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See what everyone has to say! Your Mind ONLINE See Page 5A atye The Vidalia Advance Established 1901 The Lyons Progress Established 1894 Make Way For a New Oxymoron - United Methodist See Yarbrough 6A ttcc 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 SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 30% OFF NEWSSTAND IMV Call 537-3131 (or delivery! 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,