Teachers honored are front row, from left: Lacey Donahoo, Martine Rousey, Jennifer Alexander, Amanda York, Peter Pinnow. Back row, from left: Harlie Foremes, Amy Lever, Jessica Walls, Robin Lasseter, Paige Bennett.

TIFT EDUCATORS HONORED FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Ten Tift County public school teachers were recognized Thursday night with Excellence in Teaching Awards presented by the Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence along with the Rotary Club of Tifton.  

The teachers were nominated by a student, parent, peers, or administrator. Each teacher was honored at a banquet sponsored by the Rotary Club.

This year's teachers of excellence are: Paige Bennett - Omega Elementary; Robin Lasseter - Omega Elementary; Amy Lever - J.T. Reddick Elementary; Amanda York - Charles Spencer Elementary; Jessica Walls - Charles Spencer Elementary; Jennifer Alexander - Tift County High School; Peter Pinnow - Tift County High School; Harlie Foremes - Annie Belle Clark Elementary; Lacey Donahoo - Northeast Middle School; and Martine Rousey - Northeast Middle School.

This is the 31th straight year that the Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence has honored’ exceptional teachers in recognition of their outstanding performance in the classroom. 

More than 300 educators have been honored since the Foundation began recognizing teachers of excellence in Tift County public schools.

OMEGA REMAINS ARE MISSING TIFT COUNTY WOMAN

CRYSTAL HENDRIX WAS 8 MONTHS PREGNANT WHEN SHE DISAPPEARED IN 2013

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that human remains recovered during August 2020 in Omega have been identified as Crystal Hendrix, who was reported missing nearly a decade ago.

Hendrix was 27, a mother of two, and eight months pregnant when she was last seen March 8, 2013, at her Tift County home on Urbana Road, authorities say.

She was reported missing on April 25, 2013.

The Tift County Sheriff's Office conducted a missing person’s investigation but had no leads. On Aug. 14, 2020, the Sheriff’s Office received a tip about possible human remains on property located at 456 Urbana Road in Omega.

GBI agents and Tift County Sheriff’s investigators obtained a search warrant and after examining the property, human remains were excavated, the GBI said.

Last October, the GBI partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to have genealogical DNA analysis completed on the remains. Agents ultimately obtained DNA from Hendrix’s mother in Adel, and the comparison indicated a parent-child relationship, the GBI said. 

The Tift County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI's Atlanta Office were instrumental in identifying the remains, the GBI noted.

"Now that Crystal Hendrix has been identified, investigators can focus on her death investigation,” the GBI said. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Tift County Sheriff’s Office at 229-388-6020 or the GBI regional office in Sylvester at 229-777-2080.

AREA SRTC STUDENTS WIN GOLD AT STATE SkillsUSA MEET

Several local Southern Regional Technical College students placed first in their respective competitions during the recent SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta.

Edward Rella of Tifton placed first in Architectural Drafting; Marcus Owen of Tifton placed first in Automotive Service Technology; Jessica Clarke of Nashville placed first in Technical Drafting; and John Sykes of Bainbridge placed first in Welding Sculpture.

Brittany Thompson of Fitzgerald took home silver in Medical Math. As a group, Ricardo Prieto-Gutierrez of Tifton, William Frier of Moultrie, Elvis Velasquez of Norman Park, and Jasper Suggs of Norman Park claimed silver in TeamWorks.

Audrey McDaniel of Sylvester earned the bronze medal in Medical Assisting, and Alex Piza-Finney of Tifton earned bronze in Electrical Construction Wiring.

SRTC dual enrollment students also excelled during the conference. Representing SRTC and Worth County High School, Conner Mullen claimed first prize in Welding Sculpture. The Worth County High School team of Elaina Woody, Jack Hatcher, and Austin Johnson placed third in Metal Working Display.

Edwin Martinez from Tift County High School took third place in Mobile Electronics Installation.

On June 19, top placers will return to Atlanta for the annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, a nationwide showcase of career and technical education students. SkillsUSA is a national non-profit organization of students, teachers, and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE RISES IN TIFTAREA

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Unemployment rose in all counties throughout the Tiftarea during January while the state’s jobless rate remained steady, according to data released Thursday by the Ga. Department of Labor (GDOL).

Tift County recorded a 3.1% unemployment rate in January; it was 2.7% in December and was 3.0% the previous year, the Labor Department said.

The state’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.1%. The national rate was 3.4%.

January's jobless rates in area counties versus the previous month's rates were: Turner, 4.5% vs. 3.6%; Worth, 3.7% vs. 3.1%; Irwin, 4.7% vs. 3.7%; Cook, 3.4% vs. 2.8%; Berrien, 3.6% vs. 3.0%; and Ben Hill, 5.4% vs. 4.2%.

