The 170 by 37½ strip of land under question, which runs east and west on the north side of CR-259 and which originally was part of a railroad right-of-way that the county more or less inherited, would extend the church's property to the road. The church has offered assurance that it has no plans to put any structures on the easement but simply wants to use it for additional parking.

Even so, four Wacissa area residents voiced opposition to the proposed quitclaim at the March 18 commission meeting. Buddy Johnson well articulated the residents' general sentiment. Johnson, in fact, said he was speaking on behalf of Wacissa residents when he made his comments.

Johnson said the church had had unlimited use of the particular easement it wanted for the last 74 years and would likely be able to continue using it for as long as it wanted without any objection from others in the community. But it would serve no purpose to give the church the easement, he said.

"If you give it to them, other adjoining property owners will ask for their parts of the easement," Johnson said. "It will compromise the integrity of the community. And then, if the county wants the land back, it will have to do eminent domain proceedings to get it back. The roadway has been there 114 years. The church has had no problem of utilizing the land it's asking for. I say, if it's not broke, don't try to fix it."

The three other Wacissa residents agreed with Johnson's comments.

"If you give the property to the church, you're going to open a can of worms." said one. "We need to keep that land in the county's possession."

The commissioners merely listened.

County Attorney Buck Bird introduced the church' petition to the commission informally on Jan. 21, making it sound as if were a minor issue that didn't warrant extensive consideration. But some commissioners recalled that similar requests from the area had proven controversial in the past. They also worried that the decision could well set a precedent, and thought it advisable to hold a public hearing on the issue.

The commission, in fact, initially set a public hearing on the issue on Feb. 18. That hearing never took place, however, and commissioners have yet to set a new public hearing on the matter.

It may be that this is one of those issues that commissioners allow to die quietly through neglecting to address it.

The Monticello Local Planning Agency (LPA) on Tuesday evening, March 9, evenly split its vote on a request from a developer for small-scale comprehensive plan amendment, essentially leaving it up to the Monticello City Council to decide the issue from scratch.

The LPA's 2-2 split vote (one member was absent) was on a motion to deny the request of Causseaux, Hewett & Walpole, Inc, of Gainesville, FL, to change a 2.86-acre parcel on the northwest corner of Seminole and S. Jefferson streets to commercial use. The property, a vacant lot directly across the street from Capital City Bank, is presently zoned mixed-use business/residential.

The reason for the developer's request is that, although the current land-use designation allows commercial buildings, it restricts these to a maximum size of 7,500 sq. feet, and the developer wants to construct a 12,500 sq. foot stand-alone building to house a Dollar General Store.

Gerry Dedenbach, a certified planner representing the developer, presented an overview of the proposed project, complete with changes that he said the developer had agreed to do to allay concerns that neighboring property owners had voiced at a meeting with the former.

"We try to work with the neighbors to create a more acceptable plan," Dedenbach said, addressing the LPA, but also aiming his comments at the several neighboring property owners attending the hearing.

Among the several design changes that Dedenbach said had resulted from the developer's meeting with the neighboring property owners were the retention of more green space on the north end of the property; the upgrade of the building exterior to make it more aesthetically pleasing; realignment of the driveway on US 19 away from Seminole and across from the Capital City Bank driveway; and construction of the building closer to US 19, along with extended and thicker landscape buffering along the rear.

"Our plan is never to come into a community and tell you what to do," Dedenbach said. "It is rather to work with you and the citizens to bring about a project that is beneficial to all. We employ local folks to build and maintain the buildings. Our plans are to use aesthetically pleasing landscaping and a neighborhood-friendly brick building."

Which prompted LPA Chairman Steve Rissman to comment that if Dedenbach's remarks appear to engender skepticism and resistance in the audience, it was because other developers had previously made similar promises and failed to follow through once the approvals were secured.

"One thing you're up against is that we have had other experiences with pictures of trees that then turned out to be bush size and died," Rissman said relative to the landscaping plans. "So there is skepticism. We've seen a lot of neglect once the trees are in and the approval is gotten."

Keith McCarron, a senior planner with the Apalachee Regional Planning Council (ARPC), reviewed the plan for the city, as the city's regular consultant is the engineer for this particular project.

McCarron noted that the property under consideration actually consisted of two separately owned parcels, with no development plans indicated for the smaller .49-acre portion. He underscored that the present land-use designation allowed commercial activity, if with a cap of building sizes; but the requested designation would allow more intense commercial development than the current developer indicated.

"It allows a larger range of commercial types than the mixed-used business residential," McCarron said.

This was important in the event that the applicant subsequently sold the property after acquiring the commercial designation, he said. Thus, it was prudent to tie together the developer' application and the site plan for the proposed project, and that the issue be revisited in the event the project failed to materialize, he said.

McCarron offered that the property was not flood prone, nor did it contain animals or plants of concern or have historical value. But it did have several canopy trees that were in keeping with the community's character.

McCarron essentially agreed with the developer's traffic analysis that US 19 presently had the capacity to absorb the development's additional traffic, but he cautioned that capacity always had to be considered, as each new development would diminish that capacity, or the level of service (LOS). He also said the Florida Department of Transportation would require a more detailed transportation analysis at the time of the actual site plan review.

Among the neighboring property owners who addressed the LPA about the project were Mimi Brock, Mike Clayton and Maurey Beggs. Brock, whose property faces the developer's lot, worried that the proposed fence and landscape buffering meant to shield the facility would entirely block her view. The developer indicated that the fence and buffer landscaping could be modified to accommodate her concerns.

Brock also raised concerns about the headlights and engine noises from delivery trucks disturbing her peace at night and of the potential for increased vehicular accidents on US 19 given the layout of the land and the increased traffic.

The developer assured her that deliveries would likely not occur after the store closed and that the delivery area' design was such that it prevented the delivery trucks from shining their headlights in the direction of her house. As for accidents, he said the plans had already been redesigned to move the driveway farther north and away from the hill and oncoming traffic.

Clayton voiced concern about increased traffic in the neighborhood, as well as taking note of the fact that the present land-use designation allowed for commercial development.

"But the bottom line is that we don't want a retail store in our neighborhood," Clayton said.

He suggested that the developer find a more suitable site that was already zoned commercial.

Beggs asked that the .49-acre parcel not be changed to commercial but that it remain in its present form as a green space.

This discussion continued for a while longer, touching on the neighbors' expressed concerns; the options for the building's design; the landscaping, parking and signage; and the placement of the air conditioning unit, among other topics.

In the end, however, the LPA was unable to render a recommendation for, or against, approval of the project.

The City Council will likely take up the issue at regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, April 6.

Lani Lingo, with the Florida Department of Education, met with the school district's administration on Tuesday to expedite the transfer of the Boys and Girls Club program to the district. Pictured from left to right are School Superintendent Bill Brumfield, Operations Director Ken Hollingsworth, Lingo, and Chief Financial Officer Marsha Willis.

The good news, which came almost on the heels of Streit's announcement, is that the Jefferson County School District may be assuming responsibility for the continuation of the program in what school officials hope will be a seamless transition. Meaning that working parents whose children attend one of the two after-school programs here won't have to scramble to find other accommodations come April 1.

Even better, school officials hope to begin offering the program effective Monday, March 29, during the spring break, a week when the program has not been offered, at least not for the last four years.

There are, however, some important caveats to consider. Among these caveats: The School Board has yet to approve the transfer, an action that is expected to take place 9 a.m. Friday, March 26; the program will likely not continue beyond July 1, when the $300,000 or so that is remaining in the Century 21st Grant that is funding the program runs out; school district personnel have yet much work to do and countless bureaucratic and other hoops to jump to bring the change about; and it will not be the exact same program as before, in terms of the personnel, locations, and activities. It may even be that parents have to provide the transportation, at least during spring break week.

Immediately upon hearing of Streit's public announcement on Tuesday morning, School Superintendent Bill Brumfield contacted Lani Lingo with the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), which oversees the $522,000 federal grant that the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Big Bend was using to operate the two programs here. Lingo is director of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the Federal Grants Program and the Bureau of Family and Community Outreach with the FDOE.

Brumfield wanted to know of Lingo if the school district could assume responsibility for the local program, and Lingo's response was an enthusiastic yes.

At 1 p.m. Tuesday, Lingo met with Brumfield, Chief Financial Officer Marsha Willis and Human Resources and Operations Director Ken Hollingsworth in the school administration office on Water Street. During the same meeting, Lingo spoke via teleconferencing with Franklin County School Superintendent Nina Marks, whose district is facing the same situation relative its Boys and Girls Club.

Lingo said essentially that the two school districts' takeover of the programs was not only doable, but that it could be done easily, could possibly be done less costly and maybe even done better in the long run. What's more, she and her staff at the FDOE were ready to do everything possible to facilitate the transition and ensure for the success of the program.

"The initial step will be a lot of work, but after that it will be like clockwork," Lingo said.

What the school district and her office didn't want to see happen was an interruption of the service and parents having to scramble to make arrangements for their children's care in the interim, she said.

"It will be up to the district to decide if it will hire teachers to do the program after-school or if it will hire the present Boys and Girls Club personnel here," Lingo said. "One thing you don't want to do, however, is close the service while you're restructuring."

