By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
An unknown driver caused a wreck involving a 2003 Ford 150 on Monday, Feb. 23, on State Road 145 North.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, the driver of the unknown semi tractor-trailer was heading north on State Road 145 and David M. Coleman, 65, of Taccoa, Ga., was traveling north behind the semi in the pickup truck.
A witness behind both vehicles said she saw the semi cross the center line into the southbound lane, forcing Coleman off the road.
Coleman’s pickup traveled northwest onto the west shoulder and his front left tire collided with the culvert and ditch.
The pickup rotated one-quarter turn counterclockwise and overturned two times, coming to a final rest on its left side facing southwest.
The witness stopped and rendered aid to the driver of the pickup.
The semi continued to travel northbound and left the scene.
FHP Trooper John Sleigher was the investigating officer.

Newspapers Changing Sizes

Beginning March 4, the Madison County Carrier and Madison Enterprise-Recorder will reduce its width to the industry-standard size of 22.”

Lee Resident To Compete In National Jacksonville Pageant

? Caleshia Mobley of Lee was recently selected to participate in Nationals’ 2009 Miss Teen Jacksonville pageant that will take place on March 8, 2009. Caleshia learned of her acceptance into this year’s competition as Nationals, Inc. announced their selections on Monday afternoon. Caleshia submitted an application and took part in an interview session that was conducted by Patty Neidert, this year’s Jacksonville Pageant Coordinator.
Caleshia will be competing, for her share of thousands of dollars in prizes and specialty gifts thtat will be distributed to contestants. Caleshia will be competing in the Miss Teen Division, one of four divisions that will have young ladies between the ages of 7 and 19 competing in modeling routines which include casual wear and formal wear. Most important, Caleshia will display her personality and interviewing skills while interviewing with this year’s Jacksonville judging panel. Personality is the number one aspect that each contestant is judged during all phases of competition.
If Caleshia were to win the title of Miss Teen Jacksonville, she would represent Jacksonville and the surrounding communities at the Cities of America National Competition That will take place in Orlando, Florida. Over $60,000,000.00 in prizes and awards will be presented at the National Competition while each winner enjoys this expense paid trip of five nights and six days in Orlando, Florida.
There is no cost to Caleshia for participating in the pageant competition. Community businesses, organizations, and private individuals will assist Caleshia in pariticipating in this year’s competition by becoming an official sponsor to her. Through sponsorship, each contestant receives all the necessary training, rehearsals, and financial support which will allow Caleshia to become very confident and well-prepared contestant in this year’s Jacksonville Pageant.
Any business, organization, or private individual who may be interested in becoming a sponsor to Caleshia may contact her pageant coordinator, Patty Neidert at 1-800-569-2487. Caleshia can be contacted at (850) 971-4177 or (850) 345-6488.

NWTF Banquet Set For February 28

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
For those who’ve had the privilege of attending one of the six previous National Wild Turkey Federation banquets, they know that the 7th Annual Madison County NWTF Chapter Hunting Heritage Banquet will be another big hit for members and guests alike. Complete with great food and even better auctions and raffles, the event is sure to be fun for the whole family.
Local Chapter President Wally Davis, along with officers and membership, extend a warm invitation to the entire community, especially those who enjoy turkey hunting. The rifles and other hunting equipment to be awarded are absolutely the finest available anywhere and the price of admission includes lots of extras. The raffles, auctions and presentations are as entertaining as they are valuable, and again, organizers remain committed to making this seventh annual event even better than before.
The event will be held in the Madison County Central School cafeteria, starting at 5 p.m. For more information, or to obtain tickets, simply ask any NWTF member or call Wally Davis at Farmer’s Supply at (850) 973-6260.
Michael Curtis can be reached at michael@greenepublishing.com.

Listening Session Held With Farmers And Florida Department Of Transprtation

? The Madison Sheriffs Department, the local Farmers Co-op, the local Extension Service, and the Madison County Farm Bureau recently sponsored the first-ever “Listening Session” with Florida Department of Transportation officials from Tallahassee.
Nearly 150 local farmers, loggers and other business folks attended the meeting, which was held at the local Madison Extension office.
The purpose for the meeting was to familiarize local farmers as to new and current laws and regulations that DOT officers are enforcing along Florida‘s highways. Other discussions concerned “Hazmat” rules and regulations that farmers must abide with, and this concerns hauling diesel, gasoline and farm chemicals.
This meeting is a part of the new program that Florida Farm Bureau is implementing, called “Strong Family Farms—-Strong Florida.” Farm Bureau definitely sees the importance of the local small family farms being stronger, and that makes for a stronger state of Florida.
The DOT officials announced at the meeting, that this type of “Educational and Informational” meeting was the first, and the agency will be looking to conduct additional meetings in the coming months. The DOT officials’ primary mission is safety on state highways, but they reiterated that they wanted to work with local farmers to make sure they understood the current laws and regulations.

