11 05 15 a

www.AlachuaCountyToday.com 25¢Thursday, November 05, 2015Vol. 15 No. 48 Alachua, Florida, two sections

AlachuaCounty

odayTServing the Heartland Communities

8 2015 Alachua Today, Incorporated

Index insideon A2 Alachua Pediatrics & Primary Care

(Adults and Children)Dr. Nasir Ahmed, M.D.Dr. Bilal Khdor, M.D.

(386) 418-000414900 NW 140th Street ● Alachua FL 32615 (Opposite the Library)

CHILDREN ● WOMEN’S HEALTH ● FAMILY PLANNINGWe accept Medicare, Medicaid & All Insurance Plans

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HIGH SPRINGS – Incumbent City Commissioner Scott Jamison won reelection against former commissioner Bob Barnas Tuesday.

The election was for City Commission Seat # 5. Incumbent commissioner Byran Williams ran unopposed for Seat # 4.

ALACHUA – Frequent travelers of U.S. Highway 441 in Alachua have noticed for the past week that traffic has been severely backed up near the I-75 overpass.

Expect the construction that began on Oct. 28 to last at least three months, according to a news release from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

WATER:Continued on page A2

ELECTION:Continued on page A2

Jamison wins reelection

HIGH SPRINGS – An unscheduled and somewhat heated discussion regarding the city of High Springs’ water quality occurred during the Oct. 22 city commission meeting.

During the Citizen Comments portion

U.S. 441 lane closures snarl traffic

High Springs debates city's water quality

By DAVID S. WISENERToday Editor


TRAFFIC:Continued on page A5

By C.M. WALKERToday Reporter

HIGH SPRINGS – High Springs residents will soon see a $1 per month increase in the base fee for water and $3 increase for wastewater.

A resolution increasing the base fees for water and wastewater received unanimous approval at the Oct. 22 commission meeting.

The additional revenue is expected to generate approximately $80,000 a year, which the City hopes will help defray the cost

of repairing or replacing grinder pumps for the city sewer system.

“According to the Rural Development Agency,” said City Manager Ed Booth, “individuals are paying 40 percent less for sewer than what it takes to operate it.”

While he said he would be the last person in the world to ever recommend the grinder pump system currently in place, the decision was made 14 years earlier, and the city has to deal with their

RATES: Continued on page A6

Uptick in High Springs water rates


COMMUNITIES IN PROFILE - A SERIES

City of Alachua Profile

Alachua County Today file photoAlachua City Hall, a component of Alachua's Municipal Complex, is a reminder of the City of Alachua's nearly 10,000 population and its place as the second largest municipalityin the county.

ALACHUA – A cemetery, a dirt road, and a Florida Historical Marker are all that note the existence of the first major city in Alachua County.

Forest, mobile homes and houses now reside nondescriptly on most of the land that was once Newnansville, the first Alachua County Seat and metropolitan hub in North Central Florida.

Newnansville sprang up in the early 1820s on the first major transportation route to cross Northern Florida, the Bellamy Road, which also doubled as the town’s Main Street, remnants of which still exist in part as a private dirt road.

It became the center for trade, local plantation

commerce and government in the area, then later a refuge for settlers during the Second Seminole War with the construction of Fort Gilleland within its borders.

By slim margins, leading

county residents voted to move the county seat to the newly-created town of Gainesville in 1853 because it was plotted on the first major railway to pass through the county.

When the Savannah,

Florida and Western Railway completed a new line to Gainesville about a mile and a half southwest of Newnansville in 1884,


PROFILE:Continued on page A6

DAVID S. WISENER/Alachua County TodayNewnansville faded away as railroads were constructed closer to Gainesville.

Blueberry fields forever

HAWTHORNE– Tucked away down dirt roads in Hawthorne, Florida are over 300 acres of blueberry fields, home to the Island Grove Wine Company.

For over 30 years, the farm has thrived.

“In the 80s, the farm was owned by separate entities,” said general manager Sarah Aschliman. “In the 90s, it all came together.”

The company used to focus on the growing, producing and marketing of blueberries, but about five years ago a winery was added.

“There was an over-abundance of blueberries,” Aschliman said.

By RAINA BARNETTSpecial to

Alachua CountyToday

WINE:Continued on page A5

A look inside Island Grove Wine Company

Photo by RAINA BARNETT/Special to Alachua County TodayIsland Grove sells speciality flavored wines produced locally.

Sunday: Main Street Alachua

A2 Alachua County Today LOCAL NEWS Thursday, November 05, 2015

Q: What are some lifestyle tips for good oral health?

A: Obviously, brushing and flossing and visiting the dentist regularly are the fundamental steps that will help you keep a healthy mouth and teeth. But there are indeed general lifestyle steps you can take that will improve your odds on keeping a healthy, mouth and teeth.