She noted that the grant still contained $300,000, which money was good until July 31, 2010, and possibly a little beyond. She noted that some 200 local kids stood to be affected, between the younger kids at the elementary school and the middle school kids at the Teen Center.

Lingo didn't go into great detail about the quality of the programming that was previously being offered here with the federal funding and under the auspices of the Boys and Girls Club, but what little she said made it clear that the programming — especially at the Teen Center — left much to be desired.

"When we made announced visits, things were great, but when we did unannounced visits it wasn't so great," Lingo said of the structured activities provided the children. "But we have to look at it from the point of view that it was keeping the kids off the street. The program wasn't doing what I would have liked to seen done, but it was keeping the kids off the street."

Lingo said her office had kept a close eye on the program and developments here following Streit's recent announcement that the organization was in financial trouble. When Streit temporarily closed the program here for what was to be three or four weeks, she said her office interpreted the action as a breach of contract and terminated the arrangement with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Big Bend. It turns out that the FDOE had started talking to the school district about the possibility of it taking over the program ever since Streit's visit here on Feb. 25.

Hollingsworth wanted to know Lingo's and the FDOE's views relative to the transfer of the program from the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Big Bend to the Jefferson County School District.

"Do we need to restructure and consolidate the two centers?" Hollingsworth asked. "Do we need personnel changes? What does the FDOE recommend?"

Lingo noted that she wasn't a legal advisor nor was she politically savvy or qualified to comment on the local scene. But others in her department had the view that School Board Member Shirley Washington's continuation in the position of one of the program's coordinators would constitute a conflict-of-interest if the program came under the school district.

She further noted that local program appeared overstaffed and encumbered with what seemed unnecessary expenditures that could possibly be trimmed or eliminated, leaving more money for actual activities for the children. (See related story of current expenditures).

Lingo said the ideal ratio of kids to teachers should be one to 12 for academic subjects and one to 18 for crafts and other nonacademic activities. But the ratio was strictly up to the school district.

Willis questioned if it was realistic to think that the school district could implement the program by Monday, given the multiple tasks that had to be accomplished in short order, insofar as the hiring of personnel, completion of the necessary paperwork, and the provision of food and transportation services, among other things.

Lingo recommended that the district immediately survey parents with children in the program to determine how many would even attend during the spring break, given that most parents had probably already made other arrangements, since the program was not typically offered during this time. Depending on the number of children who planned to attend, the district could plan accordingly. The district should also notify parents that they would have to provide their own transportation during the spring break week, as school buses would not be running during this time, she advised.

Her office, meanwhile, would do everything to expedite the paperwork and other requirements, she said.

"We understand that this has been dropped in your laps at the last moment," Lingo said.

Brumfield made clear that the school district could not continue the program on its own after July 31 when the grant ran out, especially given Lingo's comment that the chances of renewing the grant were slim. She noted that her office awarded an average of five grants per year out the140 or so applications submitted for an available $2 million in the program.

"We'll take up the program because I want to help these kids and the money is there now," Brumfield said. "But after July 1, I can't give an obligation to the community. We simply can't continue the program after July 1."

Lingo and others from her staff were to work directly with school district staff beginning Wednesday to ensure that the program could be in place by Monday, if at all possible.

The change hasn't been accidental; nor has it been easy to achieve or is the process over. The change is still very much in progress. But two things certain are that the school has very definitely turned a corner in terms of its earlier academic and behavioral problems; and that the new administrations, both at the district office and the middle/high school, have had much to do with the change.

If anyone embodies the new attitude and tenor taking form at the school, it's Dr. Rodney Ryan, principal at JCMHS since July 1, 2009. A native New Yorker with a doctorate in education technology and 25 years in the educational field, Dr. Ryan was most recently the principal of Florida High Middle School in Tallahassee, before coming to Jefferson County.

On Wednesday, March 10, the day that the News interviewed Dr. Ryan, the students were taking the FCAT test. Which seemed a good time to get his perspectives on the changes taking place at the school and his expectations for the students' performance on the standardized test, given that the school scored an F on the FCAT last year, prior to his coming onboard.

Dr. Ryan conceded the importance of the FCAT scores, which he said should be released by early June. He said he expected the students' grade to show improvement. He didn't, however, want to oversell that expectation or create false hope, given the distance that the students yet had to go to achieve the desired goals.

That said, Dr. Ryan said the scores would definitely show a "movement of accomplishment".

"The difference (in scores) will be a better indication of what we've done," he said. "It will be the best indicator of the level of our students under a structured learning environment. In years past, there was a question of the kids not taking the test seriously. We have given them an understanding of the FCAT so that they will take a more concerned approach."

Part of the structured learning environment, he said, entailed the establishment and enforcement of a code of behavior, the success of which implementation Dr. Ryan attributed in large part to Assistant Principal Valerie Thompson.

"She knows the culture of the area and she knows the kids," Dr. Ryan said. "Without her ability to understand the kids and enforce the school's code of conduct, we wouldn't be where we're at now."

What it boiled down to, he said, was that students who didn't want to adhere to the new and more severe code of conduct were "dealt with".

Dealt how specifically?

Dr. Ryan said those students who wanted to fight, who didn't want to learn and who disrupted classes or who were generally disrespectful had been removed from the school in one fashion or another. Meaning that some were suspended or expelled, others were sent to the off-campus opportunity school or the adult education school, and yet others were put on online classes, where they didn't interact with their classmates.

"There is a clear understanding now by all our kids of our expectations," Dr. Ryan said.

But modification of the students' behavior and expectations was only part of the improvements, he said. Teacher performance also had to be factored into the equation, he said.

Prior to his becoming principal, Dr. Ryan said School Superintendent Bill Brumfield had started the process by removing several teachers whose performances did not measure up to the standards. And teacher evaluations were now part of the annual process, he said. Teachers who did not perform to standard would be asked to leave or given a specified time period to improve their performances, depending on whether they were tenured or on annual contracts.

"Teachers who have been here a while are on professional contracts," Dr. Ryan explained. "The teacher I hire will be on annual contracts. Teachers on professional contracts must meet the expectations of the district. If they don't meet the expectations, the administration will develop an improvement plan and give them time to improve."

Failure of teachers on professional contracts to make the necessary improvements within the specified time period will result in termination or being put on annual contract, Dr. Ryan said.

What was the teachers' response to these measures?

It ran the gamut, from feeling challenged to feeling demoralized, Dr. Ryan said.

"But if we're asked to ratchet up the expectations for students, you have to ask the same of the teachers," he said. "And that hasn't been done over the years, which explains why we're an F school. You can't have education without good teachers. But I'd say morale among the teachers is pretty good. Let's say there's an understanding of what's expected. But we'll find out in April, when I ask who is planning on returning?"

Among others of the changes that the school administration has implemented or plans to implement or expand in the next school year are Advanced Placement (AP) and dual enrollment classes and career academies. AP and dual enrollment classes essentially give high school students college credits for courses that they can take either at the high school or at North Florida Community College through the Green Industries Institute.

The school presently offers dual enrollment courses in English and American History and plans to offer AP classes in English Literature, American History and Biology next year.

"Between the dual enrollment and AP classes students will be able to earn upwards of 30 college credits before graduating," Dr. Ryan said.

As for the career academies, the school presently offers health services and information technology and plans to add criminal justice next year. Essentially schools within the school akin to vocational classes, career academies allow youths to become certified and go to work in a particular field upon graduation, or use the learning as a prelude to college.

One of the biggest problems that the school has had, Dr. Ryan said, is that traditionally, few students have been able to pass the college placement test, a prerequisite for the AP and dual enrollment classes.

"We're improving the rigors of the classes," he said. "We're teaching at a higher level and we're seeing improvement in the college placement test upwards of 10 percent."

But it won' be until April — when the kids take the placement test and hopefully achieve higher scores – "that we can look everyone in the eyes and say the program is working," Dr. Ryan said.

Likewise for the hoped improvements in the FCAT scores.

"If you put in the programs and have the teachers teach at higher levels, the scores will go up," Dr. Ryan said. "We're already seeing the scores going up in math, so I know that we're doing the right things. It's just that the reading is not coming up like the math. But it all goes hand in hand. You need to have the teachers teaching the program and the teachers have to be evaluated. And you've got to hold the kids accountable for their grades. When it all comes together, it will increase the graduation rate and more kids will go to college."

The change in student behavior is already readily noticeable, Dr. Ryan said. The next two necessary steps, he said, are when the students start admitting that they are learning and that the learning is fun; and when teachers can feel good about what they are doing and are able to hold up their heads and embrace the community.

"The teachers got to feel good about what they're doing so that that they can showcase some of their wares to the community," he said, mentioning as an example the recent accomplishments of the football team, which proved a morale booster and pride builder for the school.

"The football team made us feel positive because we had a positive leader who put the program in place and put the expectations there. And did the kids respond? Oh yes, very well."

But it won't happen overnight, he cautioned.

"You've been in a hole here for seven or eight years and with an F," Dr. Ryan said. "You've dug a hole and you've got to fill in the hole before you can reach ground level and see where you are. The next FCAT scores will tell us exactly where we are in the hole. Are we still down in the hole or can we see out to where we're going next? The hole is deep. I didn't know how deep when I came here, but it was deep. All the FCAT will tell me is the level of the school now. Is it a low level, which is what it is projected to be, or is a higher level that indicates progress. That' where I'm hoping to be."

