DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME: A PRACTICAL ‘ILLUSION’?

SPRING FORWARD AT 2 A.M. SUNDAY

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Benjamin Franklin once said that “lost time is never found again.” Well, that was before the biannual switch between Daylight Saving and Standard Time.

This Sunday at 2 a.m., we once again make the leap to 3 a.m., "springing forward" into Daylight Saving Time (DST). That lost hour is not found again until early November, when we are scheduled to "fall back" into Standard Time.

But there are proposals afoot to keep DST year round. Two years ago, the Georgia Legislature approved and Gov. Brian P. Kemp signed a law keeping Georgia in Daylight Saving Time. But that doesn’t mean anything unless Congress OKs the change.

Nearly every state has endorsed year-round DST. Last year, the U.S. Senate passed permanent Daylight Saving Time, but it never received a vote in the U.S. House, so it died.

Last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., reintroduced the "Sunshine Protection Act," permanently keeping the country in DST and ending the clock turning back and forth each March and November.

“This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid. Locking the clock has overwhelming bipartisan and popular support," Rubio said.

DST was first implemented in the United States with the Standard Time Act of 1918 to conserve energy during World War I. It ended with the war but President Roosevelt reintroduced it during WWII.

Then, between 1945 to 1966, there was no federal law regarding Daylight Saving Time, so states and localities were free to choose whether or not to observe it and could set their own times for it. This caused confusion throughout the country as the time often changed from to city to adjacent city.

Congress stepped in with the Uniform Time Act of 1966 setting a nationwide DST schedule but allowing states to decide whether or not to observe it, which Arizona and Hawaii don’t. However, states cannot decide to observe year-round DST without Congress’ approval.

Daylight Saving Time is, of course, designed to give us more sunlight in the evening hours after many folks get off work. But Albert Einstein would probably think DST is silly.

He once said, "People like us who believe in physics know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."

In other words, time is an illusion ... but try telling that to your boss if you show up to work late because you didn’t reset your clock this weekend.

ENIGMA MAN GETS

60 YEARS IN PRISON

IN CHILD PORN CASE

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

An Enigma man who admitted to producing child sexual assault material involving minors has been sentenced to 60 years in prison – the statutory maximum term – according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.

Jonathan G. Hardin, 38, was sentenced March 2 in U.S. District Court after he pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child sexual assault material. There is no parole.

“Producing child sexual assault material is a heinous offense and will be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “To that end, our office will pursue the maximum punishment allowed under law for those caught producing child sexual assault material.”

The plea agreement remains sealed for the protection of the minor victims.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.

“Finding, arresting, and prosecuting the predators that are creating, viewing and sharing these disturbing images of abuse is one of the most important things we can do to protect the children in our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations operations in Georgia and Alabama.

TIFT ANIMAL SHELTER WORKS TO SAVE PETS,

FIND THEM HOMES

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

The Tift County Animal Shelter has evolved from a facility with an 80-90% euthanasia rate to one with only 10% of animals euthanized, Tift County Animal Control director Candice Hernandez told the Tifton Rotary Club on Wednesday.

Space for animals coming in, and very few being adopted was the main problem then. 

There are not enough homes in South Georgia for all the stray animals that Animal Control picks up, she said. Many go to Nova Scotia, Canada, and the Northeast. They don’t have strays in Canada because the winters are too cold for them to survive. 

Hernandez said she began volunteering for the animal shelter in 2015 when a co-worker of hers wanted to adopt a dog, and she looked online for photos of dogs to be adopted and didn’t find any. 

Hernandez took her camera and started taking pictures of dogs and cats. She started the Facebook page, “Friends of Tift County Animal Shelter.”  

“I began saving dogs,” she said. “It became very addictive. It’s such a great feeling knowing that dog would live a full, happy life rather than the alternative. I wanted to save more.”

Meanwhile, a friend from high school, Leah Robbins, saw what Hernandez was doing and reconnected with her. Robbins helped take and post photos. The two of them formed the nonprofit Tift Animal Rescue.

“Through this friendship we learned there are not enough adopters in this county for the number of homeless animals we have,” Hernandez said.

The only way to save these animals lives is to find other outside resources for them. Other no-kill shelters sometimes have room for animals that aren’t getting adopted here.

People from other states, such as Texas and Arizona, have adopted pets from Tift County.

“They connect with a name, a face, an animal that looks like one that they loved once,” she explained. The majority of pets are transferred to organizations in New York City, Michigan, and Canada. 

“We learned that the answer is networking, getting the pets’ faces out, creating trusting relationships with these groups,” she said. They’re going into foster homes and have to be tested to see if they get along with other animals. Often they have to be spayed or neutered before being transferred. 

