ESCAPED INMATE CAPTURED IN BERRIEN COUNTY

MAN LEFT BAINBRIDGE WORK DETAIL THURSDAY

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

A daylong manhunt for an escaped inmate from Bainbridge ended with the man’s capture late Thursday night in Berrien County, authorities said.

Aaron Lee Fore was apprehended in Berrien’s Gladys community. Multiple law enforcement agencies conducted a manhunt after Fore was spotted in Alapaha earlier in the day Thursday.

According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, Fore escaped at approximately 9:15 a.m. Thursday from a work site in Bainbridge. He was seen driving a stolen, white 2015 GMC Acadia, which was abandoned later in the day in the Alapaha area of Berrien County after the vehicle apparently ran out of gas, authorities said.

The escaped inmate was spotted in Alapaha but fled into the woods north of the town, authorities said.

He was in the Decatur County Correctional Facility on several charges, including possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, entering auto, and multiple thefts, according to the corrections department.

FESTIVAL A CELEBRATION OF RURAL HERITAGE

SATURDAY’S FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL TRANSPORTS VISITORS TO LATE 19th CENTURY SOUTH GEORGIA

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

South Georgia’s rural heritage will be celebrated Saturday throughout the annual Folklife Festival at the Ga. Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village in Tifton.

The festival has numerous activities and demonstrations from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. One of the highlights is the ceremonial firing of the turpentine still at 11 a.m. for the Historic Village’s annual turpentine distillation.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, South Georgia was the world’s leading producer of "naval stores,” or materials – such as turpentine, rosin, and lumber – extracted from pine forests and used in the construction and repair of sailing vessels.

On Saturday, visitors to the Folklife Festival get a chance to witness the original turpentine distillation process.

Among other festival highlights will be blacksmithing and steam-powered sawmill demonstrations, the Antique Tractor Show and parade through the Historic Village at noon and 2 p.m., mule-plowing, sheep-shearing, pine needle basket-making, hay rides, the Vulcan steam train rides, and cornbread cooking with samples, while supplies last.

Festival-goers may also participate in 19th-century cricket games.

Exhibits will also be open in the museum’s exhibit halls, including a reproduction utility horse-drawn vehicle, known as a Buckboard, a display of vintage and contemporary maps folded into 3-D clothing; and the popular American Legacy Quilt Show.

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens, $6 for children age 5-6, and free for children 4 and under.

TIFT JOBLESS RATE UNCHANGED AT 3.1%

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Tift County’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.1% during February, according to data released Thursday by the Ga. Department of Labor (GDOL).

Tift had also recorded a 3.1% jobless rate in January. The state’s unemployment rate also remained unchanged at 3.1% in February. The national rate was 3.6%.

In Tift County, February’s labor force was recorded at 20,806, which was a decline of 383 workers from one year ago, according to the GDOL.

In Tiftarea counties, the unemployment rates were mixed with some declining and some rising. February's jobless rates in area counties versus the previous month's rates were: Turner, 4.3% vs. 4.5%; Worth, 3.8% vs. 3.7%; Irwin, 4.7% vs. 4.7%; Cook, 3.5% vs. 3.4%; Berrien, 3.6% vs. 3.6%; and Ben Hill, 4.8% vs. 5.4%.

Statewide, jobs were up by 3,200 (0.1%) during the month and up by 135,100 (2.8%) over the year to 4,875,800, an all-time high. 

Georgia job numbers were at an all-time high in private education and health services, 648,900; and leisure and hospitality, 510,900, the GDOl reported.

Jobs were down in professional, scientific, and technical services, -2,100; administrative and support services, -1,300; and in durable goods manufacturing, -1,000.

From left are Georgia Power lineworkers Lance Dell, Pete Rosales, Josh Garner, and Tyler Swain.

AREA GA POWER LINEMEN HONORED FOR RESPONSE

TO TIFTON TRUCK FIRE

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Four South Georgia power lineworkers were among 51 individuals honored recently in the 22nd Georgia Power Spirit of Safety Awards program.

Area lineworkers Lance Dell, Joshua Garner, Pete Rosales, and Tyler Swain were part of a Georgia Power afternoon crew working on a side road alongside Interstate 75 in Tifton when they noticed a tractor-trailer pulling off the highway.

