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'FIRE ANTS' TAKE OVER ASHBURN THIS WEEKEND

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Step right up to the "Greatest Show" in Ashburn – this weekend's Fire Ant Festival.

Known for zany family fun, the festival includes a "Fire Ant Calling Contest" and the always hilarious "Manty Hose Competition," along with the Pet Parade, where pets of all shapes and sizes are welcome. In addition to cats and dogs, past entrants have included a pet parrot and even a pet snake.

The Crescent Circus has several performances Saturday, and the carnival gets underway at 5 p.m. today.

In addition, there's a fireworks show tonight (Friday), along with the Strange Bedfellows fire performers and live musical entertainment.

Saturday's activities begin at 8 a.m. with the Fire Ant 5K/1-mile Fun Run, the Pet Parade at 9:30 a.m., and the carnival opening at 10 a.m. Live entertainment continues all day, and food and arts and crafts vendors are available.

Among the competitions are ones for pizza, barbecue, and a kids' burger challenge.

The day wraps up with a street dance beginning at 6 p.m. with the Ten Mile Bay band.

The activities are based at Heritage Park and along East College Avenue and North Lamont Street in Ashburn.

"Join us as we fill the streets of Ashburn with laughter, excitement, and unforgettable moments," festival organizers say. "Come and experience the magic, the energy, and the ANTics at The Greatest Show ANT – the most electrifying event of the year!"

TIFTON POLICE ARREST FLA. HOMICIDE SUSPECT

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Tifton Police on Tuesday apprehended the suspect in a Florida homicide as he was driving the victim's car through Tifton, authorities say.

Police stopped Carlos Tito Caban, 51, of Fort Pierce, Fla., who was being sought in the death of a woman at a hotel in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Caban was driving the victim's white Toyota Corolla at the time, said Lt. Andrew Bolonka, spokesman for the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.

Toni-Lynn Marie Trabb, 58, of Port St. Lucie, was found dead Monday on the floor of a Florida hotel room by cleaning staff, authorities said.

The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said Caban allegedly had used the victim's credit card to pay for the hotel room. Bolonka said the pair had met a couple of months ago and had been dating on and off.

Tifton Police received an alert at approximately 10:39 a.m. Tuesday that the Toyota being sought was spotted near 17th Street and Central Avenue in Tifton. Officers quickly located the vehicle on South Ridge Avenue near Old Omega Road. Caban, who was driving, was taken into custody without incident, Tifton Police said. 

When apprehended, Caban was accompanied by a woman whom he had apparently recently met, said Bolonka of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.

"The female made acquaintance with Caban in the Orlando, Florida, area," Bolonka said. "During the interaction, Caban told her that he was going to be traveling to New York; she said she had nothing to do and asked if she could go along for the ride."

Florida authorities arrived in Tifton to question Caban, who was transported to the Tift County Jail, where he is being held on a murder warrant and for failing to register as a sex offender, police said.

Detective Roberto Torres of the Tifton Police Department is coordinating with detectives from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office regarding the case. 

During a press conference Tuesday, Bolonka noted that Caban is a convicted sex offender.

"Mr. Caban served time in prison for sexual battery. He was released in 2023," Bolonka said.

"This investigation is very active and fluid, and we will be able to update as more information becomes available," Bolonka said.

Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact the Tifton Police Department at 229-382-3132. Anonymous tips can also be submitted via the TiftonPD Tip411 app.

MAN FACES DRUG, TRAFFIC CHARGES AFTER CHASE FROM PEARSON TO TIFTON

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

A man was arrested on drug and traffic charges Sunday morning after leading police on a high-speed chase from Pearson, reaching up to 118 mph, and ultimately crashing his vehicle in Tifton, authorities said.

The Georgia State Patrol has charged Taquez Mentrae Moore, 44, with two counts of possession of a schedule l or ll controlled substance with intent to distribute; purchase, possession, manufacture, distribution or sale of marijuana; driving with a suspended or revoked license; willful obstruction of law enforcement officers; failure to maintain lane; failure to exercise due care; hit and run – duty of driver to stop at or return to scene of accident; and a safety restraint violation, and was booked into the Tift County Jail, according to a Sheriff's Office spokesman.

