JeffersoFnriday, N ovJember 2o3, 201u8 Vorl. 12 nnumbear 17 l county 75¢ +tax ECBPUBLISHING . COM New business may be coming to Stop for industrial park Lazaro Aleman ECB Publishing, Inc. County officials are somewhat excited about a potential economic development opportunity that they are dubbing ‘Project Energizer’. John Willoughby the ECBB Publishingu, Inc. s “Basically, we have an opportunity to welcome a new resident to the industrial park,” Commissioner Steven Fulford, who is also on the In recent weeks, multiple reports of children being struck by vehicles while reconstituted Economic Development Council walking to get onto the bus have surfaced on the news nationally … some (EDC), told his colleagues on Thursday evening, children have recovered while, unfortunately, several children have been killed by Nov. 15. the impact. He characterized the business as a On Tuesday, Oct. 30, three siblings: six-year-old twins and their nine-year-old local operation that was sister, were killed in Indiana after being hit by a vehicle as the children were presently located in crossing a two-lane highway to board their school bus. Another child's death Tallahassee but that wanted to occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 31, while the nine-year-old was struck by a vehicle relocate to Jefferson County. as he was crossing the road to board the school bus. Additionally, on Thursday, “It puts one more tenant in Nov. 1, five children and two adults were waiting for the school bus when they the industrial park,” Fulford were struck by an oncoming vehicle. The children ranged in age from six to ten said. years old and two received serious injuries. The adults, ages 31 and 32, received He described the business non-life threatening injuries. as an established commercial More locally, on Wednesday, Oct. 31, a kindergarten student in Tallahassee contracting enterprise that currently was struck and injured while crossing the street, preparing to board the school employs 20 people, six of whom were Jefferson bus. The 19-year-old unidentified driver was given two citations. See NEW BUSINESS page 3 Jefferson County is in an almost unique situation given its limited control over its bus fleet, as it contracts the service, via Jefferson Somerset, to Student District Service Inc. (SDS), a Tallahassee-based transportation company. County Commission Emails to Jefferson County School District Superintendent Marianne Arbulu and SDS were still unanswered as of print time. A recent national study, however, A-Building is speaks to the issue and offers a measure of consolation for Jefferson County. According to the study, 57 million kids nationwide daily walk, bike, take the bus or get a ride to school during the school year -- a necessary journey that can No. 1 priority sometimes turn dangerous. Fortunately, the School Safety Snapshot Study found that school children in Jefferson County were among the safest in the nation when it came to the risk of a Lazaro Aleman traffic injury or fatality. This despite Florida's overall poor ranking and indications ECB Publishing, Inc. that drivers generally are not improving their driving behavior. Jefferson County rated an A- when it came to road safety, the study found, The Jefferson County Commission has whereas Florida overall received an F, ranking 44 of the 50 states plus the District identified the A-Building's restoration as its number of Columbia. one priority in the coming legislative session. To come up with its findings, data scientists analyzed driver behavior around The commission's decision came at the request more than 125,000 elementary, middle and high schools around the country, of the Jefferson Legislative Committee (JLC), this representing 90-percent of all U.S. Schools. community's lobbying entity, which is in the All told, the data scientists looked at risky events that occurred within a process of producing the annual yearbook it uses to quarter mile of 125,703 schools in 3,094 counties across the country and promote the county in the Legislature. See BUSES page 3 Commissioners were at first ambivalent about deciding between the A-Building and the Florida/Jefferson County Health Department, which is seeking a reported $400,000 from the Legislature for the continued renovation of the public health unit on West Washington Street. School board officials sworn in See A-BUILDING page 3 Washington to chair School Board Ashley Hunter ECB Publishing, Inc. In addition to the re-swearing in of the three reelected Jefferson County School Board officials, the school board was required to elect a new chairperson during their Tuesday, November 20 ECB Publishing, Inc. Photo Reorganizational By Ashley Hunter, Nov. 20, 2018 Meeting. Shirley A. Washing - ECB Publishing, Inc. Photo By Ashley Hunter, November 20, 2018 In the past, the ton, District 3, takes the During the Tuesday, November, 20 reorganizational meeting held by the Jefferson County School school board has gavel as School Board Board, School Board members Saunders, Boland, and