1A SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2012 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $1.00 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM Gators get Woodworkers SUNDAY EDITION past Bowling give veterans Green. 1C proper funerals. 6D Munn guilty on 9 counts High school referee collapses, dies Friday Suwannee County tion style. found guilty of three counts of pre- The jury, con- meditated murder for his role in By TONY BRITT removed and placed on the side- man convicted in sisting of five the Aug. 25, 2010 shooting deaths [email protected] line because he was not feeling triple murder case. women and one of Joseph and Nancy Militello and well,” said Keith Hatcher, Fort man, deliberated their nephew, Angelo Rosales, in FORT WHITE — An official White High School principal. By TONY BRITT for about three their McAlpin farm home. Munn who refereed the Fort White - “The Fort White training staff [email protected] hours before was also found guilty of three Hamilton County high school tended to him on the sideline. returning the counts of home invasion robbery football game died of an apparent After the game he collapsed in LIVE OAK — A Suwannee guilty verdicts and three counts of kidnapping in heart attack minutes after the the referee changing area and County jury returned nine guilty against Munn Munn the case. The verdict was deliv- contest concluded, Fort White the paramedics were called in verdicts against Lonnie Robert in a Suwannee ered around 4:30 p.m. Friday. officials said. after that.” Munn Friday afternoon for his County capital Munn is facing three manda- The football official has been Sgt. Ed Seifert, Columbia involvement in a 2010 triple mur- case where the state has waived tory life sentences without the identified as Gary Stanley, 62, of County Sheriff’s office public der in McAlpin where three peo- the death penalty. Trenton. ple were shot and killed execu- Munn, 47, of Live Oak, was MUNN continued on 7A “In the fourth quarter he was REFEREE continued on 3A Local races Water Woes look to heat up after Labor Day 5 positions, including superintendent of schools, still open. By TONY BRITT [email protected] The Labor Day Holiday is the final holiday of the summer and signals the fall election season is quickly approaching. For several local political candidates, this is the time of year to make the final push toward collecting more votes to secure seats in the November election. There will be five local contested races on the Nov. 6 ballot where candidates are in a runoff to secure a political post. Runoff races will take place for three county commission posts, for the super- intendent of schools post and for a school board position. The superintendent of schools race proved to be the most competitive race on the ballot during the Aug. 14 primary election with only 44 votes separating the candidates. The race features Terry Huddleston and Glenn Hunter competing for the position. During the primary Hunter secured FILE 33.8 percent of the vote, with 4,573 votes, Kayakers are seen soaking up the beauty of the Ichetucknee River. A restoration plan for the river says that officials responsible for manag- while Huddleston had 33.4 percent of the ing area water resources do not have enough consistent infomation to be effective in doing it. vote, 4,529 votes. In the race for the Columbia County District 1 county commissioner post, incumbent Ron Williams will face-off against political upstart Oni Allen. Springs plan details problems During the primary Williams was the lead candidate and collected 1,199 votes, while Allen collected 675 votes to finish second in a race that featured four candi- and who should handle them dates running for the post. The race for the Columbia County District 3 county commission seat will pit Agricultural, urban INSIDE p.m. Springs photographer John Moran Bucky Nash against Mike Gordon. will also have a presentation. During the primary Nash finished first development thought to ■ Ichetucknee visitors enjoy final week- in the race, collecting 1,547 votes (45.9 end of full-length river floating, LIFE, 1D Side effects percent), while Gordon garnered 762 be creating difficulties. votes (22.7 percent). Five candidates declining groundwater levels and lower The most noticeable side effects of competed in the August primary. By LAURA HAMPSON average spring flows, according to the the deteriorating springs is the increase The runoff for the Columbia County [email protected] plan. in algae and the dominance of eel grass, District 5 county commission post, incum- “The springs will stop flowing in 20 Knight said. “Algae is not attractive in bent Scarlet Frisina is competing for the A restoration plan for Columbia years at the rate we are going,” Knight anyone’s book,” he said, and it has