thursday, april 6, 2017 melrose clay electric holds annual...

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BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor A Keystone Heights High School student took third place in the Junior Division of the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida last month. Nathan Baxter won in the physics and astronomy category, for his project which generated electricity from sound waves. Five other Clay County students brought home awards from the Lakeland event. They were: Junior Division: Joseph Brooks, Green Cove Springs Junior High School -- honorable mention, animal sciences; Gavin Baker, Green Cove Springs Junior High School – first place, engineering; Ellie Wilhelm, Oakleaf Junior High School recognition, physics and astronomy; Senior Division Sierra Langford, Clay High School – recognition, animal sciences and Michael Mancil, Orange Park High School recognition, engineering; Students who won special awards with cash prizes include: Derick deMontmorency, Green Cove Springs Junior High School; Joseph Brooks, Green Cove Springs Junior High School; Timothy Denney, Orange Park Junior High School; Gavin Baker, Green Cove Springs Junior High School and Jacob Yoast, Oakleaf High School. Elections. BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor Clay County Supervisor of Elections Chris Chambless said that in 2016, for the first time, more Florida voters cast their ballots before election day than on election day. That was one of the trends he discussed during the March 29 meeting of the Keystone Heights Rotary Club. Chambless noted that when early voting debuted in Florida during 2004, less than 20 percent of voters took advantage of the new method. In 2016, however, the percentage of early voters doubled to over 40 percent, while the percentage of election day voters shrunk from over 63 percent in 2004 to 31 percent last year. “Many people believe that early voting increases turnout,” he said. “That’s not correct. All early voting does is provides convenience.” Chambless acknowledged that early voting has encountered some setbacks, as in 2012, when voters complained of long lines and wait times at early voting locations. He blamed those problems on an unusually long ballot, “because we had all those constitutional amendments that were on the ballot.” Chambless added that the Florida Constitutional Revision Commission just started deliberations. That commission has the power to place constitutional amendments on the ballot without going through the legislature or the petition process. “I think that the last time the CRC was in place, they placed [email protected] www.StarkeJournal.com Deadline Monday 5 p.m. before publication Phone 352-473-2210 Fax 352-473-2210 Y M USPS 114-170 — Keystone Heights, Florida Thursday, April 6, 2017 43 rd Year — 48 th Issue — 75 CENTS Weekend weather: Lows in the 40s, highs in the 70s Thursday - Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8 a.m. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 74. Breezy, with a west wind 11 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Thursday Night - Mostly clear, with a low around 46. Northwest wind 6 to 8 mph. Friday - Sunny, with a high near 72. Breezy. Friday Night - Mostly clear, with a low around 43. Saturday - Sunny, with a high near 71. Saturday Night - Mostly clear, with a low around 43. Sunday - Sunny, with a high near 78. Sunday Night - Clear, with a low around 50. Monday - Sunny, with a high near 81. Monday Night - Mostly clear, with a low around 55. Tuesday - Sunny, with a high near 82. Worth noting Lake Region Lent Lunches Continuing the tradition for the 31 st year, the Lake Region community will gather together during Lent. Lunch is served at 12 noon followed by music from local talent and dynamic messages by ministers from our area. A freewill offering will be accepted for the meal. April 12- Host Church: First Baptist Church, Keystone Heights, Speaker: Walter Lewis, Pastor, Divine Deliverance Church of God by Faith. Knights Of Columbus Fish Fries St. William’s Church Hall. Dine in or take out from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. The dinners will be on March 10, 17, 24, 31 and April 7. Fish $8 child 4-11 ($4) 12 Shrimp $12 child ($6) Combo $10 child ($5) All dinners come with fries or grits, corn nuggets, dessert and drink. Beach Pavilion Workshop The City of Keystone Height’s Heritage Commission will hold a public visioning workshop on Thursday April 6, at 6:30 p.m. at the Beach Pavilion. The purposes of the workshop are to gather ideas as to the future uses of the Pavilion, and to share memories of the public as to past uses. Architect Don Morgan, a member of the Commission, will display drawings of the pavilion he has prepared which show a possible renovation of the 1924 landmark, including rebuilding the original band shell. After the workshop the Commission will make recommendations as to the possible renovation of, and uses for, the pavilion to the City Council. The workshop is open to all who are interested in the pavilion, residents and non- residents of the City of Keystone Heights alike. Attendees are encouraged to bring old photographs of the pavilion they may have. The commission will scan and return them. Rummage Sale Community Church is holding a rummage sale Thursday through Saturday, April 6 through 8. Thursday, April 6: Early Bird Shopping, $5/family entry Open 4-7 PM Friday, April 7: Open from 9-1. Saturday April 8: $1/bag day Open from 9-Noon Lake Region Kiwanis Presents the Easter Sunrise Service On April 16 at 6:30 a.m. the Lake Region Kiwanis will host the Easter Sunrise Service on beautiful Lake Geneva at Keystone Beach. Each year this event provides a wonderful, laid back service with beautiful music and an Easter message. The message will be presented by a Lake Region speaker. Putnam Hall Memorial Walk April 8. Program begins at 11:30, walk at noon. Arbor Day Festival The Garden Club of the Lakes announces that the annual Arbor Day Festival on April 29th at the Nature Park and Town Hall in Keystone Heights will have several new added features this year and is free and open to the public. Arts and Crafts Sale Gadara Baptist Church’s youth group will hold an arts and crafts sale on Saturday April 8, beginning at 8 a.m. to raise money for summer camp. The sale will be at the church. Viola Riebe Viola Riebe Receives Garden Club April Yard of the Month Award BY TONI DAVIS Garden Club of the Lakes The Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Garden Club of the Lakes has awarded the April Yard of the Month to Viola Riebe at 550 S.E. 4th Ave., in Melrose. Viola moved to Melrose in 1996 from Northern California. Viola spends a lot of time in her yard. She has a large window box in front with the flowers changing with the holidays and seasons. The poinsettias will shortly be replaced by red geraniums. She also has big hanging baskets of petunias on the deck in the back yard. Some of the other plants in Viola’s yard are a huge viburnum hedge in full bloom, several varieties and colors of azaleas with blooms just fading, snapdragons, firecracker bush, cactus, oleander, periwinkles, kumquats, cedar tree, gardenia, philodendron, camellia, boxwood, pittosporum, holly fern, water oaks, coonti, lantana, See YARD, 3A Early voting overtakes election day Clay County Supervisor of Elections Chris Chambless speaks to the Keystone Heights Rotary Club on March 29. Also pictured is Karen Lake. Clay Electric holds annual meeting BY JAMES WILLIAMS Staff writer At Clay Electric’s annual membership meeting on March 30, Member and Public Relations Director Derek Thomas was laying out stage instructions during awards to 35-, 30-, 25- and 20-year employees about to receive an award for lengthy service. “If you would, once you receive the award, please exit on that side of the stage,” Thomas said, pointing to his left, then adding, “That’s one change we’ve made after 79 years.” The audience didn’t laugh, but some on- and off-stage insiders did. To casual observers, there was absolutely nothing new or different about the annual membership meeting, but on closer inspection, the day could have been a study in equilibrium and change. CEO, Ricky Davis joined Clay Electric in 1973. Along the way from then to now, he left the co-operative for an engineering Melrose woman killed over television BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said a Melrose man fatally shot his wife Saturday afternoon while the two argued about television. In a news release, Capt. Hancel Woods said deputies responded to a residence on Country Living Circle and found 70-year-old See STEELE, 2A Director of Member and Public Relations Derick Thomas hands the keys to a 2007 Chevrolet Colorado to Katelyn Parker of Melrose. The truck was the grand door prize at the co-op’s annual meeting this year. See VOTERS, 2A See CLAY, 4A Baxter Keystone student takes third at state science fair

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BY DAN HILDEBRANMonitor Editor

A Keystone Heights High School student took third place in the Junior Division of the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida last month.

