Friday, April 26, 2019
Tifton, Georgia
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Tifton's Dog Park
was formally opened
Thursday
afternoon at
Fulwood Park
with a
ribbon cutting
and several
barks
from local
four-legged pets
.
The
Dog Park
is actually
two
separate
fenced-in
areas: The
larger area is for
larger
dogs
, and there's a smaller site for
smaller
dogs
. Both areas have
benches
and such accoutrements
as
fire hydrants
.
"This has been a
labor of love
," said Mayor
Julie Smith
, who made the
initial push
for a
dog park in
Tifton.
Planning
for a city dog park began in
2017
when a
city
committee
was created with
residents
and
local
officials
. The committee
first looked at a
site
off Potts Road at the
retention ponds
but later decided the
northeast area
of
Fulwood Park
was a
more appropriate
location for the park.
The
community raised
more than
$4,100
for the
dog park
, which has paid for everything within its fences. The city also got a small
grant
to help complete it.
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TIFT COUNTY MAN DIES
WHILE IN CUSTODY, GBI SAYS
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The
Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the
death of a
Tift County man who died while in the
custody of
Tift County Sheriff's Office deputies following an
altercation.
According to a
GBI press release, the
Sheriff’s Office
requested the GBI to
investigate the
"use of force incident."
Early
Wednesday morning,
deputies responded to the
300 block of
Hall Road regarding
complaints of a
disturbance. Once deputies arrived, contact was made with
James Aaron McBrayer, 41, and an
altercation occurred between
McBrayer and the
deputies, the GBI said.
While attempting to take McBrayer into custody, a
deputy was
injured and
required medical attention. During the
altercation, deputies deployed a
Taser but it was
ineffective, the
GBI said.
Once in custody,
McBrayer was placed in the
rear of a
patrol vehicle. Deputies later found him
unresponsive and called
EMS, who
pronounced McBrayer
dead.
McBrayer’s body was transported to the
GBI Macon Crime Lab for an
autopsy. The Tift County Sheriff’s Office has turned the
investigation over to the
GBI. Once the investigation is complete, it will be provided to the
Tift Judicial Circuit for
review.
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TIFT COUNTY JOBLESS RATE DROPS
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The
jobless
rate
dropped
in
Tift
County during
March, the
Ga. Department of Labor reports.
In
March,
Tift's unemployment rate was
3.8 percent, a decrease from
February's 4.1 percent.
One year ago, the jobless rate was also
4.1 percent in
Tift County.
Ben Hill County/Fitzgerald posted the
highest unemployment rate in the
Tiftarea with
5.6 percent. It was
5.7 percent in
February and
6.2 percent a year ago.
Cook County had a
jobless rate in
March of
3.5 percent;
Worth County, 3.9 percent; and
Turner County, 4.1 percent.
Georgia’s rate
remained at
3.9 percent
. A
year ago
, Georgia’s
unemployment
was
4.2 percent
, the
Labor Department
reported.
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TIFT COUNTY TAX COMMISSIONER
REQUESTS EARLY AUTO TAG RENEWALS IN MAY AND JUNE
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Tift County Tax Commissioner
Chad Alexander is asking
county residents with a
birthday
in
May
or
early June
, to
renew
their
vehicle tags
by
May 17
.
He said the
state
is implementing a
new computer system
and the
local tax office
will be
closed
at
1 p.m. Thursday, May 23
, and will
reopen
at
11 a.m. Tuesday, May 28
.
But, "there could be
significant delays after
reopening on May 28,"
Alexander said. That is why he is requesting that vehicle owners with May and June birthdays handle their
renewals by
May 17.
Auto tags normally must be
renewed by a vehicle owner's
birth date.
The
Tift County Tax Commissioner's Office is located on the
first floor of the
County Administration Building on
Tift Avenue.
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TIFT COUNTY HIGH STUDENTS CONDUCT
MOCK CITY COUNCIL MEETING
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As part of
Georgia Cities Week
, the
City of Tifton
turned over the City Council chambers to
Tift County High School students
on
Wednesday
to conduct a
mock City Council meeting
.
The
students
went through a
full meeting
,
narrated
by City Manager
Pete Pyrzenski
, and handled
comments
from "
citizens
," and
addressed
such items as a
fire truck purchase
, a
zoning code change
involving
signage
and an
alcohol permit
.
The
exercise
was designed to help students
understand
the workings of
city government
.
Jarod Beeman
played the role of mayor, and other "council members" were
Chloe Dela Cerna, Kirsten Flinn, Maylla Patrick and Julia Ryland.
