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3/14 Teen
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F LO R I D A'S


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W WEEKLY


N EW S PA P E R


NEWS


LEAD ER.75


Am A A


FRIDAY, March 13,2009/22 PAGES 2 SECTIONS fbnewsleadercom



Judge favors Gay-Straight Alliance at YHS


SHANNON MALCOM
News-Leader
Two Yulee High School students
and the American Civil Liberties Union
of Florida scored an initial victory in
their lawsuit against the Nassau
County School Board Wednesday
when a judge granted an injunction
allowing the students' proposed club
- a local branch. of the Gay-Straight
Alliance the right to meet while the


case is in litigation.
The judge said'the club can begin
meeting while the case is making its
way through the legal system which
could take as long as two or three
years and the club will not have to
change its name.
Students Hannah Page and Jacob
Brock attempted to start a branch of
the club at Yulee High School last fall.
But after one meeting, they were told
the school board would only allow


them to form the club if they changed
the name of the club.
At the March 6 hearing, school
board attorney Frank Sheppard
argued the name of the club as it
stands violates the board's abstinence
policy by referring to the sexual ori-
entation of students.
.- U.S. District Judge Henry Lee
Adams Jr. cited an earlier ACLU of
Florida case, Gonzalez v. School Board
of Okeechobee County, where the


court rejected the school board's argu-
ment that the formation of a GSA
branch would counter the relevant
abstinence policy.
"The court reasoned that if dia-
logue required to discuss gay toler-
ance does violence to the principle of
abstinence, so does any discussion of
STDs and teen pregnancy," Adams
wrote.
The order also prohibits the school
from interfering with the club's goals


of advocating "for tolerance, respect
and equality of gay, lesbian, bisexual,
and transgender people" and forbids
any retaliation by the school.
Brock and Page stress that the
group is not a "gay group" intended
only for homosexual students, but a
"safe place for all students." She said
heterosexual students would be wel-
come and encouraged to join; the focus
YHS Continued on 3A


Man dies


in mill


accident
SHANNON MALCOM
,\'cu. Ltad':r
A 3.'-v-yar-old Fernandina Beach
-man died Wednesday after he appar-
ently was electrocuted while working
at the Smurili-Stune Container Corp.
paper mill.
Daniel Nadikon B,-owen Jr.. a father
of tw0o.,,was a lifelong resident of
Fernandina Beach. He graduated from .
FBHS in 1186 and worked at the
Rayonier paper mill for seven years
MILL Cntinucd oin 3.4


LOOKING GOOD


Dave Miller of
Atlantic Beach pol-
ishes a 1932
Chevrolet BA
Confederate sports
roadster Thursday
at The Ritz-Carlton,
Amelia Island. The
car, with an esti-
mated value of
$40,000 to
$60,000, is up for
sale Saturday at
the Automobiles of
Amelia Island auc-
tion at The Ritz-,
Carlton. The 2009
Amelia Island
Concours
d'Elegance is this
weekend. Story,
1B.
RYAN SMITH/NEWS-LEADER


SHANNONMALCOM/NEWS-LEADER
Amanda Strickland, left, and Jacob Emmons, both members of teen
library-group B.L.A.S.T., play Guitar Hero at one of the program's
game nights.


Teenagers are having a



BLA.ST at the library


S SHANNOCN MALCOM
X e 'u L:adr
It's a Thursday evenling. and about
a dozen laughing teenagers are play-
ing Guitar Hero, talking and eating
from a buffet of snacks including pizza,
brownies and sandwiches.
They're clearly having fun but
these teens aren't all about fun and
games. The members of B.L.A.S.T.,
which stands for Becoming Leaders
and Successful Teens, get together
every other week to plan and imple-
ment programs for the Fernandina
Beach Public Library. They special-
ize in planning programs, like the
game night once a month featuring


