The economic development tax breaks were renewed, an incumbent county commissioner won his primary and nothing was settled in the race to determine a new District 1 school board member.

Tina Johnson was the top vote getter in the District 1 school board race. She received 347 votes to 200 votes each for Ricky Henderson and Ronnie Ragans.

County Attorney Tom Reeves checked with the elections law to see if a recount would be needed between Henderson and Ragans. New rules state that if it were a presidential preference primary, the county would have to wait until overseas absentee ballots were counted. Since it was a regular primary, however, the rule says that since Henderson and Ragans tied and Johnson did not receive 50 percent plus one vote in the election, all three candidates will go to the November general election.

A runoff would have been set for November because school board races are non-partisan. There are no more runoffs in partisan races.

Wayne Vickers won the primary for District 2 county commissioner. Vickers had 402 votes to 186 for Pat Raines.

The economic development tax exemption question was decided with 2,018 voters deciding to continue giving county commissioners the option to grant tax exemptions for new or expanding businesses in the county. 1,159 voted "no."

Curtis Richardson garnered most of the votes in Madison County for State Senate, District 6; however, former Leon County School Superintendent Bill Montford won the primary for the district. Montford will face Republican John Shaw, nonpartisan candidate David Abrams and write-in candidate Harrison Arencibian in the November general election.

Sheriff Ben Stewart was breathing a sigh of relief after a budget meeting with the county commission on Wednesday, Aug. 25.

"They're not asking for any cuts in the Sheriff's Office budget this year," he told this writer in a telephone interview.

When Stewart took over as sheriff, he inherited a budget that had already been chopped by $150,000. His department operated on that for nine months. His next budget fell under the blade of the ax to the tune of $350,000.

"We had a half-million dollars in tax cuts in twoyears," Stewart said. "The other departments had not been cut during that time."

While Stewart said that there would not be any tax cuts, he probably won't be getting any budget increases. Still, he is glad to escape the budget ax this year.

"The only other place we could cut was people," he said, noting that the salaries, Social Security and Medicare expenses were the biggest part of his budget.

Stewart said that some expenses could not have been cut at all, like meals for the jail's inmates.

"We pay $1.40 per meal three times a day times 70 or 80 inmates," he said. "There is no way that could be cut."

Stewart said that approximately 30 employees of the Sheriff's Office showed up. He had not invited them to come but they showed up to ask the commission to support their department.

"While we were cutting our budget the last two years," Stewart said, "everyone else was enjoying increases. Now, it's someone else's turn."

A man, who had both a Madison and Live Oak address, was killed while crossing the road early Saturday morning, Aug. 22, in Columbia County.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, Shanda M. Woodrum, 22, of Nicholasville, Ky., was eastbound on Interstate 10 in the area of the 309-marker.

At that time, William Sentell Smith, 30, was walking eastbound in the right lane of I-10.

Woodrum' 2000 Chevrolet Camaro struck Smith with its right front causing damage to the car's hood, windshield and roof.

After the collision, the Camaro continued eastbound and came to a final rest in the eastbound emergency lane, facing south.

Smith's body came to a final rest in the eastbound grassy shoulder.

On the report, Smith's address was listed as Live Oak. He also had an address listed as Madison.

FHP Trooper S. Walker was the investigating officer. FHP Cpl. Phil Sumner was the homicide investigator.

The Dave Galbraith Football and Cheerleading League will have sign-ups on Saturday, Aug. 28, and Saturday, Sept. 4, from 9 a.m. until noon at the Madison County Courthouse.

Parents are is asked to bring their child with them to sign-ups. They are also requested to bring a birth certificate and insurance card to the sign-ups.

The cost to participate per child is $50.

There will be 6-7-year old teams; 8-10-year-old teams; and 11-13-year-old teams. Cheerleaders will range in age from 5-13 years old.

Remember to go and get registered for another exciting season of Dave Galbraith Football and Cheerleading.

Madison County Sheriff Ben Stewart reports that on Tuesday, Aug. 24, at 9:45 a.m., investigators of the Madison County Sheriff's Office Drug Task Force stopped a vehicle on Interstate 10 for a traffic infraction that resulted in the arrest of Bartholomew Demetri Lawson, 31, of Quincy, Shavonte T. Holloman, 22, also of Quincy, and the seizure of $32,155.00 in US currency that is now pending forfeiture proceedings.

The Drug Task Force investigators detected signs of possible criminal activity and conducted a consent search. During the search, investigators located a small amount of marijuana inside Holloman's purse. During further search of the vehicle, a box was located on the back seat and was found to contain a large duct-taped package. At that point, both Lawson and Holloman denied owning the box and package or knowing who the owner of the box was.

The duct-taped package was cut open and found to contain a black plastic trash bag that contained 30 bundles of U.S. currency. The currency was packaged in a manner that is indicative of a drug courier's fashion of transporting currency used for drug transactions. Both Lawson and Holloman voluntarily signed a disclaimer of ownership form for the currency.

Bartholomew Demetri Lawson was arrested and charged with driving with a suspended license per court order for child support delinquency.

Shavonte T. Holloman was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana less 20 grams and an active out of county arrest warrant.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (D.E.A.) has adopted the case for federal forfeiture.

The first week of school has just been completed and children deserve a pat on the back to celebrate the new school year.

Subway is introducing a fun event called Back to School Kids Day this Saturday, Aug. 28, from 9-11 a.m. at I-10 and State Road 53. With the help of Dairy Queen and Wendy's, Subway is giving the first 200 children who come in free goodie bags filled with school and non-school goodies.

Tammie Peck, Subway store manager, treats the smallest customers right, and she wants to give employees an exciting, stable place to work.

So, what's inside each goodie bag? Peck revealed the contents that children will find fascinating are "a free chocolate chip cookie, bookmark, pencils, balloons, subman coloring page and a five pack of crayons, blizzard mobile coloring page with three crayons, Dairy Queen DQ tattoo, coupons for free food, discount coupons for stores and the Subway Welcome Card, which has six free food items, deals and more."

Tammie Peck said that Subway also kicked off Kids Night on Tuesday nights, when kids eat free. She said lots of other celebrations are planned for this year. "We're hoping to be the Tailgating Headquarters for sports," said Peck.

Subway's location at I-10 and State Road 53 is an easy drive for most Madison County residents and visitors. Children are invited to attend with their families at the Back To School Kids Day tomorrow morning.

Madison County is represented by six public schools; three elementary, one combined elementary and middle, one alternative school and one high school. Each of these schools requires at least one resource officer to be assigned to them.

A school resource officer's job is to ultimately protect the students in case of emergency. They are also there to inform and educate students on different subjects. The officers are responsible for bringing in speakers to teach students about drug and sex safety.

These men also do presentations with K-9 units to let students know what the K-9 officers do and how they help the police.

Resource officers are also at the schools to ensure student safety. They are school security during the day as well as after school during extracurricular activities.

Madison's public schools share three different resource officers. Sgt. Maurice Alexander is responsible for Madison Excel Alternative School, Greenville Elementary, Pinetta Elementary and Lee Elementary School. Cpl. Josh Harris is over Madison County Central School. Finally, Deputy Marcus Jones, who is over Madison County High School.

Sgt. Alexander is married to Tresca. They have two children, Asia, who is 14, and Amari, who is four. Sgt. Alexander told this reporter, "I do this because I enjoy investing in our kids and the future. These kids are our future."

Deputy Marcus Jones is married to Priscilla. He and his wife have five children: Darrius, 13; Marcus, 10; Mar'Quez, seven; Savannah, five; and Mar'Kazius, four. When asked what brought him into this business, Deputy Jones said, "Just striving to try to keep kids in touch with education and reality. Trying to show the importance of a good education to our kids. We're just trying to save every kid we can."

Cpl. Josh Harris has been married for 12 years to Amber. They have four-year old triplets, Caroline, Emma and Malachi. When asked what made him decide to become a school resource officer he said, "It was an opportunity to work with kids and since I have kids I thought it would be good to work with kids on safety in school."

The United Way of the Big Bend met last Tuesday morning at Shelby's Restaurant for the kickoff of the 2010 Madison County campaign.

"We've got a group that's different this year," said Willie Gamalero, UWBB campaign chair. He was pleased with last year's participation and he thinks participation will increase with the new team.

Gamalero announced this year's Madison County goal of $115,000, which is almost $10,000 more than was raised last year. "We're going to shoot to be done by Oct. 31," he said.

Last year, United Way in Madison County raised $106,021.10 in about five months. "That's a huge feat," said Gamalero, considering the market. Those funds were recently allocated to 21 Madison County human service agencies and will be distributed soon. Sam McGhee, Ginger Jarvis and Walter Boatright attended Tuesday's meeting; they were part of the volunteer team that allocated funds to provide services for local people in need.

"This is a very nurturing, supportive group around this table," said Walter Boatright of Madison County District Schools. He believes United Way's community investment is going to have an impact, and a rippling effect. "If everybody could give $5 a week or more, we could grow," said Boatright, who said giving up a $1.25 Coke each week would make a donation of $12,500 expand to $25,200.