First, avoid tobacco in any of its forms. The risks that smoking tobacco poses to your overall health are well known. They include gum disease and oral cancer. Chewing tobacco is no better. Also, be moderate in your consumption of alcohol. Excessive use of alcohol also puts you at increased risk for oral and throat cancer. And alcohol

and tobacco together increase the likelihood even further. They are the primary risk factors for these kinds of cancer. You should also make it a point to drink fluoridated water and use fluoridated toothpaste. Fluoride helps protect against tooth decay, regardless of your age.

In addition to the brushing and flossing mentioned at the outset, keep dental care equipment and supplies at the workplace. If you can brush and floss after a workday lunch, so much the better. As to the regular dental visits, twice in a 12-month period is what’s recommended. And that’s true for denture wearers as well. Talk with your dentist about other every-day steps you can take to keep your mouth healthy.

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The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to providing support for our military. In this way, we honor all military service personnel, past and present. Sheriff Darnell expanded promotional eligibility to include military service.

Sheriff Darnell’s stance is that personnel who are capable of serving our Country are deserving of consideration for promotion to serve Alachua County.

A policy was established for the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office to provide a full escort, with permission of family, to military service personnel killed in the line of duty returning to or while traveling through Alachua County. A Military Support Officer assignment was created. The purpose is to provide a point of contact to effectively manage communication and support to the deployed employee’s family; and

to serve as a liaison to the employee during their deployment. A special Military Service pin was created to be worn by all armed forces members on their duty uniforms in recognition of their service/sacrifice to our Country.

The Alachua County Jail Classification Unit provides listings of the self-reported, in custody Veterans. Informal data review indicates 40-50 Veterans are in custody at any given time.

The VJOC assists them with obtaining their DD214 (discharge papers), enrolling for VA healthcare, conducts assessments, and provides information on available VA services. The ACSO is proud of the contributions of our military reservists and they are accommodated as prescribed by law. They are actively supported and facilitated as an extension of our appreciation of their continued service to our Country.

A message from the desk of Sheriff Sadie DarnellVeteran’s Day

Obituaries Pastor Rosa L. Bryant

Pastor Rosa L. Bryant, age 83, resident of Fort White, Florida transitioned to heaven on Oct. 29, 2015 at North Florida R e g i o n a l H o s p i t a l , Ga inesv i l l e , Florida. She is the daughter of the late Golden and Ollie Lewis Wells. She married the late Johnnie B. Bryant. Her daughter, Shirley Edwards and stepson Johnny L. Bryant also preceded her in death.

Pastor Bryant was the pastor and founder of Pentecostal Believers Church, Fort White. She retired from Suwannee County School Board after 25 years of service.

Pastor Bryant leaves to cherish her memories, one daughter, Irene Taylor; six sons, David Armstrong, Willie Armstrong (Karen), Jackie Armstrong, Jerry Robinson (Beverly), Wayne Robinson and John Robinson; a host of grand and great grandchildren, two sisters, three brothers and a host of other relatives.

Viewing for Pastor Bryant will be held on Friday, Nov. 6, 2015, from 6-8 p.m. at Pentecostal Believers Church, Fort White.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, 1 p.m. at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, 550 NE Martin Luther King Jr St., Lake City, Florida, Rev. Alvin Baker , pastor; Bishop Kenneth Troupe, officiating. Burial will be in the Heavenly Rest Cemetery in Fort White.

Professional Arrangements entrusted to A. Jerome Brown Funeral Home, High Springs, FL; 386-454-1110.

Allen L. ErgleAllen L. Ergle, age 75, of

N e w b e r r y , Florida, passed away on Friday, Oct. 30, 2015 at Haven Hospice, after a long illness.

Born on April 20, 1940 in Newberry, Florida, he was the son of William Henry, Sr. and Missouri Long Ergle.

Mr. Ergle was a heavy equipment operator.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brothers W. H. Ergle, Jr., Tommy Ergle and Frankie Ergle and sisters, Effie Cain, Christine Bussey and Margaret Ergle.

He is survived by his wife,

Kathy Ergle; son, Joey (Hazel) Ergle, their two children and grandchildren; step daughter, Teresa (Kenny) Nebinski; brothers, Louis (Jean) Ergle of Keystone Heights and Norman Ergle of Alachua; sisters, Marie Crosby of Alachua and Diane (Paul) Hadsock of Gainesville; 22 nieces and nephews and numerous great and great-great nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015 at 11 a.m. at Hague Baptist Church, 6725 NW 126th Avenue, Gainesville, Florida with Pastors Rick Ergle and Sam Brown officiating.

Arrangements have been placed under the care of the Langford-Rogers Funeral Home, Chiefland, FL, 352-493-0050.

Quanor W. Skipper Quanor W. Skipper, age 79,

passed away on Oct. 26, 2015, in Keystone Heights, Florida.

