Woman Found Dead In Greenville

By Jacob Bembry

Greene Publishing, Inc.

The body of an unidentified woman was found by hunters in a wooded area off Pettis Springs Road, south of Greenville, Jan 15. According to Madison County Sheriff Ben Stewart, the death was not a natural oneand the woman was the victim of a homicide. Stewart said that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s office is assisting with the investigation. Stewart also noted that the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office had also been called, due to the location being close to that county. Captain Mark Joost is the chief investigator in the homicide investigation.
Please see The Madison County Carrier on Wednesday, Jan. 21, for more details.

Pilgrim’s Growers Urgently Search For Options

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   Dozens of local growers who supplied services to Pilgrim’s Pride are reacting to the company’s recent decision to cancel contracts representing tens of millions of pounds of chicken annually. In order to discuss options and unite efforts, these displaced broiler growers will be meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. in downtown Branford at the recently opened banquet and event hall, A Perfect Setting.
   The news of Pilgrim’s Pride cutbacks and layoffs has been in the media nonstop since the company filed for bankruptcy late last year. Further announcements that the Live Oak facility intends to dismiss over 500 workers next month, coupled with the elimination of approximately 100 grow houses, has left few optimistic of a turnaround anytime soon.
   Locally, both growers and plant workers have expressed their concern, not only at the cutbacks, but also at the manner in which they occurred. As one aggrieved party noted, “Each time we hear from the company, they make it sound like things aren’t falling apart, and then we get worse news. Now with so many growers being cutoff, many of whom were courted by Pilgrim’s Pride to take on large mortgages to build and expand operations, how can we expect or believe anything will get better.”
   The meeting at A Perfect Setting, located on Suwannee Ave. in downtown Branford, is the second of its kind leading up to the bankruptcy meeting scheduled for the 27th in Texas, which some affected parties plan to attend. Madison County has a rich, albeit currently challenging, history of poultry farming. This agricultural pride and community commitment is being demonstrated in the support being shown to both growers and employees of the ailing poultry giant. Organizers gratefully invite all who have a stake, or know someone who does, to come out and let their opinions be known.
   Michael Curtis can be reached at michael@greene publishing.com.

Sheriff’s Office Investigating Burglaries

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   The Madison County Sheriff’s Office is investigating two burglaries and is asking for the public’s help in catching the criminals.
   According to Chief Deputy Epp Richardson, one burglary took place on January 8 on Byrd Street in Madison. Items stolen included an Xbox, Xbox games, jewelry and tennis shoes.
   The total value of the items was in excess of $1,000.
   The other burglary took place in the Cherry Lake area between January 2 and January 9. Items stolen included a 41” Panasonic plasma television, a framed picture of a river scene with trees, a Browning .12-gauge shotgun and a glass picture window.
   The total value of the items is $5,500.
   If anyone has any information on the crimes or have seen any of the stolen items, they are asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (850) 973-4001.

Wilmer Strickland Dies

Wilmer Strickland, 74, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, Jan. 10, surrounded by family.
   Wilmer was born in Hanson on April 2, 1934, and lived in Madison County his entire life. He was a postal clerk and rural mail carrier for 35 years with the Madison Post Office. While on his route, he made many friends throughout the years and his customers always said a person could set a watch by him.
   Wilmer and his wife, Pauline, have owned and published The Swapper for 26 years. He was an active member of Hanson United Methodist Church, where he served in many different positions. His love of the Lord was apparent in everything that he did. He was also a member of the Gideons International.
   Funeral services celebrating his life will be at 2 p.m., Wednesday, at Hanson United Methodist Church with burial at the church cemetery.
   The family received friends from 6–8 p.m., Tuesday, at Beggs Funeral Home in Madison.
   He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Pauline Zipperer Strickland, of Madison; two sons, Archie
(Opal) Strickland, of Madison, and Rickie Strickland, of Madison; one daughter, Wanda Cox, of Jasper; six grandchildren, Travis Strickland, of Madison, Chrystal Barrs, of Madison, Tiah Barrs, of Jacksonville, Ben Cox, Jr., of Jasper, Charlie Strickland, of Valdosta, Ga., and Lance Strickland, of Fort Walton Beach; two great-grandchildren, Rylan "Buckshot" Barrs, of Madison, and Logan Strickland, of Fort Walton Beach; two brothers, Elbert (Louise) Strickland and Leon Strickland, of Madison; one sister, Eunice Rowell, of Madison; two brothers-in-law, Billy (Jo Ann) Zipperer, of Lake Park, Ga., and Edgar (Patricia) Zipperer, of Valdosta, Ga.; and two sisters-in-law, Betty Parker (BJ), of Valdosta, Ga., and Wilma Pearl (Larry) Howell, of Valdosta, Ga.
   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hanson United Methodist Building Fund, P.O, Box 513, Madison, FL 32340 or to the Gideons, P.O. Box 511, Lee, FL 32059.