Guitar Hero, geared toward teenagers
and they als" work on children's pro-
grams.
But the students help out with
other things too, like book drives and
pretty much whatever they're asked to
do, according to Michelle Forde, youth
librarian fdr the Fernandina Beach
Public Library.
. Basically, she said, they're a
teenaged version of the group that
provides much of their funding, the
Friends of the Library.
"It is likea teen version of Friends
of the Library," she said. "And they
earn volunteer community service
hours ... they worked on the haunted
library, they're planning a teen talent


contest, that's in the works for April or
SMay, and then the Beach Summer
Blast, a six-week program at the beach
... they do anything, all kinds of
things."
Forde, said anywhere from 19 to
23 teenagers regularly show up at the
B.LA.S.T. meetings, which are held at
the library every other Thursday. Now
they're hoping to get the word out to
increase not only membership in the
group, but also the turnout at the
events the kids plan.
Forde said members benefit by
accruing community service hours,
which are necessary to be eligible for
B.L.A.S.T. Continued on 3A


Federal stimulus money


to widen A1
RYAN SMITH
News-Leader 'B
About $56 million in federal eco- b
nomic stimulus money will be used to
widen six miles of A1A to four lanes
leading into Callahan fromnthe west.
The Florida Department of
Transportation said construction on,
the project could begin as early as
this summer. curb and the
"We're proposing to widen it from bike lanes. R
two lanes to'four lanes from Stratton have the curl
Road to Griffin Road," said Gina foot shoulder
Busscher, FDOT District 2 public bike lane, bu
information director. "Between marked as si
Interstate 95 and Callahan, the road "The four
had been widened to four lanes. That four 12-foot t
was completed in 2006. This will just bike lanes,"
continue that widening." five-foot-wid
Busscher said part of the six-mile 18-foot-wide
stretch goes through Callahan, which From Callah
necessitates two kinds of widening. "It we'll do the r
will be widened in two different types, Busscher
what we call urban and rural," she would be a bo
said. "Urban is where you have the "It willprovid


k- in Callahan


between 1-95 and Callahan the road had
,en widened tofour lanes. This will just
continue that widening.'
GINABUSSCHER
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION


gutters ... sidewalks and
Rural is where you don't
b. You'll still have a four-
r that could be used as a
Lt it won't necessarily be
uch.
r-lane will be built with
ravel lanes and four-foot
she added. "You'll have
e sidewalks and about an
raised grass median.
ian out to Griffin road
rural."
said widening the road
oon to commercial traffic.
e a full four-lane highway


between 1-95 and US 1," she said. "It's
important because of the port traffic
from Fernandina trying to get access
to 1-10. Port traffic can go all the way
from the port to 1-10 using four lanes
eventually. Of course, we don't have
the funding to do four lanes past
Callahan, but this is a step in the right
direction. *
"When you look at a map of
Nassau County, (AIA) is the main
east-west roadway almost the only
east-west roadway," she added. "...
This is also a hurricane evacuation
A1A Continued on 4A


TASTE OF THE OLD COUNTRY


ANGEIA DAUGHTRY/NEWS-LEADER
Beverly and Derek Gibson, owners of The Proper Pie Co. of
Davenport, sell meat pies Saturday at the Fernandina Farmers
Market on "English Flag Day." "The Tale & Taste of Eight Flags"
continues this Saturday morning with the Patriot flag. See 1OA.


Newsflarb
154thy
Copyn
The A
Ferna
Pri cd
842641001013 3 nCwspri


'"" I INDEX


OBITUARIES ...........
OUT AND ABOUT
SERVICE DIRECTORY


................... 2A
2B
................. 2B


SPORTS ............ ....................... 13A
SUDOKU ........ ......... 2B


F10PIDA S 0 L D f 5 t t I I N L, P E P

NEWS LEADER

fbnewsleader.com


Fri
3/13



70/55


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FRIDAY. March 13.2009 NEWS News-Leader


LOOKING BACK


50 ARS AGO

The Surf Motel and
Restaurant opened pn South
Fletcher Avenue.
March 12, 1959

25 YEARS 16AO
The city commission was
set to decide whether or not
to sell a parcel of city beach


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property to a private devel-
oper for a Holiday Inn hotel.
March 14, 1984

10 YEARS AGO

The city offered to drop
its lawsuit against the county
and pay up to $1 million if
the county agreed to move
its judiciary back to
Fernandina Beach.,
March 10, 1999


