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Vol. 125 No. 25 Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia June 21, 2023 Inside this week! The Vidalia Advance Established 1901 “Formula for success: rise early, work hard, strike oil.” - J. Paul Getty News BYTES Tax Assessor Board Meeting Moved The Montgomery County Board of Tax Assessors has moved their meet ing up to Thursday, June 22, at 3 p.m. at the Montgomery County Govern ment Annex, lo cated at 251 S. Richardson St. in Mount Vernon. Saturdays On The Square The Montgomery County Citizens and Merchants Associa tion will host its first Saturdays on the Square event at the Montgomery County Courthouse Square from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 24. This event will fea ture several vendors and local hand made goods. Meet New Warden The community is invited to meet new Wheeler Cor rectional Facility Warden Shawn Gillis at a meet and greet event at the Wheeler County Chamber of Com merce, 6 West Rail road Street in Al amo, on Friday, June 23, at 1 p.m. 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! Faison Park to Receive $2.2M Facelift NEW BASKETBALL COURT PROPOSED 300' X 165' ALL-PURPOSE FIELD WITH LIGHTING AND SCORE BOARD NEW ADDITIONAL PARKING NEW ADDITIONAL PARKING NEW (1,500 SF) COMMUNITY CENTER WITH ATTACHED RESTROOMS POSSIBLE PICKLE BALL COURT NEW CONCESSION STAND NEW ADDITIONAL PARKING DRAINAGE SWALE PROPOSED 360' X 225' ALL-PURPOSE FIELD WITH LIGHTING AND SCORE BOARD PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALKS YARD INLET AND STORM CULVERT7T 7,000 SF — TOTAL ASPHALT , DEMOLITION Established 1891 KEEP EXISTING SOUTHERN PARKING SPACES (6) PLAYGROUND $2,2M FACELIFT - Vincent Faison Sr. Park of Lyons will receive new basketball and pickleball courts, soccer fields, a community center, and more as a part of the $2.2 million renovation funded by a state grant. By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail. com Vincent Faison Sr. Park, lo cated along Ben Mitchell Road, will receive a $2.2 million reno vation after receiving a neigh borhood assets improvement grant from Governor Kemp. The community celebrated this accomplishment with a public ceremony at the park on June 6. “Today is a historic day for us. I came on City Council back in 2004, and I know this has been an idea and a dream for us since all the way back then - when John Moore Sr. was Mayor and Ben Mitchell was Mayor Pro- Tern. I can remember them tell ing me about things they wanted to get done here, and ideas and visions we wanted to do. Well, it’s taken right at 20 years, but we are finally getting something Please see Faison page 2A Drug Epidemic Is a Community Issue Shooter Alleges Self Defense Photo by Deborah Clark SAVE A LIFE - Ashley Black, executive director of RISEUP, shares information on the life-saving properties of Narcan at a recent community meeting in Alamo. Black discussed the 2014 law that protects victims and rescuers from prosecution in situations where Narcan can be used to save a life. By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail. com Drug overdoses have overtaken automobile accidents as the lead ing cause of accidental death in the United States. Prescription opioids, illicit opioids, and illegally-made fentanyl are killing thousands of Americans — including young chil dren — every day. “The fentanyl epidemic is a community issue now. It’s out there and it’s around our kids,” said Ash ley Black, a Georgia Overdose Pre vention (GOP) Naloxone/Narcan distributor. Black is also affiliated with Georgia CARES, which has a mission to promote long-term recovery from substance use disor ders by providing experienced peer support and advocating for self-di rected care. Black spoke recently at a quarterly community meeting in Wheeler County jointly sponsored by the Wheeler County Correc tional Facility (CORE CIVIC) and the Wheeler County Chamber of Commerce. Please see Drugs page 8A By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is continuing to investigate a Kibbee shooting that took the life of Mason McCarty, 23, of Vidalia. According to GBI Region 12 Field Office Spe cial Agent in Charge Lindsey Wilkes, the GBI was re quested to assist in an investigation of a shooting that occurred after an altercation near Jake McCawRoad at around 7:20 p.m. on Sunday, June 4. Upon authorities’ arrival, McCarty was driven by ambulance to a field adjacent to Mt. Pisgah Bap tist Church on North Old Kibbee Road where AirE- Please see Shooter page 2A Freedom Rings In Alamo By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail.com The City of Alamo’s Volunteer Fire Department is getting ready to stage its 16 th annual Fourth of July Celebration. As is customary, the event is scheduled for a weekend prior to the national holiday, so the fireworks will be breaking across Alamo’s skies on Saturday, June 24. The festivities will begin at 2 p.m. as vendors and entertainment venues lining the park along Main Please see Alamo page 8A