Tifton, Georgia
478-227-7126
tiftongrapevine.com
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TIFTON LANDS
GA RURAL CENTER
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CENTER FOR RURAL PROSPERITY & INNOVATION
TO BE BASED AT ABAC, STATE DECIDES
By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
Georgia's new
Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation was
created in the
waning moments of this year's state General Assembly, and the
statewide center is being
based in
Tifton, ABAC President Dr.
David Bridges says.
Bridges made the
announcement to members of the
Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce on
Thursday during a luncheon meeting of the business group at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
The
new rural center, located at
ABAC, seeks to
help businesses and communities around
rural areas of the the state. Bridges explained that the center will
help businesses find and
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The new Ga. Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation will aid both rural businesses and communities.
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train
qualified workers, will
help with marketing expertise, and will
help form partnerships for
economic growth.
Bridges says he knows of
rural businesses that are
turning away work because they
can't handle it. Among its duties, the
Center will
help such businesses
attain the resources to grow.
"We've been
working on this for
three years," Bridges said. The
ABAC president said the
Center is
already operating and will be
fully operational by this summer. The
General Assembly has allocated
$1.7 million for the
Center, Bridges said.
He said the Center will look at rural issues
statewide but may initially focus on several issues in
South Georgia.
The
legislation creating the Center,
House Bill 951, was
sponsored by state Rep. Jason
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SHAW
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Shaw, R-Lakeland, and co-sponsored by Rep. Penny Houston, R-Nashville; and Rep. Sam Watson, R-Moultrie, among others.
"
Rural Georgia has
not seen the same
level of
economic prosperity,"
Shaw told the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "The Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation would provide a
central location for
research and
information on rural development, which is crucial to enhancing
economic opportunities."
The state
legislation
notes that "it shall be the duty of the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation to provide a central information and research hub for rural leadership training and best practices, which may include: Community planning models for proactively identifying value-added gaps or strengths; industry-specific assistance; and cooperative efforts with nonprofit organizations, religious organizations and other higher education partners."
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LAST DAY FOR VOTER REGISTRATION
IN MAY PRIMARY ELECTION
Today, Tuesday, April 24, is the
deadline to
register to vote in the
May 22 primary
election and the
July 24 runoff, if needed.
Early voting begins
April 30.
The Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring two candidates forums, on
Tuesday, May 1, and on Thursday, May 3, both at 5:30 p.m. at the
Leroy Rogers Senior Center, 315 W. Second St.
On May 1, all candidates from local Districts 1, 3, 5 will be featured, which include: Tift County Commission District 1 -- Donnie Hester and Raymond Teal; District 3 -- Tony McBrayer and Robert Setters; and Tift County Board of Education District 5 -- Jarrett Haswell and Sam Wright.
On May 3, all candidates from Districts 4 and 6 will be featured, which include: Tift County Commission District 4 -- Jonathan Cassell, Jamie Cater, Ronald Norman and Stan Stalnaker; and District 6 -- Lester Potts and Greg Wood; and Board of Education District 4 -- Jamie Hill and Richard Golden; and BOE District 6 -- Jimmy Cargle, Rusty Harrelson and Jo Windom.
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ALEXIS MAKAYLA KELLY
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FAITH MICHELE JONES
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MISS SOUTHERN
SPIRIT QUEENS
CROWNED IN
SUMNER
More than
25 contestants vied for division titles
Saturday in the
Miss Southern Spirit Pageant in
Sumner, located just over the
Tift County line in
Worth County.
The event was a
fundraiser for the
Worth County High Rams Touchdown Club, the
booster organization for the
middle and
high school football teams.
Head Coach
Frankie Carroll noted that he has been a
football coach for a long time but this was his
first beauty pageant.
Among the
winners were:
Ms. Division --
Faith Michele Jones;
Miss Division --
Alexis
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KAMBREE BARNES
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JA'KERRIE WALKER
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Makayla Kelly;
Teen Miss --
Ja'kerrie Walker;
Junior Miss --
Alyssa Hamminger
; Little Miss --
Isabelle Hancock
; Tiny Miss --
Kambree Barnes
; Teeny Miss --
Amara Kay Johnson
; and Baby Miss --
Melody Michele Jones
. The
People's Choice
title went to
Cora Leigh Tillery
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The
pageant was directed by
Lynn Meeks Manley and
Milissa Dobbins.
