1A SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $1.00 Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM Walk4Life School program SUNDAY EDITION raises more will promote than $25K. 7A a healthy diet. 1D Couple PROPOSED UNION MONUMENT AT ISSUE Census: County’s found Olustee’s next grown dead poorer Percentage on in river battle looms food stamps has nearly doubled. Bodies discovered by divers Friday; foul By STEVEN RICHMOND play not suspected. [email protected] New data from the U.S. By AMANDA WILLIAMSON Census Bureau’s 2012 [email protected] American Community Survey suggest down- LAFAYETTE COUNTY — The ward economic and hous- bodies of two Lake City resi- ing trends for Columbia dents were recovered Friday in County. Lafayette County, ending a two- The ACS began in the day search by 10 area law enforce- mid 1990s as a way to ment agencies. replace the decennial cen- Bill and Lynda Ward drove to sus long form, providing their Lafayette County home along annual socioeconomic and the Suwannee River Wednesday demographic data estimates morning, but disappeared shortly for geographic regions with after. They were found Friday a population of 65,000 or in the Suwannee River — Bill more. Ward at 9:45 a.m. and Lynda at Two trends in particu- 11:52 a.m. Both appeared to have lar suggest the Columbia drowned, according to a media County workforce is strug- release from Lafayette County gling through an uncertain Sheriff’s Office. economic future: Lower The sheriff’s office stated in the median salaries and more release that it is waiting for results food stamp recipients. from the medical examiner. The median household Foul play is not suspected. income has seen a down- According to Lafayette County ward trend for the past five Sheriff Brian Lamb, it appears years, falling from $40,872 either Bill, 69, or Linda, 60, slipped in 2008 to $36,542 in 2012. into the river and the other was However, the median trying to help. income has risen since its “We just don’t know who,” he 2010 low of $34,174, sug- said. “There were no witnesses, gesting that Columbia so there’s no way to tell.” County’s economic dyan- Lamb said he could provide no mics are running parallel to further information on the case, the nation’s crawling post- including details of the recovery. Great Recession recovery. The couple usually tells their Also, it may pay to a bach- friends when they leave Lake City elor in Columbia County. to travel 35 minutes to their other The average nonfamily residence. But their neighbor income is up 5.6 percent Buddy Clayton said on Thursday since 2009. he had no idea they were making Even so, the percentage the trip. He was leaving church of households receiving on Wednesday when Lynda’s sis- Food Stamp/SNAP benefits ter called him with the news, and in 2012 has nearly doubled then told him she already con- since 2008. According to JASON MATTHEW WALKER/Lake City Reporter tacted the sheriff’s office. At Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park, Larry Rosenblatt stands in front of the Battle of Olustee monument, 2012’s ACS, 1 in 5 house- In a Thursday interview, Clayton holds receive food stamp said the Wards’ floating dock had erected in 1912 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. benefits—a stark contrast a broken board and signs of scuff to 11.5 percent in 2008. marks. At the time, he believed The detailed ACS report St. Cloud man seeks to erect also suggests Columbia COUPLE continued on 7A County women were affect- ed by a stagnating econo- a memorial to Union troops my more than men. The median income for full-time Texting female workers is down However, proposed 5.6 percent, sliding from location has some $30,601 in 2008 to $28,890 fines will in 2012. Full-time working area residents upset. males, on the other hand, have some saw their 2008 median sal- By TONY BRITT ary of $34,637 edge higher teeth here [email protected] to $35,407 in 2012. The most emblematic OLUSTEE– By STEVEN RICHMOND indicator of a tough econo- ore than 149 [email protected] my reveals itself in the per- years ago, Union centage of Columbia County and Confederate Text-happy motorists will have families below the poverty troops clashed to save their LOLs for another line. In 2012, 20.2 percent at the Battle of day when Florida’s new texting of families were below the MOlustee in the only major Civil and driving law takes effect poverty line, compared to War battle fought on Florida Tuesday. 