effersonefferson ournalournal JJ county JJ Vol. 5 No. 27 Florida’s Keystone County 50 ¢ 46¢ + 4¢ Friday, January 27, 2012 Local School District’s Waukeenah th Fertilizer 66 Place Ranking Rankles Superintendent eMployee LAZARO ALEMAN nents, such as dual enrollment. The COUNTY ECB Publishing rankings also didn’t take into account Senior Staff Writer the improvements that the school had School Superintendent Bill Brum- made in recent years nor that it had COORDINATOR’S Beaten field is calling the recently released gone from an overall D grade the previ- state ranking of school districts that ous year to a C grade this year, he said. ROLE TO BE places Jefferson County near the very Nor did the rankings take into account and roBBed bottom of the list “unfair and a dis- the disadvantages that rural districts PUT ON service to the community.” faced in comparison to the larger FRAN HUNT Brumfield is referring to the urban districts, he said. EXAMINATION ECB Publishing Florida School District Rankings re- “We could have done better, but we Staff Writer port that the Florida Department of did good,” Brumfield said. “We’ve still TABLE A Waukeenah Fertilizer employee was se- Education (FDOE) released on Monday, have ground to go, but I’m proud of verely beaten and robbed Wednesday morning as Jan. 23. The report ranks Jefferson what we’ve done. We’ve made great LAZARO ALEMAN he attempted to open the gate to get in. County 66 out of the state’s 67 districts, strides in the last several years.” ECB Publishing The Jefferson County Sheriff ’s Office (JCSO) based on its score of 441 points, or C Brumfield’s wasn’t the only one to Senior Staff Writer reported that on Wednesday, January 25, at ap- grade, as derived from the cumulative voice concern about the rankings. Oth- The future role and proximately 6 a.m., JCSO responded to Wau- scores of Jefferson County ers who have voiced similar concern function of the county co- keenah Fertilizer in reference to an armed Middle/High School (JCM/HS) stu- include Senator Bill Montford, a for- ordinator’s office will be robbery. dents on the Florida Comprehensive mer Leon County schools superintend- the focus of a Jefferson The victim of the armed robbery sustained Assessment Test (FCAT). ent and current head of the Florida County Commission severe head injuries during the robbery and was The only district to score lower Association of District School Super- workshop scheduled for 6 transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, was Madison County, which was intendents, and Big Bend educators. p.m. Monday, Jan. 30, in where he was admitted to ICU. A Waukeenah Fer- ranked at 67 with 411 points, or D Montford and these others argue the courthouse annex on tilizer employee later reported to the News that grade. that the rankings don’t reflect factors Water Street. the victim had sustained fractures to all the facial All told, 30 of the state’s 67 school such as poverty and a community’s The impetus for the bones, a skull fracture and was suffering from a districts received As, 22 received Bs, 12 economic vitality, which play into a workshop is the planned brain bleed. received Cs and Madison’s was the school system’s success. retirement of County Co- Investigators advised that deputies are cur- only D. The latter argument was echoed by ordinator Roy Schleicher, rently following some leads in the case. Brumfield said the rankings were the Florida Association of District who has announced his With the investigation being very early on, based solely on the FCAT scores and School Superintendents (FADSS) in a Please See COORDI- JCSO is not releasing any further information at didn’t take into account other compo- Please See SCHOOL Page 3 NATOR Page 3 this time, but as developments are made, updates will be forthcoming. JCSO is requesting that anyone who was in the area of Waukeenah Fertilizer on the morning POSSIBLE GLIMMERS OF HOPE of Wednesday, January 25, between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 6:15 a.m., who has any information pertaining to the robbery, to please call (850) 997- 2023 or visit the JCSO website at www.jefferson- MAYBE VISIBLE IN PRISON FIGHT countysheriffl.com or text JCSOTIP information to 274637. LAZARO ALEMAN the ideas and strategies has in recent times. days to argue the All information received through the website ECB Publishing discussed Monday What’s more, the efforts county’s case are mem- or text will be anonymous. Senior Staff Writer evening by a group of appear to be having bers of the Jefferson Picture hundreds of business people trying to some effect, if the Legislative Delegation, signs around the court- figure ways of fighting guarded statements of the Jefferson Legislative house circle and all the proposed closing of