A fourth-generation Floridian, Mr. Skipper was born in Gainesville, Florida, in 1936, the youngest of three sons of Hassie and Everett Skipper. His grandfather, Jackson P. Bennett, was a police officer in Gainesville who died in the line of duty in 1936, and whose name is now

engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Following High Springs High School, Mr. Skipper entered the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed for a time, along with his family, at the American airbase in Bitburg, Germany. He later enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves, retiring in 1995.

Mr. Skipper is survived by Martha V. Skipper, his wife of more than 59 years; his daughter, Jenny Caison of Annapolis, Maryland; sons Quanor W. (Butch) Skipper, Jr. of Hague, Michael S. Skipper of Keystone Heights, and four grandchildren. A great-grandson is expected in January 2016. His brother, Lawton, resides in Lake City, Florida. His brother, Edwin, resides in Gainesville.

Mr. Skipper is fondly remembered as an avid fisherman and hunter, an outgoing person who made friends easily, and someone who enjoyed recounting episodes of his life growing up in a Florida of small family farms, railroad towns, and clear-running springs and rivers.

A memorial service, with military honors, will be held at Hague United Methodist Church, Hague, Florida, Nov. 14, 2015 at 11 a.m.

Obituaries: The obituaries in this section are considered news and are published free of charge by Alachua County Today. Obituaries may be edited for style, space and policy.

Alachua County Today

is your best source for local news - 386.462.3355

of the meeting, Bob Barnas brought up concerns about the city’s wells and the quality of drinking water provided to residents.

He directed commissioners to carefully read a letter, which he said he assumed the City had received, from a drilling company in which they reported finding sand, open holes and certain types of bacteria in the City’s Well Number One.

City Manager Ed Booth responded to some of Barnas’ comments by pointing out that the coliform reading in Well Number One is a naturally occurring condition of all wells before treatment.

“It is the raw water. The city treats the well water before sending it out to the community,” he said. “Once treated, the city then sends out pure, uncontaminated water to its citizens.”

Booth said the findings that the drilling company mentioned were simply their opinion. “Testing of the water quality was not done by the well drillers.

They didn’t test it. We have tested it,” he said. “All the water going forward to the community after appropriate treatment is pure. It doesn’t have any contaminants in it. It doesn’t have any kind of adverse affect to humans,” he said.

“I have a problem with a number of the population being informed that the water is of poor quality,” Booth said. “I equate that with someone saying there is a bomb in the building when there is not.”

Barnas said the City is responsible for alerting the public to the risk of contamination. He pointed to the precautionary letter the city sent out informing the public of the possibility of health risks over a period of many years.

Booth said that letter began by stating, “This in no way implies the water is unsafe.”

Responding to the fact that the city manager said the water going in has problems, but the water coming out does not, Barnas replied, “That may be true for Well Number Two,” because he said he had seen that report, but said he has

asked for reports on Well Number One and has not received them. “So I don’t believe Well Number One was tested,” he said.

Booth replied that the last test came back positive, which was reiterated by Mayor Sue Weller who explained further that Well Number One was taken down intentionally for maintenance.

“When routine maintenance is done, sometimes problems are found,” she said. “That’s why the city provides routine maintenance...so those problems, if there are any, can be located and fixed.”

She went on to say that the city was doing what it should do under the circumstances. Maintenance was being done and that is how the City found out there was a crack. But the well was already taken down and was not in use.

“The City is moving forward to address the problem,” said Weller in summary.

# # #Email [email protected]

Jamison tallied 440 votes to Barnas’ 209 to capture 67.8 percent of the overall vote.

“I’m extremely humbled by the support and trust of the citizens,” Jamison said. “We had a lot of people who did a lot of work that often go unnamed, but I know

who they are.“It’s a pretty

awesome responsibility, a responsibility I take very seriously and that I’ll uphold for everyone. It doesn’t matter who voted for whom; it’s about the city.”

Jamison has served on

the commission since 2012 and, along with Williams, will be sworn in for another three-year term later this month.


Three year terms

Well One taken offline

ELECTION:Continued from page A1

WATER:Continued from page A1

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A3Alachua County Today COMMuNITy CORNER Thursday, November 05, 2015

Meetings & Events in the Heartlands

#Alachua (City) – Meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. #Alachua County - Meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. at the County Administration Building, 12 SE 1st Street, Room 209, Gainesville. Citizen comments are taken at 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.#Archer - Meets the 2nd Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 16870 SW 134 Ave.#Gainesville - Meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at 1 p.m. at City Commission Chamber, 200 East University Avenue.#Hawthorne - Meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.#High Springs – Meets the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall.#LaCrosse – Meets the 2nd Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.#Micanopy - Meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall.#Newberry – Meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at City Hall#Waldo - Meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at Yerkes Center.

