Friday, April 5, 2019
Tifton, Georgia
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GENERAL ASSEMBLY OKs PAY RAISES, ELECTIONS OVERHAUL
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The
2019 session
of the
Georgia General Assembly
ended
Tuesday
night with legislators considering nearly
100
bills during the whirlwind
14-hour
last day.
Among
bills passed
are:
- House Bill 481 which outlaws most abortions from the moment a doctor can detect a heartbeat in an embryo – as early as six weeks.
- A record $27.5 billion state budget with $3,000 in pay raises for public school teachers and 2 percent pay hikes for state workers.
- A school security plan in the wake of mass shootings around the nation.
- A measure allowing limited cultivation of medical marijuana.
- A wide-ranging elections bill authorizing the statewide purchase of touchscreen voting machines that print a paper ballot. Under the bill, polling places can't be changed 60 days before an election, and it will take longer for people who choose not to vote to be removed from the state's voter registration list. County election officials are also barred from rejecting absentee ballots because of mismatched signatures. Gov. Brian Kemp quietly signed the bill into law Tuesday without comment.
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VIDEO:
Former Tifton resident and country music star John Berry discusses the end of his chemotherapy and his remaining radiation treatments.
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JOHN BERRY NEARS END
OF CANCER TREATMENTS; COUNTRY MUSIC STARS
PLAN BENEFIT CONCERT
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As country music star
John Berry
– a former
Tifton
resident – is
nearing completion
of his
cancer treatments
, the
country music community
is
rallying
around him with a
benefit concert
.
Berry
, 59, revealed in a video
last week
that he has
completed chemotherapy
and has just a few
radiation treatments
remaining. In
January
, Berry, perhaps best known for his
No. 1
hit
"Your Love Amazes Me,"
announced that he was
diagnosed
with
malignant tumors
on his
throat
.
From the beginning,
Berry
remained
optimistic
. "This particular form of cancer is
highly treatable
and has an
incredible cure rate
," Berry said.
A slew of
country music stars
are joining forces for a
benefit concert April 23
in
Nashville
. The benefit,
“We All Come Together” for John Berry and Music Health Alliance
,
will raise
money
to offset
medical expenses
not covered by Berry's insurance; a
portion
of the donations will go toward
Music Health Alliance
for financial
assistance
to others in the
music community
.
Among
performers
announced for the
benefit concert
are
Vince Gill, Trace Adkins, Clint Black, Travis Tritt, the Oak Ridge Boys, T. Graham Brown, Suzy Bogguss, Jimmy Fortune, Tracy Lawrence, Exile and Heidi Newfield.
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WEAR BLUE TODAY
REPORTED CHILD ABUSE CASES DECLINE IN TIFT COUNTY
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For the first time, the number of
child abuse
and
neglect
cases
reported
in
Tift County declined
between
2017
and
2018
, says the
Tift County Council on Child Abuse.
In
2018
, the number of reported cases totaled
498
. In
2017
, the reported number was
586
.
On
Wednesday
, the annual
“Voice for All Children” pinwheel ceremony
was held at the
Tift County Recreation Department
. Each
pinwheel
in the ground
represents
a
case
of reported
child abuse or neglect
.
April
is
National Child Abuse Prevention Month
, and
local residents
are asked to
wear
blue
today
(
Friday, April 5
) as a show of support.
Lillie McEntyre
, executive director of the
Tift County Commission on Children & Youth
, urges folks to take
photos
of individuals and groups
wearing blue
and email them to
tc3y@friendlycity.net
and share them on
Facebook
using
#wearbluetift #tcccycommunity
and/or
#preventchildabusetift
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Tiftarea Academy Teachers of the Year: Johnny Branton and Suzanne Pless.
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TIFTAREA ACADEMY NAMES
UPPER, LOWER TEACHERS OF YEAR
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Tiftarea Academy
has named its
Teachers of the Year
.
Johnny Branton
was awarded
Upper School Teacher of the Year
at the
Chula
school.
Branton
was an educator for the
Colquitt County School System
for
37
years. This is his
third
year of teaching
chemistry
and
physics
at
Tiftarea Academy
.
Suzanne Pless
was named
Lower School Teacher of the Year
. She teaches
fifth grade science
and
English
. This will be her
35th year
teaching and her
18th
at
Tiftarea Academy
.
