TIFTON'S 'RENAISSANCE' MAN
HAROLD HARPER GETS STATE AWARD FOR DECADES OF WORK REVITALIZING DOWNTOWN TIFTON
Tifton developer
Harold Harper Sr. on Monday received the
14th Annual Renaissance Award presented by the
Georgia Cities Foundation during the
Georgia Municipal Association's convention in
Savannah.
|
|
Tifton Mayor Julie B. Smith with Harold Harper, who is holding his Renaissance Award on Monday at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center.
|
|
The award
recognizes an
individual or organization that has "
made a significant contribution to the
revitalization" of a
downtown area in Georgia.
When presenting the award,
Mike Starr, president of the
Georgia Cities Foundation, called
Harper a "
visionary" and "a
believer in the impacts of
downtowns."
"Without a
viable downtown, you're not going to have that much of a
community,"
Harper told
city officials from across Georgia during a
luncheon Monday in
Savannah.
For the past
35 years,
Harper has been
investing in downtown Tifton buildings and
renovating and
refurbishing them. One of his
major projects was the
private-public partnership restoring the former
Myon Hotel in
1984-86 into
Tifton City Hall, private apartments and retail space. The Myon is the
anchor of downtown Tifton and helped spur other restoration and development.
|
|
|
VIDEO: Harold Harper & Tifton |
In recent years, he has
restored and renovated several downtown buildings, including
the old Union Depot into unique and well-appointed loft apartments as well as
The Avenue apartment building on
Tift Avenue.
At age
86, Harper
isn't slowing down as he is currently
renovating the
old twin brick tobacco warehouse buildings at
Tift Avenue and Second Street into
apartments and possibly a
restaurant.
That project is expected to be complete in approximately one year.
|
While Work Continues on Overpass
The
Interstate 75 ramps at
Exit 66/Brighton Road reopened late
Friday after being
closed Dec. 3 for
reconstruction.
Work, however,
continues on the
overpass, which is expected to
open sometime in
July, says the
Georgia Department of Transportation.
|
"Best-Selling Truck for 39 Straight Years"
511 West 7th Street
(229) 382-1300
|
UGA RESEARCHER HONORED
TIFTON PROF RECEIVING ENTOMOLOGY AWARD
Dr. David G. Riley, a professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Georgia's Tifton Campus, is the 2016 recipient of the Entomological Society of America's (ESA) Recognition Award in Entomology.
|
|
|
RILEY
|
The
ESA made the
announcement on
Monday, June 27.
Riley began his professional career at UGA as a student worker in the institute of ecology, graduating in 1981. He then spent two years as an agricultural extension Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador. He obtained an M.S. in entomology at North Carolina State University in 1986, researching bean leaf beetle, and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Florida in 1990, researching pepper weevil.
He has worked as a vegetable research entomologist throughout his career, at Texas A&M University and, since 1996, at UGA-Tifton. He is currently president of the Southeastern Branch of the ESA. Also, he is the graduate coordinator for the master's in plant protection and pest management degree, in which he has developed and taught graduate courses.
Riley has served as principal investigator for research grants totaling more than $4 million. He has authored or co-authored 86 journal articles or book chapters, 32 experiment station/extension publications, and 96 proceedings or experiment station reports, and has presented more than 310 papers at professional meetings. His career has focused on providing practical solutions for complex pest problems in high-value vegetable crops.
The
award will be
presented in
November at the
International Congress of Entomology in
Orlando, Fla.
|
ATLANTA FALCONS TO HOLD COACHING CLINIC
The Atlanta Falcons and Under Armour are bringing a Youth Football Coaching Clinic to South Georgia
from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Saturday, July 16, at Valdosta's
Rainwater Conference Center.
The clinic is for any coaches at the youth level; it
is not a clinic for children.
This free, one-day clinic is designed to give youth football coaches the knowledge and skills to improve the youth football experience for their programs. Coaches will learn how to properly teach football fundamentals, improve practice organization throughout the season and be exposed to new offensive, defensive and special teams schemes.
The clinic will be conducted by top local youth and high school coaches from around the state, including
Tift County High offensive coordinator Marc Beach; USA Football master trainer Dick Adams speaking on defense;
new Valdosta State head coach Kerwin Bell discussing challenges of building a program; and former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Buddy Curry on proper tackling techniques.
Also, Positive Coaching Alliance's Cam Campbell and Growing Leaders' Sterling Brown will discuss how to coach millennials.
|
Save the Date!