"Throughout this entire debate, I have consistently said that responsible healthcare reform will embody four key principles: it will reduce costs, increase access, ensure patient choice, and not add to the federal deficit," Boyd said. "This bill is not perfect, but I believe it meets these four principles of responsible reform by providing the largest middle-class tax credits for healthcare in our nation's history and preserving a patient's ability to choose their own doctor."

Boyd continued: "This package of reforms effectively curbs the skyrocketing cost of healthcare services, helping to lower monthly insurance premiums and doctor bills for millions of North Floridians. It levels the playing field between patients and insurance companies, providing all of us with added peace of mind by guaranteeing that insurance companies cannot suddenly drop your coverage or deny you coverage based on any type of pre-existing condition.

"It ensures that you and your doctor are the only people making decisions about your healthcare. And it will successfully reduce the deficit more than any other policy enacted since 1993, helping cut more than $1.2 trillion dollars from the deficit over the next 20 years. Taken together, these reforms improve the overall health of our economy and the American people."

Not only did the healthcare reform legislation adhere to his four key principles of responsible reform, it would further provide many benefits to North Florida residents, Boyd said. He cited these benefits as follows:

1) Reduces the cost of healthcare services for individuals and families.

"Rising healthcare costs are the single largest threat to our country's economic future," Boyd said. "In Florida's 2nd Congressional District, there were 800 healthcare-related bankruptcies in 2008 caused primarily by the exorbitant cost of healthcare services not covered by insurance. That's why I have been fighting to implement smart policies that effectively curb rising healthcare costs and ease the burdensome pressure millions of Americans feel when paying their healthcare premiums or doctor bills."

Boyd said the legislation helps reduce the cost of healthcare services by:

* Providing nearly 194,000 households in the district with tax credits and other assistance to purchase health insurance.

"For example, a family of four making $50,000 per year will receive approximately $5,800 in tax credits for the purposes of purchasing health insurance," Boyd said.

* Capping annual out-of-pocket costs at $6,200 for individuals and $12,400 for families who purchase insurance through the insurance exchange or who receive insurance through their small business employer.

* Offering small businesses – including 15,400 small businesses in the district – tax credits of up to 50% of the cost of providing health insurance to their employees.

Please See Boyd Page 6A * Ensuring that more than 95 percent of Americans have access to quality, affordable health insurance, including 67,000 uninsured residents in the district.

"When uninsured individuals receive medical services and are unable to pay their bills, the costs for these services are passed on to those with insurance, leading to higher monthly premiums," Boyd said. "Expanding coverage to more uninsured individuals prevents these costs from being passed on, which in turn will help lower insurance premiums for everyone.

* Establishing an independent advisory panel to improve the way Medicare provides services to its recipients without jeopardizing the quality of care that seniors depend on.

2) Increases access to quality, affordable health insurance for more Americans.

"This legislation expands coverage to more than 130,000 residents in the district and brings to an end some of the worst practices the industry has engaged in for years, including unjustly dropping coverage when you need it most, denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and massively raising premiums beyond affordability," Boyd said.

He said the legislation helps increase access to health insurance by:

* Prohibiting insurance companies from denying Americans with pre-existing conditions from obtaining quality, affordable health insurance. There are 13,300 individuals in the district who currently have pre-existing medical conditions that have been preventing them from accessing affordable health insurance.

* Expanding health coverage to more than 32 million uninsured Americans, including 67,000 uninsured residents in the district and 70,000 young adults in the district who will now be able to remain on their parents' policies until they turn 26 years old.

· * Providing small businesses and uninsured individuals a menu of insurance options to choose from, similar to the options provided to federal employees, through an open insurance exchange.

3. Ensures patients can choose their own providers.

"For far too long, Americans and North Floridians have not had control over the most important decisions affecting their own healthcare," Boyd said. "My vote helps restore the fundamentals of the doctor-patient relationship and puts all decisions controlling the future of your health squarely in the hands of you and your doctor."

Boyd said the legislation preserves patient choice by:

* Permitting Americans with insurance to keep their existing coverage and existing medical providers if they so desire.

· * Offering 32 million uninsured Americans the opportunity to choose their own insurance and medical providers, including 67,000 residents in the district.

4) Is fully paid for and does not add to the federal deficit.

"Just like any other piece of legislation brought before the House, I have insisted that healthcare reform not be financed on the backs of our children and grandchildren," Boyd said. "The CBO has estimated that not only is this reform fully paid for, but that it will work to reduce the federal deficit by more than a trillion dollars over the next 20 years, helping secure a stronger and more stable economy for future generations."

· Boyd added that according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the legislation will reduce the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion over 20 years, constituting the single largest deficit reduction effort since 1993.

· Moreover, the legislation largely pays for itself – nearly two-thirds of the cost of the bill is paid for through the savings gleaned from other provisions of the legislation, he said.

Jefferson County School Board members attend a workshop at the Desmond M. Bishop building on Friday afternoon to work on the assumptions of the facilitator team and the desired outcomes for this workshop. Pictured, from left to right, are Bill Brumfield, superintendent; Ann Herring, a concerned citizen; Ed Vollertsen, JCSB; Sandra Saunders, JCSB chair; Marianne Arbulu, JCSB; and Tina Pinkoson, FSBA Facilitator.

Facilitator Tina Pinkoson, of the Florida School Boards Association, led the workshop, which was strictly for educational purposes.

Pinkoson noted that JCSB and the superintendent could make a difference in the future of children. Thus, understanding the statutory requirements of the jobs of each was important, she said. Pinkoson then discussed the statutory requirements, as well as how to develop effective ways of communication.

Understanding and maintaining the appropriate roles and functions of the leadership team could enhance the operation of the school district, she said.

"The superintendent and School Board members are responsible for creating an atmosphere of harmony, mutual respect, and teamwork among each other," Pinkoson said. "So, together they can make a difference in the future of children."

The participants compared and contrasted their roles as members of the district leadership team. They reached an understanding that a harmonious and respectful relationship between the superintendent and the School Board was essential to building a high performing school district.

The basic principles of developing effective board and superintendent communications were discussed and learned. Participants also discussed and explored "real world applications" of the roles and responsibilities of the School Board and the superin-tendent.

By day's end, the team (superintendent and School Board members) had reviewed the four governance functions and roles of the JCSB and superintendent and developed an understanding of their powers and duties as stated in the Florida Statutes.

The scene unfolds like something out of a mystery novel. A missing woman. A search team canvassing the western part of Jefferson County. Articles belonging to the missing woman being found. This is not fiction, but fact, as dozens of law officers spread out and search for the missing body of a Tallahassee woman, Danielle Brown.

Law officers have diligently been investigating Brown's disappearance, since she went missing six weeks ago. Portions of Leon County and Thomas County, Ga., had already been searched. Jefferson County deputies got involved in the search early Tuesday morning, March 16.

The search continued on a wet and soggy Wednesday, March 17, as deputies tried to retrace steps, which may have been taken by Brown's boyfriend, Elijah James. A report on Feb. 18 indicated that Brown's vehicle had been seen in Jefferson County on Feb. 6 and Feb. 7. Investigative leads also place James in Jefferson County on Sunday, Feb. 7, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

`As the search continued, a pair of white-flowered flip flops were found in the grass on Highway 59 in the Lloyd area. The flip flops were quickly photographed and secured as evidence.

"I don't know if the flip-flops were hers or not," Jefferson County Sheriff David Hobbs said. "We have found bits and pieces of other things than can be traced as coming from her vehicle. Some of her belongings have been located."

The search continued in the northern part of the county on Thursday morning.

"We've got from 100-115 officers involved in the search," Hobbs said. He indicated that, in addition to Jefferson County, officers from Leon County, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and volunteers were all trying to find Brown's remains.

"We're very serious about trying to find her," Hobbs said. "I don't want anyone to think that we're just going through the motions. I want to find her. I don't care if she's found in Jefferson County or Thomas County or Leon County. I just want her found."

Hobbs continued, "She's someone's daughter. I've got a daughter and I can understand what the parents must be thinking. Killing someone is bad."

Hobbs further indicated that not being able to find the body was torture on the family

"Hopefully, we can find her so it can bring closure to the family," Hobbs said.

Brown has been missing since Feb. 5, following an argument with her boyfriend.

Two county residents and one resident of Tallahassee, who frequented Jefferson County to socialize with youths here, were killed in a head-on crash Sunday night.

According to Florida Highway Patrol, at 6:20 p.m., March 14, Caleb J. Smith, 16, of Lamont, was driving a 2005 Kia Sedona van, traveling westward on Tram road in Leon County.

Paula M. Reeves, 34, of Jefferson County, was driving a 2005 Kia Sedona van, traveling eastward on Tram Road. In the vehicle as a passenger was Candice H. Ragans, 21, of Leon County.

Smith's vehicle traveled into the eastbound lane and onto the south shoulder of the roadway and collided into a mailbox on the south shoulder of the roadway.

Reeves' vehicle left the road on the south shoulder ofthe roadway.