“There’s a lot of prep work for these animals to get from point A to point B,” she said. 

When the animal control director position came open in 2021, Herandez left a job of 18 years to take the position. 

Tift County Animal Control took in 3,300 animals in 2022 – 1,449 were dogs and 1,864 were cats. Only 5% of cats and about 10% of dogs are euthanized, mostly because of serious medical conditions and aggression problems that can’t be overcome. 

“We are considered a no-kill status,” she said to applause from the club members.  “We do work very hard to save every one that we can.”

The shelter will help local residents sign up for low-cost spay/neuter through SpayGeorgia. Another new program involves releasing feral cats on farms and large properties to help control rodents. These are cats that were trapped, neutered and are ready to go back to do what they were doing before to stay alive. 

TCHS STUDENT PLACES FIRST IN GA, TO COMPETE AT INTERNATIONAL

FUTURE HEALTH PROS CONFERENCE

Tift County High School student Bill Nguyen placed first in the Prepared Speaking category recently in the in the HOSA-Future Health Professionals State Leadership Conference in Atlanta.

He competed against 110 participants statewide and is now eligible to compete during June at the HOSA International Leadership Conference in Texas.

HOSA is a global student-led organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services and several federal and state agencies.

Its mission is to empower future health professionals to become leaders in the global health community through education, collaboration, and experience.

ABAC ALUMNA NAMED GEORGIA’S

MRS. U.S. AGRICULTURE

Paula Lewis, an alumna of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, was recently named Georgia's Mrs. United States Agriculture and will compete for the national title this summer in Alabama.

Lewis said she entered the pageant because she is passionate about agriculture. She was active in many ag clubs while in high school and college, but since graduating from ABAC in 2010, she says she hasn’t had a platform to talk about agriculture.

Lewis was in of one of the first graduating classes at ABAC to earn a degree in bachelor of science in diversified agriculture. While finishing her degree, she met her husband, Max Lewis.

They, along with another former ABAC couple, are partners in a business called Two Families Local Meat. Located in Albany, they raise cattle and hogs, and sell packaged beef and pork. 

The goal of the Miss and Mrs. United States Agriculture pageants are “to truly advocate for agriculture by using the crown and sash as an avenue to start conversations.” The organization considers itself as a pageant with a purpose and was started in 2014.

Other Georgia agriculture pageant contestants this year included: Tatum Hickman, daughter of ABAC alumni John and Randi Hickman, who won the Tiny Miss Agriculture division; Regan Pollard, daughter of ABAC alums Marcus and Catrina Pollard, who won the Future Little Miss Agriculture division; and Jessie Ann Blair, daughter of ABAC alumni Brian and DeAnn Blair, who won the Teen Miss Agriculture division.

All state title winners will compete for national titles.

TIFTAREA LITERARY TEAM PLACES AS REGION RUNNER-UP

Tiftarea Academy's Literary Team finished as the GISA Region 3AAA Runner-Up at competition on Monday.

Students competed in a variety of events such as speaking, spelling, and drama. The first- and second-place individuals and teams will advance to the state competition to defend the school's 2022 state title.

State competition is held at Gordon State College on March 21.

Tiftarea Academy team members placing first and second (pictured above) are: Extemporaneous Speaking, first place - Ridley Monk, Duo Interpretation, first place - Sadie Jones, Dramatic Interpretation, second place - Ansley Hutto, Boys Solo, second place - Jack Brand, Duo Interpretation, first place - Hallie Haggard, Spelling, first place - Olivia Monfort, and Impromptu Speaking, first place - Thomas Holt.

Proud New Member of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce

CAROLINE BARKSDALE

BETSY BRANCH

LAUREN BREY

BRAYDEN CALLISON

CARTER JAMES COOK

KYLEI CUTTS

EMMALEE DANIELS

ELLA DANIELL

MADELYN ODUM

MADELINE PERRIN

KAITLYN ROWE

ANN WALKER

TIFTON EXCHANGE CLUB NAMES YOUTH OF YEAR FINALISTS

STAFF REPORTS

The Exchange Club of Tifton has named 12 top high school seniors as Youth of the Year finalists. They will be recognized at a luncheon Monday, when one of them wil be honored as Youth of the Year.

The students are judged on the basis of their extracurricular activities, grades, a short essay, and a longer essay on someone whom they admire. A point system is assigned to each category to determine the overall winner.  

All participants will receive plaques and a monetary award in recognition of their achievements.