PuBLIC MEETINGS

Alachua County Todayis your best source for local

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■ Nov. 7-8: Dudley Farm Historic State Park “PAINTOUT” 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Watch the artists capturing the beauty of Dudley Farm. Proceeds from art sold benefit the Dudley Farm “Education Building” fund. Admission: $5. per vehicle up to 8 occupants. For information, call 352-472-1142 or visit www.friendsofdudleyfarm.org.

■ Nov. 8: Alachua Business League Fall Festival. Sunday from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. along Alachua's Main Street.

■ Nov. 14-15: Holiday Expo and Craft Sale, sponsored by the GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club. Businesses, service organizations and crafters will have their booths set up for visitors. In addition, the traditional Woman's Club Bake Sale table, filled with excellent homemade goodies we all love to eat, and the Country Store will be back with all the great crafts and gifts made by the Woman’s Club members and their friends. Frito Pies, BBQ sandwiches and soft drinks will also

be available. Chance Drawings for several enticing gift baskets will be held at 3 p.m., Sunday. Location: GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Clubhouse, 40 NW First Ave., High Springs. Times: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m on (Sat.) and 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sun.

■ Nov. 10: Alachua Elementary's Veterans Day Ceremony. Veterans Day Ceremony will be held Tuesday, Nov. 10th, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Alligator Den outdoor facility. During the ceremony veterans will be honored by students with a salute of the colors and singing various patriotic songs. The ceremony will conclude with a small reception in our cafeteria accompanied with a slideshow of veterans' photos.

■ Nov. 10: Oak View Middle School Veterans Day Celebration. Veterans Day ceremony beginning at 8:40 a.m. with special guest speaker Radioman Second Class (E-5) Philip J. Riley, U.S. Coast Guard 1986-1990. Music performed by the Oak View Middle

School Symphonic Band; colors presented by the Gainesville High School JROTC Color Guard.

■ Nov. 11: A “Salute to Our Veterans” Gathering of Celebration and Recognition will be held on Wednesday, November 11, at 2:30 p.m., at 150 N. Main St., High Springs. This appreciation gathering is provided as a community service by Hospice of Citrus and the Nature Coast, licensed 1985, and is offered to veterans and veteran families at no charge. For information, call Robin Heysel, 386-454-1338 or 866-642-0962 (toll free).

■ Nov. 11: High Springs AARP Membership Meeting, Nov. 11, will have two activities. First, bring canned food donations for Thanksgiving for the St. Madeleine’s Outreach Program. Second is a special guest from The Gainesville T’ai Chi Center to demonstrate T’ai Chi: Moving for Better Balance. This program is designed for people with balance issues; like Parkinson's, vertigo or the natural general weaknesses associated with a sedentary lifestyle. Come join us. The public is welcome. The meeting starts at 11 a.m.. Come early to socialize. Turkey or ham will be provided. Bring a complimentary covered dish to share at the luncheon following the meeting. Join us at St. Madeleine Catholic Church in the Family Life Center building, on Hwy 441 between Alachua and High Springs, 17155 NW US HWY 441, High Springs, Fl., 32643. For more information, call Pres. G. James 386-454-9834.

■ Nov. 12: High Springs Police Chaplains Administration of Oath of Office. High Springs Police Chief Jack Anterio will be administering an Oath of Office to Derek Lambert and Jessica Hall at a small reception commemorating the occasion in front of the First Baptist Church. The Chaplains Program and the reception are both privately funded. Location: 20112 U.S. 441, High Springs. Times: 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

■ Nov. 15: “Rockin' the Gazebo,” presented by the High Springs Music in the Park Series, sponsored by the City of High Springs. Acoustic country from the husband and wife duo; The Gibson's, who are ranked

#1 on the Reverbnation Chart. Opening the show is Cliff Dorsey, co-founder of the Music in the Park Series and a High Springs singer-songwriter. The performances will be held under the grand ol' oaks, James Paul Park. Location: 120 NW Second Ave. Times: 2 – 4 p.m. Organizers urge citizens to bring their own lawn chairs/blankets and refreshments. Pets are welcome.

■ Nov. 15: Antioch M. B. Church, 14330 NW 154th Place Alachua, celebrates 109th year praising God in His Holy temple Sunday, Nov. 15. The 11 a.m. guest will be Rev. Samuel Neal, III, pastor St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, Archer; 3 p.m. guest will be Rev. Charles Lee, Pastor Bethel New Life Church, Newberry. For more information or directions, please call Sylvia Mitchell at 352-870-2780.

■ Nov. 19: Archer Historical Society Meeting. Archer Library Branch, 7 p.m. Henry Shelton, President.

■ Nov. 20: High Springs Annual Tree Lighting. Sponsored by the High Springs Chamber of Commerce near intersection of Main Street and Railroad Avenue, High Springs, starting at dusk, 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

■ Dec. 1: City of Alachua Chamber of Commerce Monthly Meeting. Location: Alachua Lion's Club, 1515 N.W. 142 Terr., Alachua. Time: Noon p.m. RSVP to [email protected] or call 386-462-3333 as this is a catered event and a preliminary head count would be very much appreciated.