Smith's vehicle continued traveling westward after the impact into the mailbox, collided into another mailbox and then the front end of the vehicle collided into the front end of Reeves' vehicle.

Both vehicle rotated after the impact and came to a rest facing eastward on the south shoulder of the roadway.

Smith and Reeves were both pronounced deceased at the scene. Ragans was transported top Tallahassee Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced deceased.

Family members said that Smith's mother, Connie, was waiting for Caleb to meet her to have dinner in Tallahassee at Barnacle Bill's. When he did not show up on time, his mother called the Florida Highway Patrol to find out what was happening.

Smith was a student at Florida High School in Tallahassee, where Reeves worked as a cafeteria worker. She and Ragans, a student at North Florida Community College (and an employee at Little Heaven's Academy), were headed to Reeves' home in Wacissa.

Ragans had been planning on becoming a neo-natal nurse and work with babies.

FHP reported that the crash was not alcohol-related and the case is still under investigation.

The three occupants of the vehicles were wearing their seatbelts. Both vehicle were totaled.

Assisting the FHP on the scene was the Leon County Sheriff's Office.

Funeral arrangements had not been completed at press time. Please check out www.ecbpublishing.com for details as soon as they become available.

Following upon the consensus reached at a special workshop the previous week, the Jefferson County School Board on Monday night, March 8, voted unanimously to approve the lease of the historic A-Building to the Jefferson County Commission, appointing Ken Hollingsworth to negotiate the deal. Hollingsworth is executive director of operations and human resources for the school district.

The devil, however, is in the details; and the School Board loaded the potential lease with enough terms and conditions to bedevil the negotiations, if not break the deal.

Too, important as the School Board's action was on Monday, it was largely perfunctory, in effect formalizing what had been determined at the workshop on Wednesday, March 3. Hence, it's Wednesday's workshop that's germane to this report.

The first point that Operations Director Ken Hollingsworth raised at the workshop was that if the School Board was going to set the terms and conditions for the lease agreement in a public meeting, it pretty much undercut his effectiveness, if not his purpose, as a negotiator. That understood, his task then became merely that of conveying the board's wishes to the appropriate party on the county's side and vice versa.

That said, Hollingsworth offered reasons why the School Board might want to entertain the lease of the facility, as he saw it.

"You need to evaluate the building's value to the School Board," Hollingsworth said

One consideration, he said, was that the building was deteriorating and the school district lacked the resources to fix it.

"So anything we get is a benefit," Hollingsworth said.

Also to be considered, he said, the School Board might bable to negotiate its own use of the building; it would be helping save a valuable historic structure; and the school district would still own the building, the value of which would rise when it was renovated. It also needed to be kept in mind that the county currently was paying for the Resource Officer, which represented a big benefit to the district, he said.

The latter point raised questions of how much exactly the county was paying for the Resource Officer in terms of the school district, given that the deputy spent only 196 days a year at the school. This is a point that no doubt will have to be clarified.

Hollingsworth offered that one option for determining a reasonable rate for the lease of the A-Building was to get with a realtor and learn what the going-rate was for the rental of commercial buildings of similar size to the A-Building. But School Board Member Marianne Arbulu shot down this idea, noting that the A-Building had little to no practical value commercially.

"It's a white elephant," Arbulu said. "It needs renovating. No one will pay us for its historical value. It has no parking. And in this market, I don't know who would even give you an appraisal."

School Board Member Shirley Washington made note of the several buildings that the school district "had given" to the County Commission, referring to those buildings of the old high school on Water Street that now comprise the courthouse annex and government complex.

It's an ongoing point of contention, with Washington at least, that the school district got stiffed in the deal, as the county pays only a token $1 a year fee for the lease of the buildings. County officials, on the other hand, argue that absent their intervention and renovation of the buildings, the latter would have continued to deteriorate and would be practically worthless today. Moreover, it's county officials' contention that the county pays the Resource Officer's full salary and benefits plus equips him with a vehicle and other accessories, which translates into a hefty annual contribution. And herein lies one of the underlying and longstanding bones of contention between the two boards, or at least among some of the boards' respective members.

Having made the latter point, Washington remarked that a monthly fee of $4,000 for the lease of the A-Building would be a reasonable amount in her estimation. More to the point, Washington asserted several times that Clerk of Court Kirk Reams had indicated to School Board members both publicly and privately that the county could well afford a $4,000 monthly fee.

"I said $4,000 a month would be reasonable and Kirk said, 'we can manage this," Washington said, referring to Ream's first approach to the School Board on the matter. "He definitely said, 'I think we can manage that'. This was his project from the beginning, so I will not go under $4,000."

No other School Board member offered a counter amount. School Board Member Charles Boland only noted that it didn't make sense for the county to pay so high a monthly lease, when the amount could well go toward the purchase of the building.

School Superintendent Bill Brumfield interjected that the school district received zero reimbursements from the state for the property tax revenues that the district lost as a result of Amendment 1, the property tax reform measure, whereas the county was receiving back 95 percent of its lost revenues. He suggested that the school district getting a portion of the county's 95-percent reimbursements might be a negotiating point in the lease agreement for the A-Building.

Hollingsworth recommended that the School Board make its own use of the A-Building after its renovation a part of the negotiations, as it should make the School Board's use of the courthouse annex for its meetings in the interim also part of the negotiations. He suggested that the School Board's use of the courthouse annex in the interim would allow the school district to put up for sale its vacant Desmond M. Bishop administration building, which the School Board only uses currently for its monthly meetings.

Hollingsworth also brought up the matter of pest control and annual inspections of not only the A-Building, but of all leased school properties — necessary practices that presently weren't part of any of the leases.

"There is no treatment of the leased buildings now," Hollingsworth said. "My point is that the buildings should be treated. That's a negotiating point."

The future name of the building also became a point of discussion for the negotiations. The School Board is adamant that the building retain its A-Building designation, but whether it should further be called by its original name of Old Monticello High School or its later and more inclusive name of Old Jefferson County High School was never really settled.

Washington reiterated the $4,000 monthly fee, observing again that the A-Building was "Ream's baby" and the latter had indicated the amount might well be acceptable to the county.

"You start up and work your way down," observed School Board Chairwoman Sandra Saunders, further noting that the commission had indeed designated Reams to be its representative to the School Board initially.

Boland returned to the county's possible purchase of the building. He figured that at $25 a square foot, and based on the A-Building's footage of $36,000 or so square feet, $750,000 would be a reasonable price to ask. It might be that the county would prefer such a deal to paying a lump sum of $125,000 upfront and a $4,000 monthly lease, he suggested.

School Board Attorney Buck Bird established that he would be representing the School Board on the issue, rather than the County Commission. He said Attorney Scott Shirley would be representing the commission's interest.

Bird's disclosure momentarily confused Washington, who misunderstood Bird to mean that he was permanently removing himself as county attorney, and she welcomed the news. It was her barbed observation that she often wondered where Bird's true allegiance lay in terms of his representation of both the County Commission and School Board. Times when she appeared before the commission and appealed to him for help, he seemed intimated by the commissioners, Washington said.

No, Bird clarified, his not representing the commission was temporary; but he would definitely be representing the School Board on the A-Building, he said

As such, he offered that if the School Board planned to lease the building, it should establish the permitted uses and subleases.

"For example, if the Chamber of Commerce goes in there, that would be a sublease," Bird said. "You need to determine if it will be for non-profit groups only or for both."

He suggested that the School Board also establish in the lease the responsibility for the building's routine and major maintenances, such as a roof repair. Too, it should be in the lease that if the County Commission wanted to make structural changes to the building, those proposals needed to come first before the School Board, Bird said.

Based on the various recommendations, Hollingsworth drew up a list of terms and conditions that he planned to use as guidelines in the coming negotiations.

On Thursday, March 4, the Jefferson County Commission formally appointed Reams to negotiate on its behalf for the lease of the A-Building, contingent on the commission having final approval over any agreement.

Allen Burdeaux, 51, of Nacogdoches, TX, was seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash on I-10 Tuesday afternooon, after apparently losing control of the 2010 GMC 2500 pickup truck while towing a box trailer. The vehicle and trailer sustained $50,000 damage.

According to Florida Highway Patrol, at 1:45 p.m. near the 219 mile marker of I-10, Allen Burdeaux, 51, of Nacogdoches, TX, was driving a 2010 GMC 2500 pickup truck, traveling west on I-10 in the outside lane, while towing a box trailer.

In the vehicle as passengers were David McDaniel, 34, in the front seat, and Michael Kresten, 23, both of Nacogdoches, TX.

A witness to the crash informed FHP that as she approached Burdeaux's vehicle from the rear, the vehicle veered to the right and traveled onto the north paved shoulder of the road.

The vehicle rotated ¼ of a turn in a clockwise direction and the trailer jackknifed. The vehicle then rotated one half a turn in a counterclockwise direction, separating the trailer from the vehicle.

The vehicle's right rear collided with a tree and rotated around the tree, one half turn in a clockwise direction and turned onto its side. The vehicle came to a rest on its left side facing north.

The trailer traveled northwest, down the sloped grass shoulder, its right front colliding with a tree and sheering through the front half of the trailer. The trailer came to a final rest facing west at the point of impact.

Burdeaux was seriously injured and transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH) for treatment.

