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The Vidalia Advance Established 1901
The Lyons Progress Established 1894
Make Way For a New
Oxymoron - United Methodist
See Yarbrough 6A
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Vol. 125 No. 22
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
May 31, 2023
When a man opens a
car door for his wife,
it’s either a new car
or a new wife.
- Prince Philip
News
BYTES
Community
Food Drive
Boy Scout Troop 933
is collecting canned
goods and nonper
ishable items for
God's Storehouse
until June 27. Dona
tions may be
dropped off at the
drop-off box on the
front porch of the Vi
dalia Boy Scout Hut,
located at 102
Stockyard Road be
side the tennis
courts. For more in
formation, contact
Scoutmaster Brett
Copeland at 706-
476-1684.
Coffee
Before Hours
The Downtown Vi
dalia Association will
host its monthly Cof
fee Before Hours
event from 8 a.m.
until 9 a.m. on
Wednesday, June 7,
at Action Pact, lo
cated adjacent to
the Vidalia Commu
nity Center. For more
information, call the
DVA office at (912)
537-8033.
Sweet
Saturday
The Downtown Vi
dalia Association will
host its monthly
Sweet Saturday
event from 11 a.m.
until 3 p.m. on Satur
day, June 10. The
event will feature life
music, food trucks,
games, and more.
For more informa
tion, call the DVA of
fice at (912) 537-
8033.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 6A
Obituaries Page 8A
From the Record Page 5A
Your Mind On Line Page 5A
Sports Page 1 B
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Local Veteran Leads Massive
Toombs County Solar Project
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail. com
A U.S. Air Force Veteran is leading
the creation of a 2,500-acre Solar Panel
Farm along GA Hwy 297 in Toombs
County.
Vidalia Native Phillip A. Ceasar has
a reputation for excellence within the
community - he graduated from Vi
dalia High School with a high GPA in
1974 and was even voted Most Likely
To Succeed by his classmates. Since
then, Ceasar has served 8 years in the
U.S. Air Force as a nondestructive engi
neer, which has allowed him to travel the
world completing various projects. Yet,
for his last engineering project before re
tirement, Ceasar was able to come back
home.
“I’m a veteran - I spent many years
doing engineering work with the Air
Force, and now, I have been working
with Terracon Consultant Engineering
for 19 years,” he explained. “I am for
tunate to be assigned to Vidalia - my
Please see Solar page 3A
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
2,500 ACRES OF PANELS - According to Ceasar, the Toombs County Solar Project will span over
2,500 acres north of Vidalia along GA Hwy 297. Little information has currently been disclosed
on the project, as the construction process is still in beginning stages.
Vidalia Receives $2.2 Million
To Renovate Ezra Taylor Sports Complex
ALL PURPOSE FIELD
SOCCER AND FOOTBALL DETAIL
NOTE: REUSE EXISTING FENCE AND LIGHT POLES
WHEREVER APPLICABLE
A LIGHTING DESIGN WILL DETERMINE
LOCATIONS OF PROPOSED LIGHT POLES
EXISTING DETENTION POND
TO BE RE-GRADED TO HOLD-
MORE STORMWATER
TIE TO EXISTING
ASPHALT DRIVE
PROPOSED PAVED
PARKING AREA
225. SPACES
NOTE: LIGHTING DESIGN
NEEDED TO ENSURE
SAFETY IN PARKING LOT
ADA ACCESSIBLE CONCRETE
SIDEWALK SYSTEM THROUGHOUT -
ENTIRE SITE
PERIMETER FENCE-
PROPOSED PAVED
PARKING AREA-
59 SPACES
PROPOSED PAVED
ACCESS ROAD'
RELOCATED
LIGHT POLES'
EXISTING \
’UGHTPOLESj
PROPOSED SHARED
■ MAINTENANCE BUILDING
| (± 5,000 SF))
POSSIBLE AREA FOR OVERFLOW
PARKING, PRACTICE FIELD OR
ADDITIONAL STORM WATER'
DETENTION (IF NECESSARY)
POSSIBLE AREA FOR OVERFLOW
PARKING, PRACTICE HELD OR
■ADDITIONAL STORM WATER
1 DETENTION (IF NECESSARY)
PROPOSED
'BLEACHER PADS (TYP.)
EXISTING LOOP ROAD
PROPOSED OPEN AIR PAVILION
(1,500 SF COVERED AREA)'
UTILIZE EXISTING CURB CUT
ON EZRA TAYLOR ROAD'
(ROAD SHOWN AT 36' WIDE)
PROPOSED
LIGHT POLE
PROPOSED
LIGHT POLE
PROPOSED
LIGHT POLE
EXISTING DRAINAGE SWALE
■WITH SUBSTANTIAL SIDE
SLOPES
EXISTING DRAINAGE SWALE
WITH SUBSTANTIAL SIDE -
PROPOSED RENOVATION - The Vidalia Regional Sports Complex renovation will transform the
current baseball and softball fields into multipurpose fields, which may be used for football
and soccer. The plans also include a practice field, two parking lots, an ADA-accessible play
ground, and paved sidewalk throughout the Complex.
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail. com
The Vidalia Regional Sports Complex
along Ezra Taylor Road will be transformed
into the City’s center for soccer and football
through a $2.2 million grant, which was an
nounced by the Governor’s Office on May 18.
This grant was one of 142 projects
Please see Grant page 3A
Life
Without
Parole
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Justice
has been
served in the
double ho
micide case
which took
the lives of
mother Pa
mela Harden
and daughter
LaTorey Hard
en in January 2022, as the murder
suspect Joshua Sanders was found
guilty on all 15 charges which the
state presented on Thursday, May
Joshua Magual
Sanders
25.
On January 6, 2022, the
Vidalia Police Department were en
Please see Life page 3A
Woman Killed In
Sunday Rollover
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail. com
One woman was killed and three people
were left injured after a pickup truck rolled over
in a dirt road ditch on Sunday, May 28.
According to officials, the Georgia State Pa
trol, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and
several local first responders were dispatched to
a single vehicle crash on Ray Thompson Road
at approximately 2:57 p.m. on Sunday. Upon
arrival, officers found a single Chevrolet pickup
truck overturned in the ditch along the road.
Please see Wreck page 5A
PATRIOTISM ON VICTORY DRIVE - Victory Drive in Lyons is now adorned with 262
Veterans Crosses to pay tribute to military heroes. Lyons Community Liason Alysa
Marsicano shared a message of gratitude to the volunteers who helped in the
effort, which included individuals from TRANE Technologies, Forge Men's Recov
ery Center, Vidalia High School JROTC, and the City of Lyons Public Works De
partment, as she said that their unwavering dedication and hard work made this
Memorial Day tribute possible. If you have a special veteran in your life which you
would like honored, contact the Lyons Lions Club,
