Will County Be Split? As Lawmakers Meet Thursday to Redraw Maps, Special Eight-Day Session Starting Thursday to Redraw Them
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+ PLUS >> Running is release for city clerk, 8A. COMMUNITY LOCAL SPORTS CHS Class Fort White Gators’ of 1954 man killed Driskel celebrates in morning ready for 60 years crash ‘14 season See Page 8A See Page 3A See Page 1B TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2014 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $1.00 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP Will county be split? As lawmakers meet Thursday to redraw maps, special eight-day session starting Thursday to redraw them. Of necessity, other dis- northern half of county could go to District 5. tricts wil have to be redrawn as well. Circuit judge Terry Lewis ordered on Friday that By SARAH LOFTUS MORE INSIDE District 3. the new map be used for the coming elec- [email protected] n Readers speak up on Districts 5 tion. The Florida Legislature laid out plans splitting Columbia County. and 10 were Monday to make minimal changes to the As Florida lawmakers prepare to redraw ruled illegal districts. the congressional map beginning Thursday, in July because they violated the “Fair Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, state and local officials question whether Districts” amendment voted adopted in Columbia County will remain completely in 2010, and now legislators are meeting in a COLUMBIA continued on 7A MEGAN REEVES/Lake City Reporter BATTLE FOR CONGRESS Back to school for Belmont Academy 9th, 10th graders added to charter school in 2nd year. By MEGAN REEVES [email protected] Belmont Academy Charter School opened its doors Monday, which is about two weeks earlier than the rest of the district, in hopes of giving students a head start on the learning process. “The more time students are out of school, the more time they have to forget about what they learned the previous year,” Principal Michael Cady said. “So ABOVE: Belmont the earlier we can Academy Assistant start, the better.” PHotos by Photos by JASON MATTHEW WALKER/Lake City Reporter Principal Ron At Belmont, Jake Rush (left) shakes the hand of U.S. Rep Ted Yoho (R-Gainesville) following the Florida Gateway College Candidates Forum at the col- Barker (left) and administrators, lege’s Wilson S. Rivers Library & Media Center Monday night. The forum was broadcast on public access television and streamed live on Principal Michael teachers, stu- YouTube. The forum continues tonight with county commission and city council candidates. Cady stand in a dents and parents covered walkway all have one thing that leads to the in common: the outdoor cafeteria. desire for suc- The walkway cess. Yoho, Rush go toe to toe was built by The K-8 com- grandparents and bination charter parents of Belmont school, which By TONY BRITT the possible impeachment of students. opened for the [email protected] President Obama, the national school year debt, reining in federal spend- Monday, received an “A” rating for the Candidates for the U.S. ing, the conflict in Gaza and 2013-14 school year, which was the first Congressional seat in Florida’s who they were as politicians. year the academy was open for enroll- Third District, who have been Rush said he has seen the ment. The academy was also ranked throwing barbs at one another encroachment of government number 13 out of 109 combination for the past few weeks, toned and that it needs to stop. He charters in the state of Florida, and will down their messages during a said if elected his focus will be be accredited by June 2015. Monday night political forum the economy, jobs and stability. and pretty much stuck to the Yoho said his top priorities ‘High behavioral expectations’ issues. are the national debt, jobs and Principal Michael Cady said the U.S. Rep Ted Yoho, border security. school — students, teachers and R-Gainesville, and challenger The Rush-Yoho portion of the administration — has worked very Jake Rush, a Gainesville law- forum was quicker paced as the hard to achieve these goals, and cred- yer also seeking the Republican two candidates answered ques- its the success to the unique educa- nomination for District 3, were Forum moderator and Lake City Reporter editor Robert Bridges (left) tions from the moderator, Lake tion model it employs. two of nine candidates who is seen next to Mike McKee, forum host and FGC executive director City Reporter editor Robert “We have high academic expec- appeared Monday night during of media and public information. Bridges, listened to their oppo- tations as well as high behavioral Candidate Forum 2014 at nent’s reply and in some cases expectations,” he said. “Research Florida Gateway College. The District 3 seats, the county p.m. tonight when county com- offered a rebuttal. shows you can’t have one without the event was aired live on public attorney post and U.S. Third mission District 2 and 4, as well Candidates for the Columbia other, and we are very committed access television. Congressional District seat as city council Districts 10 and County Attorney post, Joel Candidates seeking the were featured. 