Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018
Tifton, Georgia
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HURRICANE MICHAEL
AIMS AT SW GEORGIA
CATEGORY 3 STORM TO BRING HIGH WINDS, HEAVY RAINFALL; 'STATE OF EMERGENCY' DECLARED IN TIFT COUNTY
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By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
As a
"potentially catastrophic" Hurricane Michael
approaches the
Florida Gulf Coast
, area
schools
and many
businesses
are
closing
in the
Tiftarea
in anticipation of the storm that is expected to bring
tropical storm
, and possibly
hurricane
,
conditions
to the
area
beginning
late Wednesday
.
“A
potentially catastrophic
event is developing,” says the
National Weather Service
forecast office, which serves
Tallahassee
and
Southwest Georgia
. The office warns of “
widespread power outages
,
downed trees
blocking access to roads and endangering individuals,
structural damage
to homes and businesses,
isolated flash flooding
and the potential for a few
tornadoes
.”
Among local closures are:
Tift County Public Schools
– Wednesday and Thursday;
Tiftarea Academy
– Wednesday and Thursday;
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
– Wednesday, Thursday and Friday;
University of Georgia Tifton Campus
– Wednesday and Thursday;
Southern Regional Technical College
– Wednesday and Thursday;
City of Tifton government offices
– Wednesday;
Tift County government offices
– Wednesday and Thursday;
Turner County Schools
– Wednesday and Thursday;
Ben Hill County Schools
– Wednesday and Thursday;
Berrien County Schools
– Wednesday; fall break begins Thursday;
Irwin County Schools
– Wednesday and Thursday; Friday night’s football game has been moved to noon Saturday;
Worth County Schools
– Wednesday and Thursday.
The intensifying
storm
is likely to make
landfall
early
Wednesday afternoon
and hit the
Greater Tiftarea
by
Wednesday night
into
early Thursday
.
Winds
could reach up to
75 mph
locally, and
rainfall
between
five
and
eight
inches in some areas is possible. A
flash flood watch
is underway.
Tift County, City of Tifton
and
state officials
met twice
Tuesday
. At
4 p.m. Tuesday
, the
County Board of Commissioners
declared
Tift County
in a
State of Emergency
. Beginning
8 a.m. Wednesday
, the
Tift County Emergency Management Agency
will activate and fully staff its
Emergency Operations Center
for the duration of
Hurricane Michael
and its immediate aftermath.
Two “safe haven” shelters
will open for local residents at
First United Methodist Church
in
Tifton
and at the
Omega Baptist Church
, according to the
Tift County Emergency Management Agency.
The
National Weather Service
forecast for
Tifton
calls for
t
ropical storm conditions
possible
Wednesday
with showers and thunderstorms, mainly after
2 p.m.
Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall.
Tropical storm conditions
are expected
Wednesday night
with high winds and heavy rainfall. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. On
Thursday, t
ropical storm conditions are possible with showers and thunderstorms primarily before 2 p.m. Clearing is expected by Thursday night.
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REPORT: GA KIDS FACE BARRIERS TO GETTING HEALTH INSURANCE
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More than
80
percent of
uninsured
Georgia
children
were
eligible
for coverage in
government health insurance
programs in
2016
but were
not enrolled
, according to a
report
from an
advocacy group
.
Barriers
to
enrollment
and
medical services
can
prevent kids
from
getting
the
care
they need, said
Voices for Georgia’s Children
.
The group's
report
said an estimated
140,000
of the
162,000
Georgia
kids
uninsured two years ago
could have been enrolled
in either
Medicaid
or
PeachCare
. The latter program is designed for children without coverage whose parents have incomes higher than that for Medicaid eligibility.
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Voices for Georgia’s Children
conducted
focus groups
in
four
diverse Georgia
counties
:
Whitfield
, in Northwest Georgia;
Dougherty
, in Southwest Georgia;
Effingham
in the East; and
Lamar
in Middle Georgia.
Based on the conversations, Voices listed
10
common
hurdles
to medical care for kids, among them:
- The complicated process for establishing eligibility and enrolling children in government programs.
