By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   The Fast Track Travel Center, located at I-10 Exit 258 on SR 53, is scheduled to reopen spring 2008.  This reopening certainly represents
more than just putting a building back in place though.  It represents jobs and it represents the new direction of cooperation between business, community and government.
   “Madison County is business friendly,” noted Richard Rentz, who, along with Alan Fogg and Steve Fogg, own Land O’Sun Management.  The three own 27 Fast Track stores throughout central and north Florida, including one in Georgia, ranging in size from the small convenience store variety like the one at I-10 Exit 262 near Lee, to the large travel centers like this one in Madison.  “Allen Cherry (Madison County Coordinator) and his whole staff have been great.  We’ve worked with agencies elsewhere that weren’t so friendly and this was very enjoyable,” Rentz added.
   Quick to return the compliment and give credit where credit is due, Cherry noted, “County Commissioner Roy Ellis and Mary Helen Blakesley from the Governor’s Office of Trade, Tourism and Economic Development really deserve the praise.  We’re picking things up, but they did so much to make it happen.”
Ellis and Blakesley collaborated to eliminate a huge obstacle in the rebuilding effort, which was providing adequate water and sewer for the project.  Separate from the eight million that went into the water and wastewater infrastructure, an additional $675 grant was secured specifically targeting the area of, and intended to accommodate the specific requirements of, the Fast Track Travel Center.   The facility, which was closed in 2002 when a fire destroyed it, could not operate without the water and sewer improvements.
---Compared to the 2002 facility, the new travel center has many extras. In addition to conventional products and services, the center will feature a Dairy Queen, Subway and Wendy’s.  Sperry Construction of Tallahassee is doing the construction.  The groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for October 18 at 10:00 a.m.
---The Fast Track Travel Center creates revenue for the county as well as jobs, as more travelers and vacationers are drawn to this “crossroad of commerce.”  Historically travel and trade routes are a consistent indicator of growth.  The same is true today.  The Fast Track Travel Center will serve as an impressive “entry port” for Madison.

Diesel Thefts Hit Madison County

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   A rash of diesel thefts has hit Madison County and law enforcement officials are looking for the culprits.
   The Madison County Sheriff's Office reported that the Division of Forestry had been cleaned out of diesel from their vehicles. Other incidents were reported on Rocky Ford Road and Country Kitchen Road. At least one incident of diesel theft occurred within the Madison city limits.
---If you have any information on the diesel thefts, please call the Madison County Sheriff's Office at 973-4001.

Man Critical After Being Ejected From Truck

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   A man suffered critical injuries following an accident on US 221, two miles south of Greenville, on Friday afternoon, October 5, at approximately 4:15 p.m.
   According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, Danthantion Walker, 51, of Tallahassee, was traveling north on US 221, when, for unknown reasons, he drove off the road onto the east shoulder.
   Walker continued north on the east shoulder and began to rotate counterclockwise before striking a road sign on its right side and continuing to rotate counterclockwise.
   Walker was ejected from his 1999 Ford truck as the vehicle continued to rotate counterclockwise, re-entering the north lane on its right side.
   The truck crossed the grassy median and continued across the southbound lane, where it came to a final rest, facing east on the west shoulder.
   FHP Trooper Billy Ernst was the investigating officer.

Copper Wire Stolen At Dawn’s Kinder Academy

By Jessica Higginbotham
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   According to Madison County Sheriff Pete C. Bucher, the old Lee Elementary School, now Dawn’s Kinder Academy, was burglarized over the weekend of October 6.
   Bucher said that sometime between the evening of Friday, October 5 and the morning of Monday, October 8, someone stripped the copper wiring from the air conditioning units behind the building.
   Apparently, someone also entered the building.  Bucher said that several hundred dollars worth of damage was done to the three air conditioning units behind the building. 
   At this time, the Madison County Sheriff’s Department has no suspects in the burglary.  If anyone has any information, please call the sheriff’s department at (850) 973 – 4001.  Sheriff Bucher also urges anyone who sees suspicious activity around air condition units to call the sheriff’s department, as there have been several copper wire thefts recently.