Shortly thereafter, the crew heard a loud boom; the truck’s rear trailer tires had blown and were on fire – a potential catastrophe for the fully loaded trailer. 

Thinking quickly, crew leader Lance Dell and lineworker Tyler Swain grabbed fire extinguishers as lineworker Joshua Garner stayed back to call 911. Lineworker Pete Rosales stood by the buckets in case more extinguishers were needed.

Working together, the crew was able to extinguish the fire, sticking around to monitor the situation until the fire department arrived. 

"The truck was fully loaded, and it could have escalated very quickly if not for the crew's quick action and well organized response,” Georgia Power said. 

Each year Georgia Power honors employees from across the state who either saved or attempted to save the life of someone the previous year.

is seeking a few dedicated applicants to join our team

for a position as a Clinical Team Assistant

At MRS Homecare, we are committed to providing the highest quality service by highly trained professionals with the patients’ best interest in mind. To be a part of the MRS Team, an individual must have the desire to be the best at what he/she does and be willing to do what it takes to get there.

The position of Clinical Team Assistant is responsible for

(but not limited to): 

• Assisting Patients in the Store and over the Phone, Correspondence with Physicians and staff, Hospitals etc.
• Verifying Insurance and making sure proper documentation is obtained for Insurance Companies.
• Completion of orders from various referrals and contact patient once completed. 
• Explanation and completion of all necessary paperwork with the patient at scheduling appointments.
• Fast-paced environment. 
• Background in Durable Medical Equipment is a bonus; Brightree software, Medical office experience and computer skills is a plus.

The ideal candidate for this position will have healthcare experience

but it is not absolutely necessary for consideration.

The necessary qualifiers are:

• High School diploma or GED
• A verifiable track record of consistent workplace attendance.
• The ability to solve problems with minimal supervision.
• The desire to learn and adapt to an ever-changing industry.
• A substantial grasp on the English language, both verbal and written.
• Clean Criminal background check.

Please forward your resume and references via email to apply: Tifton@mrshomecare.com

BENEFITS:

From left are Jimbo Benefield, April and Jeff Duarte, and Rotarian Bonnie Sayles.

TIFTON STREET OUTREACH AIDING LOCAL HOMELESS

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

Tifton Street Outreach strives to reach homeless people in Tifton where they are and help them with their current needs, the president of the group, Jeff Duarte, told the Tifton Rotary Club Wednesday. 

“Our goal is not to make them comfortable but to help as much as we can where they are,” Duarte said. “We try to help them feel seen and feel safe.” The homeless are shunned a great deal, he said.

Accompanying Duarte were his wife, April, a recovered client Jimbo Benefield, and Renee Cannady. Duarte said Cannady and Leah Childers started the outreach with a clothing giveaway in November, and it has grown to so much more.

“We’re in the process of providing as much resources as we can,” Duarte said. Tifton Street Outreach provides a cooked meal to about 25 homeless people who come to meet them at 4-6 p.m. Sundays at the TitleMax parking lot on U.S. Highway 82. They give them meals-to-go for them to take back to their camps, and socks, shoes, coats, and tents. They are converting two porta-potties into portable showers. 

For more information or to support the group, contact Duarte at 229-506-4706 or message a member on the Facebook group “Tifton Street Outreach.” Paper goods for serving food, prepackaged snacks, or baked goods are among items the group can accept during set up at 3 p.m. Sundays at TitleMax.

TIFTON WOMAN RECEIVES ANIMAL CARE AWARD

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The Burton Fletcher Foundation for Animals has presented this year's Outstanding Animal Care Award to Candas Bennett of Tifton.

The award was given "to honor Ms. Bennett’s efforts, hard work, and commitment to animal rescue in South Georgia,” the Foundation said.

Bennett, through her organization Simply Grace Rescue Inc., works to save homeless animals. According to the Burton Fletcher Foundation, Bennett has worked in animal rescue for nine years.

"With the indoor air-controlled kennel that Bennett's property is equipped with, she is able to transfer other organizations' rescues and save a great number of unwanted animals. She uses social media to solicit donations as part of her marketing efforts, and she has a few private sponsors, but she can always use additional support,” the Foundation said in a statement.

"I am absolutely devoted,” Bennett said. "I rescue, transport, vet, shelter, foster, and re-home." She also provides foster care for other rescues, particularly those in Florida.