Nathan Baxter won in the physics and astronomy category, for his project which generated electricity from sound waves.

Five other Clay County students brought home awards from the Lakeland event. They were:

Junior Division:Joseph Brooks, Green Cove

Springs Junior High School -- honorable mention, animal sciences;

Gavin Baker, Green Cove Springs Junior High School – first place, engineering;

Ellie Wilhelm, Oakleaf Junior High School – recognition, physics and astronomy;

Senior DivisionSierra Langford, Clay High

School – recognition, animal sciences and

Michael Mancil, Orange Park High School – recognition, engineering;

Students who won special

awards with cash prizes include:Derick deMontmorency,

Green Cove Springs Junior High School;

Joseph Brooks, Green Cove Springs Junior High School;

Timothy Denney, Orange Park Junior High School;

Gavin Baker, Green Cove Springs Junior High School and

Jacob Yoast, Oakleaf High School.

Elections.BY DAN HILDEBRAN

Monitor EditorClay County Supervisor of

Elections Chris Chambless said that in 2016, for the first time, more Florida voters cast their ballots before election day than on election day.

That was one of the trends he discussed during the March 29 meeting of the Keystone Heights Rotary Club.

Chambless noted that when early voting debuted in Florida during 2004, less than 20 percent of voters took advantage of the new method. In 2016, however, the percentage of early voters doubled to over 40 percent, while the percentage of election day voters shrunk from over 63 percent in 2004 to 31 percent last year.

“Many people believe that early voting increases turnout,” he said. “That’s not correct. All early voting does is provides convenience.”

Chambless acknowledged that early voting has encountered some setbacks, as in 2012, when voters complained of long lines and wait times at early voting locations.

He blamed those problems on an unusually long ballot, “because we had all those constitutional amendments that were on the ballot.”

Chambless added that the Florida Constitutional Revision Commission just started deliberations. That commission

has the power to place constitutional amendments on the ballot without going through the legislature or the petition process.

“I think that the last time the CRC was in place, they placed

[email protected] • www.StarkeJournal.comDeadline Monday 5 p.m. before publication • Phone 352-473-2210 • Fax 352-473-2210

Y M

C K

USPS 114-170 — Keystone Heights, Florida Thursday, April 6, 2017 43rd Year — 48th Issue — 75 CENTS

Weekend weather: Lows in the 40s, highs in the 70s

Thursday - Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8 a.m. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 74. Breezy, with a west wind 11 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.Thursday Night - Mostly clear, with a low around 46. Northwest wind 6 to 8 mph.Friday - Sunny, with a high near 72. Breezy.Friday Night - Mostly clear, with a low around 43.Saturday - Sunny, with a high near 71.Saturday Night - Mostly clear, with a low around 43.Sunday - Sunny, with a high near 78.Sunday Night - Clear, with a low around 50.Monday - Sunny, with a high near 81.Monday Night - Mostly clear, with a low around 55.Tuesday - Sunny, with a high near 82.

Worth notingLake Region Lent Lunches

Continuing the tradition for the 31st year, the Lake Region community will gather together during Lent. Lunch is served at 12 noon followed by music from local talent and dynamic messages by ministers from our area. A freewill offering will be accepted for the meal.

April 12- Host Church: First Baptist Church, Keystone Heights, Speaker: Walter Lewis, Pastor, Divine Deliverance Church of God by Faith.

Knights Of Columbus Fish Fries

St. William’s Church Hall. Dine in or take out from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m.

The dinners will be on March 10, 17, 24, 31 and April 7.

Fish $8 child 4-11 ($4)12 Shrimp $12 child ($6)Combo $10 child ($5)All dinners come with fries or

grits, corn nuggets, dessert and drink.

Beach Pavilion Workshop

The City of Keystone Height’s Heritage Commission will hold a public visioning workshop on Thursday April 6, at 6:30 p.m. at the Beach Pavilion. The purposes of the workshop are to gather ideas as to the future uses of the Pavilion, and to share memories of the public as to past uses. Architect Don Morgan, a member of the Commission, will display drawings of the pavilion he has prepared which show a possible renovation of the 1924 landmark, including rebuilding the original band shell. After the workshop the Commission will make recommendations as to the possible renovation of, and uses for, the pavilion to the City Council. The workshop is open to all who are interested in the pavilion, residents and non-residents of the City of Keystone Heights alike.

Attendees are encouraged to bring old photographs of the pavilion they may have. The commission will scan and return them.

Rummage SaleCommunity Church is holding

a rummage sale Thursday through Saturday, April 6 through 8.

Thursday, April 6: Early Bird Shopping, $5/family entry Open 4-7 PM

Friday, April 7: Open from 9-1.

Saturday April 8: $1/bag day Open from 9-Noon

Lake Region Kiwanis Presents

the Easter Sunrise ServiceOn April 16 at 6:30 a.m.

the Lake Region Kiwanis will host the Easter Sunrise Service on beautiful Lake Geneva at Keystone Beach.

Each year this event provides a wonderful, laid back service with beautiful music and an Easter message. The message will be presented by a Lake Region speaker.

Putnam Hall Memorial Walk

April 8. Program begins at 11:30, walk at noon.

Arbor Day Festival

The Garden Club of the Lakes announces that the annual Arbor Day Festival on April 29th at the Nature Park and Town Hall in Keystone Heights will have several new added features this year and is free and open to the public.

Arts and Crafts Sale

Gadara Baptist Church’s youth group will hold an arts and crafts sale on Saturday April 8, beginning at 8 a.m. to raise money for summer camp. The sale will be at the church. Viola Riebe

Viola Riebe Receives Garden Club April Yard of the Month AwardBY TONI DAVIS

Garden Club of the LakesThe Florida Federation of

Garden Clubs, Garden Club of the Lakes has awarded the April Yard of the Month to Viola Riebe at 550 S.E. 4th Ave., in Melrose. Viola moved to Melrose in 1996 from Northern California.

Viola spends a lot of time in her yard. She has a large window box in front with the flowers changing with the holidays and seasons. The poinsettias will shortly be replaced by red geraniums. She also has big hanging baskets of petunias on the deck in the back yard.

