By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   A teenager was killed in a traffic crash early Tuesday morning, July 8.
   According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, at approximately 4:53 a.m., Lauren Yvonne Kline, 17, of West Melbourne, was driving eastbound on Interstate 10 in the inside lane of travel in a 2008 Pontiac.
   As Kline entered a curve, her car traveled onto the grass median of I-10. After traveling into the median, Kline oversteered to the right, causing the car to rotate clockwise back across both of the eastbound lanes.
   Kline’s car traveled onto the south shoulder of Interstate 10 and collided with a tree.
   Kline came to a final rest on the south shoulder, facing west.
   Kline was pronounced dead at the scene.
   FHP Cpl. Trerrance M. Chukes was the investigating officer as well as the homicide investigator.

Killed Truck Driver Identified

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   The driver of a semi who was killed in a traffic accident on Interstate 10 on Tuesday, July 1, has been identified as Phong Pong, of Sun Valley, Calif.
   According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, Pong was traveling westbound on Interstate 10 in the outside lane in a 1998 Freightliner. The truck, which was hauling plastic wrap, traveled off the paved portion of the road and entered the north grassy shoulder.
   The Freight Linder struck a tree on the north shoulder of the interstate with its right side.
   The right saddle fuel tank was punctured, causing diesel fuel to spill. The truck’s front dug into the soft grassy shoulder, causing the truck to stop. It came to a final rest on the north grassy shoulder facing in a western direction.
   The truck and trailer caught fire because of the diesel spill.
   The Lee Community Volunteer Fire Department, Madison Fire and Rescue, Greenville Fire and Rescue and Cherry Lake Fire and Rescue all responded to the scene.
   FHP Cpl. Herbert Brown was the investigating officer as well as the homicide investigator.

Central School Adopts Dress Code

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   Madison County Central School has adopted a dress code policy for the 2008-2009 school year.
   Students will be required to wear clothing in good taste. Ripped, torn or open clothing with holes will not be considered in good taste and should not be worn to school. Excessively tight or “low-riding” clothing, which might be provocative or exposes flesh, will not be allowed to be worn to school.
   The uniform will consist of white shirts with a white, burgundy (not red), black, grey or navy blue polo-style button top and a collar or Madison County Central School related apparel. Button down shirts shall be acceptable provided they are the same as the above and have a collar. All collars should be worn turned down.
   Pants and trousers should be solid in color (black, navy blue, tan or khaki). The pants should be appropriately fitting, allowing them to be worn at the waist with a belt securing them above the hips. Belts may be of solid color and appropriate length. Pre-K-2 may wear pants fitted with an elastic type waistband. Solid colored jeans or denim pants may be worn only during scheduled dress down days.
   Dresses, skirts, capris and skorts shall be solid in color (black, navy blue, tan or khaki) and shall be knee length when worn appropriately at the waist. All shorts must be secured at the waist with an appropriate belt. Students will not be allowed to wear jogging, biker or boxer shorts as an outer garment.
   No flip-flops or sandals will be allowed to be worn. All students shall wear closed foot shoes (including sneakers or boots).
   Jackets, hoodies, sweatshirts and windbreakers shall be allowed to be worn during winter months. All must be solid in color (black, navy blue, burgundy or tan) without any desin or logo other than MCCS or MCHS symbols. All must fit appropriately. Oversized jackets, hoodies, and sweatshirts shall not be worn. Racing type jackets, camouflage or multi-colored items may not be worn.
   Jewelry may be worn, provided it does not suggest sexual, vulgar, tobacco or alcohol-related wording or graphics. Facial jewelry (nose rings, lip rings, etc.) may not be worn. Dental grills may not be worn unless they are surgically attached by a physician.
   Hair should be neatly groomed with no exotic colors or decorations which can be distracting to the educational process. Head rags, scarves, “doo” rags, bandanas, curlers and sweatbands cannot be worn. Hats and sunglasses may be worn only during physical education or recess periods.
   All dress code violations will be handled by school officials in accordance with the approved Student Code of Conduct. Students who are unable to change their clothing shall be placed in “in-school suspension” for the rest of the school day.
   Flagrant repeated violations of the dress code may be deemed as an act of definance against school authority.

