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Day • Nov. 11 lire The Vidalia Advance Established 1901 The Lyons Progress Established 1894 NATIONAL COPD AWARENESS MONTH See Healthlines 13A Vol. 126 No. 45 Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia 75$ November 8, 2023 “Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility.” - Eleanor Roosevelt News BYTES Color Walk Altamaha Down Syndrome Society will be hosting its annual walk to raise awareness and accep tance for special needs on Saturday, November 11. The Uniquely Me: Coloring the World with Kindness color walk will be held at 11 a.m. at the Montgom ery County Recreation De partment. Registration is $15 and includes a t-shirt. For more information, con tact Stacie Randolph at (912) 253-3356. Veterans Day Luncheon The Downtown Vidalia As sociation will host its an nual Veterans Day Lun cheon on Friday, Novem ber 10, to celebrate those who served in the armed forces. The evenf will be held beginning af 11 a.m. af fhe Vidalia Communify Center. For more informa tion, call Tonya Parker at (912) 537-0833. Veterans Day Program The Vidalia High School SoundTribe will honor those who have served in the armed forces at their Vet erans day Program, which will be held at 9:30 a.m. at the school's Parsons Reid Gymnasium on Friday, No vember 10. Porchfest Vidalia Porchfest will cele brate music, art, and com munity in the Jackson Heights neighborhood in Vidalia on Saturday, No vember 18, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. The event is free and will feature live music and artisan crafts. For more information, con tact the Altama Museum of Art & History at (912) 537-1911. 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! “God Woke Me Up” Stanley Family Finds Hope in the Rubble By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail. com Brian, Heather, and the Stanley fam ily narrowly escaped a disastrous situation last Monday, October 30, after their home caught fire two separate times. The family is now working to spread a message of hope and generosity in the midst of the rubble. “God woke me up,” the couple’s 14-year- old son Stone Smith emphasized about the fire, which began on the porch outside of his bedroom. “I’m pretty sure I was asleep - or at least almost asleep - and I heard stuff that sounded like footsteps and some crackling outside my room. So, I got up and looked out to where the porch was, and I could see the fire. So, I went across the house and got them.” While 7 of the couple’s 8 children were off at college or staying with family, Stone, Brian and Heather were the only ones home. The couple had previously gone to bed and would have never known about the blaze had Stone not felt conviction to get up Please see Fire page 2A SECOND FIRE - It was the second fire, which ignited around 6 a.m. on October 30, that caused the most damage to the home and vehicles. Choosing Freedom: A Hungarian Family's Escape From Communism Photo by Makaylee Randolph LEAVING THEIR HOMELAND - Kinga Ferrara told the at tendees of the Vidalia Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution that her family's decision to leave Hungary was very difficult, but necessary to evade the torture and destruction which the Russians inflicted on the area after World War II. By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com First-generation American Dr. Kinga Fer rara spoke to the Vidalia Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolu tion (DAR) at their recent meeting on Wednesday, November 1, about life be- Please see DAR page 1OA 4 Murder Suspects Indicted by Grand Jury By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com The Toombs County Grand Jury reconvened on October 24 as a continu ation of the August 2023 term, and returned 22 true bills, including 4 indict ments for 2 local murder cases. Suspects were indicted in the murders of John To- mason and Ricky Martin Burkett, which both oc curred in 2022. The in dicted men and women will now enter their plea of Please see Jury page 10A Glenwood Man Charged in Shooting By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail.com The Georgia Bureau of Investi gation has arrested Paul Dixon, 68, of Glenwood and charged him with one count of aggravated assault fol lowing an incident on October 21 in which one person was shot. Dixon was booked into the Wheeler Coun ty Jail, posted a $20,000 bond, and has been released pending his first appearance in court. The arrest followed the GBI’s probe of a domestic dispute be- Please see Shooting page 12A Historic Petition Filed in Montgomery County Photo by Makaylee Randolph PRESENTING THE PETITION - Members and supporters of the Informed Citi zens Coalition gathered within the Montgomery County Probate Court Office on Monday, November 6, to file the County's first-ever Citizens Initiative Petition for a Ballot Measure. By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com Montgomery County expe rienced a historic moment on Monday morning, November 6, as members of the Informed Citizens Coalition gathered at the Mont gomery County Courthouse to file the County’s first-ever Citizens Ini tiative Petition For A Ballot Mea sure to have the Floating Home- Please see MoCo page 4A