Ga.’s Best Job-Placement Rate

Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

SRTC HAS GA'S BEST JOB-PLACEMENT RATE AMONG STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGES

During the past academic year, tracked through Sept. 15, Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC), which has a Tifton campus, reported the highest in-field job placement rate of the 22 technical colleges in Georgia.

SRTC’s graduates achieved a 99.1% in-field job placement rate, 12.3% higher than the Technical College System of Georgia’s average of 86.8%. In-field job placement indicates that graduates are able to use the knowledge and skills they acquired in their college classes in their current role.

The SRTC Office of Career Services plays a major role in helping students and graduates transition to meaningful careers. As students prepare for the workplace, Career Services provides support by offering resume preparation and review, conducting mock interviews, assisting with career and job-market research, and helping to connect students to employers.

SRTC also gives students access to the career planning and placement resources Virtual Job Shadow and Focus 2 Explore. Virtual Job Shadow is a one-stop, multimedia career planning resource that helps at every stage, from career exploration to landing a job; Focus 2 Explore guides individuals through career planning and college selection. Users discover majors, explore career paths, and find colleges matching their preferences.

“In light of the pandemic, we are delighted. This is just reinforcement to the fact that Southern Regional Technical College prepares students and graduates to work in the areas of greatest need and opportunity in our 11-county region,” said Dr. Jeanine Long, SRTC’s career services director.

SRTC has instructional sites in Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties.

TIFT REPORTS 6 DEATHS FROM COVID-19 AS CASES CONTINUE DECLINE

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Tift County reported six COVID-19 deaths in the past week with 63 new confirmed cases of the virus, according to data released Tuesday by the Ga. Department of Public Health (DPH).

However, cases have continued to decline in Tift County after spiking to an all-time high in August: The county's daily average number of cases per 100,000 population was 219 on Aug. 22 and is down to 52 now, based on data from Emory University.

In the past two weeks, Tift County has seen 117 confirmed cases, representing 287 per 100,000, the DPH said. When rapid Antigen test results are added, Tift had 320 total cases during the period, representing 784 per 100,000.

Tift's testing positivity rate is 13% in the past two weeks. The county has a total of 4,729 confirmed cases with 117 related deaths, the DPH said.

The state has recorded a total of 1,197,182 confirmed cases with 21,563 deaths, the DPH reported.

According to the DPH, Tift County has a 37% fully vaccinated rate. Statewide, 46% of eligible Georgians have been fully vaccinated.

Bonnie Sayles, Literacy Volunteers president, holds the city proclamation during the City Council meeting Monday night. At left is Mayor Julie B. Smith, and Andy Semones, SRTC's adult education director, along with students in Sayles' SRTC English language class.

CITY OF TIFTON OBSERVES

LITERACY DAY, WEEK

During Monday's Tifton City Council meeting, Mayor Julie B. Smith declared Sept. 20 Literacy Day and Sept. 19-25 Adult Education and Family Literacy Week in Tifton.

In attendance were Charles "Andy" Semones, the adult education director at Southern Regional Technical College, and Bonnie Sayles, president of the board of Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County and an SRTC English language learners instructor.

Also attending the proclamation signing were eight students from Sayles’ SRTC class, representing Chile, Guatemala, India, and Mexico.

The Coalition for Adult Basic Education’s (COABE) goal during National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week is to raise adult education's visibility and celebrate the success of adult learners and programs nationwide. COABE also hopes to increase local, state, and federal funding needed to offset COVID-19's impact.

English Language Learners (ELL) students standing on the stairs at Tifton City Hall in the photo are, front row from left: Giovanni Angeles, Brenda Perez, Ana Karen Mondragon, Beatriz Galindo, Stephanie Gayosso, Meenu Singh. Back row from left: Literacy Board President Bonnie Sayles, Geylin Pena, Alexis Angeles, and Adult Education Director Andy Semones.

TIFTON'S

MUSIC & BBQ FESTIVAL

RETURNS OCT. 9

After a postponement from earlier this year, the eighth Tifton Rhythm & Ribs BBQ Festival has been set for Saturday, Oct. 9, in Fulwood Park.

