Friday, Jan. 31, 2020
Tifton, Georgia
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VIDEO:
The Super Bowl commercial showing the apparent demise of Mr. Peanut.
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SAY IT AIN'T SO!
MR. PEANUT DIES DURING SUPER BOWL AS PEANUTS GET SPOTLIGHT DURING BIG-GAME COMMERCIALS
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By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
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Peanuts
are a part of life, especially here in
South Georgia
, and
Mr. Peanut
is the industry's best known
promoter
of the
legume
.
So, it was
surprising
when
Planter's Peanuts
announced that
Mr. Peanut
dies
in a pre-game
commercial
to be aired this
Sunday
before the
Super Bowl
. Quite frankly, it left many folks
shell-shocked
.
Planters
"will
kill off
the
iconic Mr. Peanut
for the
sake
of
good television
,"
Tifton's
Tyron Spearman
recently said on
Southeast AgNet
radio network.
Spearman
, who noted Mr. Peanut's
"untimely demise"
at the tender age of
104
, said "it could be
Mr. Peanut
is
finally gone
, or it could be
just another marketing stunt
."
In the
TV commercial
, actors
Wesley Snipes
and
Matt Walsh
are singing as they travel in the
NUTmobile
with
Mr. Peanut
driving. The three are
ejected
when Mr. Peanut
swerves
to avoid an
armadillo
, and the vehicle
crashes
into a canyon. They are all holding into a
branch
which begins
snapping
, and
Mr. Peanut gallantly
lets go to
save the others, falling into the canyon
atop the
NUTmobile, which then
explodes.
Mr. Peanut
is apparently
roasted
, and that's the
commercial
in a
nutshell
.
Planters
is said to also have another
commercial
to be aired during the
Super Bowl's third quarter
about
Mr. Peanut's funeral
.
Spearman
said
Planters
isn't the only company
promoting peanuts
on
Sunday
during the game.
Mars Wrigley Associates
will have a
commercial
about its recent
World's Largest Snickers Bar
, weighing more than
4,700 pounds
and measuring
two feet high
and
26 inches wide
.
It was made in
Waco, Texas
, and certified as the world's largest by the
Guinness Book of World Records
. The bar, using the same
ingredients
found in every
Snickers
bar –
milk chocolate, nougat, caramel
and
peanuts
– represents about
43,000
single-size
Snickers
bars put together.
By the way, a
30-second
Super Bowl
commercial
this year is said to
cost
about
$5.6 million
– and we're not talking just
peanuts!
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GSP FIRES 32 TROOPERS
FOR CHEATING ON TEST
AMONG THEM, TROOPER IN TIFTON POST 13
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A
Georgia state trooper
at
Tifton's Post 13
is among the
32
troopers who have been
fired
after being
accused
of
cheating on an exam
, according to the
Georgia State Patrol
(GSP).
Jose Perez
of
Colquitt County
was assigned to the
Tifton
post. He was a member of the
106th
class of the
Georgia State Patrol Trooper School
. The
entire class,
which graduated
Aug. 16,
has been
dismissed
following an
investigation
of
cheating
on an
online test
, the GSP said
Wednesday
.
Col.
Mark W. McDonough
, commissioner of the
Georgia Department of Public Safety
, said that
32
troopers were
fired
after being
accused
of
cheating
on an
online exam
for
speed-detection operation
. One other
trooper
has
resigned
.
McDonough said he has ordered an
audit
of the
training department
, which
could
lead to other
disciplinary action
. He said the
scandal
is a
"punch to the gut."
The
investigation
began with
allegations
of two cadets
cheating
, McDonough said.
Cadets
were
helping each other
with the test, searching the
Internet
for
posted test questions and answers
, and setting up
Snapchat
accounts to help, he said. One cadet got
someone outside
of the
GSP
to
take the test
for him, the colonel said.
McDonough said an investigation confirmed
four
allegations: Every trooper cheated on the
speed-detection operator exam
; a cadet
helped
another cadet with the exam; three cadets
assisted another
with the exam; and a
training instructor
printed a
makeup exam
and
permitted two cadets
, who had
failed
, to
take it
back to their
rooms
to
study
.
As a
result
of the cheating, the
GSP
will
no longer use online tests
, relying entirely on tests taken in person in front of instructors,
McDonough
said.
