Friday, June 12, 2020
Tifton, Georgia
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TIFT SCHOOLS TO BEGIN ON TIME;
GOV LIFTS MOST STATE RESTRICTIONS
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By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
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The
Tift County School System
plans to start the school year on time
Aug. 3
, Superintendent
Adam Hathaway
said
Thursday
; school instruction had moved online in March because of the
pandemic
.
Also
Thursday
, Gov.
Brian P. Kemp
lifted widespread
restrictions
he had imposed to prevent the spread of the
novel coronavirus
, lifting shelter-in-place orders for older Georgians, allowing larger gatherings and soon letting entertainment venues reopen.
"We're planning on moving forward ... to start the
school year
on time," Hathaway told the
Tift County Board of Education
at its meeting Thursday night.
The
superintendent
said Tift schools are working with officials in the state education department, the Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and the governor's office "to see what that (school reopening) is
going to look like
."
The state
Department of Education
has released
guidance
for restarting instruction. Review the state guidelines by
Clicking Here
.
On
Thursday
, Gov. Kemp issued a new
executive order
to lift more restrictions in the state. The shelter-in-place order ends for residents and visitors who are
65
years old and older unless they are in a nursing home, in a long-term care facility or have health issues.
The
executive order
also:
- Allows gatherings of 50 people if they are are at least six feet apart, and allows even larger gatherings under social-distancing guidelines.
- Sets no maximum number of people who may dine together in restaurants as one party and no longer limits the number of patrons allowed per square foot.
- Allows bars to serve up to 50 people or 35 percent of their capacity, whichever is greater.
- Lets salad bars and buffets resume under specified guidelines.
- Allows overnight summer camps if campers and staff have tested negative for COVID-19 within the preceding 12 days.
- As of July 1, allows live performance venues, such as live theaters and concert halls, to reopen if they follow state restrictions.
- Allows conventions to resume in the state under a special license if 21 requirements are followed.
- Allows walk-ins at barbershops, hair salons, and tattoo parlors, etc.
To see the latest statewide and local
statistics on
COVID-19 from the Ga. Department of Public Health,
Click Here.
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STEPHANIE MORROW
NAMED GA's NATIONAL DISTINGUISHED PRINCIPAL
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Dr.
Stephanie Morrow
, principal at
Annie Belle Clark Elementary
, was recognized
Wednesday
as Georgia's
2020 National Distinguished Principal
by the Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals (
GAESP)
.
Morrow has been
principal
at Annie Belle Clark Elementary in
Tifton
for
nine
years.
“Dr. Morrow’s commitment to
excellence
is reflected in programs designed to meet the academic and social needs of all children and the establishment of community ties with parents and local business organizations,” said
Hal Beaver
, GAESP executive director.
“She has put the progress and the well-being of every child at the forefront of school planning and operations, and her students are on the road to a
quality education
because of her efforts."
Morrow is a graduate of
Albany State University
and
Nova Southeastern University.
She has been awarded
$2,000
and will be
recognized, along with representatives of other states,
during the 2020 National Distinguished Principals program in
October
in
Washington, D.C.
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STILL NO FINAL TALLIES
IN STATE SENATE RACE
BUT SUMMERS, EGLER WIN NOMINATIONS;
IN U.S. SENATE RACE, OSSOFF GETS DEMOCRATS' NOD
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Although
local races
in Tuesday's
primary election
are no longer in doubt, the
Ga. Secretary of State's Office
, as of
Thursday
night, still had not reported final vote tallies in the state
Senate District 13
race.
On the
Republican
side, incumbent Sen.
Carden H. Summers
of
Cordele
defeated
Spud
Bowen
of
Tifton
for the GOP nomination. In the
Democratic
race,
Mary Egler
of
Leesburg
bested
Ruenett Melton
of
Tifton
for the nomination.
With
89
percent of the vote tabulated,
Summers
had
57
percent (
14,243
votes) to
Bowen's
43
percent (
10,881
).
Egler
had
59
percent of the Democratic vote (
5,422
) to
Melton's 41
percent (
3,841
). Egler will challenge Summers for the District 13 state Senate seat in
November
.
According to the secretary of state's website, at least one precinct was still out in
Worth
County
for those state Senate races.
In a separate statewide race,
Jon Ossoff
captured the
Democratic
nomination for
U.S. Senate
against
six
other Democrats. With
92
percent of the votes tabulated in that race,
Ossoff
had
51.18
percent with
481,550
votes.
Teresa Pike Tomlinson
was in second place at
15.59
percent and
146,665
votes.
Ossoff faces U.S. Sen.
David Perdue
, R-Ga., in November.
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BRODIE FIELD READIES FOR TCHS FORMAL GRADUATION
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The chairs are
six feet
apart on
Brodie Field,
reflecting social distancing and awaiting
Tift County High School
's delayed
graduation
ceremony
Saturday
morning.
Delayed by the pandemic for t
hree weeks after its originally scheduled date, the formal graduation
ceremony
for the
Class of 2020
will be at
7:45 a.m. Saturday, June 13,
to recognize the school's largest-ever class, now up to
515
graduates.
Graduates, who have already received their diplomas, will be presented a diploma cover as they walk across the stage. Each graduate received
six
admission tickets, which are color-coded to indicate gate entry and seating location for social distancing. Guests are asked to be in their seats by
7:30 a.m.
At the end of the ceremony, the graduates will recess off of the field. Once the graduates have cleared the field, the audience will be dismissed through the ticket gates. No one will be allowed on the field after the ceremony.
