Where Are The Barrels?

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   Since reporting on the workshop held last month where engineer Frank Darabi provided an update to the City and County Commissioners who gathered at the Courthouse Annex to discuss the environmental cleanup that has been taking place at the old landfill on Rocky Ford, three very significant issues have surfaced, all calling for immediate public attention.
   (1) The fourteen-year cleanup efforts at the landfill targeting the cancer-causing toxic chemicals that came directly from ITT-Thompson to the landfill hasn’t come close to required safety standards and future alternatives have yet to be determined.  All that is known for sure is that the price tag will be high and the City and County are on the hook for 40 percent (20 percent each) of whatever is done.
   (2) In a different, but obviously related, EPA action, there is a separate cleanup that is being launched by the EPA at the actual ITT-Thompson Industry Site On Lexington.  Please note again that this is a different action.  It is a new action that is currently in the Public Hearing phase, meaning the EPA is looking for public feedback through September 18 regarding information of contamination at or related to the site.
   (3) This reporter has been contacted by more people making statements, in addition to the daunting declarations already made by retired City Manager Tom Moffses, that even more barrels were dumped in twilight sessions where a ITT-Thompson driver was called to the plant after midnight and given instructions to go to various private locations where holes were already dug and ready for burial.  And yes, the driver’s name has been disclosed, although for obvious reasons, statements from as many credible parties as possible must be laid at the feet of the EPA and ITT for them to accept full financial responsibility as they have stated they will do only for the industry site at this point.
   The number of fine folk that are now realizing that these acts aren’t something to wink at anymore has increased.  Of course, the eerie comparisons to the Erin Brockovich movie are amazing (for those who haven’t watched the movie, it’s a true and very stirring story centering around a similar event in another state).  The bottom line is that continued public involvement is essential and anyone thinking that it’s no big deal, need only to see a child with an unexplained cancer, or a nineteen year-old woman receiving a hysterectomy, or anyone for that matter that is apparently healthy fall from ill to death in only weeks to at least ask, “Why?” 
   Of course, no one is blaming ITT-Thompson for all the county’s problems, instead simply asking them to cleanup up everything coming from them that has been deposited, legally and illegally, around the county, and to waive the 40 percent that never should have been the county or city’s burden in the first place.
   EPA Program Manager Erik Spalvins assigned to the industry site cleanup can be reached in Atlanta at (404) 562-8938 or by email at spalvins.erik@epa.gov. 
   Anyone with knowledge of relevant ITT-Thompson disclosures may also contact this reporter confidentially at michael@greenepublishing.com or at (850) 973-4141, including anonymous tips on where any cancer-causing barrels are buried.

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   The Madison County High School Cowboys who are ranked number 14 in the nation by USA Today will square off against the Godby High Cougars from Tallahassee on Halloween night, October 31, on ESPNU, a national sports network.
   Before that, however, the Cowboys will square off against Arlington Country Day from Jacksonville on Friday night, September 12, at Boot Hill in Madison.
   The silver and maroon attack is back!
   The long, hot, wet summer will soon give way to brisk fall evenings, filled with the rah-rah spirit of cheerleaders, the blazing speed of fleet-footed running backs and old-fashioned smash mouth football.
   The Cowboys did it last year and they can repeat this year because the team doesn’t have to rebuild. They don’t even have to reload. They just have to take the safety off and fire.
   Head Coach Frankie Carroll has both barrels loaded, as he returns eight offensive starters and nine defensive stalwarts and the whole gun is aiming for another state title.
   Two returning stars from last year’s state championship have already committed to Florida State University.
   All-American defensive lineman Jaccobi McDaniel stands 6’1” tall and weighs in at almost 280 pounds. Though smaller than many lineman, he “overcomes his deficiencies by routinely winning the leverage battle,” according to his ESPN’s Scouts, Inc. evaluation. They added, “(He) has good lateral quickness and is active with his hands. Shoots his hands coming out of his stance and is very violent in his use of them. He can shed and pursue.”
   Running back Chris Thompson averaged 12.1 yards per carry for a total of 2,256 yards in 2007. He scored 33 touchdowns, including two in the Cowboys’ 28-7 victory over Tampa Christian in the state title tilt.
   According to Scouts, Inc., “Thompson could pose serious match-up problems for defense coordinators at the college level and hurt you in a number of ways. Great skills in the kicking game only add to his upside as a prospect.”
The Cowboys have a total of 28 seniors on the roster as they aim for a 13th straight District 2 title.
   The Cowboys will have Kelvin Singletary pulling the trigger at quarterback. Josh Arnold will be the backup.
Jordan Johnson will play adjuster, which is sort of a combination linebacker/strong safety and Kazmon English will be featured at cornerback.
   Other Cowboy stars include Chad Mitchell, Cortez Akins, Corey Akins, Quanta Barfield and Kyndell Kornegay.
The Cowboy coaching staff remains the same, except for Mikhal Kornegay, who is now a graduate assistant coach at Florida State University. Travis Hodge, who came to the coaching staff from Jacksonville, replaces Mikhal Kornegay.
The Cowboys can’t be accused of playing against cowardly outlaws, although some teams will be buried on their own fields or left dying with their cleats on at Boot Hill when they come to Madison. This year, the Cowboys will be gunning against the Godby Cougars from Tallahassee, and they will be loaded for bear when they play Dixie County out of Cross City.
   The Cowboys will be featured on national television (ESPNU) when they play against Godby on Halloween night.
 Another tough team who the Cowboys will be playing is district rival Fort White, who just missed cracking the 2A Top Five. The Cowboys sit alone at the top of the polls, outdistancing their nearest rival South Sumter by 23 votes.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Boot Hill as the Cowboys go nose to nose with Arlington Country Day! Go, Cowboys!