- Education, as some parents do not enroll their children until they have a sick child.
- Poverty – about 23 percent of Georgia kids live in poverty, and many families lack transportation and stable housing.
- A possible stigma associated with using public programs.
- About 53,000 parents earn too much for Medicaid or children's health assistance but not enough to afford health insurance, the report said.
- The problem of finding a doctor – more than 60 of Georgia’s 159 counties have no pediatrician – and then locating one who will accept new Medicaid patients.
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TIFTON FIRE DEPT. PROVIDING
FIRE SAFETY INFORMATION
October
is
National Fire Prevention Month,
and the
Tifton Fire Department
is
informing
citizens of the
best ways
to
prevent fires
and practice
fire safety
methods.
Firefighter
Francisco Preciado
says it's important to provide fire safety information packets in both English and Spanish.
“I want to personally
help
the
(Spanish-speaking) community
understand the
importance
of
fire safety
at home by making packets in
Spanish
readily available to them. I want everyone to know that their safety is our main priority and concern."
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The
information packets
include information on the
importance
of
smoke detectors
, having an
escape route plan
, proper
use of heaters
and
cooking safety
tips. They also include
coloring pages
for
children
.
The
Tifton Fire Department
has a program to provide
smoke detectors
for any home that requests them. The department will
install
them in your homes and even will
replace batteries
when needed.
“I believe
fire prevention education
is the first step in helping
save lives and property
. Teaching our kids at an early age is very beneficial to the entire family. Kids will almost always carry home what they learned at the fire department and help teach their parents as well," said Fire Chief
Bobby Bennett
.
"Early fire prevention education has proven to help
reduce fire deaths
and
property loss
, so we see it as a priority in our community.”
If you are interested in receiving an
information packet
in either English or Spanish, contact the Tifton Fire Department at
229-391-3972
.
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805 Cromer Road
Chula, GA
Saturday, October 13, 2018
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 14, 2018
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Directions:
From I-75, Exit 64, travel 9 miles north on Highway 41, turn left onto Cromer Road … the house is located immediately on the right.
Storage units full of shop equipment, tools, lawn equipment, gardening tools, fencing, outdoor furniture, office furniture, home furniture and décor, kitchenware and appliances, holiday decorations, collectables, linens, clothing
and much more!
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FIND OUT HOW TO ADD NATIVE PLANTS
TO A HOME GARDEN AT FARMERS MARKET
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Do you want add
native plants
to your
yard
but are not sure where to start? You can find out at
10 a.m. Saturday
at the
Wiregrass Farmer’s Market
in
Tifton
.
Landscape architect
and UGA professor
Katherine Melcher
will explain two simple
methods
for
designing attractive native plant gardens
for your
home
.
Examples will highlight
local, Coastal Plain native plants
that are well-suited for the
home garden
.
She says
native plants
are valuable for many reasons: They are
hardy
, use less water and provide
habitat
and
nutrition
for birds, butterflies and other
pollinators
. They are
less susceptible
to
pests
and
diseases
, and they are
less likely
to become
invasive
.
Melcher
, an associate professor at the
University of Georgia’s College of Environment and Design
, is teaching courses
on the
Tifton campus
about
edible landscape design
and
natural plant communities
.
Also on
Saturday
, members of the
Coastal Plain Chapter
of the
Georgia Native Plant Society
will hold a
plant sale
at the
Wiregrass Farmers Market
, offering native shrubs, flowers, grasses, vines and trees. Sale hours are
9 a.m.-noon
.
The
Wiregrass Farmers Market
is located behind the Country Store of the
Georgia Museum of Agriculture
at
1392 Whiddon Mill Road
.
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TCHS CROWNS HOMECOMING QUEEN DURING 45-0 WIN
Taylor Holmes
was crowned the 2018
Tift County High homecoming queen
on
Friday night
at
Brodie Field.
By the way, the
Tift County High Blue Devils
won the
homecoming game
in a
blowout
– they beat the
Miller Grove High Wolverines
by a score of
45-0
.
