Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021 Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

OSSOFF TOUTS INFRASTRUCTURE BILL THAT SENATE RECENTLY PASSED The freshman U.S. senator stops in Tifton on Tuesday while touring the state to discuss the Congressional infrastructure bill, currently pending in the U.S. House. At left is Tifton Mayor Julie B. Smith. Photo by Bonnie Sayles Tifton Grapevine

RURAL BROADBAND TO GET $100M BOOST, OSSOFF TELLS TIFTON

By BONNIE SAYLES Tifton Grapevine

The $1 trillion infrastructure bill pending in Congress will bring $100 million to Georgia for broadband internet access, addressing disparities in rural communities, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said Tuesday in Tifton. Bringing national issues right to Tifton’s doorstep, Ossoff spent about an hour Tuesday at Matt Wilson Elementary School, briefing local leaders in a closed-door meeting and then speaking briefly with the news media. “I came to Tifton to brief community leaders on the bipartisan infrastructure bill that we passed in the Senate in the past two weeks and to make a major announcement that I’m pleased to make here in Tifton about rural broadband internet access and broadband internet access across our state,” Ossoff said. “There are more than a million Georgians that lack access to broadband internet,” he said. “These resources that we passed in the Senate in this bipartisan infrastructure bill will go a long way to making internet access universal in the state of Georgia.” The bill recently passed the Senate and is being considered now in the U.S. House. Ossoff said the infrastructure bill includes legislative priorities that he has co-sponsored, such as providing resources to replace lead pipes in drinking water systems and upgrading public school facilities across the country. It is the largest investment in clean water in American history and a record investment in transportation infrastructure, in cleaner renewable energy and “in flood mitigation, which I know is a key concern in Tifton,” Ossoff said.  Tifton Mayor Julie B. Smith said that during the closed meeting, local leaders discussed how broadband internet access will benefit school children, allowing them “to interface with their teachers, especially during this time of COVID when some students may be home,” and will benefit health care through telemedicine.   “Broadband is the key to the successful resolution to so many challenges we face in our community,” Smith said. “We’re so appreciative that Sen. Ossoff has worked so diligently to bring this back to our state, which needs it so desperately, to rural South Georgia." Tift County Schools Superintendent Adam Hathaway was in the meeting with Ossoff and said, “For education, rural broadband is an absolute must. It’s got to be part of our critical infrastructure. Education is the great equalizer. You can’t buy your way out of poverty, but you can educate your way out of poverty. We’re very appreciative that they’re having this conversation in Washington.”  Jake Best, Ossoff's communications director, briefed the Tifton Grapevine on the infrastructure bill's impact:  It provides affordable connectivity to benefit more than 3 million low-income Georgians, 650,000 of whom lack internet acces.  It includes legislation that Ossoff co-sponsored and championed, the Renew America Schools Act to upgrade public schools in Georgia. It includes a $500 million grant program over five years for facility improvements and installation of renewable resources in public schools.  The bill includes $1.36 billion for public transportation improvements over three years with $135 million for electric vehicle charging stations in Georgia.  It includes $8.9 billion for Georgia roads and highways.  It includes $225 million for Georgia bridge repairs It includes $55 billion to repair and remove lead pipes from schools and buildings across the country.  It includes $619 million for repairs and upgrades at Georgia airports.

REYNOLDS

THOMPSON

CROMER

3 QUALIFY FOR 2 SEATS ON TIFTON CITY COUNCIL; INCUMBENT TERRELL TO RUN AS WRITE-IN CANDIDATE

By FRANK SAYLES JR. Tifton Grapevine

Only one candidate, newcomer Denny “Josh" Reynolds, has qualified for the District 1 seat on Tifton City Council currently held by Vice Mayor Wes Ehlers, who is not seeking re-election. Meanwhile, when qualifying ended Friday for November's City Council election, two newcomers qualified for Councilman Johnny Terrell's District 4 seat. Terrell did not file his paperwork before the qualification period ended and plans to instead run for re-election as a write-in candidate. Qualifying for Terrell's seat are Sherrod Thompson and Lester L. Cromer Jr. Terrell, who has served three terms on council, has submitted his Notice of Intention to be a write-in candidate but is not officially qualified to run until the required publication affidavit is received in the Tifton city clerk's office.  "His notice is being published in this week’s (news)paper, so he should be able to provide the affidavit by the end of the week," City Clerk Jessica White told the Tifton Grapevine. In the District 1 race: Reynolds works in the operating room at Tift Regional Medical Center as a certified surgical technologist and a certified surgical first assistant. He serves as president of the home owners association in Cypress Ridge subdivision. In the District 3 race: Thompson, originally from Fitzgerald, is executive director of Team Fearless, a nonprofit organization designed to help the needy and encourage youth in the community. He spent more than four years in the U.S. Army in combat infantry and six years in the National Guard Reserve. Cromer is a realtor and entrepreneur. He is chief executive officer of Souled Out House, a dance music record label; and of Freez Worx, an Atlanta-based record label. He is a military veteran with eight years of service. Early voting will begin at the Tift County Board of Elections Office on Oct. 12, and ends Oct. 29. Election day is Nov. 2. The last day to register to vote for the municipal general election is Oct. 4.