Kersten and McDaniel, both sustained minor injuries and were transported to TMH for treatment.FHP reported that Burdeaux, McDaniel and Kersten, were not wearing their seat belts and the crash was not alcohol-related. Burdeaux's vehicle and trailer sustained $50,000 damage. Charges are pending further investigation.

Assisting on the scene were Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies, County Fire Rescue, and County EMS.

Overall, the auditors gave the City of Monticello a good review for the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, 2009.

"All in all, everything looks great," CPA Chris Cayer, of Brooks Harrison and Cayer LLC, told the Monticello City Council on Tuesday evening, March 2. "We're in good shape."

The only deficiency that the review found was the typical one of the city's lack of internal controls over its financial reporting because of its small and limited staff. Which deficiency makes it difficult for management or employees to prevent or detect misstatements on a timely basis, Cayer said. The solution, he said, was to hire an outside consultant to do the annual audits, which the city does.

Cayer pointed out that the general fund showed a cash increase and was doing better than the previous year. Tellingly, the increase was due to the receipt of grants for projects such as the Pearl Street and Monticello parks, he added. Still, expenditures were down and revenues exceeded expenditures by $136,227 at the end of the year, compared with a revenue excess of $5,950 over expenditures last year, he said.

The city started the fiscal year with a $283,540 fund balance and finished the year with a $403,767 fund balance in the general fund, compared with a $25,289 beginning fund balance and $283,540 end-of-year fund balance in 2008.

"The bottom line is 2009 looks good," Cayer said.

In the water and sewer fund, also called the proprietary fund, Cayer noted that total net assets were up, from $6,162,826 last year to $7,089,600 this year, while total liabilities were down, from $3,012,639 last year to $2,606,896 this year.

"This is a good trend," Cayer said.

He further noted that operating expenses were down, from $923,020 last year to $816,867 this year; and professional fees also were down, from $109,912 last year, to $43,134 this year.

Cayer told the council members that the important number that they needed to watch in terms of the water and sewer fund was the operating income of $164,525. Subtract the $98,978 in what he labeled "total non-operating revenues or expenses", and it left $65,547, he said.

"That's the number you need to be looking at," Cayer said, meaning that the latter number reflected a more true account of the revenues the operation was generating, absent grants and other capital contributions.

But overall, Cayer said, the city was doing well.

"We're in good shape," he repeated.

He warned, however, that state revenues could be expected to be down next year, and that next year's audit would entail a lot more paperwork, as it would involve the federal stimulus monies that the city received this year for the sewer rehabilitation project.

City Manager Steve Wingate added as a point of explanation that the reason expenditures were up in the water and sewer operations was because the city was taking care of much maintenance and other work that had been overlooked in past years.

If anyone happened to look up at the courthouse dome on Monday afternoon, March 15, and noticed county commissioners gathered on the rooftop, it's not that the officials had taken their Government in the Sunshine responsibilities literally and to an extreme.

Rather, it's that commissioners were getting a birds eye view of the damage on the roof and other parts of the historic structure, preparatory to approving up to a half million dollars worth of repairs to the building.

Commissioners' invitation to the rooftop came from Sutton Webbvice president of Riley Palmer Construction Company, Inc. (RPCC), the designated construction manager who will overseeing the project. Webb extended the invitation to the commissioners following his presentation to the board on Thursday, March 4.

That presentation followed RPCC's extensive evaluation of the courthouse to determine the scope of work needed to bring the building back to par.

"We have consulted with numerous trade professionals for specific trade recommendations and feel that the scope of work contained herein will provide the best, longest lasting and most cost effective improvements to the courthouse building while maintaining the historic appeal," Webb told commissioners, adding that the benefits included low maintenance costs and a long-lasting roof.

He made clear that the proposed budget, which amounted to $502,000 in total, was based on a general inspection of the damage, absent any specifics. It could be that the bids proved higher or lower, he said. It could also be that the scope of the required work proved greater, once the actual work got underway and new problems were discovered. Too, the projected costs were based on using best practices and materials, in keeping with maintaining the courthouse's historic character and integrity. Should that not be an objective, the cost could be significantly reduced, he said.

For example, if the commission opted to go with asphalt or regular shingles on the roof, instead of the recommended architectural shingles, it could bring the cost down some $41,000, Webb said.

"It's not a requirement (for the architectural shingles), but in the future if you want funding you have to follow the guidelines for historical preservation," he said. "We don' want to lessen the sanctity of the courthouse to save some money."

Commissioner Hines Boyd's questioning of the high cost of the project triggered Webb's latter comments.

"This is a big number to swallow," Boyd observed. "If you came up to me on the street with this number, I'd say I'd wanted to repair the courthouse, not to build it up again."

Boyd's comment was particularly telling when it came out later in the discussion that the courthouse had undergone extensive renovations no more than 10 to 12 years ago. Notwithstanding the earlier renovations, Webb said RPCC's evaluation had uncovered "some scary aspects and we don't want simply to apply a band aid".

"We feel it best to have you come up on the roof and take a look at the damage yourselves," Webb said.

Among the work that RPCC is proposing be done to the courthouse exterior to correct the leaking and cosmetic problems:

* Renovate and repair or fabricate new metal roofing panels and flashing to make the roof watertight, along with applying a metallic coating to the repaired roof to prevent rust and deterioration.

* Sandblast the cupola to remove all loose coatings, repair all sheet metal work where necessary and recoat the dome roof with a metallic coating and repaint all detail metal work and windows with premium exterior paint.

* Remove the existing lead coated copper-roof membrane system and install new underlayment, complete with a 20-year warranty.

* Repair in general, and replace where necessary, extremely damaged pieces of the top and bottom rails of the balustrade system.

Over 70 officers from several different agencies, gathered at the Beau Turner Youth Conservation Center early Tuesday morning, where Sheriff David Hobbs, the incident commander and leader in the search, briefed them on the terrain of Jefferson County and what areas would be covered in the search for Danielle Brown of Tallahassee, who went missing Feb. 5.

Since the search for Danielle Brown began law enforcement officers, with many agencies, and citizen volunteers have searched large areas of Leon County, Florida and Thomas County, Georgia. Other locations have also been searched as investigative leads have been received. These search efforts have resulted in evidence being recovered.

As reported on February 18, Detectives have placed Danielle Brown's vehicle in Jefferson County on Saturday, February 6, and Sunday, February 7. Detectives have developed investigative leads, which place Danielle's vehicle in the Wacissa and Waukeenah communities of Jefferson County sometime between 1:30 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 6. Information has also been obtained which place Elijah James in Jefferson County on Sunday, February 7, between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Due to these investigative leads a search for Danielle Brown and evidence related her disappearance, the search began in Jefferson County Tuesday morning. With the assistance and support of Jefferson County Sheriff David Hobbs, and JCSO Detectives, several areas of interest have been identified and will be part of the search area.

Under the leadership of Hobbs, who is serving as the incident commander in the search, and his deputies, who know the terrain like the backs of their hands, a large-scale search of portions of western Jefferson County for Danielle Brown and evidence related to her disappearance.

Law enforcement officers with the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office, Leon County Sheriffs Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Wildlife Commission, along with Firefighters with the Tallahassee Fire Department and Jefferson County Fire Rescue, were assisting in this search operation.

This search included law enforcement officers ANA volunteers on foot., Air Support, Mounted Units, Dive Teams, K-9 Teams and units searching waterways in boats. This operation is part of the on-going investigative efforts to recover Danielle Brown or any evidence related to her disappearance.

"Sheriff Hobbs knowledge of Jefferson County, the citizens and the terrain has been greatly beneficial to this investigation" said Sheriff Larry Campbell. "I appreciate his leadership and support as this large scale search for Danielle moves to Jefferson County."

"The Jefferson County Sheriffs Office has been working diligently with the Leon County Sheriffs Office and will provide whatever investigative assistance required as the search for Danielle Brown continues" said Jefferson County Sheriff David Hobbs.

Today's search focused on State Road 59 between US 90 and Highway 27 and the Wacissa and Waukeenah communities.

Anyone with information about the disappearance of Danielle Brown is asked to contact the Leon County Sheriff's Office at (850) 922-3300 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 574-TIPS.

Congressman Allen Boyd, left, accepts a coffee mug and a thank you from Monticello Rotary President Mal Joplin after his presentation to the membership on Friday, March 5.

One concern he hears much too often is that there is too much fussing between the Democrats and Republicans, Boyd said. He'd like that to change for the better.

Another concern he hears is the redistricting of the voters districts and polarization. He's against the way it is now. He's for balance, Boyd said.

Boyd touched briefly on the healthcare issue. "Let's do something about healthcare that will benefit all concerned, and let's do something about 'pre-existing conditions' in the healthcare bill," he said. His wants for the healthcare bill are: reducing the cost, having the bill include everyone, for the bill to allow choice, and for all to be responsible.

He told the audience that Congress hasn't figured the budget deficit yet. "It's been a struggle. We can't spend more than we bring in. Let's just pay as we go."

He gave a quick explanation of the Blue Dogs, the southern Democratic group organized in 1995. He's proud to be a member of a group that represents rural districts.

"And, let's not mess with agriculture," he said. "We hardly hear a complaint about the agriculture industry. Let's keep it that way."