Madison Includes School Board In Approval Of Developments

By Ginger Jarvis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   The Madison County School Board is now part of the approval process for housing developments within the City of Madison. An ordinance outlining this action was approved by unanimous vote of the Madison City Commissioners at their regular meeting on July 8.
   Public Works Supervisor Chuck Hitchcock explained to the board that the State of Florida is mandating such local ordinances to aid local taxpayers. If the school board review should find that a development will bring in more students than the schools have seats, the developers would have to provide funds to mitigate the cost of adding school space. “What they are trying to do is pass some of these burdens onto developers before they leave the area,” he said.
   Hitchcock said that the School Board will be a step in the approval process along with wetlands, water, sewer, and traffic impact of a proposed development. Commissioner Jim Catron asked, “Is this the same as an impact fee?”
Hitchcock replied, “Similar. The state sees this as a big issue. Some communities grow so fast that there are not sufficient seats in the schools.”
   Two members of the public spoke on the issue during the comment period. Commissioners Judy Townsend and Sumpter James made the motion to approve the ordinance; it passed without dissent.
   The commissioners passed the first reading of an ordinance to prohibit temporary car-lot operations within the city limits. Residents had complained that customers had no place to discuss later problems, that loan costs often went up with out-of-town lenders, and that local banks lost business on these loans.
   The ordinance, which came through the Planning and Zoning Commission, does not address the idea of a resident selling a vehicle in his yard, and does not define “off-site” sales. The board asked City Attorney Clay Schnitker to make changes to reflect these needs before the ordinances second reading in August.
   During the public hearing period, Elmer Spear asked, “How about discussing shoe vendors, flower vendors, and produce trucks in our town, some taking up our parking and blocking our stores? They just come into our town, sell their wares, and, like the auto dealers, disappear with our money. Are you going to stop with car dealers?”
   New Chamber of Commerce Director Ted Ensminger said, “These people have made their investment and think they are doing things the right way. You can’t be happy if you are paying rent on Range Street and someone else is selling out of a truck that is not paying rent, taxes, or anything. I don’t think it can be allowed to go unchecked.”
   After a lengthy discussion, the board directed City Manager Harold Emrich, City Clerk Lee Anne Hall, and Police Chief Rick Davis to follow through on permits for street vendors and yard sales.
   Mayor Myra Valentine thanked the board and audience for their contributions. “These are things we need to talk about,” she said.

Cowboy Baseball Team Wins State Title

   A small but scrappy group of Madison Cowboy baseball players participated in the 18 and under Babe Ruth state championship July 10-13 in Jacksonville.  With a team of only 10 players, the Madison team was able to defeat much larger teams from Oveido, Jupiter, Fort White and Mandarin (Team 1) to be crowned as North Florida State Champions. The players, led by coaches Terry Barrs and Doug Brown, are Drew Brown, Bladen Gudz, Jacobbi McDaniel, Marterious McDaniel, Demarcus Norton, Scott Pleasant, Evan Schnitker, Kelvin Singletary, William Turner, and Brynne Wetherington.
   Statistical leaders for the Cowboys included:  Hits: Brynne Wetherington – 8; Jacobbi McDaniel – 7; Kelvin Singletary – 7; Evan Schnitker – 6.  Runs batted in:  Kelvin Singletary – 9; Jacobbi McDaniel – 8; Brynne Wetherington – 7.  Home runs were hit by Drew Brown, Brynne Wetherington, Jacobbi McDaniel, and Kelvin Singletary.  In the area of pitching, six of the ten players were called on to pitch.  Evan Schnitker led the bullpen with a win and two saves.
   This is the second year in a row that the Madison Cowboys have won the North Florida State Championship, with six of this year’s players participating on the 2007 winning team.  The 2007 team went on to place second in the Southeast Regional Babe Ruth Tournament, out of a field of 16 teams from eight states.  By winning the 2008 North Florida State Championship, the Cowboys qualify to play in the 2008 Southeast Regional Tournament, being held this year in Virginia.  Congratulations, Cowboys!

