Friday, April 3, 2020
Tifton, Georgia
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GOV LOCKS DOWN PEACH STATE
IN HOPES OF SLOWING COVID-19 SPREAD
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By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
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Beginning at
6 p.m. today (Friday, April 3)
, all
Georgians
, with some exceptions, are
ordered
to
shelter in place
at least through
April 13
; Gov.
Brian P. Kemp
issued the
shelter-in-place
order
Thursday
.
Kemp
signed the
executive order
in hopes of
slowing
the spread of
COVID-19
across the
state
. The governor's order
supersedes local orders
. The
City of Tifton
had implemented a
shelter-in-place order
from
March 24
through
April 7
;
Tift County
has
extended
its
voluntary stay-at-home order
through
April 30
.
Both the
city
and
county
still have a
curfew
in place from
8 p.m.-5 a.m. daily
.
Kemp
has also ordered the
shutdown
of all
public elementary
and
secondary school
facilities
for the
remainder
of the 2019-2020
school year
.
Online learning
will
continue
.
In most ways, the
governor's
statewide shelter-in-place
order
is
similar
to
Tifton's restrictions
put in place
10 days ago
regarding allowances for leaving home and what business functions are suspended.
But
Kemp's order
states that
open businesses
must
screen employees
for COVID-19
symptoms
, such as a
fever
above
100.4 degrees
, a
cough
or
shortness of breath
. Businesses must also use
teleworking
and
staggered shifts
, when possible.
And
Kemp
is
banning
any
business, organization or government
entity from allowing
more than 10
people to gather "if such gathering
requires persons
to
stand
or be
seated
within
six feet
of any other person."
For
several weeks
,
Kemp
had
resisted
calls to implement a
statewide, blanket order
requiring Georgians to shelter in place because, he said,
local communities knew better
how to handle their own areas. On
Wednesday
,
Kemp
said that he had decided to issue his
order based upon
new
data
from the
Centers from Disease Control
and the
coronavirus predictions
for the
state
.
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COVID-19 CASES RISE ACROSS GEORGIA, TIFTAREA
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By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
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As the number of confirmed
COVID-19 cases in
Georgia reached
5,444 on
Thursday,
Southwell health system's
positive cases rose by more than
12 percent within
24 hours.
Southwell, which encompasses
Tift Regional Medical Center, on
Thursday night reported
65 positive cases within its total health system, along with
439 patients being tested and
56 awaiting results. A total of
318 patients tested negative for the virus. The health system reported
three deaths related to the coronavirus;
none of the
deaths involved
Tift County residents.
There are
29 confirmed cases in
Tift County with no deaths, the
Ga. Department of Public Health (DPH) reported
Thursday night.
Albany/Dougherty County continues to
lead the state in COVID-19
deaths with
30, along with
521 confirmed cases. There have been
176 deaths from the virus
statewide, the DPH said.
Chris Dorman, Southwell's president/CEO, released a
letter to the community
thanking
everyone for their
continued support of local
healthcare workers.
"We have been
fortunate
to have
high community engagement
,"
Dorman
wrote. "Your
support
for us is
inspiring
. Many in the community are
helping create
protective equipment
. Many are
staying home
to
stop
the
spread
. Many are
praying
for
divine blessings
upon our community. There are
countless
other
examples
. For this, our
entire team
is
grateful
."
Dorman
noted that the
hard work
of
Southwell's team
combined with
community
engagement
has placed
Tift Regional
in a
better position
than
some other hospitals
.
"From that position, we are now being
called upon
to
help
our
neighbors
. I know many are
concerned
about taking in
patients
from
other communities
with higher infection rates. I want you to know we
have
both a
moral
and a
legal obligation
to
help
,"
Dorman
wrote.
"We are
monitoring
each
patient transfer
on a
case-by-case
basis. We will
not
take more
than we have
capacity
to handle
. We will use every
precaution
to keep our staff and other patients
safe
. Please know,
some
that have come would
not have survived
if we
had not taken them
in
."
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ALBANY JUDGE, A TIFTON NATIVE, DIES FROM VIRUS
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Dougherty County Probate Judge
Nancy Smith Stephenson
, a
Tifton native
, died
Wednesday
from
COVID-19
complications.
She had recently
tested positive
for the
novel coronavirus
and was in
quarantine
with her
husband John
, a state court judge.
Stephenson
had served as the
probate judge
in
Dougherty County
for
27
years. She was a
graduate
of
Tift County High School
and of the
University of Georgia School of Law.
"Judge
Stephenson
was the
best
of who we are, not only as probate judges but as
public servants
," said
T.J. Hudson
, president of the
Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia
.