The ceremony will be
live-streamed
on the Tift County Schools'
YouTube
channel –
Click Here!
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CANNING PLANT OPEN BY APPOINTMENT
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The
Tift County Canning Plant
is open by appointment only through
July 9
.
The canning plant is open
8 a.m.-1 p.m. Mondays -
Thursdays
in the back of the Agriscience Building behind Tift County High School. Visitors should enter through the bus entrance off New River Church Road.
For appointments, call
229-387-2480
. Services available at the canning plant include blanching, canning (cans and jars), juicing, and corn creaming.
Appointments are limited to
four
individuals per group; children under
10
are not permitted.
With the exception of tomatoes,
produce
must be ready for processing before arrival: Shuck and silk corn, shell peas, snap beans, wash jars, etc. Every person within a group must check in at the front of the facility, have their temperature taken, and sign a waiver.
Masks
and
gloves
are suggested; hand sanitizer, soap and disposable towels will be provided. Patrons must provide their own supplies, including knives, salt/spices, freezer bags, etc.
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ALUMNUS NAMED
BAND DIRECTOR
AT TIFT CO HIGH
Jacob Thompson
has been named band director at
Tift County High School (TCHS)
, the school system announced on Thursday.
Thompson, a
2006
TCHS graduate, has spent the past seven years as a band director in
Colquitt County
.
He and his wife,
Celia
, have one daughter.
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TIFTON NATIVE, A PIONEER IN
BALLOON ANGIOPLASTY, DIES FROM
PARKINSON'S DISEASE, COVID-19
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Dr.
Kenneth M. "Kenny" Kent
, a
Tifton
native who was renowned worldwide as a
pioneer
in
balloon angioplasty
, died last month in
Potomac, Md.
Kent, who was
81
, died from
Parkinson’s
disease complicated by
COVID-19
. His sister and brother were the late
Bootsie Cottongim
and
Joe Kent III
.
Balloon angioplasty is used to reduce coronary artery blockages and prevent heart attacks.
Kent
was the first to use the procedure in the
Washington, D.C.
, area. He performed balloon angioplasties on tens of thousands of patients and taught and advised hundreds of cardiologists nationally and internationally on its techniques and procedures, according to
The Washington Post
.
“Kenny was a really
iconic
figure—one of the
original angioplasty giants
who took a fairly primitive technique, tried to understand it from the standpoint of scientific assessment, extended its clinical boundaries, and then, when he had access to newer angioplasty devices, really helped us to evolve the field of transcatheter therapy into a variety of new directions,” said Dr.
Martin Leon
of New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
His obituary noted that he was "
internationally renowned
for patient care, a scientific approach to medicine, integrity, perseverance and education. His
Southern
demeanor was reassuring to patients, families, and staff."
Born in
1938
in
Tifton
to
Joe and Allene Kent
, Kent grew up at a home on
Eighth Street
; his father was an electrical engineer. He learned
piano
under his grandmother’s tutelage, sang in a boys
choir
, and played the
trumpet
for local church services and funerals. His first job at age
13
was as an announcer at a
Tifton radio station
.
Kent earned his medical degree from
Emory University
in
1965
and joined the
National Institutes of Health
(NIH) in
1969
as a clinical associate where he earned his Ph.D. in physiology. After switching his focus to cardiology, he was named director of the cardiac cath lab at the NIH in
1976
.
He also served as head of cardiology at
Georgetown University Hospital
, was a partner at
Washington Cardiology
, and was chief of cardiology at
Suburban Hospital
.
Kent
was a Fellow of the Society of Cardiac Angiography; a Fellow in the American College of Cardiology; a member of the District Medical Society; a member of the American Federation for Clinical Research; past president of the Board of Directors of the American Heart Association, and served on many other boards and associations.
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TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S PET OF THE WEEK
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This pooch is currently on
stray hold
at the
Tift County Animal Shelter
. If not
reclaimed
, he will be
available
for
adoption
or rescue.
The shelter, located at 278 Georgia Highway 125 S., in Tifton, is now reopened to the public for adoptions
1-6 p.m. Mondays
through
Fridays
.
For
information
,
call
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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JUNE 4
Janet Ruth Odom, 59,
Tifton
Michael “Shane” Riggins, 45,
Tifton
Lois Gibbs Gray, 99,
Tifton
Elizabeth “Genelle” Decker Statiras, 96,
Tift County
Betty Sue Harnage Bryan, 88,
Adel
Melba Brogdon Purvis, 83,
Ocilla
JUNE 5
Roy Andrew Ferrell Sr., 79,
Tifton
Bernice Lewis Aplin, 90,
Rebecca
Phyllis Ann Boone, 59,
Tifton
JUNE 6
Carolyn Yawn Akins, 86,
Enigma
Mary Lou Hart, 91,
Sparks
Joel Alan Terrace, 79,
Nashville
JUNE 7
Eldon Eugene "Dan" Daniel, 83,
Nashville
Dennis “Papa” Rimes Sr., 81,
Okeechobee, Fla.
JUNE 8
Annette Kamuda Rubright, 70,
Tifton
Herman Otis Purvis Jr., 66,
Ocilla
Rocco Lynn Reed Sr., 60,
Valdosta
JUNE 9
Bonnie Moore Murphy, 83,
Vilas, N.C.
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JUNE 10
Virginia “Annette” Browning Nichols, 85,
Enigma
Twila Chambers Davis, 96,
Adel
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OUR DOORS
ARE OPEN
By Appointment
Monday - Friday
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
We are Looking Forward
to Serving All of Your
Housing Needs
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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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