Crimson Flow In Concert At Sirmans Baptist Church

By Bryant Thigpen
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Crimson Flow, southern gospel artists, will be in concert at Sirmans Baptist Church in Greenville on Sunday, March 1, at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but a love offering will be received.
Crimson Flow is a group that has become a notable name in Madison County, performing regularly at Hanson United Methodist Church and surrounding areas. They perform southern gospel music at its best, and is sure to be a great evening of gospel music!
For more information, please call (850) 948-4228.

MCSB Announces Free Preschool Screening Schedules

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
The Madison County School Board has set dates for free preschool screenings, which will be available for children ages three to four years, six months that reside in the county.
Ramona Guess, ESE coordinator for the school district noted, “We gratefully request parents mark their calendars so they have sufficient time to plan for this important part of preparing their children to enter school. The children deserve every resource available to them and this screening process will help identify issues that will support future success.”
Each child will be screened in four primary areas, including:
Functional Hearing and Vision
Speech/Language Development
Motor development concepts
The screenings will take approximately two hours to complete and results will be shared with parents exclusively. Prizes and goody bags will be provided to the children, as all efforts are being made to ensure a pleasant experience for both child and parent.
The following schedule is set by location:
Madison County Central School Cafeteria – March 10, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Madison County Central School Cafeteria – March 11, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Lee Elementary Please See Screenings, Page 2A School – March 17, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Pinetta Elementary School – March 18, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Greenville Elementary School – March 19, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Madison County Central School Cafeteria – April 28, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information, please call Leigh McNutt at the Madison County School Board at (850) 973-5192, or Jo Ann Lasseter with FDLRS/Gateway, at (800) 227-0059.
Michael Curtis can be reached at michael@greenepublishing.com.

Legislative Delegation Comes To Madison

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Graciously hosted by President John Grosskopf and the fine staff of North Florida Community College, the Madison County Legislative Delegation – Senator Charles Dean, Senator Al Lawson and Representative Leonard Bembry – held a town hall on Wednesday, Feb. 25 to discuss critical issues facing the community. Core issues included education, health care and the economy, locally and statewide.
Local leadership from these critical areas of concern, along with dozens of others, filled the NFCC Student Center from 4 p.m. until about 6 p.m., each receiving an opportunity to address the delegation. As the gathering concluded, there was one prevailing message – in spite of the economy and declining state budgets, education and health care must be maintained.
Easier said than done? The legislators didn’t sugar coat the seriousness of the challenges, nor did they suggest they had all the answers. What they did declare, however, in no uncertain terms, was their commitment to working with the agencies and institutions throughout Madison County to find solutions, as well as remaining available to all residents, regardless.
Local government leadership was acknowledged and praised for their efforts, including Representatives Will Kendrick and Curtis Richardson, both of whom recently completed their terms in office. In spite of term limits preventing them from continuing in their legislative roles, both are still very dedicated to improving the region and will likely be heard from for years to come.
It was noted that this legislative delegation includes all or part of thirteen counties, and as such cover a lot of ground, having some of the largest districts anywhere. Nonetheless, they serve each of these rural and urban communities as though it was their home, which is literal in the case of Greenville resident Bembry.
The 2009 Legislative Session will convene on March
3. Residents of Madison County are urged to contact these gentlemen as needed at the following numbers: Senator Al Lawson at (850) 487-5004; Senator Charles Dean at (850) 487-5017; and Leonard Bembry at (850) 973-5630.
Michael Curtis can be reached at michael@greenepublishing.com.

Play Ball!

? Nothing says America like hotdogs and baseball. Dreams of the future are often built solidly in childhood on diamonds dusted into dirt lots and grassy knolls. A gleeful call can be heard echoing over time, “Hey batta batta, swing!” That is why, getting ready for the open of baseball season on April 11, J.A. Lane, the president of the Greenville Recreation Park’s t-ball and baseball league will be having a baseball sign-up. Through Saturday, Feb. 28, players, ages 5-12, can swing down, sign up and get suited in time for their glory season.
Times to register are from 9 a.m. until 12 noon at the Dollar General Store on Highway 90 in Greenville. Parents are asked to accompany their children, bringing birth certificates and a love for the game.