The Pearson Police Department said it was notified at approximately 3 a.m. Sunday that an individual was coming into Pearson with contraband to be smuggled into Ware State Prison. The on-duty officer spotted the vehicle, which entered Pearson city limits traveling 118 mph, and attempted to make a traffic stop.

According to a Pearson Police report, the driver failed to stop and “went through numerous jurisdictions before crashing out in the City of Tifton due to losing control of the vehicle and crashing into another vehicle.”

Moore then attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended without incident, police said.

Officers found two duffel bags containing several duct-taped items, including 26 cell phones, 20 Schedule II pills, 246 grams of THC, seven grams of MDMA, a saw and razor blades, two drills, and lighters, police said.

Moore also had several outstanding arrest warrants, police said.

Club 55 Methodist Market ~ Tifton First Methodist Church ~ 12th Street

BILL BANS CELL PHONES IN SCHOOLS

Tifton Grapevine Staff

The General Assembly has approved a bill that bans students in grades kindergarten through eighth from using phones or other personal electronic devices during the school day.

The measure now goes to Gov. Brian P. Kemp for his signature or veto. If he signs the bill into law, it will take effect in July 2026.

The bill, called the Distraction Free Education Act, requires that cellphones be stored away from opening bell to end of school day. School districts have some discretion about how they implement the requirement.

The Georgia Senate voted 54-2 on Tuesday to give the big final approval.

ABAC first baseman Cris Walley leads the Southern States Athletic Conference and is tied for third in the country in NAIA with 14 home runs this year.

ABAC BASEBALL STALLIONS RANKED IN TOP 25

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

In a year of many firsts for ABAC athletics, the Stallion baseball team checked another one off the list this week.

Coach Blake Williams’s team is ranked 24th in this week’s NAIA Ball Media Poll. It marks the first time an ABAC athletic team has been ranked nationally in any sport since moving to the NAIA level last July. 

Other Southern States Athletic Conference teams ranked in this week’s NAIA Ball poll are William Carey (fifth), Faulkner (10th), and Loyola, La. (15th).

The Stallions enter the weekend 21-9 overall and in fourth place in the Southern States Athletic Conference at 11-7. The team brings a five-game winning streak into this weekend’s conference series against Middle Georgia State University at Stallion Field. Middle Georgia is 15-16 overall and in sixth place in the SSAC at 7-8. The Knights were swept in a three-game series last weekend against Thomas University.

The teams begin their series with a single game at 4 p.m. Friday, followed by a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. The Fillies softball team will also host a pair of conference doubleheaders this weekend. ABAC will host Blue Mountain Christian at 2 p.m. Friday and will play Tennessee Southern at noon Saturday.

GA PROTECTING GIRLS' SPORTS

By Rep. JACLYN FORD

for the Tifton Grapevine

Liberals across America are saying that biological men in women’s sports isn’t a real issue, but watching Lia Thomas, a biological man, compete in the NCAA Championship for women’s swimming at Georgia Tech provided a visual that Georgians can’t ignore.

Extremists on the Left insist that the man towering over his female competition is, in fact, a woman. Normal Georgians know that’s preposterous gaslighting.

Across America and even here in Georgia, we’re seeing an increasing number of trans athletes competing against the gender with which they “identify.” But it seems it’s always biological males competing as trans females. This brings us to an obvious truth: The bodies of males and females are different. From height to muscle mass, male and female bodies differ greatly. WNBA star Caitlin Clark possesses remarkable skill and talent, but we wouldn’t pit her against any in the NBA, much less Lebron James. It’s for the exact same reason that we must insist that only biological girls compete in girls’ sports in Georgia schools.

