Newspaper Page Text
Celebrate
endings—for
they precede new
beginnings.”
-Jonathan Huie
News
BYTES
Legislative
Luncheon
The Greater Vidalia
Chamber will host
its annual Legisla
tive Luncheon at
11:30 a.m. on Thurs
day, January 4, at
the First Baptist
Church in Lyons.
The event will fea
ture addresses by
State Senator Blake
Tillery, State Repre
sentative Leesa
Hagan, and Geor
gia Labor Commis
sioner Bruce
Thompson. Tickets
are available for
$45 each, and may
be purchased by
calling the Cham
ber at (912) 537-
4466.
Flu Vaccines
Flu and Covid vac
cines are available
by walk-in or ap
pointment at the
Toombs County
Health Department,
located at 714
Northwest Broad
Street in Lyons. Call
1 (855) 473-4374 for
more information or
hours.
Free Phones
Free Phones are
available for
Veterans on
December 21, at
302 Hwy. 280E,
Vidalia. Sponsors
are DAV, Red Barn/
American Legion.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 6A
Your Mind On Line Page 8A
Sports Page 1 B
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Builds Solid Foundation for
Progress in the New Year
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
The past year has witnessed a whirlwind
of activity throughout the area — rang
ing from a movie premiere, to unrest over
tax assessments, to leadership changes, to
major construction and development proj
ects. While there were issues that continue
to present challenges and are still being
addressed, overall 2023 was a year of great
achievement and growth in community re
lations and development, academics, health
care, and more that built a solid foundation
for a new year of progress.
Toombs County
It was another year full of growth,
change, and new sights, events, and even
personnel in Vidalia and Lyons.
Hollywood came to the county early in
the year, as Blue Lightning, which starred
Quinton Aaron of The Blind Side, pre
miered at the historic Blue Marquee Theatre
in Lyons. Aaron also became a familiar sight
to those in Toombs County, as he remained
in Vidalia for several months to record his
very first album, which will be released at a
later date.
The Toombs County Courthouse con
struction was completed, and offices are
continuing to settle into the new facility.
Also, the Vidalia City Hall moved complete
ly into the Vidalia Municipal Annex, which
Please see 2023 page 9A
Toombs County
Grand Jury
Indicts 30
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
The Toombs County
Grand Jury met on Monday,
December 11, to discuss 30
bills of indictment, all of
which were ruled true bills.
These indicted individuals
will now begin the process
of entering their pleas of
“guilty” or “not guilty” to
the court to continue the
formal trial and/or sentenc
ing process.
Airion Donquavious
Johnson and Sharmesa Di
anna Richards were both
charged on counts of bur
glary in the first degree and
arson in the first degree for
Please see Indictments
page 5A
Shooting Victim
Found at Hospital
Courtesy of the Vidalia Police
Department
Both the Vidalia Police
Department (VPD) and
Georgia Bureau of Investiga
tion (GBI) are investigating
a shooting which law en
forcement were alerted to af
ter a shooting victim arrived
at the local emergency room.
According to VPD, Sa-
vahna Rashona Chamblee,
18, of Soperton, arrived at
the Memorial Health Mead
ows Hospital by private ve
hicle at around 1:56 p.m.
on Tuesday, December 19.
Medical workers prompt
ly alerted the authorities,
who arrived and discov
ered Chamblee was suffer
ing from a single gunshot
wound.
Chamblee was flown out
by AirEvac to the Memorial
Health University Medical
Center in Savannah for fur
ther medical treatment and
is continuing to receive care
in that facility.
The VPD contacted
Please see Victim page 4A
Artifact Returned
To Its Proper Place
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
RETURNING A RELIC - Attorney Charles Andrew has displayed a his
toric mirror from the old Governor's Mansion in his law office for sev
eral years but is now returning the piece to its proper place.
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
The historic location of the
Law Offices of Reid Threlkeld and
Charles Andrew will soon have a
new owner and tenant, as local law
yers Rizza and Daniel O’Connor
have purchased the property to
transform it into their home. Yet,
as many of the historic relics in
the building travel to other loca
tions with Threlkeld and Andrew,
one historic relic will return to its
proper place.
“Part of this is factual history
and part of it is family lore,” An
drew explained. “The factual histo
ry of the mirror is that the Gover
nor’s Mansion was in Milledgeville
from around 1836-1864. Sherman
started coming then, rampaging
with his nasty horde burning all
of the government buildings -
county courthouses, Governor’s
mansions, state capitols - all of
that stuff in Georgia. Governor
Please see Artifact page 5A