reper- post against Tim Murphy. County’s Ichetucknee Springs says offi- said. “There are ways to stop these cussions for the springs’ plants and ani- In the August primary, Frisina racked cials charged with managing area water problems without stopping economic mals. Divers can see a change in water up 1,290 votes (45.8 percent), while don’t have enough information to be growth.” clarity and color, he said. Murphy collected 1,151 votes (40.9 per- effective and the regulatory process In 2010, the Florida Department of Two types of eel grass have replaced cent), as they bested the other two candi- used by the agency responsible for Environmental Protection (FDEP) fund- the seven dominant plants species once dates in the race. water quality is too slow. ed a three-year project to write a resto- found in the springs and river. The next There will also be a runoff race for The plan also recommends actions by ration plan. The Ichetucknee Springs step is almost complete dominance of the School Board District 5 post where local officials and organizations as well Working Group and a consulting firm algae, Knight said. Stephanie Finnell and Bill Gootee are as the Florida Legislature. developed a draft of the restoration The Ichetucknee is not as degraded as competing for the post. The Ichetucknee Springs Restoration plan, but because of state funding cuts, many other springs across the state. It In the primary, which featured three Plan was released Tuesday by the the working group dismantled in June could be worse. candidates, Finnell collected 1,125 votes, Howard T. Odum Florida Springs 2011. The Florida Springs Institute vol- “It’s somewhere in the middle right roughly 39.7 percent, while Gootee col- Institute. Dr. Robert Knight, director unteered to complete the final report. now,” he said. “It’s not dead. I’d say it’s lected 769 votes, roughly 27.2 percent, to of the Florida Springs Institute and a Knight will explain the science getting ready to go to the emergency make their way into the runoff. University of Florida professor, com- behind water Friday during the free, room. That’s why I’m raising the alarm,” The November ballot will also feature piled the report. multi-media event Our Water, Our Knight said. a contested race for the Third Circuit Agricultural and urban development Future at the Florida Gateway College pressures are causing water pollution, Performing Arts Center from 7 to 9 SPRINGS continued on 7A RACES continued on 7A Vol. 138, No. 158 Opinion . 4A CALL US: TODAY IN COMING (386) 752-1293 Business . 1C5A 9193 6470 Obituaries . 5A STATE TUESDAY SUBSCRIBE TO IsolatedT-Storm T-Storms Chance Obituaries . 6A THE REPORTER: Advice.Advice & . .Comics . .. 5D8B Rip currents Blue Grey Army Voice: 755-5445 Puzzles . 5B Fax: 752-9400 WEATHER, 2A8A Puzzles . 2B causing issues. Update. 2A 2A LAKE CITY REPORTER SUNDAY REPORT SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2012 Page Editor: Rick Burnham, 754-0424 Friday: Friday: Saturday: Saturday: Saturday: Saturday: 11-17-22-27 15 2-12-26-27-28 Afternoon: 9-5-1 Afternoon: 3-0-4-3 N/A N/A Evening: N/A Evening: N/A AROUND FLORIDA Pygmy sperm whale dies after washing up PENSACOLA — A pygmy city commissioner who won the sperm whale has died after support of Republicans and the washing ashore on Pensacola local business community. Beach. A spokesman for Clemens’ Wildlife officials said the campaign said the challenge 10-foot, 1,000 pound whale is being pushed by a former washed ashore Friday morn- Republican house member and ing. Rescuers made repeated past lead counsel for a chapter of attempts to push the whale the Republican National Lawyers back into the water, but were Association. not successful. Wildlife officials and tourists helped lug bucks of water to dump on the whale to Alleged robber found keep it wet. dead inside car wash Natalie Dyson of St. Francis Veterinary Center said the whale JACKSONVILLE — The body suffered serious bruising and of an alleged robber has been looked very beat up. found inside a Jacksonville car The Pensacola News Journal wash. (http://tinyurl.com/96rnns5 ) Authorities said the owner of reports about 20 people helped the car wash found an apparent load the whale on a tarp for burglar dead inside the business transport to Dyson’s clinic, but it Friday morning. Coins and soda died on the way there. from a vending machine were Dyson will perform a necrop- scattered around his body. The sy to determine the exact cause Florida Times-Union reports of death. there was no sign of forced entry. Police believe the man ASSOCIATED PRESS may have hidden inside before Beach fun Bernard to challenge closing. Dillon Heath lifts his son Brayden Heath, 3, out of the Gulf of Mexico on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach Authorities said it’s unclear Saturday.