A3 + PLUS >> A hidden killer among us, Opinion/4A GAINESVILLE NFL Dian Fossey Ramsey’s new ride exhibit open an armored truck See Page 5A See Page 1B THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2019 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $1.00 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM 2012 STORM ‘HIDDEN KILLER’ Debby lawsuit Peace a win for officer county Couple blamed 2005 road suicide construction for flooding. By CARL MCKINNEY [email protected] Weapons of rising County, city and water management offi- cials secured a victory Hunter on what’s being Wednesday in a costly the future? three-year court battle done to help cops cope. with a local couple blam- Toy lightsabers won’t change the ing Bascom Norris Drive world. How these were made may. 6A By MICHAEL PHILIPS for worsening stormwater [email protected] problems on their property. But the “Suicide is the hidden killer in our fight may profession,” Columbia County Sheriff not be Mark Hunter said Wedensday during entirely an interview in his office. “It has come over. to light in recent years. However, it’s Judge always been there, it’s Gregory just that now it has Parker moved to the forefront.” Foreman ruled in In 2018, 159 members favor of the county in a of law enforcement lawsuit filed by Robert and across the country com- Carol Brown over flooding mitted suicide, outpac- issues that arose during ing the 144 members Hunter who died in the line Tropical Storm Debby. The TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter Browns have 30 days from Motorists travel along US 90 Wednesday afternoon right after a downpour. of duty. Ten of those the date of the ruling to suicides occurred in Florida, making file an appeal, said County it the state with the third most, behind Attorney Joel Foreman, California and Texas. And the num- who declined to comment ber of suicides has continued to rise further. in recent years, according to Murray 7 inches of rain in Smith, the public information officer for “It’s not really over until the appeals period is over,” the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. Foreman said. As his term as president of the The county spent about Florida Sheriffs Association draws to a a single afternoon close, Hunter sees directing attention $450,000 on the litigation, to suicides among law-enforcement offi- said County Manager Ben Wellborn, received 6.92 inches of rain, Scott. By TONY BRITT cers as the duty of those in leadership [email protected] most of which fell between 2 and 2:45 positions. Just as important, however, is The Browns own Bob’s p.m. Meanwhile, Lake City received two Marine Village off U.S. A wet summer got even wetter yester- developing strategies to prevent suicide to four inches of rainfall, most of which and deal with the stress of the job. Highway 41 near Bascom day. fell during the same time frame. Norris Drive. Nearly seven inches of rain fell in With all that officers and deputies see The National Weather Service issued day in and day, they can “become less Their original demand portions of western Columbia the area flood warning for was more than $1 million, County The biggest southwestern Baker County, SUICIDE continued on 2A nearly double the appraised Wednesday downpour north-central Union County, and value of afternoon and was in the central Columbia County. The The couple the land, Lake City got up western area flood warning was issued according argued that to four inches of part of the around 3:20 p.m. and expired at to county rainfall, prompt- the county county. Lake 5:45 p.m. Medicaid essentially officials. ing the National Shayne Morgan, Columbia When City got 2-4 took their Weather Service County Emergency the lawsuit in Jacksonville inches, NWS ballot drive property Morgan Management Director, said no was first to include said. adverse incidents were reported by ‘inverse approach- Columbia County in an area could be condemna- into the county dispatch center ing trial, flood warning. as a result of the downpour, but they tion.’ the Browns Andrew Kennedy, a meteorologist were monitoring the situation. delayed added the with the National Weather Service in “We’re having quite a bit of rain come Suwannee River Water Jacksonville, said areas west of Lake News Service of Florida Management District as a City, approximately four miles from RAIN continued on 6A defendant, causing much A drive to expand Medicaid in of the process to have to Florida may be pushed back two years, start over, according to the as organizers try to figure out if they county. can muster the resources to put the The city of Lake City is issue on the 2020 ballot. also listed as a defendant. A spokesman for a political commit- The Browns allege the tee backing