COVID-19 SURGE CONTINUES IN TIFT COUNTY, ACROSS GA TIFT'S HIGHEST DAILY CASE AVERAGE CLIMBS

By FRANK SAYLES JR. Tifton Grapevine

COVID-19 continues to surge in Tift County, with Tift reaching an all-time high of 219 average daily cases, based on population. In comparison, per 100,000 population, Georgia's daily average of new cases is 75, while the U.S. average is 46, according to data compiled by Emory University. During the past two weeks, Tift County has recorded 498 confirmed cases – which becomes 1,161 when added to positive rapid antigen cases in the county. Tift's confirmed cases for the past two weeks represent 1,220 cases per 100,000 population; the total PCR and antigen cases represent 2,845 cases in Tift for the period, based on population, according to the Ga. Department of Public Health (DPH) on Tuesday. Tift County has had a total of 4,322 confirmed cases during the pandemic with 107 related deaths, the DPH said. In Tift, 32% of eligible residents have been vaccinated against the virus; statewide, 42% have been vaccinated, according to the DPH. On Tuesday, Georgia reported 5,251 new confirmed cases within 24 hours, with 4,203 antigen cases and 32 additional deaths. The state has had a total of 1,041,512 confirmed cases and 19,275 deaths, the DPH said.

TIFT COUNTY SCHOOLS RELEASE COVID-19 DATA

Tift County Schools, in its latest weekly COVID-19 report released Friday on Facebook, said 213 students were currently out with COVID, and 59 employees had a current COVID positive status. Also on Friday, Tift County Schools began prohibiting comments on its Facebook page.    "Please be reminded that the Tift County Schools Facebook page is not a discussion board. The purpose of all of our social media is to celebrate and support our schools, students and staff, as well as sharing important news and communicating event information," the school system wrote in its post. "While everyone is welcome and encouraged to like and share our posts, our first priority is to protect our students, staff and community members. From this point forward, we will not be allowing comments on any of our posts. We are working hard to teach our students how to use social media in the appropriate way." THIRD VACCINE DOSE NOW AVAILABLE FOR SOME Beginning this week, individuals who are moderately or severely immuno-compromised are eligible to receive an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccination in local health departments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that certain patients with weakened immune systems receive an additional dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. To get the additional dose, one must have a doctors' order and/or meet the guidelines of moderately or severely immuno-compromised. Booster shots for other individuals are expected to begin in late September. KEMP DEPLOYS NATIONAL GUARD TO AID HOSPITALS Gov. Brian P. Kemp said Tuesday that he will deploy 105 Georgia National Guard members to hospitals across the state to aid in the surge of COVID-19 cases.  "These guardsmen will assist our frontline healthcare workers as they provide quality medical care during the current increase in cases and hospitalizations," Kemp said. Phoebe Putney in Albany is among the hospitals that is receiving National Guard help.

Tifton Mayor Julie B. Smith presents the unveiled sculpture of downtown visionary Harold Harper at a short ceremony Saturday morning.

CITY UNVEILS SCULPTURE OF MAN WHO 'SAVED' TIFTON

By FRANK SAYLES JR. Tifton Grapevine

The Tifton community came together Saturday morning to unveil the latest addition to downtown's public art – a sculpture of the late Harold G. Harper, the godfather of Downtown Tifton revitalization. "He had that vision of what downtown could be,” said Harper's son, Hal Harper. "He said that if a city didn’t preserve its downtown, then the rest of the community will decay." The life-sized bronze sculpture on the corner of First Street (Harold Harper Way) and Main Street rests upon a bench, inviting passersby to stop and "sit for a chat" with the man credited with stemming downtown's decline in the 1980s and helping return it to a vibrant business district. Nationally recognized artist Susie Chisholm of Savannah (pictured sitting next to Harper on the bench) crafted the sculpture. "I loved getting to know him," Chisholm said, who researched Harper for her work. "This is a true honor and a true privilege." City consultant Bruce Green said there are two deaths: The first is with a person's actual death, and the second “when no one is left to tell that person's story.” He said this sculpture honoring Harper, who died in 2019, is "incredibly fitting. This will be here when many of us are not." Following the formal ceremony, one of Harper's oldest friends best summed up his legacy. Jack Stone, who has owned and run the Western Auto store on Main Street for 60 years and knew Harper even longer, gazed at Harper's likeness and said quietly, "Captain Tift built the town, and Harold saved it."