"Judge
Stephenson
had a
first-rate intellect
, a quirky
sense of humor
but most of all, she had a
love
for the
law, public service
and her
family
.”
Danny Carter
, retired managing editor of the
Albany Herald
, posted on social media that he had "
known Nancy
and some of her
family
in
Tifton
for
many years
. While in
college
,
Nancy
served an
internship
at
The Tifton Gazette
when I was there as an
editor
. She was such a
bright
and
kind person
, and had a quiet but
sharp sense of humor
.
"No doubt she
could have had
an
outstanding career
as a
journalist
, but instead became an
attorney
and had a
tremendous career
as a
lawyer
and
judge
,"
Carter
wrote.
"I remember on her
final day
of the
newspaper internship
, she came into my office to
thank me
for the opportunity. She also slipped me a
hand-written
sheet of paper on which she had written a
parody
of a
Willie Nelson song
. Instead, her version was
'Don't Let Your Babies to Grow Up to be Journalists.'
I
still have
that
note
."
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TIFTON GOES BETTER WITH COKE
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Work continues
this week at the
site
of the
$60 million Coca-Cola United
bottling facility on
Lamb Loop Road
and
U.S. Highway 41
in
Tift County
. The
300,000-square-foot
warehouse and sales center is expected employ
200
people. The
new facility
is expected to distribute roughly
4.5 million
cases of non-alcoholic beverages annually to customers in the
Southeast
.
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ABAC GETS HIGHWAY SAFETY GRANT
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With a
$9,130
grant from the
Governor’s Office of Highway Safety
,
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
will again participate in the
Georgia Young Adult Program (GYAP)
.
The program partners with
colleges
to address
young adult driver crashes, injuries and fatalities
. GYAP uses peer
education
, school
speakers
and encourages schools to develop creative
preventive techniques
.
“The loss of one life on our roads is one too many, and the fact almost all fatal traffic crashes can be prevented is one reason why we are awarding this grant,” said
Allen Poole
of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
The
GYAP
program at ABAC coordinates events such as
impaired driving prevention
programs including
DUI simulators
. Programming often surrounds events such as National Collegiate
Alcohol Awareness Week
,
graduation
, and
summer orientation
.
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Dr. Curtis Branch III
and veterinary tech
Anna Phillips
work on
flower containers
to continue to
beautify
the front of the
veterinary clinic
on
Belmont Avenue
. The
Branch
Clinic
is the new
sponsor
of the
Tifton Grapevine’s "Pet of the Week"
feature.
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TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S PETS OF THE WEEK
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The
dog
and
cat
pictured here are among several animals recently
rescued
by
Tift County Animal Control
. If this is your pet, please call the
animal shelter
to claim,
229-382-PETS (7387).
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Pets of the Week are sponsored by:
Branch’s Veterinary Clinic
205 Belmont Ave., Tifton, 229-382-6055
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CORONAVIRUS CLEARINGHOUSE
Important Phone Numbers & Web Sites
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MARCH 26
Derrick Ogletree, 67,
Ashburn
Harriette McPhaul Adams, 93,
Gainesville, Fla.
Barbara Faye Taylor, 80,
Douglas
Don Ross Vickers, 71,
Ocilla
Lieutenant "Shade" Harris, 75,
Oakfield
_____________________
MARCH 27
Kandy Jo Yawn Hall, 39,
Fitzgerald
Alice H. “Penny” Mims, 65,
Fitzgerald
David Mayo, 62,
Ashburn
______________________
MARCH 28
Virgil Anthony Augusta “Tony” McMillian, 75,
Tifton
Pastor Morris B. Gaines Jr., 76,
Tifton
Steven Paul Cross, 46,
Sylvester
______________________
MARCH 29
Gladys Aurelia Lassiter Johnson, 91,
Tifton
D.F. “Jack” Evans, 93,
Tifton
Mary Helen Hughes, 71,
Enigma
Vickie Ann Blizzard Coley, 68,
Ashburn
________________________
MARCH 30
Dr. Carol Ann Dowler, 62,
Valdosta
James D. Tucker, 92,
Quitman
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MARCH 31
Eddie Lane Ray Sr., 72,
Sylvester
William B. “Billy” Weldin, 78,
Tifton
Curtis A. Harnage, 86,
Tifton
Peggy Lorene Rowe, 82,
Nashville
______________________
APRIL 1
Lena Elizabeth “Beth” Shivers, 52,
Tifton
Peggy Robinson, 76,
Sparks
Dale McCluster,
Albany
_______________________________
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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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