TCHS Star Big in Philippines

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

TCHS STAR FINDS ATHLETIC SUCCESS

IN PHILIPPINES

FILIPINO CONGRESS CONSIDERS CITIZENSHIP FOR TIFTON NATIVE

Professional basketball player Justin Brownlee , a Tifton native, is being hailed in the Philippines as perhaps the best import ever to play the sport there, and Filipino lawmakers are seeking to grant Filipino citizenship to Brownlee.

Brownlee , 31, plays for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and has helped lead the team to three national championships.

"It’s no secret that Justin Brownlee might very well go down as one of the PBA’s greatest imports of all time when it’s all said and done," reports Fox Sports .

"Is Justin Brownlee the greatest Ginebra import ever ?" asks a newspaper in the Philippines .

Brownlee , a 6'5" forward, scored a professional career-high 49 points on July 7 in a playoff game, recording 20 rebounds and seven assists. He then followed that up in the last game of the 2019 PBA Commissioners' Cup elimination , with another career-high of 50 points.

According to Filipino news media, Brownlee "has won the hearts of local basketball aficionados due to his versatile all-around play and his 'never say die' attitude in the playing court."

In a bill introduced in the Philippine Congress , lawmakers write that Brownlee has "brought enormous pride and joy to the Philippine Basketball Association , as well as to all basketball enthusiasts in the country . ... Let Congress give to him the privilege of becoming a Filipino citizen .”

Brownlee had signed a contract with NBA's New York Knicks before the 2013 season but was waived later that year.

As a member of the Tift County High Blue Devils basketball team, Brownlee made first-team All-State and was named the Region 1-AAAAA and Tiftarea Player of the Year in 2006 .

FARMERS GET TARIFF RELIEF

Georgia farmers can begin signing up this week at their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office for the federal relief package for those suffering losses from retaliatory tariffs , the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.

“Our farmers have certainly had their fair share of challenges this past year,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black . "This substantial effort is very encouraging, and we believe that it will greatly benefit all of our Georgia producers, especially our pecan, peanut and cotton growers.”

The Market Facilitation Program will be administered by the FSA and will provide $14.5 billion in direct payments to producers. The program includes peanuts , among other non-specialty and specialty crops , as an eligible crop to receive payments from the USDA.

Peanut producers will be paid on a county-per-acre payment rate . Peanut producer payments will range from $15 to $150 an acre, depending on which county the peanuts are being produced in 2019 .

“We are very glad to see that the hard work (U.S. Agriculture) Secretary (Sonny) Perdue and his team put into developing this package will help our growers ,” says Armond Morris , Georgia Peanut Commission chairman and a farmer from Tifton .

Applications are available at www.farmers.gov/manage/mfp

TIFT ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME HONOREES INCLUDE PLAYERS, COACH, TEAMS

The Tift County Athletic Hall of Fame has announced its 2019 honorees .

The Hall of Fame's sixth class includes Tift County High athletes Worth Bowers, Regiena Brown, Brian Massingill, Eric Taylor, Becky Thomas, Israel Troupe and Katie Utley ; Coach Tommy Seward ; former “Voice of the Blue Devils” Jim Clayton ; and the 2014 boys basketball team and the 2011 and 2012 gymnastic teams .

This year's inductees will be honored at a ceremony on Oct. 19 .

ABAC'S TOWN & GOWN OPEN TO

LOCAL BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS

Local businesses will have the chance to promote themselves to students Aug. 15 during the 12th Annual Town and Gown event at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College .

Town and Gown will take place from 4-6 p.m. in Gressette Gymnasium . Local businesses, churches, and non-profit organizations may register for a space to welcome new and returning students to ABAC and Tifton .

The cost for a business is $25 , and the cost for a religious organization is $10 . Double spaces are $50 . Non-profits and ABAC clubs are free but they must also register. One table and two chairs will be provided .

The deadline to register is Aug. 8. Contact Dean of Students Bernice Hughes at 229-391-5130 , deanofstudents@abac.edu

NORTHEAST MIDDLE STUDENT ATTENDS

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP FORUM THIS SUMMER

Ryley Delbrey of Tifton recently joined outstanding middle school students from across the nation to participate in an academic development experience – the National Youth Leadership Forum: Explore STEM this summer at Emory University in Atlanta .

Explore STEM is one of the Envision family of programs enabling students to explore their interests and experience learning beyond the classroom .

Ryley was nominated by her sixth-grade science teacher at Northeast Middle School. In addition to participating in Health Occupations Students of America at school, she is passionate about dancing and swimming .

With dreams of being in the medical field , Ryley got hands-on medical experience that the forum provided.

Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Chula, Ga., is seeking a part-time Worship Pastor. Persons interested in the position should submit a letter of interest and a resume by mail or email.

Mt Zion Baptist Church

ATTN: Worship Pastor Committee

293 Mt Zion Church Road

Chula, GA 31733

Email: aaronjfrasier923@gmail.com

GA POWER NAMES SOUTHWEST REGION DIRECTOR

Georgia Power has a new Southwest Region director for the company’s external activities for 115,000 customers in a 32-county area that includes Tifton, Valdosta, Albany and Bainbridge .

Joe Brownlee has assumed the position, succeeding Audrey King in the role, who became Georgia Power’s regional director for Metro South-Atlanta earlier this month. Brownlee will be based in Valdosta .

Since joining Georgia Power in 1982 , he has held positions in operations, training and external affairs, and served as a lineman during the 1980s-90s in Atlanta .

'COTTONING' TO RESEARCH

Jared Whitaker , University of Georgia Extension cotton agronomist, talks about cotton research last Thursday at the Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day . UGA faculty, staff and Extension agents were among those discussing agriculture research and technologies with farmers .