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Parks equal more activity, study finds
Children at high risk of transporta- because at least one of their said. "In addition, children are
obesity who live near parks tion is a parents was obese. Clinic vis- spending more time inside,
and recreation areas are apt to promising its determined body fat distri- yet we know that spending
participate in walking activi- public bution, fitness, metabolic, time outdoors is an important
ties more often, researchers health genetic/familial, and behav- determinant of activity. In
reported at the American strategy ioral factors that could lead to future urban improvements,
Heart Association's for increas- obesity. Both parents and chil- consideration must be given
Conference on Nutrition, ing overall dren completed question- to parks,-outdoor recreational
Physical Activity and physical activity, and for help- naires during the clinic visit, areas and walking or cycling
Metabolism. ing to curb the obesity epi- and children provided a infrastructure in order to
In a Canadian study, the demic. We know that walking seven-day recall of walking increase active living. Equally
presence of nearby parks was to school has been decreasing for leisure and their usual important is that the parks
strongly associated with girls steadily for the past 30 years; methods of getting to and and recreational areas are
walking to school and boys concurrent increases in over- from school. Location of well maintained and are safe."
engaging in leisure walking. weight and obesity suggest parks was obtained using a The cross-sectional study
For.every additional park that these two phenomena geographic information sys- provided a "snapshot" look at
located within a half mile of may be linked." tem. the environment, but
their home, the likelihood of The results are based on In this sample, researchers will be following
walking to school more than the first 300 families enrolled researchers found: these families over the next
doubled among girls and into the Quebec Adipose and One-third of the children 10 years. The researchers
leisure walking by boys Lifestyle Investigation in walked to and from school. plan to follow the.children
increased by 60 percent. Youth (QUALITY) study in Parks located within until age 18 to determine the
Results were similar even which researchers are follow- approximately one half mile effects of their environments
after taking into account fami- ing over 600 children and had the strongest association on the development of obesi-


ly income and the average
level of education in the neigh-
borhood, an indicator of area
disadvantage.
"There was a strong associ-
ation between walking and the
number of nearby public open
recreational spaces, including
neighborhood parks, play-
grounds and sports fields,"
said Tracie A Barnett, Ph.D.,
lead author of the study and a
researcher at Sainte-Justine
Hospital Research Center and
UniiversitM de Montreal in
Montreal, Canada.
"We were able to relate the
proximity and number of
parks to how often children
aged 8-10 years walked. This
is important because active


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:NEWS
LEADER-


511Ash Street,
Femandina Beach, FL 32034
(904) 261-3696 Fax 261-3698
SWebsite for e-mail addresses
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NEWS DEADLINES
Community News:
Monday, 5 p.m.
Letters to the editor:
Monday, 12p.m.
Church Notes:
Monday, 5 p.m.
People and Places:
Thursday, 3 p.m.
LTT Cmmity
CNI-pp
Incorponted


ADVERTISING DEADLINES
WEDNESDAY NEWS-LEADER
Classified Ads: Monday, 5:00 p.m.*
Classified Display: Friday, 3 p.m.
Legal Notices: Friday, noon
Retail Advertising: Friday, 3 p.m.
FRIDAY NEWS-LEADER
Classified Ads: Wednesday, 5:00 p.m.
Classified Display: Tuesday, 5 p.m.
Retail Advertising: Tuesday, 3 p.m.
* Monday holidays will move the
Classified deadline to Friday at 5 p.m.


both biological parents to
study the natural history of
excess weight and car-
diometabolic risk in children.
"Obesity in children and
adolescents has tripled in-the
past 20 or so years," Barnett
said. "Although obesity has
many causes, this relatively
sudden and steep increase
suggests that the drivers of ,
the obesity epidemic are
largely environmental rather
tlhani biological or genetic in
nature."
f In this study, researchers
examined the relationship
between park availability and
proximity, and walking. All the
children were considered at
high risk for future obesity


OBITUARIES


Spring Break Luau
Healing BALM of.
Northeast Florida, Inc., is
joining the U.S. Department
of Health and Human
Services in celebrating
National Women and Girls
HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
Healing BALM of
Northeast Florida will hold'
Mother & Daughter Spring
Clubhouse on Amelia Island
Parkway from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m. March 14. Women and
girls in the community will
0 4 be able to, reduce the com-
munication gap between
IN mothers. 'guardians and thei
d^- adolescent female
4 1 child/friends and have an
open forum to discuss the
* causes leading to the high
* rate of HIV/AIDS and other
sexually transmitted disease
amongst women in this area
B National Women and
Girls HIV/AIDS Awarenessi
* Day is a nationwide initiative
S90 to raise awareness of the
* = increasing impact of HIV/.
4 AIDS on women and girls.
* The Mother & Daughter
Spring Break Luau will focu
on relationship building and
how both groups can learn,
p more about HIV/AIDS
awareness and about the
dangers to women and ado-
lescents.
The Northeast Florida
to Women's Business Resourc
bI. Center will provide lunch fo:
each participant Call 321-
4097 to RSVP.


