AREA HOUSING PROJECTS RECEIVE GA HOUSING TAX CREDITS

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

A housing development for seniors in Tifton and one for families in Nashville are among $28 million in housing tax credits being awarded to construct or preserve 28 affordable rental housing developments across the state, the Ga. Department of Community Affairs (DCA) recently announced.

For new construction in Tifton, Magnolia Villas on E.B. Hamilton Drive is being awarded $1.035 million in 9% housing tax credits for “housing for older persons.” In Nashville, Dogwood Trace rental housing will be constructed for families with $959,000 in housing tax credits, the DCA said..

The properties will provide below-market rents to seniors and families requiring supportive housing. The Tifton development with 44 revenue-generating units is restricted to households earning 50 to 60% of the area median income or less.

The 28 awardees of housing tax credits were among 61 applications. The awards were equitably distributed across Georgia, the DCA said, and the nearly $28 million in housing tax credit awards will generate approximately $360 million in private equity contributions.

The equity, in turn, will fund the construction or rehabilitation of 1,688 units affordable to low- and moderate-income Georgians.

TRUCK DRIVER FACES HOMICIDE BY VEHICLE, DUI CHARGES

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

A semi-truck driver is charged with homicide by vehicle in a recent incident at a travel center on Union Road, according to the Tift County Sheriff’s Office.

Christopher Eric Smith is charged with homicide by vehicle in the first degree involving a semi-truck and trailer and is also charged with DUI – driving under the influence of drugs, a sheriff’s spokesman said.

At 10:48 p.m. Nov. 15, a sheriff’s deputy responded to a call about a death at the Pilot Travel Center at 4431 Union Road.

The Sheriff’s Office released no other information about the incident. The Tift County Coroner’s Office confirmed that an Asian man in his 50s had died after being struck by a vehicle at the site.

OMEGA FARMER NAMED CONSERVATIONIST OF YEAR

Brian Ponder, co-owner of Pond-O-Gold Farms and Brian and Ken Ponder Farms in Omega, has been named the 2022 Conservationist of the Year.

The Georgia Association of Conservation Districts named Ponder for his contributions to natural resource conservation. He is a fourth-generation farmer in Tift County.

Ponder still lives on the original farm of his great-grandfather, who moved there in 1884 and began with 96 acres.

The farm is now 3,000 acres of peanuts, cotton, corn, watermelons, pecans, and pine timber. Ponder's farm embodies a “commitment to conservation” including reduction of water usage and erosion control through strip tillage, the conservation association said.

His father promoted conservation in the 1970s and instilled those practices in Brian and his brother, Ken Ponder. Their dad always said, “If you take care of this land, it will take care of you.”

“Brian and Ken take that to heart in making decisions for their farm on a day-to-day basis,” association representatives said. Brian Ponder is "proud that he and Ken were the first farmers ever to strip till cotton into cover crops in Tift and Colquitt counties. They are passionate about taking care of the land and using innovative ways to do it.”

Ponder has been a district supervisor for 20 years for the Middle South Georgia Soil & Water Conservation District and serves as one of its vice presidents.

He has been Conservationist of the Year in Tift County, Tift County Farmer of the Year, ABAC Alumni of the Year and served on the Conservation Tillage Alliance.

ABAC NAMES ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Charles “Chuck” Wimberly has been named athletic director at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College effective Jan. 1.

President Tracy Brundage said she expects Wimberly to hit the ground running.

“Chuck strikes me as a real go-getter,” Brundage said. “I believe he has the energy and the enthusiasm that we need for our intercollegiate athletics program. Our athletes and coaches play an important role in the branding and marketing of our institution, and I look forward to Chuck’s leadership in that area.”

Wimberly has served as the athletic director, head softball coach and fitness coordinator at East Georgia State College since 2015. He has also served as the headmaster, athletic director, head football and baseball coach at Thomas Jefferson Academy, and the athletic director and head football and baseball coach at Monroe Academy.

He has guided teams to three state championships in football and finished as the runner-up four times. His record also includes a state championship in baseball and two runner-up finishes in the state baseball playoffs. 

Wimberly has been named a Coach of the Year by the Georgia Dugout Club and coach of the year honors for all sports during his coaching career. 

ABAC’s previous athletic director, Alan Kramer, was named the college’s assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students in August.

TIFTON JUDICIAL CIRCUIT AMONG THOSE GETTING PANDEMIC FUNDS TO ADDRESS CASE BACKLOGS

The Judicial Council of Georgia Ad Hoc Committee on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding has awarded grants totaling $39,476,327 for distribution among 37 judicial circuits, including Tifton.

The Tifton Judicial Circuit requested and received $163,603 in funding.

Most circuits plan to continue their current backlog response plans, which includes funding for temporary personnel to respond to the case backlog caused by the pandemic.

The temporary personnel includes senior judges, assistant district attorneys, security personnel, investigators, victim support staff, and court reporters.

Funding is also being provided for rental costs for temporary space to hold court, for supplies and materials, for mandatory education and training, and staff to support grant administration.

Georgia's judiciary operated under a statewide judicial emergency order from March 2020 through June 2021, limiting court operations to protect health and safety.