some community leaders Committee, Jefferson Second SuSpect alongside U.S. 90 carry- Jefferson Correctional are any indication. A few County constitutional of- ing the message “JCI Institution (JCI) and the of these individuals, at ficers and the county’s arreSted in napa Means Jobs” and “Right resulting loss of 177 jobs least, are reporting pos- two hired lobbyists. Idea, Wrong Location,” — a decision calculated sible glimmers of hope Speaking on the Burglary all the while that the to have a $33 million neg- relative to the fight to issue this week, State FRAN HUNT Governor and legislators ative impact on the com- keep the facility open. Representative Leonard ECB Publishing are being inundated munity. Among the many Bembry, Commission Staff Writer with like messages via Indeed, the proposed who have addressed the Chairman Hines Boyd, The two suspects in the May 11 burglary at the emails, tweets and other closing of the prison has Governor’s office and/or Economic Development NAPA Auto Parts store, located at the corner of social media. galvanized the commu- House and Senate sub- Please See PRISON Railroad and Dogwood streets, were arrested, the These were some of nity as no other issue committees in recent Page 3 first, less than a week after the offenses were com- mitted and the second, just recently. Ninth Annual Kelsi’s Hot Chocolate Sale MPD reported that on the morning of May 11, officers were summoned to investigate the bur- KRISTIN FINNEY 8 a.m. and last until 2 p.m. on Sat- ing the girls at the sale that day glary of the NAPA store. Investigators discovered A Special From Greene Publish- urday, Jan. 28. It will be held at will be Claudia Warner from the that a shed, located adjacent to the store and a bike ing, Inc. Scott Realty in Greenville. Join- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. trail, had been broken into and an air tank had As the temperature drops been stolen. and the new year begins, it is A chain link fence surrounding the back of that time again for Kelsi’s Hot the business had also been cut open. In an open Chocolate Sale. This is the 9th bay area at the rear of the store, approximately 35 Annual Hot Chocolate Sale used automotive batteries were stolen. hosted by the Reams sisters. In addition, two delivery trucks had been en- Their sale is raising money for tered and ransacked. Captain Roger Murphy and Cystic Fibrosis, a disease that Officer Josh Bullock investigated and documented has directly affected their family the crime scene. when it was learned as an infant Please See NAPA Page 3 that the youngest sister, Abby, had the disease. Her sisters, Kelsi, decided to have a Man Sentenced fundraiser for the Cystic Fibro- sis Foundation so she could help other children and adults strug- For traFFicking gling with the disease. Through- out the nine years of fundraising the girls have raised over $20,000 MethaMphetaMine for the Cystic Fibrosis Founda- The Reams girls will be hosting a hot chocolate fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation on Saturday, Jan. 28. Pictured left to right: FRAN HUNT tion. Kelsi, 15, Chloe, 10, and Abby, 9. ECB Publishing This year’s sale will begin at Staff Writer A man arrested for trafficking methampheta- mine in 2010 was sentenced this week and ordered Building Permits steady, to serve time for his crime. Paul Stokes, 44, of Perry, FL was sentenced in But Valuations go down court January 23 to serve 36 months in the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) on the charges LAZARO ALEMAN tion and Contractor Li- and generated $4,431.74. ber 2010. of possession of methamphetamine with intent to ECB Publishing censing Department A breakdown of the The commercial val- sell; trafficking in metham- Senior Staff Writer show that the city and permits shows 37 were uation was also zero, phetamine; and possession of Building permits re- county issued a com- for repairs and addi- compared with $227,000 drug paraphernalia. mained relatively high bined 41 permits in De- tions, two for mobile in November; it was Recapping the case, Jef- in December, compared cember, compared with home installations and $380,287 in December ferson County Sheriff’s Of- with the previous 49 permits in November. two for miscellaneous ac- 2010. fice deputies arrested two month, but the associ- The figures show the tivities related sheds, And the valuation men December 1, 2010 and ated fees — and valua- combined 41 permits signs, workshops or for other permits (a cate- charged them with felony tions in particular — generated $4,780.74 in barns and such. gory that includes addi- trafficking in methampheta- plummeted. fees, compared with The valuation for tions, re-roofs and mine, following a routine Figures released re- $7,306.73 in November.