Newspaper Page Text
Page 6 - Wednesday, December 27, 2023
The Jenkins County Times
jenkinscountytimes.com
ADULT
EDUCATION
STUDENTS
PARTICIPATE
IN CHRISTMAS
PARTY
Gail Lans, parent; and GED students, Alexcia Lans and
Devyn Wherry.
By Annette Cobb,
Special Contributor
to
The Times
On December 13, 2023, GED students from the Jenkins
County Adult Learning Center participated in the Adult
Education Christmas party at Southeastern Technical
College in Swainsboro, Georgia. Greetings were given
by Susan Cross, Executive Director of Adult Education
and Delorice Poole, Career Services Specialist. Students
from Swainsboro, Vidalia, and Millen enjoyed a day of fun
watching Christmas movies and participating in Christmas
games and other activities. Prizes were given to the winners
of each game. Everyone enjoyed a table full of delicious
Christmas goodies!
Speakers Announced:
Georgia Cotton
Commission
Annual Meeting
January 31, 2024
Special
to
The Times
The Georgia Cotton Commission is pleased to announce
the guest speakers at the Commission's 2024 Annual Meeting
scheduled for Wednesday, January 31, 2024, at the UGA
Tifton Campus Conference Center. The annual meeting is held
in conjunction with the UGA Cotton Production Workshop
conducted by the UGA Research & Extension Cotton Team.
The UGA Cotton Production Workshop will feature
breakout sessions where attendees will leam the latest
technical production strategies from the researchers whose
projects are funded by the Commission's research program.
The Georgia Cotton Commission Annual Meeting will follow
the breakout sessions and feature speakers from several
industry organizations.
The program speakers are Micah Brown, Staff Attorney,
National Agricultural Law Center; Bmce Atherley, Executive
Director, Cotton Council International; and Jim Davis, CEO,
Southern Cotton Growers.
• Micah Brown received his Juris Doctor, graduating
cum laude, from the University of Arkansas School of Law.
While in law school, he worked as a law clerk for the Office
of the Arkansas Attorney General. During his second year of
law school, Micah began working at the National Agricultural
Law Center as a research fellow. After graduating law school
in May of 2020, he joined the Center full-time. At the
Center, his primary areas of research are finance and credit,
commercial transactions, secured transactions, federal crop
insurance, and foreign ownership of agricultural land.
• Bmce Atherley has served as Executive Director
of Cotton Council International (CCI), the export promotion
arm of the cotton industry, since 2015. CCI works to make
US cotton the preferred fiber for mills, manufacturers, brands,
retailers, and consumers around the world. Before coming to
CCI, Atherley had a 30-year career in consumer marketing
and general management with companies including General
Mills, Heinz, and Wrigley. He has degrees from Bucknell
University and the University of Virginia.
• Jim Davis will begin his new role as CEO of Southern
Cotton Growers on January 1, 2024. A 5th generation cotton,
com, soybean, wheat, and cattle producer from New Market,
Alabama, he been transitioning into the CEO role since
October 2023 after serving the industry for over 30 years as
the Southeastern Member Services Representative for the
National Cotton Council. Jim holds a B.S. degree in Animal
& Dairy Science, Pre-Vet from Auburn University.
Following the Annual Meeting speakers, the Commission
will host lunch where sponsors will be recognized, door
prizes will be given away, and awards will be presented.
The meeting, production workshop, and lunch are open to
not only cotton growers, but anyone interested in the cotton
industry. The UGA Cotton Production Workshop breakout
sessions will be repeated after lunch.
There is no charge to attend. Pre-registration is
requested to help with meal plans. Register online at www.
ugatiftonconference.caes.uga.edu or call (229) 386-3416.
Thank you to our sponsors:
Deltapine/Bayer Crop Science - Stoneville/BASF
Farm Credit Associations of Georgia -John Deere
Phytogen/Corteva Agriscience
Ag America Lending - Agri Supply - Americot, Inc.-
NexGen - Armor Cotton
Carden & Associates - Cargill Cotton - CNI - Custom Ag
Formulators - Georgia Farm Bureau
GreenPoint Ag - The KBH Corporation - Kelley
Manufacturing Co. - Lasseter Tractor
Magnolia Loom - Newton Crouch - Nutrien Ag Solutions
- Olam Cotton
Rainbow Plant Food/Timac Agro USA - R.W. Griffin -
SePRO Corporation - Staplcotn Syngenta - Synovus - Tama
USA - Tidewater Equipment/CASE-IH
Triangle Chemical Company - Triangle Insurance -
Valent USA - Valley Irrigation
Vantage Southeast - Zimmatic Irrigation
OSSOFF
Continued from page 4
fight and bring the REPORT Act to the floor for a vote.
