A stroll through downtown Madison on Saturday night, Dec. 6, showed “Light Up Madison” to be a special event. The city and businesses had lights displayed down Range Street, illuminating the very cool night air. Hot chocolate and horse-drawn sleighs made one feel the season of light in a way usually experienced in more northern latitude.
The friendliness of business owners and the cheerfulness of friends meeting friends on the walk were especially gratifying. Strangers saying “hi” and children’s wide eyes viewing the potential gifts and decorations are what make Madison a special place this time of year.
Congratulations to all who helped make Light Up Madison a wonderful time for all who were downtown during the weekend evenings.

Ronnie Moore Honored By Aucilla Area Solid Waste

Commissioners from three counties were honored Monday night, Nov. 17, at the Aucilla Area Solid Waste Administration Board meeting. Pictured above are James T. Valentine, Dixie County Commissioner who has served on the Board since 1992; Ronnie L. Moore, Madison County Commissioner who joined the Board in November of 1992; and J.N. Tuten, Jefferson County Commissioner who has served faithfully on the Board since 2003. Valentine was one of the Board members when the Regional Landfill opened in December 1992, and has been faithful in his service to the Board. Moore has been very dedicated in his service to the Regional Landfill which is located in his district. All three men were honored with an inscribed clock thanking them for their dedicated service to the Regional Landfill in Greenville.

Nathan Curtis Leaving MPD To Pursue Lifelong Dream

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Long-time Madison Police Department Sgt. Inv. Nathan Curtis is leaving the MPD to pursue a lifelong dream, working for federal law enforcement.
Curtis has taken a position working for Homeland Security. He will be stationed in San Diego, Calif., and working for Homeland Security’s Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) unit.
Curtis’ first step is to go to Homeland Security’s Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Ga.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” Curtis, a 13-year veteran with the MPD said. “I feel like the Lord is calling me to do this, so I’ve got to do what’s in His plan.”
Curtis began his career with the MPD as a patrolman, before becoming a corporal, a criminal investigator and a sergeant investigator. During his tenure, he served four or five years of the time on the Madison County Drug Task Force.
Curtis said that he saw the job with Homeland Security listed online and applied for it. Later, he was contacted that he had been hired.
When asked if he could recall an interesting case he had worked for the MPD, he answered, “They were all interesting. Whether the case was big or small, I treated them all the same.”
Nathan is the son of Nate and B.J. Curtis of Madison. He is married to the former Shannon McHargue. The couple has three children, Sydney, Savannah and Sadie.
He will be feted by his fellow city employees and officers at a going-away party on Thursday.

Supervisor To Present Alcohol Petitions For Verification December 16

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
On Dec. 16 at 5 p.m., Madison County Supervisor of Elections, Jada Woods Williams, is scheduled to present the results of the alcohol petition verification to the Board of County Commissioners. If the petition tally were sufficient, the board would then be required to hold a countywide vote to decide whether or not to allow hard liquor and wine to be sold in Madison County.
The following UNOFFICIAL numbers had been tallied as of 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9:
Valid Petitions: 2683
Rejected Petitions: 457 (Duplicates-243, Not Registered-115, Not Dated-34, Ineligible-20, No Residential Address-19, Bad Signature-17, No Birth Date-5, Incomplete-4)
The Supervisor of Elections Office has demonstrated exacting care during this count, also making it absolutely clear that the numbers above are unofficial and that the process is not complete until presented to the board. They are offered here for informational purposes only.
Based on the exceptional number of rejections noted above, especially considering the vast number of duplicates, if the verification process were declared official today, the petition would most likely fail to qualify. In fact, based on the information above, the current level of rejections is over three times too many for the petition to pass based on the range of voter roles that have been discussed for qualification use.
The Dec. 16 meeting will be held in the boardroom of the Courthouse Annex.
Michael Curtis can be reached at michael@greenepublishing.com.

Madison Teenager Arrested For Drug And Alcohol Possession

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
A Madison teenager was arrested for drug possession and possession of alcohol by a person under 21 years of age on Saturday, Dec. 6.
According to a Madison Police Department report, Sgt. Chris Cooks was dispatched to the Fast Track store, located at 210 SE Moore Street in Madison, in reference to someone shoplifting. After Cooks arrived, he was given a description of the suspect, who he located walking south on Dade Street.
After a positive identification was made, Sage Brown, 18, was arrested and transported to the Madison County Jail.
Please See Teenager Arrested, Page 2A
Brown had a small bottle containing Seagram’s gin, two Ecstasy pills in his right sock and a small bag containing cocaine residue in his right pants pocket.
Brown was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of alcohol by a person under 21 years of age, possession of a controlled substance and shoplifting.

It's Time For Santa Letters

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Santa’s making a list and he’s checking it twice. It’s that time of year to show Santa who the good girls and boys have been and write letters to Santa Claus.
Greene Publishing, Inc. can save children the cost of postage to send letters to the North Pole. Children can instead send their letters, written in black ink, to Greene Publishing, which will publish the letters in the newspaper. Santa will get a copy, so he can read it and check what each child wants.
The deadline for entries is December 18. Letters must be written to Santa in care of Greene Publishing, Inc., P.O. Drawer 772, Madison, FL 32340 or dropped off at Greene Publishing, on Highway 53 South in Madison. Teachers will also be collecting letters for publication so Santa can see them.