INCLUDING SHERRY MILEY OF TIFTON
FOUR SEEKING GA HOUSE SEAT
IN SPECIAL ELECTION
   
Four candidates
are seeking to fill the
Georgia State House seat
vacated by Rep.
Jay Roberts
of
Ocilla
, who resigned to accept a high-ranking position in Atlanta with the
Ga. Department of Transportation
.
Running for the special election in House District 155 are
Scott Downing, Horace Hudgins, Sherry Miley and
Clay Pirkle. The election will be held July 14 with early voting beginning June 22. District 155 encompasses northern Tift County and parts of Irwin, Ben Hill and Wilcox counties.
Downing, 44, of Fitzgerald, is a meat processor and former Ben Hill county commissioner. Hudgins, 62, is a Georgia Power Co. manager and former Ocilla mayor. Miley, 58, is a Tifton Realtor and former Tift County commissioner. Pirkle, 47, of Sycamore, is a farmer and businessman.
The Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce is having a candidates forum during the Chamber's monthly membership meeting at noon next Thursday, June 18, at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture. Lunch will be $7 and members need to RSVP to [email protected] by Tuesday, June 16.
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SEN. ISAKSON SAYS PARKINSON'S WON'T
SLOW DOWN RUN FOR RE-ELECTION
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., revealed Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system.
Isakson, 70, is in his second term and said his diagnosis will not keep him from seeking reelection in 2016. About 1 million Americans have some form of Parkinson's disease, including boxer Muhammad Ali and actor  Michael J. Fox.
In a written statement, Isakson said: "Over 1 million Americans have Parkinson's and I am one of them. I first went to see a neurologist in 2012 for stiffness in my left arm. I continued seeing the neurologist regularly to try to figure out the cause, and in 2013, I was diagnosed as having Parkinson's. I am in the early stages of the disease, and my main symptoms are the stiffness in my left arm and a slowed, shuffling gait."
Isakson added, "My diagnosis has not impacted my ability to represent the state of Georgia in the U.S. Senate. I am serving on five Senate committees and am the only Republican serving as chairman of two Senate committees. I am busier and have more responsibility today than ever before in my political career, and I couldn't be happier about that. I remain devoted to public service, to my state and to my constituents. I am eager to take my record of results to the voters of Georgia as I run for re-election in 2016."
Isakson's neurologist, Dr. Thomas M. Holmes, said he diagnosed Isakson as having Parkinson's disease in August 2013.
"I have concluded that Senator Isakson is in Stage 1.5 of 5 accepted stages of Parkinson's disease. This staging is indicative of his mild symptoms of Parkinson's disease."
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SUMMER AR READING CENTER
OPENS TO FANFARE
Stephanie Davis, a rising senior at
Tift County High, sings and plays guitar (as
Ricki Reader listens in background) at the
Summer Accelerated Reader Center opening on
Tuesday, June 9. The Summer AR Center is once again being housed at the
United Way of South Central Georgia at
211 W. Fourth St. The Center will be open for testing on books between
11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through
July 16.
 Laura Pritchett, AR Center volunteer and Annie Belle Clark teacher, helps kids take AR tests on books they have read.
Photos by Frank Sayles Jr.
ABAC student
and local singer
Austin Kilby
, right, performs for the Center's opening as a
young
reader inside the center peeks through the window.
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Visit our table at the Wellness Expo on Saturday, June 13, at Beulah Hill Family Life Center!
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NFL'S PUNT, PASS & KICK SATURDAY IN CHULA
The National Football League's Punt, Pass, and Kick competition is coming at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 13, at Tiftarea Academy's Panther Pit in Chula. Area kids will get an opportunity to show off their football skills with a chance of advancing to sectional  competition. Winners at sectionals will move on to team competitions and compete at halftime of an Atlanta Falcons NFL game this fall. Griffin Martin of Tifton is hosting the event. He says he wanted the chance to compete as a kid but there were no regional competitions in our area. The competition is open to all boys and girls ages 6-15. Boys and girls compete separately. The five age classifications are based upon the child's age as of Dec. 31 this year. All participants must show proof of age at all levels of competition. Participants may register and compete in only one local competition. There is no charge to participate. To register for the NFL's Punt, Pass, and Kick competition, Click Here! |
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 TIFTON HIGH CLASS OF '49 GATHERS FOR 66th 'GET-TOGETHER'
Tifton High School Class of 1949 classmates, spouses and friends gathered on Saturday, May 30, to celebrate
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Margaret Allen Phelps, left, Bill Wells and
Gervaise Smith Willis
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their 66th Class Get-Together during lunch at the Olive Garden in Tifton.
