GOOD FRIDAY

AT BRODIE FIELD

FORMER UGA COACH MARK RICHT TO SPEAK

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

The evangelical churches of Tift County are joining to host a community-wide Good Friday Service at 7 p.m. today in Brodie Field with guest speaker Mark Richt, former University of Georgia and University of Miami head football coach.

Many Tiftarea churches are sponsoring this event, which began with a planning meeting in November.

“We felt led to invite all the area churches and not have it be just one church organizing it,” said the Rev. Stacy Phillips, senior pastor at Tifton’s Northside Baptist Church.

“Our purpose is to celebrate what Easter is and what Good Friday is about,” Phillips said. A member of his church knew Coach Richt and arranged for him to come. 

“Pastor Phillips had a calling, a desire to see all our evangelical churches come together and pour into our community,” said Rev. Brandon Martin, discipleship and mission pastor at Northside Baptist Church. “The focal point is to be Jesus, and not just one local church in the area.

“It’s a collective effort; we wanted to see our community impacted with the Gospel,” Martin said. 

More than a half dozen local choirs and praise bands will provide music.

The Zone will be there selling merch and drawing for a Zone Gift Card; everyone who buys a ticket is eligible. 

One winner will be announced at the end of the night.

FITZGERALD MAN GETS 20-YEAR SENTENCE AFTER DRUGS SEIZED

IN AIRPORT PACKAGES

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

A Fitzgerald man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after federal agents found fabric soaked in methamphetamine and crystal meth in packages at the Atlanta airport addressed to him from Mexico.

Before his sentencing, Chad Williamson, 44, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia.

According to court documents, two packages containing methamphetamine and addressed to Williamson were intercepted by Homeland Security Investigations at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Parcel Center in March 2021.

The packages were shipped from Naucalpan de Juarez, Mexico, and marked as religious image and/or a Bible gift; one of the boxes contained a meth-soaked fabric, which can be chemically extracted for use. There was also approximately 450 grams of crystal methamphetamine in the packages, authorities said. 

DEA agents went to Williamson’s residence and found that he had removed the SIM card from his phone. His probation officer administered a drug test, which Williamson failed. He was then arrested and subsequently admitted to agents that an associate used his address for drug deliveries.

His SIM card was located, and a download of Williamson’s phone showed a number of messages he had exchanged with a drug supply source, revealing an ongoing relationship between the two regarding illicit controlled substance deliveries, authorities said.

ABAC project team conducts an interview for the ‘Listen to the Land’ multimedia project exhibit, which opens today

'LISTEN TO LAND’ PROJECT PREMIERES AT ABAC AG MUSEUM

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The premiere for “Listen to the Land,” a student-run and produced multimedia project, is scheduled at 5 p.m. today (Friday) with a reception at the Gallery of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture.

ABAC’s “Listen to the Land” launched in the fall semester of 2022 with funding from the Gail Dillard Faculty Enrichment Grant and the Georgia Pecan Growers Association. The project includes a podcast and public art exhibit, which attendees will experience for the first time at the opening.

The podcast explores how farmers, foresters, and residents in the rural Southeast relate to the land. It will address why the rural landscape is important, examining not only the nation’s need for food and fiber production but also public desires for recreation and leisure, conservation, and esthetics that are embodied in pastoral regions.

Curator Polly Huff said the gallery exhibition contains several elements, such as life-sized photos of the first 12 podcast subjects with introductions accompanying the photo panels. Additionally, a digital component takes visitors on a mapped “tour” of each featured podcast. A sensory element will give visitors an opportunity to experience a scent which captures each location and relates back to the story being told in the corresponding podcast.

The exhibit will remain on display until July 28. The “Listen to the Land” podcast will be available wherever podcasts are available with new episodes released throughout the 12 weeks of the exhibit.

Please join Chase Nixon this Saturday, April 8,

as he raises money for the kids at St. Jude.

