The Sweetest Strawberries This Side Of Heaven USPS 062-700 — Starke, Florida Thursday, March 27, 2014 134th Year — 35th Issue — 75 CENTS INSIDE: Plane Lands At Prison • School Board Audited • Inside Fashion Week Stephens remembered as tough but tender leader BY MARK J. CRAWFORD first time. While he retired at the end Telegraph Editor of the last school year, Superintendent Family, friends and colleagues of Chad Farnsworth said Stephens had Rick Stephens said goodbye this week remained involved and his work for after the longtime educator lost his the district was far from over. battle with cancer. He was 63. Farnsworth and his wife, Jennifer, In addition to serving the school were both assistant principals at BHS system, he also served his country in under Stephens before Farnsworth the U.S. Navy, and was married for 33 became superintendent. The three years to his wife, Debra. They lived worked closely together over the past in Starke with their three children, few years, but they became close Macy, Dane and Abby, and their personally as well. children’s families, which included “He played a major part in both one grandchild. our professional and family lives,” Stephens’ 35 years with the school Farnsworth said. “He was not only a district began at Bradford High School mentor and confidant, he was a dear in 1978. Actually, he spent next 15 friend. The time we spent together years there, teaching math through working at the high school will always 1990, then serving as dean of students. offer a source of fond memories. I The sports enthusiast was also a coach. will miss most the laughs we shared From 1993-1996, he was a visiting exchanging ideas and perspectives.” teacher, and then he was promoted Those who knew him say there was to assistant principal at Southside much more to Stephens than his tough Elementary School. After Southside, persona. he served at Bradford Middle School Educator Rick Stephens, 1950-2014. “Beneath his gruff exterior was a as assistant principal from 2001- soft, caring and generous heart. He 2003, before being tapped to become Stephens’ longest assignment was grades to its name. In 2009, he took Stephens spent his final years for truly loved the children and students principal at Hampton Elementary overseeing Hampton, helping elevate over at Brooker Elementary as well, the district as principal at Bradford of Bradford County,” Farnsworth said. School. it to one of the district’s most reputable leading both schools, until he was High School. During that time, BHS Other than teaching math at BHS, schools, the school with the most A asked to return to BHS. raised its school grade to a B for the See STEPHENS, 3A Starke’s proposed annexation in question BY MARK J. CRAWFORD According to state statute on annexation, The topic hasn’t come up for discussion at a Telegraph Editor contiguous “means that a substantial part of a county commission meeting, and the county’s The Starke City Commission may have boundary of the territory sought to be annexed attorney, Will Sexton, said he isn’t sure how thought it was a mere formality, but questions by a municipality is coterminous with a part of much county commissioners know about the are now being raised about the legality of the boundary of the municipality.” questions being asked. its intended annexation of the new Badcock The definition also states that “nothing Thompson, however, said he’s waiting on furniture store that will be constructed south herein shall be construed to allow local rights a letter from Sexton spelling out all of the of the city, as well as other annexations in that of way, utility easements, railroad rights of county concerns so he can meet with the North area over the past decade. way, or like entities to be annexed in a corridor Florida Regional Planning Council for advice Starke’s development agreement with fashion to gain contiguity.” In other words, no on how to proceed. There was a meeting Badcock includes the agreement of the owner running down the highway right of way to grab between the sheriff’s staff, Thompson and the to annex the property into the city in order noncontiguous properties. city and county attorneys, but Thompson said to receive sewer service. In addition to the According to Sheriff Gordon Smith, the he wants the objections in writing. sewer extension, annexation and 10-year tax annexation of 301 and the law enforcement Former annexations carried out with the abatement, the city will receive the current operations there is reminiscent of Hampton, assistance of former city attorney Terry Brown Badcock property at the corner of Walnut although no one is accusing city police of may have been “goofed,” according to the city Street and S.R. 100. excessive traffic enforcement on this stretch of clerk, based on what he’s heard from mapping. But the letter Starke sent to Bradford highway. Because the past annexations, like Walmart County announcing annexation plans set off The sheriff’s office, which oversees 911 and the Beck dealership, were voluntary on alarms because the new Badcock property, addressing and mapping for the county, says the part of the property owners in order to located across Southeast 142nd Way next to the there is no way for the city to require Badcock gain access to city utilities, some notification Richard Morris State Farm Insurance office, to annex its new location because neither the requirements may have been skipped and legal is not contiguous to any other property in the highway nor the utility easement count as objections to enclaves ignored. The city wants city limits. contiguous city property. to make sure this is done correctly, Thompson According to City Clerk Ricky Thompson, Claiming this stretch of U.S. 301 also poses said. Starke does have an easement down the east another issue for the city in that it appears There is also a section of Florida law that side of the highway because of its emergency to create three enclaves along U.S. 301— deals with the simple annexation of enclaves, water extension to Deerwood Subdivision. unincorporated areas that are bounded on all Thompson said, like those already created, but In addition, the Florida Department of sides by the city. State law prohibits annexation it requires the county’s cooperation. Transportation moved the city limit signs when it creates enclaves. Allowing the city to Another motive behind southward expansion south when the Walmart Supercenter was grab additional properties one at a time would Thompson acknowledged was the extension constructed and annexed. The stretch of U.S. likely create more and more of these enclaves. of utility lines down both U.S. 301 closer to 301 from the south city limits to south of the According to the sheriff’s office, public where the bypass interchange will be built According to the city of Starke, this is what the Walmart intersection is being considered as safety could be involved when it comes to and future development is expected. The city southern city limits currently looks like. part of the city, too. addressing these sites, dispatching emergency wants to be able to serve that development. response, etc. Horse owner arrested for abuse BY DAN HILDEBRAN that when he went to Biscardi’s Durham wrote that he returned to Monitor Editor residence to question her, she was not McRae seven days later. He wrote Clay County home. that the two horses that had been deputies arrested “Six other horses were observed repossessed experienced considerable a McRae woman on her property and were in the weight gain while those at Biscardi’s on March 21 same condition,” wrote investigator residence “had no food available and after finding six Stacey Durham. “Very little food was did not appear to have gained any malnourished available for three of the horses and no weight.” horses on food was available for the other three.” Durham also wrote that in October, her property, according to an arrest report. Deanna Alma Biscardi, 43, of Lori Loop Road Biscardi was charged with eight counts of animal cruelty. According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, a person who sold two horses to Biscardi and never received payment for the animals repossessed the horses from Biscardi’s property in early March. The seller then complained to the sheriff’s office that the horses were malnourished and Clay County Animal Control opened a which indicates a pattern of neglect had experienced significant weight case on the animals. on the part of D. Biscardi causing loss. “The horses appeared to be in the continuing suffering of the horses,” An investigator wrote in an affidavit same condition since October 2013 wrote Durham. Deadline Monday 5 p.m. before publication • Phone (904) 964-6305 • Fax (904) 964-8628 • [email protected] • www.StarkeJournal.com • Y M Y M C K C K 2A Bradford County Telegraph • Thursday, March 27, 2014 Worth Plane makes emergency landing Noting 83-year-old pilot Food assistance from Jacksonville delayed ran low on fuel The Starke Seventh Day BY VINCENT ALEX BROWN Adventist Food Pantry will Times Editor not have food bags to hand out George Charles Momberg until April 15 due to construc- of Jacksonville gave motorists tion on the property. However, on State Road 16 outside of the church will continue giving Raiford a thrill when he made away bread each Tuesday. an emergency landing there right Derick Thomas, director of member and public relations in front of Florida State Prison for Clay Electric, presents the grand prize truck to Diane while heading west at around 5 McKinney of Melrose.