Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, August 16, 2023/Page 2A
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VBOE Discusses Bus Rider Safety
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
During the business
services report at the regu
lar monthly Vidalia City
Schools Board ofEducation
meeting on August 8, Board
Member Bruce Asberry ad
dressed several calls he has
received concerning bus
rider safety
According to Asberry
many parents and commu
nity members have reached
out to him asking for help to
get a “Bus Stop Ahead” sign
placed on Montgomery
Street “Last year, I request
ed some bus signs for Mont
gomery Street [because]
let’s say you are coming
from Food World - when
you come onto Montgom
ery Street over the hill, kids
play out there while wait
ing for the bus. The drivers
don’t know that there is a
bus stop there, so I think we
should put up a sign. People
come up the road and don’t
realize it’s a bus stop, and
they almost hit the kids.
What is it going to take to
get signs there?”
Superintendent Gar
rett Wilcox reassured, “I
remember us talking about
that sign in a conversation
last year and will follow up
on it.” Asberry told Wilcox
that a sign had been placed
at the intersection, but was
placed in an area which
could not be seen by those
traveling along Montgom
ery Street.
Asberry said another
concern which constituents
have been sharing with him
involves the same area. “I
have had two phone calls
because the homeless are
beginning to come out of
the woods near there and
scare the kids,” he shared.
“I don’t know what to do
about that besides asking
for more police presence.”
Wilcox responded to
the concern. “We talked to
the City of Vidalia after one
of the parents called about
that. I actually rode through
there to see if I could see
where they were hanging
out, but we did make the
City aware of it, and they
said they would help.”
During the business
services report, Plant Op
erations Director Russell
Burkett informed the Board
that out of the 241 air con
ditioning units in school fa
cilities, only one unit is bro
ken. This unit is located at
the end of the 5th grade hall
at Sally D. Meadows Ele
mentary School, and the re
placement part was ordered
over 6 months ago. Because
of supply issues, the part is
not expected to arrive until
around September 15. “We
can only get this part from
bus drivers and a new me
chanic are now working in
the Transportation Depart
ment. He said these addi
tions have been vital to the
efficient running of the bus
system.
Assistant Superinten
dent Sandy Reid spoke to
the Board on the success of
the annual District Lead
ership Retreat, which was
held off-campus for two
days at the end of July. Ac
cording to Reid, a great
deal of vital data review was
completed during this time.
“It was very, very produc
tive,” Reid remarked. “We
talked a lot about where we
are, where we need to be,
and how to get there.”
The group underwent
numerous trainings, com
pleted their first Positive
Behavior Intervention Sys
tem (PBIS) meeting of the
year, and developed plans
for professional develop
ment and an extensive new
teacher mentoring pro
gram.
Reid said that this first
month of school has been
devoted to further under
standing of the new K-5
Core Literacy program,
which is being integrated
into classes at J.D. Dicker-
son Primary School and
Sally D. Meadows Elemen
tary School this year. Next
month, coaches from this
new curriculum will help to
train teachers in the class
room, as the school system
focuses on strengthening
the early literacy skills of
their students.
She also told the Board
that the highly-anticipated
K-12 math standards are
being rolled out across the
state, necessitating training
in the new objectives.
During the technol
ogy report, Technology
Director Sabrina Wiggs an
nounced that Senate Bill
93-A, which bans TikTok
from being used on state
devices, has been passed
in the legislature. She also
stated that she and Nutri
tion Director Denise Parson
are reviewing the Pandemic
Electronic Benefit Transfer
(PEBT) program in hopes
of discovering the reason
for a disconnect between
the state and parents. She
shared that some families
easily receive PEBT and
others struggle to access the
funds. Lastly, Wiggs told the
Board that she is working
to replace several Chrome
books using the previously
received Rural Technology
Grant.
A new public comment
board policy revision was
introduced at the meet
ing. This revision will allow
members of the public to
sign up to address the board
on topics related to the
meeting agenda at least 15
minutes before the meeting.
The full overview of these
proposed changes is avail
able for review on the dis
trict website. The final vote
on the revision will be held
at next month’s meeting.
Several personnel
changes were approved dur
ing the meeting, including
the retirement of OnDraya
Davis, nutrition worker, and
the hirings of Raymond L.
Bentley, JROTC Instruc
tor; Carla Carmouche, bus
driver, Albert White, me
chanic/substitute bus driv
er; Raymond Collins, bus
driver; and Ciera Stokes,
bus driver.
Several pieces of equip
ment were purchased for
the school system using
Special Local Option Sales
Tax (SPLOST) funding.