Longtime Downtown Tifton business owner Jack Stone shares a bench with his old friend once again.

Cotton leaf roll dwarf virus causes symptoms such as leaf reddening, crinkling, and curling, as well as deformation of cotton bolls.

COTTON VIRUS FOUND IN TIFT, 23 OTHER COUNTIES

Source: University of Georgia

A virus that is difficult to control and can cause significant losses in cotton, one of the state's most important crops, has been found in 24 Georgia counties, including Tift, says the University of Georgia's cotton research team. Cotton leaf roll dwarf virus was first identified in Alabama in 2017, and since 2018, researchers have tracked the virus in Georgia cotton fields. The cotton leaf virus causes leaf reddening, crinkling, and curling, as well as deformation of cotton bolls. By 2019, it had been detected in every state of the cotton-producing region east of Texas. It is related to the virus that causes cotton blue disease, which has been endemic in cotton crops in Argentina and Brazil, causing yield losses up to 80%. While the cotton leaf roll dwarf virus has not yet caused much loss in Georgia, Sudeep Bag, assistant professor of crop virology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the UGA Tifton campus, is part of the team focused on research to prevent potential losses.

Bag said the virus has spread rapidly throughout the Cotton Belt and has been detected in both symptomatic and asymptomatic cotton plants — and there are not yet reliable chemical controls for it. “Many growers leave the cotton stalks in the field after all of the bolls are harvested. The general thinking is that winter will come, and the freezing weather will kill the plant and the virus. But based on what we have learned in the past year, winter temperatures are often not cold enough to kill all of the virus in South Georgia,” Bag said. “Growers should remove those stalks as soon as possible after harvest. We understand this adds an extra expenditure for growers in an already expensive farming operation, but it is about trying to avoid a virus ... which could cause heavy losses in the next crop.”

SPONSORSHIPS, TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR CHI-TOWN TRANSIT AUTHORITY

Sponsorships and tickets are available for the dinner-dance-concert featuring Chi-Town Transit Authority, a tribute group to the band "Chicago," coming to Tifton on Sept. 30 to benefit the Tifton-Tift County Public Library. Sponsored by the Tifton-Tift County Public Library Foundation as a fundraiser for the library, Chi-Town Transit Authority is an 8-piece group dedicated to reproducing the "Chicago" concert experience. All of Chicago’s big hits from “25 or 6 to 4" to "Saturday in the Park" to “Colour My World,” and "Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is?” will be covered in the 90-minute concert. There is an optional dinner before the show at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center.  For reserved seating or for show-only tickets, Click Here! A portion of the dinner-show tickets are tax deductible.

ABAC GOLF TOURNEY TO BENEFIT SCHOOL OF AG NATURAL RESOURCES

The 21st Annual School of Agriculture and Natural Resources (SANR) Classic golf tournament at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is scheduled Sept. 24 at ABAC’s Forest Lakes Golf Club. There will be an 8 a.m. flight and a 1 p.m. flight.  The tournament is hosted by the ABAC Agriculture and Natural Resources Alumni Council and the SANR to benefit student scholarships and professional development for faculty and staff. The four-person scramble will have a shotgun start. There is an entry fee of $125 per person or a $500 entry fee for each four-person team that includes lunch, drinks, snacks, golf balls, cart and greens fee, premium embroidered golf shirt with tournament logo, and other products. Each member of the winning team will receive a custom three-dimensional printed trophy designed by students. The SANR Classic’s ball drop event will be back for its eighth year on Sept. 27. Individuals may purchase numbered golf balls for a chance to win prizes. Participants may purchase individually numbered golf balls. They will be placed in the bucket of a front-end loader and dropped onto the putting green. The numbered ball that rolls closest to/or drops into a pre-selected designated hole on the green will be declared the winner. The grand prize winner in the ball drop can choose from a seven-night Panama City Beach vacation at the Edgewater Beach Resort and Golf Course; a one-half day quail hunt at Southern Woods Plantation with state Sen.Tyler Harper, R-Ocilla; or a photography session with Joy Carter Photography. To register online for the tournament, Click Here!

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

"Scampers," a female kitty, is ready for a new home. To adopt "Scampers" and to find your next pet, 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

RENOWNED EYE DOCTOR COMES TO TIFTON – AUG. 25, 1896

In a press announcement on Aug. 25, 1896, Dr. H.A. Lawton, a celebrated and well-known eye specialist from Brunswick, is opening an office at Tifton's J.J. Golden & Co. drug store, where Lawton will test eyes free of charge. During the evenings, he will test eyes downtown at the Hotel Sadie. Lenses will cost $1 and up, and gold-filled eyeglass frames, warranted for 15 years, will be $3.

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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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