Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Tifton, Georgia
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TIFT SCHOOLS OPEN AUG. 3 – BUT HOW?
OFFICIALS PLAN FOR VARIOUS SCENARIOS
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By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
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Tift County Schools
plan to open on time
Aug. 3
, but as Superintendent
Adam
Hathaway
told the Board of Education recently, officials are still working "to see what that is
going to look like
."
“Gov.
(Brian) Kemp
has not given approval to start back yet” with face-to-face instruction, Tift County Schools spokesman
Jonathan Judy
told the
Tifton Grapevine
on
Monday
.
The school system is operating under
three scenarios
involving possible community spread of the
coronavirus
, as determined by state and local health officials: Levels
Green, Yellow and Red
.
Level Green
(low/no spread) means schools are open and will run in a traditional manner following proper precautions.
Level Red
(substantial spread) would mean that all schools and facilities are closed with all students, faculty and staff working from home.
Level Yellow
(minimal/moderate spread) is still being determined for Tift County Schools. The school system has been
surveying parents
for possible scenarios involving a combination of physical and online instruction, and/or staggered daily schedules and separated classrooms.
"
Feedback
from the survey will be used to assist us in developing the plan," Judy said. There have been more than
3,000
responses to the survey.
"We’re working as if
Aug. 3
is going to be
Green
,” Judy said. “We’re planning to start school normally, but also getting ready for
Yellow
and
Red
; we plan on starting school with three different options."
But
Judy
added: "We are waiting on the
state
to give us
guidelines
. We still have a month where
anything can happen
."
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COLLEGES TO REQUIRE FACE MASKS AS COVID-19 CASES SURPASS 100,000 IN STATE
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By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
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The
University System of Georgia
(USG) has
backtracked
and now will
require
everyone to wear
face masks
in campus buildings at public colleges and universities as students return to campuses for the fall term.
Meanwhile, confirmed
coronavirus
cases surpassed
100,000
on
Tuesday
in
Georgia
and reached nearly
900
cases in
Tift County
, say health officials.
And as cases continue to rise in the Peach State, Gov.
Brian P. Kemp
has begun a
safety campaign
to remind Georgia businesses and the public of the importance of following
COVID-19
safety guidelines.
After initially declining to mandate face masks on campuses, the USG announced late Monday that, effective
July 15
, all USG institutions will require "all faculty, staff, students, and visitors to wear an appropriate
face covering
while
inside
campus facilities/buildings where six feet social distancing may not always be possible."
The university system said masks are not required in one’s own dorm room, when alone in an enclosed office or study room, or in campus outdoor settings where social distancing requirements are met.
The move is an acknowledgment that
COVID-19
remains
widespread
in the state. A total of
3,406
additional cases were reported
Tuesday
in
Georgia
, bringing the statewide total to
100,470
, according to the
Ga. Department of Public Health
(DPH).
As of Tuesday afternoon, the state reported
2,899
deaths related to the coronavirus, with hospitalizations totaling
12,226
.
Tift County
reported a total of
892
positive cases,
26
deaths and
113
hospitalizations as of Tuesday. The number of cases in
Tift
grew by
142
in the past week, the DPH reported.
On
Monday
. the governor kicked off his
"Georgia Safety Promise"
campaign, which
Kemp
called a "
pledge
between business owners and the public to join together to maintain a safe environment following Georgia Department of Public Health and CDC
guidelines
."
The campaign asks
Georgians
to
commit
to wearing face masks, to social distance, to
wash hands frequently and to sanitize surfaces – and to promote their commitment on social media and in businesses around the state.
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Tift County EMA Director Vickie Hickman, from left, Tift County Fire/Rescue Chief Allen Owens and Tift Public Safety Department Chief Joey Fowler distribute masks Tuesday.
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FREE MASKS FOR TIFT COUNTIANS
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Free face masks
for
Tift County
residents are still available today while they last.
The
Tift County Emergency Management Agency
received
5,000
masks from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency to distribute. The Tift EMA has been offering the masks since
Monday
, and more than half have been given out.
They will be available between
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
daily this week, while supplies last, at the EMA building,
316 W 2nd St.
in Tifton.
The drive-through distribution requires residents to show
proof of residency
; masks may be picked up for the number of people in a household.
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CHARLIE DANIELS ‘LARGER THAN LIFE'
TO YOUNG JOURNALIST
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By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
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Country musician
Charlie Daniels
died the other day. There have been many testimonials to Daniels and what he meant to
music
– I first heard of him in
1969
when he was part of
Bob Dylan’s “Nashville Skyline”
album and later saw him in concert with
Hank Williams Jr.
and the
Marshall Tucker Band
.
But what I thought about upon his death was the brief encounter I had with
Daniels
in
1984
at U.S. Sen.