In October 2021, Gov. Brian P. Kemp allocated $110 million in ARPA funds to the judicial branch to address backlogs of cases.

TRMC GETS ‘A’ IN PATIENT SAFETY

Tift Regional Medical Center (TRMC) has earned an ‘A’ hospital safety grade from The Leapfrog Group.

“This national distinction celebrates Tift Regional’s achievements in protecting hospital patients from preventable harm and errors,” said Christopher K. Dorman, Southwell president/CEO. TRMC is the main hospital for the Southwell healthcare system. 

“Our team is committed to quality care and patient safety,” said Dorman. “These recognitions reflect the dedication of our people.”

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization with a 10-year history of assigning letter grades to general hospitals throughout the United States, based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients.

The grading system is peer-reviewed and results are based on more than 30 national performance measures updated each fall and spring.

KIWANIS BOOK PROJECT GROWS;

KIDS TO GET 24 GIFT-WRAPPED BOOKS

The Kiwanis Club of Tifton’s Fifth Annual "24 Days of Christmas" Book Drive was a big success this year.

The club collected 1,752 books, allowing 73 local, needy children to each receive 24 individually wrapped books; the children all have one to unwrap each day leading up to Christmas in the month of December. The ultimate goal is to promote a love for reading.

The Kiwanis Christmas Books for Kids service project held a book-wrapping event last Thursday at the Hilton Garden Inn with more than 45 volunteers.

Kiwanis members and volunteers from the ABAC Circle K Club, Tift County High and Tiftarea Academy Key Clubs, Tifton Aktion Club, Hilton Garden Inn employees, and many others came together to wrap the books.

The project has grown from serving 19 children five years ago to serving 73 this year.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

"Over 13,000 Operation Christmas Child boxes headed to children all over the world from Tifton and South-Central Georgia – thanks to a great team of volunteers,” says Pastor Keith Norris of Eastside Baptist Church in Tifton, which helped coordinate the project locally.

Operation Christmas Child is a Samaritan’s Purse international project underway for nearly three decades. Donors fill shoeboxes with toys, hygiene items, and school supplies for children in need around the world.

The Samaritan's Purse partners with local churches across the globe to deliver the gifts to children in need.

IT’S 'GERD WEEK;' KNOW SYMPTOMS, SOUTHWELL ADVISES

Each year during Thanksgiving week, Southwell encourages people experiencing symptoms of GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) to consult with their healthcare provider.

GERD Awareness Week is Nov. 20-26.

A recent population-based survey showed that two of five Americans reported GERD symptoms in the past, and one of three had symptoms in the past week. Although common, the disease is often unrecognized, and its symptoms are misunderstood, Southwell said.

GERD is generally a treatable disease, though serious complications such as esophageal cancer can result if not appropriately managed.

“GERD is often associated with repeat occurrences of stomach contents flowing backward, or reflux, into the esophagus (the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach), causing irritation. Two common symptoms people may experience are heartburn and acid regurgitation (refluxed material into the mouth),” said Dr. George Yared with Southwell Medical Clinic gastroenterology in Tifton. 

Other symptoms may also occur, which include: difficulty or pain when swallowing, excessive belching, the feeling of food sticking in the esophagus, chronic sore throat or irritated laryngitis, inflammation of the gums, the erosion of tooth enamel, morning hoarseness, or a sour taste in the mouth.

“The diagnosis of GERD can often be made based upon symptoms and may be confirmed by one or more tests,” Yared said.

At the Prince Automotive Group Endowed Scholarship presentation are, from left, John Prince, Ches Mangham, Kelley Collins, Heather Stripling, and Austin Stripling.

PRINCE AUTO AWARDS SCHOLARSHIP

Ches Mangham, a freshman pre-med major from Tifton, is the 2022-2023 recipient of the Prince Automotive Group Endowed Scholarship Award at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

The award, established in 1994, provides academic support to ABAC students from one of 11 area counties in the Prince Automotive Group service area including Berrien, Ben Hill, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Dougherty, Irwin, Lowndes, Tift, Turner, and Worth with preference for employees or dependents of employees of Prince Automotive Group.

“We feel it is important to back our local college and local students,” said John Prince, Prince Automotive president. “By investing in students with this scholarship, we are hopeful that they will come back to this community and make a difference here.

“This community made us what we are, and we are very thankful. Giving back to the community is very important to our company.”

Mangham plans to return to the area after completing his education.

“Mr. Prince has given so much to ABAC and to this community, and I am so honored to receive this scholarship from the Prince family,” Mangham said. “I plan to come home once I complete my medical education. I love this community and want to give back to it one day.”

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

“Gingerbread,” a male cat, is available for adoption today at the Tift County Animal Shelter. To adopt him and to see other pets available, visit the shelter between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

'HALLELUJAH DAY HAS COME'

~ NOV. 23, 1906

On Nov. 23, 1906, Tifton was awarded the site of the state's new Second District A&M (Agricultural and Mechanical) School, the forerunner of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. "The Hallelujah Day Has Come, Tifton Lands the A&M School," proclaimed a headline in The Tifton Gazette.