Source: Facebook

The scene near the shooting Thursday night in Tifton.

ONE DEAD, TWO INJURED IN TIFTON SHOOTING

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Three people were shot and one died Thursday night in Tifton's Ferry Lake Road /

Bill Street area, Tifton Police said early Friday.

At approximately 7:03 p.m. Thursday, Tifton Police were dispatched to the area of Ferry Lake Road and Bill Street about reports of gunshots and a person being shot, police said.

Officers found two males and a female with gunshot wounds; one of the males was dead at the scene, police said. Residents in the area said they had heard gunshots, and the victims were apparently all in one vehicle.

Derrick Wilson, 20, was dead at the scene; Kaylee Dillard,18, and Nathan Purvis, 19, were taken to Tift Regional Medical Center, where they were listed in stable condition early Friday morning, according to police.

Tifton Police requested the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Sylvester Field Office to assist with the investigation.

No further details will be released at this stage of the investigation, Tifton Police said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office at 229-777-2080 or submit anonymous tips by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477). The Tifton Police Department may also be contacted at 229-382-3132.

Anonymous tips may be submitted to Tifton Police using its Tip411 app. Text TIFTONPD and your tip to 847411, or visit www.tifton.net, click tip411, and complete the online form.

TIFTON CANCELS HOMETOWN HOLIDAYS

CITES THREAT OF INCLEMENT WEATHER

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Because of the threat of heavy rain and thunderstorms, Tifton has canceled its annual Hometown Holidays Celebration scheduled Saturday. Instead, the city's Christmas parade and tree-lighting ceremony will be on Saturday, Dec. 9.

"For the safety of our families, participants, vendors, and community, the difficult decision has been made to cancel our original Hometown Holidays Celebration plans for 2023 due to the forecasted weather that is projected for Saturday, December 2," the city said in a press release.

The National Weather Service forecasts showers beginning Friday night and continuing into Sunday. On Saturday, there is an 85% chance of heavy rain with levels up to a half inch, the weather service reported. The high Saturday is expected to be 73 degrees with a low of 66.

The Tifton Kiwanis Club still plans to hold its 19th annual "Pinch the Grinch" 5K and 1-mile run/walk beginning at 8 a.m. this Saturday. To register, visit Active.com, or for information, contact Tom Shoup, 229-388-2142, tlshoup.kk58@gmail.com

Although Hometown Holidays has been canceled, the City of Tifton said it is "committed to bringing holiday cheer to our community by rescheduling our annual Christmas parade on Saturday, Dec. 9. The parade will begin at 5 p.m., and the route will be Second Street from Magnolia Drive to Love Avenue and turning north on Love Avenue from Second Street to Sixth Street."

Following the parade, the annual tree lighting outside City Hall is scheduled at 6:30 p.m., where Santa Claus will be available for family photos. The city is still planning to have food trucks, "s’mores stations," bouncy houses, and other family activities along First Street and Commerce Way after the parade.

For information, contact the Downtown Tifton Main Street program at 229-391-3966.

TIFTON MAN DIES IN MOTORCYCLE COLLISION

GRANDFATHER, OWNER OF SHORTY'S PRODUCE, DIES DAY BEFORE

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

A Tifton family is mourning the loss of two family members who died suddenly one day apart.

Matthew Tyler Barber, 27, died in a motorcycle accident Tuesday night, one day after the death of his grandfather Coy "Shorty" Barber, 69, the owner and operator of Tifton's Shorty's Produce stand at U.S. Highway 41 and 20th Street.

The family held a joint funeral Thursday.

The motorcycle accident occurred on State Route 7 when a Ford SUV and Tyler Barber's motorcycle collided, authorities said. Barber was pronounced dead at the scene. The Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT) is investigating the incident.

His grandfather, "Shorty" Barber, died at home Monday following a short illness. Shorty's Produce is a well-known landmark in Tifton offering seasonal vegetables and fruit, and the elder Barber enjoyed chatting with customers.

"Shorty" Barber at his produce stand in Tifton.

GA BEGINS COLLECTING

FUEL TAXES AGAIN

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Expect gasoline and diesel fuel prices to rise soon: Georgia's motor fuel taxes returned Thursday as Gov. Brian P. Kemp’s state suspension of the taxes expired.

Kemp had suspended collection of the state taxes of 31.2 cents per gallon of gasoline and 35 cents per gallon of diesel declaring it an emergency. The governor had authority to do so while the General Assembly was out of session. But the Legislature is now in a special session to redraw legislative districts, and lawmakers would have to approve a gas tax rollback.

State law allowed the governor to extend or let the suspension expire each month. From March 2022 to this past January, Kemp had the suspension in effect. He restarted the suspension in September when gas prices began increasing.

Kemp said the tax relief helped Georgians deal with inflation. The gas tax rollback has cost the state approximately $180 million per month, according to government estimates.

This week, the American Automobile Association (AAA) reported that the average price of unleaded gasoline in Georgia was $2.79 a gallon, the third-lowest lowest in the nation behind Texas and Mississippi. The national average is $3.25 per gallon.

Georgia's reinstatement of state fuel taxes are not expected to be seen at the pumps immediately; the price will rise as current gasoline inventory is depleted.

PATTICAKE HOUSE PROJECT BRINGS 'HOPE FOR KIDS' ON CHRISTMAS

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

Longtime local Christmas project "Suitcases for Kids" has been rebranded as "Hope for Kids" Holiday Project, a way to make sure child victims of domestic violence have a great Christmas Day, says Melissa Wood, manager of the Patticake House and senior forensic interviewer. 

