We Insure HOMES Jane DiLoreto Agency Community Health & Wellness 215-2121 Insert 3701193-01 THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012 WWW.CLAYTODAYONLINE.COM VOLUME 42, NO. 17 75¢75 COUPON SAVINGS Clay board splits $AVE $ on new prayer circle regulations By Greg Walsh WITH93 COUPONS Managing Editor INSIDE THIS ISSUE FLEMING ISLAND – Saying it was time to get past the prayer at the agpole issue involving a local pastor, a divided Clay County School Board on Thursday, April 19, gave its tentative OK to new guidelines it believes NEWS will resolve the matter. School Board members voted 3-2 on three resolu- FOCUS tions that will create new rules affecting all groups wanting to use school grounds before or after school but are the direct result of controversy generated by the Rev. Ron Baker’s weekly prayer gatherings at four Clay County elementary schools. A nal vote will come at the May 17 board meet- Governor at OPE Governor ing and, if approved, would put the new regulations in SPECIAL TO CLAY TODAY place just a few weeks before the end of the school Florida Gov. Rick Scott talks to students in an Orange Park Elementary School classroom year. on Monday, April 23, during a visit with Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, a Clay County resident. Baker’s 10-minute prayers sessions began an is- Scott held a roundtable discussion with faculty and parents. See related news item on SEE PRAYER, 9 COA DONATION Page 7. BCC mulls $500,000 donation issue. Pg. 3. Mother, son, among 4 charged in White murder By Stephen Kindland Staff writer GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Four people face murder charges in the shooting death of Clay County Sheriff’s Of ce Det. David White, including a 35-year-old Mid- dleburg woman and her 16-year-old son. Three of the four suspects also have been charged in MR. ST. JOHNS the subsequent death of the man police say shot White Jennifer Alder Jerry Daniels Chasity Prescott Ryan Wilder Orange Park school during a narcotics team raid of a suspected metham- holds contest. Pg. 11. SEE WHITE, 30 The best deals! INSERTS •New Vehicles •Pre-Owned •Service HOME DEPOT •Body Shop NEWS AMERICA HARDEES COMMUNITY HEALTH GUIDE 272-2200 • 1166 BLANDING BLVD. 2 CLAY TODAY • APRIL 26, 2012 COMMUNITY CLAYTODAYONLINE.COM There are legal implications to boundary line issue Q. I have a neighbor who has a large tree that leans over my house. I have asked them to remove the tree but they refuse to do so. Is Seasonal there a government agency that will make them do this because I feel it concerns is unsafe? This gets into some legal implications. from Florida law says that any plant that hangs over your property line can be trimmed gardeners back to just within your property line. You RAY H. ZERBA JR. may not however remove a particular plant Horticulture Agent IV, unless it is actually growing on your prop- Emeritus, UF/IFAS Extension erty. You should seek the advice of an at- Clay County (Retired) torney so that a letter on your behalf can be written stating your concerns and sent You probably have an attack by the Cit- certi ed to your neighbor giving them a rus Leafminer. This small moth lays an egg certain amount of time to respond. At that on the tender young leaves of citrus and point, if they refuse to remove the tree, when the egg hatches the caterpillar mines Curled leaves on a citrus tree are often caused by the offspring of a small moth. The and the tree should later fall and damage its way into the leaf and begins feeding moth’s eggs hatch and the caterpillar mines the citrus tree’s young leaves. your home, their homeowners insurance within it. The injured leaf curls and cups will be liable for the repairs. This unfor- as a result. This injury is permanent, so tunately doesn’t help you with respect to even if you were to spray with something, and it has established in our area. While click on “Ask a Master Gardener” and a your safety concerns, but only the attorney the leaf would remain deformed. Because there will always be some Citrus leafmin- reply will be sent plus a hyperlink to the could tell you what rights you have as far it is still green however, it will function as ers around, this wasp is keeping their appropriate University of Florida Fact as forcing the removal of this tree. I know a leaf, albeit a less ef cient one. While numbers low. Our suggestion is to just Sheets. Please send us a digital picture of no government agency that could force these insects cause the tree to look bad, stop worrying about them – they are not a of the problem. To speak to someone by its removal on your behalf. they have little impact on the tree. Pulling real threat to your tree. phone, call 269-6355. To read past