"There is no end to Ms. Bennett's commitment to protecting animals from suffering, whether she is hauling a rescue by tiny plane, transferring animals during the night, or advocating for the ban of horse racing in Georgia,” the Foundation said.

Some of the Tifton bike riders in the Tour de Tifton/Ilse Boyette Memorial Bike Ride pose at the Tiftarea YMCA.

MORE THAN 100 RIDE IN YMCA’s TOUR de TIFTON

The 13th annual Tour de Tifton/Ilse Boyette Memorial Bike Ride, hosted by the Tiftarea YMCA, had more than 100 participants last Saturday.

Bikers, some who came from as far as Canada, had the option to follow 11-, 24- ,45-, 62-, and 100-mile courses.

The event benefited the Ilse Boyette book fund for nurses at Tift Regional Medical Center and youth programs at the Tiftarea YMCA.

BROADWAY RETURNS TO 'FIRST TUESDAY’ CONCERT SERIES

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will host “A Night of Broadway” during the season’s final First Tuesday Concert Series on April 4.

The concert will begin at 7 p.m. at Howard Auditorium.

“The Broadway night program is unique in that it features our voice majors currently studying at ABAC and our ABAC music alumni who are professionals in the field of voice performance and choral education,” said Marti Schert, ABAC choral and applied voice faculty member.

This annual review of the music of Broadway has been performed for a packed house for the past 19 years. Solo selections and duets will be featured from the recent Broadway Shows “Hamilton," “Wicked," and “Heathers," as well as audience favorites such as “Grease" and "Into The Woods," and music from the beloved classics "The Music Man," “Showboat," and "Porgy and Bess."

BALDWIN PLAYERS BRING

‘WAITING FOR GODOT’ TO ABAC

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The Baldwin Players at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College are presenting “Waiting for Godot” at 7 p.m. today and Saturday in Howard Auditorium on campus. Dr. Brian Ray is directing.

The cast consists of Ryan Norton, an ABAC alumnus from Tifton, as Vladimir; Alena Norton, an ABAC alumnae from Richmond Hill, as Estragon; Peter Pinnow of Tifton as as Pozzo; Gabriel Zachery, an agriculture education major from Lawrenceville, as Lucky; and Kaitlyn Shields, an engineering major from Monroe County, as the messenger. Craig Mark Wells is the assistant director.

“I first encountered this play when I was in college, oh so many years ago, when I had the opportunity to play the part of Lucky,” said Ray. “Ever since then, I have been fascinated with how it asks so many questions and provides very few answers.

"When I decided to produce this play at ABAC, I was reassured by the fact that as an academic institution, we could tackle something a little outside the mainstream. This play brings something new to ABAC students, and to the members of the Tifton community.”

Ray said that Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” subtitled “A Tragicomedy in Two Acts,” is considered a classic example of the mid-20th century dramatic movement "the Theatre of the Absurd" that explores the nature of humanity after the two World Wars. In a poll conducted by the British Royal National Theatre in 1998-99, it was voted the "most significant English-language play of the 20th century."

FULWOOD AMATEUR FLING BRINGING

DISC GOLFERS TO TIFTON

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

Discs will be flying this Sunday in Fulwood Park.

The inaugural Fulwood Amateur Fling will attract 72 disc golfers to Tifton from across Georgia and other states for a tournament beginning at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, says Michasia Dowdy, a local player. 

She said participants will include nearly 20 women and six youths. Dowdy, her husband Winfred Dowdy Jr., her brother Glendon Harris, and parents Glen and Mary Harris will all be playing.

“We are proud to be growing the sport through our amateur player community,” the organizers say on the event website. “This event is hosted by KMill Disc Golf and Driven by Innova. Our supporting partners include Ace Hardware of Tifton, Stripling's General Store of Tifton, Fulwood Legends Disc Golf Club, and many more."

This will be a one-day, two-round, Professional Disc Golf Association-sanctioned C-tier amateur event with a standard 18-hole layout. More information is available here.

A players’ party will be held at 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, at Your Pie Pizza in Tifton, where players may check-in to the tournament early and pick up a player’s pack sponsored by Tifton Tourism. 

UGA LEADING STUDY TEAM

TO AID PECAN PRODUCTION

Source: UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Georgia is the nation's leading pecan-producing state, and University of Georgia researchers intend to keep it that way.

