Macclenny, Fl
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Off season workouts Page 17 Vets markers growing Page 11 ThE BakER COUNty PREss $1.00 90TH YEAR | VOLUME 8 JUNE 6, 2019 AT A Family GLANCE affair for THINGS TO DO high-end JUNE 8 burglaries Free Y swim day; fund- JOEL ADDINGTON raiser for older adults MANAGING EDITOR programs [email protected] 10:00 am - 2:00 pm The sheriff’s office an- During its “Splash Bash” nounced on May 22 that on June 8 when the YMCA four suspects in a rash of pool on West Lowder Street high-dollar property thefts in Macclenny will be open and burglaries here were free to the public, BBQ arrested in Jacksonville pork dinners — complete with beans, coleslaw and and now face several felo- roll — will be sold for $5, or ny counts here. $6 with a drink, to benefit activities for older adults. Purchase this photo at www.bakercountypress.com Photos by Joel Addington The event runs from 10 a.m. Contestants in the face painting contest. Madden Hartley (third from left) won after showing off some dance moves for the judges. to 2 p.m. Class of ‘63 reunion 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm The Baker County High School class of 1963 will gather for a 56th reunion ‘Dog Days’ on June 8 at the Crews Robert Shortridge Farm Facility on Cattle Gap Rd. in south Glen St. Mary off CR 125. The program be- gins with a noon luncheon raises $500 at $25 per person. Send your response to Linda Richardson at 5749 Rich- JOEL ADDINGTON said county administrator ardson Rd., Glen St. Mary, MANAGING EDITOR Sara Little, who helped plan [email protected] and coordinate the festival See page 6 and its 11 vendors. The third annual Dog “It’s not quite as many as SPORTS Days of Baker Festival June we had last year but every- Tina Shortridge 1 drew a smaller crowd this one that’s been here today year but it was still substan- has had a really good time,” tial at roughly 130 visitors she continued. “We’ve had a Volunteer Peyton Keefer with Dawn in the best-dressed dog con- with dozens of the canines, lot of new vendors this year, test. many of which competed in so that was nice ... We really contests and for the best-in- enjoy having stuff like this show honor. for the community to come The Lydia Pons Memori- out and enjoy. What better al Best-in-show Award was thing can you do in Baker named after the late animal County for $1? And it’s for a advocate and owner of Bed, good cause.” Trever Norman Bath and Barks in Glen St. The roughly $500 raised Mary who lost her life last Saturday will help fund a Robert L. Shortridge, year in a vehicle accident. spay-and-neuter program 38, and Tina M. Shor- BCHS softball honors Fittingly, an Airedale for the indigent through tridge, 42, along with their See page 16 terrier named Rowan who county animal control. 16-year-old daughter and won the award as well as the “That was our focus to- Trever L. Norman, 17, howling contest was born day, to get that up and run- were in custody that day Go vote ... by one of Lydia Pons’ dogs, ning,” said Mrs. Little. after warrants were ob- How would you said her best friend Row- A handful of dogs and tained and served by local an’s owner Courtney Kline cats from county shelter officers working with the grade the services of Macclenny. on Steel Bridge Road were Jacksonville Sheriff’s Of- provided by the “We were proud of the available for adoption, fice, a statement from the turnout today. At last count though none were taken Baker County Sheriff’s Of- Baker County health we had about 135 at the Rowan howls into a microphone during the howling contest. fice (BCSO) released on department? gate, which is pretty good,” See page 2 Facebook stated. BCSO recovered some A 29% $40,000 in property sto- B 41% len from victims here, in- cluding a $19,000 Timber C 6% Shooting drills commence at schools King sawmill taken from JOEL ADDINGTON ty fire-rescue departments and Ed Fra- and useful in terms of imitating the fear an address on Cedar Creek D 18% Farms Road in Glen St. MANAGING EDITOR ser Memorial Hospital were involved in that would grip the campuses if there Mary belonging to Michael bakercountypress.com [email protected] the long-planned May 30 training exer- was a school shooting here, and pre- cise, which will be repeated at all other paring for a multi-agency response to a Kelly. County first responders descend- county campuses this summer. mass casualty scenario. Mr. Kelly reported that ed on the Glen St. Mary campuses