Recliner, $425 SPORTS In Today’s PAGE 1 Classifieds! AND WEEKLY Charlotte Sun HERALD RAYS WIN AGAIN ON ROAD FLORIDA CITRUS IN CRISIS Evan Longoria singles home the winning run in the 10th inning The $9 billion industry is facing its biggest threat yet, thanks to a as Tampa Bay takes its eighth victory in past 11 away games. mottled brown bug no bigger than a pencil eraser. THE WIRE PAGE 1 An Edition of the Sun VOL. 122 NO. 237 AMERICA’S BEST COMMUNITY DAILY MONDAY AUGUST 25, 2014 www.sunnewspapers.net $1.00 HACKIN’ AROUND Jerry Wilson Student numbers drop By ADAM KREGER enrollment has slipped for funding for education to entire operation.” is all STAFF WRITER the third straight year, and over $19.6 billion, which At the start of the current is down almost 11 percent equates to districts receiv- school year — which began Florida Gov. Rick Scott from nine years ago. ing $7,176 per student — a for most schools last week announced Thursday that “It’s a concern from the $232 per-student increase — there were 15,968 stu- shook up per-student spending perspective that it means over the current school year, dents enrolled in Charlotte should be the highest in the declining revenue,” said according to a press release County’s public schools. erry Wilson loves Elvis Presley. state’s history next year. Doug Whittaker, superin- from Scott’s office. When the 2003-04 Anyone who knows the local car However, the news comes tendent of Charlotte County “That money gets spread school year began, there J dealer knows that. around the same time the Public Schools. across the whole district,” were over 18,000 students What they may not know is that Jerry’s Charlotte County school The governor will propose said CCPS spokesman Mike entire family is crazy district announced student an increase in total state Riley. “It goes towards the STUDENT | 6 about Elvis. “When we first saw him on the ‘Ed Sullivan Show’ we North loved him,” Jerry told Addiction and loss me. “I liked his music, I liked his generosity and the person he Port was. All the good things he did make up John for any other stuff.” upgrades Since Aug. 16 was HACKWORTH the anniversary of EDITOR Elvis’ death, it was canal only appropriate to let Jerry reminisce a little. He remembers well the day Elvis died. structures “My family, which lived in Arkansas, called me and said they were headed for Graceland (Elvis’ Memphis mansion).” By IAN ROSS Jerry’s sister, Margie, had a particularly STAFF WRITER memorable day. The family, as Jerry tells it, was waiting NORTH PORT — City in a long, long line for a chance to view Public Works officials say the King’s body in state. The heat became they are bringing North too much for Margie, who passed out. Port’s decades-old water Paramedics rushed to help her. They control structures up to scooped her up, put her on a stretcher present-day standards. and took her near the front porch of “Most of them were built Graceland where they allowed her to in the ’60s, and nothing recover under the shade of a huge tree. is built to last forever,” When she felt better, she was allowed said Engineering Division to get in the front of the line, surpassing PHOTO PROVIDED Manager Gerald Babroski. perhaps hundreds of others who had “The steel sheet piling is been in front of her. While in rehab, John Ray often would reflect on life. He would say it was good when he posted subject to corrosion; they “She was one of the first in line,” Jerry comments on his Facebook page. He died of an accidental overdose in April while in rehab. deteriorate over time.” smiled. The water control struc- Jerry, a Vietnam vet, has been in the car tures’ main function is to business in Charlotte County for 28 years. Mother opens up about son’s death regulate the flow of water He started out small — deciding the through North Port’s canals, business offered more opportunities than By ELAINE ALLEN-EMRICH supplying water to the city’s driving a beer truck, which he did for a COMMUNITY NEWS EDITOR The family treatment plant or acting as few years. of longtime barriers that keep the water All the time he has been selling cars, he ENGLEWOOD — Laura Englewood level at a certain height be- continued to be a huge Elvis fan. He has Ray was a drug dealer’s resident John fore it passes downstream. a “man cave” full of Elvis records, movies worst nightmare. Ray created an In doing this, they slow (all of them) and other memorabilia. She’d call them up in the online tribute the flow of water from “I used to go to Vegas a lot and I met middle of the night and for him after the city’s canals into