Strom Thurmond
’s home on the Congaree River just outside of
Columbia, S.C.
Thurmond had hosted a
private party
on his lawn overlooking the river as a charity fundraiser whose details are lost to the mists of time. I was there as a
South Carolina
political journalist who sometimes covered
Thurmond
and had dealt with him and his wife
Nancy
on several previous occasions, so I found myself with an invitation.
For some reason, many of country music’s royalty was also at the party, not only
Charlie Daniels
but
Barbara Mandrell
, the
Oak Ridge Boys
and South Carolina’s own
Marshall Tucker Band
. Among them all, Daniels was larger than life.
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I was struck by the
deference
that the other musicians showed toward Daniels. As I stood in the yard chatting with Daniels, the
Oak Ridge Boys
exited a bus and walked toward us up the driveway. They immediately headed for Daniels.
“Hi Charlie,” said the Oak Ridge Boys’
Joe Bonsall
, extending his hand. “How are you, sir?” he asked respectfully.
During my chat with
Daniels
, I asked him how well he knew
Thurmond
, thinking that they may be longtime acquaintances; the musician was known to lean toward conservative politics. I was taken aback when Daniels began bristling at my mundane questions, and very quickly our talk was over.
I guess I should have stuck to asking about
music
.
Rest in peace Mr.
Daniels
.
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KIWANIS NAMES BETSY JONES
ART CITIZEN OF YEAR
Betsy Jones
of Tifton has been named the
2020 Kiwanis Art Citizen of the Year
by the
Tifton Kiwanis Club
.
Jones is a music teacher at
Annie Belle Clark Elementary School
and an accomplished cellist.
“She is a cheerleader and coach for music and the arts in
Tift County
,” the Kiwanis Club said. She received the award for “excelling in supporting, encouraging and enhancing the
arts
for
children
in Tift County.”
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AVAILABLE NOW THROUGHOUT JULY!
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Present for the presentation of ABAC’s Masonic Lodge Scholarship are, from left, Jeremy Hobbs, Bert Connell, Tyler Horne and Joey Woods.
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EAGLE SCOUT RECEIVES MASONIC LODGE SCHOLARSHIP TO ABAC
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Tyler Horne
of Tifton has been awarded the
Masonic Lodge of Tifton No. 47
and No. 745 F&AM Endowed Scholarship
from the ABAC Foundation at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
A graduate of
Tift County High School
, Horne has achieved the level of
Eagle Scout
. As an incoming freshman biology major, Horne will begin his
ABAC
career
Aug. 12
when classes begin for the fall semester.
ABAC Chief Development Officer
Deidre Martin
said the purpose of the scholarship is to provide support to a Tift County
graduate
who demonstrates high standards of character and personal integrity. Recipients must be enrolled fulltime at ABAC with a grade point average of
2.5
or higher.
“I am so proud of the great work of the members of the Masonic Lodge of Tifton Nos. 47 and 745,” Martin said. “I want to give special thanks to the late
Lamar Jackson
and Mr.
Gerald Branch
who led the effort to make this endowed scholarship possible.
“The members of the
Masonic Lodge
have set a great example for other organizations as they support young people pursuing their dream of a college education.”
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TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S PET OF THE WEEK
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There are many available cats for immediate adoption at the
Tift County Animal Shelter
. This feline is among those facing euthanization if folks do not step up to rescue cats within the next few days.
Visit the Animal
Shelter from
1-6 p.m. Mondays
through
Fridays,
or call
229-382-PETS (7387).
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Pets of the Week are sponsored by:
Branch's Veterinary Clinic
205 Belmont Ave., Tifton, 229-382-6055
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TIFTON’S EMPIRE GARDEN FAIR UNDERWAY
– JULY 7, 1897
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The fourth annual
Empire Garden Fair
is underway this week,
July 7, 1897
, in Tifton
with many booths and exhibits of “
farm produce
... jellies, wines, pickles, preserved fruits, honey, etc., and handiwork and embroidery, china paintings and oil paintings, flowers, fruits and vegetables." About
500
people attended the fair’s first day, which had games and races during the afternoon.
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REACH THOUSANDS OF FOLKS IN THE TIFTAREA ~
ADVERTISE IN THE TIFTON GRAPEVINE!
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Call Us at
478-227-7126
Your Locally Owned Digital Newspaper!
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OUR DOORS
ARE OPEN
By Appointment
Monday - Friday
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
We are Looking Forward
to Serving All of Your
Housing Needs
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Tifton Grapevine
e-published every Tuesday and Friday
Frank Sayles Jr.
Editor & Publisher
Bonnie Sayles
Managing Editor
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A Service of
Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC
, Tifton, Georgia
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