articles Q. The leaves on my Citrus trees leaves off would cause the tree more stress Want someone to answer a speci c that might help you with seasonal prob- are all curled and look terrible. than simply ignoring them. Several years plant question for you? Go online to http:// lems, and to learn about upcoming Exten- What can I do about this and make back, the University of Florida released a clay.ifas.u .edu and under the heading sion Programming in our area explore that sure it does not happen again? predatory wasp that feeds on these pests “Horticulture” (left hand side of page) left website further. SPECIAL TO CLAY TODAY Special Project on lunch Keystone W.E. Cherry Elemenetary students who earned a “5” on the FCAT test recently were treated lakes starts to a ‘limo and lunch” at Special to Clay Today O’Charley’s in Fleming Island. This is the eighth PALATKA —A project to evaluate hydrol- year the restaurant provided ogy and water quality effects of introduc- lunch for the students as a ing additional water into a southwest Clay way to praise them for their County watershed that impacts several hard work. Keystone Heights-area lakes was recently approved. The pilot test approved by the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Gov- erning Board is the rst step in an initia- tive to protect and manage regional aquifer levels through recharge projects that would work in combination with natural recharge, which occurs through precipitation, the Water District said in a news release. Based on the test’s outcome, a series of projects using reclaimed water, storm water and peak surface water ows could be developed to help replenish the aquifer. SEE LAKES, 31 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Clay Today, Clay Today is published weekly on Thursday CLAY TODAY STAFF 3513 U.S. Hwy 17, Fleming Island, FL U.S.P.S. (063-800) Publisher: Jon Cantrell, Periodical Postage Paid at Orange Park, Florida at 3513 U.S. Hwy 17, Fleming Island, FL 32003. Sales & Marketing NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS This newspaper assumes no nancial responsibility for Managing Editor: Greg Walsh Sales Manager: Peg Oddy typographical errors in advertisements, but when noti ed promptly will reprint IN CLAY COUNTY, MAIL DELIVERY OUTOFCOUNTY & OUTOFSTATE correctly the part of the advertisement in which the typographical error ap- Subscription Rate Subscription Rate Sports Editor: Randy Lefko Sales: Katie Mihalcik, Susan Sawyer, Phyllis Vancas pears. All advertising in this publication is subject to approval of the publisher. Sta Writer: Stephen Kindland This newspaper will not knowingly accept or publish illegal material of any kind. 1 year $34.00 1 year $45.00 Classi ed Sales, Obituaries: Martha Bagby Advertising which expresses preference based on legally protected personal Circulation Manager: Rob Conwell Publication Designers: Eddie Hodges, Michele McNeill, Kathy Roy characteristics is not accepted. PHONE ALL DEPARTMENTS 2643200. MEMBER, FLORIDA PRESS ASSOCIATION & SOUTHERN NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION. FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS CALL 904-264-3200 Legal Notices: Christie Wayne CLAYTODAYONLINE.COM COMMUNITY APRIL 26, 2012 CLAY TODAY 3 Donation to COA project gets BCC attention By Debra W. Buehn, into the donation, saying he had reason to expenditures or subject to a lawsuit. his late wife’s names. When he brought the Correspondent believe a lawsuit could be brought against County attorney Mark Scruby said he check to the Council’s executive director, the county by a family member of the donor didn’t think “anybody could give that assur- he was asked if he had consulted his family GREEN COVE SPRINGS --Although it if the donation was accepted. ance.” Both Robinson and Scruby originally about the donation, Scruby said. was eventually accepted, questions as to “I wish our county attorney hadn’t spoke in veiled terms about the identity of “He said ‘I’m fully capable of making my whether a $500,000 donation that would brought this forward today at this time,” the donor and the issues surrounding the own decisions about such a thing. My fam- help complete the Council on Aging’s new said Robinson, who said he had hoped all donation, saying they wished to protect the ily has nothing to do with this,’ or words to senior building should be studied further those involved could get together, discuss donor’s reputation, but Scruby eventually SEE BCC, 17 dominated the Board of County Commis- the donation and “straighten out” things said it was clear the details would have to sioners’ Tuesday meeting. before it was brought to the county for ac- be revealed. CLAY COUNTY The BCC voted 4-1 to accept the dona- ceptance.