Dancing for Santa Down to 7.5% Unemployment in County Falls Half a Percent in October
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1A SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2012 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $1.00 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM Gators send off Christmas Dream SUNDAY EDITION seniors with 23-0 Machine in high win over JSU. 1B gear for holidays. 1D Schools: New faces, new ideas New superintendent, ence in the school district totals long-time Columbia County resi- more than 60 years. With a new mix dent. 2 new board members of faces and ideas the district’s poli- The Lake City Reporter con- take over on Tuesday. cies and direction may be shifting. ducted separate interviews with Incoming Superintendent Terry all three at the newspaper’s office By DEREK GILLIAM Huddleston and school board Friday afternoon. [email protected] members Stephanie Finnell and The first big question was about Dana Brady take office Tuesday. the budget. This will be the first time in at Huddleston said he understands When Michael Millikin, Charles least 75 years that two women money will be tight, and the school Maxwell and Glenn Hunter leave have served on the school board district must find ways to save the Columbia County School at the same time, and may be the where it can. He said the district District, they will leave a void that’s first time in history, said Morris Brady Huddleston Finnell hard to fill. Their combined experi- Williams, a local historian and a SCHOOLS continued on 3A Jobless rate is Dancing for Santa down to 7.5% Unemployment in county falls half a percent in October. By TONY BRITT [email protected] The Columbia County unemployment rate continues to decrease and last month dropped to 7.5 percent, below the state and national aver- age, according to information released Friday by the Florida TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter Department of Economic Lake City Dance Art pupils perform a dance during the Santa’s Arrival At The Mall event Saturday. A crowd of about 100 attended. Opportunity. The local jobless rate fell by .5 percent from October when it was 8.0 percent. St. Nick hits town, hears kids’ wishes Florida’s unemployment rate dropped to 8.5 percent in October, down .2 percent Crowd of about 100 the hand of his daughter, Gabrielle, as from September. The state’s he walked her up to speak with Santa. unemployment rate is now gathers at mall to greet “It’s just a yearly thing to come over at its lowest since December him on his arrival. here and see Santa,” he said. “This 2008. The national unemploy- has been a family tradition and some- ment rate was 7.9 percent in thing that we always do as a family.” October. By TONY BRITT Laurie Schmidt, of Lake City Dance The Columbia County labor [email protected] Arts, was instrumental in much of the action Saturday. JOBS continued on 6A The arrival of Santa Claus is usually She said Lake City Dance Arts had a somewhat stealthy operation, but about 60 children, from 3-5 years old, that wasn’t the case at the Lake City participate in small dance routines as Mall Saturday. part of the event. Daycare Children wearing Christmas- “We did seven songs today themed clothing danced while and we’ve been practicing before Christmas music played on the loud- Halloween,” she said. “It was the chil- brawl: speaker as parents with video and dren’s first performance so they could digital cameras snapped photos, and get a feel for the crowd.” the jolly old man in red sat in his Schmidt said the children 2 jailed chair waiting for children to tell him were enthused and excited about their Christmas wishes. Saturday’s performance. Santa’s arrival drew more than 100 By TONY BRITT “This is the best time of the year people to the Lake City Mall Saturday [email protected] for kids and the adults get to share to welcome the holiday hero and take in it, too,” she said. “It’s fun to watch. photographs with him. The welcome A Lake City couple faces felo- The kids were very excited. Some ceremony featured entertainment by ny charges after an argument at of the kids were scared of Santa, but TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter area dance, karate and gymnastics a local daycare center escalated they danced anyway, and some didn’t Gabrielle Brown tells Santa Claus what’s on her Christmas groups. into a fight want to take their eyes off Santa. It wish list Saturday during the Santa’s Arrival At The Mall event. Brandon Brown, of Live Oak, held in which two was fun.” daycare cen- ter employees were injured T h u r s d a y . Reports said City will consider repaving DeSoto