Back-To-School Special Inside! Herald-THE Advocate HARDEE COUNTY’S HOMETOWN COVERAGE 118th Year No. 36 3 Sections www.TheHeraldAdvocate.com 70¢ Plus 5¢ Sales Tax Thursday, August 2, 2018 SROs Will Protect All Schools By TOM STAIK board member. said Sheriff Arnold Lanier. “It and North Wauchula elemen- mentary were already protected county entered budget planning Of The Herald-Advocate The $371,944 funding deal has been a challenge, but I ap- tary schools when classes re- by SROs under an existing sessions earlier this summer. Lawmen will be posted at all brings to a close months of preciate everyone coming on sumed. cost-sharing plan. Under those The school district was ear- seven public schools when the back-and-forth debate between board.” That move, at least in part, terms, the School Board paid marked to receive $479,185 in opening bell of the new school the School Board and the Hardee County became one was a response to the Florida 40 percent of costs and the Safe Schools funding from the year rings next Friday. Hardee County Board of of the first school districts in Legislature’s passage of the Sheriff’s Office funded the re- state as part of the Marjory The School Board of Hardee County Commissioners as the the Sunshine State to have an Marjory Stoneman Douglas maining 60 percent. Stoneman Douglas High County voted 4-0 during a spe- two bodies worked to develop armed lawman at every school High School Public Safety Act. Wauchula Elementary School Public Safety Act. cial session Monday to approve a plan to protect students and in the wake of the tragedy. The law, signed by Gov. School was also previously The earmark – though a a funding deal with the Hardee staff at area schools in the wake Sheriff Lanier gained a Rick Scott, requires school dis- protected with an SRO, pro- sharp increase from the County Sheriff’s Office that of the Valentine’s Day slaying $200,000 emergency appropri- tricts to protect each and every vided by the Wauchula Police $132,300 in Safe Schools fund- will place school resource offi- of 17 students and staff at Park- ation earlier this year from the school with an armed security Department and fully paid for ing from the previous year – cers on all district campuses. land’s Marjory Stoneman Dou- County Commission during detail of either SROs or trained by the city. fell far short of actual costs. “I think this is a good deal glas High School. Spring Break that allowed for civilian guardians. The temporary funding plan, “There is not a single district and I am glad we are doing “I appreciate the School deputies to be assigned to Hardee Senior High, Hardee however, began to show strains in the state that received this,” said Mildred Smith, Board’s vote of confidence,” Zolfo Springs, Bowling Green Junior High and Hilltop Ele- as the school officials and the See SCHOOLS A3 Murder HJH Suspect Eases 106 Dress Back In ‘Nothing Remarkable About That’ By JENNIFER McCONKEY Code Herald-Advocate Intern Dr. Elver “Doc” Hodges was born almost By TOM STAIK Hardee two years before World War I began. Of The Herald-Advocate Students will have more By CYNTHIA KRAHL He entered the world on Aug. 2, 1912, and today he’s reached his 106th birthday. flexibility in their clothing op- Of The Herald-Advocate tions when they return to A local murder suspect who When talking about reaching an age that is rare to anyone to see, Hodges says merely, Hardee Junior High School fled across state lines has now next week. been returned to face charges “There’s nothing remarkable about that ex- cept that I did it.” The School Board of Hardee here. County voted 4-0 last Thursday Gabriel Arenas Ceja, 25, of He has three daughters, Margaret, Kathy and Lucinda, three living grandchildren (a to adopt changes to the 816 Pleasant Way, Bowling school’s “Dress for Success” Green, was booked into the fourth is deceased) and several great-grand- children. Margaret lives with Doc in Hardee requirements that incorporate Hardee County Jail at 11:16 on additional clothing choices. Saturday night after being County, Kathy lives in Guilderland, N.Y., and Lucinda lives in Birmingham, Ala. Students will now be al- transferred from a Georgia jail lowed to wear pants with elas- cell. Hodges moved to Florida in January of 1942. He lived in Gainesville for about a tic waistbands. So-called The Bowling Green Police “jogger” pants had previously Department had issued an ar- month before moving to Wauchula. In 1945, he moved to Ona, where he lived for 22 been banned, as the former rest warrant for Ceja in connec- dress code limited pants