Sheriff’s Office To Enforce Tinting, Noise Laws

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   Deputy Jason Whitfield of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office was able to obtain 10 tint meters, on loan from the Florida Department of Transportation. The meters will allow deputies to check illegal window tint on vehicles throughout Madison County for Florida Statute 316.610 and 316.2953 compliance.
   The tint meters will be assigned to deputies throughout the Sheriff’s Office, including School Resource Officers.
   According to Sheriff Ben Stewart, law officers will check for a window’s tint. If the tint is rated from 28 down to 12 percent, the officers will give drivers a correction ticket to have their front driver and passenger windows fixed. Anything 11 percent or lower will be an automatic non-moving violation.
   “Drivers can get a deputy to check their tint after they have it corrected,” Stewart said. “After they do, they can take the ticket to the clerk’s office and have it removed. It will cost $10, instead of $86.”
   Window tint on the front is illegal beneath a line, which can be seen on the vehicle’s windshield on the driver’s side.
   Stewart said that the two principal reasons for enforcing proper window tinting are 1) officer safety and 2) driver safety.
   Deputy Doug Haskell stopped a Hopkins, S.C. man on Interstate 10 for having windows that violated the tinting statutes. The man was wanted in Hamilton County on a warrant for failure to appear.
   Deputies were also assigned a “Fatal Visual” training aid to be used to
make the public aware of driving under the influence.
   The Sheriff’s Office will also be enforcing a noise ordinance. If music can be heard more than 25 feet from a vehicle, drivers can be cited.

Lee Prepares For Productive 2009 Year

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   The Lee Town Council held its first meeting of 2009 on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at the expanding Lee City Hall. With the construction of Ernestine E. Kinsey Hall nearing completion, which will be the future meeting room for the council, town leadership is excited not only for the practicality of the expansion, but also for the opportunity to honor the Mayor for her years of dedicated service.
   The official dedication of the wing will be announced soon, as the council anticipates using the room as early as next month. Town Manager Cheryl Archambault really put another feather in her cap with this one, as the entire project is effectively being covered by a $50,000 grant.
   “We are so pleased to have this addition to City Hall and to honor Mayor Kinsey as well. Our current room has some acoustic challenges, which are completely eliminated in the new room. We also want to give an enormous   thanks to Madison Corrections for providing inmate labor to the project. It was a definitely a team effort, and we really want to thank them, and everybody throughout the community, for all their support,” Archambault explained.
The Lee Town Council has no new faces going into the new year, although Roger Parsons, who took the seat left open following the retirement of Thelma Thompson, is just completing his first full year, notably to the great pleasure of all near the council. The veteran of the council, Doug McNicol, entering his 17th year as councilman, with terms spanning four decades, remains a cornerstone of the council.
   The “Shirley’s” continue their commitment to the community. Shirley Yeager is entering her seventh year, with Shirley vonRoden serving similarly. Councilwoman vonRoden continues her close involvement with the Lee Volunteer Fire Department, along with her husband, Jim. The other youngster on the council, Donna Mueller, is entering her third year.
   Of course, no acknowledgement would be complete without recognizing Mayor Ernestine Kinsey, now entering her 13th year. In turn, the mayor would say that there isn’t enough praise to appreciate the huge contributions of Town Manager Cheryl Arhcmbault and her Deputy Clerk Janice Miller, entering their 11th and seventh year respectively.
   Adding these numbers together, one couldn’t begin to count the heart and soul that accompanies these fine men and women in their undertakings. Just consider any of the many over-and-above projects and programs sponsored by the council.
   For instance, the Building Blocks Summer Camp program, which Archambault reviewed with council for renewal, was organized and launched through the tireless efforts of the town manager, along with a broad base of staff and community support. In the end, dozens of children were educated, recreated, fed, nurtured and introduced to a brighter future, all without costing the taxpayers a penny. The list goes on and on, including, of course, business and infrastructure development and the huge 100th birthday celebration planned for April. 
   Before the meeting adjourned, VFD Leroy Rutherford provided a brief review of department activity for 2008. For the year, Lee VFD answered 261 calls, which was down slightly from the previous year, thanks in part to a lower than average December.
   Other agenda items included water system maintenance and policy review, in particular a planned cleaning of the tower and a modification to the ground tank. There was agreement by council to develop a policy for backflow valves required for both residential and commercial state water compliance. This year will also see a review of the Comprehensive Plan, a working document for city and county planning, which is also a requirement of the state.
   Michael Curtis can be reached at michael@greene publishing.com.