■ Dec. 3: Memorial Dedication in Honor of High Springs Town Marshall George Lasrono Bryant, sponsored by the High Springs Police Department. The memory of the High Springs Town Marshall and Alachua County Deputy Sheriff, who served his community until he was shot by Duncan Jordan on Dec. 3, 1908, will be honored. Location: The High Springs Police Department, 110 NW Second Ave. Times: TBA.

■ Dec. 4: City of Alachua Tree Lighting. Friday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m., in front of Alachua City Hall. Join in and sing traditional Christmas songs, greet Santa as he arrives in Alachua and children are invited to join him on Main Street in Hitchcock Theater Park for pictures

and treats. ■ Dec. 4-20: The High

Springs Playhouse Presents: Dashing Through the Snow - a Christmas comedy.Location: High Springs Playhouse, 130 N.E. First Ave., Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. Cost: $12 Adult, $8 Youth (12 and under) and Students with valid I.D., $10 for Seniors (55 and over) on Sundays. If a show is sold out online (HighSpringsPlayhouse.com), tickets may still be available by phoning 386-454-3525.

■ Dec. 8: High Springs Chamber Annual Holiday Social. Location: Great Outdoors Patio, 65

North Main Street, High Springs Time: 5:30 p.m.

■ Dec. 10: Archer Historial Society A Christmas Gathering.Takes place at the Archer Community Center at 6 p.m.

■ Dec. 12: City of Alachua Christmas Parade. Saturday, Dec. 12, lineup at 11 a.m., parade at 2 p.m. along Alachua's Main Street.

■ Dec. 12: Annual Twilight Christmas Parade, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m., sponsored by the High Springs Chamber of Commerce, starting on Main Street near the intersection of NW 2nd Street.

NOTICE TO ALACHUA COUNTY TAXPAYERSChapter 197.122 Florida Statutes provides in part: All owners of property are held to know that taxes are due and payable annually and are responsible for ascertaining the amount of current and delinquent taxes and paying current taxes before the date of delinquency (April 1, 2016).

Pursuant to F.S. Chapter 197.322, notice is hereby given that the 2015 Alachua County tax roll has been delivered by the Property Appraiser to the Tax Collector and is now open for collection. Payment of the 2015 County, Library, School Board, Water Management and Municipal ad valorem taxes and non-ad valorem assessments are accepted at all Tax Collector Office locations, subject to discounts as provided by law.

DISCOUNTS FOR EARLY PAYMENT 4% in November 2% in January 3% in December 1% in February

A tax notice has been mailed to all property owners or their agents at the last known address. Please carefully read the material enclosed with your tax notice. If your tax notice is not received by November 15, 2015, please notify our office at (352) 374-5236 or [email protected].

TAX PAYMENTS ARE ACCEPTED ONLINE AND AT ALL THREE LOCATIONS:

AlachuaCollector.com 12 SE 1st Street, Downtown Admin Bldg 5801 NW 34th Blvd 3207 SW 35th Blvd, Butler Plaza East

(WalmartPlazabehindBonefishGrill)

OfficeHours:8:30AM–4:30PMMonday through Friday

Tax Collector offices will be closed on weekends and the following holidays:

November 11th, 26th, 27th, 2015December 24th, 25th, 2015January 1st, 18th, 2016February 15th, 2016

PAYMENT ALTERNATIVES:Credit Cards are accepted online at AlachuaCollector.com and at all three locations. Debit cards are accepted at all three locations. E-check payments are accepted online at AlachuaCollector.com. A $1.00 transaction fee is added.

We accept - American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. A convenience fee of 2.5% or a $2.50 minimum applies to all credit card payments. A $2.50 convenience fee will be added to pin-debit card payments. (No portion of this fee is retained by the Tax Collector).

John Power, Tax CollectorServing Alachua County

(Published: Alachua County Today - November 5, 2015)

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A4 Alachua County Today VOICE OF THE HEARTLANDS Thursday, November 05, 2015

Hillary: It’s the Sexism, Stupid

Good Times for Hillary

It was inevitable that Bernie Sanders would be accused of sexism sooner or later.

His day came at the signature Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Iowa. Hillary Clinton hit the Vermont senator for saying in the first Democratic debate that “all the shouting in the world” wouldn’t keep guns out of the wrong hands. According to Clinton, Sanders had directed a notoriously sexist insult at her -- although not one of the 15 million people watching at the time had noticed it.

“I haven’t been shouting,” Clinton intoned, “but sometimes when a woman

speaks out, some people think it’s shouting.” What Clinton’s plaint lacked in plausibility, it made up for in bad faith.

