Some Tifton city residents have been wrongly turned away from the county recycling center on Pecan Street, City Council members say, but the center is available to all Tift County residents, including those who live within the city.

City Councilman Josh Reynolds said one of his constituents was recently denied access to the county recycling center after a worker there discovered that the man's household trash is picked up by Ryland Environmental.

"He was told, 'You can’t dump your stuff here,’" Reynolds said. "He was very upset about the whole situation. ... That’s an issue, and that’s a problem," Reynolds told City Council members at Monday's council meeting.

Ryland has the contract for city garbage and waste collection. Previously, Golden Environmental had the city contract. The county contracts with Golden to handle county waste collection and recycling.

The recycling center is managed by Golden for the county. Tift County Manager Jim Carter has told the Tifton Grapevine that the Pecan Street recycling center is available to all Tift County residents, both inside and outside the city.

Earlier this month, the CIty of Tifton and Ryland Environmental suspended curbside recycling pickup, and city officials noted that Tifton residents can take their recycling to Pecan Street in the interim.

"We're having to deal with recycling the best we can right now, but we need to clarify that everybody – all residents in Tifton and Tift County – can use that location. For him to turn that gentleman away is very disturbing," Reynolds said.

Vice Mayor Jack Folk said that he recently visited the Pecan Street recycling center and had no problem placing his recycling there, "but there are people being turned away," he said.

Mayor Julie B. Smith noted that "that service is paid for from the county's general fund, of which every resident of Tifton pays into, so you are paying for that service.”

Smith also reiterated that the city's recycling program is "just a suspension of service; suspension is not cancelation.” She said recycling is important: "I want to assure the public that we are looking at every option we can come up with."

Folk added that the city has merely "suspended curbside recycling; we have not suspended recycling in Tift County. We are all paying for recycling. You just have to take it there."

The Tabernacle at the South Georgia Church of God Campground on Kell Road in Tifton was destroyed in a devastating fire early Thursday afternoon.

Firefighters worked to save as much of the tabernacle/sanctuary facility as possible, but authorities said the facility is a total loss. There were reports of an explosion as the massive fire engulfed the building.

No cause of the fire has been released. Church of God officials said everyone on campus was safely accounted for and that there were no injuries.

"While we are very thankful that no one was injured, we are heartbroken that a sacred space has been damaged by fire. Our prayers go out to Administrative Bishop Gary Lewis and the leadership in South Georgia as they deal with this devastating loss," said Church of God General Overseer Dr. Timothy M. Hill.

Local Church of God officials said on social media that the "past two years have presented so many difficulties for us all, but we believe that we will continue to overcome and rebuild together."

The Georgia Peanut Commission is hosting "Peanut Palooza" this Saturday, a celebration of all things peanut.

The family-friendly event will be from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Peanut Commission office, 445 Fulwood Boulevard in Tifton. The event is free.

Visitors may sample boiled peanuts, fried peanuts, peanut butter cupcakes, and peanut butter shakes. There will be opportunities to plant your own peanut plant, hear live music, get a face painting, receive prizes and giveaways, as well as photo opportunities for kids to sit inside a tractor.

The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture's Mobile Ag Experience, a STEM-based mobile classroom, will showcase Georgia’s diverse agriculture. This state-of-the-art agricultural learning experience is designed to give third- through fifth-grade students and the public a chance to learn more about agriculture in the state.

For more information, visit www.gapeanuts.com

ABC-TV's chief meteorologist Ginger Zee broadcasted live from Tifton Thursday morning for the national "Good Morning America" show.

Zee is on a road trip this week traveling in an electric vehicle from Detroit to Miami Beach. Tifton was one of her designated stops as the Friendly City has readily available electric refueling stations.

Zee is reporting on the impact of electric vehicles (EVs) in the United States for Earth Day.

In Tifton, she met with WXGA/WFXL-TV weather forecaster Gary Thigpen.

Tift County's positive COVID-19 cases totaled eight during the past two weeks, dropping from 10, according to data from the state Department of Public Health (DPH).

The cases represent confirmed and probable results from both PCR and Antigen rapid tests. Tift County’s total positive cases represent 20 cases per 100,000 population, the measure used across the country to compare case rates among communities and states.

There was only one confirmed case, and Tift's testing positivity rate for the period was 2.6%, the DPH reported. No additional deaths have been reported among Tift County residents.

Tift has seen a total of 6,284 cases with 163 related deaths, the DPH said.

The state recorded a total of 1,945,962 confirmed cases and 31,486 related deaths, the DPH said Wednesday; the state has begun reporting COVID-19 data once a week on Wednesdays.

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Raines Evans, a writing and communication major from Fitzgerald, has been selected as the J.G. Woodroof Scholar at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

The Woodroof Scholar represents the top academic student at ABAC. In that capacity, Raines attended a meeting of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia as ABAC’s Academic Recognition Day Student. 

The award is named for ABAC’s first president, who took office in 1933.

At ABAC, Evans works as a peer tutor, earning a College Reading and Learning Association International Level 2 certification to better serve other students. She has also worked as an event coordinator for the student publishing operation, edited and written for Stallion TV broadcasts, and her creative photos have been included in the Pegasus literary magazine.

Her off-campus activities include volunteer work as a sound technician, a summer camp counselor, a swim coach, and a volunteer coordinator for Backpack Blessing, working with counselors at five area schools to provide sack lunches for hungry kids.