GA POWER WORKING TO AID ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

Toni Reid, Tifton area manager for Georgia Power, debunked some myths about electric vehicles during a talk Wednesday to the Rotary Club of Tifton. 

Reid said that people think electric vehicles run out of energy quickly and require charging stations everywhere. “While charging stations are needed,” she said, “eighty percent of charging will take place at home. 

“When you get set up, there are a ton of rebates and incentives available for getting them installed in your home,” she said.

She encouraged people to look at GeorgiaPower.com for more information.

Electric vehicles are becoming more affordable, Reid noted. “There are way more options. This is a market that’s going to continue to grow very rapidly. We want to help you ease into this market without any fear or concerns.

“We’re on the cusp of a new way of moving around the city,” Reid said.

The City of Tifton has joined in a community charging program that will provide charging stations downtown on Commerce Way. 

There is an initiative for rural areas, and charging stations will begin popping up on back roads and side roads throughout the area, Reid said. Also, bipartisan legislation for clean transportation passed last year that will enable the use of electric school buses.

“We have already started phasing in electric vehicles in our fleet” at Georgia Power, she said.

As part of her role at Georgia Power, Reid is engaged in the community. She serves on the board of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce, the board of Southern Regional Technical College, the board of Ruth’s Cottage and PattiCake House, and in other roles.

“I’m always looking for other ways to get engaged and partner with other community nonprofits,” Reid said.

She noted that April is Lineman Appreciation Month; “so thank a lineman. Our lineman do more than just restore service when there are outages. They do a great job making sure power is restored quickly and safely. They work hard to make sure we have electricity.” 

She cited a recent article in the Tifton Grapevine about how area lineman came to the rescue with a tractor-trailer on fire just off I-75 in Tifton.

“They actually saw somebody in need that was on the interstate, and they jumped right in, extinguished a fire, and saved a lot of money” by saving the truck’s cargo.

ABAC President Dr. Tracy Brundage, left, and Wesleyan College 

President Meaghan Blight sign a Memorandum of Understanding. 

ABAC-WESLEYAN COLLEGE AGREEMENT OFFERS ‘FAST TRACK' TO GRAD DEGREES

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Graduates from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s (ABAC) Stafford School of Business will find their pathway to a master’s degree easier after the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding between ABAC and Wesleyan College.

ABAC students who complete a bachelor of science degree in business will have a fast track to Wesleyan College’s graduate programs in business administration (MBA) and nonprofit management.

Dr. Tracy Brundage, ABAC president, said the memorandum of agreement speaks to the college’s mission of providing students with every possible advantage after their academic careers at ABAC.

“This agreement is an incredible opportunity for our graduates because the generalist MBA program at Wesleyan College aligns seamlessly with our BS in business,” said Dr. Renata Elad, dean of ABAC's Stafford School of Business.

“The opportunity for our students to also access the MS in nonprofit management, an area of great value in our region, all while place-bound, absolutely benefits both our Tifton and Bainbridge instructional sites.”

The MBA and nonprofit management programs are 14-month flexible online programs with rolling admission dates.

BERRIEN MIDDLE SCHOOL GETS MILITARY FLAGSHIP SCHOOL AWARD

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Berrien Middle School in Nashville is among eight schools that the Ga. Department of Education has selected as 2022-23 winners of the Military Flagship School Award.

The Military Flagship School Award recognizes schools going above and beyond to provide a supportive environment for military students and families.

Berrien Middle School offers a new student orientation for military students that includes a military student representative to assist with the process, along with a military social group that allows students to meet throughout the school year.

The school also offers a “Hearts Apart" program that allows students to talk or video chat with a deployed parent during school hours, and online tutoring/homework help to bridge curriculum from district to district.

Students have access to a no-cost after-school program that offers homework help, STEM enrichment opportunities, dinner, and transportation home. History and English teachers plan lessons that teach and recognize significant military events, and the school offers staff development on educating military students.