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Dr. Jerry Baker, provost and vice president for academic affairs, presents Alexandra Ikner with the J.G. Woodroof Scholar Award, which goes to the top academic student.
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ABAC HONORS TOP STUDENT, FACULTY
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Alexandra Ikner
, a senior agricultural education major from
Perry
, was selected as the
top academic student
at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
on
Wednesday
when she was named the
J.G. Woodroof Scholar
at the annual
Honors Day
ceremony.
Ikner
has been on the
President’s List
five times while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in
agricultural education
. She has maintained a
3.97
grade point average.
Beth Thornton
, an assistant professor of biology, received the
top award
presented to a
faculty member
– the
W. Bruce and Rosalyn Ray Donaldson Award for Teaching Excellence.
Other top award recipients at the
Honors Day
ceremony included
Beverly Wesley
, a financial aid analyst, receiving the
Roy R. Jackson Sr. Award for Staff Excellence
; and Dr.
Jerry Baker
, provost and vice president for academic affairs, who received the
E. Lanier Carson Leadership Award for College Administrators.
Dr.
Ray Smith
, a professor of agronomy and department head, received the
W. Bruce and Rosalyn Ray Donaldson Excellence in Advising Award;
and Dr.
Mary Ellen Hicks
, a professor of animal science, received the
W. Bruce and Rosalyn Ray Donaldson Award for Excellence in Student Engagement.
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Faculty, staff and administration honorees, from left, are Beverly Wesley, Beth Thornton, Dr. Mary Ellen Hicks, Dr. Ray Smith, and Dr. Jerry Baker.
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ROTARY HEARS ABOUT RELAY, HOSPITAL VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
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Emily LaMontagne
, newly appointed volunteer services director at
Tift Regional Health System
, had spent
15
years as volunteer coordinator for the
American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life
and spoke to the
Tifton Rotary Club
on
Wednesday
about both roles.
Tifton’s
Relay
event will be
April 26
at the
E.B. Hamilton Complex.
Partnering with the
American Cancer Society
, Tift Regional hosts
Reach for Recovery,
a mentoring program for
women
newly diagnosed with
breast cancer
to
connect
with
women
whose
cancer
is in
remission
. Tift Regional also hosts the
"Look Good, Feel Good"
program to combat side effects of
chemotherapy
.
LaMontagne said
Tift Regional volunteers include the
Volunteer Auxiliary
, known as the
Pink Ladies
and
Red Coats
. They started in
1970
to enhance hospital staff services. Members have donated more than
14,000 hours in the past year.
Tift Regional is planning to
restart the teen volunteer
Candy Striper program in the
summer, and also has
volunteer opportunities for driving
golf carts to
transport visitors from the hospital
parking lots.
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TIFTON ACTRESS' LATEST FILM DEBUTS SATURDAY
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The
world premiere
of the film
"Epiphany,"
starring
Tifton native
actress
Caitlin Carmichael
, will be this
Saturday
at the
Sarasota (Fla.) Film Festival.
The
movie
will also be
screened
at the
Sunscreen Film Festival
on
April 25
in
St. Petersburg
.
Carmichael
and the
directors
will be in
attendance
.
The
family drama
, filmed in
Tarpon Springs, Fla.
, follows the story of teenage
Luka
(
Carmichael
), who is
desperate
to
connect
with her
negligent father
in a Greek
sponge-diving town
in
Florida
.
Carmichael
currently
stars
in the
BYUtv
series
"Dwight in Shining Armor,"
which airs at
9:30 p.m. Mondays.
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TRUCK & TRACTOR PULL RETURNS APRIL 11-13
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The
Agricultural Engineering Technology Club
at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural Colleg
e will host the annual
spring truck and tractor pull
on
April 11-13
at the ABAC Pull Track.
Gates open at
6 p.m.
, and pulling begins at
7 p.m.
on
April 11-12
. On
April 13
, gates open at
5 p.m.
, and pulling begins at
6 p.m.
The three-day, action-packed event kicks off with amateur night April 11
. Anyone may sign up to participate. Highlighting the truck and tractor pull will be ABAC’s own
Altered Allis
in the competition
April 12-13
.
