Digital Newspaper for Tifton, Ga., and the Greater Tiftarea

TIFTON CITY MANAGER RESIGNS EMILY BEEMAN HAD BEEN PUT ON LEAVE

FOR UNDISCLOSED REASONS

By BONNIE SAYLES and FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Without public discussion, Tifton City Council on Thursday night voted unanimously to accept the immediate resignation and an "agreement" submitted by City Manager Emily S. Beeman, who had been placed on administrative leave three weeks ago for undisclosed reasons.

That action followed a closed executive session to discuss personnel matters.

“I’d like to thank Ms. Beeman for her years of service,” said Mayor Julie B. Smith. “She came in as human resources director and moved up to deputy city manager, then city manager. We wish her nothing but success in her endeavors.” 

When asked about the nature of the "agreement" that council accepted, Smith said, “It’s a personnel matter, so I can’t discuss it. Thank you for asking.”

City Attorney Rob Wilmot referred queries about the agreement to City Council. He could not be reached later Thursday night about whether withholding details of an "agreement" with Beeman was a violation of Georgia's Open Records Law.

When contacted at home Thursday night, Beeman told the Tifton Grapevine that she will be issuing a statement soon.

City officials have remained tight-lipped about the city manager and would not discuss reasons for placing her on administrative leave with pay.

Beeman, 35, was the city’s first female city manager who assumed the title on March 6, 2023. She had served as interim city manager beginning in October 2022. She had joined the City of Tifton in November 2018 as human resources director and was named deputy city manager in February 2022.

She was selected for the city manager’s position following what City Council called a "nationwide search."

Before joining the city, Beeman was a human resources generalist at Tift Regional Medical Center. She has been active in the Georgia Municipal Association, Georgia Local Government Personnel Association, and the Georgia City County Management Association.

On July 29, Tifton Chief Financial Officer Larry Lawrence was named acting Tifton city manager, and City Clerk Jessica White was appointed acting deputy city manager.

WWII SOLDIER FINALLY RETURNS HOME TO FITZGERALD PFC. BUCK BAGLEY HAD BEEN MIA SINCE 1944

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

Luther E. "Buck" Bagley of Fitzgerald was a 20-year-old working in a cotton mill when he was drafted in 1942 during World War II.

By 1944, he was sent to Southeast Asia as a private first class in Company K, 3rd Battalion, reinforcing the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), also known as "Merrill’s Marauders."

Shortly before being deployed overseas from Fort Meade, Md., Bagley and his wife Eleanor were photographed with their baby son Nathan, known as Woody.

Bagley was soon killed in action on July 25, 1944, while attempting to secure an airstrip during the Battle of Myitkyina against Japanese forces in Burma, now the nation of Myanmar. Conditions on the battlefield prevented the recovery of his body at the time of his death, and his body was never recovered. He was 22 years old.

His son Woody, now 81, who had no memories of his dad, was taken aback when he received a call in May that the remains of his father, missing for 80 years, had been found and identified through DNA testing.

Bagley was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency after his unidentified remains were exhumed in 2021 from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, for laboratory analysis and identification.

Bagley's wife Eleanor turns 100 in September. She had been remarried and had three daughters, but said that "Buck was the great love of my life," a family member related on social media. "I have never given up hope that he would come home, and now it’s happening,” she said.

On Saturday morning, Pfc. Buck Bagley will be buried with military honors back home in Fitzgerald at Evergreen Cemetery. It is the anniversary date of Merrill’s Marauders official dissolution as a military unit.

The Patriot Guard Riders of Georgia, a motorcycle group, will lead a rolling honor guard.

Bagley’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Taguig City, Philippines, along with others missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate that he has finally been accounted for.

TIFTON RESIDENTS REPORT RASH OF VEHICLE BREAK-INS

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

People in several neighborhoods around north Tifton are reporting car windows broken and valuables stolen, often when cars are unlocked or empty.

Asked about the break-ins, Police Chief Steve Hyman said the incidences are coming from “a new crew” that started up this past weekend following the arrests of a group of minors about two weeks ago.

“Every town in Georgia is fighting this, not just Tifton,” Hyman said, and cameras are not a deterrent. “They just use masks when they see cameras.”

Asked what people should do, the police chief said, “lock valuables away.”

During a Tifton City Council workshop Thursday, two councilmen addressed the matter.

“About the break-ins in a lot of cars, our police department is working very hard on them,” said Councilman M. Jay Hall. He encouraged residents to lock their vehicles, and put away their purses, bags, and wallets. “We’re going to roll out some information shortly,” he said.

Vice Mayor Josh Reynolds said that people should take their garage door openers out of their cars, since thieves could steal them and come back and gain access to more belongings.

Catherine Gay told the Tifton Grapevine that her car window was broken in broad daylight Tuesday on the corner of King and Donaldson streets near Fulwood Boulevard while she was taking a break in the house from storm clean-up.

