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Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024

Tifton, Georgia

The former Alpine Restaurant

Your Local Digital Newspaper for Tifton and the Greater Tiftarea

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

AREA SCHOOLS SEE ONLINE THREATS AFTER GA SHOOTING

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Following last Wednesday's fatal shootings at a Barrow County high school, numerous threats have been made to other Georgia schools and have been circulating on social media. While they have been determined to be hoaxes, all have been taken seriously, and some arrests have been made.

"Please be assured that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Emergency Management Agency, and local law enforcement have been closely monitoring these threats and have determined, at this time, that none of them are credible," the Tift County school system said in an online statement.

"Someone copied a list from the Georgia Department of Education website, which includes all Title I schools in the state, and added the words 'school shooting.' This list is being circulated on social media. Tift County Schools were included in this list, along with hundreds of others. The GBI has urged everyone who sees threats of this nature on social media not to share or repost them. Instead, please report these to local law enforcement or school officials."

Tift County Schools said that "out of an abundance of caution, the staff at all of our schools are maintaining a heightened level of alert, including increased visibility of our system security officers at all schools. The safety and security of our students and staff remain our highest priority."

Tift school officials note that all Tift County High students are required to wear IDs every day, and that personnel in county schools have a button behind their ID tags that can alert authorities of emergencies and lockdown schools if necessary.

Police are taking all school threats seriously. The GBI has charged a 13-year-old Brooks County minor with felony terroristic threats and computer trespass as a result of online threats of a shooting made Thursday at Brooks County Middle School. The student claimed it was a prank; he was charged and transported to a regional youth detention center.

On Tuesday, the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 13-year-old student in connection with threats of a shooting at C.A. Gray Junior High School. The student was taken into custody – no weapons were found– and is charged with terroristic threats and the disruption of public school.

And on Thursday, a juvenile was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm on school grounds in Thomasville.

Meanwhile, the Tifton Police Department reminds residents to secure their firearms: "Please make sure your guns are in a secure location and out of reach of children. Check frequent to ensure your guns are still where you secured them. This small step can help prevent accidents and keep them from showing up in places they shouldn't be. Let's be proactive in keeping our community safe."

UGA photo

Yangxuan Liu, UGA associate professor of agricultural and applied economics and a Tifton resident, has received the 2024 Farm Foundation Emerging Leader Award for her work supporting farmers across Georgia and working with the City of Tifton to empower residents.

UGA TIFTON ECONOMIST RECEIVES FARM FOUNDATION EMERGING LEADER AWARD

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Tifton resident Yangxuan Liu, an associate professor of agricultural and applied economics on the University of Georgia's Tifton campus, has been recognized with the national Farm Foundation Emerging Leader Award.

The award recognizes a person under 40 who is on the trajectory to make transformational change within the agriculture and food industries.

In her role with UGA Cooperative Extension, Liu’s work involves helping producers around the state use agricultural inputs – resources used in farm production – more efficiently to maximize profitability. Her primary focus is on cotton and peanuts, where she works with production scientists to produce research-backed resources for growers.

“With higher input costs over the last few years, I’m really trying to focus on working with these producers on enterprise budgeting so they can make decisions about their inputs,” Liu told a writer with UGA's College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (CAES).

“Recently, we’ve been looking at how we can use cover crops to reduce erosion, increase soil health, and generally keep fields productive and profitable for farmers," she said. “With my background in economics, my strength is not going into the field to do field trials, it’s in developing economic tools and strategies based on the results from these field trials that producers can use in their own operations.”

Her interest in agriculture began on her family's farm in China. As a child, she would visit her grandparents and work in their fields where they grew corn, wheat, cotton, and other crops.

"This really gave me respect for the value of working the ground,” Liu said.

Liu joined UGA's CAES in 2018 and has become the go-to expert for cotton and peanut economics in the state. She credits her success to the teams with whom she works.

“As an Extension economist, I don’t have the ability to specialize in one aspect of economics — we’re facing trade issues, weather challenges, labor concerns, insurance questions — so the ability to connect with other specialists within and beyond my field of agricultural economics really broadens my scope and ability to address the problems producers are facing,” Liu said.

When she isn't supporting agricultural production in Georgia, Liu partners with the City of Tifton through its Financial Literacy Initiative, teaching workshops on budgeting, credit scores, and savings with the goal of addressing challenges related to poverty and low homeownership rates.

“Tifton is a small city, and the people are incredibly nice; it’s great to be able to work with residents in this way in the hopes that we can help them purchase homes and achieve financial security,” Liu said.

Great Music!

Terrific Food!

Family-Friendly Activities!

Come on down to Ponder Park in Omega on

September 13-14.

Festivities begin at 6 p.m. Friday with opening ceremonies; the entertainment for the night will be Marca Distinta, a local Hispanic band.

Saturday will include the parade beginning at 10:30 a.m. with music and events all day. The highlight of the night will be The Tams.