tion with the July 13 shooting years before moving to his current home be- tween Zolfo Springs and Wauchula. choices to those with buttons of 18-year-old Eddie Grant of and zippers. Bowling Green. The U.S. Mar- He joined the First United Methodist Church of Wauchula in 1942 and is still a “Jogger-type pants with elas- shals Service captured him in tic waistband may be worn as Tift County, Ga., on July 18. member to this day. In fact, the church is where his birthday long as they are not more than See SUSPECT A2 party was held on Sunday. ‘1’ size larger than the student’s But Florida wasn’t the first place Hodges measured size,” the rule now moved after leaving his hometown of Sun- PHOTO BY JENNIFER McCONKEY states. shine Bottom, Neb. Today is Dr. Elver Hodges’ 106th birthday. His party was held at the Short pants – such as gym See 106 A2 First United Methodist Church of Wauchula this past Sunday. shorts – with an elastic waist See DRESS A3 NEW RECRUITS Newspaper Price Ceja Increasing To $1 Beginning with the Aug. 16 issue, The Herald-Advocate will increase its single-copy WEATHER price from 75 cents to $1. DATE HIGH LOW RAIN 07/24 90 74 0.15 That amount will include all applicable 07/25 91 75 0.00 sales tax. 07/26 92 74 0.00 The price adjustment, which is the news- 07/27 93 75 0.00 07/28 95 72 1.73 paper’s first since 2011, is due to a recent 30- 07/29 92 73 1.65 percent tariff imposed on Canadian newsprint 07/30 91 69 1.98 and a 33-percent price hike in printing and Rainfall to 07/30/2018 - 34.91 Same period last year - 24.81 manufacturing costs by The Ledger in Lake- Ten Year Average - 49.17 Source: Univ. of Fla. Ona Research Center land, which now prints The Herald-Advocate. Current and new subscribers can lock in INDEX existing subscription rates for up to an addi- Classifieds . .B8 tional year by calling our office at (863) 773- 3255. Courthouse Report . .B3 The Herald-Advocate values each and Crime Blotter . .B3 every one of our readers. We hope you will Hardee Living . .A4 continue to support your hometown paper, Obituaries . .B5 which is now in its 118th year. We are committed to continuing to bring Save The Date . .A2 PHOTO BY TOM STAIK Hardee County’s 22 newest teachers went back to school this week for indoctrina- you high-quality, award-winning journalism Solunar Forecast . .A9 tion in all things orange and blue. The educators – including a contingent of four coverage of Hardee County and its people instructors recruited from out of state – gathered at the District Training Center on each and every week. Monday for breakfast and a chance to meet school and community heads. The newly-minted leaders of the Wildcat pack were presented with tote bags containing an assortment of goodies donated by local businesses and had the opportunity to — Michael R. Kelly peruse information tables manned by representatives of local businesses and or- Co-Publisher & Editor ganizations. For more on the recruits, see A10. A2 The Herald-Advocate, August 2, 2018 THE 106 Continued From A1 Mosaic Approves erald- dvocate H HARDEE COUNTY’SAHOMETOWN COVERAGE Hodges says the first far- SAVE MICHAEL R. KELLY away place he traveled to was Mitigation Deal Co-Publisher and Editor Lincoln, Neb., where he at- tended the University of Ne- By MICHAEL KELLY ditional $37.4 million for eco- THE JAMES R. KELLY braska. But that certainly Of The Herald-Advocate nomic development, bringing Co-Publisher wasn’t the farthest he would The Mosaic Company’s the total compensation to Board of Directors met and $87.4 million. CYNTHIA M. KRAHL move. In 1939-41, Hodges lived in signed off on the proposed The agreement also granted DATE Managing Editor Hawaii. And in 1979-81, he economic mitigation agree- Hardee County a purchase op- NOEY DeSANTIAGO lived in Malawi, which is in ment for the Ona Mine that tion for 90 acres surrounding Production Manager was approved by the Hardee AUGUST TOM STAIK eastern Africa. He’s also trav- the county landfill for future County Commission last expansion, and a lease agree- Sports Editor eled internationally for work 2 – Storytime, HC Public DARLENE WILLIAMS and has been on two cruises to month. ment with the Industrial De- Library/315 N. 6th Assistant Europe. Mosaic representatives and velopment Authority on land Production Manager Ave., Wauchula/ Including North America, the county had tentatively across from Mosaic’s North 10 am 115 S. Seventh Ave. • P.O. Box 338 Hodges has been to four conti- agreed to a deal requiring the Pasture office, located off of 2 – “Stitch by Stitch” Wauchula, FL 33873 nents in his life.