Shouting has not typically been considered a loaded term. Sanders didn’t say “screeching.” He didn’t say “nagging.” In fact, he had been saying that shouting is ineffectual in the gun debate long before he was entangled in an argument about gun control with

Hillary Clinton.Nonetheless, Sanders felt compelled

on the CNN show “State of the Union” to tout his record on women’s issues and say, “I think what the secretary is doing there is taking words and misapplying them.” But there he goes again -- suggesting that women aren’t capable of correctly applying words.

Sanders should get used to it. If he remains a threat to Clinton in the early states, he’ll be deemed a cross between Archie Bunker and Andrew Dice Clay. Already, the left-wing publication Salon ran a headline urging on the sisterhood:

“Let’s storm the Sanders’ he-man women-haters club.”

If Hillary is willing to use this tack against Sanders, a down-the-line supporter of the feminist policy agenda, just wait until she gets into a race with Donald Trump, Ted Cruz or any other Republican. No microaggression will be too “micro” to try to use to win a news cycle.

Hillary has already broadcast that she’s going to wield her gender as an all-purpose argument for her candidacy. At the Democratic debate, she said she’s an outsider -- because she’s a woman. She said she wouldn’t simply be the third term of Barack Obama -- because she’s a woman. Hillary clearly doesn’t want anyone to be mistaken about her gender.

Hillary will need to do all she can to motivate women voters to make up for what may well be a historic poor showing among men. In the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, her favorable rating among white men was an abysmal 26 percent.

Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway says there are three positive attributes that voters tend to attribute to women candidates: They are warm and understanding; they are new and fresh; they are honest. Hillary, a partisan warrior who’s been on the national stage for decades, usually trailed by an ethical cloud, is an imperfect vessel for all of those qualities. Which is why she’ll use her gender as a means of attack as much as a selling point.

In Iowa, she defended playing the “gender card,” saying if that’s what it’s called when you stand up for women’s rights, then “deal me in.” Actually, she’ll be doing the dealing, and it will be from the bottom of the deck.

Rich Lowry is editor of the National Review.

(c) 2015 by King Features Synd., Inc.

Alachua County TodayEstablished in 2000

Ellen B. Boukari Bryan Boukari Executive Editor Publisher

Alachua Today, Inc.

Alachua County Today Policy Statement

Alachua County Today is dedicated to reporting news and events relevant to all citizens of the Heartland Commu nities. Above all, the staff is dedicated to policies of fairness and objectivity, and to avoiding what is sometimes characterized as "agenda journalism."

Alachua County Today is not a Republican newspaper, not a Democratic paper. Nor is it a liberal or conservative paper.

Alachua County Today is

a newspaper dedicated to: (1) balanced reporting of news and events relevant to the community, and (2) reporting on all significant social, economic and political issues and problems that the staff believes should be of concern to our readers.

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the management, ownership, reporters, or staff of Alachua County Today.

After Joe Biden announced that he wouldn’t be joining the Democratic fray, I was asked on TV if it meant that Hillary Clinton was “unstoppable” in her march to the party nomination. Overlooking the fact that Bernie Sanders is quite an obstacle, the reality is that there are all kinds of ways that Hillary could fall flat on her face and not get up.

First of all, it’s way too early to draw any conclusions about anything, certainly about inevitability. The first Iowa caucuses

are more than three months away, the nominating convention nine months in the distance, and the general election is over a year forward to the future.

It is certainly true that Hillary is on a hot streak. She performed like a champ in the first Democratic presidential debate, and then before the House Benghazi committee, she took on the Republican assailants, chewed ‘em up and spit ‘em out. In fact, as they came across as petulant children, she would occasionally taunt them, like telling one aggressive questioner, Jim Jordan, a hard-right Republican from Ohio, “I’m sorry it doesn’t fit your narrative, Congressman, I can only tell you what the facts are.”

It went on for the better part of 11 hours, but it was her inquisitors who got turned inside out. They didn’t draw any blood, except maybe their own. The most GOP members could sputter at the end is that they will continue with their investigation. But all they accomplished

with their marathon confrontation with Hillary was to enhance her chances of becoming president.

In truth, the biggest impediment to Hillary Clinton might just be Hillary Clinton. There are still those emails lurking, just waiting to be leaked by one investigator or another. The fact that they are even an issue is a reflection of her discomfort with undergoing the kind of relentless scrutiny that public officials must endure.

She’s surrounded herself with hyperprotective guards who too often bow and scrape before her, while doing whatever it takes to annihilate anyone who dares challenger her. All too often she and they have tried to deflect an inconvenient question by dissembling, or by disdain. The paradoxical result is that they raise suspicions, the kind that her political enemies can exploit.

So yes, Joe Biden has pulled out of the race. His pain over the loss of his son

is easy to understand. But as he and his family heal, he might have the strength to reconsider if all the poking reveals some egregious scandal that can cause Hillary to fall off her pedestal. The Republicans are certainly not going away, in Congress or out. The press isn’t either. If there is a “there” there, someone will find it. If her backers can’t spin her way out of it, then suddenly the party might be seeking a rescuer, a knight in shining armor to take over when the leader falls.

