A Thomasville teen has been charged with the aggravated assault of an autistic student. 19-year-old Jordan Stewart was reportedly visiting his girlfriend at Southern Regional Technical College when he assault the victim, a student with autism who was at the college as part of a dual enrollment program with Thomas County Central High School. The victim was treated at the hospital and released.
Commissioners in Thomas County have voted to close down the Thomas County prison. The closure will be effective on June 30th of next year and would reportedly save local taxpayers $300,000 a year.
Smoke from a north Georgia and Alabama wildfires is pushing its way into the south. Albany fire officials say they have received several calls about people concerned that the smoke might be coming from nearby. Drought conditions are continuing in Georgia, but forestry officials say the risk for wildfire in the south is not a huge concern.
The local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference says minority contractors are being left out in the building of the new Valdosta High School. Members claims the school board promised to hire black contractors but did not live up to those promises. Valdosta City School Superintendent Dr. William Cason has said the board may no promises and that it would have been illegal to do so.
An ethics panel is expected to make a decision soon in the case of a Georgia sheriff facing federal charges for the selling of stolen guns. The panel will decide by December 7 whether or not to suspend Miller County Sheriff Shane Rathel from office. Investigators say Rathel took and sold three guns from a man who had to turn them in after a felony conviction.
The Valdosta City Schools Nutrition Program has received a statewide best practice award for its efforts in maintaining a computer lab and making training tools readily available to its staff.
The South Georgia Regional Library in Valdosta has teamed up with Valdosta Cinemas to celebrate the premiere of the latest movie in the Harry Potter series Thursday with crafts for the kids before the start of the film. The film premieres at 6 Thursday afternoon, but crafts for the kids start at 5.
The Lowndes County special ballot asking if tax assessors should be appointed narrowly passed 50.27 to 49.73 percent, according to the county’s board of elections.Currently, Lowndes County tax assessors are elected by the public. In every other county in Georgia, tax assessors are appointed by the county commissioners. Appointments will begin in 2021.
Free breast cancer screenings are scheduled for the weekend. Southern OB-GYN and Get-a-Mammy will sponsor breast cancer screening with the Genius 3D mammography exams free to “underserved, qualifying women” in the South Georgia area. The screening is scheduled 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, Southern OB-GYN Associates, 220 Northside Drive.
