Colquitt County Farm Bureau named finalist for state award

MACON, Ga. – Colquitt County Farm Bureau (CCFB) was recognized as one of the top county Farm Bureau programs in the state during the organization’s 79th annual convention held on Jekyll Island Dec. 4-6. The county chapter was named a finalist for the prestigious McKemie Award — the highest honor that a county Farm Bureau in the state can receive — in recognition of the activities it sponsored during the past year to promote agriculture. CCFB was one of nine county Farm Bureaus to be recognized as a finalist in the more than 2.220 member category. 

 

Police: Don’t leave cars unattended

DALTON, Ga. — Thieves and law-abiding citizens agree: there’s nothing better than getting into a warm car on an icy cold morning. Unfortunately, twice Thursday morning in Dalton a thief enjoyed the experience in a car he or she did not own. Two victims reported they had started their cars and left them running outside while they finished getting ready inside. In both cases, when the victims came back outside to get into their warm cars, they found a cold parking space instead. Neither car was locked. The stolen cars were a white 2005 Mazda MPV minivan (Georgia tag REG2419) that was stolen between 5:15 and 5:35 a.m. from the parking lot of the Budgetel Hotel at 609 S. Thornton Ave. and a gray 2007 Nissan Maxima (Georgia tag REM1868) that was stolen between 6 and 6:15 a.m. from the Underwood Lodge apartments at 1306 Underwood St. The Dalton Police Department strongly urges residents to not leave their keys in their car or leave their car running unattended for any reason.

 

Called to Care raises money for kids in foster care

TIFTON, Ga. — Called to Care, a local ministry dedicated to full orphan care, has begun their annual Ten for Teens Christmas drive. Called to Care is asking for donations of gift cards worth $10 to stores to give to teens in foster care. Laura Maxwell, the founder of Called to Care Inc, said, “the more generic the better,” since they have foster kids who end up in different parts of the state and wouldn’t be able to use gift cards for local stores. Called to Care, which started locally, has expanded to provide services for Atkinson, Ben Hill, Berrien, Cook, Irwin, Lanier, Tift and Turner counties, and will be expanding to Brantley, Coffee and Worth counties in 2017. The ministry provides support for caseworkers and DFCS personnel, update the visitation rooms at the DFCS office, provide children in foster care with essentials like clothing, shoes and toiletries, partner with independent living  programs to help foster children who are aging out of care learn how to live on their own, host trainings for foster parents and help provide families with resources while they are waiting on government assistance. For more information contact Called to Care at (229) 392-5293.

 

Church reports trespassing 

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — An officer was dispatched to First Baptist Church on South Liberty Street at roughly 6 p.m. Dec. 11 in reference to an unwanted person. There the officer met with the church’s pastor, who said that a man was trespassing inside the main church building. Upon entering the church to investigate, the officer came across a man in a third-floor restroom. The officer observed several pieces of food and other items inside a nearby toilet that the man claimed to be his, saying that the food was stale and that he was simply trying to get rid of it. When the pastor saw the man who was inside the church, he told police that the man had been trespassing on church grounds and making his parishioners uncomfortable for some time (he also stated that the food was not the suspect’s, but in fact had been laid out for college students that attend the church). The man signed a Notice of Prohibited Entry onto the church grounds and left the location.

 

Thomas University to address accreditors’ concerns

THOMASVILLE, Ga. — The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Committee on Colleges has issued a warning to Thomas University for not meeting specific standards required by the commission, according to university officials. Under the warning, TU has a year to make changes in order to meet these standards. TU continues to be accredited by SACSCOC. “It’s important to note that we are still accredited by SACSCOC,” TU President Dr. Andy Sheppard said. “We are committed to ensuring that we will meet these standards within the next year, and we will continue to provide an outstanding education for our students.” Sheppard received a general statement about the warning from SACSCOC but will not receive specific details until mid-January. At that time TU administrators will develop and implement a plan for meeting the standards. SACSCOC will review those changes during its December 2017 meeting. During the 12 months of the warning, TU’s accreditation remains in place. The SACSCOC warning does not affect TU’s other accreditations by different agencies for specific programs.

 

White Springs to hold Christmas event

WHITE SPRINGS, Fla. — The Town of White Springs will host a Christmas event Saturday at the Bailey Ogburn ball field at 3 p.m. There will be a hula hoop contest, dance context and kickball game for the kids. Food items will be on sale starting at 3 p.m. The movie “Elf” will begin at 6 p.m. There will be free popcorn and drinks during the movie. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chair to sit on for the movie.