Evans is also a member of the local chapter of the Technology Student Association, serving as reporter, treasurer, and vice president since becoming a member.

The Tallassee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) held its annual awards meeting recently, recognizing several students

The DAR Good Citizen Award went to Maggie Harris of Tiftarea Academy and Erynn Allison of Tift County High School. The Junior ROTC Award was given to Cadet Lt. Col. Jada Gary.

Recipients of the DAR's Youth Citizenship Award were Angel Cardenas and

Dayanara Cardenas, both of Tift County High School.

The Bridge of Tiftarea Inc. is bringing back its "Night on the Town" dinner fundraising event at 6 p.m. Friday, April 29, at the First Baptist Church Ministry Center.

Reservations are required; contact 229-396-5990 or thebridgeoftiftarea@gmail.com Past residents of the Tiftarea House of Hope will share their live testimonies during the event.

“This ministry changes people’s lives,” Christy Day, executive director of The Bridge, told the Tifton Rotary Club on Wednesday.

The organization includes The Training Center for Women, the Tiftarea House of Hope, and the Bird’s Nest Thrift Store. The Bridge is celebrating 10 years of existence. 

“The Training Center at 602 W. Third St. is open for any woman in the public to come and get training for job-related skills and life skills to help be a better employee or to find a better job,” Day said.

Women learn skills such as budgeting, communication, stress management, and conflict resolution. “We teach them how God asks them to be a steward of their money,” Day said.

The House of Hope is a homeless women’s shelter with eight beds that opened in 2017. It provides a safe, nurturing environment for homeless women in need of transitional housing. The house provided shelter last year to more than 50 women and children, Day said. Ten women and one child have received help so far this year. 

Day said the average stay is 30-90 days. The intake line for the house received 1,404 calls last year, and it has received 444 calls so far this year. The intake line is 229-848-1520. The website is www.tiftareahouseofhope.org

The Bird’s Nest Thrift Store has a goal of providing sustainable income for the Tiftarea House of Hope. It also provides job experience and training for House of Hope residents. The Bird’s Nest is located at 345 Commerce Way in Tifton, and is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays. 

Art by local high school students are among works

available to be chosen for the "People's Choice Award" in the Congressional Art Competition for Georgia's Eighth Congressional District.

Eighth District Congressman Austin Scott, R-Tifton, says anybody may vote for the People's Choice Award by liking their favorite entry posted on Scott's Facebook page.

"Please go to my Facebook page (click here) and like the photo of your favorite piece of artwork by Friday, April 22, at 5 p.m. The artwork with the most likes will hang in my Washington, D.C., office for one year," Scott said.

High school students in the ninth-12th grades who reside in or attend school in the Eighth Congressional District participated in the art competition.

The annual Nanci Bowen Charity Event will be held May 9 at the Spring Hill Country Club in Tifton. 

The golf tournament, benefiting special needs of Hospice of Tift Area and Anita Stewart Oncology Center patients, is a four-man scramble. Shotgun start is at 1 p.m.

A Tifton native, Bowen is a retired Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour player. She attended the University of Georgia on a full golf scholarship and joined the LPGA immediately after graduating in 1989 with an undergraduate degree in public relations.  

Bowen’s professional golf career was highlighted in 1995 with a win at the Nabisco Dinah Shore, one of the LPGA’s four major championships. Other notable achievements included two runner-up finishes in 1997 at the Rochester International and the Susan G. Komen International, plus numerous top 10 finishes at LPGA tournaments between 1994 and 2005.  She started the golf tournament in Tifton 22 years ago.

“We are grateful to Nanci for launching this annual event and lending her name to the tournament for so many years,” said Tressie Mathis, Hospice of Tiftarea director. “It’s a fun, competitive day benefiting a great cause.”

For information, call 229-353-6330.

Weather delayed Dr. Susan Roe’s final First Tuesday concert at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College but not even a rainy day can take away her smile as she prepares for retirement.

“The Songs of Broadway” First Tuesday concert was delayed until 7 p.m. May 3 in ABAC’s Howard Auditorium because of tornado warnings in South Georgia on the original date.

The concert will include famous tunes from Broadway shows such as “Cats” and “Beauty and The Beast.” The concert is free to the public.

Roe joined the ABAC faculty as an adjunct professor in 1999. She earned the rank of full professor in 2012. In 2015, she was named head of the ABAC fine arts department. She plans to retire June 30. Her husband, Dr. Wayne Roe, the senior pastor of Tifton's First Baptist Church, is also retiring.

“I love ABAC, and I love the people here,” Susan Roe said. “When we moved to Tifton, I always wanted to teach here, and I am so glad I got that opportunity.”

She created the First Tuesday series 19 years ago. A drop-in reception for her will be held from 3-5 p.m. April 25 in the lobby of ABAC's Ernest Edwards Hall.

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Today, Friday, April 22, is Earth Day; since 1970, people around the planet have joined to promote awareness for the health of our environment. In 1970, many colleges across the United States organized protests for a healthy, sustainable Earth. Because of these national rallies, the first Earth Day helped create the Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts into law.

"Penny," a female pooch, is available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter on Highway 125 South between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For additional information, call 229-382-PETS (7387).

205 Belmont Ave., Tifton, 229-382-6055  

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