The Advance. (Vidalia, Ga.) 2003-current, October 27, 2021, Image 1

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The Advance., October 27, 2021, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextBefore you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes. —Jack Handey News BYTES Firearms Course A free firearms course for women will be sponsored by the Vidalia Police Department. A class will be held on Thursday, November 4, at 6 p.m., at the police station, with range practice on Saturday, November 6, and Saturday, November 13, from 9 a.m. to noon. Applications are due by November 1. For more information, visit vidaliaga.gov/ police/page/taking-it- streets. Trick or Treat in Lyons Trick of Treat will be held in Lyons on Saturday, October 30, 6 until 8 p.m. visit the downtown merchants with skeletons on their buildings for treats. Trunk or Treat in Alamo The City of Alamo is sponsoring a Trunk or Treat event on Saturday, October 30, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. in the Alamo Flower Garden. Spooktacular Trail in Vidalia The Spooktacular Trail will wind its way through downtown Vidalia on Thursday, October 28, from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. Enter only on Durden Street and exit only on Leader Street. Neighborhood trick or treating will be held in Vidalia on Saturday, October 30, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. ConnectHER November 8 ConnectHer, a Gathering for Women, will be held November 16 at the Vidalia Community Center, 4 until 7 p.m. Tickets are $45 and registrations are due by November 8. Call the Greater Vidalia Chamber at 912-537-4466. IN THIS ISSUE Editorials Page 5A Obituaries Page 7A From the Record Page 8A Your Mind On Line Page 9A Sports Page 1 B SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 30% OFF NEWSSTAND PRICES! Call 537-3131 (or delivery! Voters Go to the Polls November 2 Vidalia Mayor’s Race, Lyons Council Seat Up for Grabs; Liquor Referendum in Alamo By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail.com Editor’s Note: In to day’s edition of The Ad vance, profiles for candi dates facing opposition begin on page 4A. Voters will visit the polls next Tuesday to decide the winners in the Vidalia Mayor’s race and in the contest for the Ward 2 seat on the Ly ons City Council, and a liquor referendum is up for a vote in Alamo. Oth erwise, barring write-in votes, not much action is expected across the area because no other candi dates face opposition this time around. In the City ofVidalia, candidates qualified for the posts of Mayor, two City Council seats and two School Board posts. Candidates qualified for three spots on the Lyons City Council and two at- large seats on the Santa Claus City Council. In Montgomery County, incumbents were unop- Gregory Johnson posed and in the City of Alamo in Wheeler Coun ty, three incumbents face no opposition, but a li quor referendum is on the ballot. Vidalia Mayor’s Race Vidalia Mayor Doug Roper is opposed by former Ward 2 Council man Gregory Johnson. Roper, a branch man ager for Vidalia Federal Savings Bank, defeated Gregory Johnson on No vember 3, 2020, to fill the unexpired term of Ron nie Dixon, who passed away on April 1, 2020. Roper resigned his Ward 1 seat on the Vidalia City School Board to run for Doug Roper Mayor. Andy Blount was appointed to fill Roper’s unexpired term on the School Board. Johnson, a local business owner, stepped down from his City Council seat to seek the Mayor’s post, and a spe cial election was held on March 16, 2021, to fill his unexpired term. Jennifer Evans, Transportation Manager for Operations at DOT Foods, defeated local businesswoman Carmela Spikes-Williams to win this race. Evans has qualified to seek re-elec tion and is unopposed. Vidalia City Council, School Board Cathy Benton Local businessman Cecil Thompson, who has held his Ward 1 seat since 2002, is unopposed in his bid for reelection. Vidalia City School Board Ward 2 represen tative Tim Truxel, Board Chair, and the Ward 4 representative Hal Chesser are unopposed. The Board of Education consists of five board members who are elected to four-year terms of of fice and represent con stituents in the four city wards with one member at-large. Lyons City Council In Lyons, four people qualified to seek three Sonja Eason posts on the Lyons City Council. The incumbents in the Ward 1 and 4 Coun cil seats, Tracy Johnson and John E. Moore, re spectively, are unop posed. The incumbent in the Council 2 chair, Sonja Eason, is facing a former opponent from a 2020 race in which the voting margin was razor-thin. Eason qualified to run for the Ward 2 seat and will be facing a rematch with Cathy Benton. Eason narrowly de feated Benton in a June 9, 2020, bid for the Coun cil seat with 101 votes Please see Vote page 4A MoCo Schools Achieve Perfect Graduation Score By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com The Montgomery County School System has of ficially achieved a 100% gradu ation rate, mak ing it the highest graduation rate within the Geor gia High School Association (GHSA) Class A- Public Region 4. Only 13 schools in the state have 100% gradua- tion rates so Montgomery County joins an elite group within the state. The achievement, which reflects the 2020-2021 graduation statistics, was announced on October 21 by Mont gomery County High School Princi pal Scott Barrow. “We have an awesome commu nity here in Montgomery County. We call them our ‘Eagle Fam ily,”’ Barrow explained. “Ev eryone, from the time the students step on the bus and see their bus driver’s face, to the custodial team, the nu trition team, and the teach ers and sup port team, understands the importance of graduating from high school.” Barrow said it is the competitive nature of the students that motivat- Please see MCHS page 3A Lawnmower-Vehicle Mishap Claims Life of Lyons Woman A 79-year-old woman was killed last week when a lawn mower she was riding was struck by a vehicle traveling south on Johnson Corner Road. A news release from the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office reported that Joanne Martin Rolen of Lyons was pronounced deceased at the scene. The mishap occurred on Tuesday, October 19, around 7:27 p.m. Based on preliminary information gathered by responding officers, it appears Rolen was struck by a vehicle while turning around in the roadway after retrieving her mail from a mailbox at the side of the road. The accident has been turned over to the Georgia State Patrol for further investigation. Photo by Deborah Clark FOCUS MEETING—Members of the Governor's Rural Strike Team met recently in Vidalia to hear from area representatives on economic development challenges within their communities, From left are Strike Team mem bers Scott Purvis and Darrell Moore and Executive Direc tor Brian Marlowe. Stale’s Rural Strike learn Holds Inaugural Session in Vidalia By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail.com The Governor’s Rural Strike team, which held its inaugural session in Vi dalia recently, heard from representatives of several area counties about their specific economic develop ment needs. The meeting was the first of many that will be held in rural com munities across the state in the next few weeks and was intended to bring the team and members of a regional focus group face-to-face to discuss how to facilitate growth their communities. The meeting came as Georgia was declared the top state in the nation in which to do business for the eighth year in a row. “Thanks to our nation leading workforce devel opment efforts, resilient job creators, and strong Please see Strike page 2A ELECTION DAY NOV 2 VOTE EARLY TODAY