Some of the other plants in Viola’s yard are a huge viburnum hedge in full bloom, several varieties and colors of azaleas with blooms just fading, snapdragons, firecracker bush, cactus, oleander, periwinkles, kumquats, cedar tree, gardenia, philodendron, camellia, boxwood, pittosporum, holly fern, water oaks, coonti, lantana,

See YARD, 3A

Early voting overtakes election day

Clay County Supervisor of Elections Chris Chambless speaks to the Keystone Heights Rotary Club on March

29. Also pictured is Karen Lake.

Clay Electric holds annual meetingBY JAMES WILLIAMS

Staff writerAt Clay Electric’s annual

membership meeting on March 30, Member and Public Relations Director Derek Thomas was laying out stage instructions during awards to 35-, 30-, 25- and 20-year employees about to receive an award for lengthy service.

“If you would, once you receive the award, please exit on that side of the stage,” Thomas said, pointing to his left, then adding, “That’s one change we’ve made after 79 years.” The audience didn’t laugh, but some on- and off-stage insiders did.

To casual observers, there was absolutely nothing new or different about the annual membership meeting, but on closer inspection, the day could have been a study in equilibrium and change.

CEO, Ricky Davis joined Clay Electric in 1973. Along the way from then to now, he left the co-operative for an engineering

Melrose woman killed over television

BY DAN HILDEBRANMonitor Editor

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said a Melrose man fatally shot his wife Saturday afternoon

while the two argued about television.

In a news release, Capt. Hancel Woods said deputies responded to a residence on Country Living Circle and found 70-year-old

See STEELE, 2ADirector of Member and Public Relations Derick Thomas hands the keys to a 2007

Chevrolet Colorado to Katelyn Parker of Melrose. The truck was the grand door prize at the co-op’s annual meeting this year.

See VOTERS, 2A

See CLAY, 4A

Baxter

Keystone student takes third at state science fair

2A Lake Region Monitor • Thursday, April 6, 2017

Government and politics Public Safety

When early voting debuted in Florida during 2004, less than 20 percent of voters took advantage of the new method. In 2016, however, the percentage of early voters doubled to over 40 percent, while the percentage of election day voters shrunk from

over 63 percent in 2004 to 31 percent last year. Chart: Clay County Supervisor of

13 items on the ballot,” he said, warning of future long waits at early voting sites. “There’s an opportunity for us to have a very long ballot.”

In 2014, the Presidential Commission on Election Administration recommended that voters stand in line at polling places no more than 30 minutes.

“In Clay County, we’ve done very well with that,” he said.

Emergence of no party affi liation

Chambless said that in 1972, around 70 percent of Florida voters were registered Democrats, around 30 percent were Republicans and virtually none were in minor parties or registered under no party affiliation.

However, by 2016, Democratic registration had fallen to 38 percent, Republicans climbed to 36 percent, but minor parties and no-party-affiliation registration leaped to 26 percent.

Based on that trend, Chambless predicted a strong showing by a third-party, or no-party presidential candidate in the near future.

Turnout and registration

Chambless also discussed voter turnout in the state since 1982, which spiked to 87 percent when the eight-is-enough term limit initiative for legislators was on the ballot.

Thereafter, turnout plunged to the mid-60s though 2002. Chambless blamed the drop on the 1993 motor-voter law which allowed people to register to vote when obtaining a driver’s license.

He said that while the act increased the number of people registered to vote, it did not similarly increase the number of people who voted, therefore lowering the turnout rate.

Chambless added that there is a bill now in the Florida Legislature that would carry motor-voter to a whole new level. The proposal would automatically register everyone who obtains a driver’s license as a new voter.

“I think that’s a terrible idea,” he said.

He said that online voter registration will become a reality this October, and that automatic registration will balloon voting rolls with people who have no interest in voting.

“I think that it is important to

note that automatic registration would do nothing more than make elections administration a much higher cost,” he said.

Chambless explained that Supervisors of Elections perform list maintenance in off-election years in which they send certified mail to registered voters whom have not voted in several cycles.

He said the automatic registration measure would swell the Clay County rolls from 150,000 to over 200,000.

“Those are individuals that are not inclined to go out and vote,”

he said of the additional voters who would be automatically registered, “because they weren’t inclined to go out and register to vote.”

He said certified mail costs anywhere between $5 and $8 each, with around 30,000 pieces going out now for list maintenance. He said that number could grow to 80,000 people under automatic registration.

Battleground Florida

Chambless said that with the exception of 1960 and 1992, Florida voters correctly picked the winner of the presidential general election.

In the Sunshine State, less than 1.3 percentage points have separated the winners and

losers of every presidential and gubernatorial general election since 2010. Rick Scott beat Alex Sink by 1.2 percent in 2010, Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney in 2012 by 0.9 percent, Scott beat Charlie Crist in 2014 by 1.1 percent and Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton last year by 1.2 percent.

“When they say Florida is the premier battleground state, they mean it,” he said.

Chambless added that of the over 50 million Florida votes cast for president since 1992, only 12,000 separate the Republican and Democratic candidates.

“We’re talking about 0.02 percent,” he said. “You want to know why everybody comes to Florida? That, right there.

Chambless also noted that the nation’s largest state: California consistently votes Democrat and the second-largest state: Texas is a reliable GOP stronghold. That leaves Florida, now the third-largest state with 29 electoral votes, and a tossup.

“There was more money (spent) on TV spots in Orlando and Tampa than any other media market in the nation,” he said of the 2016 presidential election.

Interstate 4, the cross-Florida freeway that connects Daytona Beach, Orlando and Tampa Bay, touches 18 counties that are home to over 40 percent of the state’s voters.

Chambless said it should surprise no one that presidential candidates and national parties refer to I-4 as the “highway to heaven.”

Report: Man swiped 14 cartons of cigs from c-store

Isaac Dequan Blake, 34, of Jacksonville was arrested March 31 by Clay deputies for unarmed robbery. According to court papers, on Sept. 10, defendant’s accomplice distracted a

cashier at the Kangaroo Express at 1890 Kingsley Avenue while the defendant jumped over a counter and took 14 cartons of cigarettes. The cashier told deputies that she tried to stop the defendant, but he struck her in the face, causing her to fall to the ground. Jacksonville deputies arrested both defendants after they were spotted driving a U-Haul vehicle that matched the description of the vehicle used in the robbery. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is investigating other robberies, allegedly committed by the pair.

Pawn shop employee arrested for sloppy paperwork

Lilia Yein Buckner, 43, of Orange Park was arrested for

violating second hand dealer reporting requirements and holding periods. According to court papers, while

investigating a theft, a deputy discovered that Eldorado Gold and Silver, at 920-7 Blanding Boulevard wrote 165 tickets for receiving second hand merchandise during January, and all 165 had reporting violations, including the requirement to photograph merchandise received.

In addition, Florida law requires second hand dealers to turn over to law enforcement, within 24 hours of each transaction, a report detailing the transaction. The deputy discovered that Eldorado failed to timely report the 165 January transactions, resulting in 330 total violations.

The deputy also noted additional violations in an affidavit for arrest warrant.

Man creates disturbance at fair

Dwayne Kirk Tennent, 39, of Keystone Heights was arrested April 1 by Clay deputies for

disorderly conduct and resisting an officer. According to an arrest report, the defendant tried to enter the Clay County

Fair after the gates had closed. When gate keepers refused to admit him, he sat on a nearby bench, then attempted to enter again, pushing aside two fair volunteers. An off-duty deputy working security at the event escorted the defendant out of the fair. The deputy wrote that after several verbal exchanges, the defendant “turned towards (me) in an aggressive manner and he was taken to the ground.”

