Turner County (
Ashburn) is listed as the
10th most unhealthy county in the state, and
Bell Hill County (Fitzgerald) is No.
24.
According to the
United Health Foundation,
Turner County has a
27 percent uninsured population;
34 percent are
obese,
27 percent are
smokers, and
20 percent of the county's residents are listed in
poor health.
Ben Hill County's uninsured residents total
20 percent;
obesity, 35 percent;
smokers, 23 percent; and
poor health, 28 percent.
Crisp County (Cordele) is ranked as the fifth most unhealthy county where 29 percent of its residents have no health insurance.
The
No. 1 unhealthy county in Georgia is
Early County, were
29 percent of its residents have no
health insurance.
Georgia ranks as the 11th most unhealthy state in the nation. The health foundation says the Peach State has a high uninsured population, a high prevalence of low birthweight babies, and a low rate of high school graduation.
Louisiana is ranked as the most unhealthy state in 2015, followed by Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia and Alabama.
The healthiest state? The foundation names Hawaii for the fourth time, followed by Vermont (No. 2) and Massachusetts (3).
The United Health Foundation was established by UnitedHealth Group in 1999 as a not-for-profit, private foundation dedicated to improving health and health care. To date, the United Health Foundation has committed more than $285 million to programs and communities around the world.
TEACHERS OF EXCELLENCE
EDUCATION FOUNDATION, ROTARY CLUB HONORS EDUCATORS
The Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence teamed with the Rotary Club of Tifton again Thursday night to recognize the Excellence in Teaching Award winners with a dinner at Springhill Country Club.
Twelve teachers were recognized:
Delois Rhaney, Tift Co. Pre-K; Becky Harper, G.O Bailey Primary; Tracy Ingram, Len Lastinger Primary; Treci Morrow, Len Lastinger Primary; Wendy Sparks, Len Lastinger Primary; Emily Head, Len Lastinger Primary; Mandy Stone, Charles Spencer Elementary; Janet McNair, Matt Wilson Elementary; Ellen Norman, Matt Wilson Elementary; Tammy Hornbuckle, Omega School; Beth Hobby, Eighth St. Middle School; and Sheri Wyles, Tift County High Northeast Campus.
Photo at left:
Ninth Harmony group from TCHS
Northeast Campus performs at the banquet.
TIFT COUNTY INDUSTRIAL PARKS ARE 'FIBER READY'
Certification Reflects Presence of Fiber-Based, High-Speed Internet
As part of their efforts to drive economic development and investment in Georgia, AT&T and the Tift County Development Authority on Thursday announced that Magnolia Industrial Park, Magnolia Industrial Park II and Crossings Distribution Park have been certified as being AT&T Fiber Ready.
"AT&T is investing in high-speed Internet in urban and rural areas all across Georgia using the latest wired and wireless
Tift County Development Authority members join AT&T's Courtney Brinson as the TCDA receives recognition for its industrial parks being certified as fiber ready. Pictured from left are TCDA President Brian Marlowe, Dr. Homer Day, Jay Short, Mayor Julie Smith, Brinson, Chairman Grady Thompson, Norman Hill and Morris Tankersley.
technologies, and we are proud to highlight Tifton and Tift County as one of many places in Georgia where AT&T's fiber infrastructure is in place and ready to help local businesses drive job creation," said Courtney Brinson, AT&T regional director - external affairs.
"Positive, pro-business policies embraced by Georgia's state and local elected officials continue to make our state a great place to invest; and I'm proud of the work our AT&T Georgia employees have done deploying fiber and other infrastructure that delivers high-speed Internet access. Their hard work and skills, combined with millions of dollars in AT&T investment, enable Georgians to connect and innovate."
Connectivity is vital to businesses of every type. There's no such thing as a "low-tech" business today, so the presence of high-speed internet connectivity is essential.
"Georgia is open for business, and we want to be sure that message is heard loud and clear. Our state has great people and beautiful places, and we want to be sure that it's clear we also have the latest technology," said state Sen. Greg Kirk, R-Americus. "This fiber ready certification helps our economic development leaders send that message clearly as they work to bring businesses and jobs to Georgia."
Brian Marlowe, executive director of the Tift County Development Authority, said "Our resources in Georgia are extensive, but if potential investors aren't aware of the technology infrastructure in place across the state, then we face the potential of losing many opportunities. This certification helps to eliminate those missed opportunities."
IT IS WRITTEN: GEORGIA WRITERS' WEEK AT ABAC
The
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Library will be kicking off
"Celebrate Georgia Writers' Week" next week with an event each night.
ABAC Poet-in-Residence Jeff Newberry speaking at a recent presentation for the University of West Florida's Visiting Writers and Scholars Series in Pensacola, Fla.
Here's the schedule:
Monday, Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m.
Dr.
Jordan Cofer discusses
"The Life of Flannery O'Connor." Refreshments provided by ABAC Alumni Affairs.
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m.
Local Authors Night (presented by the South Georgia Writers Guild & Pegasus). Come meet regional authors who will give readings, talk about the publishing process and have books for sale.
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m.
Dr.
Brian Yost leads" a screening and discussion of "The Color Purple." Refreshments provided by the office of the Dean of Students.
Thursday, Feb. 25, 6:30 p.m.
Dr.
Jeff Newberry's book launch. Help celebrate the release of ABAC's Poet-in-Residence: Newberry's latest novel, "A Stairway to the Sea." Refreshments provided by the School of Liberal Arts.
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.
The
26th Annual Miss Tift County Forestry Scholarship Pageant is this
Saturday, Feb. 20, at the
Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts in
Downtown Tifton.
The pageant will be held at 6 p.m., with doors opening at
5 p.m.
The pageant is open to the public.
Tickets will be sold
at the door.