14 will be featured. BELMONT continued on 7A school board District 1 and The forum will continue at 7 Yoho and Rush spoke about FORUM continued on 7A Vol. 140, No. 130 Opinion . 4A CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT (386) 752-1293 Cops . 3A Obituaries . 5A New member Round three of Country SUBSCRIBE TO THE REPORTER: 92 70 Advice & Comics . 4B sworn in at Showdown this weekend Voice: 755-5445 2A Puzzles . 3B CCSO, 2A. at SOSMP, 6A. Fax: 752-9400 Storm chance, 2A LAKE CITY REPORTER DAILY BRIEFING TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2014 Page Editor: Emily Lawson, 754-0424 QUICK HITS Scripture of the Day “Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” — Jeremiah 33:2-3 Thought for Today Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams. — Ashley Smith Winning Lottery Numbers Cash 3: (Monday) 4-8-4 Play 4: (Monday) 2-3-6-5 Fantasy 5: (Sunday) 2-4-6-14-30 Correction Due to incorrect information provided by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the address of Jeffrey Brown was incorrectly reported in Sunday’s article on the Eastern Equine Encephalitis outbreak. He lives at 161 NW The Lords Court. The Lake City Reporter corrects errors of fact in news stories. If you have a question, comment, or concern, please contact the editor. COURTESY Submissions New CCSO member If you would like to see your organization in the In a ceremony Friday, Sheriff Mark Hunter swore in Jessica Smith to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office as a Detention newspaper, send the picture and information to associate Deputy. Detention Deputy Smith will be assigned to the Detention Division as a detention officer. editor Emily Lawson at [email protected]. Cuba abuzz over news of US travelers program HAVANA “They’ve been trying all kinds of things a new generation of political activists. The afternoon news also led with the ews that the U.S. government for 50 years to bring down the revolution, According to one document obtained story, but without commentary. Cuban quietly contracted young Latin and it hasn’t fallen.” by the AP, a goal was to put “pressure” authorities have not commented publicly. N Americans to travel to Cuba for Other Cubans backed efforts by on the government. In one case, a group Cuban-American Congressman Mario political purposes under the guise of the U.S. Agency for International of visitors organized an HIV-prevention Diaz-Balart likened U.S. government health and civic programs was the talk of Development and its contractors to sup- workshop described as a ruse to conceal efforts aimed at engaging Cuban civil soci- the town in Havana and the Cuban dias- port civil society on the island. the political nature of their work. ety to Cold War-era attempts to promote pora Monday, eliciting both criticism and “Good for USAID!” dissident writer and In Cuba, the early newscast showed AP democracy in the former Soviet Bloc. praise for the secret program. photographer Orlando Luis Pardo said via video of the investigation. It included foot- “Efforts ... to find creative ways for In Cuba, some who heard about it from Twitter. “The world must foster the rights age of two Cubans interviewed by the AP, the Cuban people to communicate with state TV called it objectionable, if not nec- of the Cuban people, abolished by the but not audio of their comments. each other and with the outside world, essarily surprising. Castro regime and their allies.” “This program of traveler agents, like are precisely the types of activities that “I don’t know what to tell you. It’s one An Associated Press investigation pub- ZunZuneo, form part of a multimillion-dol- the United States must vigorously pursue of so many imperialist aggressions, so lished Monday revealed that under the lar effort by USAID to effect change in in closed societies,” Diaz-Balart said in a many years that they have been trying Obama administration program, nearly a countries that are politically inconvenient statement. to bring down the revolution,” said Elio dozen travelers were sent undercover to for Washington,” broadcaster Cristina Morales, a 19-year-old refinery worker. Cuba to try to identify and ultimately groom Escobar said. n Associated Press THE WEATHER 5 TUE 06 WED 07 THU 08 FRI 09 SAT Slight Slight Chance Chance Chance chance chance of of of of of storms storms storms storms storms HI 92HI LO LO70 HI 92 HI LO LO70 HI 92HI LO LO72 HI HI92 LO LO72 HI 90HI LO LO72 REGIONAL FORECAST MAP for Tuesday, Aug.