The deputy added that while he and three additional officers tried to handcuff the man, “he began tensing/bracing himself in an attempt to keep from being handcuffed.

“While the defendant was resisti ng he also sustained minor facial injuries,” the lawman wrote.

Barbara Brown Steele with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

The victim was transported to UF Shands in Gainesville where she was pronounced dead.

Detectives interviewed the victim’s husband: 69-year-old Eddie Henry Steele about the shooting.

“The investigation revealed the incident was domestic in nature and escalated from an argument between the two over watching television,” Hancel said.

Deputies arrested the husband for first-degree murder.

STEELEContinued from 2A

Chambless added that of the over 50 million Florida votes cast for president since 1992, only 12,000 separate the Republican and Democratic candidates.

“We’re talking about 0.02 percent,” he said. “You want to know why everybody comes to Florida? That, right there.

Melrose Church of Christ352-672-0920 • 8702 SR 21 Melrose

(1-1/4 mi. N. of traffic light)Preacher: Gene Morgan • Bible Study: Sunday 9 AM • Worship Service 10 am & 6 pm

Ladies’ Bible Study: Fri. 4:00 PM • Mid-week Bible Study: Wed. 7:30 PM

: What is the inheritance for Christians who remain faithful to the end?

: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an

reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy, inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—

USPS 114-170Published each Thursday and entered as Periodical Postage

Paid at Keystone Heights, Florida under Act of March 3, 1879.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:

Lake Region MonitorP.O. Drawer A - Starke, FL 32091

7382 SR 21 - Keystone Heights, FL 32656Phone: (352) 473-2210 • (352) 473-6721

John M. Miller, PublisherSubscription Rate in Trade Area $39.00 per year: $20.00 six monthsOutside Trade Area: $39.00 per year:$20.00 six months

Editor: Dan HildebranSports Editor: Cliff SmelleyAdvertising: Kevin MillerTypesetting: Eileen GilmoreAdvertising &Newspaper Prod: C. HurstonBookkeeping & Classified Adverts: Heather WheelerBookkeeping Asst: Linda LacombeFront office Asst: Beth Tillman

Lake Region Monitor

Crime scenes

Keystone man claims squatters set him up

James Curtis Cook, 71 of Keystone Heights was arrested April 1 by Clay deputies for battery. According to an arrest report, the defendant shoved a woman that was attempting to retrieve her food from his freezer. The victim lives next

door to the defendant and is allowed into areas of the defendant’s house to use the restroom and store food.

A deputy arrested the defendant after interviewing the victim, defendant and witnesses.

After he was released from jail, Cook told the Monitor that he was set up after he attempted to have squatters evicted from his house.

He said the trouble began three months ago when he allowed his granddaughter to move in. She brought with her an adult and two children. Cook claimed that five additional children soon followed, and now the enlarging group has taken over three more residences in his neighborhood, south of Postmasters’ Village on C.R. 214.

Cook’s granddaughter was not at the home when visited by the Monitor. However, the victim of the battery case was, and she called Cook’s claims false.

VOTERSContinued from 1A

Thursday, April 6, 2017 • Lake Region Monitor 3A

Environment

Arts and community

Strawberry Festival this weekendCrystal Lake resident reappointed to St. Johns River Water Management District Board

Gov. Rick Scott announced one appointment and one reappointment to the Governing Board of the St. Johns River Water Management District.

Susan Dolan, 51, of Longwood, is the director of community affairs for Waste Pro of Florida Inc. She is also the Republican State Committeewoman representing Seminole County and the President of the Deland Chamber of Commerce.

Dolan succeeds Maryam Ghyabi, whose term ended in March 2017. The appointment takes effect immediately and runs through March 1, 2021.

Douglas Burnett, 72, of Crystal Lake, is the president of Doug Burnett and Associates, LLC. He is reappointed for a term beginning March 31, 2017,

and ending March 1, 2021.Burnett is a retired major

general with the Florida National Guard, having served during his 47-year tenure as a tactical fighter and airline pilot, technical and personnel program

manager, and a commanding officer.

“The leadership, experience and knowledge of our board sustains our work to conserve and improve our water,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Dr. Ann Shortelle. “We’re proud to have Mr. Burnett and Ms. Dolan serve on our already outstanding board that continues to prioritize projects that ensure the future of our water resources.”

“It’s an honor to be chosen to serve on the district’s governing board,” said Governing Board Member Susan Dolan. “I look forward to putting my experience and leadership skills to work for both our residents and natural resources.”

The nine-member governing board sets policies and procedures for the operation of the district. The board holds monthly public meetings and members serve without compensation.

The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

Burnett Dolan

In its 19th year, the Bradford County Strawberry festival is still growing, both in what it offers and in the number of visitors it brings to downtown Starke.

Last year, the festival broke a record for the number of vendors who signed up, and North Florida Regional Chamber of Commerce President Pam Whittle said they have broken that record again.

One-hundred eighty vendors of all types will set up downtown during the two-day festival April 8 and 9. They include returning vendors and some new things you may never have heard of like anthill art, which Whittle explained is made by pouring molten metal into large anthills. The intricate pathways mold the metal into abstract and completely unique works of art.

But if you’d rather have jewelry, clothing, accessories, quilts, kitchenware or furniture, that and a lot more can be found lining the streets of downtown during the Strawberry Festival.

And, yes, that includes strawberries and other produce from local growers. Whittle confirmed production is up, which is good, because on top of the flats festival-goers carry away, there are always a number of local groups raising money through the sale of strawberry shortcake.

Other food for sale includes barbecue, seafood, country cooking, smoothies and more!

Entry and parking are always free. Vendors charge for their products, of course, but there’s no cost to browse or enjoy the entertainment.

Tickets for the rides are sold for $1 each, with each ride requiring two to seven tickets,

and the helicopter rides are $25 a person. A $5 wrist band will grant kids access to all the inflatables in the play zone, including the Sports Center bounce house, the Rainbow Water Slide, the Princess Castle bounce house and the Fun House Play Zone.

Other rides and games from Spotlight Amusements include the kids Ferris wheel, the Buzz Lightyear space ships, the Crazy Worm train, pony rides, a bungee trampoline, walking water bubbles, darts, basketball and fishing.

Other than the helicopter, which will be taking off from city hall and giving passengers a bird’s eye view of Starke, the other rides will be set up at the Downtown Square near the stage, from which entertainers will be playing both days. The lineup includes Bradford Fest Talent Showdown winners Southern Sass at 11 a.m. on Saturday, followed by Brett Russell at 1 p.m., Southern Burn at 3 p.m. and South of Savannah at 5 p.m. On Sunday, John Emil will perform at noon, followed by Frazzled at 1:30 p.m. and Creature at 3:30 p.m.

If you would like to help raise some money for the Relay for Life’s fight against cancer while getting some exercise, join the Shands Starke Disney Dreamers for the Strawberry Stampede 5K Fun Run. The race walk will begin and end at the Downtown Square at 8 a.m. on Saturday. It is open to all ages, and the entry fee varies from $15 to $25. Adding to the fun, there will be prizes for the best costumes! Register online by going to http://bit.ly/2nyA4hX, and don’t forget to enter your shirt size for your free Strawberry Stampede T-shirt.