Who might that be? Bernie Sanders? His campaign has inspired the left. But most Americans are centrists, like Joe Biden. And Hillary Clinton. She’s survived the flak she’s gotten so far, but now she must solidify her gains and avoid the inevitable traps out there.

(c) 2015 Bob FrankenDistributed by King Features Synd.

Local News

HIGH SPRINGS – The City of High Springs’ police department was on center stage during the Oct. 22 city commission meeting as High Springs Police Chief Jack Anterio presented two awards to members of his department for outstanding service to the community.

Officer Vernon Higginbotham was singled out for a Certificate of Accommodation and Meritorious Service Award as well as a Life-Saving award for his quick response to an emergency call for help at 7:57 a.m., Oct. 1.

Higginbotham performed CPR to revive a heart attack victim and continued chest compressions for five-to-seven minutes before and after emergency services arrived on the scene, said Anterio.

Unfortunately, the woman passed away three days later in the hospital. “Higginbotham’s actions made it possible for the hospital medical team to attempt further life-saving actions and to give the woman’s family time to say goodbye to her,” Anterio said.

An Administrative Excellence Award was presented to Officer Adam Joy for his exceptional work in coordinating High Springs’ First

Annual National Night Out. “Officer Joy had less than six

weeks to pull the event together and produced above and beyond what anyone would have expected given the time frame he had to work within,” said Anterio. “We had excellent citizen participation and participation by members of the commission to help bring about the event,” he said.

He said that next year would be even bigger and better now that Joy would have more time to plan.



High Springs police officers receive awards

Photos Special to Alachua County Today

L-R: Officer Vernon Higginbotham and Police Chief Jack Anterio

L-R: Officer Adam Joy and Police Chief Jack Anterio

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A5Alachua County Today LOCAL NEWS Thursday, November 05, 2015

Speciality wines available at Island Grove

The four-lane highway has been temporarily reduced to two-lanes as the two northbound lanes are being lowered one foot in order to provide more clearance under the overpass.

The project is part of a $23 million FDOT I-75 improvement in Alachua County, which will also include resurfacing of approximately 12 miles of I-75 between the 441 junction in Alachua and the NW 39th Avenue

junction in Gainesville.The overall project is

expected to last one year.# # #

Email [email protected]

TRAFFIC:Continued from page A1

High Springs woman involved in fatal accident


HIGH SPRINGS – Two people were struck by a van while crossing the roadway on U.S. Highway 441 and S.W. Forest Lawn Way in Columbia County.

The driver of a 2003 Ford Van, 64-year-old Gloria Matchett of High Springs, was heading south on U.S. Hwy.

441 along with her passenger, 18-year-old Johnnie Walker of Lake City, at 8 p.m., Nov. 2. Two pedestrians walking southwest across the road walked into the path of the vehicle.

Paul Pulliam, 51, of Lake City, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident and Beverly Taylor-Labbi, 63, also from Lake City, was

transported to Shands UF in critical condition.

The driver of the van and passenger received no injuries and alcohol was not believed to have been a factor in the incident according to Florida Highway Patrol reports.


WINE:Continued from page A1

Alachua County Todayis your best source for local news - 386.462.3355

Part of $23 million project

The company now sells a variety of specially flavored wines including Sorta Sweet Blueberry Wine, Kinda Dry Blueberry Wine, Rustic Raspberry, Back Porch Peach, Bold Blackberry, Southern Strawberry, and Crisp Green Apple.

Blueberry season runs from March to May, and it is typically about six weeks

long.There are three divisions of the farm:

the farm, the nursery, and the winery. Maribel Lebron, an employee with

the company for 10 years, said the farm mainly handles two types of blueberries.

“You have to have a license to farm blueberries,” Lebron said. “We mainly

handle southern high and rabbiteye blueberries.”

Over 2 million pounds of blueberries are handled every year, according to Lebron.

Another Island Grove Wine Company is scheduled to open in the summer of 2016 in Kissimmee, Florida, according to

Aschliman. For a closer look and an actual taste

of the blueberries and wines offered, the Island Grove Fall Festival will be held at the Winery on Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.


Photos by RAINA BARNETT/Special to Alachua County TodayThe farm, the nursery, and the winery produce and process some two million pounds of blueberries every year in Hawthorne.

A6 Alachua County Today LOCAL NEWS Thursday, November 05, 2015

Rate study underway

Halloween Spooktacular Trick or Treat on

Main Street

MICANOPY FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL

BOB BROWN/Special to Alachua County TodayA row of craft vendors lined up on Cholokka Blvd in front of the historic buildings of down town Micanopy at the Micanopy Fall Harvest Festival. The festival was held this past weekend.