“We had a tree down from the hurricane, blocking the driveway,” Gay said. “They had to go over the tree” to get to her car. She had run an errand earlier that morning, and then left her purse and keys in the car, planning to leave again after trying to remove the tree. 

“I don’t have chainsaw, so I was axing the tree like Paul Bunyan,” she said. After taking a midday break inside her house for a couple of hours, she came outside to find a side window was broken out in her car and her purse was gone. 

“The car was unlocked,” she said. “There was no need to bust a glass.”

She said the Tifton police officer did a good job investigating and even checking an abandoned house nearby. Gay teaches in Fitzgerald, “and they don’t have this sort of thing. It’s not happening there, and it’s not happening everywhere,” she said.

But in Tifton, “I think they’re hitting everywhere,” she said.

Other people have reported car break-ins to police and posted it on social media. On Tuesday alone, people on social media claimed there were car windows broken overnight on College Lane near the County School Administration Building; on Eighth Street; two on North College; and Monday on Fulwood Boulevard.

One person had windows broken while they were in a business near Publix supermarket, and many others reported windows smashed between Friday and Tuesday.

“They keep stealing! It happened last night on Fulwood Boulevard,” Carlos Juarez posted Wednesday with a photo of his car window broken out. “The police say it happens every night.” 

“Just spending my morning talking to police and being late to my job that pays for my belongings,” Courtney Wynn Key said on social media. “I really enjoy losing money and having to inconvenience my clients because of someone else.” 

Krysten Lane posted a photo of her car window broken out, saying it happened Friday night at a local business. 

Liv Henderson and her daughter’s car were both broken into with smashed windows on July 30, and one of the car’s doors was unlocked. 

“Residents from other towns are moving to Tifton because it was deemed safe,” one person said. “Now this ... What needs to be done to stop this? Who knows when one of our cars will be next?”

Melissa Hughes, right, addresses Tifton City Council at Thursday's meeting.

TIFTON CONSIDERS NEW PENALTIES FOR REPEAT OFFENDERS OF UNDERAGE ALCOHOL SALES

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

The City of Tifton is looking at harsher penalties for businesses that are repeat offenders of underage alcohol sales. 

Acting Deputy City Manager/City Clerk Jessica White is recommending that the city require alcohol license hearings before City Council for repeat offenders of underage sale violations.

“Twelve businesses sold alcohol to underage customers,” White said at City Council's workshop Thursday night. “For three of them, it was a second offense.”

Those three are El Metate, Speed Go No.1, and Pepi’s Food Market. All 12 violators received citations and had to go before a hearing officer and were fined $1,000. They also had their liquor licenses suspended for a few days. 

The recommendation is to require the second-offense violators to come before City Council and be told that on a third offense they will lose their alcohol license.

Council will consider the recommendation at its regular meeting Aug. 19.

Also Thursday, Acting City Manager/Finance Director Larry Lawrence led a discussion on a resolution to approve a FY2025 budget amendment. Part of the amendment is to add $6,600 to provide PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) coverage, as Georgia House Bill 451 requires city and county governments to cover the costs for treatment to first responders. The amount is $150 per first responder. 

It also includes increasing the road-paving expenditure from $1 million to $1.9 million using Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds. Spending $30,000 to upgrade the Tift Theatre lighting and sound system is included as well. 

Lawrence also introduced a proposed ordinance to amend and restate the retirement plan for city employees. It would provide a vesting in the retirement plan after five years of employment. He said employees would also be able to retire and still keep working. He said the change to the retirement plan would be attractive to employees and would benefit the city by retaining workers. 

Also with the workshop, City Council had a special called meeting to take action on several matters. Council heard and unanimously approved a request from Tift County Commission Vice Chair Melissa Hughes to waive the garbage tipping fees at the dump for an annual event in September to clean up trash in the neighborhood – “One Street at a Time.” 

“Every year, we do a cleanup in South Tifton,” Hughes told council. She said she is asking the city and county to work together in waiving the tipping fees for the event. The county had already approved it.

City Council also unanimously approved participating in a national opioid settlement with the Kroger Co. Lawrence said Kroger is looking to resolve its court cases, as CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart have already done.

“The state receives 75% of the designated funds, but it has to spend it regionally,” Lawrence said. The city and county receive 25%. 

He said that $48,000 from other opioid settlement cases was used by Fire Chief Bobby Bennett to train 50 teachers on recognizing opioid abuse. Funds have also been used to distribute Narcan to prevent overdoses. 

On another issue, council amended the moratorium on convenience stores to allow the owner of an existing BP gas station on U.S. Highway 82 to obtain another tenant to operate the store after a previous tenant was evicted.

