Newspaper Page Text
Page 2 - Wednesday April 10, 2024
The Jenkins County Times
jenkinscountytimes.com
THE
Planters EMC
Offering Scholarships
to High School
Seniors
Randy Hill
Special Contributor
Stringer
steals Chicken
Happy week everyone! What a week, I finished all of
my shots this week, got to go to the beauty shop and
get a bath and a really good hair cut (which I do not
like too much by the way) and get a treat on the way
home (which, I did like).
This week, I have a story from one of my friends
overseas. Her name is Lisa and her story goes a little
like this
Me and my husband(Jake) brought our Labrador-
Retriever named, Stringer to West Cork last year on a
vacation or what we call, a Holiday.
We were renting an apartment in Inchydoney, when
our next door neighbors had left their sliding door
open. They had friends over it seemed and they were
cooking chicken. All of a sudden, stringer ran out into
the neighbour’s kitchen and swiped the chicken off
the counter. No, not just one piece! All the chicken
off the counter, the entire plate and off he went!
Unfortunately, I was soaking wet in a wetsuit after
being on the beach all day and had to run in after him
and apologise profusely. I was so mortified, the shame
of it all!
Here I stood soak and wet, in a wet suit of all things
trying to get my dog to let go of a big plate of Chicken,
that this family and friends had evidently just cooked
for their meal. I was so embarrassed! I could have just
crawled up under a rock!
We all do stupid stuff sometimes. I am pretty
sure Lisa and Jake have done their own share of
embarrising things that would make their Mom blush.
However, we all do it. We just learn and move on.
Whether Stringer learned a lesson or not?, time will
tell. All you can do, as our owners, is train and do the
best you can, we still love you and we know you will
continue to love us!
Happy week y'all!
Planters Electric Membership Corporation
(EMC) is accepting applications for the Planters
EMC Scholarship. All high school seniors who
are the son or daughter of a Planters EMC
member are eligible to apply. The scholarship is
randomly drawn from applications submitted by
the deadline of 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 12, 2024.
The applications for the $1,000 scholarships
can be downloaded from the Planters EMC
website at www.plantersemc.com under Forms.
Complete the application and mail or drop off
by any Planters EMC office location in Millen,
Sylvania or Waynesboro on or before the
deadline.
The scholarships are made possible through
Planters EMC’s unclaimed capital credits. A
2005 Georgia law allows electric membership
cooperatives to use capital credits unclaimed
after five years to fund education, economic
development or charitable organizations within
the EMC’s service area.
Capital credits, or patronage dividends, are
margins that exceed the cost of providing service
for member-owners of an electric cooperative for
a given year. According to cooperative guidelines,
capital credits may be returned to EMC members
on a schedule determined by their co-op’s
management and Board of Directors.
Until 2006, unclaimed capital credits were
paid to the Georgia Department of Revenue,
under Georgia’s Disposition of Unclaimed
Property Act. Since 2006, Planters EMC has
awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to
local students.
Planters EMC is a member-owned electric
cooperative providing electricity and related
services to 13,200 members in Bulloch, Burke,
Effingham, Emanuel, Jenkins, Richmond, and
Screven counties.
s
Planters EMC
Scholarship
High school seniors, APPLY NOW!
50+ ■ $1,000
University Study Maps Lone Star
Tick Hotspots in Georgia
-Joe Brady, Editor
In a groundbreaking study, researchers from Emory
University have meticulously charted the prevalence of the
lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, across Georgia,
uncovering "sweet spots" where this tick species is most
likely to be found. Published in the journal Parasites
& Vectors, the study leverages field data, and advanced
spatial-analysis techniques to offer an unprecedented look
at the distribution of the lone star tick at a granularity of
one square kilometer—far surpassing the broad, county-
level assessments previously available.
Identified as the most common tick found on humans
in Georgia, the lone star tick is an aggressive blood-seeker
capable of transmitting several dangerous pathogens,
including ehrlichiosis, southern tick-associated rash illness
(STARI), and Heartland virus disease. Furthermore, its bite
has been linked to alpha-gal syndrome, a severe allergy to
red meat and dairy products.
The research pinpointed the Southeastern Plains and
Piedmont ecoregions, including metro Atlanta, as areas with
a high probability of encountering lone star ticks. "These
regions contain sweet spots for the lone star tick," explained
Stephanie Bellman, the study's first author and an MD/
Ph.D. student at Emory's School of Medicine and Rollins
School of Public Health. "They tend to thrive in forested
areas of mid-elevation with moist but not swampy soils."
As outdoor activities increase with warmer weather, the study's findings could play a crucial role in directing
tick-bite prevention efforts. Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec, a professor in Emory's Department of Environmental
Sciences and the study's senior author, emphasized the importance of this data in targeting tick-bite prevention
messaging. A noted expert in vector-borne diseases, Vazquez-Prokopec highlighted the rising incidence of
tickborne diseases in the United States, which now outpaces those spread by mosquitoes.
The mapping effort is part of a broader initiative by Emory to monitor tick species in Georgia and the
diseases they can transmit, including emerging pathogens. With the CDC recognizing 18 tickborne diseases
in the country, the need for public education on the evolving tick landscape is more critical than ever. "The
environment that people grew up in is likely very different in terms of the number and types of ticks and the
pathogens they are carrying," Vazquez-Prokopec stated.
The study also featured contributions from Anne Piantadosi, assistant professor in Emory's Department
of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and five Emory students who conducted fieldwork, underscoring the
collaborative effort behind this significant research project. As tickborne diseases continue to rise, studies like
this offer vital insights into understanding and mitigating the risks posed by these tiny but potentially deadly
creatures.
CORNER
Leisure
-William Henry Davies
What is this life if, full of care, We
Have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows,
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her fee, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
Sylvania Man Arrested
in Undercover Sting
for Attempted Meeting
with Minor
-Joe Brady, Editor
On March 17, 2024, the Millen Police
Department's Internet Suppression Team
(MIST) made a significant arrest in a case
involving the attempted exploitation of a
minor. Robert Bettis, a 66-year-old man
from Sylvania, was apprehended as he
arrived at a location in Millen, where he
believed he would be meeting a 14-year-
old girl.
The operation leading to Bettis's arrest
began over a month earlier, on February
15, when he first contacted an undercover
decoy posing as a young girl on a popular
social media platform. Detective Tony
Taylor, involved in the investigation,
shared that Bettis was fully aware the
person he was communicating with was
14 years old. Despite this, he escalated the
conversations to include sexual content.
The sting operation culminated on
March 17, when Bettis, believing he was
going to meet the underage decoy, arrived
at a predetermined location near a local
business in Millen. He was arrested by
officers without any resistance.
Following his arrest, Bettis was taken
to the Jenkins County Jail, where he
has been charged with aggravated child
molestation and enticing a child for
indecent purposes. He currently awaits
further legal proceedings.
This arrest underscores the ongoing
efforts of law enforcement agencies to
protect minors from online predators.
The Millen Police Department, through
initiatives like the MIST, continues to
work diligently to identify and apprehend
individuals seeking to exploit children
through the internet.
The case also serves as a stark reminder
to parents and guardians about the
importance of monitoring their children's
online activities and educating them
about the potential dangers they may
encounter.