14.1 percent in 2008. soil. The Battle of Olustee The new law prohibits indi- For those looking for occurred on Feb. 20, 1864, in viduals from operating a motor work, the top three employ- what is now Baker County. STEVEN RICHMOND/LAKE CITY REPORTER vehicle while “manually typing... ers in Columbia County for Nearly a century and a half Robert Crumpton signs a petition organized by Robert Tucker (right) into a wireless communications 2011 were: later, on the eve of the 150th against the proposed location of a Union memorial in Olustee Battlefield device or while sending or read- • Educational services, anniversary of the battle, lines ing data in such a device for the Historic State Park. “I want to make sure it stays the South [near and health care and social have once again been drawn in purpose of nonvoice interperson- the 1912 UDC monument] and preserve it like it was intended,” said assistance: 23.5 percent; the sand as two factions square al communication...” Crumpton, two of whose ancestors who served in the Civil War were • Retail trade: 16.8 per- off at the same place — Olustee Aa Columbia County Sheriff’s killed in action, he said. For more on the Expo, see Page 6A. cent; Battlefield Historic State Park. Office news release announced • Public administration: The fight that is emerging is allow a monument in honor of Veterans of the Civil War, a fra- CCSO will be enforcing the new 12 percent; over a new monument that has Union soldiers to be erected ternal order founded in 1881, is law starting Tuesday. Another notable trend been proposed for the park. at the first park in the Florida a department commander of the The law received criticism comes in the ACS’s “hous- Approval has been granted State Park system. group that filed the paperwork statewide for its status as a sec- ing characteristics” cat- by the Florida Department of Michael Farrell, of St. Cloud, TEXTING continued on 6A Environmental Protection to a member of the Sons of Union MONUMENT continued on 3A CENSUS continued on 7A Vol. 139, No. 173 OpinionPeople. .. 4A2A CALL US: TODAY IN COMING (386) 752-1293 BusinessOpinion . 5A4A 9185 6463 Obituaries . 5A PEOPLE TUESDAY SUBSCRIBE TO T-StormPartly cloudyChance Obituaries . 6A THE REPORTER: AdviceAdvice. & . .Comics . 5D8B Swearing in a Local news Voice: 755-5445 Puzzles . 2B, 3B Fax: 752-9400 WEATHER, 2A8A Puzzles . 2B new attorney. roundup. 2A 2A LAKE CITY REPORTER SUNDAY REPORT SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2013 Page Editor: Robert Bridges, 754-0428 Friday: Friday: Saturday: Saturday: Wednesday: Wednesday: 10-15-38-40 1-6-7-9-17 Afternoon: 1-4-9 Afternoon: 3-6-4-4 1-2-25-43-48-53 2-7-17-49-53 (14) Evening: N/A Evening: N/A (x4) PB 23 AROUND FLORIDA Jetpack industry zooms toward expansion MIAMI—Miguel Endara Fort Myers man nervously stepped on the edge of a boat on Biscayne wins ‘Bad’ raffle Bay with a 30-pound FORT MYERS—A Fort machine strapped to his Myers man and his friend back. The machine had two won a raffle to watch the pipes sticking out and a 33- series finale of AMC’s foot hose that connected to “Breaking Bad” with star a Jet Ski. Aaron Paul and other cast The instructor then told members. him to jump. Paul, who plays Jesse “Just jump in?” the 30- Pinkman in the Emmy- year-old asked. “I feel like winning show, announced I’m going to go straight Friday that Ryan Carroll down.” won an Omaze.com raffle. But soon after he took the The raffle raised plunge, Endara screamed money to benefit the Kind with excitement. Instead of Campaign, which combats sinking, he was flying. Two the negative effects of bul- powerful streams of water lying. came out of the pipes like The winner gets a fire out of a space shuttle chance to “cook,” a refer- sending Endara 25 feet in ence to the show’s theme the air. of producing metham- The water sport, sim- phetamine, with Paul and ply known as jetpack, has other cast members before sprung up all over the watching the “Breaking world since its debut two Bad” finale Sunday. years ago and South Florida has established itself as the Plane crashes overall hot spot, with 60 AMANDA WILLIAMSON/Lake City Reporter percent of the company’s into Okeechobee business coming from Fort Wellness Initiative Lauderdale, Miami and the PAHOKEE—A man Keys. Even though Columbia High School teacher Jan Silverstein works out several times a week, she believes the new district-wide has died after a small The jetpack Endara Wellness Initiative is a great idea. The program was organized by Columbia County School Board member and nurse practitioner plane crashed into Lake recently tried out is the Stephanie Finnell to help employees get healthier. See story, Page 1D. Okeechobee in South JetLev R200x. It’s the com- Florida.