By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   Citizens Against Legalized Liquor (CALL) will hold its second meeting on Monday, July 28, at the Madison County Courthouse.
   Elmer Spear, who is leading a petition drive to get hard liquor and wine legalized, said that someone in the group, which opposes the petition, apparently shot out a 911 sign in front of his house sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning. Some people, however, believe that it may have been the bad weather on Monday evening that blew the sign down.
   Spear said that he had received two death threats already and the names had been turned over to Sheriff Pete Bucher.
   Spear said that the sign had been put up with brick on both sides of it and that the sign was approximately three feet tall. When he left home, heading into Madison on Tuesday morning, Spear noticed the sign was missing. He got out and found the sign lying on the ground.
   Spear said he was going to go to Bucher’s office and file a report but then he saw Sheriff’s Sgt. Art Deno and flagged him down. He took Deno back to look at the area that the criminal mischief allegedly happened.
   Spear said that Deno told him that no vandals had knocked down the sign and he pointed out a bullet hole in the sign to Spear.
   When this reporter asked if the sign might have been shot by a teenager, Spear replied, “If it would have been kids, it would have been shot at long ago.”
   Spear maintained to this reporter that he believed that whoever had shot his sign was a member of CALL.
   “Within a week of the meeting (CALL had), dispatching preachers there, my property gets shot at,” he said.
   When this reporter spoke with Bucher by phone, Bucher said that the bullet hole, which was made from a .22 pistol, said that the hole was not new. He noted that the bricks had become unsettled under one side of the sign. The bricks on the other side were still standing up straight.
   “Who knows?” Bucher asked. “The mortar from the bricks could have gotten damaged by the weather and the sign simply blew over.”
   This reporter spoke with people who live on the same road Spear lives on (State Road 53 North), as well as other people in that section of the county. They said that there were strong winds and over an inch of rain on Monday evening.
   CALL will meet at the Madison County Courthouse on Monday evening, July 28, at 7 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend.

Barrs Promoted To FDOT Captain

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   Florida Department of Transportation Lt. Derek Barrs, formerly of Madison, has been selected for promotion to the position of Law Enforcement Captain. He will become of the commander for Region Six, based in Tallahassee effective Friday, August 8.
   Barrs began his law enforcement career with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office in April 1993. He began working for the FDOT in April 1993. His first duty was a Motor Carrier Compliance Officer in January 2001. In August 2003, he was promoted to lieutenant as the Deland Field Office Commander.

Ben Schnitker Killed In Auto Accident

   Benjamin Heath Schnitker went to be with his Lord and Savior on Monday, July 21, 2008, as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Ben, age 19, was a lifelong resident of Panama City Beach.  He was a 2007 graduate of Arnold High School in Panama City Beach, and was currently attending Gulf Coast Community College .He was planning to finish his education at the University of Central Florida.  Ben attended First Baptist Church of Panama City with his family.

   He is survived by his parents, Mark B. and Julia Cecile “Cil” Kelley Schnitker of Panama City Beach; one brother, Matthew “Matty” Schnitker; maternal grandfather, Carlton Kelley of Donalsonville, Ga.; paternal grandmother, Walteria Schnitker of Madison; aunt and uncle, Kay and Clay Schnitker of Madison; aunt and uncle, Joan and Carlton Kelley of Rocky Mount, North Carolina; and cousins, Jennie and Evan Schnitker of Madison, and Jared and Clayton Kelley of Rocky Mount. 
   Ben was preceded in his death by his maternal grandmother, Ouida Grimsley Kelley of Donalsonville, Ga., and paternal grandfather, Claymore “Boogie” Schnitker, of Madison.  Ben is also survived by numerous cousins, aunts and uncles in Donalsonville and Colquitt, Ga. and surrounding areas.
   Services will be held Friday, July 25,  at First Baptist Church in Panama City, Florida, at 11a.m., followed by graveside services in Panama City.  Services were handled by Wilson Funeral Home in Panama City.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Bay County Humane Society.                       
   As an organ donor, Ben will live on in the lives of the seven transplant recipients who each received the gift of life from this wonderful young man. 
   Ben will be missed by all who knew him.

Lee Town Council Advances Bed & Breakfast Resolution

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   Following review and considerable discussion, the Lee Town Council voted to approve a special exception to the residential land use codes of the Town of Lee to allow the category of “Bed and Breakfast.”  The features of the resolution that began with the Town of Lee Planning and Zoning Board several weeks prior were essentially drafted from wording provided by the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council. 
   The only significant change concerned the residence of ownership.  The board suggested, and the council agreed, that the owner of the business was not required to reside in the B&B.  Other than that, the language was as proposed by the regional planners.  
   Interest in developing these statutes was brought about by an inquiry from Vivian Searcy who owns an attractive fully restored property on CR 255 between US 90 and Lee City Hall that she wants to convert.  As a matter of official process, however, the resolution and subsequent approval or denial in the first stage does not consider the specific property, rather it is to accept or deny the special B&B use.  If finalized, the council will then vote on specific property requests.
   The Town of Lee continues to advance its “growth without pain” theme, as this reporter likes to call it.  It refers to the idea of introducing essentials like water and sewer, economic development districts (including the Lee Business Complex that is bursting at the seams) and other growth tools without ever losing the landscape that helps define the culture held so dear.
   Disclaimer: Michael Curtis is a candidate for County Commissioner and a member of the Lee Planning and Zoning Board and can be reached at michael@greenepublishing.com.

No News On Possible Pilgrim’s Pride Sale

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   Over the last few months, inquiries regarding the possible sale of Pilgrim’s Pride to Sanderson Farms have increased.  As rumors circulate, workers are becoming fearful of another Dixie Packers/Smithfield scenario (several years ago, Dixie Packers was sold to Smithfield that closed shortly after).  This concern was aggravated further on July 15 as 600 employees were let go from an Arkansas facility as part of continued downsizing and restructuring.
   Pilgrim’s Pride Director of Corporate Communications, Ray Atkinson was contacted for comment.  “We don’t comment on rumors,” he noted. 
   When this reporter reminded him of the importance of getting good information to the hundreds of workers and community that depend on the company he added, “Ask other questions that I can answer and we can talk more, but again, we don’t comment on rumors.”
   Because Pilgrim’s Pride and Sanderson Farms are large public companies, “no response” is a common answer to most questions until the company is ready to release the information on their own terms and time, although to their defense, any other approach might interrupt production and decrease morale to the point of distractive dissention. 
In simple terms, threats of plant closures are emotional time bombs, however, a strategic buyout for better profitability might save a failing plant.  Not knowing which it is can be overwhelming, so, this reporter will continue to seek answers and provide updates until the answers are clear.
   Staff writer Michael Curtis can be reached at michael@greenepublishing.com.

Mobile Home Fire Being Investigated

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   A fire, which destroyed a mobile home, located off Rootman Road in the Cherry Lake area on Tuesday evening, July 22, is still under investigation.
   According to Scott Singletary, of Cherry Lake Fire & Rescue, his department was dispatched to 160 First Lane Street, Trailer Number 160, at 11:18 p.m. They arrived at the scene at 11:25 p.m.
   The trailer was a rental unit, which belonged to Edward Pierce, of Jennings. The mobile home was unoccupied at the time of the fire.
   The State Fire Marshal’s office is still investigating the fire.