478-227-7126
JUNE 30, 2017
Tifton, Georgia
A Service
of
Sayles Unlimited
Marketing
|
TIFTON COUNCIL CALLS ON
COUNTY TO SET SPLOST VOTE
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGREE; EXPECT TO SCHEDULE VOTE SOON
Tifton City Council met in special session
Thursday night and passed a
resolution calling on the
Tift County Commission to schedule a
referendum on the ballot in
November for
continuation of the
Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or
SPLOST.
Tift County Commission also met
Thursday night to
finalize the
county budget. Although
no vote was taken to schedule the
SPLOST referendum, Commissioner
Melissa Hughes told the
Tifton Grapevine that the commission
|
|
SMITH
|
|
informally agreed to put the
SPLOST matter before the voters in
November and will
formally vote on the issue at its
next regular
meeting.
Tifton Mayor
Julie Smith last week blasted County Commission Chairman
Grady Thompson for
threatening to
withhold the
SPLOST vote, ostensibly as
leverage during city and county negotiations involving
water and sewer.
Smith said SPLOST and water-sewer are two
separate, unrelated issues.
"This is
not an
adversarial resolution," Smith said Thursday night. "It is simply
fact-based and simply
good for everyone
countywide."
The
mayor noted that "this is a
continuation of a
SPLOST already in existence. The
majority is
collected
out of the county." Smith said that more than
$60 million has been generated from the
penny tax for
capital improvement projects in
Tifton, Ty Ty, Omega and throughout
Tift County.
The city's
resolution notes that
only the
Tift County Commission can
schedule the
SPLOST referendum under state law.
"The
mayor and
City Council beseech the
Tift County Commission take the steps necessary to call for a referendum this November on
SPLOST VI which allow the citizens to vote," the resolution reads. It was
approved unanimously
Smith noted that there is a
short time-frame to set the referendum, and that "we have to create a
projects list" to detail how the
SPLOST would be used.
|
Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County members gather Thursday to celebrate the awarding of the book grant for adult literacy training.
LITERACY VOLUNTEERS
GETS BOOKS GRANT
Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County (LVTTC) on Thursday celebrated receiving a $990 National Book Fund grant from the ProLiteracy organization for adult workbooks. Literacy Volunteers, a local non-profit organization, received the books this week.
|
|
LVTTC President Victor Pires explains the value of adult literacy and how the books will help. |
|
ProLiteracy is the largest adult literacy and basic education organization in the nation.
"We have some basic beginning books; we have books on how to be a tutor. This grant gives us the ability to have some materials that we didn't have to buy. It would have cost us $1,000 plus shipping for these books," said Bonnie Sayles, executive director of Literacy Volunteers.
She had applied for the book grant in April.
LVTTC receives no federal, state or local government monies to support its mission of offering free basic reading and math skills instruction, free GED preparation and GED test fee
scholarships and free English-language tutoring to adults.
Until 2006, LVTCC received between $15,000 and $18,000
|
|
|
Bonnie Sayles with the new literacy materials.
|
from the City of Tifton and Tift County to provide literacy services for the community.
"Because 30 percent of adults in Tift County lack a high-school diploma or a GED
certificate, our community directly benefits from the services we offer," Sayles said. "Support of Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County helps to improve the quality of life where we work and live, and improves the local workforce."
The organization is seeking more volunteer tutors, and a tutor training workshop is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. July 20 at Southern Regional Technical College's Tifton campus.
"We have the books; now we need to hear from the students and tutors," Sayles said.
"What we are about is helping people change their lives," Sayles said.
|
6005 Westlake Drive
Tifton, GA 31794
New Price: $339,000
Beautiful brick waterfront home at Forest Lakes Subdivision at the end of a quiet
street. 4 Bedrooms/3 Baths with
over 3,200 square feet. Many windows for views
of the lake.
Open floor plan, Media room, Vaulted ceilings, Granite
countertops,
Plantation
shutters, Hardwood, and Ceramic tile floors. An additional 1,100-square-
foot building with
screened porch that could be used as a man cave/shop, guest
house,
or for
entertainment! Including an additional 2-car garage, full bath, and
built-in cabinets.
