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Crowds Flock to Alamo FireworksiDisplay Seepage 2B The Vidalia Advance Established 1901 The Lyons Progress Established 1894 Vol. 126 No. 27 Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia July 5, 2023 Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. - Thomas A. Edison News BYTES 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, July 8. The event will feature live music, food trucks, games, and more. For more in formation, call the DVA at (912) 537- 7661. Statewide Bible Reading Montgomery, Toombs, and Wheeler Counties will all hold Bible Reading ceremo nies at their respec tive county court houses on Friday, July 14, as a part of the Georgia State wide Bible Reading Day. The event will begin at 7:14 a.m., and each county will read differing biblical passages. Warm Feet for Warriors 1st Franklin Financial will be accepting all colors and sizes of new socks in original packaging for U.S. troops and veterans until November 30. These socks may be dropped off at any surrounding area lo cation of 1st Franklin Financial, including the Vidalia office, which is located at 1100 East First Street. IN THIS ISSUE Editorials Page 6A Obituaries Page 4A 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! SheriffMay bin Issues Public Warning By Montgomery County Sheriff Doug Maybin OFFICIAL PUBLIC WARNING - Montgomery County Sheriff Doug May- bin has issued a public warning regarding the usage of drugs within the county, specifically fentanyl. He shared four recent arrests within the county involving the substance, including a drug raid that oc curred within a traffic stop in Higgston on June 8, As your Sheriff, I am issuing a PUBLIC WARNING to all citizens of Montgomery County Illegal drugs are crossing the US, Georgia, and Montgomery County borders at an alarming rate. I am greatly concerned about the movement of these drugs into our County This warning is applicable to ALL citi zens and especially to those individuals who use illegal drugs, sell illegal drugs, or who maybe exposed to these drugs in anyway Almost ALL Montgomery County drug arrests made over the past few months have been laced with Fentanyl. Fentanyl is one of the most dangerous and lethal drugs in use today as it can be absorbed through the skin, inhaled, or ingested in numerous ways. The smallest amount is enough to be fatal. Law enforcement officers receive specialized training regarding the dangers presented by Fentanyl presence, use, and exposure and even with this intensive training, there have been many near fatal Please see Warning page 3A Kibbee Shooter Arrested Identity of Fatal Accident Victim Still a Mystery By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com The victim of a fatal ac cident on Thompson Pond Road in Montgomery Coun ty has not yet been identified by the Georgia State Patrol (GSP). According to the GSP, the agency was dispatched to a single-vehicle accident along the roadway on June 23. Upon arrival, officers found a deceased adult male driver of the vehicle, and an adult woman and child in need of medical attention. These two remaining passengers were transported to Memorial Health Meadows Hospital for further treatment. Troopers determined the victim to be the driver of the vehicle and believe the acci dent was caused by excessive speed and alcohol. GSP is continuing to in vestigate the accident. By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail. com The Georgia Bureau of In vestigation (GBI) has arrested and charged Hunter Blake Kersey, 27, of Montgomery County with malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault in connection to the agency’s investigation of a June 4 shooting. On Sunday, June 4, at around 7:20 p.m., the GBI was requested by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office in refer ence to a shooting that occurred near Jake McCaw Road. The victim was identified as Mason McCarty, 23, of Vidalia, and was taken to the hospital, where he later died. During the investigation, law enforcement determined that McCarty and Kersey were involved in a confrontation when the shooting occurred. Previously, Kersey claimed that he acted in self-defense, but af ter further inquiry into the case, the GBI has found evidence to Please see Arrest page 3A Loving Lyons Asks For Community Support By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com Loving Lyons and Beyond, a local nonprofit organization, invited mem bers of the community to a luncheon to discuss the need for community sup port on Tuesday, June 27. “We serve those who serve - we serve others who serve others,” Lov ing Lyons Founder Joseph Akins emphasized about the charity during the lun cheon. The organization was first formed in 2020, when Akins, a pastor at Faith As sembly of God in Lyons, was looking for ways to serve others in the com munity. “It began as [just] Loving Lyons - that was the name of our church’s local ministries,” he ex plained. “We’ve been do ing this for 4-5 years. We have been officially orga nized for 3 years, but just became a 501c3 organiza tion within the past few months.” The first logo included the colors for both Robert Toombs Christian Acad emy and Toombs County Schools to show the orga nization’s pride for their city. Yet, as time went on, Loving Lyons began to branch out past the city limits. “We are proud to be from Lyons, but we live in Toombs County. We love Please see Lyons page 4A Photo By: Makaylee Randolph IMPACTED BY SERVING - Loving Lyons and Beyond Board Chairwoman Ta- batha Nobles said she first became involved with the group after experienc ing their acts of service, as they provided staff and students at Lyons Upper Elementary School with a new pair of shoes during her time as principal.