Angela Elder with the Tifton-Tift County Tourism Association said the festival is returning better than ever.

“We are so excited to finally be hosting the festival again,” she said. “We are ready, and we know that our festival-goers and vendors are ready, too. We’ve received so much support from attendees, businesses and vendors alike who are excited to 'party under the pines.' We will be taking some extra safety precautions this year to help keep everyone safe and healthy.”

More than 50 barbecue teams participated at the last festival, and Elder said registration is picking up for this year’s event. Registration forms can be found at www.tiftonribsfest.com

The professional competition is sanctioned by the Georgia Barbecue Association as teams from all over Georgia and surrounding states will be cooking at the park. Professional teams will compete for the Grand Champion trophy and $3,000 in prize money. The Reserve Champion wins $1,500 and a trophy, while the top 10 in each category receive cash prizes.

In the backyard competition, the Grand Champion receives $1,000 and a trophy. Also, cash prizes and a trophy are awarded to the top three finishers in each category with certificates going to the 4th through 10th place finishers.

Live music will start when the festival opens at 10 a.m. and play all the way through until the 10 p.m. close.

The Gibson Brothers, Roosevelt Collier, and Andy Johnson will be performing at the Syd Blackmarr main stage following the BBQ awards ceremony at 4 p.m. The Danny Dawson Band, Mermaid Motor Lounge, the Page Brothers Band, and Scout will play beginning at 10 a.m. on the same stage. There will also be a trick trampoline show with multiple shows throughout the day on the north side of the park.

The kickoff party will be 6-10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, with the Sunny South Blues Band and Flintlock Annie. Admission to the festival is free.

Anyone interested in participating may contact The Spearman Agency at 229-386-0216 o at spearmanagency@friendlycity.net

TIFTON

2012 Pineview Ave. Tifton, Ga 31793

FITZGERALD RAIL CROSSING

CLOSING FOR MAINTENANCE

CSX Railroad plans to close the crossing on State Route (SR) 11 S./Grant Street in Fitzgerald this week for maintenance, according to the Ga. Department of Transportation.

The crossing is scheduled to close at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22, and reopen five days later. Through traffic will detour using Joshlyn and Rhine roads. Signs will be posted.

The closure is weather permitting and is subject to change.The work was initially scheduled to begin Monday, but had been postponed.

RINGING IN CONSTITUTION DAY

To mark the signing of the U.S. Constitution at 4 p.m. on Sept. 17, 1787, local members of the Tallassee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution rang the bell at Tifton's St. Anne's Episcopal Church at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17. Pictured from left are Bobby Fresh, Holly Hall, Loraine Sullivan, and Gladys Wiseman.

For Tickets, Click Here!

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RIBBON CUTTING

Superior Distribution

4559 Union Road, Tifton

Sept. 16

Find more information on our Facebook page HERE!

THERE'S A NEW DAWG IN TOWN!

"Bunson," the newest University of Georgia Dawg statue in Tifton, was unleashed Friday at the UGA Veterinary Diagnostic and Investigational Laboratory on Brighton Road in honor of the lab's 75th anniversary.

This makes 16 Dawg statues in the Tifton area. Each Dawg is named and sponsored by a local business or organization.

The "Call the Dawgs to Tifton" project is an ongoing initiative of the UGA Tifton Agribusiness Club and Collegiate FFA.

To see a listing of all the Dawgs in Tifton, Click Here!

HUNT

NEW BOARD POSITIONS

Dallas Hunt and

Dr. Rubal Patel take on new roles on the Tift Regional Health System board, and William Bowen, Fortson Turner, and

Dr. Cameron Nixon have new roles on the Southwell Ambulatory board.

PATEL

BOWEN

TURNER

NIXON

TRHS, SOUTHWELL AMBULATORY BOARDS ANNOUNCE CHANGES

The boards for Southwell and Tift Regional Health System (TRHS) recently announced two leadership changes and the addition of three new directors.

