478-227-7126
JULY 7, 2017
Tifton, Georgia
A Service
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Sayles Unlimited
Marketing
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HEAT INDEX HITS OVER 100ยบ AS SOUTH GEORGIA SWELTERS
It's July in South Georgia, so we expect it to be hot. But with temperatures in the mid to upper 90s recently and the humidity high, the heat index has been more than 100 degrees -- meaning that the days feel hotter than the official air temperature.
On Thursday in Tifton, the temperature hit 96 degrees with h
eat index values as high as 103, officials say.
This hot weather can be dangerous. Here are some tips from
Georgia Emergency Management and the American Red Cross about dealing with these hot days of summer:
* Drink
fluids
throughout the day, even if you're not thirsty.
Curtail
drinks that contain alcohol or caffeine.
* Eat frequent, small, light meals.
*Stay indoors in air-conditioned spaces as much as possible, and limit exposure to the sun.
* Avoid strenuous work during the warmest part of the day. Use a buddy system when working in extreme heat, and take breaks.
* Dress in loose-fitting, lightweight and light-colored clothes that cover as much skin as possible. Protect your face and head with wide-brimmed hats. Use sunscreen on exposed skin.
* Never leave children or pets alone in closed vehicles.
* Check on elderly neighbors, friends and family members.
* Make sure pets have plenty of water and shade, and avoid over-exercising them.
* Heat exhaustion symptoms are heavy sweating, weakness, cold, pale and clammy skin, and possible fainting and vomiting. Heat stroke, a severe medical emergency, occurs when the body temperature reaches 106 degrees or higher. Symptoms include hot dry skin, rapid and strong pulse, and possible unconsciousness. Summon immediate medical assistance.
The
heat may
break slightly this
weekend as
scattered showers and
thunderstorms are forecast
Saturday and Sunday.
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TIFTONITE AMONG STATE PRISONERS
GETTING GED BEHIND BARS
Nicole Shaequita Lataria Sears, who grew up in Tifton, was one of more than 200 female inmates at
Lee Arrendale State Prison in North Georgia recently receiving a GED high-school equivalency diploma at a prison ceremony attended by the governor.
According to WABE 90.1 public radio in Atlanta, the GED recipients wore graduation gowns over their prison jumpsuits and entered the room to processional music played from a portable stereo. Some prisoners cried as class valedictorians
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WABE Radio 90.1 photo
NICOLE SHAEQUITA LATARIA SEARS
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gave speeches and awards to their favorite guards and teachers.
More Georgia inmates are getting high school diplomas in prison these days, about 2,300 in the past year -- nearly double from the year before, WABE reported. Prisoners who complete the GED requirements may get their sentences reduced by as much as a year.
Gov. Nathan Deal told the graduating prisoners that 70 percent of people in the Georgia correction system do not have a high school diploma when they are first incarcerated, the radio station reported.
"When you get an education, you significantly improve the possibilities of you not getting in trouble again," Deal said.
Sears told the radio station that she was working toward her GED when she was arrested for theft in 2015.
"It's what I really wanted in the first place for myself before I got put in this predicament," she told the radio station, "And also what my mom wanted before she passed. Even though she's not here, I can still make her proud ... up in heaven."
Sears took
welding classes in prison and said the
GED will help her get a
job, she told
WABE.
"Things don't go the way we plan all the time," she said, but on the day she received her GED diploma she also got her parole papers releasing her from prison.
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LENOX MAN WRITES BOOK
ON VIETNAM EXPERIENCE
Warren Robinson, retired
banker in
Lenox, has written a
book about his
Vietnam War experience:
"Remembering Vietnam, A Veteran's Story."
"It is the story of my journey to, through, and home again from Vietnam in 1969," Robinson says. "Any and all profits from the sale of this book will be
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WARREN ROBINSON |
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donated to the Wounded Warrior Project."
Robinson had planned to attend
law school after completing his undergraduate degree. He saw a career in law as a chance to leave his small
hometown for a new life in the
big city.
In another time,
Robinson might have achieved his goal. But the year was 1967, and the
Vietnam War was reaching its
bloody height. Knowing he would be drafted if he went ahead with his plans, Robinson asked for his name to be put at the top of his community's
Selective Service list. Doing so meant he would have
two years of
military service, and then he could return to law school.
However, a
greater power had
other plans for the young man.
In
Vietnam, Robinson would know moments of abject
terror. He would also experience the
camaraderie and
loyalty that came from serving in the
U.S. First Infantry Division. And one night, on guard duty in a region filled with enemy activity, he would receive a
divine promise that would shape his life, both during his military service and back home.
Robinson will be doing a book signing from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, July 30, at the Lenox Civic Center in Lenox.
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6005 Westlake Drive
Tifton, GA 31794
New Price: $339,000
Beautiful brick waterfront home at Forest Lakes Subdivision at the end of a quiet
street. 4 Bedrooms/3 Baths with
over 3,200 square feet. Many windows for views
of the lake.
Open floor plan, Media room, Vaulted ceilings, Granite
countertops,
Plantation
shutters, Hardwood, and Ceramic tile floors. An additional 1,100-square-
foot building with
screened porch that could be used as a man cave/shop, guest
house,
or for
entertainment! Including an additional 2-car garage, full bath, and
built-in cabinets.