The
Blue Devils are scheduled to travel to
Valdosta
to face the
Lowndes High School Vikings
this
Friday night
in region play.
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ABAC CANCELS THURSDAY'S
ARTS SERIES PERFORMANCE
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Because of the possibility of
severe weather
, the
scheduled performance
by
Chanticleer
on
Thursday, Oct. 11
,
has been cancelled
at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
.
Arts Connection Director
Wayne Jones
said because the entire
ABAC campus
will be closed
Oct. 10-12
, all
events
during that time have been
cancelled
.
Ticket-holders
for the performance will be
notified
if the event is
rescheduled
.
Other upcoming
performances
in the
ABAC performing arts series
include “Broadway’s Next H!t Musical” on
Nov. 29
, “The Crucible” on
Feb. 7
, the Albany Symphony Orchestra featuring Chris Brubeck’s Triple Play on
March 3
, the Turtle Island String Quartet on
March 28
, and Byron Stripling with the ABAC Jazz Ensemble on
April 18
.
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BENEFIT AUCTION THURSDAY FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
October
is
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
, and the
Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation, Tift Area
(BCAF) is holding its fundraiser,
The BCAF Live Auction
, this Thursday at the
Elks’ Lodge
in
Tifton
.
Doors open at
6 p.m.
at the lodge,
422 Victory Drive North, Tifton
. Many valuable
items
donated by
local businesses
and
individuals
will be
auctioned
.
The
Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation, Tift Area,
was started more than
19
years ago by a
survivor
and her
friends
who saw a need. The foundation’s goal is to
help breast cancer survivors
cope with the diagnosis, treatment and recovery issues. Its motto is “You never have to face cancer alone.”
The
foundation
provides
personal items
including post-surgical and mastectomy garments, breast prosthesis, wigs and lymphedema sleeves. It
assists with funds
for lymphedema evaluations and some treatments. It also
helps
with pharmacy bills, utility bills, gas cards and food baskets.
All
monies
raised are used for
local survivors
in
need
who have
little or no insurance
.
For
information
, contact BCAF Chairman
Gail Fleming
at
229-382-3322
or
229-326-0800.
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HEATING BILL HELP TO BE AVAILABLE
The
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
(LIHEAP), administered by the
Ga. Division of Family and Children Services
, will be available
Nov. 1
. This federally funded program assists
low-income, elderly and disabled
Georgians with
heating bills
through direct payments to home energy suppliers.
Beginning Nov. 1, residents aged
65
and
older
or those who are
homebound
can apply for assistance through the department's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
All other eligible residents may apply for assistance beginning
Dec. 3
. Funds are administered through local community action agencies on a
first-come, first-served
basis until all funds are exhausted.
In
2018
, the
LIHEAP
program spent more than
$48 million
to assist more than
140,795
clients with
heating bills
. Depending on income and household size, those who qualified for the program received between
$310
and
$350
toward their home heating bills.
To qualify, a family's
annual income
must be less than or equal to
60 percent
of the
median income
for a Georgia family. For a household of one, the income threshold is
$22,839
; the income threshold for a household of five is
$50,948
.
For
information
, call the Division of Family and Children Services at
404-657-3426
.
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TIFTON NATIVE NAMED EDITOR
OF ALBANY NEWSPAPER
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Tifton
native
Carlton Fletcher
, a 20-plus-year veteran of
The Albany Herald
, has been named
editor
of the newspaper.
Fletcher
has served the past several months as the newspaper’s
interim editor
. The
Tifton native
was raised in
Ocilla
and began his journalism career with the
Ocilla Star
and was sports editor of
The Tifton Gazette
before heading to
Albany
.
Publisher
Scot Morrissey
made the announcement late last week.
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PROMOTE YOUR WEEKEND YARD SALE
The
Tifton Grapevine
is now publishing
yard sales
in
Friday editions
. The
yard sales
will be
text
only,
no photos
, and is part of a
list
linked from the
Grapevine
edition to our
web page
.
The
cost
is
$1 per word
, and
yard sales
must be
paid in advance
via
credit card
or
PayPal
.
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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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