Gamalero, assistant VP/investment officer with Madison County Community Bank, said, "If you look at Consolidated Christian Ministries, they served 14,583 meals. That's meeting a lot of needs, ladies and gentlemen."

Rosa Richardson, executive director of the Madison County Senior Citizens Council, said, "I'm here to express appreciation and gratitude. Our main goal is to help our seniors stay in their homes as long as possible and also to give services to caretakers."

The agency will receive $28,800, the largest allocation for 2009 from United Way of the Big Bend.

Deanna Samaha of Nestle Waters in Lee has expanded their team for United Way this year. She said they'll focus on Nestle's participation rate, leadership giving and company match to continue to do well toward United Way's goal.

Howard Phillips noted that Madison County Community Bank had 100 percent participation in the United Way campaign last year. He is the bank's senior vice president and Chief Financial Officer.

Heather Mitchell, vice president of resource development for United Way of the Big Bend, covers eight counties and she complimented Madison County volunteers on three areas: "There is great need and you recognized it; all of you came together to do something about it; and the fact is, you do it with joy in your hearts. Thank you for that," she said.

The next meeting is Sept. 7 at noon at Madison County Community Bank.

Mary Carol Kaney, who is Madison County's campaign associate, has invited Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson to the Oct. 2 United Way of the Big Bend's celebration event. ""He said he'll attend," said Kaney. "It's not an FSU or Florida week at home, either."

At the end of the United Way kickoff meeting, Jackie Johnson said, "Start your engines . . . "

The Madison County School Board held their regularly scheduled board meeting, Aug. 17. At that time, Superintendent Lou Miller updated the Board regarding class sizes for Lee Elementary School.

"Right now, Lee is at full capacity," Miller said. "If anyone else moves to Lee there is just a little bit of wiggle room, depending on what grade the child would be in."

Some students have moved away over the summer. Lee Elementary's two kindergarten classes have 15 and 16 students respectively; the threshold is 18 students. The other grades 1-5 are still within the threshold for class size.

Since Lee Elementary is not over the class size limit, District 1 School Board member Susie Williamson made a motion to deny a request on the table that would have addressed the issue of too many students. District 2 Board member Kenny Hall seconded the motion.

In the consent agenda, the board approved the following: program and funding for Department of Education-approved Title II teacher and principle training and recruitment; resolution to place an annual levy of 0.25 mills for critical operating needs on the November ballot; agreement for participation in a multi-district program for the visually impaired; 15 contracts to provide Title I Supplemental Education Services to eligible students for 2010-2011; and Student Progression Plan graduation requirements for incoming freshmen 2010-2011.

Also approved by the board in the consent agenda: contract with Madison County Health Department to provide home visits and related services to single women in and out of school to enhance preschool readiness and provide abstinence education for 2010-2011; and contract with Florida Therapy for counseling services for Safe Schools/Healthy Students project for 2010-2011.

Coordinator of Support Services, Jan McHargue, encouraged the School Board members to approve the revision to the wellness policy to include a universal School Breakfast Program beginning in the 2010-2011 school year. A breakfast meal will be provided for each student at no cost, at any school in which 80 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced price meals. Mr. Alexander made the motion, seconded by Kenny Hall. The Breakfast Program was unanimously approved by the board.

The next regularly scheduled board meeting will be Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. at the Madison County School Board Administrative Offices located at 210 NE Duval Avenue.

Three Rivers Legal Services will be offering free civil legal services to low-income and other eligible citizens at the Madison County Courthouse on Wednesday, Aug. 25, from noon until 3 p.m.

Areas covered by Three Rivers include: landlord/tenant; foreclosure; Social Security; living and legal wills; unfair sales practices; contracts; Medicaid/Medicare; and family law on a limited basis.

Anyone wishing to schedule an appointment may call 1-800-495-0039.

The Dave Galbraith Football and Cheerleading League will have sign-ups on Saturday, Aug. 28, and Saturday, Sept. 4, from 9 a.m. until noon at the Madison County Courthouse.

Parents are is asked to bring their child with them to sign-ups. They are also requested to bring a birth certificate and insurance card to the sign-ups.

The cost to participate per child is $50.

There will be 6-7-year old teams; 8-10-year-old teams; and 11-13-year-old teams. Cheerleaders will range in age from 5-13 years old.

Remember to go and get registered for another exciting season of Dave Galbraith Football and Cheerleading.

Qualifying for mayor and two seats on the Lee Town Council will begin on Monday, Sept. 13.

The two town council seats up for grabs are Council Groups 4 and 5.

Donna Mueller, who will step down after this term, holds the Group 4 seat.

Doug McNicol holds the Group 5 seat.

Ernestine Kinsey is the current mayor of Lee.

Qualifying will begin any time after noon on Monday, Sept. 13, and end at noon on Friday, Sept. 17.

Candidates may establish a campaign repository checking account and appoint a campaign treasurer. This must be done not later than the date of qualifying.

Candidates are required to file a full disclosure statement when qualifying for office.

The election will be held during the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

These days, most students are comfortable in front of a computer, maybe more so than they are studying in a regular classroom. That could be part of the reason over 170,000 students across Florida requested Florida Virtual School's K-12 e-learning classes this year.

"Florida Virtual School is a free public school district for all students in the State of Florida," said Dr. Jessica Webb, regional liaison for northeast Florida. Founded in 1997, it was the country's first state-wide Internet-based public high school. The school's Virtual Open House is today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. online.

State certified teachers share their knowledge with students taking Florida Virtual School classes online. They keep in touch with students via email, voice mail, telephone and instant messaging from 8 a.m.-8 p.m during the week, and if needed, weekend hours are available. Online learning is especially useful to students in grades 6-12 to get ahead in school by taking Advanced Placement courses, to resolve a scheduling conflict, meet homeschooling requirements, or to catch up on a class that didn't work out the first time. Over 100 accredited courses are taught online.

Students taking Florida Virtual School courses must have is access to a computer, either through their school library, at home, a friend's house or their public library. As a convenience to online learning, the Madison Public Library has recently partnered with the Florida Virtual School to provide free use of netbooks for students in middle school and high school taking these accredited e-learning classes. The Madison Library now houses two netbooks that students may sign up to use Monday through Saturday. "The only requirement for using the netbooks is that a student 17 and younger has to have their parent(s) sign a permission form to access the Suwannee River Regional Library's Internet/WI-FI," said library manager, April Brooks. The forms are located at the Madison Library's Circulation Desk, 378 NW College Loop.

Parents asking about the quality of the online courses offered will be pleased to know that Florida Virtual School courses are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and courses are NCAA approved. They meet Sunshine Standards developed by the State of Florida. Florida Virtual School is free to Florida residents, but that doesn't leave out students living outside of Florida or the United States. They take courses based on tuition rates through the Florida Virtual School Global School. One important distinction is that as a curriculum provider, Florida Virtual School does not issue diplomas or GEDs. For further information, the web address is http://www.flvs.net/Pages/default.aspx.

The Barksdale farmhouse has been restored. The historic house is now furnished, and the lights are on, but families won't be playing Xbox there.

"Our theme is to have adults and kids participate in non-technology games," said Mary Kay Blume. She is a Board member for the Barksdale Farm, and she recently spoke Aug. 18 at the Madison Rotary Club meeting.

With approximately 240 acres of woodlands, the Barksdale Farm is available to sightsee, recreate, and use as a classroom. The fishing pond makes for a tranquil morning or afternoon, and watching wildlife roam the property means being able to spot deer, turkey or wild hogs.

Blume suggests that "real fun" includes jumping in a sack for old-time sack races, taking a horse ride around the Barksdale Farm's perimeter, or getting a good game of horseshoes together. "We have pick-up sticks and some board games," she said. Other activities are hiking and primitive camping.

"Prisoners built a wonderful dollhouse - just gorgeous," Blume said. The wooden dollhouse is on display, but not to play with, in the children's room in the house. There are other toys like a carved rocking motorcycle.

The Barksdale Farm is the former Allen farm on Captain Buie Road, located one mile west of Pinetta. The late Shirley Barksdale left the property for educational and recreational purposes. The Barksdale Foundation is the 501(c) 3 designated charity that operates the historic Farm.

Ansley Rogers, special needs teacher for Madison County, has expressed an interest in using Barksdale Farm for life skills training, said Blume. "We are offering the same opportunity to all school districts in our surrounding counties," she said. Learning how to cook in the Farmhouse full kitchen and hosting art classes are activities conducive to the farmhouse experience.

Four hundred letters have been sent out to organizations in the surrounding area to invite them to start using the facilities, said Blume. Public restrooms have recently been completed at the site. Both groups and individuals may use the property with prior approval.

"One of the main things we need at this point is a wheelchair ramp," said Blume about the farmhouse. "We'd also like to have handicapped access to the dock at the pond."

Blume thanked Madison Rotarians Arden Brown, Carl Dean and Vince Palloff for their key role in improving and maintaining the property. Their efforts resulted in the farmhouse restoration, reconstruction of the tobacco barn and farm tools being preserved or restored. Two rooms at Barksdale Farm are dedicated to Arden Brown, J.C. Burnette, their wives, and a mother-in-law, for providing donations to decorate rooms in the quaint farmhouse.

