Clerk of Court Cason Won't Seek 9Th Term
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A3 + PLUS >> Don’t blame Edison, Opinion/4A FGC VOLLEYBALL COUNTY T-wolves get No 9th term for 1st home win Clerk of Court See Page 1B See below WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $1.00 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM 1 dead in I-75 inferno 3A Photos by TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter A truck driver was killed when his big rig was involved in a fiery crash with at least two other tractor-trailers and a Jeep Cherokee on southbound Interstate 75 near the Ellisville exit Tuesday afternoon. All southbound lanes remained closed as of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, creating a traffic nightmare for motorists. See story, 3A. Aquifer Clerk of Court project to assess Cason won’t threats seek 9th term By CARL MCKINNEY By CARL MCKINNEY [email protected] [email protected] Homeowners on the When P. DeWitt Cason began his first term Ichetucknee basin who as the clerk of court for Columbia County, the happen to be curious about office didn’t even have a fax machine, and there what’s in their well water was a time when he had serious concerns about have an oppor- whether they could afford one. He remembers Want to tunity to find out getting the first com- know for free while also ‘This is one of those puter, too, a single what’s supporting a proj- jobs where if you don’t 600-pound mainframe ect to monitor the learn something new connected to multiple in your basin’s health. monitors. well Two groups — every week, if not every Cason, now in his water? the Ichetucknee other day, then you’re eighth term, has spent Alliance and not doing your job.’ the last three decades AquiferWatch — are joining watching the clerk’s forces to establish a new office adapt to new technology, budget cuts and a water monitoring project shrinking staff — and that’s enough for him, he in the Ichetucknee Basin, says. After the current term ends in January 2021, where the land is particularly the 67-year-old plans to retire and go on an adven- porous. ture with his wife. “Most of the Ichetucknee “We bought a motorhome to travel and just Basin is in a high-recharge see the United States,” he said. “We’ve discussed area,” said Lucinda Merritt, a few options. We’re looking at a New York trip, a spokesperson for the CARL MCKINNEY/Lake City Reporter maybe heading out toward Arizona. It’s very Ichetucknee Alliance. “Which Columbia County Clerk of Court P. DeWitt Cason thumbs through a 1926 book appealing to think about having the ability to trav- of court dockets in the courthouse’s records vault. Cason, the longest-serving AQUIFER continued on 2A clerk in county history, is set to retire at the end of his eighth term. CASON continued on 6A Vol. 145, No. 134 Obituaries . 3A CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER (386) 752-1293 Opinion . 4A Advice & Comics . 3B DEAR PHARMACIST SUBSCRIBE TO THE REPORTER: 92 69 Puzzles . 4B Heartburn medicine laced with NDMA? 6A. Voice: 755-5445 Classified . 4-6B Fax: 752-9400 Scattered storms, 2A ity Rep e C o k rt a e Voted Best Pharmacy r L R E E A C D OI ERS’ CH Locally Owned & Operated Since 1993 3718 W US Hwy 90, Lake City • 386-755-9300 347 SW Main Blvd., Lake City • 386-758-6770 Top-Quality Hemp Products From Charlotte’s Web 7729 US Hwy 27, Fort White • 386-497-2580 Our trained staff can help guide you and recommend the right supplement. www.northflpharmacy.com 2A WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 LOCAL LAKE CITY REPORTER QUICK HITS Peanut butter cookies Scripture of the Day “Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.” recalled at local stores — Ecclesiastes 12:8 (KJV) Thought for Today By CARL MCKINNEY [email protected] If you’re going to tell people the truth, be funny or they’ll kill you. — Billy Wilder, 1906-2002, U.S. film The parent company of Winn-Dixie, director (“Some Like it Hot,” “Sunset Boulevard”) Harveys Supermarket and other chains is warning customers about a recall of 18-count cookie products that contain peanut products. Winning Lottery Numbers Southeastern Grocers announced the vol- Pick 3: (Monday p.m.) 6-1-5 untary recall Tuesday. Pick 4: (Monday p.m.) 0-3-1-8 The cookies did not list peanut ingredients Fantasy 5: (Monday ) 1-13-33-34-36 on the label. The cookies were sold in all Southeastern Grocers stores — Winn-Dixie, Harveys See an error? Supermarket, BI-LO and Fresco y Mas — The Lake City Reporter corrects errors of fact in news and had a shelf-life of five days. items. If you have a concern, question, or suggestion, The affected products and corresponding please call the editor. Corrections and clarifications will SLU codes below are for all stores: run in this space. Thanks for reading. 