Must see to appreciate!
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SRTC TIFTON STUDENT FIRST LOCAL RECIPIENT OF SCHOLARSHIP HONORING EX FIRST LADY
Chiffon Johnson is the
first Tifton recipient of the
Shirley Carver Miller Scholarship and the
first for
Southern Regional Technical College. Eight Georgia residents were recipients in 2016.
The
scholarship, created by the
Technical College System of Georgia, honors
Georgia's former First Lady and
wife of former governor and senator
Zell Miller. It is awarded to
GED diploma recipients who are nominated by a
Certified Literate Community Program, are legal residents of Georgia and are accepted for enrollment or currently
enrolled at a
TCSG
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From left are Melissa Burtle, SRTC adult education director; Judy Abell, adult education instructor at SRTC Tifton; Chiffon Johnson, scholarship recipient; Bonnie Sayles, executive director of Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County.
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technical college.
Johnson is enrolled at
Southern Regional Technical College, Tifton Campus, in the medical billing and coding program. She plans to eventually earn a diploma in early childhood development.
"I would like to work in the
medical field and one day open my own
child day care," Johnson said.
She began
GED classes in January 2015 to be a better mother and provider for her kids. "My main goal is to
get off public assistance," she said.
Johnson worked in
fast-food restaurants until her youngest child was born in
2014. "Caring for my own children has taught me the
need for
quality day care," she said. "This
scholarship will help me be able to attend
SRTC and get a
job in
medical billing or
early child care. A better job will mean better benefits and working hours."
In her letter of recommendation, Johnson's
GED teacher
Judy Abell, an adult education instructor at SRTC Tifton, wrote: "
Chiffon did
not give up even though she faced some personal family difficulties and also had to take off a period of time for surgery in
2015. However, she came back strong and has persevered to obtain her
GED. Chiffon is a single mom with a young child still at home."
According to the scholarship website, "
Shirley Miller is a warrior for literacy. As a former first lady of Georgia, she became and remains one of
adult literacy's strongest advocates. Her passion is that Georgia stays focused on the eradication of illiteracy through support of literacy programs, adult education and the Certified Literacy Community Program in Georgia.
Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County is one of
37 Certified Literate Communities in the state. As executive director of LVTTC,
Bonnie Sayles nominated Johnson, saying, "I am proud of Chiffon for trying to make a
better life for
herself and her
children. She is a
real example to others in
Tifton in her same situation and as such, will spark others to make the effort to attend
Adult Education at
SRTC Tifton."
For information about
tutoring through
Literacy Volunteers, call
229-391-2527. For information about free-of-charge
GED and
English language classes
at
SRTC Tifton, call Adult Education
at
229-391-2615.
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TIFT REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER TO HOST STATE
HEALTH CARE REFORM TASK FORCE MEETING
Georgia's
Health Care Reform Task Force
will hold its third public meeting, hosted by Tift Regional Medical Center, at 10
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CAGLE
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a.m. Monday, July 10. The group will hear from health-care experts and is evaluating reforms to enable rural communities to develop high-performance health-care systems.
"Georgia's health-care system demands reforms. Statewide, costs are too high -- and increasing by too much, too quickly -- while access and choices for care are too limited," said Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. "It is time for Georgia to act on behalf of all our patients, families,and communities across all geographic regions of our state."
Cagle said the task force is committed to working collaboratively with stakeholders to find solutions that reduce and control the costs of care, that modernize delivery models to better match patients' needs and that encourage innovation and market competition.
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SGBC's GLENN WILLIS ELECTED
TO
STATE BANKERS BOARD
Glenn Pait Willis Jr., president of
South Georgia Banking Co. in
Tifton, has been elected by his peers to serve a two-year term on the
board of directors of the
Georgia Bankers Association (GBA).
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GLENN WILLIS
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"I was delighted when Glenn's colleagues in the state elected him to the board. He is a strong banker who will provide valuable leadership to the GBA as one of its directors," said
Palmer Proctor, GBA chairman and president and CEO of
Fidelity Bank headquartered in
Atlanta.
Willis has a long history of service to
GBA, having previously served as a Group 2 officer. Willis currently serves on the GBA Community Bankers Committee, Public Affairs Committee and on the board of directors of the GBA Insurance Trust.
Willis'
banking career began in
1985 at
South Georgia Banking Co. He was named
president in
2007. He
earned a bachelor of business administration degree while majoring in accounting at the University of Georgia.
He is past chairman of the
Tiftarea Academy Board of Trustees, past chairman of the
Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce and a 2003 graduate of
Leadership Georgia. Willis serves on the boards of the
Georgia Museum of Agriculture and the
Tifton Museum of Arts and Heritage. He is a member of the
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Alumni Association, the
ABAC President's Club, Tifton Rotary Club and the
American Cancer Society.
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SYNOVUS NAMED 'MOST REPUTABLE BANK;'
REBRANDING FIRST COMMUNITY IN TIFTON
Columbus-based Synovus, parent of First Community Bank of Tifton, has been named "Most Reputable Bank" in the United States in the annual Survey of Bank Reputations conducted by Reputation Institute and published by American Banker.