Partnership with Foresters

The Barksdale Farm has entered into a partnership with the Society of American Foresters, Florida Big-Bend Chapter, comprised of private and public forestry interests. "This week we will begin implementing a five-year plan they have developed for us," said Blume, who said the Foundation will benefit in many ways.

She pointed out that the plan covers timber and wildlife management on the Barksdale Farm, soil and water conservation, recreation and aesthetics. State forestry has begun cutting fire-lines that have overgrown. The five-year plan includes mowing, burning, harvesting and herbicide releases for exotic invasion.

Recreational opportunities will be improved at the Barksdale Farm through timber harvesting, prescribed burning and vegetation reduction, which should result in a financial yield. The Board elected to conduct only sanitation clearing over the next two-years, leaving 50 square feet of basal area per acre.

Goals for the future include installing wildlife food plots with about 2-3 percent of the land maintained as permanent wildlife openings. The association with the Forestry Society brings Barksdale Farm reasonable liability insurance and grant opportunities for the cost-sharing match to conduct burning, planting and education. Educational programs on tree identification and other forestry training may be developed from these grants.

No Child Left Inside is a program to promote going outdoors to play and explore: "It's right in step with our goals," said Blume. The phone number for more Barksdale Farm information is 973-6233.

On Saturday, Aug. 28, the Suwannee Valley Humane Society will be hosting a rabies-microchip clinic. It will begin at 9 a.m. and last until 4 p.m. There is no need to make an appointment ahead of time. The shelter is located two miles south of Lee at 1156 S. E. Bisbee Loop.

Dr. Sosa, a licensed vet of the Animal Care Center of Lake Park will be performing these services. The costs are as follows: Rabies vaccinations $10 or Microchip implantation $30. They will only be accepting cash. The rabies shot is a prevention medication and the microchip is like an ID for your pet.

Anyone in need of more information can call (850) 971-9904 or (866) 236-7812.

The Suwannee Valley Humane Society, which located in Lee, is home to hundreds of dogs and cats. With over 50 volunteers the animals at SVHC are very well taken care of. The Suwannee Valley Humane Society is a no kill shelter.

"I push both of these services. The rabies shot is very important because a lot of rabid animals that can get ahold of pets. The ID is also very important, it helps an owner find their pet if it gets lost. It also proves that the animal is their pet. This goes especially for pure breed owners if their animal gets stolen because it is proof you own the animal. A shelter or vet can scan the chip and get everything they need to know about the pet: Its owners name, phone number and address. Both are very important. We are hoping for a huge success this year and we hope to see everyone here," said Barbara Tippie of the Suwannee Valley Humane Society.

On Sept. 14, the 4-H group of Madison will be hosting a hands-on workshop for gardeners. The main topic will be fall vegetable gardens. Other topics of discussion will include composting, rain barrels and backyard hydroponics. The fall gardening will include the types of vegetables that can be grown during the fall months. They are also going to include a discussion of flowers that grow well during the fall.

Those interested in registering can contact the Madison County Extension Office at (850) 973-4138. Citizens must be registered by Friday Sept. 10.

Presenters will include Dan Fenneman, Madison County Extension Agent-Agriculture, and Carolyn Saft, Suwannee County Extension Agent-Horticulture. The workshop will begin at 9 a.m. and last

until noon. There will be refreshments provided.

"We are going to try to make it as hands-on as possible," Dan Fenneman of the Madison County Extension Office.

The Agency for Healthcare Administration (ACHA) has been at Madison County Memorial Hospital this week causing some people to speculate on why they are there. Because of the visit, the number of patients has had to be limited. The reason for the reduction is because of maintenance issues, according to the hospital's CEO.

The story began to unfold Monday afternoon when Greene Publishing, Inc. received information that patients had not been receiving their medicine because the pharmacist was reportedly out of town. The information also indicated that ACHA was also at the hospital doing an investigation.

The medication not being dispensed was confirmed by one of the patients who told this writer that his (the patient's) medicine was supposed to have been administered at 9 a.m., but he was still waiting for the medicine Monday afternoon after 1 p.m.

This writer approached one of the ACHA agents in the hall where the patient rooms are located on Monday afternoon. She told him that ACHA was doing their annual survey and that the results of the survey would be available on line 10 days after it was completed.

On Tuesday evening, this writer received information informing him that ACHA had told the hospital to stop receiving patients at 11 a.m., but that the ban on new patients had been lifted at 8 p.m. following a marathon meeting with MCMH CEO David Abercrombie and members of the hospital's Board of Directors.

On Wednesday morning, Abercrombie was contacted via telephone. He said that it was not true that the hospital had been told to stop receiving patients or to cease operations. When asked if he knew about patients not receiving medication on Monday, he said that he had no knowledge of any such thing.

Early Tuesday afternoon, Oliver Bradley, a member of the MCMH Board of Directors, told this reporter that the board had a meeting the previous day to address some of the issues brought up by ACHA. He said that there were maintenance problems that needed to be addressed.

Calls left for other board members had not been returned at press time.

Abercrombie called the newspaper near 5 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon and told this writer that some information had been brought to his attention by ACHA that he had not had earlier in the day. He said that an emergency board meeting had been called that afternoon and that he had brought serious maintenance issues to the board's attention.

He said that because it will be large areas that will require a lot of work that patients would be shifted from one part of the hospital to another.

Abercrombie said that because of this, the number of patients would have to be limited but that none would be turned away.

Contacted by telephone, Juan Botino, Madison County EMS Director, said Thursday morning that he had been informed by the emergency room that the ambulances can still bring patients to the emergency room.

The Hamburg-Lovett Volunteer Fire Department Annual Peanut boil is set for Saturday, Aug. 21, from 5 p.m. until at the fire station.

Everyone is invited to go out and eat all the boiled peanuts they can. There will also be hotdogs available, as well as a chicken and rice dinner for $5. A cake auction will be one of the highlights of the day as politicians, business people and others will pay good prices for great cakes to support the Hamburg-Lovett Volunteer Fire Department.

Peanuts will also be available by the bushel.

For more information or to order peanuts, please call (850) 948-4353 each evening from 6-9 p.m.

Three Rivers Legal Services will be offering free civil legal services to low-income and other eligible citizens at the Madison County Courthouse on Wednesday, Aug. 25, from noon until 3 p.m.

Areas covered by Three Rivers include: landlord/tenant; foreclosure; Social Security; living and legal wills; unfair sales practices; contracts; Medicaid/Medicare; and family law on a limited basis.

Anyone wishing to schedule an appointment may call 1-800-495-0039.

The Dave Galbraith Football and Cheerleading League will have sign-ups on Saturday, Aug. 28, and Saturday, Sept. 4, from 9 a.m. until noon at the Madison County Courthouse.

Everyone is asked to bring their child with them to sign-ups. They are also requested to bring a birth certificate and insurance card to the sign-ups.

The cost to participate perchild is $50.

There will be six-seven-year old teams; eight-10-year-old teams; and 11-13-year-old teams. Cheerleaders will range in age from 5-13 years old.

Remember to go and get registered for another exciting season of Dave Galbraith Football and Cheerleading.

On Wednesday morning, Wayne Kaiser, along with Tom and Wayne Foust, were ankle-deep in cement as they poured the new wheelchair ramp in front of ARC's renovated building, located by the railroad tracks at 727 SW South Range Avenue in Madison.

The interior facelift of the 1940s Haire Furniture building is almost completed. The idea was to bring the outdoors inside with colorful canopies, street lights, a plaza, music stage, health pod for exercise, library, and other creative pods for people to learn and play.

"We'll wait till Fall to hold a community festival," said Tim Ressler, executive director of ARC Madison-Jefferson. With all of the creative energy going into the new building, there is the potential to rent out the new facility at times.

The community showcase is an example of what can be done on a tight budget. With the help of local partners, the new Adult Training Center is shaping up in every way. Madison Correctional prisoners are doing an excellent job using purchased supplies, said Ressler, as well as recycling old wood in the attic for door and wall trim. Hamilton Correctional prisoners added a beautiful touch in building many cabinets, shelving and cubbies for personal belongings.

"We just got the street lights up the other day," said Ressler. Approximately 40 Madison and Jefferson service recipients will attend the new combined ADT this Fall, and with the new facilities, the number is expected to increase.

The canopies inside give the spacious building a wonderful festival atmosphere with sayings like, "You Can Do It" and "Imagine." Ressler said, "I wanted to give some positive messages for our folks to see."

Four restrooms, two for clients and two for staff, and a small, private conference room have been added to the facility. Old wooden floors have been sanded and only need one more coat of polyurethane to finish the natural shine. New tile is in; old-fashioned gas heaters have been beautified and an old brick chimney renovated.

The warehouse area is now painted and ready for various jobs needed by the community. Ressler said the Department of Elder Affairs' Shine program is currently storing boxes for an upcoming conference in the new storage space.

An outdoor courtyard still needs to be developed and shaded. Ressler said Randy Littleton, who sold ARC a piece of property between two buildings, will also allow them to construct a fence.

ARC's Madison offices in Harvey Greene Industrial Park will continue to be used for staff offices and additional classroom space on SW Commerce Avenue. The Jefferson facility will no longer be utilized after the new building is completed.