Circle c h i l d r e n Bradley attending the By TONY BRITT tax bond revenue where BB&T Bank of City staff recommended council approve daycare facil- [email protected] Jacksonville is proposing to refund the city’s the proposal to repave the roadway. ity witnessed sales tax revenue and refunding bonds and According to city staff, the distance of Lake the alterca- City officials may decide whether Lake General Fund Capital proceeds of $400,000 DeSoto Circle is seven-tenths of a mile. tion. DeSoto Circle gets a new paving job in the for additional street and drainage projects The city will host a reception from 5:30 Byron Bay near future, during Monday’s city council will be available. to 6:30 p.m. in the Customer Service lobby Bradley, 19, meeting. City officials would also have to approve of City Hall, in appreciation of outgoing of 379 NW The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at accepting the refund from the bank. Councilman Jake Hill, as well as welcoming B a s c o m City Hall, 205 N. Marion Ave., and one of Anderson Columbia has provided a pro- back of Mayor Stephen Witt and council Law Norris Drive the items on the agenda is a proposal recom- jected cost for Lake DeSoto Circle overlay at member Melinda Moses. was charged with simple mended by city staff to have Lake DeSoto approximately $80,000, and indicated it can City officials also will formally introduce assault, aggravated battery and Circle repaved. begin work on the project within two to three Zack Paulk, the newly elected councilman The city could use funds from a sales weeks. representing District 12. DAYCARE continued on 6A Vol. 138, No. 209 Opinion . 4A CALL US: TODAY IN COMING (386) 752-1293 9168 6447 Business . 1C PEOPLE TUESDAY SUBSCRIBE TO T-StormPartly SunnyChance Advice. 5D THE REPORTER: Puzzles . 5B Colbert on City council Voice: 755-5445 Fax: 752-9400 WEATHER, 2A8A display in wax. coverage. 2A 2A LAKE CITY REPORTER SUNDAY REPORT SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2012 Page Editor: Jim Barr, 754-0424 Friday: Friday: Saturday: Saturday: Wednesday: Wednesday: 1-5-17-26 20 2-9-10-19-21 Afternoon: 6-6-4 Afternoon: 8-8-7-6 10-12-19-48-49-53 8-10-30-44-58 Evening: N/A Evening: N/A x4 PB 13 AROUND FLORIDA Recount, litigation loom in West-Murphy race FORT PIERCE — guilty to second-degree health officials in a let- Election workers are pre- murder, kidnapping and ter Friday that he isn’t paring to begin a recount armed robbery. convinced a state health of early votes in the race Austin is already serving exchange will lower health between Republican U.S. 45 years for the attempted care costs for Floridians, Rep. Allen West and the murder of Merritt’s ex- and that he’s worried the man who apparently boyfriend, then-37-year-old actual costs could end up unseated him. Carl Davis, a day after the exceeding early estimates. The county’s canvassing attack on Soukup. The Republican gov- board voted Friday night ernor, who has recently in favor of the recount. softened his staunch Because three days of Details revealed opposition to the federal early ballots were recount- in student’s death health care law, requested ed last week, the decision a meeting with federal was intended to apply to GAINESVILLE — A health officials in hopes of only the other five days of grand jury indictment says working together to set up early voting. But election a University of Florida stu- a state health exchange to workers said the ballots dent who was missing for help the nearly 4 million are no longer separated three weeks was poisoned uninsured in the state. But by the day they were cast, and suffocated before Scott said he needs more so all of them will be fed his body was dumped in information before making through scanners. woods. a decision. Democrat Patrick The indictment released Murphy’s campaign was DEREK GILLIAM/ Lake City Reporter Thursday says 18-year-old readying court papers college freshman Christian Food stamp seeking an injunction to Helping hungry kids Aguilar was sedated with system down stop the recount. They David Rountree, Lake City Rotary Club president, hands off a $250 check to Sharon a chemical compound and then suffocated. The docu- MIAMI — Millions of say the county can only Richards, coordinator for St. James Episcopal Church. Richards said the money will go to a recount ballots in which ment does not specify the Floridians can’t use their there is evidence a count- program to help feed children in Columbia County. Backpack Ministries, a nationwide type of chemical used. foods stamps because of a ing mistake was made. program, provides food-filled backpacks for children to take home, Richards said.