Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

THIS SEASON OF THANKSGIVING

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, and some folks may feel there is less for which to be thankful this year. After all, every-day life has changed dramatically and many of our usual activities have been curtailed.

Many businesses are or have been struggling. Some jobs disappeared overnight. Gatherings with friends and family are mostly at a distance. Going to a restaurant, or to a movie, or to a ball game, or to a concert, or to an amusement park are no longer as simple and carefree; additional health precautions now accompany every activity.

People with health issues or who are older and more at risk may have been staying at home more, increasing feelings of isolation, loneliness and depression. Some of our friends and loved ones may have become ill and may have even died from the virus ravaging the world.

So what is there to be thankful for this year?

The answer is simple: Be thankful for life – for each day's quiet dawning, for every brilliant sunset, for the happy sound of a bird warbling in the distance, for the sweet aroma of freshly mown grass, for the wind rustling through the branches of an old oak tree, for the smile and kindness of a stranger, for the wondrous world all around us.

Be thankful for hope, for the hope that today will be better than yesterday, and that the promise of tomorrow is always before us. Be thankful for love, the most powerful force in all the universe that overcomes time and distance.

Be thankful for faith, for the belief that we are all part of something far greater than ourselves, and that there is more good than evil existing in the world.

Yes, there is much we should be thankful for. Despite today’s challenges, we will survive and become stronger for having faced them. Storms eventually subside, and the sun ultimately shines brightly through the clouds once again.

Be thankful, be safe, and remain resilient in this sanguine season of Thanksgiving.

VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE DEC. 7

FOR RUNOFF ELECTION

Georgians can still register to vote in the January runoff election; the registration deadline is Monday, Dec. 7.

Absentee ballots are now available. They may be requested by Clicking Here.

Election Day is Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, and all absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Jan. 5 to be counted.

In-person early voting begins Dec. 14 and ends Dec. 31. No Saturday voting date is scheduled.

There are three races on the runoff ballot:

Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler faces Democrat Raphael Warnock to complete former Sen. Johnny Isakson's term.

For the other U.S. Senate seat, incumbent Sen. David Perdue is challenged by Democrat Jon Ossoff.

In a race for state Public Service Commissioner, GOP incumbent Lauren "Bubba" McDonald Jr. faces Democrat Daniel Blackman.

Paid for by the Tifton Merchants Association. To join, email [email protected] or call 229-391-3978.

TIFT A 'HIGH TRANSMISSION' COUNTY FOR COVID-19,

HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

State health officials have labeled Tift County as a current "high-transmission county" for COVID-19 based on Tift’s number of cases and testing positivity rate for the past two weeks.

According to the Ga. Department of Public Health (DPH) on Tuesday, Tift County has seen 145 new coronavirus cases during the past two weeks, translating to 355 new cases per 100,000 population. Also, in the past 14 days, 11.6 percent of the people who were tested for the virus had positive results, the DPH reported.

Tift's total positive cases of the coronavirus total 2,179 with 67 related deaths.

On Tuesday, the state of Georgia reported 2,452 new cases in 24 hours with 12 additional deaths and 185 new hospitalizations. Since the pandemic began, Georgia has had 408,644 positive cases and 8,648 related deaths, the DPH said.

Also Tuesday, the state reported the latest COVID-19 statistics for long-term care and assisted-living facilities.

In Tifton, the Rehabilitation Center of South Georgia on N. Tift Avenue reported a total of 81 positive coronavirus cases among its residents with 21 related deaths, and a total of 28 staff members who have tested positive.

The Tifton Health and Rehabilitation Center on Newton Drive has had 25 positive cases among its residents and one death; 12 staff members have been reported positive.

Both Maple Court and Legacy Village of Tifton each reported a total of six positive cases and one death since the pandemic began. Maple Court has had six staffers testing positive; Legacy Village reported no positive cases among its staff.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS SET TO BEGIN

High school football playoffs are scheduled to get underway this weekend.

The Tift County High Blue Devils, with a 2-6 record, travel Friday to Grayson High in Loganville, who is undefeated. The game time is 7:30 p.m.

In the Georgia Independent School Association, the Tiftarea Academy Panthers face Pinewood Christian Academy in Bellville.

Among other area teams in the playoffs, the Irwin County High Indians, the Region 2-A defending state champions, are at home against Jenkins County High.

The Turner County High Rebels will face the Metter High Tigers.

Some playoff games have been moved to Saturday: The Fitzgerald High Purple Hurricanes will host Oglethorpe County High, and the Cook County High Hornets will travel to Jefferson County High in Louisville.

WANT HIGHER FIXED RATES

than the banks are paying?

Then call Junior Dees TODAY

at 229-472-8824 for our latest current rates –

Highest Rates in Tifton!

We're located on 2nd Street in the old Colony Bank building

next door to Turner's Furniture.

ABAC ENROLLMENT GROWS

DURING PANDEMIC

Enrollment at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College increased to 3,990 students during the fall semester, the second largest enrollment in the history of ABAC.

“Given the challenges that we encountered during most of 2020 because of the pandemic, this is a remarkable feat,” ABAC President David Bridges said.

Enrollment increased by 1.6 percent above the 3,927 students enrolled during the 2019 fall term. ABAC was the only one of the nine institutions in the state college sector of the 26-member University System of Georgia (USG) to have an enrollment increase. ABAC recorded an all-time record enrollment of 4,291 students during the 2018 fall term.

USG enrollment reached an all-time high of 341,485 students, according to the USG’s Fall 2020 Semester Enrollment Report. The record enrollment represents a 2.4 percent increase over Fall 2019, extending USG’s growth trend to seven consecutive years.

The USG report showed that 59.4 percent of the ABAC enrollment was female during the fall term, the highest percentage of female enrollment in the 112-year history of ABAC. Female enrollment has been on the rise at ABAC for years because of many factors including the popularity of the ABAC nursing program, which is predominately female.

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

RIBBON CUTTINGS

The Gatehouse & The Station

Ribbon-cuttings on Nov. 19 were held for The Gatehouse at Twin Brick apartments (top photo) and for The Station event space (lower photo) on North Tift Avenue in Downtown Tifton. They were among the last projects for longtime Downtown Tifton developer Harold Harper Sr., who died before construction was completed. The grand opening was held on what would have been his 91st birthday.

COAT DRIVE AIDS KIDS DURING WINTER

Tift County Commissioner Melissa Hughes has once again begun her annual coat drive to provide winter coats for local children.

The "Keep 'em Warm Coat Drive" is going on through Dec. 21. Children's coats may be dropped off at several sites: Kelly Cleaners, the second floor commissioner's office in the Charles Kent County Administrative Building on Tift Avenue, and at Tift County fire stations No. 51, Tift Eldorado Road; Station 52, N. Tift Avenue; and Station 53, Highway 319 S., Omega.

The Tifton Housing Authority will distribute the coats.

Contact Hughes at 229-326-0241 regarding donations and pickups.

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CATS OF THE WEEK

This adorable pair at the Tift County Animal Shelter are looking for a new home. To adopt, visit the 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

FIRE GUTS TOP FLOORS OF TIFTON'S 'HIGH-RISE'

– NOV. 25, 1924

The top three floors of the four-story Clyatt-Elks Building, at the corner of Second Street and Love Avenue, were gutted by fire on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 1924. The third and fourth floors were occupied by the Coastal Plain Hospital at the time, and the one patient was evacuated safely. "The whole top floor was in flames when the fire was discovered" at 11 a.m., according to press dispatches. Brooks Pharmacy on the ground floor was also heavily damaged.