Washington were sworn back into their chosen new Chairperson. respective seats by Judge Plaines. Pictured, from left to right, are: Jefferson County Judge Bobby chairpersons through Plaines, Sandra Saunders, school district 2; Shirley Washington, school district 3; and Charles Boland, a rotating method: the person sitting on the school district 5. All three re-elected School Board officials ran unopposed in the 2018 primary election. See WASHINGTON page 3 INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY 9 VIEWPOINTS 2 TV THIS WEEK 10 Did you know? Weather OBITUARIES 4 FOOD, FUN & ENTERTAINMENT 11 Birds need gravity to swallow for this COMMUNITY NEWS 4-6 HISTORY 12 SCHOOL 7 FARM & OUTDOORS 13 weekend DOWNTOWN BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT 8 CLASSIFIEDS & LEGALS 14 2 • JEFFERSON COUNTY JOURNAL • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018 VIEWPOINTS Deb’s Notes Passing Parade Drop a note to: [email protected] The Winter Festival Youth Art for the evening, dancing and a by Nelson Pryor, Guest Columnist Exhibition 2018 showcases youthful Champagne Toast at midnight for $30. talent and imagination through more Dessert and dancing packages include a The Green Wave than 70 pieces of student artwork. gourmet dessert, dancing and a Elementary, middle and high school art Champagne Toast at midnight. Due to teachers submitted catering requirements, Dinner and work on behalf of Drink Packages must be purchased no their students for the later than 9 a.m. on the Wednesday exhibition. The before the event for ticket reservations and information, visit entries represent monticellooperahouse.org nearly 30 different or call (850) 997-4242. area public and Old Tales of the Forgotten South private schools. The Debbie Snapp in a Georgia, Florida Swamp: Columnist dedication and Paddling Okefenokee professionalism of is a cultural, our area art teachers is evident in the ecological chronicle of the Okefenokee quality of the student artwork on Swamp. Rose Knox, local English display in the gallery and the exhibition instructor, and native 'Red Hills' is stunning. A public reception for the Floridian, makes historical references exhibition begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, with the greater Celtic and European November 30 in the City Hall Gallery, migrations about some of those and lasts until 7:30 p.m. The awards emigrants that ended up being swamp ceremony will start at 6:30 p.m. and dwellers. Knox ties that particular story will be held in the Commission of Okefenokee folk in with her own Chambers. It promises to be an evening people of Georgia. Helping her Andy Thomas and his Republican Club Painting. The 2018 Election of great pride for the students and awe- navigate in the swamp was Graham is over. inspired admiration for those who see Schorb, a river guide. For almost four the exhibit. The exhibit is now hanging years, the couple combined their efforts Have you noticed the “avalanche overwhelmingly for President Trump, and went exploring. Their book also in City Hall Gallery, 300 South Adams of Democratic money” spent on the raised a total of $212 million dollars. Street, second floor lobby of gives accounts of several paddling Tallahassee’s City Hall. The show will excursions which they made as it just past election? The October 17, During the same period, be on view from November 21 to likewise tells important ecological 2018 New York Times 22a labeled it: Republican Senate candidates raised January 28, 2019. It is free to the public stories. One is about the devastation of “’Green Wave’ of Donations Aids $164 million in the same contests. and open Monday through Friday, 8 long leaf pine forests and cypress Democratic Challengers in House U. S. House a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking is available in stands - and about the extinction of Races.” Kleman Plaza. For more than 25 years, birds and beasts - as a direct result of House Democrat candidates also Did it Work? the Council on Culture & Arts (COCA) environmental destruction. In their received a surge of cash in the third has partnered with the City of years of exploration, the two have This columnist doesn’t have a clue. quarter. In many of the most Tallahassee’s Parks and Recreation wandered in pioneer homesteads and Department to present the Winter old graveyards, stood beside ancient The column is written on Friday, four competitive House races across the Festival Youth Art Exhibition. It is one Indian mounds, and collected oral days before the Tuesday election. An country, the Democrat challenger out of a dozen exhibitions curated by histories of swampers and others angle not heretofore addressed is this raised the Republican incumbent in COCA and is part of the City of associated with Okefenokee. In their dramatic financial show of force the three-month period-some raising Tallahassee’s Art in Public Places research, they discovered the chronicle funding a drumbeat of television more than twice the amount the GOP program.