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PECAN INDUSTRY AT 'CROSSROADS'
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The
pecan industry
is at a
crossroads
, and this
season
could help
determine
the financial
future
for many
Georgia
farmers, says
Lenny Wells
, UGA Cooperative Extension pecan specialist.
The
cost
to produce pecans continues to
increase
. With new
tariffs
imposed on goods exported from the U.S. to
China
,
prices
that
producers
received
dropped
significantly last year.
Early-season
Desirable
varieties sold for between
$2.20
and
$2.40
per pound in
2018
, and
Stuart
varieties were valued at approximately
$1.75
per pound. At
season’s end
,
Desirables
dropped to
$1.30
per pound, and
Stuarts
were being sold for
85
cents per pound.
“In order to change the
cost of production
and the price our
farmers
are receiving for their crops, we have to
change
the way our
industry operates
,” Wells said.
He believes that
producers
have
three options
:
Reduce
the
cost
of
production
,
shell
some of their
own crop
, or
work
with
shellers
to
grow
the
nuts they want
. Growers also can opt to keep the
status quo
and be subject to
same market trends
as in the past.
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YOUR WEEKEND
...at a Glance
FRIDAY, APRIL 5
- ABAC Plant Sale, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Farm Greenhouse, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton
- American Legacy Quilt Show, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
- Collin Raye in concert, 7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Tifton
- Gee Haw Whoa Back Rodeo, 7 p.m., ABAC, Rodeo Arena Tifton
SATURDAY, APRIL 6
- Folklife Festival, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Ga. Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village, Tifton
- Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
- American Legacy Quilt Show, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
- Wild Chicken 100 bike ride, 9 a.m., Fitzgerald
- Gee Haw Whoa Back Rodeo, 7 p.m., ABAC, Rodeo Arena Tifton
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THIS WEEKEND'S YARD SALES
Neighborhood Yard Sale
Saturday April 6
th
@ 8 a.m.
Frances Lane & McGinty Drive (Chula)
*Off Chula-Brookfield Road, between Adams Road
& I-75*
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
TO ADVERTISE YOUR YARD SALE HERE, CONTACT US at
Fees are $1 per word, paid in advance
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MARCH 28
William Jackson Brewer Sr., 89,
Tifton
Margaret C. Hobby, 72,
Sylvester
Robert Vernon Reese Sr., 88,
Fitzgerald
Geneva Snow, 82,
Dixie
MARCH 29
Larry Howard Duncan, 71,
Chula
Anna Lee Shannon Greneker, 49,
Valdosta
Jon Michael “Mickey” Melton, 75,
Fitzgerald
Bradshaw Johnson, 91,
Adel
MARCH 30
Sarah Hammack Bowers, 88,
Tifton
Frances “Jeanette” Bentley Baker, 76,
Tifton
Rufus "Buddy" Dyes Jr., 71,
Bridgeboro
Charlie Wilson, 63,
Ashburn
Veronica Hazel "Bonnie" Jones, 87,
Ray City
Ruby J. Gibbs, 87,
Ben Hill County
Betty Jo Walker, 76,
Abbeville
MARCH 31
Joe Boyd Ireland, 85,
Ashburn
Anita Johnson Whittle, 60,
Sparks
APRIL 1
Alfred Sparks, 84,
Tifton
Aubrey Holt Sr., 74,
Tifton
William Bobby Reeves II, 61,
Fitzgerald
Barbara Wright "Bobbee" Gordon, 89,
Adel
APRIL 2
Harce McGhee, 86,
Tifton
Jacqueline “Jackie” Bussell, 80,
Ocilla
Joyce Wydene “Dink” Tomberlin, 85,
Ocilla
Randy Crapse, 58,
Hahira
APRIL 3
Sheila Dawn Hood, 70,
Fitzgerald
Dorothy "Dot" Shepherd Llobet, 81,
Ashburn
"Mike" Peter Marshall Truluck, 64,
Ashburn
APRIL 4
Marie Luke Simpson, 87,
Fitzgerald
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Tifton Grapevine
e-published every Tuesday and Friday
Frank Sayles Jr.
Editor & Publisher
Bonnie Sayles
Managing Editor
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A Service of
Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC
,
Tifton, Georgia
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