TWO PHARMACIES IN TIFT AMONG FIRST 3 IN U.S. TO SELL MEDICAL CANNABIS

THIRD PHARMACY IS IN WARNER ROBINS

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

A pharmacy in Tifton and one in Omega join a Warner Robins pharmacy as the first in the nation to dispense medical cannabis.

Making history in selling medical cannabis are Tifton Drug Company on Love Ave, Omega Pharmacy on Oak Street in Omega, and Robins Pharmacy in Warner Robins, according to a press release Wednesday.

The press release noted that the Georgia Board of Pharmacy has approved the sale of cannabis oil at the three independent pharmacies; the pharmacy board is currently processing applications from other pharmacies around the state that want to sell low-dose THC products.

“We applaud the Georgia Board of Pharmacy for implementing this provision of the Hope Act, which will dramatically expand access for patients and serve as a national model,” Andrew Turnage, executive director of the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, said Thursday.

“Georgia has almost 1,000 independent pharmacies that are eligible to apply for a license. We are excited for this opportunity for patients to gain access minutes away from their home while also supporting hundreds of small businesses owners across the state,” Turnage said.

The state has licensed Botanical Sciences and one other manufacturing company, Trulieve Georgia, to produce and sell low-THC cannabis oil.

“It’s an honor to be a part of this historic moment in Georgia’s health-care landscape, being the first to dispense medical cannabis at independent pharmacies in the country,” said Gary Long, CEO of Botanical Sciences.

Four years ago, Georgia approved the distribution of low-dose THC, medical marijuana, at local pharmacies. After much review in establishing the regulatory infrastructure, Georgia is now the first state where pharmacies may sell medical cannabis.

There are at least three other states that have enacted laws allowing pharmacies to sell medical cannabis but they have not implemented them, according to the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission. Other states require a pharmacist to be on staff at dispensaries, but pharmacies are not allowed not sell the products.

Georgia law requires THC products to be under 5% THC.

To receive a medical marijuana card to authorize purchase of the cannabis oil, one must be diagnosed with specified conditions, including cancer, seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, severe autism, Alzheimer’s, and end-stage AIDS.

TURNER COUNTY BREAKS GROUND FOR $38M MIDDLE-HIGH SCHOOL

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The Turner County School System has begun construction on a $38 million two-story middle-high school building to house sixth-12th grades with a media center and gymnasium.

“We are building a new school that will serve generations of students and will shape their future. An investment in our students is an investment in the future of our community,” said Turner Schools Superintendent Craig Matthews at Tuesday's groundbreaking ceremony.

The $37,814,768 school is being funded by $18,429,687 from the state, from bond sales, and with the Education Local Option Sales Tax. The project is expected to be completed by May 2026.

At its Sept. 11 meeting, the Turner County Board of Education approved the construction bid submitted by JCI Contractors of Moultrie. The building is designed by Altman+Barrett Architects, whose vice president, Kyle Wilkerson, is a 2005 Turner County High alumnus.

The new school is being constructed on the grounds of the current facility on Lamar Street in Ashburn.

63rd GEORGIA SWEET POTATO FESTIVAL RETURNS SATURDAY IT'S A 'YAM' GOOD TIME IN OCILLA

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The 63rd Georgia Sweet Potato Festival, which runs 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday in Ocilla, includes the longest-running agricultural parade in Georgia.

Leading the parade as grand marshall this year is Ocilla's own Tyler Harper, who is the state agriculture commissioner, a seventh-generation farmer, small business owner, and former state senator.

This year's festival theme is "This is How We Roll," a tribute to Irwin County farmers and agribusinesses.The Sweet Potato Festival is "celebrating our agricultural roots," says the Ocilla-Irwin Chamber of Commerce.

"This is the one day that it’s all about Irwin County and the spirit that lives here," the Chamber said.

The Sweet Potato Festival began in November 1960, shortly after the Georgia Sweet Potato Improvement Association was founded. The association's mission was to represent and promote the sweet potato industry and growers in Georgia.

The first festival in Ocilla was so successful that organizers made Irwin County the festival's permanent home.