Day Story and
Caitlin Tucker provided entertainment, along with
The Dance Station.
Master of ceremonies was
Luke Cooper, 15, a
Sylvester native and
Worth County High sophomore. He is
president of
Region 1 Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and holds the
state title in the
Client Services Division with
Georgia FBLA.
Judges were
Cody Smith, who operates a
pageant consulting business, has been a
judge for
local, state and national pageants across the
United States, and has worked at
Walt Disney World;
Thomas Swain, founder of the
Georgia State African American Chamber of Commerce, based in
Albany; and
Frank Sayles Jr., president of
Sayles Unlimited Marketing of
Tifton and editor & publisher of the
Tifton Grapevine.
The
spring fundraiser was the first
Miss Southern Spirit Pageant, and
organizers hope to make it an
annual event.
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ABAC JAZZ FESTIVAL HITS HIGH NOTES
Renowned
alto saxophonist
Tim Green, in photo above, performs last
Thursday
with the ABAC Jazz Ensemble at the annual
ABAC Jazz Festival.
The festival on the campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College promotes jazz and jazz education in South Georgia.
Green conducted a jazz clinic for members of 10
high school jazz bands from across Georgia, who also performed free mini-concerts outdoors in the ABAC Meadows.
The Dougherty County High Jazz Band performs at right in ABAC Meadows.
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TIFT COUNTY HOLDS ANNUAL SPECIAL OLYMPICS
The
Tift County High Junior ROTC, at left, present the colors Friday at the E.B. Hamilton Sports Complex
to help kick off the annual
Tift County Special Olympics.
The event allows special needs children, who don't always have an opportunity to compete in sporting events, to do so.
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TIFTAREA ACADEMY STUDENTS GET COLLEGE CAMPUS EXPERIENCE
Tiftarea Academy seventh graders received some on-campus college experience last week.
Teacher Haley Crosson took her class for a tour of
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
as a culminating activity for their recently completed "Planning My Path" projects for Career Week. The students toured the facilities and learn about the amenities ABAC has to offer right here in Tifton.
Campus tours were provided by ABAC Ambassadors. Enrollment counselor Brooke Jernigan told about the programs of study offered at ABAC, ways to get involved, campus life and opportunities to study abroad.
Some of the middle schoolers are already preparing to become a future Stallion.
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NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER SET MAY 3
The
National Day of Prayer
will
be observed in
Tifton
at
7 p.m., Thursday, May 3, at the Tift County
Recreation Department gymnasium.
A
prayer service
will be conducted for local churches, local government, health care, first responders, education, youth, family, state government and federal government
representatives.
The community
is invited to pray together.
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TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
RIBBON CUTTING
LORI M. TURNER
LAW OFFICE
212 W. 12th Street, Tifton
April 23
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'MULE' TO AID CATTLE OPERATION
Deep South Kawasaki recently loaned
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College a
Kawasaki Mule through its
11-month loan program. The
Mule will be utilized in the ABAC Beef Cattle operation for checking and feeding
cattle and tagging calves.
ABAC has a working beef unit with 100 head of cattle as a part of the J.G. Woodroof Farm, which covers more than 300 acres on campus.
In photo from left are: ABAC Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources Mark Kistler, Deep South Kawasaki Parts Manager Tony Layfield, Deep South Kawasaki Dealer Principal Patricia Holtzclaw, Professor Mary Ellen Hicks, students Hannah Taylor and Claire Hunkler, ABAC staffer Doug Hicks and Deep South Kawasaki Dealer Principal West Holtzclaw. |
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GA CHAMBER STAFF STOPS IN TIFTON
Georgia Chamber of Commerce President and CEO
Chris Clark, at right in photo, led the
discussion during the organization's stop at the Ga. Chamber's
Tifton office last
Tuesday.
The meeting was part of the State Chamber's
statewide tour. Clark talked with
local leaders about the Chamber's
"8 for 18 Priorities," a
scorecard of how legislators vote on legislation that the Chamber believes is key, and how
political candidates in view these topics as well.
The
priorities include business climate, infrastructure, prosperity and diversity, workforce, trade and commerce, healthcare, rural Georgia, and enterpreneurship and innovation.
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www.tiftongrapevine.com
FRANK SAYLES JR.
Editor & Publisher
iheardit@tiftongrapevine.com
A Service of Sayles Unlimited Marketing LLC
478-227-7126
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