This week on Tifton Talks, we covered important news for Tifton and beyond:

1. **Property Appeals:** Tift County has settled over 1,100 property value appeals out of more than 5,000. The appeals were made after property values went up. Once all appeals are done, the county might lower property tax rates, but this process is delaying tax bills.

2. **Phone Outage:** TruVista's phone service in Tifton and Fitzgerald was down for almost three days, affecting local businesses and residents. The cause of the outage is unclear, but it's been fixed now.

3. **Juice Recall:** Walmart recalled nearly 10,000 cases of apple juice because they might have unsafe levels of arsenic. The juice has been removed from stores, and no one has gotten sick so far.

4. **Election Rules:** Georgia's Governor Kemp is looking into whether he can remove state election board members who passed new, controversial rules for county election boards. These rules could affect how election results are certified.

5. **West Nile Virus:** The number of West Nile virus cases in Georgia has tripled recently, mostly around Atlanta. While most people don’t get very sick, some cases can be severe.

6. **Early Dinners:** Some parents are feeding their kids dinner as early as 3:45 p.m. to avoid after-school snacking, which they say leads to better behavior and sleep.

7. **EEE Virus:** A person in New Hampshire died from a rare, deadly virus called Eastern Equine Encephalitis, spread by mosquitoes. It’s the first death from this virus in the U.S. this year.

8. **Home Prices:** U.S. home prices hit a record high in June, though the rate of increase slowed slightly compared to May.

If you have news to share, you can email or call Tifton Talks. Thanks for listening!

Contact Information

newsletter@tiftontalks.com

(229) 234-1307

Mentioned in this episode:

Listen to Radio Tift

Enjoy music from the 80s, 90s and beyond the way any self-respecting Gen X'er would by checking out Radio Tift at https://radiotift.com or installing the Live 365 app on your smartphone and favoriting Radio Tift!

Listen to Radio Tift!

This is Tifton Talks This Week for August 30, 2024.

News of the week for Tifton and beyond.

Tift County has resolved over 22% of the 5035 appeals

regarding new property value assessments,

with 1116 cases settled so far.

That's according to Chief Tax Appraiser Hayward Becton.

The remaining appeals are still under review

following a countywide revaluation

of all 19,250 property parcels,

which led to significant increases

in property values for many owners.

Property owners were encouraged to appeal

if they disagreed with the new assessments.

Once the appeals are finalized,

Tift County, the City of Tifton,

and the Tift County School System

may roll back their millage rates

to counteract the potential rise in property taxes

due to inflationary growth.

However, the appeals process has delayed

the issuance of property tax bills,

which typically have a due date of November 15th.

Tax Commissioner Chad Alexander stated

that the bills cannot be sent

until the appeals are completed

and the millage rates are set.

Consequently, the due date for tax payments

will be postponed,

but the exact timeline remains uncertain.

Alexander assured that updates will be provided

as the situation progresses.

TruVista telephone service in Tifton and Fitzgerald

was restored late Wednesday evening

after an almost three-day outage

that affected both businesses and residents.

The disruption, which began on Monday, August 26th,

impacted landlines throughout the area,

leaving many unable to make or receive calls.

The outage affected various businesses,

including automotive shops and local government offices,

leading some to use cell phones as a temporary solution.

While the cause of the outage was unclear,

some speculated it might be related

to a cut line between Tifton and Atlanta.

TruVista technicians worked to resolve the issue,

but no official explanation

or estimated time for restoration

was provided during the outage.

Editorial.

I'm hoping to get further insight into the actual cause,

as it was an issue with the fiber connection

between Omega, Albany, and Macon,

but I don't know if it was equipment failure

or a fiber cut.

Walmart has recalled nearly 10,000 cases

of Great Value brand apple juice across 25 states,

including Georgia,

due to potentially harmful levels of inorganic arsenic.

The recall, initiated by Florida-based manufacturer

Refresco Beverages, was classified as urgent by the FDA.

Although the elevated arsenic levels

are unlikely to cause serious health issues,

they may lead to temporary adverse effects.

Walmart has removed the product from affected stores

and is investigating with the supplier.

The FDA has not reported any illnesses linked to the recall.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp

has asked Attorney General Christopher Carr

whether he has the authority

to remove state election board members

after three right-wing members

passed controversial new rules.

These rules, implemented less than 100 days

before the November election,

impose additional requirements for county election boards

to certify their results,

but lack clear definitions for key terms.

The new rules have drawn criticism from Democrats,

who see them as an attempt to subvert democracy

and have prompted a lawsuit.

The board members have defended the changes

as efforts to ensure election integrity.

Editorial.

Bear in mind these "officials" have no real power.

The rules are not laws,

even though some counties may treat them as such.

These "officials" are appointees and are not elected,

and based on several legal opinions,

Governor Kemp does have the authority to remove them,

and remove them he should.

This is nothing more than attempted election interference

by those who support Trump,

something the right constantly accuses the left

of perpetrating, which has been found to be 100% untrue.

West Nile virus cases in Georgia

have tripled within the past week,

rising from two to six,

with most cases concentrated in the metro Atlanta area.

The CDC reports that while the overall number

is still low, 33 states have reported cases this year,

with nearly 200 being the severe neuroinvasive form

that can cause hospitalization or death.

Most infected individuals show no symptoms,

but around 20% may experience fever, headache,

body aches, and other symptoms.

Severe cases can lead to serious conditions,

such as encephalitis or meningitis,

with symptoms including high fever, coma, and paralysis.

Some parents are serving dinner as early as 3.45 p.m.

to avoid after-school snacking

and improve their children's behavior.

They report that early dinners lead to calmer evenings,

fewer tantrums, and better sleep.

Registered dietitians support this trend,

noting that eating earlier can aid digestion

and promote better sleep.

While not all families find this approach suitable,

those who do consider it life-changing.

Editorial.

"The concept of eating three meals a day

"became the norm with European settlers

"who brought their eating habits to America.

"This routine grew during the Industrial Revolution,

"where a midday meal became lunch,

"and the after-work meal became dinner.

"Many medical professionals recommend

"that you simply eat when you're hungry."

A New Hampshire resident has died

from Eastern Equine Encephalitis,

also known as EEE or Triple E,

a rare and deadly mosquito-borne virus,

making the first Triple E death in the U.S. this year.

The individual had been hospitalized

with Severe Central Nervous System Disease.

This case is one of five reported nationwide in 2023,

with other cases in Massachusetts, New Jersey,

Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Triple E, which has a high mortality rate,

typically peaks during mosquito season

in August and September.

Health officials urge the public to take precautions

against mosquito bites to prevent infection.

And finally, in June, U.S. home prices reached a record high

on the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index,

rising 5.4% compared to the previous year.

Despite the increase, the annual gain

was slightly lower than May's 5.9%.

New York led with a 9% annual price increase,

followed by San Diego and Las Vegas.

Mortgage rates increased during this period,

but prices continue to rise,

especially in lower-priced home tiers and major markets.

Although prices may ease in the fall,

they are expected to remain higher than last year.

And that's your Tifton Talks This Week update.

If you have news and information you think is worth sharing,

either here or on the newsletter,

please drop an email to newsletter@tiftontalks.com.

You can also text or call and leave a voicemail

at 229-234-1307.

Thanks for listening.

Take care.

(upbeat music)

This has been a production of Tifton Media Works.

Check out all our podcasts

by visiting tiftonmediaworks.com.