On the matter of the economy, he recommends taking incremental steps towards a better future. The economy took a turn some nine years ago and then the recession hit hard in the last quarter of 2008. It will take more than an Please See Congressman Page 4Aovernight fix to get it back on track, he said.

What his talk came down to was that Boyd is for a healthy, educated nation for all.

Latest press releases from the Congressman's website include titles such as Boyd votes to spur job creation in North Florida, Boyd fights to protect local fishermen, and Boyd seeks constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget.

Rotarian Hines Boyd introduced the Congressman and his assistant, Travis Hart.

The March 12 meeting of the Rotary will include a program by Jeff Hendrey, executive director of the FSU Florida Institute of Government. He will be introduced by member Tom Conley.

A volunteer instructor teaches a local youth how to use a bow and arrow at the archery shoot at the 2nd annual Beau Turner Outdoors Experience last year.

For those unfamiliar with the event, it's free and open to the public; it's geared toward youths of all ages and their parents; and its emphasis is on the outdoors and outdoors activities.

Established in March 2008 and managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the solar-operated center is the state's first privately developed conservation facility for youths, thanks to nationally known conservationist Beau Turner, who owns a large tract in the vicinity and who donated the 160-acre property that comprises the center.

Among other things, the center features a 36-acre fish-stocked pond, a dove field, state-of- the-art rife-and-shotgun shooting ranges, and a 3D archery course.

The stated goal of the center is to provide youths with the opportunity to learn and develop hunting and fishing skills, land stewardship and an appreciation of the outdoors. It is also part of its purpose to combat the passivity and associated problems that video and electronic games engender and to reconnect kids back with nature.

Important to know about Saturday's event, the center provides all the equipment needed for the participatory activities and civilian and FWC volunteers instruct and oversee each activity.

That said, the list of scheduled activities for Saturday include fishing and casting competitions; Olympic-style archery shooting; muzzleloader, shotgun and rifle shooting; hayrides; wall climbing; and bounce houses. Not to mention K-9 demonstrations, an FWC law-enforcement helicopter on the grounds, and wild animals on exhibit. Food and refreshments will be available for a small fee, or goers can choose to bring their own food from home and picnic on the grounds.

As a special treat this year, three outdoors television personalities will be giving demonstrations in their areas of expertise. The personalities and their performance times are snake master Steve Scruggs, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.; master longbows-man Bryon Ferguson, 11:30 a.m.; and ultimate shooter Tim Bradley, 2:30 p.m.

All youths attending the event will be eligible to win one of several door prizes that range from binoculars to a Henry .22-caliber rifle to a week of summer camp at the Ocala Outdoor Adventure Camp in central Florida.

During the event, parents can also sign up their 12-to-16-year-old children for free weekend programs that the center regularly offers on gun safety, archery, fishing, shooting and other outdoors activities.

Last year event drew an estimated 1,500 people, many of them from as far away as Georgia, Jacksonville, Gainesville and St. Petersburg, and expectations are that this year's event will draw even more people.

Sponsors of Saturday's event include the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the National Wild Turkey Federation, Fish Florida, the Florida Division of Forestry, Ducks Unlimited and the Tallahassee Museum.

The Beau Turner Youth Conservation Center is located on the west side of US 19 South, about nine miles south of Monticello and less than a mile north of US 27. For more information, call Rene Hays at (850) 413-0084 or visit MyFWC.com/Hunting.

Pictured from left to right, Cassandra Register of Baker County was crowned Miss Tallahassee USA and Caitlin Harrison, of Jefferson County was crowned Miss Tallahassee Teen USA.

Harrison will advance to the Miss Florida Teen USA pageant in October, where the winner will represent the state at the nationally televised Miss Teen USA pageant.

The pageant was held on Sunday, Feb. 28. Contestants competed in three categories, which included onstage interview question, swimsuit and evening gown.

For her onstage interview question, Harrison wore a white tea-length dress. In the swimsuit judging, she wore a white two-piece bathing suit with black rhinestones, and in the evening gown portion of the contest, Harrison wore a long floor-length white evening gown with snug bodice covered in Savaborski crystals, hand-sewn to the dress by her mother, to catch the iridescent light, to make the gown really "pop" under the lights.

Currently a senior at Florida High, Harrison is dually enrolled at Florida State University School and Tallahassee University College, where she is an honor roll student and President's Award recipient. She has also volunteered at the Monticello Opera House for over 200 hours.

"When they called my name I was like they didn't say Caitlin. I was just really happy," said Harrison. "Every pageant I go in I just go and do my best," said soon-to-be Florida A&M pharmacy freshman. "I just go and say I'm going to do my best because it's a curse if I say I'm going to win."

Harrison added that not only is she happy and utterly thrilled to represent Tallahassee, she never loses touch with her Jefferson County roots. "I'll always be a Monticello girl and no matter where I compete, I will represent Jefferson County as well," she said.

Anderson, an online law professor for the University of Phoenix, took over the local event in October and hopes to see it grow.

"I saw it as an opportunity to give back and mentor young girls," said Anderson, a 2003 Miss Georgia USA pageant contestant. "I want to continue to get more sponsors and would like to get the community more involved."

"This is about esteem and empowerment," said Miss Florida USA executive director Grant Gravitt Jr. "Pay attention to these girls because one day you may be working for them."

Cassandra Register of Baker County won against five other contestants to become Miss Tallahassee USA and will head to the Miss Florida USA pageant July 6-10. She'll enter Florida State this summer to study biochemistry.

Both pageants will air on the FOX network.

Madysen Lynn Parker, 4, also was crowned the inaugural Miss Tallahassee USA Little Sister, in a non-competitive mentoring program for girls, ages 5-12.

Greg Tish, host of the local television show "Live In Tallahassee", served as the Master of Ceremonies, while Rosanna Lawrie, Miss Tallahassee 2004, served as the special guest host.

The pageant was independently produced by Beth Anderson Productions, a Tallahassee-based production company. Beth Shankle Anderson, president of Beth Anderson productions, is the executive director of the Miss Teen Tallahassee pageant.

In finding replacements for former Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Willie Spears, of Jefferson County Middle High School (JCMHS) , who announced his resignation the week prior, JCMHS Principal Dr, Rodney Ryan announced to the football and weightlifting teams last week, which of the three remaining football coaches would replace Spears as Head Football Coach and Athletic Director.

"You have lost a great leader (Spears), an advocate for your abilities on the athletic field and in the classroom," said Ryan. "I want to acknowledge the fact that I too, learned from Coach Spears. I have learned that with the will, you can overturn many obstacles and persevere.

"You seek, a couple months ago, I questioned my abilities to work with you to change this school into a model for others," he added. "But, I have met too many people like you, that I realize we have a potential for Jefferson County Middle High School.

"I found out with a phone call from Mr. (Superintendent Bill) Brumfield Sunday (Feb. 21) of Coach Spears' decision to leave Jefferson County and he (Brumfield) assured me that the other three coaches on staff (Tyrone Bolware, Jeremy Brown and Cameron Duke) would remain," said Ryan. "On Monday morning (Feb. 22) I called four of your teammates to my office to briefly discuss their feelings of the situation.

"I was greatly relieved to hear their decision to move forward with our current coaches," Ryan added. "I called each coach into my office to hear from each, their plans or goals for personal growth. Realizing all the stakeholders in this program and the academic structure we must mount to overcome our shortcomings, I have made the following decisions in conjunction with the coach's beliefs.

Coach Duke will continue to be an assistant coach, an advocate for high school performance and he has a desire to be a great classroom teacher," said Ryan.

"Coach Bolware will be an assistant coach, the interim Athletic Director, and an advocate for high school performance," he added.

"Coach Brown will be the new Head Coach for our football program," said Ryan. "He will assume additional ESE academic coaching duties as well for the next year.

Ryan added that the coaches would decide whether or not to serve the program in the same capacity as last year, which led the Tigers to the District Title, the first in five years, and they would recommend the person to take the position of the fourth coach for the program, and in what capacity that person would serve the program.

"Please remember that each of these individuals bring unique and gifted qualities to the program," Ryan said. "We have ¾ of the coaching team remaining with the knowledge base of their previous leader. I cannot think of a finer group of coaches to bring high expectations for the football program while instill8ng the values of academic success to enable all potential players to play at the nest level," said Ryan.

"I want to thank each of them for their desire to make you athletes fine human beings," he concluded.

Ryan then invited each of the coaches to address the teams.

Brown was the first to speak to the athletes. "I am very excited for the opportunity I have been given at Jefferson. Coach Spears did a phenomenal job while he was here, but we have to remember that everything happens for as reason," said Brown.

"The Lord works things out in His own time, and in His own way," he added. "Coach Spears laid a great foundation at Jefferson, now our job is to build on that foundation and go to the next level," said Brown.