Pinetta Man Critically Injured

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   A man was critically injured in a one-vehicle accident on State Road 53, two miles north of Cherry Lake early Saturday morning, September 7.
   According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, at 5:30 a.m., John Ross Pickles, 27, of Pinetta, was southbound on State Road 53 and approaching a curve.
   For an unknown reason, Pickles veered his 2005 Chevrolet pickup to the left. He entered onto the east shoulder and traveled into a ditch.
   The pickup became airborne and collided the left side into several pine trees.
   Pickles’ truck came to a final rest on the east shoulder, pointing in a southeasterly direction.
   Pickles received critical injuries during the crash. Madison County EMS transported him to South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta, Ga. He was later transported to Shands Hospital in Gainesville where he remains in the trauma intensive care unit.
   Units from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County EMS, Madison Fire and Rescue and Cherry Lake Fire and Rescue assisted on the scene.
   FHP Trooper Berry Crews was the investigating officer.

Woman Arrested For Grand Theft

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   An employee of Citi Trends was arrested for letting people leave the store with numerous items that she had not rang up and charged them for on Wednesday, September 3.
   According to a Madison Police Department report, Patrolman Eric Gilbert was dispatched to Citi Trends in reference to an employee letting people walk out of the store with merchandise.
   Upon Gilbert’s arrival, he spoke with Tiffany Travis, who works at Citi Trends on her days off from the police department. Travis advised that there was an employee named Johniethiea Izadella Boykin in the back room they had caught on tape letting people walk out of the store with merchandise totaling over $1.400 without paying for it.
   Gilbert spoke with a loss prevention agent for Citi Trends, who spoke with Boykin who admitted letting people walk out of the store without paying.
   Gilbert spoke with the employee who advised that she did not realize she was doing anything wrong.
   Sgt. William Greene, who assisted Gilbert in the arrest, placed Boykin under arrest for grand theft and transported her to the county jail.

Greenville Home Left In Ashes

By Tyrra B Meserve
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   Late Saturday evening a fire broke out in a residence in Greenville, leaving the house in ashes and the family that resided there homeless. Though the Greenville Volunteer Fire Department arrived first on the scene, soon aided by Hamburg/Lovett, Madison and Sermons Fire departments as well, their efforts were in vain while the house was engulfed completely in flames by the time the call was received and help arrived. Able to contain the fire, the family was able to escape without injury, but now the parents and their handicapped son find they have no home to return to.
   “The house was fully engulfed by the time our team arrived,” said Dwight Vickers with the Madison Fire Department. “Greenville got there first and we were able to knock the flames down a bit, but it was still fully consumed.”
   Fighting the fire from the outside, Greenville, Hamburg/Lovett, Madison and Sermons fire fighters worked to save the home of at least three residents. Both parents and their paraplegic son were able to escape, however it is still not known if the two older sons were still living in the home at the time of the blaze.
   A routine call was placed and the fire marshal came out to investigate, but no arson is suspected at this time. With tones going out as early as 6:30 p.m. that night, the rescue teams battled the blaze for approximately an hour and a half before the structure was completely burned. Leaving nothing but sand and ash behind, the family that once lived there is now forced to start from the ground up as well.