Bass club angles for Seminole title

TIFTON, Ga. — The Bass Fishing Club at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will compete in the 2017 YETI Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) College fishing tournament on Jan. 14 at Lake Seminole, a reservoir located in the southwest corner of Georgia. The ABAC Bass Fishing Club typically sends three to five boats with teams of two members per boat when competing.  In the FLW, only one team from each school can qualify for the championship. ABAC’s team will compete in a dozen tournaments within the region. Outside of the conference, the ABAC anglers have the option to fish in 20 events. For more information on the ABAC Bass Fishing Club, interested persons can contact Chandler at bchandl1@stallions.abac.edu or faculty advisor Justin Exum at jexum@abac.edu.

 

Ag Forecast meetings to be held later this month

TIFTON, Ga. — The south Georgia portion of this year’s Georgia Ag Forecast is slated for the end of this month. The annual winter seminar series, which features projections about top Georgia agricultural commodities, will make stops in Tifton, Georgia, on Monday, Jan. 23. The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Agriculture and Georgia Farm Bureau, coordinate the annual series of seminars. The 2017 Ag Forecast will be held at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center on Jan. 23. Main topics at this year’s Ag Forecast include the 2018 farm bill as well as the Food and Drug Association’s veterinary feed directive (VFD). For more information and to register for the 2017 Georgia Ag Forecast, go to http:///www.GeorgiaAgForecast.com. Sponsors for the event include the Georgia Farm Bureau Land Grant University Lecture Series Endowment, Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Agribusiness Council.

 

County celebrates Laura Dees’ retirement

JASPER, Fla. — A crowd gathered to celebrate Supervisor of Elections Laura Dees’ retirement Friday. Dees started in the Supervisor of Elections Office in 1984. She has served as Supervisor of Elections for the past 14 years “She’s been more than a boss,” said newly elected Supervisor of Elections Laura Hutto. “She has been a mentor and a friend. I’m going to miss her dearly.”

“She always put forth her best in anything and everything and she always had such a smile when she did,” Susan Ramsey, Hamilton County Development Authority director said. “I really cherish you.” White Springs council member Helen Miller said Dees is someone who is good to the core and cares about family, friends and the community.

Dees said she is very humbled by the recognition.

“It’s been a wonderful opportunity to serve Hamilton County as Supervisor of Elections,” Dees said.  She thanks the voters for giving her the opportunity to serve them and wants to remind them that their vote is their voice. Dees sends best wishes to the new Supervisor of Elections Laura Hutto.

 

Business park in running for project

DALTON, Ga. — The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners has unanimously approved a $258,000 contract with B&J Reed Construction of Chatsworth to grade and install drainage pipe on a nine-acre site at the Carbondale Business Park off I-75 in Dalton. This will be the second graded “pad” in the 184-acre business park. “We have lost a couple of projects because they were not big enough for our current pad,” said Carl Campbell, executive director of the Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority. “They needed just over half, so they wouldn’t have used all the property and wouldn’t have left us with a usable spot if we tried to split it.” The pad that is being graded would be “ideal for a 100,000- to 150,000-square-foot facility,” says Campbell. “The other pad is much larger than that,” he said. Campbell says they are still in the running for a project that could be placed on the new pad.

 

Ridin,’ ropin’ returnin’ 

NASHVILLE, Ga. — Riding and roping returns to Berrien County in March with the annual Cotton Blossom Roundup Rodeo. The roundup takes place March 24-25 at the Berrien County Saddle Club Arena on County Farm Road in Nashville, said Chrissy Staley, director of the Berrien County Chamber of Commerce. The gates open at 6 p.m. each day with the show starting at 7:30 p.m., she said. The rodeo was first hosted by the chamber eight years ago, said Chrissy Staley, chamber director. “We wanted to hold a fundraiser that would bring sponsors a higher return in investment and bring visitors to the community,” she said. She said 2,000-2,500 people have generally shown up for past performances “when the weather cooperated.” Between 100-125 contestants from across the southeastern U.S. are expected to take part, Staley said. Traditional rodeo events at this year’s roundup include bareback riding, tie-down calf roping, steer wrestling, saddleback riding, team roping cowgirl bell racing and bull racing, she said. The rodeo is sanctioned by both the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, Staley said. Adult admission (ages 11-up) will be $10, kids’ admission (6-10) will be $5 and children younger than age 5 get in free, she said. Tickets will be available at the chamber office at 201 Jefferson St., Nashville, and at other area sites yet to be determined. A limited number of sponsorship slots are still available; interested businesses can call Staley at the chamber at (229) 686-51234, she said.