Word gets out via hotel-tax-sponsored television and other advertisements, attracting thousands to the festival each year. That’s good for the festival, but it’s also good for merchants and restaurants downtown who will be open for business right alongside the street vendors.

The Strawberry Festival will take place April 8 and 9. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The festival is pet friendly, and there are conveniences like ATM machines, cell phone charging stations and free train rides down Call Street.

Call Street from U.S. 301 to Water Street will be closed beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 7, to begin setup, which means traffic will also be blocked from crossing Call at Walnut, Thompson, Cherry and Church.

For more, visit www.bradfordcountystrawberryfestival.com or look for the festival on Facebook.

You can also drop by the chamber of commerce office at 100 E. Call St. to pick up a festival T-shirt. They are available now.

beauty-berry, youpon holly, hydrangea, Christmas cactus, and bleeding heart vines.

The Garden Club of the Lakes is always looking for new members with an interest in gardening and/or flower arranging. The meetings are at Faith Presbyterian Church in Midway

at S.R. 21 and Southeast C.R. 21B between Keystone Heights and Melrose. The meetings are on the second Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. to noon from September through May. We have delicious refreshments and a horticulture program. Members share advice from their experience and plants and seeds from their yards. Visitors are always welcome; please join

us. The next meeting is on April 13.

To nominate a friend, neighbor or yourself for Yard of the Month, please call Garden Club of the Lakes President, Jackie Host, at 352-473-8095, Ya rd of the Month Chairman, Toni Davis, at 352-475-3146, or any of our club members.

YARDContinued from 1A

AMVETS post 86 hosts dart tourney

On Saturday, April 1, AMVETS POST 86 held its 3rd Annual King and Queen Dart Tournament. The-all day event had 27 pairs (one king and one queen) competing for

the crown of the best dart throwers. The winners and runners-up are shown.Front row from right to left: Terry Meek, Tom Roberts, Paula Witzke, Cacy Meek and

Nasty Combs. Back row. Gail Haymen, Charlie Woinski, Larry Witzke and Nancy Woinski. Not pictured Sherri Smith. 1st place Paula & Larry Witzke 2nd place Nasty

Combs and Cacy Meek. 3rd place Terry Meek and Sherri Smith. 4th place Tom Roberts and Gail Heyman. Photo: AMVETS Post 86

Squatters & Homeless Peoplehave taken over my home in the

Postmasters VillageCAN YOU HELP ME PLEASE?

Jim Cook (352) 478-1165email: [email protected]

Other than the helicopter, which will be taking off from city hall and giving passengers a bird’s eye view of Starke, the other rides will be set up at the Downtown Square near the stage, from which entertainers will be playing both days.

Shots fi red during traffi c stop

William Alexander Gaspard, 29, of Middleburg was arrested

by Clay deputies on April 1 for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with intent to commit a

felony, possession of cocaine, possession of drug equipment and resisting an officer.

According to an arrest report, a deputy pulled over the defendant in Orange Park during a traffic stop for an inoperable tail light.

After a sheriff’s office dog alerted deputies to the possibility of drugs in the vehicle, and as

an officer attempted to remove the defendant from the car, the defendant drove off, briefly dragging one deputy along with the car.

Another officer fired a round at the fleeing vehicle. No one was hit. Another deputy had to jump to avoid being hit by the car.

After a brief chase, the defendant stopped the car and attempted to flee on foot.

Deputies caught the man and struggled to handcuff him while he resisted their efforts.

Officers later found drugs and drug equipment in the vehicle.

Man arrested for battering pregnant woman

Anthony R.I. Jean Piere was arrested April 2 by Clay deputies

for domestic aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony, domestic aggravated battery on a pregnant female and adult false imprisonment. According to an arrest report, the victim and defendant were arguing outside their residence, and the victim walked to their bedroom to retrieve shoes for their one-year-old daughter. The defendant followed the victim to the room, pushed the victim down onto a couch and sat on her lap to prevent her from moving. The victim is four-months pregnant. The defendant then moved a dresser in front of the door to prevent the victim from leaving and brandished a shotgun as a threat. The victim eventually pushed the defendant aside and moved the dresser, allowing herself and her daughter to escape.

4A Lake Region Monitor • Thursday, Thursday, April 6, 2017

Business and real estate

degree, returned and climbed the ladder of company management until in 2009, Davis was named general manager and CEO following the death of Bill Phillips.

Davis is at best a quiet proponent of change, if at all; but simply by virtue of the fact that he’s there, he cannot help but instigate it. Active or not, 21st-Century change may become Davis’s legacy.

Not mentioned much at the meeting, but certainly seen, were not one, but two large new co-op buildings on a hill next door; both of them nearing completion. The land on which they sit used to be the meeting’s main parking lot. Not this year.

The co-op used the former recreation field across the road from Keystone’s elementary and high schools as a subsidiary lot. Efficient Clay Transit buses with an accessibility lift ran on a rotating schedule from the field to the big tent on S.R. 100.

Change is rarely easy. Impatient or uninformed drivers parked in alleys, city rights-of-way and empty spots around the co-op’s compound. In time, members will head automatically to the recreation field, perhaps even if the co-op

turns its current building into a parking lot.

The co-op is aware of the change inside and outside its corporate offices.

“We’re subject to the same changes in demographics everybody else is,” Thomas told this reporter, backstage before the meeting.

The day before, Clay Supervisor of Elections Chris Chambless had noted at a Rotary meeting, for example, that the Clay County population is increasingly voting early or by mail. Thomas and Manager of Communications Wayne Mattox acknowledged that co-op members are also increasingly choosing to mail in their Board of Trustee ballots.

And no wonder. co-op members who voted by mail-in ballot were entered into a special prize drawing for five different bill credit prizes. Barbara Hamrick of Astor won the $500 bill credit. Peter Brunson of Gainesville won the $250 bill credit. Winners of the $50 bill credits were: John Christian of Citra; Michael Generale of Merritt Island; Dewey Lolley of Fleming Island; Sandra Gardner of Keystone Heights; Marlene Cooper of Middleburg; Eric Fenclau of Silver Springs; Robert Weldon of Orange Park; Maria Velez of Orange Park;

Edd Shedd of Green Cove Springs; Pamela Medina of Green Cove Springs; Steven Bos of Gainesville; and Karen Robertson of Silver Springs.

Stasis is not necessarily a bad thing. Members of the co-op’s board of trustees have lengthy terms of service. The longest-serving member is Susan Reeves of the Hawthorne district: she’s been a trustee for 37 years now. For District 2: Palatka, 30-year incumbent Kelley Smith was re-elected with 1,514 votes; Carl Malphurs, incumbent trustee for District 4: Alachua, a trustee for seven years, re-elected with 1,483 votes. Jimmy Wilson, incumbent for District 6: Middleburg, three years, was re-elected with 1,499 votes.