Must see to appreciate!
|
FIREWORKS IN TIFTON MONDAY NIGHT
Although no fireworks are planned on July 4 itself in Tifton, the Georgia Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will have fireworks on Monday, July 3.
Admission to the fireworks show will be $10 per passenger car seating up to eight people and $20 for larger vehicles. Museum gates open at 7 p.m., and visitors may bring blankets and chairs to set up on the Opry Shelter lawn. Visitors may also bring their own picnic dinner or purchase food from on-site vendors. Alcoholic beverages and pets are not permitted.
Veterans and current members of the armed forces will be admitted free with a valid military service ID.
The museum will be closed on July 4.
For information call 229-391-5205.
|
|
|
|
Weston and Whitley find rocks while leaving Vacation Bible School at First United Methodist Church this week.
|
TIFTON 'ROCKS' ARE ON A ROLL
Tifton is "rocking" -- with real rocks!
A new fad is sweeping Tifton, just as it has several other cities lately: Folks are painting rocks and hiding them around town. When they are found, the rocks may be hidden elsewhere or, if kept, then the "keeper" is encouraged to replace the rocks with newly painted ones.
Kids, especially, find this fun, but Tiftonites of all ages are getting into the
|
|
Tifton Officer Jill Merritt hides some rocks.
|
|
hide-and-seek rock game. Even some local businesses are hiding "prize rocks," with the business's name or logo on them, which can be redeemed at that business for prizes.
But most rocks are being painted and hidden just for fun. On Wednesday, Charles Spencer Elementary School hosted a rock-painting event during which kids painted their rocks. It is recommended that the rocks are "sealed" with a clear spray sealer after painting so they can withstand the elements and that #TiftonRocks is painted on the reverse side.
So, get painting, get hiding and seeking -- and get rocking! It's a fun and creative way to while away a long summer's day.
|
Monte finds a rock in Tifton.
|
|
TIFTON MAN FIRST UGA STUDENT
SEEKING DUAL MASTER'S DEGREE
Growing up in
Tifton,
Logan Moore knew he would follow the family tradition of earning his associate's degree from
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Remaining in his
hometown and earning his bachelor's degree in
agriculture from the
University of Georgia Tifton campus made sense too.
"It's about as good as it gets," he said.
But after learning he could earn
simultaneous master's degrees from the
UGA and one of
Italy's leading research institutions, Moore decided to spread his wings and is spending the next
18 months conducting research and taking classes for his thesis at the
Universita Degli Studi di Padova, or
UNIPD, making him the
first UGA graduate student to pursue the new
dual master's degree opportunity.
The new program is the result of faculty relationships that date back two dozen years when
Francesco Morari traveled to
Tifton
|
|
LOGAN MOORE
|
|
to conduct research for his dissertation. Morari is now an associate professor of environmental agronomy at
UNIPD.
"Francesco and I became friends while he was in Tifton, and through the years we've looked for opportunities to collaborate," said
George Vellidis, a professor of crop and soil sciences in UGA's
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in
Tifton.
One of their earliest efforts dates back to
2004 and the establishment of the TransAtlantic Precision Agriculture Consortium that includes faculty from
UGA, Auburn University and Mississippi State University in the U.S., and
UNIPD in
Italy, the
Technical University of Munich in
Germany and the
University of Thessaly in
Greece.
"Our first exchange program focused on
undergraduate students studying in the U.S. or at one of the European universities for a semester," Vellidis said. "Then, we began some internship exchanges for master's students."
In
2015, UGA and UNIPD signed a memorandum of understanding to offer a dual graduate degree in sustainable agriculture. The next year was spent studying all aspects of the programs at the two universities from admissions requirements to which courses were required.
Ultimately, details were ironed out, and in fall
2016, Moore was accepted into the program at
UGA along with
two Italian students who began their year of coursework at Padova.
Moore, who moved to
Padova in mid-May along with his wife,
Casey, is studying the
brown marmorated stink bug, a relatively new pest in both
Georgia and
Italy but one that can cause millions of dollars in damage if not controlled.
