Newspaper Page Text
(The
The Left’s
Favorite Lie:
Widespread
White-On-Black
Violence
See page 6A
Onion Festival
See
The Vidalia Advance Established 1901 The Lyons Progress Established 1894
Vol. 125 NO. 17
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
April 26, 2023
It is better to know
some of the
questions than all
of the answers.
-James Thurber
News
BYTES
Blood Drive
The American Red
Cross will hold a Blood
Drive at the Vidalia
High School Cheer
Room, located at 901
North Street West, from
10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on
Friday, April 28.
Art in the Loft
A free Student Art Ex
hibit featuring the work
from students at the
Art By Gwen Studio will
be showcased in the
loft of the Historic Pal
Theatre until May 14.
Exhibit is open daily
from 10 a.m. until 4
p.m. and 6 p.m. until 9
p.m. on weekdays,
and from 1 p.m. until 6
p.m. on weekends.
National Day
of Prayer
The Community Na
tional Day of Prayer
ceremony will be held
at 6:30 p.m. on Thurs
day, May 4, at the
Toombs County Court
house. For more infor
mation, contact Vicki
Tillery at 912-293-2381.
DOT Issues
Advisory
About Road
Work
The Georgia Depart
ment of Transportation
has advised that road
work will be underway
on State Route 4/U.S.
Highway 1 over the Al-
tamaha River from
West River Road in Ap
pling County to
George Hill Road in
Toombs County
through May. Daily
lane closures are
scheduled from 7 a.m.
to 6 p.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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Photo by Makaylee Randolph
BREAKING GROUND - Many members of the Greater Vidalia Cham
ber and Toombs County Development Authority came together
to break ground on the Center on Monday, April 17. L to R: Sena
tor Blake Tillery, Sean Moxley, David Sikes, Mayor Doug Roper, Matt
Richardson, Kevin Palmer, Michele Johnson, TimTruxel, Leesa Hagan,
Mike Hagan, Steven McComas.
A REGIONAL CENTER - The Center for Rural Entrepreneurship will
serve as a regional center for entrepreneurs and small business
owners to gain skills and knowledge about how to best operate
their facilities.
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
The Greater Vidalia Cham
ber and Toombs County De
velopment Authority kicked off
the 2023 Vidalia Onion Festival
week by breaking ground on the
regional business incubator fa
cility on Monday April 17.
According to Toombs
County Development Author
ity Executive Director and
Greater Vidalia Chamber Presi
dent Michele Johnson, the Cen
ter For Rural Entrepreneurship
is a project that has been in the
works for the past five years.
“The Center is a Southeast
Georgia regional initiative that
will stimulate the establishment
and growth of entrepreneurial
companies by providing co-
working, incubation, mentor
ing, technology, tools, strategic
support, and a collaborative
downtown environment where
entrepreneurs can develop the
projects of their dreams,” John
son explained.
In June 2022, Vidalia was
one of nine communities to
benefit from a $17.25 million al
location of Downtown Develop
ment Funds by the Georgia De
partment of Community Affairs.
Please see Center page 2A
VPD Shuts Down
Royalty Lounge
GTC Pioneer Inducted
Into ITPA Hall of Fame
Courtesy of the Vidalia Police
Department
Royalty Lounge LLC
has lost their business license
after the Vidalia Police De
partment discovered the op
eration of an illegal adult en
tertainment nightclub within
the facility on Thursday, April
20.
The Department recently
completed a joint investiga
tion with the Bureau of Alco
hol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives due to complaints
of the operation of an illegal
adult entertainment night
club within the City.
On April 20, at around
11:29 p.m., the Vidalia Po
lice Department - Investi-
Please see VPD page 5A
Cornerstone Receives Top
Star in Latest Rating
A SHINING STAR - Cornerstone Children's Center in Vidalia has
been given a 3 out of 3 star rating by the Georgia Depart
ment of Early Care and Learning Quality Rated Committee,
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Cornerstone Children’s
Center has solidified itself
as a shining star in both the
eyes of the community and
the Georgia Department of
Early Care and Learning, as
the daycare recently received
a 3 out of 3 star rating in the
latest quality review.
Please see Cornerstone
page 2A
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
Janice Adams O’Brien, a pio
neer in the telecommunications
industry in Georgia, was inducted
into the Independent Telecom
munications Pioneer Association
(ITPA) Hall of Fame on Sunday,
April 23. Mrs. O’Brien, of Glen-
wood, passed away in 2021. She
owned and operated Glenwood
Telephone Company for almost
Please see O’Brien page 3A
Janice Adams O'Brien
Arrest Made In
Fatal Stabbing
Courtesy of the Vidalia Police
Department
The suspect of a fatal stab
bing that took the
life of a 21 year-old
woman on Saturday,
April 15, was cap
tured by the Eman
uel County Sheriff’s
Office on Tuesday,
April 18.
On April 15,
the Vidalia Police
Department re
sponded to a report
of a stabbing on West Jenkins
Street at around 10 p.m. that
night. When they arrived, they
discovered 21-year-old Kaysey
Jordan, of Vidalia, suffering from
multiple stab wounds. Jordan
was transported by
ambulance to the
Memorial Health
Meadows Hospi
tal, where she later
succumbed to her
injuries.
The Georgia
Bureau of Investi
gation joined the
Vidalia Police De
partment in the in-
Please see Stabbing page 5A
JAMI JANAE DAVIS