Even at their best elections with opposing candidates can end in community disappointments and hurt feelings. By contrast, the co-op members seem to get a kick out of coming to the meeting each year to vote for an incumbent they already know and trust.

They may be slow to admit it, but members also come to the event for prizes. Some of those were handed out free at health and energy fairs that morning. Others lined the front of the stage inside the tent, everything from toys and household items to media equipment. But the grand prize is always a repurposed pickup truck.

Gena and Edward Birchfield from Lake Asbury attended last week’s meeting for the first time ever. They’ve been retired for a while, with plenty of free time on their hands. What prompted them to come this year?

“Well, our daughter needs a

Youth Challenge cadets wait backstage to present the colors. They are, front to back, Cadets Osborn, Miller,

Foley, Mobley, Smith and Butler. Their first names were not given.

Dine. Shop. Buy.L O C A L L Y

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• Churches, Church Groups & Events• Senior Citizens Organizations• Food Banks• Health & Wellness Programs• Veterans Groups & Events

When local businesses do well, so do students, schools and the valuable local organizations which help build and strengthen the fabric of our community. Your local merchant wants to help support these community groups and activities, but they need your support in order to continue.Fulfill your family’s wants and needs by buying locally! Invest in your own community by supporting local businesses.

SUPPORT • STRENGTHEN • BUILD OUR COMMUNITY

Gena Birchfield and her husband, Edward, came to Clay Electric’s annual membership meeting thinking they

might win the grand prize.

Lynn Janowski, Wayne Irwin and Jesse Coyle were at the energy fair to represent Pure Energy Systems, a

solar company. Wayne said they have been in business for 15 years and by now have “installed hundreds, if not

thousands” of solar energy systems.

Keeping up with current trends in facial hair are Colton Griffis, 23, and Dwayne Law, 26. Both are co-op

employees from the Lake City District.

Debbie Strickland, (left) is from Haven Hospice, Palatka; Alena Trella is Director of the Melrose

Senior Healthcare Center. Both were at the health fair to spread the word

about Lake Region health services for seniors and others. Representatives

from Shands at Starke were also in attendance and

helped organize the health fair.

Board of Trustees President Dewitt Hersey salutes the flags, presented by cadets from the Youth Challenge

Academy.

(L-r) Jessica Simmons, Edwina Painter and Amanda Gathright fed Youth Challenge cadets and maintained

a supply of liquids for visitors and staff. A secretary in communications, Painter has ordered the big tent 27

years in a row.

The old and the new: on display was an early Clay

Electric truck, a 3100 Chevrolet, circa 1937-38.

The newest edition of a Co-op truck is this fully equipped bucket truck whose lift extends upward 95 feet.

Guests enjoying chicken dinners this year were men working on the new buildings going up next door. Among those were, (l-r) Richard Wilson of Lake City, and roofers

L.C. Gibson and Mark Bonaccorso from Orange Park.

CEO Ricky Davis

See CO-OP, 5A

CLAYContinued from 1A

LRM Legals 4/6/17

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FOURTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN

AND FOR CLAY COUNTY, FLORIDA

CASE NO.: 17-CP-95In Re: the Estate of:MARYANNE ROTHWELL, Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORSThe administration of the estate of MARYANNE ROTHWELL, de-ceased, whose date of death was December 3, 2016, is pending in the Circuit Court for Clay Coun-ty, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is P.O. Box 698, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043. The names and addresses of the per-sonal representative and personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s es-tate on whom a copy of this notice is required to be served must file their claims with the court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER

THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICA-TIONOF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AF-TER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s es-tate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLI-CATION OF THIS NOTICE.ALL CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORI-DA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOR-EVER BARRED.NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PE-RIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.The date of first publication of this notice is March 30, 2017.ROGER D. ROTHWELL8010 Breezy Point Road WestMelrose.FL 32666Personal RepresentativeSHARON W. EHRENREICH, ESQ.FBN: 259251304 SR 26, Ste.1Melrose, FL 32666Tel: (352) 475-1611Fax: (352) [email protected] for Personal Representa-tive

3/30 2tchg 4/6-LRM

Thursday, April 6, 2017 • Lake Region Monitor 5A

Just like your computer and phone, your car needs updates too

Most people expect to have to update the Windows or OS software on their computers, or update the apps on their mobile phones.

But these days, your car also needs periodic software updates to keep it running as smooth as possible.

And Bonnie’s Automotive in Keystone Heights is one of the few independent shops in Northeast Florida that can reprogram your car.

Reprogramming can improve fuel economy, sometimes improving gas mileage from between three and five miles per gallon. An update can also reset and improve the timing of your air conditioner compressor, making it more effective and less expensive.

Here’s how it works: When you bring in your car to Bonnie’s Automotive, owner Josh Russell or one of his technicians will scan your car’s onboard computers to see what latest software version they have. Josh and his crew will then check with the manufacture to see what updates are available and can then install them on your vehicle.

The investment in equipment and training for updating vehicle computers is steep. That’s why very few independent repair shops have the capability to do the work.

Russell is a third-generation auto professional. His grandfather owned a dealership and his father owns a garage in New Jersey.

“I’ve been doing this for over 35 years,” Russell said of his experience. “I was a master technician at the age of 18, and a lot of that was due to the example my grandfather and dad set.”

Russell added that although he values the traditions and expertise that his elders taught him, he knows that to thrive in

the car business, he has to be willing to change and adapt to the new technologies.

One example of that change is in rebuilt engines.

“It’s just not worth it anymore,” he said of the practice.

Bonnie’s installs remanufactured engines and transmissions from Jasper, one of the country’s leading remanufacturers with experience dating back to 1942.

“Jasper puts extra holes in the pistons and they drill out galley ports in the engines they remanufacture,” Russell said. “The holes and ports fix known problems, increases oil circulation and improves engine performance. No shop has the ability to do that. You’ve got to have lathes and other specialized equipment that a shop cannot invest in.”

Another technology Bonnies has is the MotorVac fuel cleaning and decarbination system, which mitigates the harmful effects of ethanol-added fuel.

Russell said that’s part of Bonnies Automotive’s emphasis on maintenance.

The shop has machines to flush, not only fuel systems, but also brakes, transmissions and other systems.

“If you maintain your transmission and have it

serviced, you will get the life out of it. If you rotate your tires every other oil change, you will get what you are supposed to get out of them: your 60,000, your 70,000 miles that you paid for,” he said.

Another innovation Bonnie’s Automotive has implemented is a nationwide warranty.

“If we put an alternator on your car and it fails in California,” Russell said, “you will get towed-in and you will get repaired, it will be covered under the warranty.”

And the innovation is not restricted to automotive technology. Russell also works hard to help customers get past the financial burdens an unexpected car repair can create.

“Let’s just say you’re a little tight on money,” he said. “You say ‘Josh I feel a little shaking when I drive, but I don’t get paid until the first.’ You bring it in, I’ll take a look at it and charge you a half-hour to find out what the problem is. Then after you get paid, you bring it back in for the repair and I will credit you the half-hour I charged for the diagnosis.”

Russell said that might not sound very high tech, but it’s just another example of the out-of-the-box thinking going on at Bonnie’s Automotive.