the him there one time,” he said. threaten them to stay away. he died of an Myakkahatchee Creek After Elvis died, Jerry came in contact She would call police when accidental and Cocoplum Waterway, overdose with Elvis Jr., the only proven son of the she saw them dealing. allowing pollutants to settle, at 27 while rock ‘n’ roll legend. For more than five years, reducing excess nutrients Jerry was booking acts for the Charlotte the feisty New Jersey in rehab in California. like fertilizer runoff, and County Fair when he learned of Junior. native did everything and mitigating flood effects “I did my research and found out he anything to try to save her He played sports, went from stormwater. They also was real. In Elvis’ will he mentioned Lisa son John from getting his serve an ecological func- Marie and ‘a son.’ Elvis Jr.’s mother was hands on drugs. to college and worked at tion, preventing the canals in the movie ‘Clambake’ with Elvis (and The only thing she from draining adjacent and became pregnant). his parents’ couldn’t do was live his life nearby wetland ecosystems. “There was no free love back then. restaurant, for him. “In the dry season, we can It was a different era, so they wanted but battled After battling drug addiction, open gates,” providing wa- to keep it quiet and not hurt Elvis’ addiction, stealing from reputation.” which had a ter to the treatment plant, his family and desperately strong hold said North Port Stormwater Jerry and Elvis Jr. have become friends wanting to quit the drugs — and business partners. over his life. They own a traveling, 53-foot trailer LOSS | 6 CANAL | 6 and that is home to an Elvis museum. Memorabilia in the museum — including a pink Cadillac — were mostly given to Elvis Jr. by his father’s friends. The muse- ‘Idol’ singer makes winning proposal um was featured at last year’s Charlotte County Fair and is currently on display in Illinois before it heads out to Idaho, By SAMANTHA GHOLAR center stage during White’s Oregon and Reno, Nev. STAFF WRITER performance of Journey’s Jerry enjoys the museum and seeing classic ballad “Faithfully.” people’s reactions to it. But, he mostly PORT CHARLOTTE — “We rehearsed move- enjoys memories of Elvis and listening to Michael White wooed the ments and stage positions his son sing. crowd Friday night during “One fella, who has seen about every the Charlotte Idol compe- PROPOSAL | 6 Elvis impersonator there is, told me once tition, snagging first place. that when he heard Junior sing, he could But the wooing was taken a step further when the SUN PHOTO close his eyes and believe it was really BY BETSY WILLIAMS Elvis. When you hear him indoors, with 35-year-old singer popped a good sound system, he does sound like the question to his longtime 2014 Charlotte Idol Michael his dad.” girlfriend, Kristen Eggers. White got down on one knee And for Jerry Wilson, it brings back The singer, who is em- to propose to his girlfriend, some great memories. ployed as an information Kristen Eggers, during his final John Hackworth is editor of the Sun technology specialist with competition performance. newspapers. You can contact him at the City of Punta Gorda, and See more photos from the event [email protected] his soon-to-be bride took on page 12. THE SUN: Police Beat 3 | Obituaries 5 | Crosswords 7 | Viewpoint 8 | Opinion 9 CLASSIFIED: Comics 7-10 | Dear Abby 10 | TV Listings 11 INDEX | THE WIRE: Health 2 | Nation 2 | State 5 | World 5-6 | Weather 6 SPORTS: Lotto 2 Daily Edition $1.00 Look inside for valuable coupons CHARLIE SAYS ... High Low This year’s savings to date ... Today is the first Monday of SUN COUPON CALL US AT the college football season! 93 76 VALUE METER $82,829 941-206-1000 7 05252 00025 8 Variable cloudiness Our Town Page 2 E/N/C www.sunnewspapers.net The Sun /Monday, August 25, 2014 Early voting wraps in Charlotte The Charlotte County historic courthouse on Taylor Street in Punta Gorda is one of many poll stations available for registered SUN PHOTOS BY SAMANTHA GHOLAR voters to cast their ballots. Tuesday, Aug. 26 is primary election day. Polls around Charlotte and Sarasota counties open at Early voting closed Sunday but registered voters are reminded to get to the polls Tuesday, Aug. 26 to cast ballots for primary 7 a.m. for voters. elections. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday for all voters. | COMMUNITY NEWS BRIEFS Coast Guard military, vessel-related or is an RV retrofitted with a process that reflects the If interested in serving on All are invited to Auxiliary on-the-water experience dozen computer stations.