Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Tifton, Georgia
GrapeNew
CITY COUNCIL TO DECIDE IF PACKAGE STORE ALLOWED NEAR UGA TIFTON
By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
Tifton City Council has called a special meeting for 5:30 p.m. Thursday to consider
allowing the location of an alcohol package store at the old Howard Johnson property on U.S. Highway 41.

At issue is the state and city requirement that alcohol sales stores be located at least 200 yards from a college campus. The University of Georgia's Tifton property is located just across Highway 41 from the proposed package store site.

City Attorney Rob Wilmot told council recently that the proposed site is about 420 feet from UGA property. He said the state defines a college campus as "buildings and grounds." The UGA property encompasses about 1,900 acres, Wilmot said.

Council will discuss amending the distance requirements to allow the sale of alcohol there. Wilmot said that the state allows municipalities to lessen the distance, but he said the city needs to ensure there are no "unintended consequences" if the distance requirement is changed.

Vice Mayor Jack Folk said the old motel site is an "eyesore" right now, and the city needs to move forward to allow the package store to be built at the Highway 41 site.

"We’ve got to do something to not drag this all out. Whatever we decide, we need to decide quickly," Folk said. "Let's not dilly dally; let them build the darn thing there."
AREA JOBLESS RATE RISES DURING MAY
By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
Most Tiftarea counties experienced a slightly higher unemployment rate during May, according to data released by the Ga. Department of Labor (GDOL).

Tift County's jobless rate rose to 2.3% from the previous month's rate of 2.1%. Still, the county’s unemployment rate remains much better that it was a year ago when it was 3.5%, the GDOL reported.

Statewide, Georgia’s May unemployment rate hit an all-time low of 3% while the number of jobs hit an all-time high of 4,782,400, up 18,100 from April to May and up 244,100 year to year.

Georgia’s unemployment rate was six-tenths of a percent lower than the national May unemployment rate of 3.6%.

"As the state continues to experience a very tight labor market, as evidenced by our low unemployment rate, our focus has been on encouraging more individuals to re-enter the workforce, " said Labor Commissioner Mark Butler.

"Unless those who have chosen not to work decide they want to re-enter the workforce or more people move into the state, additional workers will be scarce."

In the Tiftarea, only Turner County saw its jobless rate remain unchanged at 3.8% in May. All other area counties saw slightly more joblessness. Worth rose to 2.6% from 2.4%; Irwin, 3.3% from 2.9%; Cook, 2.8% from 2.5%; Berrien, 2.8% from 2.4%; and Ben Hill, 3.6% from 3.4%.
TIFTON MAN GETS 12.5-YEAR SENTENCE FOR TRAFFICKING HEROIN INTO TIFTON
By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
A Tifton man was sentenced last week to 12 and a half years in prison for trafficking large quantities of heroin from Atlanta into Tifton, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Joshua Gannon Deanda, 24, was sentenced to serve 150 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration worked with a source in October 2020 that named Deanda as a courier and distributor of a large shipment of drugs from Atlanta to Tifton containing one or two kilograms of heroin and approximately two kilograms of methamphetamine.

Under investigation, Deanda was monitored on Nov. 5, 2020, traveling from his home in Tifton to Atlanta, where he stopped for a short period of time. On his return trip to Tifton, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies attempted to pull Deanda over for a traffic violation at a weigh station on I-75.

Deanda briefly stopped his vehicle but did not exit the vehicle when commanded. Instead, he drove away. During the pursuit, Deanda reached speeds in excess of 100 mph, authorities said.

Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a maneuver to stop Deanda’s vehicle, which collided with several objects and stopped. Deanda and a passenger fled the scene but were later apprehended.

Agents and investigators found two semiautomatic guns inside the wrecked vehicle, both stolen at different times in Tift County. A search of the area where Deanda fled resulted in agents finding a bag containing 267.4 grams of pure methamphetamine, a digital scale, packaging materials, a black tray and an extended capacity magazine.