(L-r) Josh Russell, John Hazellief and Allen Kloke of Bonnie’s Automotive

new car,” Ed said. “We thought maybe if we won the truck, we could make some arrangements.” Unfortunately for the Birchfields, the grand prize, a 2007 Chevrolet Colorado, was won instead by Katelynn Parker of Melrose.

Hampton resident Lynn Broome made no bones about why he came: “Free food!” he said, “And this free bag,” he added, holding up a bright blue North Florida Regional Medical Center tote bag, given to everyone who stopped by their booth. “I’m going to put the free food in it,” Broome said with a laugh.

And indeed, the annual

chicken dinner, done up by Florida Food Systems, does prompt a good number of members to come to the event.

There’s more to it of course: a chance to meet old friends or family you don’t see nearly enough; or just a chance to get out of the house in good weather and cast a vote for community spirit; buy Girl Scout cookies or have coffee and donuts with the Jaycees or the Keystone Heights High School FFA.

“Attendance goes up and down a little bit each year,” Mattox said, “but basically it stays about the same.” And indeed, the crowd looked a little thin at 10 a.m., but by meeting time at 1 p.m., the big tent was filled. Whether from counting votes cast or chicken dinners doled out, the co-op said more than 2,400 attended.

“We’ve done some research,” Mattox said, “Although some people drive in from miles away, most people who come are from within a ten-mile radius.”

The meeting’s program doesn’t change much. The crowd tours the morning’s fair exhibits then eats those chicken dinners to country-western or gospel music inside the tent, with family-safe rock and roll between sets, until time for the meeting to begin.

The meeting always starts with humble pomp and circumstance, acknowledgement of a line-up of dignitaries representing

But inside, visiting co-op members filled the tent.

Co-op, Seminole plan for fair weather and foul

BY JAMES WILLIAMSStaff writer

According to its website, the Clay Electric Cooperative’s

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LEGALS

A good piece of advice for linemen, then and now. Safety is a big component of Clay Electric’s operations.

Among the attractions that draw members to the

annual meeting is the array of door prizes.

Employees, family members, smokers and sun-seeking co-op members stayed outside the big tent on a bright,

sunny day.

CO-OPContinued from 4A

the Co-op’s realm, followed by the President of the Board of Trustees’ address.

This year, that was Dewitt Hersey, (Starke, seven years.) Hersey was followed by the message from CEO Davis.

Among the day’s announcements, and also in the distributed printed program was the note that in the past decade, the organization had returned $56.3 million to its members; averaging, we figured, $5.6 million per year for 10 years.

This year, Hersey announced, the organization was returning $8 million in capital credits, which may be an indicator that Davis, the trustees and a prudent mix of quiet changes and traditional equilibrium had been good for Clay Electric. The members will share that.

mission is “To exceed the expectations of our members by providing excellent customer service and reliable electric service at competitive rates while maintaining the financial stability of the cooperative.”

The co-op’s 99.95-percent average service availability index suggests the co-op meets that mission; a recent gaff of downed wires and slow-ish reconnections after a storm notwithstanding.

Clay Electric provides, as it says, reliable, affordable service to over 170,000 customers in 14 North Florida counties: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Flagler, Gilchrist, Lake, Levy, Marion, Putnam, Suwannee, Union and Volusia. The co-op has more than 13,000 miles of distribution and transmission lines. In 2015, the company reported $362 million in annual revenue and $615 million in total assets. It paid $32 million in taxes, for a 10 percent tax rate. The company also provides hundreds of thousands, if not more than a million in other benefits and grants to its customers and the districts they live in.

Clay Electric’s history of providing electricity to rural areas lingers; but every day, the Co-op gets a better grip on preserving its heritage while facing the challenge of competition from other modern, for- and non-profits.

One thing Clay Electric gets and gets right is that it has a mission and a vision statement and the current CEO is taking steps to insure that the company

lives up to them. But there are well-publicized

changes swirling around the energy industries, and both co-ops: Clay Electric and its power provider, Seminole Electric, are facing them too.

As surely as fewer of its linemen ever climbs a pole anymore, (the poles are increasingly metal or cement and the bucket truck is safer) the company has expanded and upgraded its public and media relations offices—Communications, it’s now called.

The new approach to media relations everywhere except in Washington D.C. is transparency—controlling the dialog, yet facing the press and the public head on as something other than “the enemy.”

Last Thursday, the Monitor spoke with two impressive young men, one representing Seminole Electric and the other representing a major project within Clay Electric.

Smart meters to bring big changes

Brent Richardson is a Co-op IT project manager who, at the energy fair, was telling visitors about the company’s next undertaking. It will be huge.

Over the next 18 months Clay Electric will upgrade more than 173,000 meters throughout its districts. When the project is done, meter readers may become a thing of the past. The meter itself will “phone it in.”

See SEMINOLE, 6A

The information the customer’s meter will provide to the company--and to the homeowner—will be more or less instant. The same data now shows up on your paper bill, but arrives too late for you to do much about it.

Using more electricity than you need? The new meter can show you your highs and lows and your average usage over time, or during the season of interest, and compare that to what you’re using right now. It may be an incentive to the customer to save a few bucks by inching that thermostat up or down a few degrees. Or it may finally prompt you to replace those 20-year-old, energy inefficient appliances you’ve been meaning to get around to.

If you have solar panels on your home, the new meters are equipped to help you and the company keep track of how much energy you’ve sold back.

But most of all, the new meters tell the company—instantly--whose power is out, and where to send the linemen to get the power up and running again. There’s no waiting for someone to call in to report the outage. The central office will know where power is down as soon as it happens.

The technology will be provided by a top-of-the-line vendor of such equipment; Landis and Gyr was showing its products at the energy fair last week.

The co-op will spend $26 million on the system; the return on the investment is calculated to be recovered 10 years after installation. The system isn’t new and unproven. JEA has already been using it for a while.

The Co-op has been planning this move for months; work on the project is set to begin early next year, and it will take up to 18 months to get the entire system fully integrated: wires, meters, centralized servers, computers and all.

Some companies may have replaced their meters too soon: some energy providers are sending out employees who drive by a house to get a signal and collect the data. Ah, you

might say, but technology will replace humans!

Yes and no. Clay Electric began a transition some time back by moving most of their meter readers into other positions, then outsourced the job to a temp agency; the job required accuracy but no real technical skills.

Now, the temps will be phased out, Richardson said, but they aren’t technically co-op labor. The temp agency will move its workers to projects and accounts elsewhere.

Long-time Clay Electric staff members have already been moved to other positions, downsized through attrition like retirement or the employee’s move to another job, Richardson said. (The average length of service of a co-op employee is 15 years.) While meter readers may disappear, IT and more tech-savvy slots will see a marked increase.

Seminole looks to renewables

Ryan Hart is around Richardson’s age, and is Manager of Communications and Energy Policy for Seminole Electric, also a cooperative and energy provider to nine Florida cooperatives, like Clay Electric. Hart works out of Seminole’s Tampa headquarters.

Seminole’s reach includes 42 of the 67 Florida Counties, or approximately 1.6 million people and businesses, most of them in rural counties.

