South Georgia weather: Nice, then wet, then cold

VALDOSTA, Ga. — South Georgia should see rain starting Tuesday, followed by the bottom falling out of the thermometer for a few days, forecasters said.  Highs should be in the lower 70s Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service’s Valdosta forecast. Tuesday, a frontal system will start moving through the area, said Justin Pullin, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Tallahassee, Fla., office. The front will pull colder northern air into the South, blocking warmer air from the Gulf of Mexico, said Matthew Greene, a meteorologist with the private forecasting firm AccuWeather. Pullin said South Georgia could see, at most, one-half to one inch of rain, while Green put the amounts at one-quarter to one-half an inch. Valdosta is running a sizable rainfall deficit for the year; so far, the city has seen only 5.52 inches of rain since Jan. 1, while the normal rainfall would be closer to 9.24 inches, Greene said. Once the front passes through, daytime temperatures will start dropping. Both forecasters expected Valdosta’s high Thursday to only reach the upper 50s, while the nighttime low is expected to dip near freezing in the mid to low 30s. The average high and low for the city for this time of year are 73 and 46 respectively, Pullin said. While the weekend should start out “fairly nice,” Pullin said there was a chance of more rain Saturday night and Sunday. Neither forecaster expected severe weather this week, though Greene said there was a chance of modest thunderstorms with the rain Tuesday.

 

Man dies 2 days after wreck

MOULTRIE, Ga. — A Tallahassee man died Monday following a Saturday night accident on Highway 111. The deceased, Jose Cazares, 61, was a passenger in a 2011 Ford Fusion driven by Geovani Vasquez, 18, of Omega. Vasquez was driving north on Highway 111 near Mile Marker 4 at 11:42 p.m. Saturday. The Fusion drifted across the center line while negotiating a slight left curve. It crossed the south-bound lane and ran onto the west shoulder of the highway, the Georgia State Patrol said. It struck two road signs then ran into a ditch, where it hit a private driveway and went airborne. It then hit a tree and came to a final rest facing north. Vasquez told the investigating trooper that he fell asleep, the GSP reported. Vasquez and a passenger, Antonio Ortiz, 28, of Moultrie, were both wearing seat belts. They were taken by Colquitt County EMS to Archbold Medical Center in Thomasville. Cazares did not have a seat belt on, the GSP said. He was also taken to Archbold Medical Center, where he died on Monday. Vasquez was charged with failure to maintain lane and driving without a license.

 

Milledgeville man arrested for rape, sodomy

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — A local man remained in police custody Friday after being charged with rape and aggravated sodomy. 

Ulonzo Veal, of an East Camden Street, Milledgeville address, was arrested by officers with the Milledgeville Police Department after reportedly assaulting a juvenile in a sexual manner. While officials with the MPD have not released a full report of the incident, authorities believe that Veal, who reportedly goes by the alias “Dax Bolston,” sexually assaulted a juvenile in the area of Sinclair Dam Road.  His arrest date is listed on a Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office arrest/booking report as shortly after 10 a.m. Feb. 23, six days after the incident, and the report also lists a misdemeanor probation violation under a summary of charges against him.  MPD Criminal Investigations Commander Michael Hudson said that although the MPD investigation into the incident is ongoing, authorities believe other rapes that are currently unsolved may be tied to Veal over the course of the investigation.  The victim of the Feb. 17 incident is believed to be intellectually disabled. Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call the Milledgeville Police Department Tip Line at 478-414-4413.

 

Final Suwannee River Jam audition set for Saturday

LIVE OAK, Fla. — Saturday is the last chance for up and coming country artists to audition to perform at the 2018 Suwannee River Jam, the South’s Music and Camping Festival.  Opening up the weekend will be the Jukebox Oldies to get the audience on that dance floor with 50s – 90s music. Come spend the weekend for this wonderful time of country and oldies music in the Music Hall. Jukebox Oldies of Valdosta, Ga., will set off the weekend with lots of oldies music from many different years with its great band. It’s a fun time with many fans who come to dance the evening away. Saturday night a large number of fans are expected to be in the house as solo singers and bands will bring their best performances in this last audition hoping to move to the April 13 finals. These artists come from all across the state. Those signed up to audition are Andy Pursell Band (Bradenton), Broken Trust Band (Perry) and Treble Hook Band (Lake City). Solo singers are Scotty Williams (aka Behrenwald) (Ft. Myers/Lake City), Kamryn Palmer (Indian Harbour Beach), Kam Williams (Mayo), Sadie Miller (Branford), Chyann Rose (Statesboro, Ga.) and Zach Lambert (Hahira, Ga.)

Friday the doors open to the Music Hall at 6 p.m. with music from 8 p.m. – midnight. Saturday night doors open at 6 p.m., audition begins about 7 p.m. Each night admission is free.

 

Arts museum to host Impressionists film screening

TIFTON, Ga. — Renior, Monet, Cezanne, Passarro and others are among the famous artists who will be featured in a screen exhibition at the Tifton Museum of Arts and Heritage, according to a press release. The screening will take place Thursday, March 8 at 7 p.m. The event is free and the public is invited. Based on an exhibit held at the National Gallery in London, “Exhibition on Screen: The Impressionists and the Man who Made Them,” focuses on 19th Century Parisian art collector Paul Durand-Ruel. The film is produced in London by award-winning arts documentary maker Phil Grabsky & Seventh Art Productions. The Museum is located downtown at 255 Love Avenue. For more information, contact Syd Blackmarr at 229-387-5657 email bmarr@friendlycity.net.

 

Meeting for downtown businesses to cover special events

DALTON, Ga. —  An informational forum for scheduling an event in downtown Dalton is Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at Dalton City Hall, 300 W. Waugh St. The Downtown Dalton Development Authority in cooperation with the city of Dalton, City Clerk’s office and the Dalton Police Department offer this opportunity to all interested individuals, organizations and alcohol beverage licensees. Special events permit and alcohol permit applications will be available as well as instructions on how to apply and the cost, if applicable. For more information, contact Kristi Watson with the DDDA at (706) 278-3332 or at kwatson@downtowndalton.com.