Ressler's "wish list" includes financial gifts, donated shipping scales, art supplies and vehicle and property donations, which qualify for a tax write off. Business owners with jobs that need to be done may also contact ARC.

ARC serves clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities, cerebral palsy, spina bifada, epilepsy and other medically involved needs. Their phone number is 973-4614.

The Madison City Commissioners have added an aerial fire truck to their shopping list. At their regular meeting on Aug. 10, the board approved a $387,000 USDA grant application to fund most of the truck's cost. The remainder will come from city and county coffers at about $85,000 each.

According to City Manager Harold Emrich, the ladder truck will be used in conjunction with North Florida Community College for firefighter training, as well as adding a new component to the city and county firefighting arsenal. He said that the truck will go anywhere it is needed in the county, as well as responding to nearby cities and counties in distress.

Fire Chief Alfred Martin commented, "I am in favor of it. It is a good opportunity that the USDA is offering." He added that such equipment would have made a difference in the fires at the Metal Products building, the downtown fire and the fire that destroyed a truck stop at I-10 and State Road 53.

In order to apply for the grant, the board had to approve three separate agenda items; they did so unanimously.

In other business, the board considered plans for a carnival and a festival. Chamber of Commerce Director Ted Ensminger presented plans for a Chamber Fun Carnival at Lanier Filed Oct. 14-17 and a Four Freedoms Festival Nov. 13 that will feature a salute to veterans and military personnel. Booths for the festival will line South Range Avenue and the parade will encircle the courthouse.

Commissioners Jim Stanley and Jim Catron sponsored the motion to accept the plans. The board approved it unanimously.

Mayor Judy Townsend reported some problems in a personnel matter, which she spoke to Emrich about. She did not deem his response satisfactory. The board decided to hold a workshop to clarify the duties and responsibilities of the city manager as well as board members.

The commissioners will hold a budget workshop on Aug. 24. Emrich reported that Madison encompasses property valued at just over $122 million, with $73 million of that taxable.

Emrich also reported that the sidewalk repair project is almost complete in the downtown walking area. He added that the south end of town would be addressed next.

The board asked City Attorney Clay Schnitker to work with the Florida Department of Corrections on stalled transfer of property for a second work camp in the Industrial Park. The problem stems from covenant restrictions that the state wants removed.

Engineer Brent Whitman reported the bids for a lift station improvement project. He recommended hiring the low bidder, Worth Construction, at a cost of $247,988.24. The board accepted that bid.

During the upcoming Tuesday, Aug. 24, Primary Election, Madison County's registered voters will decide whether they want to renew the Board of County Commissioners' ability to grant property tax exemptions to new businesses and expansions of existing businesses.

Voters will cast a "yes" or "no" vote to decide the issue next Tuesday. Ten years ago, Madison County voters said "yes" to allow incentives to bring new jobs and an expanded tax base to the area.

County Coordinator Allen Cherry is in favor of renewing the tax exemption for another ten years. "We constantly compete with the State of Georgia. They have a lot more economic money than Florida does," said Cherry. "The one thing we can use is this incentive package."

Cherry said that all new businesses inquiring about Madison County first ask whether tax abatements are available. "We just had one recently that would not have even looked at Madison County without it," he said. It's part of their checklist to weed out counties that do not offer assistance for new construction.

Existing businesses can also qualify for property tax exemptions if they expand their buildings and equipment. Cherry said the county doesn't lose anything tax-wise, and the community has everything to gain in an expanded tax base.

With a high unemployment rate in Madison County, Cherry believes voters should educate themselves about the need to grant the Board of County Commissioners competitive tools to bring quality jobs to the community. "The property tax exemption sunsets if the voters don't renew it," he warned.

As far as any downside to the authorization to grant property tax exemptions to new business and existing businesses, voters must decide for themselves on this issue. The past ten years has brought Fred's Inc. to Madison and there are currently companies considering the area for relocation.

Cherry said that when U.S. Census data is released unofficially in January 2011, the population count in Madison County could increase toward the necessary 23,000 residents to open more doors to new business. Ten years ago, he said only 40 percent replies were received.

According to current Census estimates, "We're only 19,000 people, that's why we're hoping we got a good count with the Census," explained Cherry. Companies such as retail and restaurants especially look at the population of an area to make decisions to build," he said.

Greene Publishing, Inc., in conjunction with the Florida Press Association, is proud to present a statewide debate and a forum with Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum at www.greenepublishing.com

One debate features Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene, who are the two leading Democratic candidates vying for the Senate seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. George Lemieux. The winner of the Democratic primary on Aug. 24, will face the winner of the Republican primary, most likely Marco Rubio, as well as Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running as an Independent, in the November election.

The forum with Bill McCollum was originally slated to be a debate between McCollum and Rick Scott, another Republican candidate for governor. Scott was unable to attend the debate so it became a question and answer session with McCollum and three reporters.

Log on to www.greenepublishing.com today to watch both videos and become better informed on the candidates.

The Madison County High School Cowboys will hold their annual first ever "Mom Night" on Friday, Aug. 20, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the MCHS Cafeteria.

The special program will be followed by the Maroon/Silver Game beginning at 7 p.m. at Boot Hill.

"The Cowboy Football Program would like to thank all those who contributed time, food, and money to their annual Team Camp that took place over the weekend at Boot Hill," Head Coach Mike Coe said. "Thanks for investing in the young men of Cowboy Football. It is very much appreciated."

Go out and support the Cowboys Friday evening as they scrimmage at Boothill.

Go, Cowboys!

"We're looking for someone who wants to help their community," Tom Cisco, Emergency Management Director, said.

Cisco is looking for volunteers for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) for Madison County.

"We will be training them how to handle disaster situations," Cisco said.

The list of training for CERT volunteers includes medical training, search and rescue and fire safety.

Volunteers will need to be physically fit because disaster situations can be physically demanding and go on for hours.

Twenty-four positions are available in the class. If anyone would like to join, please call Emergency Management at (850) 973-3698.

When former Sonic Drive-In manager Chris King arrived at work at 5 a.m. Sunday morning, Aug. 15, his supervisors were already on-site taking down signs and boarding up the store. The sudden closing at 823 West Base Street in Madison was also a surprise to the restaurant's employees.

On Monday, Aug. 9, the Sonic in Lake Park, was first closed.

Both stores are owned by the McCann's of Texas, said King. He believes the two closings are a related financial decision by the owners, who also own restaurants in Tallahassee, Thomasville, Bainbridge and elsewhere.

King has accepted an assistant manager position with Sonic in Bainbridge, Ga., due to the closing of the Madison location. With his wife, Samantha, he said, "Well, we just got the kids transferred," as the family begins the school year in Georgia, where school is already in session.

Madison County registered voters will report to their precincts for the 2010 Primary Election on Tuesday, August 24. Candidates qualifying for Governor, United States Senator, U.S. Representative in District 4, Attorney General, Madison County Commission Districts 2 and 4, School Board members and others are seeking votes with eleven days left before the vote.

"We have sent out over 1200 absentees but there were only 949 requests because some individuals have requested another because of moving away, etc.," said Jada Woods Williams, Madison County Supervisor of Elections, who has posted the sample ballot online at http://www.votemadison.com/.

Basically, Williams wants voters to be aware of times and locations. "Also, remind voters to bring their photo identification to the polls," she said. All voters are required to show photo identification prior to voting, or vote a provisional ballot. A photo ID may include a Florida Driver's License, Florida Identification Card, school or work badge.

Early voting began last Monday, and ends on August 21. Hours for early voting will be Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Weekend hours are also available. The location for early voting is the Supervisor of Elections' office in the Court House Annex Building.

Madison County seats for the 2010 Primary Election Democratic candidates for County Commissioner-District 2, Roy Wayne Vickers and Pat Raines. County Commissioner-District 4, Alfred Martin.

The 2010 qualified nonpartisan candidates for School Board Member, District 1: Abra Tine Johnson, Ricky Thomas Henderson and Ronnie Ragans; School Board Member, District 3, VeEtta L. Hagan; School Board Member, District 5, Bart Alford.

Candidates with No Party Affiliation running in Madison County include: County Commissioner-District 2 candidate, Catherine Murphy; Soil and Water Conservation District Group 1, Vernell M. Flowers; Soil and Water Conservation District Group 3, Willie P. Agner, Jr.

State candidates for the Primary Election in Madison County on the Republican ballot include: United States Senator, William Escoffery III, William Billy Kogut and Marco Rubio; U.S. Representative, District 4, Ander Crenshaw; Governor, Mike McCalister, Bill McCollum, Rick Scott; Attorney General, Holly Benson, Pam Bondi, Jeff Kottkamp; Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Atwater; Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam H. Putnam; State Senator, District 6, John Shaw; State Representative, District 10, David A. Feigin.

On the Democratic ballot, Madison County voters are making their choice for United States Senator: Glenn A. Burkett, Maurice A. Ferre, Jeff Greene and Kendrick B. Meek; Governor, Brian P. Moore, Alex Sink; Attorney General, Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber; Chief Financial Officer, Loranne Ausley; Commissioner of Agriculture, Scott Maddox; State Senator, District 6, Bill Montford and Curtis Richardson; State Representative, District 10, Leonard L. Bembry.