“Here in Georgia, we are committed to supporting our military families and having the most military-friendly schools in the nation. The Military Flagship School Award shines a light on those schools that go above and beyond to serve and support military-connected students and their families, said State School Superintendent Richard Woods.

TIFT COUNTY COMMISSION AGENDA FOR MONDAY’S MEETING

The Tift County Board of Commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, April 10, in the Charles Kent Administration Building on Tift Avenue.

Among the agenda items are:

PUBLIC HEARINGS 

– TC-ZA-23-03: Petition is being made by CNK Properties LLC, owner, for a Zoning Map Amendment of a 1.684-acre parcel located at 1706 Whiddon Mill Road – Tax Map 0046B Parcel 072. The property is currently zoned R21 (Medium Density Residential) and the requested zoning is RP (Residential Professional) for the purpose of having a real estate office 

– TC-TA-23-01: Zoning Text Amendment of Chapter 2 “Zoning Districts and Uses”, Section 2.03.00 “Land Uses Permitted in Each Zoning District”, Subsection 2.03.03 “Table of Uses” of the Tift County Unified Development Code to allow Concrete Batch Plants (permanent/portable) in WLI (Wholesale/Light Industrial) and HI (Heavy Industrial) zoning districts with supplemental standards 

– TC-TA-23-02: Zoning Text Amendment of Chapter 2 “Zoning Districts and Uses”, Section 2.03.00 “Land Uses Permitted in Each Zoning District”, Subsection 2.03.03 “Table of Uses”, Item 5.33 of the Tift County Unified Development Code to include Asphalt Plants 

CONSENT AGENDA 

– Motion to Approve Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s Grant Award in the Amount of $2,406 for the Tift County DUI-Drug Court 

– Motion to Approve Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s Grant Award in the Amount of $4,325 for the Tift County Adult Felony Drug Court 

– Motion to Approve E&Rs for the Tax Commissioner as presented 

– Motion to Approve Contract with Eaton for UPS Maintenance in the Amount of $9,361 

– Motion to Approve Resolution No. 2023-04, Surplus Equipment 

– Motion to Approve Addendum to Agreement with Watkins & Associates for the FY23 LMIG Project for a Cost of $19,040 to be Funded from SPLOST VI 

– Motion to Issue a Notice of Award to Reeves Construction for the FY23 LMIG Resurfacing Project and Authorize the Chairman to Execute the Construction Contract in the Amount of $1,395,684.00 to be Funded from LMIG and SPLOST VI 

– Motion to Approve Resolution No. 2023-03, Comprehensive Plan Update Adoption 

REGULAR AGENDA 

– Ordinance No. 2023-03, Animal Control Ordinance Amendments

'DAY IN WOODS’ EVENT: FORESTRY, WILDLIFE, TRADITIONAL CRAFTS

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Gaskins Forest Education Center’s seventh annual Day in the Woods event will be held Saturday, April 22, at 3359 Moore Sawmill Road in Alapaha.

The free event starts at 1 p.m. at the Gaskins Forest Education Center with activities related to forestry, wildlife, and traditional crafts. More than 40 stations will have local folks sharing their love and knowledge of nature, the outdoors, and historical traditions and crafts.

All activities will be ongoing, so guests may come and go as they please. Samples of game venison provided by local hunters and cooked by Stanley Harsey will be ready to taste during midafternoon.

Forestry activities include a prescribed fire demonstration (led by Shan Cammack and crew of the Department of Natural Resources), a tree identification scavenger hunt (Elizabeth Harrell of Southern Regional Tech), tree measurement (Shawn Collins, Department of Education), drones (Babe McGowan), invasive species (Jonathan Bamford, Ga. Forestry Commission), a prescribed fire selfie station (Susan French, The Longleaf Alliance), an edible soil profile (US. Forestry Queen Katrina Laurel Searcy), an enviroscape table (WWALS Watershed Coalition) and an appearance by prescribed fire mascot Burner Bob.

The Coastal Plain Chapter of Ga. Native Plant Society and Berrien Middle School Wildlife Club students will share their love of plants.