Jonathan Jones, Tift County Board of Education chairman, left, and Superintendent Natalie Gore, far right, recognize Tift County Principal Jennifer Johnson on Thursday for receiving the Outstanding Educator Award from the Georgia Association of Middle School Principals. Johnson was principal at Northeast Middle School before moving to TCHS this year.

TCHS PRINCIPAL JOHNSON RECEIVES OUTSTANDING EDUCATOR AWARD

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The Tift County Board of Education on Thursday night recognized Tift County High Principal Jennifer Johnson for receiving the Jim Puckett Outstanding Educator Award from the Georgia Association of Middle School Principals (GAMSP).

Johnson was principal at Northeast Middle School before moving to TCHS this school year.

The award goes to individuals who personify leadership qualities modeled by the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders' past executive director, Dr. Jim Puckett.

"Jennifer has been able to bring people together, see opportunities where others see challenges, and foster a community where every voice is heard and valued," said Melanie Sigler, GAMSP executive director. "She has an unwavering passion for public education, a genuine empathy for both students and staff, and a relentless drive to make a positive impact on everyone around her. She embodies what it means to lead with heart and purpose."

Johnson said she is "always very proud to represent Tift County and share the great things we do with others in the great state of Georgia."

REP. PENNY HOUSTON INTENDS TO STAY INVOLVED AFTER LEAVING GA HOUSE

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

After her upcoming retirement in January from the Georgia House of Representatives, Penny Houston will continue to stay active and help people in her communities of Nashville, Tifton, and beyond, she told the Tifton Rotary Club on Wednesday. 

“I’m not going to roll over and play dead,” she said. “I hope I’ve been a voice for South Georgia. We have so many people that have no voice at all.”

Rep. Houston, R-Nashville, has served in the Legislature for 27 years. Her House

district includes Berrien County and portions of Cook and Tift counties.

She plans to stay active as a board member of the Methodist Home in Macon, as an advocate for hearing-impaired children who need hearing aids, and for dental care for all people in South Georgia, especially those who have aged out of Medicaid. She worked to get a federally funded mobile dental clinic for the region. 

Among her recent accomplishments is pushing through the funding to pave the parking lot at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center. “It was a mess,” she said. 

Houston has chaired the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development, which oversees funds for eight state agencies. She also has served on the House Ways & Means, Banks & Banking, Economic Development & Tourism, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight, Appropriations committees, as well as the House Rural Development Council.

She encourages voters in November to approve a state constitutional amendment for limiting property tax increases to no more than 3% a year.

“I hope you vote for that,” Houston said. “We need to pass that amendment.”

Her talk to Rotarians is likely one of her last speeches in Tifton as a state representative.

“Thank you for the support and friendship everybody has given me in Tift County,” Houston concluded. “I love you, and I want to help you any way I can.”

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Statewide influenza data released from the 

Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) as of week ending July 27:

Since Seasonal Tracking Beginning Oct. 23, 2023:

TOTAL INFLUENZA OUTBREAKS: 199 ............................................... LATEST WEEK: 0

TOTAL METRO AREA HOSPITALIZATIONS: 4,443 ..............................LATEST WEEK: 3

TOTAL INFLUENZA-ASSOCIATED DEATHS: 59 ................................. LATEST WEEK: 0

In Georgia, influenza is not a reportable condition, with the exception of influenza-associated deaths and outbreaks.

YOUR GUIDE

TO ACTIVITIES

THIS WEEKEND

IN THE GREATER TIFTAREA

Today, Aug. 9, is National Book Lovers Day, celebrating books in all its forms. Thanks to Johannes Gutenberg’s 15th-century printing press, books were first available to the masses. While hard-back books ruled through the early 20th century, paperbacks rose in popularity from 1937 until the 21st century. Advancement in technology led to the digitization of books, with the first book sold in CD format in the 1980s: “The New Grolier Electronic Encyclopedia.” Today, books are available in multiple formats, including digitally on tablets, computers and phones, in audio formats and, of course, in hard-back and paperback. In today's world, one can fit his whole personal library in his pocket.

FRIDAY, AUG. 9

• Smokey Bear 80th Birthday Celebration, 4:30 p.m., Irwin County Library, South Beech Street, Ocilla
• Tift County High Blue Devils football scrimmage vs. Brooks County High Trojans, food trucks, pre-game activities for kids beginning at 5:30 p.m.; Devil Walk, 6:10 p.m.; exhibition by Vipers, 7:05 p.m.; scrimmage, 7:30 p.m., Brodie Field, Tifton
• "End of the Line: A Tribute to the Allman Brothers Band," 7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Downtown Tifton

ADVERTISE YOUR

YARD SALE HERE!

To Advertise Your Yard Sale, Contact:

IHeardIt@tiftongrapevine.com 

or 478-227-7126

Fees are $1 per word, paid in advance

"Paws" is an enthusiastic, energetic boy looking for his forever home. Come meet Paws 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).