NCMEC is eager to see this timely legislation become
law because every child deserves a safe childhood.”
I have heard from child welfare experts and local
leaders across the state about this growing concern,
who have noted that online child sexual abuse
continues to run rampant but remains underreported
in Georgia.
Earlier this month in a U.S. Senate Judiciary
Committee hearing, I pressed FBI Director Christopher
Wray to address sextortion schemes targeting children
online amidst a reported 700% increase in their
frequency since 2021 in Georgia.
In September, myself ana Blackburn launched
an inquiry with Attorney General Merrick Garland
about the FBI’s capacity to investigate and respond to
crimes involving child sexual abuse and exploitation,
highlighting a June 2023 report to Congress in which
the DOJ cited an international threat assessment
demonstrating that “the growth in online child sexual
exploitation is outpacing our ability to respond.”
ALLEN
Continued from page 4
entrepreneurs by expanding access to programs that offer
training and resources to individuals seeking to start
their own business. With Startup Act language included,
entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs will relate to the
resources they need to grow a business, create jobs, and
strengthen our economy.
I also participated in a Health, Employment, Labor,
and Pensions Subcommittee hearing entitled: "Protecting
Workers and Small Businesses from Biden’s Attack on
Worker Free Choice and Economic Growth."
The Biden Administration’s National Labor Relations
Board (NLRB) has systematically stripped employees of
their rights and small business owners of their livelihoods
through decisions on secret-ballot elections, independent
contractors, and joint-employer status. During the hearing,
we discussed my legislation, the Employee Rights Act, and
how it will help fight back against this overreach and instead
protects workers’ rights and privacy, as well as empowers
entrepreneurs and independent contractors.
The House of Representatives passed the Conference
Report to accompany H.R. 2670, the Fiscal Year 2024
National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with my
support. The NDAA authorizes annual funding levels
for the U.S. Armed Forces and sets expenditures for the
Department of Defense (DOD).
As our nation continues to face threats from foreign
adversaries across the globe, we must prioritize military
readiness and ensure our Armed Forces are equipped with
the tools necessary to protect the homeland. Despite its
shortcomings, this legislation provides a well-deserved pay
increase to our service members, secures critical funding
for Fort Eisenhower and the Savannah River Site, and
includes important conservative victories.
Specifically, the Conference Report to accompany H.R.
2670:
• Secures critical funding for operations and
construction at Fort Eisenhower and the Savannah River
Site
• Provides a 5.2% pay raise for our servicemembers,
the largest increase in over 20 years
• Enhances military readiness by investing in
capabilities to counter China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea
• Prohibits teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT) in
the military
• Prevents funding from being used for climate
change programs
The House also passed H. Res. 918, with my support,
which explicitly empowers the House Committee on
Oversight and Accountability, the Committee on Ways and
Means, and the Committee on the Judiciary to continue their
ongoing impeachment investigations into President Biden’s
involvement in his family's shady business dealings with
foreign entities.
I had the privilege of announcing Lakeside High School
students Iziq Thomas, Jerry Fan, and Kunsh Sharma have
been selected as the winners of the 2023 Congressional App
Challenge for Georgia’s 12th District.
The students were chosen for their work developing
Circa, a software application designed to aid users in
achieving balance in various aspects of life, with a particular
focus on mental health. As the winner of this year's App
Challenge, Circa will be featured on the U.S. House of
Representatives' website and displayed in a U.S. Capitol
exhibit. Additionally, the students are invited to Capitol Hill
for the #HouseOfCode celebration where they will be given
the opportunity to demo their app for Members of Congress
CUSTOM EMBROIDERY
Celestine Hutley
owner/operator ^
478-299-2354 “ £ 3
H C/5 3
220 Landrum Drive g ^
Millen, Georgia 30442 ^ pn
Room 610 W
Logan Oglesby with Kristin McLamb
Logan helps decorate the tree
Aged to Perfection
Jenkins County Senior Center
Are You On
Santa’s Team??
By Lee Wilson,
Special Contributor
for
The Times
The other day at the Senior Center, we had a box of candy
canes that were given to us. Someone asked how the candy
cane first came about. Well we did a little research and
found out the “Legend of the Candy Cane”.
One dreary evening in November a stranger rode into
town. He stopped his horse in front of a lonely empty store.
The windows were boarded shut and the door was locked.
The man looked at the store and smiled and then said “It
will do”.
For many days and nights, the man worked long hours
inside of the building. The townspeople could hear the
banging of a hammer and the sound of a saw. They could
smell the sweet clean scent of new lumber and the deep oily
smell of fresh paint. But no one knew who the man was or
what he was doing.