Friday, July 22, 2016
9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Tift County Health Department
305 12th St E., Tifton
|
WHO
IS READING
TO WHOM?
Morris Tankersley, chairman of the
Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce, was a "celebrity reader" recently at the
Summer Accelerated Reader Center at the local
United Way office.
Caroline Barksdale decided to turn the tables and read to Tankersley as well.
The
Summer AR Center
, sponsored by the
Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence
, is open
Tuesdays
and
Thursdays
.
|
THE BIG BANG LAW
State Changes Fireworks Regulations
With Independence Day almost here, be aware that the state this year has
adopted a law that restricts when and where fireworks may be used.
In 2015, Georgia
for the first time
made it legal to sell, buy and possess fireworks
such as firecrackers, Roman candles, bottle rockets and mortars. Under that law approved last year, Georgians could ignite fireworks until midnight through most of the year and until 2 a.m. on New Year's and the Fourth of July.
However, lawmakers received many complaints about fireworks
exploding late at night throughout the year. So,
new legislation prohibits anyone from setting off fireworks after 9 p.m., with
exceptions allowing fireworks until 1 a.m. on New Year's and midnight on the
Fourth of July
.
House Bill 727
also banned fireworks on roads and highways, and within 100 yards of a hospital, nursing home and prisons.
So, have fun this holiday weekend but watch out where and when you light those fireworks.
|
PEANUTS
A NATURALLY SUSTAINABLE CROP
By The National Peanut Board
Bacteria are everywhere;
we co-exist and have a symbiotic relationship with many bacteria. That is true for other living organisms, including peanuts. And it is because of a certain type of bacteria that peanuts are able to convert, or "fix" their own nitrogen, which helps make them a naturally sustainable crop.
There are many factors that contribute to peanuts' small environmental footprint. Their
water consumption
is minimized by their short plant size and their ability to root deep underground. Research has led to more efficient peanut breeds that have higher yields without requiring more water.
But another sustainable aspect of peanuts is their natural ability to f
ix nitrogen from the air and soil, thereby reducing the need for fertilizer.
Nitrogen exists in the form of a gas (N
2) all around us. It makes up approximately
80 percent of the atmosphere and is one of the life-sustaining elements that all organisms use. That said, N
2 in its inert state is unusable by most living organisms and must be converted to ammonia (NH
3) to be biologically viable.
Enter bacteria:
The conversion of N
2
to NH
3
is made possible in nature through bacteria. This conversion process, known as nitrogen-fixing, occurs regularly in the environment and benefits plants in natural ecosystems.
Because plants use nitrogen from the soil, farming crops can often deplete the available fixed nitrogen in the soil faster than it can be regenerated. That's why farmers apply nitrogen-rich fertilizers to the field to replenish the land and "feed" the plants.
However, some plant species, including
legumes, are able to
generate their
own nitrogen-fixing because they
host bacteria in their roots. Peanuts are a legume with amazing nitrogen-fixing properties.
According to New Mexico State University peanut breeder
Naveen Puppala, "peanuts have these bacteria called
Bradyrhizobium which are specific to the legume. There has to be a native bacteria present in the soil and that has to come into contact with the root of the peanut plant to form a nodule on the roots. And once the nodules are formed [the bacteria] takes the atmospheric nitrogen from the air and fixes the nitrogen from the air to the plant, from the plant to the soil."
The rhizobium bacteria, Bradyrhizobium, that develops in nodules on the peanut plant's roots live off the plant itself. They also give back to the plant by producing enough nitrogen to meet all of the plant's needs. And because peanuts can sustain their own nitrogen needs, that means there is an added benefit to the environment.
"The biggest advantage is we
don't need to apply that much fertilizer," said Puppala. Since
peanuts have the inherent ability to
fix nitrogen instead of absorbing it from the soil, farmers don't have to continuously apply fertilizer to the crop. And less input into the field
saves on everything from
water and
energy to
financial costs.
|
Tifton's Locally Owned Electronic Newspaper!
It's Free!
e-published every Tuesday & Friday / to advertise, call 478-227-7126
|
|
SERVING YOU WITH PROFESSIONALISM
BEFORE, DURING & AFTER THE SALE
67 Chase Circle, Tifton, GA
MLS #: R126160A
Under construction: New Home in new Tifton subdivision; 1,670 square feet, 3 bedrooms
and two baths.
|
Dwana Coleman
|
Call Us Today!
229-386-4222
It's a Great Time to Sell Your Home! Call Us for Details!
Blue Skies & Sunshine Through Each & Every
Real Estate Transaction!
|
|
|
|
|