On the Nonpartisan Ballot is Circuit Judge, Circuit 3 Group 1, Paul S. Bryan.

For further information, please contact the Elections Office at: 229 SW Pinckney St., Room 113 in Madison. The phone number is (850) 973-6507.

Florida school grades have been released, despite the serious concerns issued by 67 school superintendents. They believe the grading scale is "controversial and unpredictable," according to an Aug. 5 release from the Florida Association of District School Superintendents.

Last Friday, the Department of Education went forward with releasing school grades, a month late, and much to the chagrin of the state's Superintendents. "The issue is so clouded," said Superintendent Lou Miller of the Madison County School District. She said it's difficult to have faith in FCAT scores and their usefulness to pinpoint exactly what needs to be improved.

School grades are mostly derived from students' scores on the FCAT. Schools are given points for annual learning gains, which show the progress of the lowest performing students and those students who are meeting educational standards from one year to the next. These learning gains are 50 percent of each school's grade.

For 2009-2010 school grades, Pinetta Elementary has maintained its A letter grade and Lee Elementary repeated its B grade from last year. Miller said that Lee Elementary had enough points to qualify for an A grade, but what held them back was that the lower 25% of students did not make learning gains of 50 percent. They made a close 47% improvement.

Greenville Elementary went from last year's A grade to receive a failing grade, F, for 2009-2010. "Because it's so small, a couple of kids doing poorly can really wreck the scores," explained Miller. Principal Davis Barclay commented, "We work hard. The teachers talked and we're just trying to figure out what went wrong. We're all disappointed."

On the positive side, Barclay said Greenville's population is growing. The school has opened up a wing that was closed and added two new teachers. He believes great things are possible. "We'll work harder to get back on track," he said.

Across Florida, one-third of the state's elementary schools went down at least a letter grade. One audit report states that more than 300 elementary schools in Florida will move from a grade of "A" to a lower grade in 2010, the greatest decrease since the beginning of the Florida Accountability System.

Another local school that dropped to a lower grade was Madison County Central School, which went from a C to a D grade. The combination school covers grades 3-8.

Newly changed for 2010 is that high schools and combination schools that serve high school grade levels will receive a grade based on 50% on FCAT and 50% on new measures. Those grades will not be available until Nov. 2010. For those schools, such as Madison County High School, the word "Pending" appears under their school grade.

Education Commissioner Eric Smith received a letter in July from Florida superintendents requesting a delay in the school grades due to anomalies in Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, particularly in fourth and fifth grade learning gains. Smith hired two independent testing experts to review this year's results, to confirm its accuracy.

Florida superintendents are still not convinced, pointing out that the hastily prepared reports didn't address key issues. Pearson was paid $254 million to score the FCAT, yet delayed the release of student scores while trying to correct technology issues that prevented them from matching the scores with student demographic profiles.

"Simply put, we all need to have confidence in an assessment system that has so many consequences, and at this point, we do not," said a statement from Bill Montford, Chief Executive Officer and Wally Cox, president of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents.

Pat Millinor, 92, well-known local citizen who served as Madison County Tax Collector for 32 years, died on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010, at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

Millinor, who was an officer in the Army during World War II, was elected Tax Collector in 1948 and served until his retirement in 1981.

Frances Ginn, current Tax Collector, and Deputy Tax Collector Lisa Tuten have fond memories of Millinor.

Ginn began working in Millinor's office in February 1974. She worked for him for six years. Tuten began in November 1979 and worked for Millinor before his retirement a year later.

"He always kept snack foods on hand at the office for the staff," Ginn said. "He had onion sandwiches and Cheez-its. Things like that."

Tuten recalled, "In the afternoon, the older ones would enjoy a cup of coffee and Pat would buy me and Peggy McGhin a Coca-Cola."

Ginn said that Millinor truly cared about his staff and that he showed her this when the telephone company went on strike. Her husband, Ricky, worked for the company and he took her aside and said if she and Ricky needed any financial assistance, that he would be glad to help them out.

Ginn said that she had learned to be financially conservative with the county's money from Millinor.

"He did not believe in spending a dime more of the county's money than necessary," she said.

"He taught us to be tight-wadded," Tuten said, with a laugh.

Both ladies said that Millinor had told them never to accept collect calls at the office.

"He went to the Department of Revenue in Tallahassee one time, and, back then, it was a toll call from Tallahassee to Madison," Tuten said. "He called us collect and we weren't going to accept it.

"You could hear

him yelling in the background that we better accept that collect call."

Tuten said that another time Millinor had called and left a message for a truck driver to call collect because there had been a mistake on his taxes. This was unknown to the staff so they would not accept the call. When Millinor found out about it, he reprimanded them.

"Peggy and I were sitting there and he was yelling at us," Tuten said. "Peggy started laughing and she couldn't stop."

Millinor had a delightful sense of humor, which would be used at times to drive home points.

Back during Millinor's term, the tax collector's office would close for lunch. He would constantly remind the staff that they needed to lock the door so no one would come in and steal the money. One day, they left for lunch and didn't lock the door. Millinor went in the office and hid the cash box from them. They returned and found the money missing. He didn't let them in on the gag until an hour later and customers would come in the office. There was no change to give them because they didn't have the money.

"He kept a pistol locked in the case," Ginn said. "One day, he loaded it with blanks and fired it. No one ever came to check on us."

Back then, the office was located in the courthouse near the sheriff's office and the clerk's office.

Ginn said that before Millinor retired, he had been upset because he had once known the names of everyone in Madison County. He did not know everyone's first name and he was downhearted about it.

Millinor was very active in the community. For years, he coached numerous Little League teams. He was also a member of the First United Methodist Church in Madison, and a member of the Madiosn Country Club.

Pat is survived by his wife of seventy-two years, Christine Mays Millinor; his son, Rick Millinor, and his wife Joanna of Wimberley, Texas; and his daughter, Francine Millinor-Allee, and husband Galt Allee of Tallahassee. He was the proud grandfather of four grandchildren;Kirsten Thomson of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Christopher Krebs of Cary, North Carolina; Nicole Melton of Wimberley, Texas; and Peyton Millinor of Honduras; and six great-grandchildren:Darian and Tamsin Thomson; Anna and Jonah Krebs; and Ema and Avery Melton.

A memorial service will be held for Pat Millinor on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2010, at the First United Methodist Church in Madison. A reception will follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 294, Madison, FL 32341 or to the Florida United Methodist Children's Home, 51 Children's Way, Enterprise, Florida 32725.

The Hamburg-Lovett Volunteer Fire Department Annual Peanut Boil is set for Saturday, Aug. 21, from 5 p.m. until at the fire station.

Everyone is invited to go out and eat all the boiled peanuts they can. There will also be hotdogs available, as well as a chicken and rice dinner for $5.

A cake auction will be one of the highlights of the day, as politicians, business people and others will pay good prices for great cakes to support the Hamburg-Lovett Volunteer Fire Department.

Peanuts will also be available by the bushel.

For more information or to order peanuts, please call (850) 948-4353 each evening from 6-9 p.m.

Sheriff Ben Stewart reports that on Saturday the 7th day of August 2010 at approximately 1:30 PM Corporal Alan Whigham, Coordinator of the Dive Rescue/Recovery Team for the Madison County Sheriff's Office, conducted a water patrol assignment on Cherry Lake.

During this water patrol assignment, Corporal Whigham docked the boat at the public beach and conducted a foot patrol of the area. While making observations of the swimming area and boaters on the lake, Corporal Whigham heard a small child yell for help. Whigham located the child in the deep end of the boat ramp area struggling to keep his head above water. Whigham immediately ran down the pier and jumped into the water and rescued the child. The child was four years of age and apparently had fallen off the pier unnoticed. The childs mother was present and met with Whigham at the shore after being rescued. After the child discharged some swallowed water he was determined to be medically sound and the mother of child expressed her gratitude.

Sheriff Stewart concludes that the Sheriff's Office will continue water patrol assignments throughout Madison County utilizing his certified and trained personnel.

The Madison chapter of Nu Omega Omega Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority along with the Madison County Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Coalition, the Salvation Army and the Madison County School District hosted a golf camp for 14 disadvantaged young males.

This event was held on August 10 at the Madison Country Club. Each youth was accompanied by an older male mentor and coached by several experienced Madison golfers. Some of the members of the Madison County High School golf team also helped the boys.

The youth were taught basic golf skills and rules, from teeing off to putting and caring properly for the greens, these students learned it all. With the help of mentors, these young men were polished and primed to become full-fledged golfers.

The male mentors were chosen due to their leadership abilities and were role models to the boys.

The hosts chose to make this an all male event to encourage male role models in the lives of these young men. The lack of role models is a serious issue facing several young men in our county.

A Madison woman lost her life from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident near Falmouth Spring in Suwannee County on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 8.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, at approximately 2:40 p.m., Bradley McNicol, 35, of Lee, was westbound on US 90, riding a 1999 Honda motorcycle. Jeanette "Christie" McCrary Deas, 36, of Madison, was the passenger on the motorcycle.

At the same time, Christopher Smith, 19, of Live Oak, was ahead of McNicol in a 1985 GMC utility truck.