New Home Volunteer Fire Department Hosting Political Rally And Fundraiser

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   The New Home Volunteer Fire Department will host a political rally and a fundraiser on Saturday, July 19.
   A chicken and rice dinner will be served, beginning at 4 p.m. The dinners will be sold for $7 each.
   The political rally and cake auction will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m.
   The New Home Volunteer Fire Department is located on Mosely Hall Road (Highway 360) in Madison.
   For more information, contact New Home Fire Chief Jack Pickels at 973-2585.

“Cover Florida” Health Care Plan Passes Legislature

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.           
   Who says conservatives won't do anything about health care, surely not Florida Republican Governor Charlie Crist.  He succeeded in getting his new and innovative health insurance reform plan through the state legislature that even the Democrats are having a hard time finding anything to complain about.  With the State of Florida having nearly 21 percent of its population being uninsured, the "Cover Florida" plan should help uninsured Floridians by offering a variety of affordable health care insurance coverage plans.
   The reform allows insurance providers to sell no-frills policies exempted from the more than 50 mandates Florida currently imposes.  Those mandates were put in place without any regard for how much they cost consumers. The big problem is that with mandates in place for things like acupuncture or infertility treatments, most folks just can't afford the policies. Governor Crist recognized that these types of state regulations increase the cost of health coverage, and thus boldly decided to do away with many of them.
   The new benefit packages are expected to be introduced next year and will include a minimum coverage for primary care plus catastrophic coverage for major illnesses.  The hope is they will cost as little as $150 a month and be a blessing to the 3.8 million people in the state currently without any health care coverage at all.
   While the Cover Florida plan will enroll only people who have gone without coverage for at least six months, it will also include small business owners so they may offer coverage to their employees offering a variety of policies.  Crist believes that "given the choice, consumers will choose policies that cover some services but not others" rather than continue to go without any coverage for themselves or their families.
   Detractors are already crying foul.  As expected, they say that without mandates, the plans won't provide for a quality of care.  However, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that of the 1,900 specific coverage obligations many states have imposed, most are the result of intense lobbying efforts by health care providers, not from consumers themselves.

Grocery Store Worker Bags $50,000 Lottery Win

   A grocery store worker is checking out a Georgia Lottery win. Jennifer Butler, 25, played the instant game Jumbo Bucks Classic and won a $50,000 top prize.
   Flash Foods #0271, located at 1800 N. Ashley St. in Valdosta, sold the lucky ticket. Butler scratched her ticket in the store’s parking lot.
   “I had just gotten in the car,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. I actually started crying.”
   Butler’s mother and brother were with her at the time.
   “They were really excited. They were crying and hollering and jumping around,” she said.
   Butler, a resident of Greenville, will use her winnings to help buy a new home for her mother.
   Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has returned over $9.9 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia’s Pre-kindergarten Program. More than one million students have received HOPE, and more than 860,000 four-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary pre-kindergarten program.

Action Taken Against Police Chief For Email

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   An email, forwarded to a number of friends by Madison Police Chief Rick Davis, apparently as a joke, reportedly resulted in the Lake City Police Chief getting suspended for five days and action taken in the matter by Madison City Manager Harold Emrich.
   The email, in which recipients were told that their class photo was online, included a link that, when opened, included a photo of chimpanzees. Scott Reynolds, Lake City city manager, suspended one of the recipients, Lake City Police Chief Steven Burch, after Lake City Police Department Lt. Rudolph Davis and Sgt. Shawn Raggins complained of racial discrimination. The incident was not the first time that the officers had complained of discrimination against Burch.
   “I generally do not discuss disciplinary matters,” Harold Emrich said. “I will tell you that Chief Davis admitted to me that he forwarded the email on a city machine. I spoke to the chief and to others about the matter and have taken appropriate action.”
   Emrich failed to elaborate on the nature of the action taken involving Davis.
   Davis told this writer that he did send the email, but added, “There were no obscene comments in it and nothing of an obscene nature. Someone else with ulterior motives used this as a catalyst to carry forth their issues.”
   Reynolds was once the chief executive officer of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.