Wildlife activities include skins & skulls (ABAC Wildlife Club), turkey calls (Gary Cox), archery (Kristen Nienstedt, DNR), BB range (National Wildlife Turkey Federation and Zack Rice), frog acoustics (Erin Grabarczyk, VSU), reptiles (Triston Hansford, UGA), quail habitat (Jennifer Ward, Quail Forever), livestock (Kayln Hansford, ABAC Destination Ag), and fish printing (Greta Collins). Several presenters will have insect activities.

Crafts using natural products include pine needle baskets, fruit preserving, lichen dying, and papermaking. The Ga. Museum of Agriculture will be demonstrating traditional crafts. Chris Adams of General Coffee State Park will re-enact life as a wiregrass pioneer, and Bryan Shaw will share information about the historic Old Coffee Road. 

Several activities are designed specifically for children, including making a pine-cone bird feeder, twig pencils, leaf prints, native bee nests, and aquatic insect sampling.  Children from the Alapaha Summer Program will be on hand to help with making fans from saw palmetto leaves.

TCHS STUDENT TO REPRESENT TIFTON AT D.C. YOUTH SUMMIT ON ENVIRONMENT

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Emily Anderson, a junior at Tift County High School, has been selected to represent Tifton as a National Youth Delegate to the 2023 Washington Youth Summit on the Environment at George Mason University in Virginia.

Anderson joins a select group of 100 students from across the country to participate in an intensive, week-long study of leadership in environmental science and conservation. She was chosen based on academic accomplishments and a demonstrated interest and excellence in leadership in the sciences and conservation studies.

George Mason University, along with its partner, the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, welcome the nation's young scholars to Washington, D.C., with distinguished faculty, guest speakers, and direct access to elite D.C. practitioners.

The Washington Youth Summit on the Environment will be held June 25-30. The summit is a student leadership conference designed to develop and encourage

future leaders in the field of environmental studies and conservation. The Advisory Board is chaired by Mark Bauman, president of Virtual Wonders and former executive vice president of National Geographic Television.

FIFTH STREET INTERIORS

ARTS COUNCIL OFFERS OUTDOOR PAINTING CLASSES

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The Tifton Council for the Arts this week held its first Pop Up Plein Air painting class with local artist Cris Lawson.

The eight-week series of plein air classes will take place in different locations in and around Tifton. Each week, adult participants paint in a new location.

Classes are offered for free, but registration is required as space is limited.

To register and to obtain more information, Click Here!

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Weekly COVID-19 data released from the

Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) as of April 5:

TOTAL TIFT COUNTY CASES: 6,904 ..................................... TOTAL TIFT DEATHS: 176

CONFIRMED TIFT CASES - 2 weeks: 7 ................................... DEATHS - Past week: 0

TIFT POSITIVITY RATE - 2 weeks: 2.9% ........ CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES: 29

TIFT CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 2 weeks, per 100K population: 71

_______________________________________________________________

GEORGIA TOTAL CASES: 2,356,655.....................................TOTAL GA DEATHS: 35,264

GA CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 1 week: 2,561

GA DEATHS - 1 week: 46................................... ......GA HOSPITALIZATIONS - 1 week: 183

YOUR GUIDE TO ACTIVITIES THIS WEEKEND IN THE TIFTAREA

Sunday, April 9, is Easter – celebrating Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead and the triumph of good over evil. It is the most important observance for Christians around the world. 

FRIDAY, APRIL 7

• City of Tifton & Tift County government offices closed
• Good Friday at Brodie Field with Mark Richt, 7 p.m., Brodie Field, Tifton

SATURDAY, APRIL 8

• Easter Family Fun Down on the Farm, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., The Market at Rutland Farms, Union Road, Tifton
• Second Saturday: Spring Fling, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Downtown Tifton

SUNDAY, APRIL 9

• Easter

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

“FritoLay,” a male dog, is among the pets looking for a good home. He 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).