This equipment includes a
double fryer set, purchased
for $29,463.70; a double
kettle set, purchased for
$31,399.42 for J.R. Trippe
Middle School; and a com
bination oven/steamer for
J.D. Dickerson Primary
School for $31,046.75.
^ \j\X)0 KU Solution ’ page 12A
Fun By The
Numbers
Like puzzles?
Then you’ll love
sudoku. This
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puzzle will have
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the moment you
square off, so
sharpen your
pencil and put
your sudoku
savvy to the test!
Level; intermediate
Here’s How It Works:
Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine
3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each
row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row,
column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will
appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The
more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
7
3
1
5
9
4
6
5
9
4
5
2
7
1
8
3
9
0
4
8
1
2
3
8
1
DETOURING TRAVELERS - The waterline replacement project has detoured many citi
zens from their usual routes, as workers dig to replace waterlines under the roadway.
Waterline Project Detours Travelers
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Many citizens have
been detoured from their
usual daily routes in Vidalia
because of an ongoing wa
terline replacement project
which begins on McIntosh
Street near Highway 292,
stretches across Highway
280, and goes down Adams
Street.
The project is a part of
the City of Vidalia’s efforts
to solve the former brown
water issue that surfaced
in 2021. Outdated and di
lapidated pipes will be re
placed with new ones, as
the City continues to work
to improve water condi
tions and metering. At the
City Council meeting on
Monday, August 14, City
Manager Nick Overstreet
informed the Council that
the project is ahead of
schedule and is expected
to be completed within the
next few months.
Affected areas of travel
in the remainder of the
project will be First Av
enue, Durden Street, and
West 6th Street.
ONLINE
Got a complaint? Got a
compliment? Call Your
Mind On Line at 537-6397
and let us know what's
on your mind. Quotes are
printed exactly as they are
called in and are not nec
essarily factual, but rather,
callers' opinions. Libelous,
slanderous, personal at
tacks, and unfounded ac
cusatory or lengthy com
ments will not be printed.
Two calls per week per
caller, and calls should
not exceed 30 seconds,
please.
“Let me get this
straight. Stacy Abrams
said her gubernato
rial loss to Governor
Kemp was rigged
and she did not pub
licly concede. Repre
sentative John Lewis
said that Mr, Trump's
election as president
was illegitimate. Con
gresswoman Nancy
Pelosi proclaimed
that the Trump elec
tion was illegal. Now
Mr, Trump is being
prosecuted for saying
that he believed the
2020 election was
tainted. Geeezzz,
God better bless
America."
“The local price of
a gallon of gas
dropped dramati
cally today from $3.58
to $3.49. Three weeks
ago a gallon was
$2.91. At the end of
the last presidential
administration a gal
lon of gas was $1.79."
“Don’t go to
Walmart on Monday
morning. We were
there around 11:00,
and they had 2 cash
registers open. There
were 7 to 9 people in
each line. We stood
in line for over 30 min
utes to get checked
out. If I want to use
self checkout, I'll go
somewhere to get a
discount to do my
own loading and
paying. Walmart
needs to wake up."
“Walmart has all
their employees get
ting orders together
for people who get
all the good parking
places. The handi
capped people
don't have enough
parking, but there's
plenty for the people
picking up."
“Why can’t y’all
leave President Biden
alone? Like him or
hate him, you have
to admit he's proba
bly the smartest dem
ocrat in the country."
“The city should
put a caution light
where Sharpe Rd.
and Adams St. com
bine. Someone will
be hurt or killed there.
It's a dangerous inter
section."
“Tuesday night was
a great night at Ruby
Tuesday's. Kudos to
the chef. Our steaks
were super delicious,
the salad bar was
fresh and refilled of
ten, and the waitress
was overworked but
always smiling,
friendly and very effi
cient."
“If Biden gets
elected in 2024, we
need to erase United
States of America off
Air Force 1 and
change it to Biden,
Inc., because the
Bidens are using it for
a corporate jet to fur
ther their business."
“Local businesses,
please train your front
line staff to not refer
to customers as
sweety, honey, baby,
or any of the like. It's
extremely disrespect
ful and demeaning to
their elders, and it's
extremely unprofes
sional."
“Hats off to the the
Downtown Vidalia Di
rector. The touch-a-
truck was a great
event for our town.
We have something
special here in our
City."
one manufacturer, so we are
doing the best we can to fix
this as fast as possible,” he
emphasized.
In addition, Burkett
told the Board that new
MoCo
continued from page 1A
he explained. “The Com
missioners voted to accept
this rollback, and to use
money from the General
Fund for any deficit that
may remain in the budget.”
This acceptance of the
rollback rate cancels all
previously planned tax in
crease meetings, as there
will be no official tax in
crease within the county.
Commissioners will con-
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