IT'S ELECTION DAY
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES, E-SPLOST
Georgians head to the polls today to help choose their political party's candidate for president of the United States. In Tift County,
voters will also decide on continuing the county's E-SPLOST for local education.
Polls are open until
7 p.m. Voters must choose whether they wish to vote in the Democratic or Republican primary; they cannot vote in both.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are the primary candidates vying for Georgia's delegates.
On the GOP ballot, Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, John Kasich and Ben Carson are the candidates in play, although the ballot contains many more names of former candidates who have since dropped out of the race.
In Tift County, voters also have an opportunity to continue the Education Special Purpose Local
Option Sales Tax for Tift County schools. Local officials estimate that more than 60 percent of the penny tax is collected from residents outside of Tift. The money can only used for specified projects allowed under state law; it cannot legally be used for such items as salaries and benefits, utility expenses and routine maintenance.
This E-SPLOST will help with purchasing books, computers, school buses and adding an addition to Tift County High School so that ninth-graders can be on the main campus and that other grades can be realigned in the school system.
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TRUMP
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Trump at Valdosta State University
Photos by Frank Sayles Jr.
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GOP FRONT-RUNNER ATTRACTS THOUSANDS IN SOUTH GA
By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
"The Donald" came to
Valdosta State University on
Monday, bringing a
presidential campaign back to deep
South Georgia for the
first time in
nearly 25 years.
Donald J. Trump -- businessman, real estate mogul, reality TV star, boisterous billionaire and top Republican candidate for president -- spoke to a capacity crowd of
7,500 inside
VSU's basketball arena Monday night.
Thousands more, (Trump claimed
12,000) many with admission tickets, were
stuck outside the arena after it filled.
The crowd was larger and rowdier than what greeted the last presidential campaign that visited South Georgia; on Sept. 23, 1992, Bill Clinton, accompanied by running mate Al Gore and their wives, Hillary
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Trump and Hannity in Valdosta
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and Tipper, had given an outdoor speech a couple of miles from the VSU campus at the Lowndes County
Courthouse
in Valdosta following a rally at the Agrirama in Tifton.
Before he spoke to the
VSU crowd Monday night,
Trump sat down for a
taped interview with
Fox News'
Sean Hannity at the more intimate,
305-seat student union theater on campus. The room was filled with hand-picked local Trump supporters, selected students and local GOP officials.
Trump and Hannity sat on stage before large paintings of the Statue of Liberty and the American flag created by
Georgia artist
Steve Penley of
Newnan, who had an exhibit at
Tifton's Museum of Arts Heritage in
July 2014, and who had created a painting of
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College for the
re-dedication of its
historic front campus.
During his talk with
Hannity,
Trump repeated may of the
themes of his campaign and reiterated them later at the larger venue: The need to
"build a wall" on the
Mexcan border; the scourge of
Obamacare and how
pharmaceutical companies are ripping off both individuals and the government; the
shortcomings of his
challengers; America's
trade deficits; and how he has a "positive message" about "making
America great again."
There were few details about how he was going to accomplish his goals, but the audience didn't seem to
 mind. Following his
Fox News interview,
Trump kept the basketball arena crowd waiting as he hung around the
student union stage for awhile, posing for selfies with supporters and autographing posters and ball caps.
Pre-printed signs proclaiming
"The Silent Majority Stands with Trump," which have been distributed at
Trump rallies across the country, were held high by several young and old supporters. Those old enough to remember know that
Richard Nixon began using the term
"silent majority" in
1969 during the
Vietnam War.
For
Trump supporters, the phrase likely means that they feel
overlooked and underserved by those in
Washington. Trump has tapped into that
discontent more than anyone else this year.
More than a
generation has passed since
South Georgia has experienced a
presidential campaign, and the region, and the nation itself, has never seen one like this.
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REALTORS HONOR 'CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE'
The
Tiftarea Board of Realtors recently held its annual
Circle of Excellence Awards ceremony. During
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Melissa Brock & Al Johnson
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the meeting, the past year was reviewed.
The board announced that during 2015,
total real estate sales of $82,362,416 were recorded for the Tiftarea, an increase of $13,251,542 from the previous year. The a
verage sales price was $120,062, up by $4,492 from 2014.
Also
days that properties were on the market declined by eight days for an average of
149.
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Platinum: Colwell, Pope, Brock, Burgess
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During the awards ceremony, the President's Award was given to Melissa Brock by Al Johnson, 2015 president.
Platinum
recipients
were Kim Brownlee Colwell,
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Gold: Smith, Joe Pope, Monk
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Jordan Pope, Melissa Brock and Melissa Burgess.
Gold recipients were Julie Smith, Joe Pope, Tracy Monk, Dwana Coleman and Camille Taylor.
Silver were Mark McGill,
Karen Thomas, Scott Goodman, Blake Marshall,
Judy May, Wendy Story, Ronnie Dunn, Loretta Conway, Ron Branch, Jessica Powell, Thad Paulk, Rose Cooksey, Al Johnson,
Lamar Boyer, Ramona Bennett, Josh Pope
and
Albertha Sneed
.
The Rookie of the Year award was given to Blake Marshall.