of “I would describe our drills as pro- “It was awful,” said business teach- theft, as well as a missing Westside Elementary School and Bak- ductive, but we still have work to do. er Stephanie Wheeler. “I had genuine Polaris ATV 700 valued er County High School last week for a We have four more drills planned prior anxiety just thinking that it could really at $5000, on April 28. He 3rd grade mock school shooting drill involving to the start of the next school year,” said happen in Baker County.” said windows were broken teachers, faculty and volunteer stu- BCSO Major Randy Crews by email. Still, she said, it was helpful for on two ransacked camper dents. Accounts from faculty and students ELA results The sheriff’s office, the city and coun- at BCHS showed it was both stressful See page 2 See page 3 rank 3rd in Florida Page 3 Page 2 The Baker County Press Thursday, June 6, 2019 School shooter: First drills held From page 1 edy. “Being prepared to re- teachers to experience the spond immediately to an ac- district’s safety protocols in tive shooter incident is our real time, which gave every- primary focus. These drills one involved an opportuni- conducted, in coordination ty to troubleshoot the pro- with all responding person- cess and expose areas for nel, will lead to an organized improvement in the future. timely response, mitigat- “Our front office sec- Purchase this photo at www.bakercountypress.com Photo by Joel Addington ing the number of casual- retary literally had tears All the dogs who competed Saturday and remained to the end of the event with their owners or handlers. ties. We are all committed thinking that she could see to the process of planning a student hurt outside of and training to be prepared her office and not be able should our community be Dog Days: Turnout down, still good to go to help them without faced with this type of situ- risking her own death,” re- ation,” they said. From page 1 the cats. ty’s and committee’s efforts But animal control di- called Ms. Wheeler. Incoming BCHS junior in the last year or so to boost rector Georgia Monfort ex- The sheriff’s office no- and drill volunteer Andrea home by the end of the four- Feral cats weighing down adoptions, the facility’s eu- plained that the feral cat tified the public about the Pelfrey played the role of hour festival, which includ- release rate thanasia rate remains stub- population here is behind drill via its Facebook page an injured student who fled at 7 a.m. the morning of the ed K-9 demonstration by the During last week’s coun- bornly high. the shelter’s low release rate. from the shooter and drove exercise, saying it was an ef- sheriff’s office, train rids for ty Animal Advisory Com- “It feels like more (ani- “It’s a constant problem to Fraser Hospital for treat- fort to “maintain the high- kids, face painting, food and mittee meeting, the lack of mals) have gotten out and in the city limits,” she said. ment. While her mock inju- est level of safety for our games for both children and adoptions from the shelter then when we looked at the “People will drop them there ry was a dislocated shoul- student(s).” dogs. was discussed with some finals numbers, it turns out thinking they’ll survive off der, other volunteers had “The training drills tak- All but one of the dogs at dismay. not,” she said the evening of dumpster diving.” more severe injuries or died. ing place are mandated by the fairgrounds, a box-bull- Committee member Con- May 28. The director said often “I think we were all jok- law and will be conducted dog mix named Rex who nie Cannaday, who runs a As detailed by county whole litters of kittens are ing around until it started,” at every school throughout was sent to a prison pro- hound-dog rescue in Glen manager Kennie Down- abandoned in remote areas said Ms. Pelfrey. “Once it the summer,” the post read. gram to work with inmates, St. Mary, expressed frustra- ing during the meeting she of the county. She said some started we were all joking The annual drills are re- were still available for adop- tion that despite the coun- chaired, the county has residents have taken to trap- around until it started. Once tion early this week, as were been taking animals to the ping them for delivery to an- quired by the school secu- it started we were all actual- Orange Park Pet Smart for imal control, where unless rity legislation that passed ly terrified. When it came adoptions on weekends, adopted, they’re euthanized.