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GET ADVANCE TICKETS AT THESE LOCATIONS:
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Tickets may be purchased at
Espresso 41, Fresco Italiano, K&K Custom Creations, and
Destiny Fitness. Chocolatiers at the event include
Cole's Cakery, Fresco Italiano, The Howard Center, K&K Custom Creations, Publix, Ruby Tuesday, and
Taco Loco.
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TIFT JOBLESS RATE
REMAINS AT RECORD LOW
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Unemployment
ticked
up slightly
in
Tift County
during
December
but
still remained
at a
record low
rate, according to the
Ga. Department of Labor
(DOL).
In data that the
DOL
recently released, the
jobless rate
in
Tift County
during
December
was
2.9
percent. It was
2.7
percent in
November
, but was
3.8
percent during the
same period
the
year before
.
In the
Tiftarea
,
Cook County
was
3.4
percent in
December
and
3
percent in
November
;
Worth
,
3.3
percent (
Dec.
) and
3
percent (
Nov.
);
Turner
,
3.8
percent, and
3.2
percent respectively;
Irwin
,
4.4
percent, and
3.6
percent;
Berrien
,
4.4
percent, and
4.3
percent; and
Ben Hill County
,
5.5
percent (
Dec.
), and
4.9
percent (
Nov.
).
State Labor Commissioner
Mark Butler
said that
2019
was a
banner year
for the state with
increases
in
jobs, work force
and
employed
residents.
The
year-end numbers
in all
three categories
were
record highs,
preliminary numbers showed. At the same time, the
December
unemployment rate
was another
record low
.
“
Georgia
closed out
2019
on a very
high note
,”
Butler
said. “We
set records
right across the board on
all
the
major indicators
. It’s kind of
hard to have
any
better year
than Georgia had.”
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TIFT SHOW CHOIR PLACES FIRST
IN SOUTHEAST COMPETITION
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Tift County Schools' "One Voice" show choir
, consisting of
students
in
grades 7-8
, swept
several categories
including
first place overall
in the
Tallassee Capital City Classic
in
Montgomery, Ala.
, last weekend.
In addition to winning
overall First Place
, One Voice won
Best Vocals, Best Choreography
and
Best Show Design
.
Choirs
from across the
Southeast
competed, and more than
40
groups performed during the weekend event.
The
One Voice show choir
is comprised of
52 middle school students
under the direction of
Pam McClellan
and Dr.
Martha Boutwell
, with choreographer
J.J. Jackson
.
One Voice
is participating in the
Enterprise Southland Show Choir Classic
this weekend in
Enterprise Ala.
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SRTC President Jim Glass strolls along campus with some of the students.
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SRTC HITS RECORD ENROLLMENT
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Southern Regional Technical College
(SRTC) announced
Wednesday
that it had achieved
record student enrollment
for the
eighth
consecutive term.
For the
spring semester
, SRTC’s total enrollment hit a
record high
for a spring semester of
4,997
students. This is a
15.1
percent increase in enrollment with a
15.4
percent increase in full-time equivalency when compared with SRTC’s
spring 2019
figures.
These numbers are
more than triple
the
statewide average
enrollment growth across the
Technical College System of Georgia
(TCSG), which has increased by about
4.5
percent during the same time period. All numbers are from the TCSG data center.
The spring semester marks the third semester that
Jim Glass
has served
SRTC
as
president
.
“I certainly
credit
the
faculty and staff
of SRTC with our
remarkable growth
,”
Glass
said. “They are committed to providing the kind of
high-quality education
that is required in our service delivery area. Our programs are thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of students, employers, and the communities we serve.”
This year, the college will
add
a
Saturday-only welding program
called SRTC-Flex, continuing the college’s mission to provide
convenient courses
in
high-demand fields
. More new programs are anticipated this year.
SRTC
has instructional
sites
in
Tift, Turner, Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas, and Worth
counties.
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RAIN FORCES IRWIN TO CANCEL
'EVENING WITH CHAMPIONS'
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Because of anticipated
rain, the
Irwin County High Football Touchdown Club has
cancelled the
"Evening with the Champions" that was
scheduled tonight (Friday) at
Indian Field.
"The
cafeteria is just
not large enough to house the
crowd we
anticipated. The
Touchdown Club will
notify the community of the
new date as soon as the date is
confirmed," the Touchdown Club noted on social media.
"The Evening with the Champions" was
scheduled as a
fundraiser to
help pay for the team's
state championship rings, which have been
ordered but
not yet received.
The
Irwin County High Indians won the
Class A public high school state championship title during
December in
Atlanta.