"You guys have made a lot of personal academic growth, one example of that would be David Crumity. He qualified on his ACT and can now continue on to college. David got himself some Tudors and he studied. He had the will to go and do what it takes to get to the next level and he took the initiative to take that next step to get there," said Brown. "He came to school and he learned to be respectable. Brown went on to say, "Our goal as a football program next year is to win the State Championship, but we have to take care of the academic requirements in order to be eligible. We don't want to be mediocre any more. We are going to stay because we saw the opportunity to get better. We hear stories now about how you guys will hold the door for ladies, you day yes ma'am, and no ma'am. We've even heard stories about people seeing the kids around town wearing the Tigers shirts and stopping to pick up a piece of trash and throw it anyway when it didn't belong to them. We will continue to grow, athletically, academically and we will offer the opportunity to continue to grow in your spiritual life and we will continue to provide that opportunity to you," he concluded.

Duke then spoke to the group. "We will miss Coach Spears and we will pray for him and he continues to move on. We will continue to improve and we will challenge you to better achieve whenever we are around you," said Duke. "I am excited to be here at Jefferson and I continue to see how you improve each and every day. I love you all," he concluded.

"When you, being who you are, follow the codes of conduct, the rest of the school will follow behind you," said Bolware. "We have been here long enough that we know you guys trust us and you know what we stand for. This recent announcement it's just another opportunity for me to get better," he said.

He began quoting former college players and coaches who made themselves and teams great. "If you want something bad enough, no matter how bad the circumstances are you can make it happen. We want that State Championship next year, we want it bad.

"So we are going to make it happen and put the Jefferson Fighting Tigers back on top again." He asked the players to keep his closing quote in mind and they go through their lives and seasons with the football program. "Don't let what you can't do interfere with what you can," said Bolware. "If you can't do something to start with, find a way to enable yourself to do it and focus on what you can already do."

Firefighters and EMS personnel ready the backboard after utilizing the Jaws of Life to extract driver Cheryl B. Steen from her vehicle following a crash with a County Waste Management hydraulic dumpster-lift truck Friday afternoon.

According to Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Bill Grubbs, Frank T. Hunter, 75, of Monticello was in a 2003 GMC County Waste Management hydraulic dumpster-lift truck in the north bound lane of US-19 attempting a left hand turn onto Waukeenah Highway.

Cheryl B. Steen, 48, of Monticello, was driving a 1999 Chrysler heading southbound on US-19. In the front seat as a passenger was Ronald E. James, 46, of Monticello. Passengers in the back seat were Steen's two nine year-old grandsons.

Hunter turned in front of Steen and Steen was unable to take any evasive action. The frontleft side of Steen's vehicle struck the front right side of the County vehicle. Hunter's vehicle came to rest in the turn median and Steen's vehicle came to rest on the southbound shoulder of the road.

Steen sustained serious injuries and firefighters had to utilize the Jaws of Life to extract her from the vehicle.

James, the two grandsons and Hunter, all sustained minor injuries. All involved were transported to Tallahassee memorial Hospital for treatment of their injuries.

Grubbs said all involved were wearing their seatbelts. Steen's vehicle was totaled and the County vehicle sustained $5,000 damage.

Hunter was charged with failure to yield the right of way, making a left turn into oncoming traffic.

Assisting FHP on the scene were Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies, County Fire Rescue and County EMS.

Among the many attending the Boys and Girls Club advisory board meeting on Thursday evening were, from left to right, Police Chief Fred Mosley, Sheriff David Hobbs, Property Appraiser Angela Gray, Judge Bobby Plaines and School Superintendent Bill Brumfield.

That news boiled down to the message that if the local community wants the program to continue operating here, it had better come up with ways to fund the operation. Otherwise, the program may be soon be history. And it's not a cheap program to operate either, by any stretch of the imagination.

Streit said it usually came as a surprise to most people when they learned how much it costs to operate a Boys and Girls program. For example, it took about $600,000 annually to operate the local club, of which 75 percent went for staff salaries and the remainder went for building leases, field trips, transportation and such, he said. That equated to nearly $5 million that had come to the local club from 21st Century grants and other funding sources during the last eight years, Streit said.

But the 21st Century grant was set to expire after the current year and donations, contributions and other revenues sources were down because of the recession, he said.

"We're in a financial problem," Streit said, adding that for the first time during his long tenure with the organization, the payroll had been missed by a day on the previous week and it remained in question for the coming weeks.

"We don't want to continue saying that things are hard, but it's the situation that we're in," Streit said. "We need help if we're going to survive this bad economy. We've supported this community for years. But we're at a point now where we have to reach into every county and ask for help. We're talking about a lot of money. As of July 31 of this year, we won't have the funding to run the Boys and Girls Club of Jefferson County. For eight years, Jefferson County hasn't come close to the funding that is needed to run the program here but now it has to change." Streit offered Gadsden County as an example of a funding model that worked. Three years ago, he said, the Gadsden County Commission had committed to contributing $150,000 annually to the Gadsden County Boys and Girls Club for a seven-year period.

"The model in Gadsden County works, where local government joins in," Streit said. "That's the kind of creative model that we need to look at."

Gadsden is one of four counties that the Boys and Girls Club of the Big bend serves. The other three are Leon, Wakulla and Jefferson counties. The Jefferson County club is not only the second oldest to the Leon County club, with 10 to 12 years of existence; but it's also one of the largest in terms of member, with some 200 kids registered here.

Streit said part of the local money-raising effort involved approaching Jefferson County residents who had the wherewithal to help, including Congressman Allen Boyd and media mogul Ted Turner, who owns thousands of acres in the Lamont area and elsewhere.

But the bottom line was that the Boys and Girls Club of Big Bend could no longer continue to fund the local club and the latter would have to begin finding more of its own funding sources.

Contributing to the financial problem, Streit said, his organization first had to spend the money before the state would reimburse it through the Florida Department of Education (FDOE). Too, the rules for reimbursements had gotten ever more complex and stringent, he said.

"We don't get paid until we've spent the money and then we get paid two or more months later," Streit said, adding that the delay made for shortages in the cash flow.

For example, he said, the FDOE had yet to reimburse the organization for the $170,000 it paid the Jefferson County Boys and Girls staff in December.

"We spent the money on Dec. 15 and we haven't yet gotten the reimbursement from the FDOE," Streit said. "I've worked with kids for 35 years. I'm a lawyer. I know bureaucracy. But I've never seen the level of bureaucracy in these grants in my life. Every time we answer one question, there are four new questions."

But he didn't want to divert attention from the central problem, Streit said. And that central problem was that grants were unsure, donations were down and everybody needed to pull together and help, he said.

Streit offered that if the Boy and Girls Club of Big Bend went under, it would affect 1,000 kids in the area. He then asked for ideas from the local advisory board and the concerned parents attending the meeting.

"Everything's on the table," Streit said, adding that he had no problem with establishing a separate account for Jefferson County Boys and Girls Club so that monies raised here remained here, if the commingling of monies was perceived a local concern. What he didn't want, he said, was to divert attention from the fundamental issue.

"That fundamental issue is that we have to raise money," Streit said. "If the bank account needs to be separated, I'm willing to do it."

Among the several ideas the audience offered, once the message had sunk in, were organizing a committee to spearhead a local fundraising effort; approaching both local governments as well as the governor and lawmakers for financial and other assistance; and raising awareness in the community of the plight and possible demise of the Boys and Girls Club here.

'It doesn't do any good to come up with ideas if you don't follow up on things," Streit told the group.

And Larry Halsey, retired extension office director, added his own cautionary note.

"It' going to be a long, tough haul," Halsey said of the effort to martial the forces necessary to secure the needed funding, given this community limited resources and the pervasiveness of the recession.

The relationship between the Jefferson County School District and the CARE Charter School of Excellence is not unlike that between an unsure parent and a problematic child.

The dynamics of the somewhat difficult and dysfunctional relationship were readily evident at a special workshop on Monday evening, Feb. 22, when school district officials — gently at first, and then with growing sternness — tried to take the charter school's administrators to task for various budgeting and other deficiencies (some of the latter lingering from the middle of last year).

For all the fault-finding and admonitions at Monday's session, however, the bottom line appears to be that, at best, the school district is unsure of its role vis-à-vis the charter school; and at worst, it may be impotent to enforce any of its threats, notwithstanding that the state holds the district accountable for what happens at the charter school. What's more, school district officials say they get little to no support or guidance from the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) in terms of what the school district's role should be vis-à-vis the charter school, despite repeated appeals to the state agency for clarification of the situation.

Here then is a taste of the two-hour exchange that took place on Monday night between members of the School Board and the school district administration on the one side, and representatives of the charter school on the other hand; which exchange appears to be typical of the encounters between the three parties.

Jefferson County School District Chief Financial Officer Marsha Willis started Monday's session by accentuating the positive aspects of the relationship, pointing out that the charter school's financial statements were now coming in a timelier manner.

"What we're not okay with in terms of timeliness is the budget, which we are now just getting three quarters of the way through the school year," Willis said.

Also not happening on a timely basis, Willis said, was the charter school's spending of certain federal funds that were allocated for student services; nor was the charter school timely submitting certain documentation associated with the funding.

Willis cited several red flags that she said she had noted in her brief review of the charter school's recently submitted budget. Her analysis, she said, was based on a comparison of the monies that had been budgeted and what had been spent as of Jan. 31 of this year. Bottom line, some of the budgeted amounts had already been overspent, others of the expenditures had never been budgeted, and yet others showed every indication of being overspent by the end of the year at the rates they were going.