Class President and host Bill Wells welcomed all attendees and passed around the class photo with all classmates in their caps and gowns standing on the steps of the Tift County Courthouse. Wells asked the classmates if they could recognize themselves 66 years later.
Wells edits "The 49er" news about his classmates. The class graduated 142 members in 1949; 64 of them are known to have died.
Special guests were Coach Fred Tucker and his wife Peggy.
At the gathering, Troy Hobbs asked the blessing. They all then enjoyed food and fellowship.
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GET THE PICTURE! PHOTO CONTEST, EXHIBIT COMING AT TIFTON MUSEUM OF ARTS & HERITAGE
It's time for the biannual South Georgia Photography competition and exhibit sponsored by the Tifton Museum of Arts and Heritage.
Professional and amateur photographers, ages 18 and up, may submit photographs for the event scheduled June  19-July 10 at the museum.
Photographers may submit a maximum of three photographs. The best will be included in the exhibit and will be eligible for prizes totaling $800.
A non-refundable fee of $5 must accompany each print. They must be brought to the museum on Tuesday or Wednesday, June 16 or 17 from 4-7 p.m. All photos must be framed and ready to hang, and may be no smaller than 8"x10" and no larger than 36"x36," including framing.
A complete list of rules, plus a required application form, may be found on the museum's website, www.tiftonmuseum.org or contact Jeannie Rigdon, 229-382-5083 or email [email protected]
An opening reception will be 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, June 19. Admission is free. The exhibit will continue through July 10 and will be open Tuesdays - Fridays, 1- 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 1- 7 p.m.; and Sundays, 1-3 p.m. The museum is in downtown Tifton at 255 Love Ave.
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ABAC DEANS TO PRESENT PAPER AT WORLD SUMMIT OF NOBEL LAUREATES
Two deans from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College -- Dr. Jerry Baker of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Troy Spicer of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences -- will present a paper at the 2015 World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates to be held for the first time in Atlanta on Nov. 15-19. In its 15th year, the event serves as the annual meeting for Nobel Peace Prize winners. It is a global event
involving government agencies and non-profit organizations and draws more than
2,000
leaders, activists and celebrities from across the globe. The Summit's purpose is to draw attention to democratic values and to promote global freedom and peace.
The ABAC deans' paper, entitled "The Human Right to the Benefits of Science: Bringing Telehealth to a Rural Community in Nicaragua," describes an ongoing project among ABAC and five partners. "It is a distinct honor to be selected to present our project to the highly acclaimed audience," said Baker. "However, it is really more exciting to me to share such a wonderful example of how the benefits of science and technology can contribute to better healthcare for the citizens of Nicaragua. Access to the benefits of science is a human right, and we are learning how to deliver those benefits more effectively and efficiently." Spicer said, "This effort brings credit and recognition to all of our partners in the endeavor: Tift Regional Medical Center, Georgia Partnership for Telehealth, the Nicaragua Community Health Connection, the
Nicaraguan Ministry of Health,and the University of Nicaragua in Matagalpa.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Telehealth is the delivery of health-related services using telecommunications and related technologies in the support of patient care, health education and administrative activities. With the telehealth capability, patients in Nicaragua can be examined and treated with the help of an attending nurse by a physician located miles away using high-resolution video cameras, camera probes and other high-tech gadgets such as a Bluetooth enabled stethoscopes. Spicer and ABAC's rural studies and nursing students have made summer trips to Nicaragua for a number of years. In January, ABAC became the first institution in the University System of Georgia to use telehealth to teach its nursing students. |
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3rd ANNUAL WIREGRASS BIKE TO FARM TOUR ROLLS ON JUNE 27
The Tiftarea Greenways Association is partnering with the Wiregrass Farmers Market and the Tift County  Recreation Department for the third annual Wiregrass Bike to Farm Tour on Saturday, June 27.