George M. Dallas Hunt IV has been named chair of TRHS Inc. Hunt is president of GM Services Inc., based in Tifton, which includes restaurant and real estate businesses. He was first appointed to the Tift County Hospital Authority in 2004 and served as chair of the finance committee, vice chair of TRHS, and chair of Southwell Ambulatory Inc.

“We are grateful that Dallas has accepted the TRHS Inc. board chair position,” said Jimmy Allen, chair of Southwell, Inc. “Dallas has a sharp business acumen and is deeply committed to the hospital’s mission.”

Hunt said Southwell and TRHS are important to area residents in both community health and economic development.

“I consider myself working on behalf of my family members, co-workers, and neighbors,” said Hunt. “We all benefit from having a strong healthcare system. In addition to providing quality care, Tift Regional is one of the area’s largest employers and has a significant impact on the local economy.”

TRHS also announced the addition of Dr. Rubal Patel to its board of directors. Patel is a board-certified pulmonary medicine and critical care specialist with Southwell Medical Clinic in Tifton.

William Bowen has been named chair of Southwell Ambulatory. With interests in farming operations and real estate development, Bowen is the owner of Bowen-Donaldson Funeral Home in Tifton. He has served in a hospital board capacity since 2016, including work on the finance committee.

“We are really fortunate to have William in this important leadership position,” said Allen. “He is invested in the organization’s success, bringing his community involvement and business experience to the table.”

Bowen said the Southwell Ambulatory Inc. board focuses on the development of new outpatient clinics and services for the system. “It’s exciting that Southwell and TRHS are branching out further to provide more primary care and specialty care access points for our area,” Bowen said.

Southwell Ambulatory also welcomed two new members to its board of directors: Fortson Turner and Dr. Cameron Nixon. Turner is an owner of Turner Furniture Co., headquartered in Tifton. Nixon is a board-certified internal medicine physician with Southwell Medical Clinic and serves as chief transformation officer for Southwell.

ABAC GRADUATES 105 IN SUMMER TERM

A total of 105 students completed the requirements for graduation from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College at the end of the 2021 summer term.

ABAC President David Bridges said 72 of the graduates received bachelor’s degrees.

Among the graduates are:

ADEL – Hunter Folsom, Regina Lynn Major; ALAPAHA – Janna Lorraine Jernigan; CHULA – Sarah Isabel Lott; ENIGMA – Chandra Wells; FITZGERALD – Cherita Lavonne Manley, Irene Guadalupe Martinez; LENOX – Brendon Brouillette, Nicole Frances Sirmans; NORMAN PARK – Maria Magdalena Hernandez; OCILLA – Madison Elizabeth Dill, Jacob Henry Fletcher; OMEGA – Savannah Lavender, Diana Renteria; REBECCA – Matthew Robert Clements; SPARKS –Justin Howard Beach; SYCAMORE – Keegan Lang NeSmith; SYLVESTER – Erica Rochell Douglas, Isabelle Jager; TIFTON – Rachael Boney-King, Austin David Davis, Francisco Garcia Jr., Kaycee Jordan Goodman, William Ray Malone, Timmie David Paulhill Jr., Abraham Marcos Jaur Talavera.

TENNESON NISSAN GIVES TO TRMC FOUNDATION

Tenneson Nissan recently donated $5,000 to the Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation’s “Give a Gift, Leave a Legacy” campaign.

Their funds will be used to purchase a bench in the newly constructed Southwell courtyard. The “Give a Gift, Leave a Legacy” consists of naming opportunities within the new facility and honorarium/memorial bricks, benches, trees, and picnic tables within the courtyard.

To learn more, visit www.trmcf.com or call 229-391-3310.

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

"Binky" is ready for a good home. To adopt "Binky" and to see other pets available for adoption, visit the Tift County Animal Shelter from 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

EPISCOPAL CHURCH MOVED, REMODELED

– SEPT. 24, 1919

Work began Sept. 24, 1919, on moving and remodeling the Episcopal Church on the corner of Fourth Street and Central Avenue. The work included moving the church to the center of the lot and raising it higher off the ground. A concrete walk and new steps were also planned.