The Seminole cooperative has two coal-fired, 650-megawatt units in Palatka, which, according to company literature, employs more than 300 people. Seminole also relies on an 810-megawatt natural gas generating station in Hardee County. A fuel oil based station is used for emergencies when natural gas is not available.

The latest development at Seminole is its partnership with Clay Electric to lay out a 2.2- megawatt solar farm beside its Hardee County natural gas plant.

The solar farm is scheduled to go online within the next few days or weeks, Hart said. The press rep. was careful to describe the new project without playing up high expectations for alternatives.

The energy produced by the solar farm will represent much less than one percent of Clay Electric’s or Seminole’s total output and capacity.

Seminole recently sent out nationwide requests for proposals for energy providers to supplement its projected future energy needs. The company received over 200 proposals from traditional and alternative energy providers across the U.S., including, Hart said, a wind farm in Oklahoma.

Florida, it turns out, is a lousy place for wind energy, while the windy plains of Oklahoma are excellent providers.

Seminole’s main criterion for accepting or rejecting any proposal from any energy source, Hart said will be cost, of course, but the company will also ask: “Is it safe? Is it accessible? And is it reliable?”

Battery storage of solar energy is still years away, Hart said. The loss of solar energy at night and the unpredictability of wind turbines keep Seminole from investing too heavily in renewable energy. Hydroelectric is out in Florida; no sizeable dams.

Asked whether Seminole was happy to see President Trump quash Obama-era restrictions on coal, Hart suggested the company was being cautious. “We are waiting,” he said. “First, we want to see how or whether that is going to play out.”

He added--as many others have pointed out--that coal has not fallen into disfavor only because of its impact on the environment. Coal has now become the most dangerous to procure, more expensive to transport, and to boot, more harmful to humans than natural gas.

Other sources point out that even if coal returns, coal mining jobs may not. Increasingly, mining is relying on technology--robots if you will--and not human labor to get the coal out of those unpredictable mines.

“We wouldn’t return to coal simply because President Trump reinstates it as an option,” Hart said, and repeated Seminole’s basic criterion: safety, accessibility, reliability and affordability.

6A Lake Region Monitor • Thursday, April 6, 2017

Y M

C K

Y M

C K

Beginning in January Keystone Heights Animal Hospital began offering laser therapy.

The new treatment reduces pain and inflammation and speeds up healing for pets.

Dr. Jennifer Blackburn said the intensely-focused light beam stimulates cell activity and increases blood flow to the treated area, speeding up the animal’s natural healing process.

“We’ve used it on broken bones and chronic arthritis,” she said, “hot spots, ear infections – anything with pain, inflammation or a need to heal.”

She also uses laser for post-surgery on incision sites.

Dr. Blackburn added that she has witnessed some astonishing results from the treatment.

She recalled one recent case of a dog severely injured in a traffic crash on U.S. 301.

“One of the dogs in the vehicle was killed,” she said,” and the other dog ran off. They recovered it the next day. Almost its entire foot was missing and shredded. We had to amputate its toes, cover the tissue and use laser therapy to help with the pain. It came back a week later and the healing was absolutely amazing on that foot.”

Dr. Blackburn added that because her hospital’s laser employs the latest technology, she can offer a broader range of treatment options.

“Some of the older lasers only have two wavelengths,” she said. “This one has four, so it works a little faster and better than the others.”

Dr. Blackburn took over the

hospital in 2013, from longtime Lake Region veterinarian Larry Parrish.

In addition to medical services, the facility also offers pet boarding with cats housed separately from dogs, pet bathing and shave downs, nail trimming and other services.

The practice is open six days a week: 8 to 5 on weekdays and 8 to 3 on Saturday.

Dr. Blackburn said the new laser therapy brought some surprises, especially in costs and how the animals have reacted to the therapy.

“Everyone, when they hear ‘laser therapy,’ they think it must cost $400 or something,” Blackburn said. “In reality, it’s $35 a treatment and that’s it. For post-surgical it’s $14.”

“It’s just a warm light, basically,” she added. “It’s held

with a wand and rubbed over the area. Some of the animals relax. They like it. They just kind of lay there and relax while it’s being done.”

In another case of dramatic response to the treatment, Dr. Blackburn used laser therapy to treat a German shepherd with chronic arthritis.

“It was already on arthritis and pain medication,” she said. “However, after the laser treatment the owner said that for the first time in three years that dog has run down to the gate and along the fence line. She had not been able to do that before, and that was just after three or four laser treatments.

“It’s exciting, the veterinarian added, “because it’s non-invasive, non-painful and non-surgical.”

Dr. Blackburn (left) treating a patient with laser therapy, assisted by Sam Ciccarone

Pet laser therapy called ‘amazing’

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SEMINOLEContinued from 5A

LuAnn’s Hair, Nails and Massage just completed its third full month in Keystone Heights and owner LuAnn Davis said she is thankful the town has welcomed her with open arms.

LuAnn operated in Melrose for 14 years, but when her landlord decided to use the building for a different purpose, LuAnn and her crew started looking for new digs.

“We found places that had less rent, but the space wasn’t adequate. This space was already painted and it was plumbed for what we needed,” she said of her salon at 330 South Lawrence Boulevard, between Genesis Fitness and the Taylor Law Firm.

LuAnn said that since moving north, the pedicure business has really picked up.

Massage is also a growing service, with walk-ins welcome.

Jamie Johnson is the licensed massage therapist, with 12 years’ experience.

LuAnn needs a lot of space because of the broad services she offers: hairstyles, manicures and

pedicures, including acrylic nails, waxing above the neck, and even massage.

The newest member of the team, Ellen Nugent, operated her own salon: Images by Ellen, for seven-and-a-half years in the Hitchcock’s shopping center.

Of course, LuAnn does it all, hair, nails and friend. That’s right— friend. As every woman knows, hairstyling is an intensely personal craft,

“When you come to LuAnn’s you are not just getting your hair done,” said Receptionist-assistant Stephanie Bock. “She cares about every single one of her customers.”

Over her 36 years in the business, she has built a large and fiercely loyal clientele, who followed her eight miles north on S.R. 21.

“LuAnn does the best color— I think— in this town,” said

Stephanie. “There’s a lot of talented hairdressers. I don’t mean to sound prejudiced, but she’s really good at what she does.”

“Color is hard,” Stephanie added.

“Everybody’s hair is different so it might come out a little bit lighter or different, but she’ll fix it.”

“It’s just her 36 years of experience and it’s the way she knows her clients,” added Stephanie. “They will go anywhere to come to her because she gives them exactly what they want – plain and simple. She also guarantees all of her work. She doesn’t like to have anybody unhappy.”

LuAnn started doing hair for classmates in high school.

“I just knew at 13 years old that I wanted to do hair,” she said. “I used to get into trouble doing my friend’s hair during school. My Mom said that I should at least do it the right way, and that I should go to beauty school.

LuAnn followed her mother’s advice, and graduated from a vocational school in Miami.

Now, almost four decades later she still enjoys the profession as much as she did back in school. And she doesn’t get into trouble for doing it.

After 14 years in Melrose, LuAnn’s Hair, Nails and Massage settling in Keystone

(L-r) Stephanie Bock, Ellen Nugent, LuAnn Davis and Jamie Johnson