The student chosen as Youth of the Year will receive a plaque and a $500 scholarship. The winner will be entered in the state Youth of the Year Exchange Club competition and compete for a trip in June to the Georgia District Convention in Columbus.

Finalists from Tift County High School are:

Lauren Brey, daughter of Todd & Lauren Brey; Brayden Callison, daughter of Brock & Jennifer Callison; Kylei Lauren Cutts, daughter of Christopher & Laura Cutts; Helen (Ella) Daniell, daughter of Karen & Ian Stephens, and Jay Daniell; Emmalee Daniels, daughter of Melissa Busbin; and Madeline Rose Perrin, daughter of Chuck & Anna Perrin.

Finalists from Tiftarea Academy are:

Carter James Cook, son of Todd & Christie Cook; Madelyn Grace Odom, daughter of David & Allison Odum; Caroline Barksdale, daughter of Jason & Mandy Barksdale; Ann Catherine Walker, daughter of Rob & Holly Walker; Elizabeth (Betsy) Branch, daughter of Ryan & Anna Branch; and Kaitlyn Rowe, daughter of Melissa & Timmy Rowe.

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TIFTON NATIVE CARLOS SLADE PROMOTED

TO NAVY COMMAND MASTER CHIEF

Carlos T. Slade, a Tifton native, has been promoted to command master chief in the U.S. Navy. He was recently pinned aboard the USS St. Louis.

Slade is a graduate of Senior Enlisted Academy Class 229, and received his associates degree in emergency management/homeland security from Coastline Community College and a bachelor of arts in emergency and disaster management from American Military University.

His personal awards include four Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, six Good Conduct Medals, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, President’s Volunteer Service Award, and numerous service and campaign awards.

He resides in Jacksonville, Fla., with his wife April Slade and their three children. In April, he will take charge as command master chief of the USS Mason, which was one of the ships during World War II that had mostly African American sailors. 

EASTERSEALS GOLF TOURNAMENT ON SATURDAY

The Tifton Easterseals Golf Tournament is coming on Saturday, March 11, at Springhill Country Club in Tifton.

All proceeds will benefit the Tifton Easterseals Day Center. The cost is $75 per player and $300 per team. Registration begins at 8 a.m. the day of the tournament.

For information, contact Casey Betts at 229-391-0740.

STAFFORD PROPERTIES TO BUILD MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT

WITH FOOD HALL IN ATLANTA

Stafford Properties, part of Tifton-based Stafford Co., is building a mixed-use development in Atlanta called Terminal South.

The project features the adaptive re-use of two former warehouse structures with approximately 45,625 square feet of mixed-use space that will include a collection of restaurants at a planned food hall – Switchman Hall.

The development at the intersection of Ridge Avenue and Hank Aaron Drive is in the historic Peoplestown neighborhood.

Stafford expects to have the food hall open by mid-2024.

Weekly COVID-19 data released from the

Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) as of March 8:

TOTAL TIFT COUNTY CASES: 6,888 ..................................... TOTAL TIFT DEATHS: 176

CONFIRMED TIFT CASES - 2 weeks: 12 ................................... DEATHS - Past week: 0

TIFT POSITIVITY RATE - 2 weeks: 7.7% ........ CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES: 37

TIFT CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 2 weeks, per 100K population: 91

_______________________________________________________________

GEORGIA TOTAL CASES: 2,349,972......................................TOTAL GA DEATHS: 35,117

GA CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 1 week: 3,451

GA DEATHS - 1 week: 49................................... ......GA HOSPITALIZATIONS - 1 week: 234

YOUR GUIDE TO ACTIVITIES THIS WEEKEND IN THE TIFTAREA

Saturday, March 11, is National COVID-19 Day, as this was the day that the World Health Organization had declared it a global pandemic. The goal of establishing this day is to take a moment to reflect, remember those lost, and gather together as a community. COVID-19 is still with us, although no longer as virulent as it was. Currently, approximately 1% of COVID-19 cases nationwide result in death.

SATURDAY, MARCH 11

• Easterseals Golf Tournament, 8 a.m., Springhill Country Club, Tifton
• Second Saturday: Sales-Food-Music, throughout the day, Downtown Tifton
• Project WILD Workshop, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
• South Georgia Wine Festival, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Paulk Vineyards, Satilla Road, Wray

ADVERTISE YOUR

YARD SALE HERE

TO ADVERTISE YOUR

RESIDENTIAL YARD SALE,

CONTACT US at 

yardsales@tiftongrapevine.com 

or 478-227-7126

Fees are $1 per word, paid in advance

This good girl, “Penny” is among the pets looking for a good home and is 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).