The Advance

The Advance The Advance is the major community newspaper serving Toombs, Montgomery and Wheeler Counties and the surrounding area!

Treutlen Schools Introduce Anonymous Reporting SystemBeginning this school year, Treutlen County Schools is offering par...
08/06/2026

Treutlen Schools Introduce Anonymous Reporting System

Beginning this school year, Treutlen County Schools is offering parents and students the ability to anonymously report safety concerns, threats, bullying, or a student who may need extra support.According to Superintendent Susan Stone, this new reporting system comes as a result of House Bill 268, requires all Georgia public schools to implement an anonymous school safety reporting system. This system provides...

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Nalley Presented State ResolutionVidalia Heritage Academy Class of 2026 and Southeastern Technical College Emergency Man...
08/05/2026

Nalley Presented State Resolution

Vidalia Heritage Academy Class of 2026 and Southeastern Technical College Emergency Management Technician (EMT) Graduate Anna Nalley was recently recognized for her work to become a nationally registered EMT before graduating from high school, as State Representative Leesa Hagan presented her with an official resolution from the House of Representatives. Nalley completed the EMT program this past Spring, after beginning the program at only 17 years old. She turned 18 years old in March, and worked to juggle enjoying her last semester of high school with EMT classes, clinical hours, studying, and more. Nalley became a nationally registered EMT on May 11, before graduating from Vidalia Heritage Academy on May 23. Nalley is currently working with the Emanuel County EMS – the very same department where...

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Public Outcry Heard: Amended Neighborhood Overlay Ordinance Draft ReleasedThe City of Vidalia has listened to the concer...
08/05/2026

Public Outcry Heard: Amended Neighborhood Overlay Ordinance Draft Released

The City of Vidalia has listened to the concerns of numerous citizens who voiced their opinions at the recent public forum, spoke with their city councilman, or submitted their input on the new neighborhood overlay ordinance to City Manager Josh Beck, as a new neighborhood overlay ordinance draft was recently released by the City. The Neighborhood Overlay Ordinance was first proposed during the July 13 meeting of the Vidalia City Council, when the Council completed the first reading of the ordinance draft that would add a new section to the City’s current zoning ordinance, allowing neighborhood residents to petition to become a neighborhood...

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08/04/2026

Stop the presses...it's Coffee Before Hours time!

We're bringing this month's networking event to The Advance! Start your morning with fresh coffee, great conversations, and a chance to see where our local stories come to life.

Come make the news with us!

Bateson Named Forestry Teacher of the YearWheeler County Middle/High School Agriculture Teacher and Future Farmers of Am...
07/29/2026

Bateson Named Forestry Teacher of the Year

Wheeler County Middle/High School Agriculture Teacher and Future Farmers of America (FFA) Adviser Les Bateson was honored for his dedication to teaching students about Georgia’s forests and timber, as he was recently named the Georgia Forestry Teacher of the Year. Every year, the Georgia Forestry Foundation partners with Huber Engineered Woods to recognize a middle or high school agriculture teacher that works diligently to ensure that students recognize the importance of forestry within the state, as well as the many facets associated with the timber industry...

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Class Returns to SessionLocal Districts’ Hopes for Upcoming School YearSoon, school buses will scurry through the area, ...
07/29/2026

Class Returns to Session
Local Districts’ Hopes for Upcoming School Year

Soon, school buses will scurry through the area, as classes resume and students begin the 2026/2027 school year. In preparation for the school year’s official beginning, local superintendents and heads of schools discussed what they are most excited about in the upcoming year.Wheeler County Schools students will return to the classroom first, as the District’s doors open to students on Friday, July 31. Superintendent Alex Alvarez said that there are no major changes at the district this year, and that he is hoping to continue to ensure our students win in classroom, on the playing field, and in life.When asked what he felt like the District’s biggest accomplishment of the 2025/2026, Alvarez said...

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07/29/2026

Thursday Shooting Takes Two Young Lives

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is investigating a shooting that took the lives of two young people on Thursday, July 23. At around 6:14 p.m. on Thursday, the Toombs County 911 Dispatch was informed by a caller that shots had been fired inside a residence at the Raymonia Apartments complex, located in the 1000 block of Easter Drive in Vidalia. Upon arrival, Vidalia police officers found Xzavier Elijah Andrews, 20, and Za’Mariyah Nicole Robinson, 17, both of Vidalia, unresponsive in the home with apparent gunshot wounds. The couple was pronounced dead at the scene. The Vidalia Police Department requested the GBI’s help in the investigation, and both Andrews’ and Robinson’s bodies were...

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Citizens Share Concerns For County’s FutureDuring the Toombs County Commission meeting on July 21, several citizens addr...
07/29/2026

Citizens Share Concerns For County’s Future

During the Toombs County Commission meeting on July 21, several citizens addressed the commissioners about their concerns for the future of the County, as they asked the Commissioners to help protect the area from data centers. Citizen Sara Brown began the discussion, as she shared a letter about her concerns with the Commissioners. In the letter, Brown applauds the leaders for their proactive action of adopting a Cryptocurrency and Data Mining Ordinance, which placed some criteria for these facilities, in 2024, but asked the Commissioners to consider two questions when thinking about the future.“Do you believe our current land use regulations are sufficient to prepare Toombs County for future large-scale developments, such as AI and cloud data centers, utility-scale solar projects, and other industries that may come our way? Has the Commission already begun having conversations about whether additional planning measures...

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Georgia Power Answers Questions On New LineOver fifty Georgia Power employees and representatives spoke to the community...
07/23/2026

Georgia Power Answers Questions On New Line

Over fifty Georgia Power employees and representatives spoke to the community during two information sessions on Thursday, July 16, as they worked to answer the public’s questions about the new Hatch-Wadley Transmission Line Construction. In recent months, residents on the eastern side of Toombs County received notification that Georgia Power was intending to gain access to the citizens’ land through eminent domain law to construct a high-voltage power transmission line, which will run from Plant Hatch through Toombs, Emanuel, and Jefferson Counties to the Wadley substation. The project stretches 75 miles, and uses extremely high voltage lines, sending around 500 kV of power through these lines.“We are very, very early on in the process,” Georgia Power Representative Joshua Peacock remarked. “They’re still doing surveying. So, we have not even approached or completely finalized the line yet.” He explained that currently, the company is working to engage with parcel owners that they...

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Vidalia Proposes Neighborhood OrdinanceDuring their meeting on Monday, July 13, the Vidalia City Council officially comp...
07/22/2026

Vidalia Proposes Neighborhood Ordinance

During their meeting on Monday, July 13, the Vidalia City Council officially completed the first reading of a newly proposed ordinance that would allow neighborhoods to create overlay districts to add guidelines on the properties within the neighborhoods. This new ordinance would add a new section to the City’s current zoning ordinance, allowing neighborhood residents to petition to become a neighborhood overlay district to preserve their distinctive patterns of development, lot arrangement, walkability, building scale, civic or cultural character, historic or architectural features, and/or other characteristics through additional guidelines and rules. These neighborhood overlay districts may be used to encourage compatible development, redevelopment, reinvestment, and more of the neighborhood. Neighborhood overlay districts can dictate several standards on: Building placement, setbacks, height, massing, and scaleLot width, lot coverage, lot configuration, subdivision, and recombination Parking location, driveway placement, access, and screening...

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