gathered for the last board meeting of 2022 and annual training
on December 8, Front row, L to R: Ann Owens, Dana Brown, Anissa Starnes, Debbie
Evans, Michele Johnson, Jensie Smith, Mary Edmonds, Ivette Torres, Pat Dixon, Sara
Brown. Back row, L to R: Tommie Williams, Amber O'Connor, Allen Crump, Monroe
Goss, Donya Hilton-Wood, Trent Williams, Nissa Mitchell, Mike Hagan, Stephanie Wil
liams, Sabrina Woodruff, and Wendi Cason,
Greater Vidalia Chamber
Trains 2023 Board of Directors
The Greater Vidalia
Chamber Board of Direc
tors met Thursday, Decem
ber 8, for the last Board of
Directors meeting of the
year and the annual Board
Training for existing board
members and the incom
ing officers for 2023. The
meeting was held at Ele
ments event venue in Ly
ons. This year’s training
was facilitated by Anissa
Starnes, IOM of YGM To
tal Resource Campaigns.
The existing Board
of Directors included a
variety of leaders and in
dustries within the com
munity. These leaders are
Sara Brown, Brown Realty
Company; Allen Crump,
Trane Technologies; Mary
Edmonds, Mary’s/M
Squared Design Firm; Mike
Hagan, Memorial Health
Meadows Hospital; Aries
Haygood, A & M Farms;
Michael Johnson, Vidalia
City Schools; John Koon,
Vidalia City Schools; Britt
McDade, Chick-fil-A; Nis
sa Mitchell, Southern Mark
Industries; Jensie Smith,
Sev-Rend; Alan Thigpen,
Mount Vernon Bank;
Ivette Torres; Stephanie
Williams, Toombs County
Magazine; and Trent Wil
liams, Brown Implement &
Milling.
Several new board
members, whose terms
begin in January, were
also included in the train
ing. These members are
Wendi Cason, Commu
nity Hospice; Pat Dixon,
Dixon Management Com
pany; Monroe Goss, Rocky
Creek Lodge; Heather
Mead, Georgia First Bank;
Donya Hilton-Wood, Ox
ford; and Sabrina Wood
ruff) Toombs County
Schools.
SIADO KU Solu,lon ’ page 4A
Fun By The
Numbers
Like puzzles?
Then you’ll love
sudoku. This
mind-bending
puzzle will have
you hooked from
the moment you
square off, so
sharpen your
pencil and put
your sudoku
savvy to the test!
Levs!: Intermediate
Here’s How It Works:
Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine
3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each
row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row,
column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will
appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The
more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
8
5
4
7
2
2
5
2
5
4
7
8
0
6
3
9
4
8
7
6
7
2
6
9
1