Every year, the data used to calculate each state's unemployment rate is reviewed and re-estimated to ensure more accurate estimates nationwide, GDOL said. January data is released in March.

"Georgia continues to lead the nation in job creation while outpacing the nation with low unemployment numbers," said Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson. "Employers are hiring at a record pace, affording hardworking Georgians with opportunities in nearly every sector."

Job sectors with the most over-the-month job gains in the state included accommodation and food services, 4,100; health care and social assistance, 3,800; arts, entertainment, and recreation, 2,000; management of companies and enterprises, 1,800; and administrative and support services, 1,500.

ABAC’s GA MUSEUM OF AG TO OPEN PLANTTEL ANTIQUE PHONE EXHIBIT

A collection of more than 500 antique telephones of every variety forms the heart of a new exhibit at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture.

A grand opening for the new PlantTel Museum Exhibit will be 3 p.m. April 15 during ABAC’s Homecoming weekend. The opening will include guided tours, a “cord cutting,” and a reception.

Danny and Beverly Sterling of Plant Telephone Co. donated the collection last year to the ABAC Foundation.

“Spanning almost an entire century, this collection is truly a treasure. The collection's new home in a permanent exhibit at ABAC's Georgia Museum of Agriculture ensures it can be enjoyed and appreciated by many for years and years to come,” said Dr. Deidre Martin, ABAC’s chief advancement officer

The PlantTel Museum Exhibit will be permanently housed in the same building as the village printshop in the Historic Village. The space was refurbished by the Sterling family and designed to be reminiscent of the original PlantTel Phone Museum at the company’s Tifton headquarters

“The collection represents the historic evolution of communications beginning with a model of Alexander Graham Bell’s 1876 telephone, and chronicling the next hundred years of improvements of one of the most important communication devices of our lifetime,“ said Curator Polly Huff.

SCOTT READS TO ADEL THIRD-GRADERS

Congressman Austin Scott, R-Tifton, stopped by Cook Elementary School in Adel last week to read to Catherine Bagley’s third-grade class. Bagley was recently named the school’s Teacher of the Year. Scott led the class’s “story time."

TIFTON’S CHICK-fil-A BREAKS NEWS THAT CHAIN CHANGING ITS MENU

According to a national food website, Tifton’s Chick-fil-A restaurant was the first in the nation to announce on social media that the Atlanta-based company is soon retiring its side salads.

TheDailyMeal.com says that "It came as a shock to customers when, on March 20, the first announcement was made that Chick-fil-A's side salad would be moving off the menu and onto the list of things customers miss. The news initially came from a Tifton, Georgia, location that shared the news on Facebook."

The Tifton restaurant’s post reads: "We are spring cleaning here at Chick-fil-A and taking this opportunity to refresh our menu. The side salads last day will be April 1st!"

Customers took to the Tifton Chick-fil-A's Facebook page to lament the decision: "Oh No!!!!! I love their side salads! That is a bummer!” wrote one. "Omg No!!!!” commented another.

But one person mused: "Why do I feel like on April 1st you’ll announce that it was just an April Fool’s prank?"

Although the restaurants’ Facebook post says the last day for the side salads is April 1, an accompanying photo notes that the date is April 3.

AgGEORGIA FARM CREDIT DIVIDENDS

AgGeorgia Farm Credit has announced dividends totaling $15,294,960, marking 35 consecutive years that profits have been returned to men-borrowers. The cooperative’s Patronage Refund Program has now paid out more than $442 million in cash during that period.

Another year of record financial performance made the distribution possible, said AgGeorgia CEO Rob Crain: “We have an incredible membership and staff, which allowed us to set new highs for total assets, loans, stockholder equity, and asset quality. The result of that strong performance is our ability to push these profits out to member-borrowers, allowing them to grow their farm operations, pay down debt, or invest as they choose.”

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RIBBON CUTTING

Spice of Life Jamaican Restaurant and Bar

339 Commerce Way, Tifton

March 15

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

“Stevie” a special cat, needs a special home; this loving cat is partially blind. He is among the pets available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter. To adopt Stevie and to see other pets available, visit the shelter between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

CAR SPOOKS MULE PULLING WAGON

ALONG LOVE AVENUE

~ MARCH 21, 1929

A mule hitched to a wagon driven by John Walker became spooked March 21, 1929, when a car blowing its horn came up behind them on Love Avenue near Central Service Station. The mule panicked and its wagon swerved into a parked car belonging to Frank Dillard, knocking it onto the sidewalk. The mule wagon also shattered the windshield of “Uncle Jeff” Parker’s car parked alongside Dillard’s automobile. Walker, the mule wagon driver, sustained minor injuries.

Tifton Grapevine

e-published every Tuesday and Friday

Frank Sayles Jr.

Editor & Publisher

Bonnie Sayles

Managing Editor