The mayor hoped he was a doctor to help with the peoples’
ailments. The young wives hoped he was a tailor to make
beautiful dresses. The farmers hoped he was a trader in
order to exchange their grain for goods. But the children
had the strongest wish of all. A wish they dare not tell their
parents. A deep quiet secret wish that none of them would
say out loud.
No one spoke to the man. No one asked if he needed help.
They just waited and watched and wondered and wished.
There was this one small girl who watched and wondered
and waited and wished longer than she could stand. One
snowy day she walked up to the store front and knocked at
the stranger’s door. “Hello,” she said. “My name is Lucy.
Do you need some help?” The man smiled warmly and
nodded. Then he opened the door all the way and Lucy
stepped inside.
A long counter ran down the side of the room. Bare
shelves filled the opposite walls. In the back were dozens
and dozens of barrels and crates. “Could you help me
unpack?” the man asked. Lucy’s heart sank at the sight of
all the boxes. What if they were only barrels of nails and
bags of flour? Lucy removed her wet boots and hung her
coat on a peg. She walked across the rough wooden floor
and knelt beside a crate.
“Please, open it,” the man urged. Slowly, Lucy put her
hand into the box and pulled out an object wrapped in tissue.
Round and heavy, it almost slipped through her fingers.
Lucy trembled a little as she unwrapped it. It was a glass jar.
Lucy gave the man a puzzled look. “Go on,” as he nodded
his head. So she
unpacked another glass jar, and another, and another until
she was completely surrounded by jars of all shaped and
sizes. Tall and thin, round and squat, jars with lids and jars
without.
“Now”, the man said, “for something to put inside.” He
pulled over a huge crate stamped with a strange word on
it. As Lucy unpacked, her eyes lit up. It was candy. Her
favorite candy. Gumdrops! “Try some,” the man said. She
popped one in her mouth. Now Lucy could barely unwrap
fast enough. Peppermint sticks! Taffy! Lollipops! Chewing
gum!
Wide-eyed, Lucy looked at the man. “We wished...,”
Lucy said. “Yes, I know,” the man said. “And here it is.
Welcome to Sonneman’s Candy Store. I am John Sonneman.
Soon the store was filled with candies gleaming in
their glass jars. Raspberry suckers and tiny lemon drops,
brightly colored jawbreakers and long strings of licorice
were everywhere. There were pink and white peppermints
for church and butterscotch balls for when company came.
Then in the very last crate was a candy Lucy had never seen
before. There was a red and white striped candy stick with
a crook on the end.
“What is this?’ Lucy asked. “This, “Mr. Sonneman
explained, “is a candy cane. It is a very special Christmas
candy.” “Why?’ Lucy asked. Mr. Sonneman then said, “Tell
me, what letter does this look like?” Lucy took the candy
and turned it in her hand. “J” she said. “Yes,” Mr. Sonneman
said. “J is for Jesus who was bom on Christmas day. Now
turn it over. What does it remind you of?” Lucy turned the
candy in her hand. She peered down intently. “I know!” she
said finally. “It’s like a shepherd’s staff.”
“Who were the first to find out about Jesus’ birth?” Mr.
Sonneman asked.
“Shepherds in the field,” Lucy answered, “Watching over
their flocks by night.”
“But Mr. Sonneman, what are the stripes for?” Lucy asked.
Mr. Sonneman’s eyes grew sad. “The prophet Isaiah said,
‘By his stripes we are healed.’ Before he died on the cross,
Jesus was whipped. He bled terribly. The red reminds us
of his sufferings and his blood.” Mr. Sonneman continued,
“The candy is white as well. When we give our lives to
Jesus, his blood washes away our sins, making us white and
pure as snow.”
“That”, Mr. Sonneman said, “is the legend of the candy
cane!”
“Is it a secret?’ Lucy asked.
Mr. Sonneman looked at her for a long moment. “It’s
a story that needs to be told,” he said. “Will you help me
share it?”
It was now the depths of December. The town was
whipped round by blizzard winds. For days, the sun hid
itself. But every morning Mr. Sonneman and Lucy ventured
out. They wore heavy woolen coats and bright hand knit
scarves. In their stiff mittened fingers they each held a bag.
They went to every house in town. They traveled to every
farm in the county. They knocked on every door. In every
home, they told the story of the candy cane and left it as a
small gift.
On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, the sun finally broke
through the clouds and Mr. Sonneman’s Candy Store
officially opened.
The mayor came feeling better than he had felt in days.
The young wives came dressed in beautiful smiles. The
farmers came eager to trade grain for Christmas gifts. The
children ran in dizzy circles.
Yes, their wish had come true. Yes, they had come to
share in the opening of the candy store. But they shared
something more.. .something bigger.. .something better...
On that Christmas Eve, they shared the story of the candy
cane. They told of the miracle of Christ’s birth, the misery
of his death and the mercy of his love.