The Ocilla festival includes antique farm equipment, classic cars, arts and crafts, more than 100 vendors, and a kids' area.

EARLY VOTING AVAILABLE

ALL DAY SATURDAY

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Early voting is available this Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for the Nov. 7 municipal elections and the SPLOST VI special election in Tift County.

This coming week is the last for advance voting. Ballots may be cast from 8 a.m.-5 pm. Monday-Friday through Nov. 3.

Early voting in Tift County is conducted at the Board of Elections headquarters at 222 Chesnutt Ave., Building B, at the corner of Fourth Street and Chesnutt Avenue.

On the ballot throughout Tift County will be the continuation of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). In the county's municipalities, city council elections will also be held.

On Nov. 7, election day, voters will cast ballots in their home precincts.

JOBLESS RATE IMPROVES THROUGHOUT AREA COUNTIES

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The unemployment rate improved throughout all Tiftarea counties in September, according to data released Thursday by the Ga. Department of Labor (GDOL).

Tift County's jobless rate improved to 2.9% in September, a drop in joblessness from August's 3.5%. 

Tift County’s labor force – the number of people who are employed or are unemployed and seeking employment – also improved; it was at 21,052 during the month; it was 20,803 during the month before, according to GDOL data.

September's jobless rates in area counties versus the previous month's rates were: Turner, 4.1% vs. 4.4%; Worth, 3.1% vs. 3.8%; Irwin, 3.7% vs. 4.6%; Cook, 3.3% vs. 3.6%; Berrien, 4.1% vs. 4.9%; and Ben Hill, 4.4% vs. 5.1%.

Statewide, September's unemployment rate rose to 3.4%, up one-tenth from a revised 3.3% in August. The state's unemployment rate was four-tenths lower than the national average.

TIFT EDUCATOR NAMED OUTSTANDING ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

During the recent Georgia Association of Middle School Principals fall conference awards ceremony, Tift County's Ariel Wilson was recognized as the Georgia National Outstanding Assistant Principal.

Wilson of Northeast Middle School was also recognized during the national awards ceremony as the state award recipient this past summer in Maryland.

ABAC'S 'RUN FOR NURSES' HITS ROAD ON SATURDAY

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The annual Run for the Nurses event will be held Saturday at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. The event includes both a 5K and a half marathon from 8-11 a.m.

“This event is a lot of fun, and we hope a lot of people will consider supporting our nursing students,” said event chair Christy Blanchett, program specialist with the ABAC School of Nursing & Health Sciences. “Those who do not wish to run but would like to support, there are sponsorship opportunities available.”

Blanchett said runners may register online here.

Registration for the 5K is $35 through today and $40 Saturday. For the half marathon, the registration is $65 through today and $70 on race day.

Blanchett said the Run for the Nurses is held in honor of the Lisa Purvis Allison Spirit of Nursing Scholarship and is the only event the School of Nursing & Health Sciences does annually to raise scholarship funds for nursing students.

“This event allows us to stop and remember Lisa Purvis Allison, who passed away shortly after graduating from ABAC’s nursing school in 2009,” said Dr. Jeffrey Ross, dean of ABAC’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences. “The scholarship fund honors Lisa and provides financial assistance to ABAC nursing students who have the same drive and passion for nursing that Lisa had.”

TIFT COUNTY HIGH RECEIVES SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Tift County High School has been awarded the GHSA Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Award for the 2022-2023 school year.

The award is presented to the school in each region across the state that displays the highest level of sportsmanship. Representatives from Colquitt EMC, the presenting partner with GHSA, were on campus to present the award.

Accepting the award was Chris Martin, athletic director and Dr. Jerry Baker, interim superintendent, along with representatives of TCHS' athletic teams.

AUTHOR LIZ CARSON KEITH READS FROM BOOK AT TIFTON ROTARY CLUB MEETING

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

Liz Carson Keith of Tifton read selections from her book “From Scones to Corn Pones: How a Gathering of Scottish Clans (and Others) Became Wiregrass Pioneers” to the Tifton Rotary Club on Wednesday.