Smith began to slow in order to turn left into Falmouth Spring. McNicol failed to slow. McNicol attempted evasive action as the truck turned left.

The motorcycle collided with the left rear of the truck, throwing McNicol and Deas from the motorcycle.

McNicol came to rest on the grassy shoulder of the roadway and Deas came to rest on the paved portion of the roadway.

The Trauma One helicopter flew Deas to Shands Hospital in Gainesville with critical injuries.

At approximately 8 p.m., Deas died at Shands from injuries sustained in the crash.

FHP Trooper W.G. Smith was the investigating officer.

She is survived by five children, Christopher Bernard, Ed Deas, Jaydon, Payton and Rose Deas, all of Madison; parents, Dale and Margie McCrary of Madison; two brothers, Marc McCrary of Madison and Thomas McCrary of Ashville, N.C.; and one sister, Judy Walters, of Orlando.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, Aug. 11, from 6-8 p.m. at Beggs Funeral Home Chapel in Madison. Funeral services will be held Thursday morning, Aug. 12, at 11 a.m. at New Testament Christian Center. Burial will follow at Lee Memorial Cemetery.

Donations may be made to Madison County Community Bank for her children and for funeral expenses.

A driver of one vehicle was charged with careless driving in an accident that resulted in injuries to all of the people in another vehicle, including critical injuries to the driver.

The accident occurred on Friday afternoon, Aug. 6, at approximately 2:42 p.m. on Interstate 10, three miles west of County Road 255.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, Mariane V. Dulcio, 20, of Miramar, was traveling east in a 2008 Mitsubishi on Interstate 10 in the outside lane. At the same time, Nancy Bozeman, 40, of Alamogordo, New Mexico, was traveling east in the inside lane in a 2004 Ford SUV.

According to witnesses, Dulcio was driving aggressively, speeding and cutting in and out of lanes. Her vehicle spun around as it crossed left of the centerline in the path of Bozeman's SUV.

Bozeman passed Dulcio's car as she took evasive action to the left towards the median. She went around the back of Dulcio's car and came to a final rest in the median. She did not strike the Mitsubishi.

Dulcio rotated in the median in a counterclockwise motion and approached a large oak tree. The car overturned and struck the tree with its roof.

Dulcio came to a final rest on all four wheels at the base of the tree.

Nancy Bozeman's four passengers, Jeffrey Bozeman, 39, Jai Bozeman, 9, Malachi Bozeman, 3, and Ja'chi Bozeman, 2, all suffered minor injuries and were transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital by Madison County EMS.

Nancy Bozeman was transported to Shands Hospital in Gainesville with critical injuries.

Dulcio was not injured in the crash.

The Lee Volunteer Fire Department, Madison Fire and Rescue and the Madison County Sheriff's Office assisted at the scene.

FHP Trooper Manuel J. Smyrnios was the investigating officer.

A woman was arrested on four separate charges following a hit and run accident on Thursday night, Aug. 5, five miles south of Madison on State Road 53.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, at approximately 9:20 p.m., Jennifer Marie Easterling, 31, of Union, Miss., and Annie Laura Thomas, 70, of Madison, were traveling south on State Road 53. Easterling was driving a 2009 Nissan pickup and Thomas was driving a 2004 Buick sedan.

Thomas had slowed to make a left turn into a private drive and was waiting for northbound traffic to clear.

Easterlng failed to observe that Thomas had slowed and the front of the pickup Easterling was driving collided with the rear of the Buick, causing the car to veer to the right and travel into a ditch.

Thomas' car came to a final rest pointing in a southeasterly direction.

Following the collision, Easterling failed to stop and continued to travel south on State Road 53.

The Nissan and Easterling were located at Days Inn Motel on State Road 53.

During the collision, Thomas received injuries and was transported to Madison County Memorial Hospital by Madison County EMS.

Easterling was arrested and transported to the Madison County Jail on charges of careless driving, leaving a scene with property damage, leaving a scene with injuries and driving with a suspended license.

Units from the Madison County Sheriff's Office, Madison Fire and Rescue and Madison County EMS assisted on the scene.

FHP Trooper Berry Crews was the investigating officer.

After missing the tax-free weeks on saving on back-to-school supplies and clothing the past two years, Florida has reenacted its tax-free holidays on those items, but only for one weekend.

The tax-free items apply to books, clothing and footwear, with a value of $50 or less and school supplies with a value of $10 or less.

Clothing Exempt from

Florida Sales Tax

Clothing and accessories must be $50 or less. Items eligible include: Clothing must be under $50 for:

Clothing exempt from the sales tax during Aug. 13-15 includes: baby clothes, backpacks, belt buckles, bibs, blouses, bras and panties, caps and hats, coats and wraps, coveralls, diaper bags and diapers, dresses, formal clothing (not rented), gloves, graduation caps and gowns, socks, pantyhose, jackets, leotards and tights, pants, neckwear, scout uniforms, shirts, shoes, shorts, skirts, sleepwear, socks, suspenders, sweat suits, sweaters, briefs, boxer shorts, girdles and uniforms.

School Supplies Exempt from

Florida Sales Tax

Limit per item is $10 on these school supplies: Binders, calculators, cellophane tape, colored pencils, compasses, composition books, computer disks, construction paper, crayons, erasers, folders, glue, highlighters, legal pads, lunch boxes, markers, notebook paper, notebooks, computer disks, paste, pencils, pens, poster board, poster paper, protractors, rulers and scissors.

Books Exempt from Florida Sales Tax

Eligible books must cost $50 or less. The following types of books are nontaxable during the sales tax holiday: Bibles, books with a publisher, children's books, foreign and old books, instruction manuals, music books and text books

Perhaps it's a trend resulting from the advent of high-definition TV sets, but it appears that television repairmen are rapidly disappearing from the local business scene.

A check with Cindy Vees of the Greater Madison County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism showed no listings for businesses devoted strictly to television repair in the area.

At Badcock Home Furniture on South Duval Street in Madison, "We'll send it off, if it's under warranty," said Betty Olive. This applies only to malfunctioning television sets purchased at the store. She said she tries to encourage everyone buying a new television to get a warranty on HDTVs because "it's so expensive to fix them."

Customers calling Sears in the Valdosta Mall are told the diagnosis fee for a home visit is over $100 just to look at a broken television. Best Buy in Valdosta accepts only televisions for repair that are purchased at their store.

When Zake Carter of Carter's TV Sales and Service first began his small TV repair business in 1975, he estimates there were 13 other local TV repair shops in Valdosta. Now he says of those small businesses, only he and Chic's Electronics still do TV repair in the area.

Carter requires a $20 deposit to look at an ailing television set in his cluttered, but busy shop, located at 1810 South Patterson Street. He told one recent customer, whose Haier flat screen television was hit by lightning, that the repair cost would be $300. The original purchase price on the TV was in the $450 range. The customer, not surprisingly, declined to pay for the repair.

Carter says that changes in TV technology may be part of the reason for the dearth in television repair shops, and also, "fewer children are following in their parents' footsteps," he said.

Ben Pfeil, a long-time television repairman in Madison, worked in the old Western Auto for 35 years before he retired in 1990 and closed its doors.

"I didn't realize the revolution in television was happening," said Pfeil, now a priest at St. Mary's Episcopal Church on Horry Avenue. What he did know in 1990 was that owning a TV repair business was rapidly changing.

"I saw the handwriting on the wall," said Pfeil. "It was cheaper to buy a new TV than repair the old one."

So, as televisions continue to go on the blink, more TV repairmen are disappearing from view.

It's never too early to get the pros and cons of issues that Florida voters will be deciding in the upcoming election season. With that in mind, the Madison Rotary Club mounted a convincing debate at their Aug. 4 meeting between opposing sides of Florida's Amendment 4, also known as the Hometown Democracy Referendum.

Attorney John Hendricks of Tallahassee spoke in favor of Amendment 4, while Lake City's John Wheeler spoke against Amendment 4, each in 5-7 minute segments, followed by a one-minute wrap up of their case. The Rotary audience was allowed to ask questions of each speaker, with closing statements of two minutes. Moderator, Jim Catron, ended the session with his closing statement.

What voters will see on the Nov. 2 ballot is as follows: Amendment 4: Referenda Required for Adoption and Amendment of Local Government Comprehensive Land Use Plans. Summary: "Establishes that before a local government may adopt a new comprehensive land use plan, or amend a comprehensive land use plan, the proposed plan or amendment shall be subject to vote of the electors of the local government by referendum, following preparation by the local planning agency, consideration by the governing body and notice."

John Hendricks, who is president of the Panhandle Citizens Association, said that over a 25-year span, Madison County has grown 33%, while Florida in the same time frame doubled in population. He said, "You've had a good commission. They opposed the coal plant. You've been lucky, but should you depend on who you elected to continue doing this?"

Hendricks wants voters to realize what happened to the citizens in Dade County, who voted against a new airport, but it was built anyway, because it was not a binding project. He believes this is a good reason to vote "yes" for Amendment 4 - to have a direct say in their local comprehensive plan and to block political dealings with for-profit companies.