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ROTARY GETS UPDATE ON TRMC TOWER, HEART PROGRAM
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The
Tifton Rotary Club on
Wednesday got an
update on both the
new patient tower under
construction at
Tift Regional Medical Center and the
Georgia HEART program.
Chris Efaw
, vice president for outreach and development for
Tift Regional Medical Center
and
Southwell Inc.,
said the
first floor
of the new tower will house
emergency services
. The
number
of
patient beds
will
not increase
, but the
additional rooms
will
allow
each patient room to be a
private
one at Tift Regional.
This will create a
better experience
for
patients
,
prevent
the
sharing
of
private information
and
prevent
a
possibility
of
spreading infections
, Efaw said. A new state-of-the-art
ICU
will also be located in the new tower.
Efaw
also discussed the
Georgia HEART program
, which
allows
residents to
designate
their
state tax dollars
to directly
impact
their
local rural hospitals
in the community – such as
Tift Regional Medical Center
.
Georgia lawmakers enacted the Georgia HEART
rural hospital
organization
expense tax credit program
to
encourage
taxpayers to
contribute
to
aid patient offerings
of rural hospitals,
helping offset
some of the
cost
of
indigent care
. The state allows for a
100
percent
state tax credit
for a contribution, making it attractive to individuals and corporations considering a philanthropic gift to their local rural hospital.
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TIFT COUNTIANS CAN AID CAT RESCUE EFFORTS
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DONATIONS FOR SPAYING, NEUTERING FEES
COULD HELP LOCAL CATS FIND HOMES
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Ten cats
at the
Tift County Animal Shelter
stand a chance of being
rescued
by a
rescue organization
and
finding homes
if their
spaying
and
neutering fees
are
paid
by local residents.
Any
pledges
or
donations
toward this effort will make it possible for these cats to get the help they need. Some of them have been waiting for a long time, according to
Tift Animal Rescue
. As of
Thursday
night,
$305
had been raised. To
donate
,
Click Here!
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Visit the Tift County Animal Shelter, 1-6 p.m., Mondays-Fridays,
at 278 Ga. Highway 125 South in Tifton.
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YOUR WEEKEND
...at a Glance
FRIDAY, JAN. 31
- Tift County High Blue Devils basketball @ Camden High, 6 p.m., Kingsland
- Travis Tritt in concert, 8 p.m., Albany Civic Center, Albany
SATURDAY, FEB. 1
- St. Anne's Relay for Life Yard Sale, 8 a.m.-Noon, St. Anne's Episcopal Church, Tifton
- Stallion Day, 8 a.m., Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton
- Outrageous & Contagious Women's Conference, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center, Tifton
- Miss Georgia Irwin 2020, 10 a.m., Irwin County High School, Ocilla
- Ground Hog Day Campground Craft, 10 a.m., Georgia Veterans State Park, Cordele
- Wiregrass Kids: All About Ag Technology, 1:30 p.m., Ga. Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village, Tifton
- Tift County High Blue Devils basketball @ Brunswick High, 6 p.m., Brunswick
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JAN. 23
Buddy Nobles, 53,
Fitzgerald
Josh Holton, 32,
Fitzgerald
William Patrick "Packy" O’Connor, 55,
Ft. Pierce, Fla.
JAN. 24
Mary Louise Stolz York, 87,
Tifton
Chalmes Pridgen, 84,
West Berrien
Charles W. Bryant, 86,
Lenox
JAN. 25
Charles “Doodle” H. Thomoson, 82,
Tifton
Hilda Mae Sutton Stephens, 97,
Sylvester
Malgram R. “Sam” Wright, 86,
Fitzgerald
JAN. 26
Wylene Tucker Parr, 94,
Tifton
Von Eugene Ives, 82,
Albany
JAN. 27
Dr. Harry Louis Sutton, 88,
Nashville
Jean Baker, 82,
Lenox
Peggy Ann Warrick, 70,
Pavo
Hattie Clay,
Sylvester
JAN. 28
Charles Lewis "Sonny" Fletcher, 84,
Irwin County
Lisa Darlene Roark, 61,
Valdosta
JAN. 29
Pat Walls, 97,
Chula
Edna Horne Swilley, 86,
Adel
Charlene Rita Gould, 69,
Ray City
Rebecca “Becky” Elaine Crissman, 43,
Cordele
John Randolph Smith Sr., 82,
Adel
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JAN. 30
Colonel Bill G. Rippy, 89,
Tifton
Richard Glen Temple, 82,
Tifton
______________________
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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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