18-count Variety Pack – containing Peanut Butter Cookies – 5079 18-count Peanut Butter Cookies – 69886 Any customer still in possession of a pack Submissions The Lake City Reporter accepts photographs and caption should throw them away, according to a information to run at the discretion of the editor. If you media statement from the company. would like to see your organization in the newspaper, send Customers with questions can call the the picture and information to Robert Bridges at rbridges@ Southeastern Grocers call center at 844- lakecityreporter.com. 745-0463. The line is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Lake City Reporter Peanut allergy is the most common cause COURTESY HOW TO REACH US BUSINESS ........... 754-0419 of food-induced anaphylactic shock, accord- Pictured is the 18-count variety pack that contains peanut butter Main number ....... (386) 752-1293 CIRCULATION ing to the Mayo Clinic. cookies not listed on the label. Fax number ............ 752-9400 Circulation............. 755-5445 Home delivery of the Lake City Reporter Online .... www.lakecityreporter.com should be completed by 6:30 a.m. The Lake City Reporter, an affiliate Tuesday through Friday, and by 7:30 of Community Newspapers Inc., is a.m. on Sunday. published Tuesday through Friday and Please call 386-755-5445 to report any Lake City property tax rates won’t rise Sunday at 180 E. Duval St., Lake City, problems with your delivery service. FL 32055. Periodical postage paid at Lake City, FL, Member Audit Bureau of In Columbia County, customers should Editor’s note: Due to a roughly $51.7 million bud- in most categories, and will budget during the process Circulation and The Associated Press. call before 10:30 a.m. to report a production error, the follow- get for the 2019-2020 fiscal actually go down in some earlier this year. All material herein is property of the service error for same day re-delivery. ing story did not run in its year one final time, after instances. The goal was reached Lake City Reporter. Reproduction in After 10:30 a.m., next day re-delivery whole or in part is forbidden without or service related credits will be issued. entirety in Tuesday’s paper. giving the package a tenta- The budget is smaller through across-the-board the permission of the publisher. In all other counties where home delivery U.S. Postal Service No. 310-880. It is reprinted here in full. tive thumbs up in previous than the roughly $55.8 mil- cuts to travel expenses and is available, next day re-delivery or POSTMASTER: Send address changes service related credits will be issued. meetings. lion budget for the current office supplies, plus delays to Lake City Reporter, P.O. Box 1709, By CARL MCKINNEY The budget keeps prop- fiscal year, which ends Sept. in some equipment pur- Lake City, FL 32056. Circulation............. 755-5445 ([email protected]) [email protected] erty taxes at the current 30. Much of the decrease chases. Publisher Todd Wilson ... 754-0418 ([email protected]) rate of 4.9 mills, or $4.9 per is in venture funds, which The police travel bud- Home delivery rates (Tuesday–Friday and Sunday) There were no surprises every $1,000 of a property’s operate more like a tradi- get is down from $10,325 NEWS 4 Weeks . $10.70 from the Lake City Council taxable value. tional business than the to $8,287, for instance — Editor Robert Bridges ... 754-0428 12 Weeks . $31.67 ([email protected]) 24 Weeks . .$54.14 when it came time Monday The Lake City Fire general fund. far less than the roughly 52 Weeks . .$88.81 ADVERTISING evening to give the final Department is funded The general fund is set at $50,000 that LCPD Chief Rates include 7% sales tax. green light to a budget and through special assess- $15,555,982. Argatha Gilmore request- Ad. Dir. Chris Ratliff ..... 754-0417 ([email protected]) Mail rates property tax rate for the ments rather than proper- City Manager Joe ed for the 2019-2020 fiscal 12 Weeks . $41.40 coming fiscal year. ty taxes. Fire assessment Helfenberger said he had year. CLASSIFIED 24 Weeks . .$82.80 To place a classified ad ... 755-5440 52 Weeks . .$179.40 The council approved a fees will remain the same to trim $1 million out of the wells, if they find anything Alliance. THE WEATHER AQUIFER out of the ordinary.” The alliance and Continued From 1A The tests won’t look for AquiferWatch are partic- everything, but they can ularly interested in wells 18 Wed 19 Thu 20 Fri 21 Sat 22 Sun means anything that goes tell someone if their well within the Ichetucknee Scattered Partly Partly Mostly Mostly onto the ground has the water is too salty or has too Trace, the historic path T-storms Cloudy Cloudy Sunny Sunny potential to go into the much algae-feeding nitro- taken by water when it ground.” gen pollution, Merritt said.