"You will need to adjust the budget or you will need to drop some of the expenditures or you will be over budget at the end of the year,"Willis said, explaining that the budget was essentially a monitoring tool to be used for guidance as much as anything. "There are things that need to be cleaned up. This is a tool that you need to be using."

As an example of the potential problems, Willis highlighted the administrator category in the budget, of which $112,500 had been budgeted and $50,000 or 44 percent spent as of Jan. 31. Her point was at that rate of expenditures, the category would be overspent by the end of the year.

Indeed, Charter School Director Harriett Cuyler' annual salary — making her the second highest paid school administrator next to District Superintendent Bill Brumfield — was a point that arose several times during the discussion, especially in light of the charter school's total enrollment of 137 students. The record shows that Cuyler's annual salary is $77,250.

Cuyler, for her part, questioned a highlighted part on Willis' budget analysis sheet indicating a combined $42,781 in unbudgeted expenditures. It was Cuyler's contention that the FDOE had allowed these particular expenditures, which she said were to be charged against a federal grant.

"These expenditures were approved by the FDOE and are awaiting federal dollars," Cuyler said.

She offered that the job of preparing the budget was that of School Financial Services Inc. (SFS), a Bonifay-based company that the charter school contracts with and that describes itself as having the experience and expertise to provide comprehensive back-office accounting services to charter schools. Cuyler explained that the late submission of the budget was because SFS had only come onboard Oct. 1, after the charter school had terminated its contract with the former consultant firm, the Leona Group Florida.

Which raised another issue of concern: a $23,269.16 payment due to the Leona Group that the charter school's budget didn't show.

"That's in litigation," Cuyler said. "It's CARE's position that we don't owe that money unless they prove that they did things in accordance with the contract. It's being contested how much CARE owes Leona."

What if CARE lost the suit? Willis asked.

"The attorney wouldn't have taken the case if he thought he could lose," Cuyler said.

But what if CARE still ended up losing the suit? School Board Member Marianne Arbulu pressed the issue.

Then CARE would pay the $23,269.16, as well as the $3,000 attorney's fee, Cuyler said.

The fact that these two potential expenditures were not reflected in the budget continued to disturb school officials, but they settled for simply registering their concern.

Cuyler, for her part, expressed annoyance that in her view, school district personnel tended to ambush her with their concerns, rather than giving her forewarning and adequate time to prepare.

"I have asked several times, so that I don't get surprised, that if you have concerns that I be given an opportunity prior to the workshop to provide the answers," Cuyler said. "Give me an opportunity to answer the questions ahead of time. But when I come here and I'm given these pieces of paper... I hear what you're saying, but I see something else being demonstrated."

Which prompted Willis to respond that if Cuyler didn't want surprises, she needed to submit the required information in a timelier manner. She (Willis) had only received the charter school's budget via email on the previous night, which had made it difficult for her to give it more than a cursory review before the workshop, Willis said.

And so was the tenor of the proceeding set: frustration on the one side, and the perception, if not the actual allegation, of unfair treatment from the other.

The district personnel questioned a $24,500 amount budgeted for childcare. What service specifically was being provided and how was it being funded? The answer was that this was an after-school program and that federal revenues were funding it.

There was a discussion of a resource teacher who might have to be terminated unless her salary could be switched to Title I federal funding because of an expected budget shortage in the particular category currently funding the position. District officials indicated that a switch to federal funding was possible, provided the position was advertised, meaning that the current employee might not necessarily be able to keep the job. What' more, the school district, not the charter school, would supervise the individual. At which point Cuyler indicated that the charter school would find another way to address the problem.

Arbulu questioned why the charter school had yet to apply for nonprofit status after two years?

"We just need to submit the application to the IRS and an $850 application fee," Cuyler said.

"It's taken you this long to put this together," Arbulu asked pointedly.

"Absolutely," Cuyler said. "It takes time to find the expertise."

Arbulu: "With the deficit you're running, have you declared a financial emergency?"

Cuyler referred the question to the two attending SFS representatives, who offered that it was the auditor's responsibility to declare the financial emergency, an assertion that Willis contested.

"Our audits go to the FDOE and it requires a letter from us," Willis said. "This has been out there since June 30 of last year. It wasn't just out yesterday."

Cuyler countered that CPA Gary Scott with SFS did the accounting, budgets, payroll and such for the charter school.

Arbulu: "SFS provides an accounting service, not a budgeting service. Your governing board and you are responsible for the budget, not SFS."

Harriett: "The understanding I had from Gary Scott was that he would prepare for the state the financial emergency plan. From what you're saying, that's not his responsibility."

Arbulu: "Who' in charge of the charter school?"

Cuyler: "Me and my board."

Arbulu: "Thank you! My real concern is that I am seeing an overall lack of leadership here. They (SFS) are not in charge, you are. There are statutes that govern what you do. If you don't, it becomes a problem and it becomes our problem. You have to get a handle on this."

Cuyler: "We work collaboratively with SFS. We have a collaboration. If this was an issue and it wasn't done right, I would expect a call or a reprimand from the School Board and not to see it on WCTV."

She was referring to a Channel 6 interview with Brumfield on the coming workshop that had aired earlier.

Brumfield: "Before you start throwing out darts, I drew a map for the reporter to get to your place and she said she was going to see you. If I said something that wasn't true, you tell me. I said there are some problems. I said there is a deficit. When I became superintendent, I had to do a financial recovery plan. I don't see that it's any different for the charter school."

At which point one of the two SFS representatives promised that her office would forward a financial recovery plan to Willis on the following day.

On another note, Brumfield wanted to know the school district's liability, given that the charter school was using church buses to transport children home.

School Board Attorney Buck Bird said a contract would be required between the charter school and the church, showing proof of liability insurance.

"We have an agreement, not a contract," Cuyler said. "But the church took out additional insurance to cover the liability. Is that correct, Pastor Cuyler (referring to her husband, Rev. Willie Cuyler).

Rev. Cuyler indicated that it was correct. Still, school officials wanted to see proof of the agreement and of the liability insurance.

Brumfield next questioned the charter's school use of aides to teach children, which practice he said charter school Principal Vivian Wilson had communicated to both him and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kelvin Norton. Wilson adamantly denied every having made such a statement.

"You sat right there in that chair that Dr. Norton is now sitting and told us that aides were being used to teach the children," Brumfield insisted. "Dr. Norton, did she not say aides?"

"She said aides," Dr. Norton responded.

Wilson continued to deny that she had ever made such a statement.

Arbulu next brought up the charter school's board of directors.

"The number of people on your board just happened the other night," she said. "It says in your minutes that you have three members. Three members don't serve you well."

Cuyler: "We always have a quorum."

Willis: "For federal startup grants, it's a requirement of five members."

It was not made clear if the charter school participates in federal startup grants.

The next issue raised involved the holding of family reunions, birthday parties and other private affairs in the charter school buildings, a practice that Willis said the lease specifically prohibited and that put the school district at risk of liability.

"If a group wants to use the school facility they have to come to the school district and petition the district," Willis said. "We've said these events weren't allowed and they've continued. It needs to stop."

Did Willis mean to say that the community couldn't use the facility? Cuyler asked.

Brumfield: "There is a procedure to do it, but they have to come through the district."

Cuyler: "Are you strong-arming the community to say that they can't use the CARE charter school?"

Willis: "That's up to the School Board. You're leasing this facility to run a charter school. This is not your facility. You signed a lease. We've told you to stop these activities and you continue to do them."

Cuyler: "How do you build a relationship with the community if you can' have social functions? What's the real problem here? I'm hearing birthdays and social dances but I'm hearing something different."

Rev. Cuyler interjected that the school district had been considering "mothballing" the Howard Middle School buildings several years ago and now it was concerned about what was happening there. But more important, he said, why was Jefferson Arts Inc. allowed to hold and charge for events in a facility that it also leased from the school district? It had come out earlier in the discussion that that the charter school charges private groups for the use of the buildings, which monies are put in a students' fund to sponsor activities for the kids.

"Do they (Jefferson Arts) give their monies to the school district?" Rev. Cuyler asked.

Willis: "The relevant issue is that we have a lease that says you can't hold non-educational activities without permission."

Harriet Cuyler: "If Jefferson Arts is charging..."

Willis: "That's irrelevant. Each lease is individual."

Bird: "The lease agreement with CARE does not allow CARE to sublease. There are two ways to handle it: either the board handles it directly or CARE comes back to the School Board and asks to do the activity and the board can say yes or no. But it has to be taken care of."

The three other School Board members, who had sat silent through most of the discussion, spoke up toward the end.

Chairwoman Sandra Saunders wanted to know if everyone was clear on the requirements and the timelines that had been mentioned, further expressing the hope that the meeting had established a baseline for better communications between the three groups in the future.

"Maybe this is a start for things to get better," Saunders said.

School Board Member Charles Boland expressed annoyance. He pronounced the entire proceeding a waste of time. Unless the school district administrators could marshal the necessary evidence to shut down the charter school (which the School Board supposedly has the authority to do with cause), he saw no point in the School Board attending such sessions in the future, he said.

"We don' need to be here unless it's to close down the charter school," Boland said. "I'll be there for that."

School Board Member Shirley Washington expressed confusion about the School Board's role relative to the charter school.