The family-friendly cycling event is meant to celebrate local agriculture and promote cycling in the community. Participants will ride to up to seven sites of agricultural interest in Tifton and Tift County, where they will get to take tours highlighting some aspect of food production or sustainable agriculture. A light local lunch will be provided at the end.
There will be a 13-mile loop that visits a neighborhood/community garden,  an organic watermelon production test plot, a futuristic farmstead featuring the latest in green building technologies and innovative growing techniques, a meat rabbit facility, a quaint farmers market, and the Ga. Peanut Commission. For those riders up to a longer ride, there is a 3-mile additional spur (one way) route that will take cyclists to a large commercial vegetable farm specializing in Southern beans and field peas. Participants will get brief tours of each site before moving on to the next.
The event begins early in the day to avoid summer's heat and traffic. Registration is from 7 to 7:45 a.m. at the Tift County Recreation Department on N. Victory Drive. There will be a mass start of all riders at 8 a.m. Riders will proceed as a group and will finish by noon.
Registration is available at the Recreation Department or online through Active.com. There is a discount for early registration by June 12 for families of two or more. Registration includes an event T-shirt and refresh
ments. Helmets must be worn, and riders are expected to obey traffic laws. There will be a vehicle supporting the ridersalong the course. The rides follow city and county roads with flat to rolling terrain. There is one crossing of the Interstate on an overpass. Participants must be in good physical shape to complete the ride.
For more information, go to the Facebook event page for the Wiregrass Bike to Farm Tour. You can also call 229-392-5513.
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YOUR WEEKEND
...at a Glance
FRIDAY, JUNE 12
- 76th Annual Miss Ga. Forestry Pageant, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m., Tift County High PAC, Tifton
SATURDAY, JUNE 13
- NFL Punt, Pass & Kick competition, 9 a.m., Tiftarea Academy Panther Pit, Chula
- Downtown Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Train Depot Platform, Tifton
- Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-noon, Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
- Wellness Expo & Fun Fair, 10 a.m., Beulah Hill Family Life Center, Tifton
- Military Family Resource Fair, 11:30 a.m., National Guard Armory, Tifton
- World Wide Knit in Public Day, 2 p.m., Tift County Public Library, Tifton
- 76th Annual Miss Ga. Forestry Pageant, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m., Tift County High PAC, Tifton
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JUNE 4
Charles "Walter" Harvey, 82, Tifton
John J. Nelms, 79, Poulan
Price "Wayne" Posey, 75, Sylvester
Linda Pearl Conner Payne, 71, Tifton
Caden Jack Kilcrease, infant, Sylvester
JUNE 5
Carol A. Willis Brooks, 57, Tifton
Helen Virginia Stripling Scoggins, 83, Lake Wales, Fla.
Eugene "Gene" Kent, 79, Adel
Jesse Lee Goodman, 70, Ocilla
Jimmy Y. Ring, 59, Fitzgerald
JUNE 6
Donna Kelly Lawson, 46, Brooksville, Fla.
Alfie "Bird" Mathis, Ashburn
Candler Bennett Sr., 82, Adel
Hoyt Biggers Jr., 64, Rebecca
JUNE 7
Benjamin Tolbert Moore, 80, Omega
William H. "Bill" Andrews, 94, Sylvester
Pat W. Dunn, 72, Fitzgerald
JUNE 8
Pauline Drawdy Wetherington, 91, Crawfordville, Fla.
Debbie Handley Pollard, 61, Puyallup, Wash.
Inez Avery Newell, 73, Ashburn
JUNE 9
Judie Gonser Cooper, 74, Tifton
JUNE 10
David L. Rencarge, 55, Adel
JUNE 11
Ronald Edward Dorman, 65, Tifton
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SERVING YOU WITH PROFESSIONALISM
BEFORE, DURING & AFTER THE SALE
$139,000
Pretty, move-in ready, Tifton home with laminate and vinyl flooring. Three spacious bedrooms, master bedroom with walk-in closet, and master bath with large step-in tub. Large living area and dining room. Mature Landscaping in front and backyard as well as privacy fencing. Large screened-in back porch. There is a storage building in the backyard, and there is also access to the backyard from the garage. Don't let this one get away!
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| Dwana Coleman |
Call Us Today!
229-386-4222
Blue Skies & Sunshine Through Each & Every
Real Estate Transaction!
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