Hendricks stated that over one million people in the State of Florida proposed Amendment 4. "We've finally gotten to the point where this is the best way to have citizens' voices heard on important matters," he commented. "Suppose the County Commission snuffs you on an issue and away they go?" he asked. "Someone else gets elected and does more of the same stuff." These are the type of scenarios Hendricks and supporters of Amendment 4 want to prevent.

From Columbia County, John Wheeler of Lake City took the Madison County Rotary podium to present reasons to vote "no" on Amendment 4. He said he's not an expert, but he volunteered his time to outline the unintended consequences that have occurred in towns like St. Petersburg Beach, where voters passed a local law that mirrors Amendment 4, allowing citizens to vote on each new comprehensive plan change.

Wheeler read a letter to the editor of a St. Petersburg newspaper saying that development stopped and jobs were lost after the 2006 law was passed: all future comprehensive plan changes have to be filtered through the voters. Wheeler estimated the amendment cost taxpayers one-half millions dollars in legal fees.

"A small community like ours cannot afford the increased cost of doing business," he said. To bring in new development, taxes would have to be raised. Potential new businesses could get very discouraged by this laborious process. Madison County could lose its competitive edge to cities from Lake City to Georgia, all suitors for companies like Target. Another factor, said Wheeler, is that Amendment 4 does not distinguish between large and small projects, such as a traffic light.

"Like a tattoo, once it's on, you can't get rid of it," warned Wheeler. He thinks Amendment 4 will pit one community against another.

The Madison Nursing Center was jamming to the tunes of Louis Armstrong and many other Big Band music stars on Tuesday, August 3. Residents were able to relax in one of the gathering rooms while the halls filled with the upbeat sounds of the music.

Those who participated were able to shake their maracas and dance to the tunes. They also got to enjoy popsicles while they listened. This event was led by Marty Giacomazzi, who encouraged the residents to dance and shake.

Forty children in Madison County are served by volunteers in the local Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program, which gives children in the midst of abuse, abandonment or neglect the support they need from a trained volunteer.

The job of a GAL volunteer is to gather information from all parties, function as a community advocate to ensure successful assistance for the child, and to serve as a courtroom advocate for the child's best interests and wishes.

The ages of the Madison County children that need help from these dedicated volunteers range from birth to 18. Most of these children have been removed from their homes because of allegations of abuse, abandonment or neglect. Guardian ad Litem volunteers are appointed by the court to essentially become the eyes and ears of the judge. They make recommendations to the court, so that the child can enter into a safe, caring, stable and permanent environment.

On Friday, August 20, from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m., the Third Judicial Circuit Guardian ad Litem Program is conducting a New Volunteer Orientation for local individuals interested in becoming a voice of compassion for children in our area. This event will take place at the Madison County Public Library, 348 NW College Loop.

Participants will learn how they can make a difference in the life of a child, gain an overview of the program, and be able to complete the application process to join.

"It is so incredibly easy and rewarding to give back to your community and become a champion for a child," said Niki Crawson, Volunteer Recruiter of the Guardian ad Litem Program, Third Judicial Circuit, which is based in Live Oak. "Simply give an abused child a voice in court by becoming a Guardian ad Litem. It makes such a huge difference by giving as little as just 4-6 hours a month of your time. The training is completely free," she said.

While attending 30 hours of training, volunteers will learn everything they need to know to become comfortable on their first case as a Guardian ad Litem. Every aspect is covered in training from the role of the GAL, Chapter 39 Law and the Court System, Cultural Competency, Understanding Families and more.

Currently in Madison County, there are four Guardian ad Litem volunteers working with the assistance of a Guardian Ad Litem Case Coordinator II and a part-time Guardian Ad Litem attorney. Crawson began her employment with the Guardian ad Litem Program as the Volunteer Recruiter/Trainer almost a year ago in Sept. "I absolutely find it very rewarding. I love what I do," she said.

She explained the definition of a neglected child compared to an abused child: "A neglected child is one in which a parent has failed to provide food, clothing, shelter, etc., " said Crawford. "An abused child is one in which a parent has harmed him/her physically, emotionally, mentally, sexually, and/or otherwise."

Crawson added that when it comes to volunteering for the Guardian ad Litem program, "many times the public fears that they will be working a case on their own.

"Absolutely not!" she said. "We have a strong and responsive support system including program staff and attorneys who, along with a family of seasoned volunteers, work as a team to provide assistance to newly trained volunteers for the children."

Volunteers must be at least 19 years old. No college education or legal background is required, so it is an excellent way for volunteers to experience personal growth for a good cause.

The Guardian Ad Litem program is not a faith-based organization, but Crawson has observed this: "I believe a large percentage of our volunteers as a whole are Christians. We do not track religious preference in our application process. As a state agency, we do not discourage nor encourage faith as a pre-requisite."

Although operating as a Guardian ad Litem volunteer has been described online as "moderately difficult," it is an example of how local people are rescuing a precious commodity: our next generation of Madison County citizens.

A Madison man was seriously injured in a wreck in Clyattville, Ga., on Monday morning, Aug. 2.

According to the Georgia State Patrol, at 10:35 a.m., Aspen Green was northbound on Georgia 31 (Madison Highway) when she lost control of the SUV she was driving because of tire failure.

Green's vehicle left the road, overturned and struck a tree.

Green's passenger, James Allen Hall, 26, of Madison was pronounced dead on the scene.

Green was critically injured in the wreck.

The Specialized Collision and Reconstruction Team (SCRT) were called in to assist in the investigation.

James Zorn "Chip" Sherrod, 32, formerly of Greenville, who currently lived in Perry, was killed in a traffic accident on Wednesday evening, July 28, in Taylor County.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, Sherrod was raveling east on US 98 traveling toward the City of Perry. He was approximately 2.7 miles west of Cabbage Grove Road in a 1997 Chevrolet.

For unknown reasons, the Chevrolet traveled onto the south grassy shoulder of US 98. Sherrod corrected the vehicle, causing the Chevy to begin to rotate in a clockwise direction while traveling in a southeast direction back onto the grassy shoulder.

After traveling ont the grass shoulder, the Chevrolet began to overturn driver's side first.

The vehicle's driver's side struck a large tree on the south shoulder at the driver's door.

Sherrod was ejected through the driver's side window, striking another tree, just east of the vehicle.

Sherrod's passenger, Brook Cannon, 21, was also ejected from the Chevrolet, but was walking around at the crash scene.

A female passenger was not ejected.

Sherrod is survived by his mother, Barbara Weber, and husband, Ken, of Perry; his father James Zorn "Jimmy" Sherrod and wife Debra of Greenville; one daughter, Brilyn Sherrod, and her mother, Lynda Brown, of Perry; his maternal grandmother, Geraldine Perryman of Perry; two brothers, Tyler and Drew Sherrod, both of Greenville; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins and other relatives

FHP Trooper Allen Kennard was the crash investigator.

FHP Cpl. Hubert Brown was the homicide investigator.

Martha Williams Lee, 61, of Madison, was killed Friday, July 30, in a wreck, approximately four-and-a-half miles east of Mayo on US 27.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, at approximately 11:18 a.m., Lee was traveling westbound on US 27 in a 1996 Toyota, entering a slight curve to the left.

At the same time, Arthur R. Gibson, 78, of Live Oak, was traveling eastbound on US 27 in a 2008 Ford F-150, entering a slight curve to the left.

Lee's Toyota traveled off the roadway onto the north grass shoulder of US 27 in a northwest direction, where it began to rotate in a counterclockwise direction as it traveled back onto the roadway in a southwest direction.

Gibson noticed Lee's Toyota approaching and he stopped his truck on the south shoulder of US 27.

The right side of the Toyota collided with the left front of the Ford F-150.

Lee's car came to a final rest on the south grass shoulder of US 27, facing northwest.

Gibson's truck came to a final rest near the area of collision facing southeast.

Lee was pronounced dead on the scene by Lafayette County EMS personnel.

FHP Trooper W. Sheheane was the investigating officer.

Martha Lee is survived by her husband of 13 years, Kenneth Lee of Madison; two sons, Jimmy Brooks (Chris) and Michael Brooks, both of Waitville, W.Va.; two daughters, Shelby Richards (Tim) of Madison and Sarah Garrett (James) of White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.; a brother, Georgel Williams (Barbara) of Live Oak; three sisters, Edna Rogers (Joe) of Haleyville, Ala., Debbie Wynn (Jacky) of Hamilton County, Juanita Barfuss (Buddy) of Live Oak; and 10 grandchildren.

Memorial services were held for Williams on Tuesday evening, August 3, 2010, at the Chapel of T.J. Beggs Funeral Home in Madison.

Flarrie and Floree are like any other older/ younger sister pair. The only difference is they share the same birthday, March 27, in the same year, 1930, at the same hospital, Hallifax Hospital in Ormond Beach. Let us not forget one more important detail, the sisters looked exactly the same. That's correct: Flarrie and Floree are identical twins. Flarrie is older by only three minutes.

Flarrie and Floree were born in Ormond Beach and moved to their grandpa's farm in Umatilla after their father lost his job. Flarrie told this reporter, "We lived during the depression. I remember our dad going and catching turtles and picking swamp cabbage. We had that and split-pea soup. That was it.