a proposed constitutional construction of Bascom amendment --- which comes after Norris Drive in 2005, cou- years of Florida lawmakers rejecting pled with the failure to pro- Medicaid expansion --- said a final vide or maintain adequate decision has not been made, but he drainage infrastructure, acknowledged it may be difficult to contributed to flooding meet state-imposed deadlines to take that forced them close the issue to voters in 2020. their business, vacate their The committee, Florida Decides buildings and relocate busi- Healthcare, Inc., has “not made a ness records, according to decision about whether we have the the original civil complaint. resources and the time to.be on the The couple argued that ballot in 2020,” said spokesman Dan the county essentially took Newman, who stressed that the pro- their property by “inverse posed amendment isn’t being with- condemnation,” according drawn. “It’s more of a pacing question to the Wednesday ruling. than it is about stopping or starting.” The court heard testi- TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter If organizers wait until 2022, it could mony from county engi- thrust Medicaid expansion into the neering experts, who could A little off the top — and sides heat of that year’s governor’s race. think of no reason why the Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who Employees with Asplundh Tree Experts trim branches and limbs away from LAWSUIT continued on 2A power lines on Hernando Avenue Wednesday morning. BALLOT continued on 3A Vol. 145, No. 85 CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER (386) 752-1293 Obituaries . 3A Sports . 1B COMMUNITY CALENDER SUBSCRIBE TO Big weekend of events ahead, 5A THE REPORTER: 86 69 Advice & Comics . 3B Voice: 755-5445 Fax: 752-9400 Scattered storms 2A THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2019 LOCAL LAKE CITY REPORTER What’s being done to help QUICK HITS Scripture of the Day The ‘hidden killer’ of officers “Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.” SUICIDE — Psalm 113:1 (KJV) Continued From 1A empathetic, less patient Thought for Today and more callous.” “It’s important that our We live in a rainbow of chaos. employees are squared — Paul Cezanne, 1839-1906, French painter away. The perception from the public that we are 100% all the time. To them, if they see us arrive Winning Lottery Numbers in uniform that we’re rep- resenting this office. To Pick 3: (Tuesday p.m.) 0-2-7 them that means someone Pick 4: (Tuesday p.m.) 2-8-1-3 is coming to fix things, to Fantasy 5: (Tuesday) 1-29-30-33-34 make things right.” A lot more has landed on the plate of law enforce- See an error? ment in recent years. No The Lake City Reporter corrects errors of fact in news one would have thought items. If you have a concern, question, or suggestion, 40 years ago that cops or please call the editor. Corrections and clarifications will deputies would have to deal with mental health run in this space. Thanks for reading. concerns, for example. “When I started my career, many of the older Submissions guys in law enforcement The Lake City Reporter accepts photographs and caption saw it as taboo if you had information to run at the discretion of the editor. If you would a bad scene and you had like to see your organization in the newspaper, send the picture an issue with it. But that and information to Robert Bridges: rbridges@lakecityreporter. is part of doing business,” com. Hunter said. Being in law enforce- MICHAEL PHILIPS/Lake City Reporter ment can mean wearing Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter discusses the problem of suicide among Lake City Reporter many hats. As an example, peace officers during an interview Wednesday in his office. HOW TO REACH US BUSINESS ........... 754-0419 he points to domestic vio- Main number ....... (386) 752-1293 CIRCULATION lence. mean we are 9-feet tall come with the territory. one is probably going to Fax number ............ 752-9400 “We’re not certified and bulletproof. We still “We have a regional jail. However, as he pointed Circulation............. 755-5445 Home delivery of the Lake City Reporter Online .... www.lakecityreporter.com should be completed by 6:30 a.m. counselors,” Hunter said. have the same issues that asset that we share with a out, it’s not law enforce- The Lake City Reporter, an affiliate Tuesday through Friday, and by 7:30 “But we need to have but we’re looked at as the lot of different agencies,” ment who decides who’s of Community Newspapers Inc., is a.m. on Sunday. training for our men and calm in the storm. We’re Hunter said, referring to guilty or decides the laws published Tuesday through Friday and Please call 386-755-5445 to report any women so that when they Sunday at 180 E.