South Georgia’s high and dry

VALDOSTA, Ga.  — South Georgia can expect to swelter with unseasonably warm temperatures for the next week, according to forecasters. “Looks like Valdosta’s been well above normal for the month of February and that’s going to continue,” said Frank Strait, senior meteorologist for the private forecasting firm AccuWeather. A strong southerly flow of air has been keeping storms mainly to the north of the region, said Andy Lahr, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Tallahassee, Fla., office. “Looks like a pretty warm week throughout,” he said. Highs will be in the 80s all week, getting as high as 87 Thursday, Strait said. The average high for Valdosta for February is in the 70s, he said. Overnight lows will  climb as well, starting out in the lower 50s but climbing to the higher 50s by week’s end, Lahr said. Both forecasters said the only real chance of rain won’t arrive until the weekend. Both also said any chance of severe weather this week is negligible, though Strait said substantial rain and a thunderstorm may be possible Saturday.

 

Registration for YMCA T-ball, soccer in progress

TIFTON, Ga. — Sports registration has started at the Tiftarea YMCA has started for soccer and T-ball. The soccer season will run from March 27-May 22 and will be in divisions based on age. The age control date is May 1. Practices will begin the week of March 27 with games starting April 10. Evaluations will be March 13 and March 20 at the YMCA fields for U8-U10 at 5:30 p.m. and U12-U16 at 7 p.m. If there are not enough players for the U8 and U12 age groups, they may be combined into other leagues. There will be a coaches’ meeting March 6 at 7 p.m. a mandatory parent meeting March 21 at 7 p.m. Both meetings will be at the YMCA on Carpenter Road. T-ball’s season will run from March 27-May 18 and will be divided it into 4U and 6U teams. Practices begin the week of March 27 with games beginning April 10. There will be a coaches’ meeting March 6 and a parent meeting March 21, both at 6 p.m. and both will take place at the YMCA on Carpenter Road. The awards banquet will take place May 18. Registration fees are $45 for members and $65 for non-members. The registration fee includes jersey, socks and an end-of-season award. Financial assistance is also available to those who qualify. A late fee of $10 will apply for applications after March 15. Additionally, the YMCA is in need of volunteer coaches. No experience is necessary and training will be provided by the Tiftarea YMCA.

 

Sinatra: Voice for a Century screening at Live Oak Library on Thursday

LIVE OAK, Fla. — As a proud partner with Lincoln Center Local, the Live Oak Library invites the public to a free screening at 6 p.m. Thursday of Sinatra: Voice for a Century, which was originally recorded on Dec. 18, 2015. This screening is generously funded through the support from the Oak Foundation and The Altman Foundation.  Lincoln Center teams up with the New York Philharmonic to celebrate the 100th birthday of Ol’ Blue Eyes with special guests Christina Aguilera, Chris Botti, Fantasia, Sutton Foster, Kyle Dean Massey, Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, Sting, and host Seth MacFarlane.  Lincoln Center Local: Free Screenings, a program created by Lincoln Center Education and hosted by libraries and community centers, brings the best of Lincoln Center—world-renowned performances coupled with unparalleled educational resources—off its Manhattan-based campus and into communities anywhere. This Lincoln Center program provides high-definition screenings from the growing digital catalog of the world’s leading performing arts center. These music, dance, theater and opera performances come from recent live events at Lincoln Center, including the New York Philharmonic, Lincoln Center Theater, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and School of American Ballet, as well as past performances at Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, American Song, and past broadcasts from the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Live From Lincoln Center. For more information, please visit LincolnCenter.org/Local.

 

100 percent pass rate for SRTC practical nursing students

THOMASVILLE, Ga. — Twenty-two recent graduates from Southern Regional Technical College’s Practical Nursing program recently took their board exams — and all 22 passed on their first attempt. This is a huge accomplishment for a nursing program and its students, Southern Regional Tech said, as the national average for NCLEX-PN first-time test takers is 84 percent (according to data from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing for January 2017). The total program NCLEX pass rate is an impressive 90.7 percent.  

 

Georgia gets high marks for colleges

College Choice, a leading authority in college and university rankings and resources, has published a ranking of the 25 Best Colleges in Georgia for 2017. The state of Georgia has been ranked by Site Selection Magazine as the best state in which to do business for four years in a row. This economic opportunity presents the state as a worthy choice for prospective college students, especially once they graduate and enter the workforce. College Choice developed its list by looking at academic quality along with return on investment—the differential between tuition costs and average early career earnings. The ranking for the 50 Best Bachelors in Engineering Degrees for 2017 finds Georgia Institute of Technology in the top spot. Emory University is in second, and University of Georgia rounds out the top three.

 

College hosting African-American trivia night

DALTON, Ga. — In commemoration of Black History Month, Dalton State College’s History Club and the Black History Month Committee host an African-American trivia night Thursday at 7 in Goodroe Auditorium. All are invited to participate. The trivia will cover history, culture, entertainment and sports. Participants will compete as individuals, recording their answers either on paper or cellphones via an app. Prizes will be awarded for high scores.