By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   Craig Wilson, Program Manager of the newly formed Healthy Families Of Timber Country, speaking to a full house at the Shared Services meeting chaired by Donna Hagan, passionately detailed the critical and timely services being launched. 
   “We’ll have staff in Madison, Jefferson, Taylor, Hamilton and Lafayette counties.  Our assessment and support workers are intermingled, each wearing a few hats,” Wilson explained.  He then introduced the principal players to a very receptive audience.  “This is new for all of us, but the program has been working well around the state.  There were 14 counties, including Madison, that didn’t have this program until recently, but now the whole state is covered,” Wilson added.
   According to their literature, “Healthy Families is a nationally accredited, community-based, voluntary home visiting program proven to: prevent child abuse and neglect; improve maternal and child health; improve parent-child interaction; increase family self-sufficiency.” 
---These services are initiated very early.  The newborn must be less than 90 days old to qualify for the program, although it’s recommended that services begin during pregnancy.  “Believe it or not, if we try to start services after 90 days, the baby has already formed brain patterns that make our work so much more difficult,” Wilson said. 
---Healthy Families provides a long-term commitment where services are “wrapped” around the “whole child.”  Parents will be taught about child development, age appropriate activities and discipline techniques, basically effective parenting skills.
---Following an initial screening, program participants will be directed to educational and employment solutions to go along with at-home parenting and lifestyle instruction.  Again, it’s about lasting solutions, and apparently things are working well in other jurisdictions around the state.
---“Eighty-one percent of participants who completed the program improved their education level, received job training or became gainfully employed.  Children without Healthy Families services were nearly four times more likely to suffer maltreatment before their second birthday.  93 percent of children in Healthy Families Florida were fully immunized by age two.  And lastly, Healthy Families participants had 20 percent less child abuse and neglect than all families in the same area,” Wilson presented in closing.
---Most families are referred based on information from the Healthy Start Risk Screen.  For comments, questions, complaints or referral procedures, call Craig Wilson at (850) 973-0354.

By Jessica Higginbotham
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   According to the Florida Highway Patrol, on October 17, at 4:15 p.m., a traffic crash occurred on U.S. Highway 90, just past the Yellow Pine Road turn off.
   A gray Dodge truck driven by Aaron E. Melvin of Madison attempted to make an illegal U-turn on U.S. 90.  Melvin drove onto the south shoulder of U.S. 90 and came to a stop just east of the entrance to SE Ravens Wood Way. 
   Melvin attempted to make a U-turn across both lanes of traffic, and in doing so, crossed the path of a white Ford Mustang driven by Christopher M. Kent of Madison.  The front of Melvin’s Dodge struck the right front of Kent’s vehicle. 
   Following the impact, Melvin’s vehicle came to a rest facing northeast in the eastbound lane.  Kent’s car continued eastbound, coming to a final rest on the south shoulder facing east. 
   Ronald E. Bowen, Jr. was a passenger in Melvin’s truck, and Anthony E. Siekbert of Felicity, Ohio was a passenger in Kent’s car.  Florida Highway Patrol Sergeant Stewart Smith investigated the crash. 
---The damage to Melvin’s truck was estimated to be $6,000.  Approximately $5,000 in damage was done the car driven by Kent, owned by Nancy L. Metacarpa.  Melvin was charged with making an improper U-turn.

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   During its special meeting on October 23, the Madison County Commission voted unanimously to allow Twin Oaks Juvenile Development to amend the content of the Revenue Bonds issued on their behalf in 2005.  Totaling 18 million dollars, these bonds are being used to develop juvenile detention facilities in and around Madison County.
   “The bonds do not encumber the county or involve our tax base at all,” County Attorney, Tommy Reeves, reminded the Commissioners.  “This is really a formality to tie the two new Twin Oak facilities to the bond,” he added. 
   Revenue bonds being used for this type of infrastructure are actually a great example of the type of “financial engineering” possible, and vitally needed, when a great cause is headed by people with a great vision.  These bonds are only backed by the revenue of the project, and are not guaranteed by the county. 
---The affiliation with the county is crucial however, as it demonstrates their endorsement of, and intent to utilize, the facilities and services created.  The relationship with the Department of Juvenile Justice is also considered.  Without county guarantees, these bonds still have very low ratings, but the project’s affiliation with the county does give the institutional buyers of these bonds sufficient expectation that the stated interest and principal payments will be made. 
---The collaboration with the county also qualifies the six percent interest payment from the bonds to be tax-exempt, making it a comparatively excellent return in today’s low interest rate climate.  These issues are almost always limited to institutional investors.  The fiduciary responsibility of banks and brokers prevent them from offering these issues to individual investors due to the suitability caveats governing the investment industry.
---“The passion and vision of Donny Read, CEO of Twin Oaks Juvenile Development, are key reasons I joined the Twin Oaks team,” said Sean Golder, Executive Director of Greenville Hills Academy, the group’s 152-bed facility in Madison County.  Golder has an extensive work history with the Department of Juvenile Justice, and understands the difficulties in rehabilitating youth offenders.
In a perfect world, we would be put out of business for lack of new offenders, Benjie Read, CFO of Twin Oaks, stated.  “But as long as the services are needed, we intend to set the standard,” Read added.
---Greenville Hills Academy serves as a great example of turning these good intentions into reality.  Employing a staff of almost 250, including over a dozen licensed therapists, an in-house medical staff, and a 40 bed component built solely for the mentally challenged, GHA is the largest of six Twin Oaks projects.  The other facilities are located in Jackson and Liberty Counties.

By Jessica Higginbotham
Greene Publishing, Inc,
   According to the Madison Police Department, Earl Dewayne Davis was arrested on October 18.
   Corporal Chris Cooks made a routine traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Davis, who had an active warrant out of Leon County. 
   Cooks arrested Davis, and upon a search, recovered a white substance that appeared to be crack cocaine and a wad of cash.  The substance was field-tested positive for cocaine.  The cash amounted to $220. 
   Davis was arrested for possession with intent to sell and transported to the Madison County Jail.

By Jessica Higginbotham
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   Big Bend Community Based Care and the Florida Guardian ad Litem program are joining together to ensure that foster children from this area and other children who are victims of abuse, neglect, and abandonment will be provided with gifts this holiday season. 
   Each year, Big Bend CBC collects gifts of toys, clothing, and diapers, as well as monetary donations from businesses and private citizens.  Each year, the gifts of the heart are given to a child that would not otherwise have them.
   Big Bend CBC and the Florida Guardian ad Litem program are asking that individuals, churches, clubs, business, and schools get involved and help to brighten the lives of unfortunate children.   
   There are approximately 147 displaced children whose cases originated in Madison County.  “There are so many kids in care,” said Marla Zorn with Camelot Community Care Foster Home Management, “and we can only do so much.”  Gifts from the community are a cheerful reminder that someone cares.
   For more information about Big Bend Community Based Care and how to give gifts this holiday season, contact Tammy Webb with Guardian ad Litem at (850) 973 – 9342 or Karen Fletcher with BBCBC at (850) 948 – 1240.  The last day to give gifts so that children receive them is November 28!