Judge John Peach Retires

By Michael Curtis
Greene Publishing, Inc.
   After thirty short years, Third Circuit Judge John W. Peach laid down his gavel to the sadness, but enormous praise of colleagues and friends alike. As the Civil Circuit Judge for Madison County, in addition to duties as the Criminal Circuit, Civil Circuit and Domestic Relations Judge for Hamilton County, Peach has developed close and deep ties to those with whom he served, building a lasting reputation for fairness, and perhaps just as importantly, a reputation for friendliness.
   A retirement ceremony was held at the Madison Courthouse on Thursday, Jan. 8, where dozens came to hear and say a few words about the esteemed jurist. County Judge Wetzel Blair hosted the gathering that included staff and a host of county leadership. All stated how much he would be missed, not to mention his lovely lady, Lorena, whom Peach passionately thanked for all her support over the years.
   Forever the Gator fan, University of Florida booster buddy, Joe Akerman, playfully roasted Peach with a few game day stories, emphasizing how much he looks forward to continuing the tradition in upcoming years. Fellow judges, county and law enforcement officials, as well as staff of the court followed with similar heartfelt stories, each bringing a smile to the judge’s stately gaze.
   Peach was admitted to the Florida Bar Association in 1966, served as a county judge from 1973–78, then moved to the circuit court, where he has served since 1978. On Jan. 1, Greg Parker assumed the duties of the Third Judicial Circuit judge, with County Judge Sonny Scaff being sworn in as acting circuit judge. As acting circuit judge, Scaff will be available to hear cases from which Parker may recuse himself.
   Peach noted, “I have always enjoyed my time in Madison County. In addition to my duties as judge, I have especially enjoyed spending time with the fine people that I am fortunate to call friend.”
   Michael Curtis can be reached at michael@greene publishing.com.

Kelsi Reams’ Hot Chocolate Sale Set For Saturday

Dear Friends and Neighbors of Madison County,
   I would like to announce my sixth annual hot chocolate sale to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  It will be held Saturday, Jan. 17, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Greenville on Highway 221, one block south of US 90 at Witmer Realty. 
   I started having this sale to help my sister, Abby, who is six years old and has cystic fibrosis, as well as all the other CF’ers around the country. 
   With your help we have raised nearly $10,000.00 since we started this in 2004. 
   Abby, my other sister Chloe, family members, friends and I will be serving coffee and donuts and my famous hot chocolate. 
   All the money that is raised will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to help find a cure.  So I hope to see you there to help support Abby and other CFer’s that have to fight this disease every day. 
            Sincerely,
            Kelsi Reams