Of 42 banks included in the survey,
Synovus ranked first overall
, first among non-customers and in the top 10 among customers. Synovus ranked second overall in 2016.
"We are
proud to be named as the country's most reputable bank, and I am deeply
grateful to the entire
Synovus team for making this recognition possible," said
Kessel D. Stelling, Synovus chairman and CEO. "This year's ranking demonstrates that who we are, what we stand for, and how we do business resonate strongly with customers and non-customers. It also validates the strength of Synovus' service-focused culture as we
transition to a
single brand in 2018."
All
28 local banks under the
Synovus umbrella are being
rebranded as
"Synovus." The rebranding of
Tifton's First Community Bank is underway with the new
name and
signage expected to be in place during the
coming weeks.
"This transition will improve efficiency and productivity by consolidating system, administrative and other functions, and will culminate in 2018 with the transition to a single brand -- Synovus," the company noted in its annual report. "The single bank and single brand transitions will increase our value proposition and improve the customer experience; reduce brand confusion by aligning signage in all markets with Synovus-branded cards, statements, digital channels and other specialty lines; and raise awareness of Synovus' broader capabilities as a regional bank."
Synovus Bank, through its
28 locally branded divisions, has
248 branches and
328 ATMs in
Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. Synovus was named "
Best Regional Bank, Southeast" by
Money Magazine for
2016-17.
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WATERMELON 'CRAWLING' FOR A CAUSE
The fourth annual Watermelon Crawl 5K and Fun Run will be Saturday, July 8, at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
The event is a fundraiser to establish the Jerry Moore Memorial Scholarship. Once the endowment funds are in place, the scholarship will be awarded each year to a student majoring in agriculture. Moore was an ABAC alumnus who died in 2013 at the age of 46.
Individual runners may register for the Watermelon Crawl for $23 that includes a T-shirt and runner's bag. Phantom runners who may not be able to participate in the race may register for $25, and families (up to six members of immediate family) may register for $75. Registration is open at www.thewatermeloncrawl.com
Participants may also register on race day for $25 for individuals and $85 for families. Registration begins at 7:15 a.m. on race day, and the 5K starts at 8 a.m. Those not participating in the 5K may walk the 5K path or take part in the one-mile fun run, which begins at 8:30 a.m.
Tax-deductible donations also may be made to the scholarship fund, payable to the ABAC Foundation. For information, visit
www.thewatermeloncrawl.com
or contact Josie Smith at
jsmith@abac.edu
or at 229-402-3655.
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WINNER DRAWN FOR
FOX THEATRE
TICKETS
Longtime local literacy supporter Liz Carson Keith won the drawing for two tickets to An Evening with Idina Menzel, July 22, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.
The drawing was a fundraiser for Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County.
Jana Register, a rural studies student at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and
intern for Literacy Volunteers, seen at right, did the honors in drawing the winning ticket.
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YOUR WEEKEND
.
..at a Glance
- District Swim Meet, 8 a.m., Tift County Recreation Pool, Tifton
- Watermelon Crawl 5K/Fun Run, 8 a.m, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton
- Irwin County Farmers Market, 8 a.m., 5th Street, Ocilla
- Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
- Sylvester Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, downtown train depot, Sylvester
- Watermelon Express Train Ride -- Sam Shortline Excursion Train, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Cordele
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JUNE 28
Lory "Ernest" White, 56, Sumner
Charlie Dale Vick, 69,
Quitman
Louise Hamilton
, 76, Sylvester
Roger Reaves, 72, Wilcox County
JUNE 29
Jewell Cagle Walker, 91, Tifton
JUNE 30
Irma Lee Howell, 80, Adel
Debra S. Register, 63, Adel
Bobby Pearson, 72, Valdosta
JULY 1
Michael Anthony "Tony" Kent, 67, Nashville
JULY 2
Patricia "Pat" Jean Joiner, 70, Lakeland
Elizabeth Jackson Johnson, Sylvester
Detra Dickerson, 48, Cordele
JULY 3
Bobby L. Logan, 80, Adel
Shelby Jean Daniell, 78, Lee County
Vicky W. Folsom Barwick, 58, Adel
Donald "Don" Tyner, 70, Adel
JULY 4
Betty Catherine "Grandma" Collum Roberts, 81, Tifton
Juanita Pitts Gray, 66, Tifton
JULY 6
Wilma Jewell Hamilton Harbin, 87, Tifton
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SERVING
YOU WITH PROFESSIONALISM
BEFORE, DURING & AFTER THE SALE
166 Dogwood Lane, Tifton, GA
MLS #
126878
PRICED TO SELL:
3 BR, 2 BA home, 1,641 square feet, with Cathedral Ceilings, Master Suite with Jacuzzi Tub, private back yard with deck.
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Dwana Coleman
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Visit Us Online:
Call us TODAY!
229-386-4222
Blue Skies &
Sunshine
Through
Each & Every
Real Estate
Transaction!
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FRANK SAYLES JR.
Editor & Publisher
A Service of
Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC
478-227-7126
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