The Dougherty County Credit Union was the site of an afternoon robbery and the search is on for the man that committed the armed robbery. The robber is described as a black man who wore a USAF ball cap, gray pants-olive green T-shirt and dog tags. He got away with an undetermined amount of cash. No injuries were reported and the FBI is investigating the federal incident.
64 year old Earl Bridges and his 58 year old wife Wanda were arrested in Albany and drug agents found Xanax, hydrocodone a handgun a substance that could possibly be heroin and cash. A monkey and two dogs were also found. The couple was asleep when the raid on their home took place and they now face multiple charges.
A Carroll County mid-air collision of two small airplanes has caused the deaths of three people. One of the planes was register to a College Park location and the other to a Carroll County flight school. Witnesses reported that the planes entered the landing area at the same time. The non-controlled airport had no working air traffic control tower.
Officials in LaGrange, Georgia report that a 14 year old boy intentionally stepped in front of an oncoming CSX train and was killed. Emergency braking was applied and a derailment occurred. Railroad officials say that the train was traveling from Birmingham to Waycross with five locomotives pulling 113 loaded cars and 18 cars were empty.
Disabled veterans are a priority for Leadership Lowndes ad a fundraising effort is underway to assist the vets in need. A Hero’s Ride-motorcycle rally and dice run begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at the South Lowndes Recreation Complex. Registration includes breakfast for the 62 mile trip to North Florida.
Authors from around the region will convene in Valdosta for the Snake Nation Press Authors Roundup. A full slate of activities have been scheduled throughout the day Saturday September 10th. The kickoff event starts with opening ceremonies at 10 a.m. Authors will read portions of their works then sign and discuss them. The Authors Roundup takes place at the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts at 527 North Patterson. For more information call 229-444-5191. Admission is free.
On Saturday, Sept. 10, a collaboration of the City of Valdosta, Lowndes County, Valdosta Main Street and the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority will host Real Heroes—Celebrating our First Responders and Military. Citizens are invited to bring their lawn chairs and blankets to this outdoor family movie night, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on the lawn behind the historic courthouse on Valley Street. The event will feature the PG movie Max, about a highly-trained military service dog who transitions into family life. The event is free of charge; however, concessions will be available for purchase on site. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
On Sunday, Sept. 11, beginning at 8:45 a.m., the Valdosta Fire Department will host a moment of silence in remembrance of those who lost their lives that day 15 years ago and in honor of the continued efforts of public safety professionals. The brief event will take place at Valdosta Fire Station #1, located at 106 S. Oak Street and will include a community prayer, a moment of silence and a ringing of the fire bell.
The City of Valdosta Public Works Department has all hands on deck to pick up the enormous amount of debris that was left behind by Tropical Storm Hermine on Sept. 1-2. City leadership is requesting the patience of citizens as it employs all resources for this daunting task of getting the city cleaned up as quickly and safely as possible. More than 160 calls for fallen trees and large limbs were received by the department during and after the recent storm. With about 3,000-3,500 scheduled customer pickups daily, Public Works Director Richard Hardy said the overall cleanup could take several weeks to accomplish.