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| Silver: McGill, Thomas, Goodman, Marshall, May, Monk, Story, Dunn, Conway, Branch, Powell, Paulk, Cooksey and Johnson. Not pictured: Boyer, Bennett, Josh Pope, Sneed |
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Convenient
Apartment Living
in Tifton
Totally Renovated One-Bedroom and Two-Bedroom Apartments
In a Gated Community with Ample Parking
Includes all Appliances, Washer & Dryer,
Water & Garbage Pickup
All Apartments feature Original
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1 BR apartment: $650 month
2 BR apartment: $750
Call 229-382-0959
8 a.m.-5 p.m. week days
The Avenue
404 N. Tift Ave.
Tifton, Ga.
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FEDERAL INMATES IN TIFT JAIL BRING IN $210,000
Sheriff Gene Scarbrough says that the Tif
t
County Law Enforcement Center (jail) is bringing in additional revenue because of extra efforts taken by the Sheriff s Office. During
the past six months, the housing of federal inmates has resulted in nearly $210
,
000.
The Tift County Law Enforcement Center had to complete a thorough audit and extensive inspection by
the federal government through the U.S. Marshal Service to insure that the policies, procedure
s,
facility and the staff were in compliant to all standards and regulations.
"
I am proud to say that we exceeded the standards for passing an
d
had no issues in our mission
t
o receive a contract for housing federal inmates.
"
Scarbrough said. "I applaud the extra efforts made by jail staff to insure
that the fac
i
lity is kept up to standards and t
h
at proc
e
dures are in compliance as well."
The current average of 25-30 federal inmates per
m
onth for t
h
e period reported has enabled the Sheriff's Office to accumulat
e
the extra fu
n
ds needed to assist the county with expenses required for law enforcement
e
fforts throu
g
ho
u
t Tift County.
The fede
ral inm
ates do not cost Tift Co
u
nty any add
i
tio
n
al expenses
t
o house;
t
heir medical and other housing expenses are paid for by the federal government. The Sheriff's Office jail staff has accommodated th
i
s endeavor without any additional
personnel
.
A majority of the federal inmates housed in the Tift County Law Enforcement Center are from criminal cases that o
r
iginated in Tift Co
unty
and
were investigated by Sheriff's Office p
e
rsonnel and the Georgia Burea
u of Investigation.
Housing federal inmates is additional re
v
enue that is gene
r
ated to offset expenditures to maintain a detention center. The Tift Co
u
nty Law Enforcement Center already utilizes several state laws that assist sheriff's offices to recoup exp
e
nses
.
"I believe it's vitally im
p
ortant for public officials to work diligently in finding efforts
t
o reduce the taxpayer
s'
cost for services and to assist the county financially when we can," Sheriff
Scarbrough
said.
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Call
J&R LAWN CARE
Full Service Lawn Care
Including Trimming &
Shrubbery
Residential and Commercial
Licensed and Insured
Family-Owned and Operated Since 2003
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UPS INDUCTS TIFTON DRIVER INTO 'CIRCLE OF HONOR'
UPS driver Dwight Huggins of Tifton was recently inducted into UPS's prestigious Circle of Honor for achieving 25 years of accident-free driving.
Huggins, along with
45 other
elite drivers from
Georgia, are among
1,613 drivers newly inducted into the company's
honorary organization.
Globally,
8,703 active
UPS drivers are members of the
Circle of Honor. Collectively they've racked up more than
245,000 years and more than
5.3 billion safe miles during their careers. That's enough miles to travel to
Mars and
back 19 times.
Georgia boasts 379 active Circle of Honor drivers with a combined 10,804 years of accident-free driving. Felton Lee McCant Jr. of Moultrie is the state's senior most-safe driver, with 41 years of accident-free driving under his belt. There are 3,380 total UPS drivers in Georgia.
UPS's 102,000 drivers are considered among the safest on the roads, logging more than 3 billion miles a year and delivering more than 4 billion packages safely.
Founded in 1907, UPS has a history of safety and training. The company issued its first driver handbook in 1917 and began recognizing safe drivers in 1923.
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Director of
Children's Ministries
Tifton First United Methodist Church
Tifton, Ga.
is seeking a full-time Director of Children's Ministries
Responsibilities will be focused on kindergarten through
6th grade and include oversight of the nursery program.
The Director will work with other staff members
under the direction of the Senior Pastor.
The successful candidate should possess or be pursuing a bachelor's degree; have experience working with children's ministries and/or children's educational programs; experience working in and developing children's ministries; and possess a strong personal faith consistent with the United Methodist tradition.
Available immediately. Salary will be commensurate with education and experience.
Position is open until filled.
To apply, submit:
1.) a cover letter to include why you are interested in this position;
2.) a current resume; and
3.) contact information for three references.
Applications and specific questions related to this position should be addressed to:
Lisa Forshee, Lead Search Committee: Director of Children's Ministries
Tifton First United Methodist Church
229-382-6100
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TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
RIBBON CUTTING
Unique Accessories
159 Virginia Ave
Tifton
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"Best-Selling Truck for 39 Straight Years"
511 West 7th Street
(229) 382-1300
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local information that is
lacking in other areas."
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_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tifton's Locally Owned Electronic Newspaper!
It's Free!
e-published every Tuesday & Friday / to advertise, call 478-227-7126
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BEFORE, DURING & AFTER THE SALE
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229-386-4222
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