Allowing biological males in girls’ sports undermines the promise of Title IX, a longtime federal policy to give young women equal access to sporting opportunities in our nation’s schools. For more than 50 years, we’ve seen this program work, with female sports growing and blooming with ever higher levels of skill. If we take away the guarantee of a level playing field, Title IX ceases to deliver the progress we’ve enjoyed.

Even within the last decade, it never occurred to the average Georgian that men could identify as women and compete in women’s sports. Unfortunately, we can’t ignore this reality any longer, and so the Georgia House of Representatives is acting.

By passing the Riley Gaines Act, HB 267, Georgia House Republicans have put forward a bill to empower schools to enforce that only members of the same biological sex can play in school  sports. It allows for protections of girls’ locker rooms, ensuring that we place additional protections for girls’ privacy in one of the most vulnerable locations for girls and women on a school or college campus. In doing so, we are taking meaningful steps to ensure that our daughters are able to compete at the very highest levels, with a fair and level playing field, instead of having to compete with a man masquerading as a woman.

The vast majority of Americans agree that we must protect girls from this craziness, and every state should enact its own version of the Riley Gaines Act. Many liberals are captive to the most extreme elements in their party, but even ambitious Democrats like California Gov. Gavin Newsom are starting to reject these ideas as unfair as well as politically unpopular. 

In Georgia, we don’t need to read polls to do what’s right for girls’ sports, and this legislative session we’re going to deliver a victory for fairness.

State Rep. Jaclyn Ford, R-Alapaha, represents Georgia House District 170.

THIRD-GRADERS GET PERSONAL DICTIONARIES

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Students in Melissa Phillips' third-grade class at Charles Spencer Elementary School share their excitement about receiving their own 2024-25 Gazetteer Dictionary from the Tifton Woman's Club.

The dictionaries are being distributed to all third graders in Tift County and were provided by donations to Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County from the Jay Deason Fund and the Harold Harper Sr. family.

The personal dictionaries also include other information, such as the U.S. Constitution, a biographies of all U.S. presidents, weights and measures, American sign language, and other topics.

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TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

RIBBON CUTTING

El Herradero Western Wear

409 W. Seventh St., Tifton

March 21

YOUR GUIDE

TO ACTIVITIES

THIS WEEKEND

IN THE GREATER TIFTAREA

Saturday, March 29, is National Vietnam War Veterans Day. There were more than 3 million Vietnam War casualties during the years of battle. Because respect and support wasn’t immediately offered to those who served during the controversial war, the day was founded to honor those 2.7 million Americans who served.

FRIDAY, MARCH 28

• ABAC Softball vs. Blue Mountain Christian (doubleheader), 2 p.m., Stallion Field, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton

• ABAC Baseball vs. Middle Georgia State, 4 p.m., Stallion Field, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton

• 29th Annual Fire Ant Festival, 5 p.m., Heritage Park, Ashburn

• Final Friday, free concert with Ten Mile Bay, lawn games, food trucks, late shopping, 5-8 p.m., Connie's Children's Park, Downtown Nashville

• "The Play That Goes Wrong," 7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Downtown Tifton

SATURDAY, MARCH 29

• Club 55 Methodist Market, 7 a.m.-noon, Activities Center, Tifton First Methodist Church, Tifton

• 29th Annual Fire Ant Festival, 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Heritage Park, W. College Avenue & N. Lamont Street area, Ashburn

• ABAC Softball vs. Tennessee Southern (doubleheader), Noon, Stallion Field, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton

• ABAC Baseball vs. Middle Georgia State, (doubleheader), 1 p.m., Stallion Field, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton

• March Market Night, live music with Laura Wiley, vendors, 5-9 p.m., Donatello's, Downtown Tifton

• "The Play That Goes Wrong," 7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Downtown Tifton

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Meet "Marion," a beautiful black and white pup. She is the total package – sweet, loving, and well-behaved. Come visit Marion and see other pets available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter on Highway 125 South, open between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For additional information, call 229-382-PETS (7387).

Tifton Grapevine

e-published every Tuesday and Friday

Frank Sayles Jr.

Editor & Publisher

Bonnie Sayles

Managing Editor