Newspaper Page Text
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The ADVANCE, August 16, 2023/Page 12A
ALL RISE - Four students from Montgomery County Middle/High School helped to open
the Grand Jury Proceedings with the Pledge of Allegiance on Monday, August 14, L
to R: Evelyn Mezquititla, Dominique Jackson, Ayla Hardeman, Gabby Nelms, District
Attorney Tim Vaughn, Sheriff Doug Maybin.
Amber
continued from page 7A
He said, “This is a
friendly hand symbol that
means, ‘thank you,’ or
‘things are great.’”
But things are not great
there now. The death toll
is in the nineties now, and
there are hundreds who are
unaccounted for — who
may never be accounted
for. The search for bodies
continues, and no doubt,
the final count of fatali
ties will be even more soul
crushing.
As for the survivors,
what’s left for them? They
have been left homeless,
and since most employ
ment revolved around the
tourism industry, I suppose
most have also lost their
means to support their
families. Some have noth
ing but the clothes on their
backs. My heart aches and
breaks for them.
As for the beauty, well,
this paradise has been lost.
It will take years and years
to recover and rebuild. And
it will take a lot of resourc
es.
So many of us have vis
ited Hawaii, and the Maui
people in particular have
been so hospitable — shar
ing their island with us and
taking care of us while we
are there. It’s our turn to
extend some Southern love
and generosity to these
people who have showered
us with kindness and island
spirit. If you are the praying
type, I ask you to send up
some prayers for the peo
ple of Maui. They’ll need
a lot. As for me, I’m also
sending a donation today.
If you want to help finan
cially, too, please consider
donating to the Hawaii
Community Foundation’s
Maui Strong Fund (www.
hawaiicommunityfounda-
tion.org/maui-strong).
Mahalo!
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Photo by Makaylee Randolph
YARD OF THE MONTH - The City of Lyons Code Enforcement Officer Chris Failla has se
lected the city's first Yard of the Month award, which honors those who work diligently
to ensure their portion of the city has excellent curb appeal. These winners received a
gift certificate to a restaurant in town, and will display a sign in their yard for a month.
Lto R: Chris Failla, Lisa Oliver, Drayton Oliver.
Allen
continued from page 5A
on this level of teaching
them to read to get there.”
At Montgomery
County Elementary
School, Allen spoke with a
group of students about the
influence that his teachers
had on him during his time
in school. He said one of
the teachers with the most
impact on him was a mid
dle school teacher, Mrs.
Ward, who encouraged
him to take his time and do
his best on his work. “She
told me that she thought
I was one of the smartest
kids in the class -1 was just
bored,” he reminisced. “It
completely changed how
I viewed school. I went on
to be in the Top 10 of my
class, and it was because of
teachers like her.”
The students told Al
len about their favorite
things about school, and
even discussed the types of
books which they enjoyed.
Superintendent Stan
Rentz commented on the
event. ’’Congressman Allen
said it’s important that chil
dren learn to read by the
third grade, noting, ‘If a stu
dent can't read proficiently
by the third grade, there a
great possibility that they
won’t graduate from high
school, and if they don’t
graduate from high school,
there’s an 85% chance they
will live the rest of their
lives in poverty.’”
“Thank you all for what
you do,” Allen shared. “My
mom and dad were in edu
cation - my dad was a farm
er and then got involved in
education later in life, but
my mom was a librarian
ever since I can remem
ber. So, I heard those talks
around the kitchen table at
night about what they were
dealing with back then, and
I can’t imagine what you’re
dealing with now.”
The books are now
available for students to
check out at each school li
brary, and are marked with
an official stamp denoting
that the books were do
nated from the Library of
Congress inventory.
Call 537-3131
When You See News Happen
GREATER
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GREAT OPPORTUNITIES TO
PROMOTE & GROW
YOUR BUSINESS
COMING SOON!
As the Greater Vidalia® region continues to grow,
the business community is leading the way - and the
Chamber remains hard at work advocating for busi
ness needs and offering support for organizations of
all sizes. But, we can’t continue this work without your
involvement.
Our annual REACH program begins in September.
Volunteers will be reaching out to organizations like
yours with opportunities to enhance your visibility
while aiding our work on your behalf throughout the
coming year. We only conduct this program once an
nually, which means this is your one opportunity to
take advantage of marketing opportunities for 2024.
If your company would like to participate, contact
Dana Brown at danab@greatervidaliachamber.com
to make sure a volunteer contacts you during REACH!
Working for business,
Debbie Evans
Executive Vice President
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