Started in 2005, the program ensures that “at least one time in their little lives they’ve got a big old smile on their face on Christmas morning. We do that with the help of people like you in our community ... and with the wonderful help of Georgia State Patrol Post 13,” Wood told the Tifton Rotary Club on Wednesday.

Tifton is blessed to have programs helping disadvantaged children for Christmas, Wood said. The Hope for Children project is different.

“The way kids get on our list is, unfortunately, they have to have been abused. They have to have been neglected. They have to have been witnesses to severe domestic violence or stayed in our emergency violence shelter, Ruth’s Cottage,” Wood said.

She said the number of children to receive gifts through Hope for Children increased from 211 to 222 from Monday to Wednesday. The program will accept children all the way through Christmas Eve. “I know we’ll reach 250,” she said.

Phone calls to the domestic violence helpline can come at any time, including Christmas Eve.

“That happens every year,” Wood said. “We work on Christmas Eve to make sure these children will have a smile on Christmas morning, at least.”

The program serves the four counties in the Tift Judicial Circuit: Tift, Turner, Irwin, and Worth. The Hope for Kids program compares their list of children with Toys for Tots, the YMCA, and school social workers' lists to reduce duplication.

Businesses may sponsor a child or a family to purchase gifts on a list, but donations are used to “even out” the gifts so that one child in a family isn’t receiving more than a sibling.

Donations may be made online here or checks may be sent to Ruth’s Cottage with a memo to go to Hope for Kids. 

The Patticake House is a children's advocacy center where forensic interviews of children can be conducted in a child-friendly environment. Ruth's Cottage is a domestic violence prevention program and emergency shelter.

ABAC HOLIDAY CONCERT RETURNS DEC. 7

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Sounds of the season will ring Dec. 7 at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College as the Department of Fine Arts presents its annual Holiday Music Christmas Celebration.

Dr. Jennifer Huang, fine arts department head, said the free concert, featuring students, faculty, and community musicians, will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Howard Auditorium. A selection of holiday prelude music will be performed by ABAC music ensembles beginning at 6:10 p.m.

“We are very excited for this concert,” Huang said. “This longstanding tradition is our gift to Tifton and the entire South Georgia region, and all of our performers are thrilled to ring in the season with song.”

Holiday favorites will include the "Nutcracker Overture Suite," "Feliz Navidad," both traditional and New Age classics, and a Christmas medley. Santa Claus will also appear as a special guest.

2 TIFTON STUDENTS AMONG SRTC RESPIRATORY CARE GRADS

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Two Tifton residents were among 12 Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) respiratory care graduates who were recently honored during a pinning ceremony.

Morgan Strenth and Alexandria Turner, both of Tifton, completed two semesters of prerequisite coursework as well as four semesters of occupational courses, including a series of clinical rotations at local hospitals.

In addition to the pinning ceremony, the students are eligible to participate in SRTC’s Dec. 6 commencement ceremony on the Bainbridge campus.

Upon successful completion of programmatic self-assessment examinations (SAE), the students will be eligible to sit for National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) credentialing exams to obtain the registered respiratory therapist (RRT) credential.

In photo are Morgan Strenth (bottom) and Alexandria Turner (top).

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COVID-19 data released from the 

Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) as of NOV. 29:

TOTAL TIFT COUNTY CASES: 7,132 ....................................... TOTAL TIFT DEATHS: 181

CONFIRMED TIFT CASES - 2 weeks: 3 ....................................... DEATHS - Past week: 0

CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES: 24

TIFT CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - 2 weeks, per 100K population: 59 

_______________________________________________________________

GEORGIA TOTAL CASES: 2,411,278

GEORGIA CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES - Past week: 3,045

TOTAL GA DEATHS: 35,897 ..................................................... GA DEATHS - Past week: 19 

YOUR GUIDE

TO ACTIVITIES

THIS WEEKEND

IN THE TIFTAREA

Sunday, Dec. 3, is the First Sunday of Advent, the start of a four-week observation beginning on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Derived from the Latin word for arrival — “adventus” — Advent is observed by Christian denominations worldwide to mark the start of the spiritual period of preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth on Christmas Day, and the beginning of a new Christian year.

FRIDAY, DEC.1

• Santa & "The Polar Express," 5-8:30 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Downtown Tifton

SATURDAY, DEC. 2

• Kiwanis Pinch the Grinch 5K & 1M Fun Run, 8 a.m., Forrest Avenue & Fourth Street, Tifton
• Jingle Bell Jog 5K & 1M Fun Run, 9 a.m., Grand Plaza Park, 119 S. Main St., Fitzgerald
• "Merry Grinchmas": Animated movie, letters to Santa, holiday crafts, photos with the Grinch, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Tifton-Tift County Public Library, Love Avenue, Tifton
• Lights of Love, 5 p.m., Irwinville Community Center, 1937 Highway 32 W., Irwinville
• "Emanuel" live production, 6:30 p.m., Irwin County High School Auditorium, Ocilla

SUNDAY, DEC. 3

• "Emanuel" live production, 3 p.m., Irwin County High School Auditorium, Ocilla

ADVERTISE YOUR

YARD SALE HERE!

TO ADVERTISE YOUR RESIDENTIAL

YARD SALE, CONTACT US at 

IHeardIt@tiftongrapevine.com 

or 478-227-7126

Fees are $1 per word, paid in advance

"Rex" is a good dog with a lot of personality. He is among the 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).