On her mother’s side, Carson Keith is related to Bessie Willingham, who married Tifton’s founder Capt. Henry Harding Tift. The impetus to write her book, however, started when she found out her family was 33% Scottish on the Carson side, she said.

Her whole family took a trip to find their roots in Scotland, and Carson Keith found herself explaining things that had happened in various places. “Nobody knew any of this stuff, and I realized that there were all these stories and maybe I’d better just write it all down,” she said. 

She also worked in some “porch tales” she’d heard growing up and listening to her uncles on her grandmother’s porch at the “Pink Lady” house on the corner of Sixth Street and College Avenue in Tifton.

Some of the stories she witnessed herself, such as when her father tried to tell her mother how to vote in an election in the 1960s. She read the book’s description of the outcome of that story, in which her mother confessed to voting for the African American instead of the white supremacist.

Carson Keith is a former lifestyles editor for The Tifton Gazette and retired adult education teacher and coordinator.

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COVID-19 data released from the 

Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) as of Oct. 25:

TOTAL TIFT COUNTY CASES: 7,124 ....................................... TOTAL TIFT DEATHS: 181

CONFIRMED TIFT CASES - 2 weeks: 6 ....................................... DEATHS - Past week: 0

CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES: 19

TIFT CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 2 weeks, per 100K population: 47 

_______________________________________________________________

GEORGIA TOTAL CASES: 2,404,311

GEORGIA CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - Past week: 3,256

TOTAL GA DEATHS: 35,798 ..................................................... GA DEATHS - Past week: 22 

YOUR GUIDE

TO ACTIVITIES

THIS WEEKEND

IN THE TIFTAREA

Saturday, Oct. 28, is National Chocolate Day. The history of chocolate goes back 2,500 years. Aztecs loved their newly discovered liquid chocolate to the extent that they believed Quetzalcoatl, the god of wisdom, literally bestowed it upon them. Once chocolate turned sweet — in 16th-century Europe — the masses caught on. Several current chocolate companies began in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Cadbury started in England in 1868. Milton Hershey, 25 years later, purchased chocolate processing equipment at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. And Nestlé, dating back to the 1860s, has grown into one of the largest food conglomerates. Ghana, Ecuador, and the Ivory Coast, all near the equator, have ideal climates for cacao trees and produce some of the world’s best chocolate.

FRIDAY, OCT. 27

• Tifton's Haunted Historic Places Tour, 6-9 p.m., Myon Courtyard, Downtown Tifton
• Kid's Spooktacular Hour for ages 4- 10, 6-7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Downtown Tifton
• Tift Theatre's Haunted Theatre: Welcome to Warwick Manor, 7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Downtown Tifton
• Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Baldwin Players: “Til Beth Do Us Part,” 7 p.m., Howard Auditorium, ABAC, Tifton
• Tiftarea Academy Panthers football @. Southland Academy Raiders, 7:30 p.m., Americus
• Tift County High Blue Devils football vs. Houston County Bears, 7:30 p.m., Brodie Field, Tifton
• Terror on the Tracks, 8-11 p.m., Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton

SATURDAY, OCT. 28

• Run for the Nurses 5K & Half Marathon, 8 a.m., Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton
• Georgia Sweet Potato Festival, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Ocilla
• Trick or Treat in the Village, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Georgia Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village, Tifton
• Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-noon, Georgia Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
• Murder & Mimosas, 11 a.m., Tifton-Tift County Public Library, Tifton
• Kid's Spooktacular Hour for ages 4-10, 6-7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Downtown Tifton
• Tifton's Haunted Historic Places Tour, 6-9 p.m., Myon Courtyard, Downtown Tifton
• Tift Theatre's Haunted Theatre: Welcome to Warwick Manor, 7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Downtown Tifton
• Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Baldwin Players: “’Til Beth Do Us Part,” 7 p.m., Howard Auditorium, ABAC, Tifton
• Cross the Line Paranormal Experience, 6, 8, 10 p.m., Tifton-Tift County Public Library, Tifton

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"Lizzo" is clowning around while waiting for her forever home. This sweet girl is the total package: Full of spunk, spirit, and lots of love. See Lizzo and other pets 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).