We have over 80 craft and food vendors and will also have our kid's zone with activities for kids of all ages.

AG GROUPS ACROSS U.S. URGE FARM BILL PASSAGE

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

More than 300 state and national agriculture organizations, including some from Tifton, sent a letter Monday to congressional leaders imploring Congress to approve a new farm bill as the Sept. 30 deadline looms.

The U.S. farm bill is updated roughly every five years. The 2018 bill ended late last year and been extended while Congress works on the legislation. The current extension ends Sept. 30.

"We write to express our strong support for advancing a meaningful farm bill in 2024 that addresses worsening conditions in farm country. Given the enormous challenges facing production agriculture – including a farm economy that has taken a downward spiral – it is imperative Congress acts before year’s end to strengthen farm policy for America’s farmers," the letter reads.

"It is critical that Congress pass a new farm bill that strengthens the safety net as many producers are facing multiple years of not being profitable, and this is causing their overall financial situation to deteriorate. Some will have challenges as they seek operating credit for the 2025 crop year."

Among those groups from across the nation signing the letter are the Georgia Peanut Commission, Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia Agribusiness Council, Georgia Cotton Commission, AgGeorgia Farm Credit, Peanut Shellers Association, the National Peanut Buying Points Association, National Farmers Union, National Cotton Council, and the U.S. Peanut Federation.

The letter noted that estimated 2024 net farm income for U.S. agriculture is projected to be down $55.61 billion, a more than 27% drop from the 2022 level, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which also forecasts that "farm-sector debt will reach $540.8 billion in 2024, its highest inflation-adjusted level since at least 1970."

In their letter, the agriculture groups added that a "durable farm safety net, along with risk management tools like a strong federal crop insurance program, voluntary and locally led incentive-based conservation programs, and enhanced international marketing and promotion programs, will be critical in shoring up America’s farm families and rural communities, which otherwise face an uncertain – and potentially calamitous – future."

The farm bill covers such programs as crop insurance for farmers, training to support sustainable farming practices, and healthy food access for low-income families – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which allows low-income people to purchase food at stores.

'LAS VEGAS NIGHT'

IN TIFTON THURSDAY

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

"Las Vegas Night in Tifton" returns Thursday to the Friendly City.

The Tifton-Tift County Public Library Foundation is once again sponsoring the fundraiser to support activities at the library. The event begins at 7 p.m. Sept. 12, at Tifton's Hilton Garden Inn.

Attendees will have the opportunity to play for fun such casino games as blackjack, roulette, craps, and poker – all with "Vegas bucks." Admission includes beverage tickets, "Vegas bucks," food, and fellowship.

For tickets and information, contact Penny Peters at 229-392-3366, at penny_mcd@yahoo.com, or email the foundation at ttcplibraryfoundation@gmail.com

GA's NET TAX REVENUES

UP 2.4% IN AUGUST

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Georgia’s net tax collections during August totaled nearly $2.34 billion, an increase of $54.3 million or 2.4% compared to August 2023 when net tax collections totaled $2.28 billion, the governor's office said Monday.

Year to date, net tax revenue collections total $4.90 billion, for an increase of $120.6 million or 2.5% compared to FY 2024 when net tax collections totaled $4.78 billion after two months.

Gross sales and use tax collections for August totaled nearly $1.58 billion, a 3.8% increase over FY 2024. Net sales and use tax increased by $97.2 million or 14.7 % compared to August 2023.

Corporate income tax collections for August totaled $44.3 million, an increase of $46.1 million compared to last year when refunds outstripped collections by $1.85 million, the governor's office said.

Motor fuel tax collections for August were $193.2 million, a 6% increase. Motor vehicle tag and title fee collections for August decreased by nearly $7.5 million or down 17.6% while title ad valorem tax (TAVT) collections increased by $12.8 million or 20.8% over the previous fiscal year.

TIFTAREA ACADEMY READY TO 'POUNCE'

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

There's excitement in Chula this season as the Tiftarea Academy Panthers football team is undefeated at 4-0, and the Panthers are ready to "pounce" on their next opponent.

"Pounce" was unveiled last week as Tiftarea's new mascot. Numerous names were suggested for the mascot. The list was then narrowed to five finalists; after a school-wide vote, "Pounce" was declared the winner.

The Tiftarea Academy Panthers head to Perry on Friday to face Westfield School on the gridiron.

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

"Speckle" is a unique kitty ready for his new home. Come visit Speckle and see other pets available for adoption between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the Tift County Animal Shelter on Highway 125 South, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

TIFTON SETS AD VALOREM TAX RATE

~ SEPT. 11, 1891

According to news dispatches on Sept. 11, 1891, Tifton City Council assessed the ad valorem tax at 25 cents on $100. The city clerk was advised to open the books immediately for tax collections and to close them on Nov. 15.