The debate over the establishment of a veteran’s memorial in Lake Park has ended. The Toms Pond site was approved by a 3 to 1 vote of the city council. The leadership also approved the expenditure of SPLOST VII initiative for the maintenance and repairs of the city’s water well and pump.
18 year old Antoine Manigan of Valdosta has been charged with multiple crimes including burglary. A homeowner in the 2500 block of Muscogee Drive subdued the would be thief and held him until the authorities arrived to take the suspect into custody.
The Board of Commissioners of Lowndes County has given thumbs up to the purchase of new fire equipment. SPLOST funds will be used to cover the more than 475 thousand dollar cost of the custom cab fire pumper for the county fire department. Also during the meeting, the board approved buying and installing a new pump for the Spring Creek water system. The pump and installation will cost $27,750. In other action the Board of Commissioners chose Dr. Brian Griner to replace Cameron Hickman on the Hospital Authority Board. Hickman’s term expires in August.
Five new teachers have been added to the rosters at three schools in the city system W.G. Nunn Elementary will get one of the educators along with Valdosta Middle School and three of the teachers will go to the Newbern Middle School.
Former Grady County guidance counselor Cindy Williams has been awarded a fifty thousand dollar settlement as school board members worked to correct a wrong done to Williams who was a counselor at Cairo High School. According to the report officials with the Georgia Education Association hailed the settlement decision as a major victory, citing fairness and the constitutional right to due process of educators in the state of Georgia. Williams was terminated last October after she changed a grade on her daughter’s transcript; alleged to be an error. Williams notified the administrators of the correction. However the State School Board found that there is no authorization for guidance counselors to make those changes to a student’s transcript; the student in question was her daughter. The dismissal of counselor Williams involved standards of professional conduct and honesty.
The Thomas County School Board has announced that Dr. Lisa Williams is the systems new superintendent. Current superintendent Dr. Dusty Kornegay retires next June. The board is allowed by Georgia law to name a new superintendent as much as 12 months prior to a vacancy. Dr. Williams has worked in the Thomas County School system for 10 years.
The search for an autistic Albany child has come to an end and the mourning continues for 11 year old Bruce Lemon-Curry who wandered away from his home Tuesday. His body was found near a pond at an Albany park.
34 year old Scott Bass of Adel has been handed a 10 year prison sentence by Judge Hugh Lawson. Bass was given the maximum sentence for attempting to purchase a mail bomb via the internet and other violations. He attempted to send the explosive device to the person he intended to harm or kill but the attempt was stopped by agents with the FBI and other law enforcement officers.
The Valdosta Fire Department received a donation of pet oxygen masks from Invisible Fence® Brand’s Project Breathe that will allow firefighters to efficiently administer oxygen to an animal who has suffered from smoke inhalation. These lifesaving devices will be awarded to the VFD during a press conference on Friday, July 14, at 9 a.m., at Fire Station 1, which will include a demonstration on how these masks work. For more information about Project Breathe, contact Chief Broome at 229-333-1835.
The July-August 2017 City Beat newsletter is available for download from the City of Valdosta website. Many topics are included in this issue such as various public involvement programs, ways to serve in the community, tips from saving water to growing your business, an explanation of right-of-way responsibilities, the latest news on Main Street, a link to the city’s Water Quality Report, and much more. To stay involved with your local government, sign up for the weekly E-news blasts, visit at www.valdostacity.com, and follow us on social media. Send news tips and feedback to smathews@valdostacity.com.