COLORFUL CHARACTERS: Kristen Gilligan hands out candy and a balloon to a visiting astronaut before continuing her walk up and down the packed street of booths, businesses, and families enjoying the Halloween festivities.

HAPP THE CLOWN

CAULDRON CANDY: The cackling witch, Carey Keith, reaches into her cauldron to gather candy for the large costume wearing crowd.

BUILDING BALOONS: Max fills ballloons before passing them out to eager trick-or-treaters at the Christ Central Church booth.

PULLING AHEAD: CJ Ramsey looks at the judges before winning the costume contest. Six different divisions wre held, and winners received gift certificates to local businesses, ribbons and trophies for their creative costumes.

Photos by MELISSA HILLSpecial to Alachua County Today

failure rate. “Of the 1,100 installed grinder pumps, we had service calls on 600 of them last year,” he said. “They will continue to fail and the City has to be prepared to deal with that issue.

“I am hoping this rate increase will pacify the Rural Development Agency that holds our bond,” said Booth. “That’s their leverage over us. I agree that the sewer system is not self-sustaining at this time. It was never meant to be until we had 2,200 customers on that system. That is on the bond documents,” he said. “As we grow, we are adding more people to the system, which will make us more self-sustaining.”

Booth also said the City is no longer advocating grinder pumps for new subdivisions. “We have gone to a gravity system. We will only be replacing failed grinder pumps or installing a few on properties in the same area as all the other grinder pumps have been installed,” he said.

A rate study is being done, but for now Booth says, “The City is between a rock and a hard place when it comes to grinder pumps and the revenue needed to maintain them.”


RATES:Continued from page A1

residents and businesses began to migrate to the new transportation hub.

So it was that Newnansville was slowly abandoned and the City of Alachua created in its stead, leaving Alachua as the inheritor of its history and tradition.

Alachua is the second largest community in the county, with a population of approximately 9,000 as of the 2010 U.S. Census.

It self-identifies as “The Good Life Community,” and when it comes to recreational departments, that is surely the case.

Alachua has one of the area’s more extensive recreation programs, with facilities that range from the Hal Brady Recreation Complex to a downtown baseball field to four neighborhood parks and a Splash Park.

“I’ve lived here for 41 years, and the best thing I ever did was move here,” Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper said.

Mayor Coerper said the underlying motivation for many Alachua residents has been to have a self-sufficient community.

“The universal want here has always been to be able to live, work and play in Alachua,” he said.

Dating back to the town’s relocation from Newnansville to its present site, Mayor Coerper stated that economic prosperity has long been a major priority for the city.

“Alachua has always been a business-minded community,” he said. “It was started by business people and is why it became so successful.”

He also noted that Alachua is not negligent

of its land and heritage, highlighting the over 1,000 acres of environmentally-sensitive land the city has set aside over the past six years as well as the importance of the city’s Downtown Historic District.

Part of Newnansville’s legacy, however, is not positive. As in most small Southern towns (indeed, in every community in Alachua County), vestiges of segregation still exist in the form of distinct sections of the city split between predominantly “white” and “black” populations.

As underscored by Mayor Coerper, leading residents of Alachua still respond to the entrepreneurial drive that motivated their forebears to leave home for economic opportunity: Alachua actively seeks to attract businesses within its borders, having welcomed

the Progress Corporate Park and Dollar General and Wal-Mart Distribution Centers within the past 30 years.

Perhaps in a related way – and somewhat distinctly from most Alachua County communities – Alachua emphasizes community growth more through new expansion and construction than historic or cultural preservation.

The newly-approved master plan for the vast Legacy Park; recent construction of the new City Hall and Police Department complexes; the just-completed Publix shopping center; and the long-disputed proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter are all evidence of the former.

Alachua has at least one potential opportunity for more of the latter: the Newnansville Town Site

itself – though technically just outside the Alachua city limits and already listed on the National Register of Historic Places – remains an untapped cultural and historical goldmine, with incredibly little archaeological work having been performed or even attempted on one of Florida’s earliest and least-disturbed pioneer settlement

sites.Contingent on the

approval of the property owners of the several parcels that comprise the site, perhaps Newnansville still has lessons left to teach.


DAVID S. WISENER/Alachua County TodayA cemetery, a dirt road, and a Florida Historical Marker are all that note the existence of Newnansville, the first major city in Alachua County.

Growth fuels local economy

MINIONS: The two minions exchange greetings and a bookmark at the Alachua County Library table. Bookmarks, rings, stickers, candy and popcorn were just come of the treats Halloween goers could find along Main Street.

STOPPING TRAFFIC: Mariena Myers, a 15-month-old lady bug, manages to cruise down Alachua's Main Street, which was closed off to accommodate the free Trick-Or-Treat on Main Street event.

PROFILE:Continued from page A1

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