"A lot of people ask how we lived so long, I think it has something to do with us eating a lot of fruit. We didn't have candy or anything like that growing up." explained Flarrie, "We didn't have ice cream all the time. Shoot, we didn't have ice." The twins' grandfather's farm consisted of pomegranate, apple and pear trees, grape vines and many other fruits.

Floree recalled, "We would pick a bucket of blackberries and walk a half mile to the rolling store to sell them. We would take that money and go buy the stuff to make ice cream or just ice."

Then the family moved to Madison. They recall little difference in the way they lived after moving here. "Our father didn't know much about farming, so he was a truck farmer."

Floree married Otis Williams and had three children. Two are still living: Stanley Williams and Linda Williams Bass. Her other son, Kenny Williams, is deceased. Flarrie married Walden Richardson and they had two children: Walden Leroy, Jr. and Wanda Richardson Henderson.

Flarrie has five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Floree has six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. They are the daughters of the late Mr. and Mrs. W.M. Brantley and the granddaughters of Mr. and Mrs. Bart McCullough of Madison County.

Floree recalled that people used to ask them how many sisters they had and they would respond, "Two. We never realized that we only had one sister because we were 'wombmates,' like Mary Ellen Greene refers to herself and her twin brother, Wiley."

Though they looked exactly alike, the sisters are quite different. Floree was outgoing and always up for an adventure. Flarrie describes herself as the tag-along. "To this day, Floree will go out of town, and I will say 'Okay. I'm going to tag-along."

Both sisters spent their lives as farmers and housewives.

As for a story of using their special trait to trick someone, Floree stated, "My husband had just came home and I was living with Flarrie at the time. We decided to try to trick him. So Flarrie went outside and met him. He talked to her and held her hand. He didn't realize it was her until he was inside and saw me."

Many have heard stories of twins feeling each other's pain or being able to know what the other is thinking. Flarrie shared a story, "I remember Floree got in a wreck and was hurt really bad. She was on the way to my house, so I heard the wreck. I knew it was her the minute I heard the crash. The wreck left Floree unable to walk for a while. Then not too long after the wreck, I got heel spurs so bad that I couldn't walk. So, we both couldn't walk at the same time."

In January 2009, Floree slipped into a coma. She said that as she went into the coma, instead of calling her daughter's name, she kept saying, "Twin sister. Twin sister."

The sisters also remembered numerous times calling each other on Sunday afternoons and talking about cakes or pies that they baked. More times than they can count, the sisters had made the same pie or cake, without planning to. Also, several times one sister has gone to the store and bought a pair of shoes. The next day the other sister would buy the same pair without knowing that the other had bought them already.

Flarrie explained, "Having a twin is like having someone who knows everything about you. It's like one of us will start talking," Floree then adds, "and the other will finish the sentence."

Flarrie and Floree have a request for the community. They would like to know if they are the oldest twins in Madison County.

Dennis Brown and his wife Candice (Candy) Brown moved to Jennings from Lakeland after adopting their two children, Zachary (Zach) and Isabella (Bella). Before the adoption, Dennis worked for Saddle Creek Corp. as the Operations Manager.

Dennis and his family needed a larger home for their growing family and began searching in Lakeland. Dennis began searching for homes, a few of which he had contracted the roofs on. Dennis said, "This was back in the housing boom. These were homes that were $150,000 originally, and now they were telling me they were $300,000."

After searching for a while Dennis and Candy were at a loss of what to do. However, a family tragedy five years earlier ended up answering their prayers. Five years earlier Dennis' father-in-law passed on, leaving the family with his home in Jennings. Before his death, Dennis' father-in-law, bought an old tobacco barn and remodeled it into a home.

His death left the family with equal shares of this home. The family chose to sell it. Dennis and Candy decided to make an offer on the home, and eventually sold their home in Lakeland and paid off the new home in Jennings.

Dennis, at the time, had about 60 people working for him in Lakeland. He stated, "They kept asking me, 'What are you going to do up there in the middle of nowhere?' I said; 'I guess I'll start roofing full time.'"

Dennis' told this reporter, "I am one of the few certified roofing contractors in the area. I have all of the requirements for the business and have done about eight roofs in Madison. All of them are on my list of references. A few of them are Bernice Bodenstein, J.P. Maultsby and Vivian Searcy."

Most of Affordable Roofing's work has been out of Valdosta, Ga., however Dennis said, "We would love more business in Madison. I am not one of those contractors who you only see twice; once to get the job and once to pick up the check. I am there on every job."

Dennis' message to the community is, "We do good work at a fair price. I'm not trying to get rich off anybody."

Dennis Brown is the owner and contractor for Affordable Roofing, a full-service roofing contractor. They are located at 3543 NW CR 141 in Jennings, Fla. 32053. The number for Affordable Roofing is (386) 938-2001.

Bishop McMiller is a registered respiratory therapist whose dream came true. In 1995, McMiller mentally mapped his dream to develop a sleep lab to help patients get the best possible sleep. The following year, he and his wife, Pecolar, moved with their five children to Madison.

In Dec. 2006, Duramed Medical Services became a reality at 289 SW Range Avenue, on the second floor. On June 18 of this year, the company was accredited by The Joint Commission, which also accredits hospitals. "I'm happy as a lark," said McMiller. The accreditation is valid for 39 months.

McMiller estimates he worked in the respiratory therapy field for over 40 years. "I wanted to do sleep studies," he decided. "It was a change of pace for me." He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Respiratory Therapy from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, and received training on how to conduct sleep studies with the assistance of his former employer, Madison County Memorial Hospital.

The three supervisors overseeing Duramed Medical Services' sleep studies work closely with McMiller to customize a wellness plan: locally, Dr. Julie Schindler oversees records, and Jacksonville sleep medicine specialists, Dr. Andrew Namen and Dr. John Grigas, interpret the study results and examine them for quality. Also advising McMiller is lab consultant, Carolyn Ivey, a registered RPSGT sleep technologist at North Florida Regional Hospital in Gainesville. McMiller's wife, Pecolar, functions as his administrative assistant.

"We are performing anywhere from four to five sleep studies a week on the average," McMiller said. Depending on the sleep study, he personally arrives between 11:30 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. and leaves somewhere between 2-4 a.m. or later. After McMiller tests sleep for a period of six hours, he said some people, when awakened, say, "This is the best sleep I ever had - why did you wake me? I was sleeping so good!"

McMiller conducts a regular sleep study, which is called polysomnography. This study gives the physician a diagnostic tool to find the cause of sleep problems. Another type of sleep study, CPAP titration, can be a good program as patients adapt to it, he said. The tongue and other soft tissue gets flaccid during sleep and may cut off a person's air supply. In some instances, a person may not be able to tolerate the CPAP titration pressurization used to keep airways open during sleep.

He commented that those who succeed in treatment may no longer have headaches, they feel better physically, and they often overcome anger management problems, which can be closely intertwined with poor sleep. Research into sleeplessness has linked auto accidents, a greater risk for health problems and increased pain to insufficient sleep.

Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders, and it involves more than just having trouble falling asleep. It could be a problem staying asleep, or waking up too early in the morning, or feeling like one hasn't slept at all. "If you don't go through the different sleep stages, you may have headaches or daytime sleepiness," said McMiller. "Arousals" are what cause people to wake up, and those events are noted during sleep studies as anything that interferes with the sleep period.

He believes that many Americans have sleep disorders because of poor diet choices and lack of exercise, and due to other medical conditions, such as COPD, a pulmonary disorder, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and apneas.

McMiller says sleep deprivation is a major topic, one that truck drivers and shift workers should keep in mind, since the results can be tragic. He said someday truck drivers may be required to undergo sleep studies to prevent accidents, due to their long hours of driving.

Snoring is often joked about in comedy sketches, and at least once in awhile, 30-50 percent of the population snores, even if they don't realize it. Snoring is not usually a problem, except for the bed partner who opts for the couch, he said. However, heavy snoring could stem from a disorder called obstructive sleep apnea, in which the tongue and other soft tissues partially or completely block the patient's airway. They may stop breathing, struggle to recover, and repeat the process - over and over again - in one night.

McMiller asks patients to answer questions on a form called the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, developed by Dr. Murray Johns in 1990, to get a sense of their sleep patterns. Most people can identify with the ten questions, each of which count for one point, such as, "If you're sitting and reading, would you dose off ... never, slight, moderate, or a high chance?" Those who score ten points are candidates for a sleep study to explore what is causing their sleep deficits.

Sandman Brings Dreams

To encourage the sandman to bring sweet dreams, McMiller suggests, "I think you should have a good, sturdy mattress, one that's comfortable for you, and just turn your house into a home, a place where you enjoy coming to at night."

McMiller serves as the associate pastor of Poplar Springs Missionary Baptist Church in Jasper, under the auspices of senor pastor, J.T. Simon. He said that faith helps people to feel comfortable in unusual situations, such as a sleep study, "It creates a very peaceful atmosphere. You can feel that peace here."

McMiller sums up his dream job at Duramed Medical Services sleep lab in Madison: "It's a joy to turn people's lives around," he said.

The phone number for further information is (850) 973-8116.