Tifton named ninth fastest-growing micro area in the United States

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Tifton, Ga.
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www.tiftongazette.com
50 cents
Early voting
begins July 9
in Tift County
By Florence Rankin
flo.rankin@gaflnews.com
TIFTON — Registration
for the July 31 primaries and
T-SPLOST referendum closed
out at 5 p.m. Monday after a
busy day for Tift County's
Election Central, and office
employees said there had
been a lot of interest in the
upcoming vote.
Beginning Tuesday, July 9,
local voters can cast early
ballots from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at
Election Central, which is located at the corner of Chesnutt Avenue and Fourth
Street.
Voters may also request
absentee ballots by calling
the Elections office. Election
Supervisor Jean Edwards
said they will mail out applications for the absentee ballots with an envelope to send
them back, and will then
send the ballots as needed.
This is the first election
since state redistricting took
effect, and Edwards said Tift
Countians now live in three
separate State House districts and two state Senate
districts, making it hard for
sample ballots to show all
possible combinations.
There are sample ballots
available at the Elections office, but they show all of the
races and voters will vote in
one or the other of the House
and Senate contests.
Voters may also go to the
Georgia Secretary of State's
website at
www.sos.ga.gov/mvp and put
in their first initial, last
name and date of birth to see
an individualized sample ballot.
Local Republican candidates to be on the primary
ballot include sheriff's candidates Dennis Reese, David
Eugene Scarborough and
Stephen Keith Wood; for
coroner, Barry L. Cutts,
Joshua D. Hendrix and
Daughtry B. (Doc) Melton III;
for clerk of court, Gwen C.
Pate; for tax commissioner,
Rodney Chad Alexander,
Steve Bruce, Jeff Gibbs, W.A.
Harrison Jr. and Gregory
Allen Nimmo; for probate
judge, Suzanne Carter Johnson; for magistrate judge,
Mark York; for County Commission District 5, Fred W.
(Buck) Rigdon Jr.; for County
Commission District 7 (chairman) Frankie Mathis,
Stephen Mullis and Grady
Thompson; for Board of Education District 3, Gannon
Hall; and Board of Education
District 7 (chairman) Todd
Gann and Kim Rutland.
Democratic candidates are
Ty Taylor for probate court
judge; Melissa Hughes Chevers for County Commission
District 2; and Kim Ezekiel
and Langston "Doc" Cleveland, Board of Education District 1.
Florence Rankin/The Tifton Gazette
Ongoing renovations at the old Winn Dixie building, which will house T.J. Maxx, are a sign of Tifton's continued growth. Tifton was named ninth in the nation among
fast-growing micro areas for the period from April 2010 to July 2011.
Tifton named ninth fastest-growing
micro area in the United States
By Florence Rankin
flo.rankin@gaflnews.com
TIFTON — The U.S Census Bureau recently identified Tifton as the ninth fastest-growing micro area in the United States for the period between April 1, 2010 and July 1, 2011.
The census bureau defines a micro area as
an area containing an urban core of at least
10,000 but less than 50,000, population. Each
metro or micro area consists of one or more
counties and includes the counties containing the core urban area, as well as any adjacent counties that have “a high degree of social and economic integration, as measured
by commuting to work, with the urban core.”
Statesboro, at No. 6, was the only other
Georgia micro area in the top 10. Others, in
order, included Williston, N.D., The Villages,
ing supplier of mattress and pillow protectors, bed pillows and mattress pads, which
brought an initial 50 jobs and has since added
100 more; Coopercraft, a business providing
security products like access control equipment, CCTV and fire alarms; CHEP, a
pallet/container pooling services company; a
second shift at Mohawk’s carpet pad facility;
additional jobs at Cooksey Steel; new restaurants including Ranchero’s and Daylight
Donuts; and the Publix supermarket, expected to open next month.
Since then, the Stevi B’s restaurant has
opened and T.J. Maxx has announced plans to
locate in the old Winn Dixie building in the
Tifton Mall.
Fla., Andrews, Texas, Dickinson, N.D., Dunn,
N.C., Heber, Utah, Minot, N.D., and Guymon,
Okla.
The bureau noted that there was an overall trend toward growth in the south and
west, with 21 of the 50 fastest-growing micro
areas in the south and 17 in the west. Ten percent of the total U.S. population lives in micro areas.
“All you have to do is drive through Tifton
to realize that we are a community on the
move,” said Tifton-Tift County Chamber of
Commerce President/CEO Brian Marlowe.
“We continue to experience a tremendous
amount of prospect activity from retail/commercial to warehouse/distribution to manufacturing.”
Businesses locating in Tifton during the
period included American Textile Co., a lead-
To contact Managing Editor Florence Rankin, call the
Gazette at 382-4321, ext. 1903.
Workshop in Valdosta comes to a close
By Quinten Plummer
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA — They came
from six different states and represented six different churches,
as they spread their Christian
love and repaired houses in the
city’s designated revitalization areas as part of the 7th annual
Southern Hospitality Workcamp.
Friday night saw the close of
the camp. But as the 148 studentvolunteers prepared to head back
home, all in attendance could witness that same vibrancy and pure
energy that fueled the teens
through the 3,996 hours they
logged this week.
“I look forward to you coming
back next year, ” said Valdosta
Mayor John Gayle. “I hope that
you can return because I know
of a famous athlete who’d given
the (homeowners) sitting down
front are really appreciative of all up on his sport.
“When you quit
the work you’ve
playing the game,
done.”
you lose your
In all, the
In all, the group
edge,” said Rassgroup repaired 17
repaired 17 houses
musen. “This enhouses for sick
for sick and disabled tire week has been
and disabled
like a sports game.
homeowners and
homeowners and
But let’s be honest,
they collected over
they collected over
the game’s not
800 cans for Secover and God still
ond Harvest Food
800 cans for Second
to work in
Bank.
Harvest Food Bank. wants
you. Don’t give up
The closing
on the game.”
ceremony was
Several of the homeowners
filled with song, dance and even a
bit of impromptu pantomime. Fif- stood before the audience to relay
teen volunteers stormed the stage their thanks for the efforts that
the campers had given them in refor a chance to play the part of
pairing their homes all week.
cheerleaders, reporters and rav“There are days when I’m uning fans. But moderator Jake
able to go from the bedroom to
Rassmusen, was making a point,
the kitchen or living room,” said
as the actors played out the story
one homeowner. “But this entire
week, I’ve been able to get up.
I’ve been able to prepare a meal
for the kids.”
The camp’s closing ceremony
concluded with each of the crews
of youth huddled around the
homeowners -- each group exchanged good-byes and parting
prayers.
The annual Southern Hospitality Workcamp supports the city’s
goal to eliminate substandard
housing in the community by the
year 2020, according to representatives from the camp. The camp’s
17 home sites were selected by the
City of Valdosta Neighborhood
Development Division based on
qualifying criteria, they said, and
the homes must be owner-occupied and in need of minor repairs.
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