Maddie Malcom
played the role of city manager;
Reginae Batts
, city clerk; and
Logan Owens
, city attorney.
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MERCER SCHOOL OF MEDICINE DEAN TO SPEAK AT ABAC COMMENCEMENT
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Dr.
Jean Sumner
, dean of the
Mercer University School of Medicine
, will speak at the spring
commencement May 9
at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
A total of
334
students are expected to receive diplomas at the
10 a.m.
event in
Gressette Gym
.
A member of
Mercer University School of Medicine's first graduating class
in
1986
and a
practicing physician
in
Washington
and
Johnson counties
, Sumner began her tenure as
dean
in
2016
. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the
Medical College of Georgia School of Nursing
.
A native of
Sandersville
, Sumner has been a community faculty preceptor for the Mercer University School of Medicine since completing her
residency
in
1989
in
Macon
. Before her appointment as dean, Sumner had been leading a major
telehealth initiative
as the
associate dean for rural health
.
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TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
RIBBON CUTTING
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Valmont Industries
2718 Marshall Drive, Tifton
April 23
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TAGA SETS 'GREENWAY' WALK
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The
Tift Area Greenway Association
(TAGA) is organizing a
walk
on
Saturday,
May
4
, between
10 a.m.
and
noon
along the
proposed greenway
behind the
Tiftarea YMCA
on
Carpenter Road
.
Interested
walkers may drop by anytime
between the listed times to walk along the path. The
trail runs along the
old rail bed next to the
YMCA. The path is flat, unpaved and well shaded. The walk will be less than a total of
one mile.
In addition to showing off this
wooded trail
,
TAGA
hopes to
raise awareness
of its efforts to
construct a greenway
in
Tift County
for the enjoyment of
locals
and
visitors.
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ABAC student Tamia Pena, left, discusses her 'photovoice' poster with Lillie McEntyre of the Tift County Commission on Children & Youth.
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'PHOTOVOICE' PROJECT ILLUSTRATES STUDENTS' EXPERIENCE
Students
in
Shubha Chatterjee
's
"Psychology in the Rural Community"
class at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
presented
"photovoice"
posters
Thursday
, illustrating their experiences learning about
volunteer opportunities
in the
Tiftarea
.
"These students expressed their
perspectives
on various matters they think are
important
in the
community
using
photography
as the
medium
,"
Chatterjee
said.
She invited
representatives
of these
organizations
and others to view the posters and talk to the students. Each student described their
volunteer research experience
to visitors.
Organizations
depicted in the posters included
Ruth's Cottage
, the
OASIS Recovery Program
,
Southern Regional Technical College's STEAM Camp
for school children on break, the international students on the
ABAC Tennis Team
,
Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County,
Tift County Commission on Children & Youth
, the
Tifton Hindu Temple
and
others
.
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SATURDAY IS HEALTHY KIDS DAY
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On
Saturday, April 27
, the
Tiftarea YMCA
,
Tift Regional Health System
and several
community partners
will hold the annual
Healthy Kids Day
, an
initiative
to improve
health
and
well-being
for
kids
and
families
.
The
free
community event from
10 a.m.-noon
will be at the
Tift Regional Community Events Center
next to the
YMCA
on
Carpenter Road
.
“
Healthy Kids Day
is an opportunity to ignite children’s imaginations so that they can imagine what they’ll accomplish this summer,” said
Richard Shoniker
, health and wellness director for the
Tiftarea YMCA
.
“The event features activities such
BMI screenings
and
blood pressure checks
for every child,
raffles, prizes, cycle obstacle courses, inflatables
, to motivate and teach families how to develop and maintain healthy routines at home throughout the
summer
months.”
Shoniker said
"Star Wars"
characters with the
Georgia 501st Garrison
will be available. Attendees will be able to interact with
characters
such as
Darth Vader
,
storm troopers
and
TIE fighter pilots
.
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Front row, from left: Shanita “Ty” Williams of Cairo, Alisya Nekale Brecondria Reddick of Thomasville, Rena Carver of Cairo and Makayla Brimm of Cairo. Back row, from left: Torri White of Thomasville, Tearra Burns of Tifton, Emily Neal of Thomasville and James Spillman III of Thomasville.
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SRTC STUDENTS COMPLETE
MEDICAL ASSISTING PROGRAM
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On
Thursday, April 25
, eight
students
were recognized during a
medical assisting pinning ceremony
at
Southern Regional Technical College’s Thomasville campus
. These students
completed multiple semesters
of coursework, including a series of
clinical rotations
at
local medical offices
.