In the fall, he will take a course on
plant breeding and continue his research under the direction of Professor
Alberto Pozzebon, who studies sustainable pest management in orchards and vineyards. By the time he returns to
UGA next fall,
Moore hopes to have completed his research and defended his thesis.
|
|
TIFT REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER TO HOST STATE
HEALTH CARE REFORM TASK FORCE MEETING
Georgia's
Health Care Reform Task Force
will hold its third public meeting, hosted by Tift Regional Medical Center, at 10
|
|
CAGLE
|
|
a.m. Monday, July 10. The group will hear from health-care experts and is evaluating reforms to enable rural communities to develop high-performance health-care systems.
"Georgia's health-care system demands reforms. Statewide, costs are too high -- and increasing by too much, too quickly -- while access and choices for care are too limited," said Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. "It is time for Georgia to act on behalf of all our patients, families,and communities across all geographic regions of our state."
Cagle said the task force is committed to working collaboratively with stakeholders to find solutions that reduce and control the costs of care, that modernize delivery models to better match patients' needs and that encourage innovation and market competition.
|
TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
RIBBON CUTTING
Carroll's Sausage & Country Store
315 Whittle Circle, Ashburn
June 28
|
From left are SRTC VP of Institutional Advancement Amy Maison, SRTC Foundation Trustee Bob Swadell, SRTC President Dr. Craig Wentworth, Colquitt Regional Medical Foundation Chair Hugh Ward, Colquitt Regional Foundation Trustee John Mark Mobley Jr., Colquitt Regional President & CEO Jim Matney, and Colquitt Regional CFO Shamb Purohit.
COLQUITT REGIONAL FOUNDATION DONATES
$100,000 TO SRTC FOUNDATION
The Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) Foundation recently received a $100,000 donation from the Colquitt Regional Medical Foundation.
"The Colquitt Regional Medical Foundation is proud to
partner with SRTC in making
healthcare education more accessible," said Colquitt Regional CEO
Jim Matney. "Ensuring a stable and qualified
workforce is a priority as we prepare for the future
healthcare needs of the region."
The SRTC Foundation will use the funds to support a fulltime associate of science in nursing faculty position in Colquitt County.
A portion of the donated funds will be utilized for scholarships specific to recruitment of students on the Moultrie Campus who are seeking entry into the ASN program.
SRTC has instructional sites located in Ashburn, Cairo, Camilla, Moultrie, Thomasville, Tifton, and Sylvester.
|
|
YOUR WEEKEND
.
..at a Glance
- Irwin County Farmers Market, 8 a.m., 5th Street, Ocilla
- Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
- Sylvester Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, downtown train depot, Sylvester
- Boston Butts for Literacy, 9 a.m.-Noon, First Presbyterian Church parking lot, Tifton
-
Holiday Block Party, 5 p.m.,
Front Street , Albany
MONDAY, JULY 3
- Fireworks & Picnic, 7 p.m., Ga. Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village, Tifton
|
JUNE 23
Kenneth Wayne "Hawk-Eye" Hawkins, 64,
Tifton
Ella Ree Martin Brogdon, 69, Tifton
JUNE 24
Mary Avis Wood Bishop, 90, Cairo
Royce Craig Hill,
56, Tifton
Grover C. "Junior" Broome Jr., 87, Irwin County
Jerry Lee Hobby, 74, Fitzgerald
Harold C. Giddens, 87, Fitzgerald
JUNE 25
Carolyn Griffin Goff, 78, Shalimar, Fla.
A.D. "Anthony" Busbin, 74, Ocilla
Mary Dale McCrimmon Clower, 65, Irwin County
JUNE 26
Lettie Warren, 85, Nashville
Karleen Harper Paulk, 90, Irwin County
JUNE 27
John Henry Roland Jr., 87, Sylvester
Fannie Pearl Morrow
, 68, Tifton
JUNE 28
Lory Ernest White, 56, Lenox
Charlie Dale Vick, 69, Quitman
Louise Hamilton
, Sylvester
Roger Reaves, 72, Wilcox County
|
HAVE A HAPPY & SAFE INDEPENDENCE DAY!
From Your Hometown Friends and Neighbors at
|
FRANK SAYLES JR.
Editor & Publisher
A Service of
Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC
478-227-7126
|
|
|
|
|