The top bullet in the extended magazine matched the ammunition that was seized from the Glock pistol inside of Deanda’s vehicle. Agents also found various cell phone photos and text messages corroborating the found contraband and illegal drug trafficking activities.

Agents subsequently executed a search warrant at Deanda’s residence, finding a block of 350.97 grams of heroin. Additional quantities of heroin and methamphetamine were found, along with a handgun, a sawed-off shotgun, and an SKS-type semi-automatic rifle with an obliterated serial number.

Deanda has a prior felony conviction and had an active warrant for his arrest at the time of the incident, the Justice Department said.

“Federal, state and local agencies successfully stopped the flow of narcotics into South-Central Georgia from this active illegal drug pipeline. Their continued good work is making a difference,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary.
University Chancellor Sonny Perdue, left, talks with ABAC President David Bridges on Monday at the Tifton campus.
PERDUE MEETS WITH BRIDGES, STUDENTS ON ABAC CAMPUS
From Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Former Gov. Sonny Perdue, the University System of Georgia's chancellor, visited Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College on Monday for a chat with future ABAC students and a long conversation with Dr. David Bridges on his perspective after serving 16 years as ABAC president.

ABAC has always been a great place,” Perdue told students on campus for an orientation session. “I don’t think I have ever met an ABAC graduate who didn’t like it here.” 

Perdue, most recently the U.S. secretary of agriculture, later chatted with students and parents.

“It’s always a special day when we get to host the chancellor at ABAC,” Bridges said. “I believe he realizes the key role that ABAC plays in the University System of Georgia.”

Bridges, the longest serving president among the state's 26 public colleges and universities, is retiring July 31. Dr. Tracy Brundage will become ABAC’s 11th president on Aug. 1. She is completing her tenure as president at Keystone (Pa.) College. 
STUDY SAYS 96% OF GEORGIA FARMERS FEEL MODERATE TO HIGH STRESS;
29% HAD SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
Staff Reports
Georgia farmers are experiencing a lot of stress and nearly a third have considered suicide in the past year, according to a statewide study.

The study found that 29% of farmer workers, owners and managers had thought of suicide in the past year. Among first-generation farmers, 60% say they had suicidal thoughts in the past year.

These are among findings in “Farmer’s Mental Well-Being Project: Statewide Survey Report” released by the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center at Mercer University with assistance from the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture.

The survey, conducted Jan. 1-April 30, had 1,651 responses. All but two of Georgia’s 159 counties had responses.

“Challenges creating significant stress for farmers have drawn increasing attention in recent years, and the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture was happy to partner with Mercer and the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center to find out just how widespread the issues are,” said Lily Baucom, executive director of the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture.

“While we all agree more examination is needed, we hope this study will help us find ways to improve the landscape for farmers’ mental well-being.”

The study quantifies that farming, with many factors outside a farmer’s control, comes with extraordinary stress. The survey showed 96% of farmers are either moderately or highly stressed. Also, according to the study, 40% of farmers felt lonely at least once in the last month, 49% felt sad or depressed, and 39% felt hopeless.

In 2018, documentation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted 50.7 suicides per 100,000 farmers, more than triple the rate (14.9 per 100,000) measured in all industries.

To read the full survey report on Georgia farmers, Click Here!
TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CATS OF THE WEEK
"Waylon" and "Willie" (the Red-Headed Stranger) are available for adoption today at the Tift County Animal Shelter. To adopt the kittens and to see other pets available, visit the shelter between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).
Pets of the Week are sponsored by:
Branch's Veterinary Clinic
205 Belmont Ave., Tifton, 229-382-6055
TIFTON CONCERT BAND REORGANIZED
~ JUNE 29, 1909
H.W. Brown was elected manager and Herbert Horne the leader as the Tifton Concert Band was reorganized on June 29, 1909, at a meeting in Brown's Studio. A total of 14 band members attended.
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