Tearra Burns
of
Tifton
,
Emily Shanita “Ty” Williams
of
Cairo
,
Alisya Nekale Brecondria
Reddick
of
Thomasville
,
Rena Carver
of
Cairo
,
Makayla Brimm
of
Cairo
,
Torri White
of
Thomasville
,
Emily Neal
of
Thomasville
, and
James Spillman III
of
Thomasville
were each recognized for
completing
the
requirements
.
The
medical assisting program
at SRTC
trains
students for
administrative
and
clinical
duties, primarily in
physicians’ offices
or
clinics
.
Clinical
skills include taking vital signs, obtaining medical histories, performing basic lab tests, sterilizing instruments, and administering medications.
Administrative
skills include answering phones, scheduling appointments, filing medical and insurance reports, arranging for hospital admissions and laboratory services.
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BIG LITTLE RIVER PADDLE RACE ON SATURDAY
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The Seventh Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race
is this
Saturday
from
Red Roberts Landing
to the
lake
at
Reed Bingham State Park
near
Adel
.
Racing
is
not required
, and
many
participants do a
leisurely paddle
. There is a
silent auction and raffle
after the race, which is a
fundraiser
for the
Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little and Suwannee (WWALS) Rivers Watershed Coalition
and for
Friends of Reed Bingham State Park
.
Registration
and
check-in
is from
8-9 a.m. Saturday
with a
9:30 a.m.
mass start. There is a
$100
cash prize to the paddler who
finishes first
.
The course is a scenic
three-mile
, all-downstream stretch of the Little River with winding, flat blackwater and some trees to go around.
Alligators and/or snakes
may be present. It’s
flatwater
through the South Georgia forest, under towering
cypress trees
, past
live oaks
, coppices of
ogeechee tupelo
and
majestic pines
. Paddle to win or just to enjoy the scenery and the experience.
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YOUR WEEKEND
...at a Glance
FRIDAY, APRIL 26
- "The Sound of Music" by the Blue Devil Players, 6 p.m., Tift County High Performing Arts Center, Tifton
- Tift County Relay for Life, 7 p.m., E.B. Hamilton Complex, Tifton
- "A Dog's Way Home" free movie, 8:15 p.m., Fulwood Park, Tifton
SATURDAY, APRIL 27
- Tifton Volunteer Cleanup & Recycling Event, 8:30 a.m.-Noon, Cato Knight Parking Lot, Downtown Tifton
- Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon., Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
- BIG Little River Paddle Race, 9 a.m., Reed Bingham State Park, Adel
- YMCA Healthy Kids Day, 10 a.m.-Noon, Tift Regional Community Events Center, Carpenter Road, Tifton
- International Food Festival, 6-8 p.m., Our Divine Saviour Catholic Church, Tifton
- "The Sound of Music" by the Blue Devil Players, 6 p.m., Tift County High Performing Arts Center, Tifton
SUNDAY, APRIL 28
- "The Sound of Music" by the Blue Devil Players, 3 p.m., Tift County High Performing Arts Center, Tifton
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HAVE A SPRING YARD SALE?
Inform Thousands of Your Neighbors
through the TIFTON GRAPEVINE!
Place your Yard Sale
in this space!
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TO ADVERTISE YOUR YARD SALE HERE, CONTACT US at
Fees are $1 per word, paid in advance
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APRIL 18
James S. Day, 90,
Sylvester
William D. “Buck” Reaves, 78,
Fitzgerald
William M. “Bill” Roberts, 80,
Fitzgerald
John L. Walker, 80,
Sumner
Jace Bradford Jackson, infant,
Adel
APRIL 19
J
ames Eugene “Gene” Garren, 84,
Ray City
Linda Kaye Stanford, 69,
Fitzgerald
Rinnard Gravitt, 92,
Ashburn
APRIL 20
John Fullmer Sr., 72,
Sumner
James Lee Hall, 66,
Ashburn
APRIL 22
Della "Jane" Pittman Stone, 83,
Jonesboro
Robert Julian Brown Jr., 56,
Nashville
Faye Sirmans Patterson, 65,
Nashville
Glenda Joyce Porter, 75,
Nashville
Gail Tinsley, 73,
Moultrie
APRIL 23
Grace “Lenelle” Johnson Hamilton, 92,
Fitzgerald
APRIL 24
James “Aaron” McBrayer, 41,
Tifton
Barbara Ann Hughes, 62,
Abbeville
APRIL 25
Betty Jean Scarberry, 74,
Tifton
Elaine Thrift Cosper, 76,
Tifton
Betty Gaddy, 77,
Sylvester
Joye Braswell Jones, 66,
Sumner
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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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