Winners will represent Tift County at the 77th annual Miss Georgia Forestry Pageant held each year in Tifton.
For more information call
Dianne Dominy at
229-238-2851.
TIFT CHAMBER NAMES STAR STUDENTS
Jacob Del Toro was named the
STAR Student for Tift County High School and he selected
Jeremy Moore as his
STAR Teacher. They were joined by family members and volunteers from the
Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce during the Chamber's monthly membership meeting
Thursday.
Tiftarea Academy's Elizah Georgia Huff was named the STAR Student for Tiftarea Academy and she selected Foley Harper as her STAR Teacher. They were also joined by family members and volunteers from the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.
The Sigma Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's IVY Group recognized Heart Health Month by distributing more than 65 red ribbons, apples and CPR/stroke flyers to all staff and teachers at Matt Wilson Elementary School.
The IVY Group (Inspiring Virtuous Youth) is the signature program of the local organization and serves grades fourth through 12th.
COMMUNITY LENTEN LUNCHES HELD ON WEDNESDAYS
The Community Lenten Lunch Series is being held on Wednesdays at noon at the Leroy Rogers Community Center on Second Street.
It is open to Christians from all denominations across Tifton for a simple meal followed by a brief service sponsored by area churches. The cost is $3 per person.
Here is the remaining schedule:
JUBILEE OF MERCY
CATHOLICS ACROSS SOUTH GEORGIA TO MAKE PILGRIMAGE
Catholics from around South Georgia will make a pilgrimage to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah on Saturday, Feb. 20, as part of the Jubilee of Mercy Year proclaimed by Pope Francis.
The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, a Holy Year, began on Dec. 8, and ends Nov. 20. Because the practice of pilgrimage is a traditional element of a Holy Year, the Holy Father is encouraging everyone to make a visit to a cathedral that contains a Door of Mercy for the Jubilee.
Bishop Hartmayer opened the Door of Mercy at the Savannah cathedral in December.
This Saturday's pilgrimage will include an afternoon of prayer, including the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, opportunities for confession, as well as prayer and reflection by cultural groups representing the black, Hispanic, Vietnamese and Filipino catholic communities. The celebration will run from 2-4:30 p.m.
On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10, Pope Francis commissioned Father Timothy McKeown as a missionary of mercy -- priests from around the world dispatched to "preside at penitential celebrations, preach at missions, and above all, to hear confessions."
McKeown, who is pastor of St. Francis Church in Brunswick and Nativity of Our Lord Church in Darien, served as a eucharistic minister at the Mass at the Vatican on Ash Wednesday.
Fresh from Rome, he will be the homilist at the Jubilee of Mercy pilgrimage at the Cathedral on Saturday.
The service will be available by livestream at www.diosav.org
For information, contact Barbara King, 912-484-2320, [email protected]
FITZGERALD-BEN HILL RECOGNIZES 'STAR's
The
Fitzgerald-Ben Hill County Chamber of Commerce's
STAR student Ross Wynn and
STAR teacher Derrick Smith received certificates of recognition on
Tuesday, Feb. 16, before members of the
Rotary Club of Fitzgerald. Wynn and STAR teacher Smith and their guests will be attending a STAR Student/Teacher banquet in
Valdosta on
March 10.
In first row of photo, from left, are Stacy Bell, STAR Teacher Derrick Smith, STAR Student Ross Wynn and Nancy Whidden. On second row from left are Neesa Williams, Sujette Giddens, Chris Wynn, Michelle Wynn, Karen Hewatt and April McDuffie.
Leroy Rogers Senior Center Grand Re-Opening, 11 a.m., Second Street, Tifton
SATURDAY, FEB. 20
Sweetheart Run 5k,
Miss Tift County Forestry Scholarship Pageant, 6 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts., Tifton
FEB. 11
Beverly Schofield Byrd, 75, Tifton
Lynette Grantham Griffin, 69, Ocilla
FEB. 12
Henry Oliver Jr., 86,
Tifton
Margaret Harper Young, 66, Janesville
June Johnson, 87, Hahira
Jane Grantham Griffin, 49, Ocilla
FEB. 13
William Charles "Moose" "Bill" Anderson, 76, Tifton
William Addison "W.A." Chappell Sr. 92, Tifton
James Alton Owens, 88, Ashburn
Bentley Dean, 45, Ocilla
John Edward Houston, III, 78, Albany
FEB. 14
Carol Pope Hurst, 71, Chula
Dorothy Louise "Dot" Scarboro 77, Adel
FEB. 15
Jimmy Lee Bowman, 22, Fitzgerald
Jodi Leigh Lawler Hiers, 29, Moultrie
FEB. 16
Dr. Theodore Michael "Ted" Webster, 46, Tifton
Jean Owen Roberts, 86, Sylvester
Ronald Hall, 62, Adel
FEB. 17
D.J. Golden, 33, Poulan
Marie Hodge Green, 64, Irwin County
FEB. 18
Marilee Hughes Haile, 91, Nashville
SERVING YOU WITH PROFESSIONALISM
BEFORE, DURING & AFTER THE SALE
$159,900
35 Delma Lane, Tifton, GA
MLS #:R125451A
This home will not last long. Great 1
1/2-story home with 3,030 square feet, has a lot to offer: Kitchen cabinets are pine; ceilings are cypress; there is ceramic flooring in foyer; laundry and half bath; poplar in the den; dining area and master bedroom; cypress and knotty pine walls, pine floors, all doors are hand-made poplar, floored attic, home has a surround-sound system, wired alarm, internet and phone system, a walk-in shower with 3 heads, jacuzzi in the master bath with stone ceramic floors and Trey poplar trim, walk-in closet, and a private porch off master overlooking cypress pond.
The Tift County Foundation for Educational 
that contains a Door of Mercy for the Jubilee.