Working with an international team of experts, four faculty from the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) have received a financial award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture for the second phase of a study to adapt and improve production of one of Georgia’s top commodities – pecans.

The $737,227 award will further a research project, “Trees for the future: Coordinated development of genetic resources and tools to accelerate breeding of geographic and climate-adapted pecans.”

The grant narrative explains that “climate extremes, pest, and pathogen shifts, and changing consumer preferences apply ever-increasing pressures on crop breeders.” The pecan, which has long juvenile periods of 15 to 20 years before trees begin to produce, presents a particular challenge for breeders and producers.

“Pecan is a very important crop for the economy of the state of Georgia and the Southeast United States, and it is also a very nutritious nut with proven health-promoting characteristics,” said Leonardo Lombardini, professor and head of the CAES Department of Horticulture.

“The team of scientists leading this project will be able to investigate a broad range of aspects that drive pecan production and consumption, from the genetic make-up of pecan varieties to the nuts’ post-harvest attributes. With their extensive expertise, they will deliver important results to help select varieties that will perform well under Georgia environmental conditions and will produce high-quality, nutritious nuts.”

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Camellia Garden Club officers, from left, are Co-Parliamentarian Linda Frazier, District Co-Director Cathy Perry, President Genie McCook, Vice President Donna Kennard, Recording Secretary Gail Gibson, Treasurer Betty Jean Prince, and Corresponding Secretary Karen Hendrix.

CAMELLIA GARDEN CLUB INSTALLS OFFICERS

The Camellia Garden Club installed officers for 2023-2025 and welcomed four new members at a membership brunch recently at Fulwood Garden Center.  

New officers are: president, Genie McCook; vice president, Donna Kennard; recording secretary, Gail Gibson; treasurer, Betty Jean Prince; corresponding secretary, Karen Hendrix; and parliamentarians, Linda Frazier and Terri Branch. 

Camellia District Co-Director Cathy Perry of Valdosta conducted the installation ceremony using a candy bar theme. 

Prince presented outgoing co-presidents Frazier and Gibson with Garden Club of Georgia life memberships for their four years of service. New members Teresa Lasseter, Laresa Golden, Peggy Edwards, and Linda Chandler were welcomed into the club.

Weekly COVID-19 data released from the

Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) as of March 29:

TOTAL TIFT COUNTY CASES: 6,902 ..................................... TOTAL TIFT DEATHS: 176

CONFIRMED TIFT CASES - 2 weeks: 10 ................................... DEATHS - Past week: 0

TIFT POSITIVITY RATE - 2 weeks: 2.9% ........ CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES: 30

TIFT CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 2 weeks, per 100K population: 73

_______________________________________________________________

GEORGIA TOTAL CASES: 2,355,128.....................................TOTAL GA DEATHS: 35,218

GA CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 1 week: 3,200

GA DEATHS - 1 week: 30................................... ......GA HOSPITALIZATIONS - 1 week: 213

YOUR GUIDE TO ACTIVITIES THIS WEEKEND IN THE TIFTAREA

Sunday, April 2, is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Home economist Julia Davis Chandler published the first known recipe for PB&J in a Boston cooking magazine in 1901. The 1928 pre-sliced bread revolution led folks to eat peanut butter sandwiches during the Great Depression, as they were affordable and nutritious. During WWII, the U.S. Army’s food ration list included peanut butter, jelly, and bread. Soldiers brought home a love for PB&J sandwiches, which have been popular ever since.

FRIDAY, MARCH 31

• American Legacy Quilt Show, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.,  Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
• ABAC AET Truck and Tractor Pull, 7 p.m., Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton
• “Waiting for Godot,” Baldwin Players, 7 p.m., Howard Auditorium, ABAC, Tifton

SATURDAY, APRIL 1

• Folklife Festival, 9 a.m,-4 p.m., Ga. Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village, Tifton
• American Legacy Quilt Show, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.,  Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
• ABAC AET Truck and Tractor Pull, 7 p.m., Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton
• “Waiting for Godot,” Baldwin Players, 7 p.m., Howard Auditorium, ABAC, Tifton

SUNDAY, APRIL 2

• Fulwood Amateur Fling, disc golf tourney, 8:30 a.m., Fulwood Park, Tifton

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

“Vino,” 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).