Concours parking
The Amelia Island
Concours d'Elegance
Foundation, Inc. will erect,
"No Parking" signs along
portions of South Fletcher
Avenue and the Amelia
Island Parkway bordering
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia
Island; to prevent unautho-.
rized parking during the
show March 15. Individuals
who attempt to park in these
areas are subject to being
towed.
General spectator parking
for the Concours will be
available at the Fernandina
Beach Municipal Airport for
$10 per car. The cost inclu-
'des shuttle service between
The Ritz-Carlton and the air
Sport Service will start at 8:1
a.m. Spectators attending th
Concours will take Bailey
Road to access parking.
The 2009 Amelia Island
Concours d'Elegance is a
- weekend of activities with
the Concours d'Elegance
being held March 15 on the
10th and 18th fairways of
The Golf Club of Amelia
Island at Summer Beach,
adjacent to.The Ritz-Carlton
Amelia Island. Visit
www.ameliaconcours.org or
call (904) 636-0027.
Organ donation
The Coalition for the
Reduction/Elimination of




Serving Yulee, I
L Vlsit


S', Ethniic Disparities in Health
(CREED) announces a pres-
entation on the importance
of organ donation on March
S; 19 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the
Peck Center, 516 South 10th
St. Free HIV counseling and
testing will be offered by the
Nassau County Health
Department from 6:30-7:30)
a p.m ." .. .
The keynote speaker is
Amy Reese, public education
coordinator for LifeQuest,
along with special guest
Angela Spears of First Coast
News.
Education is a vital com-
ponent to solving the short-
irm; age of available organs and
tissues for transplantation.'
According to the United
Network for Organ Sharing
(UNOS), the non-profit'
organization that maintains
*s the nation's organ transplant
. database, more than 100,000
people currently are waiting
for a life-saving organ trans-,
e plant .
-The limited supply 6of
donated organs is not meet-
ing the demand. Each day, an
average of 18 people diOe
s because the organs they.
I need never come available.
One organ and tissue donor
'can help 68 people; ,I ; '
Although itis possible for
a candidate to match a donor
from another racial or etic
group, transplant success
e rates increase when organs.
r are matched between mem-
bers of the same ethnic back-
ground. Consequently, a lack
of organs donated by multi-
cultural populations can con-
tribute to longer waiting-peri-
qds for transplantation.
For information contact'
Jennett Wilson-Baker, RN,
BSN at 321-2555 or Amy
Reese, LifeQuest, public edu-
cation coordinator, and Katie
Ride for Life, executive direc-
tor, at (904) 386-7377.
Alzheimers support
e The Alzheimer's/ Demen-
tia Support Group for Nassau
County will meet March 19
g from 1:30-2:30 p'm. at the
Nassau County Council on
Aging, 1367 South 18th St
No pre-registration is
required and the meeting is
open to anyone who has an
interest For information call
.5 Ann Smith, R.N., at 491-3222.
Stroke screening

St Peter's Episcopal
Church, 801 Atlantic Ave.,
will host Life Line Screening
on March 20, which screens
people for their risk of
stroke, heart disease and
osteoporosis. Appointments
will begin at 9 a.m. For more
information or to schedule
, an appointment, call 1-800-
697-9721 or visit www.lifeline-
screening.com.
Pre-registration is
required. A package offering
the four vascular screens and
one bone density test costs
around $140. ,


with walking in this age
group.
A greater number of
parks were associated more
with purpose-driven walking
in girls and with leisure walk-
ing in boys.
"Parks may benefit girls
and boys differently, but are
associated with increased
overall walking for both," said
Barnett, who is also assistant
professor of Social and
Preventive Medicine at the
University de Montr6al.
"In.the past few decades
we have become more seden-
tary due to the increased use
of labor-saving devices,
motorized transportation, tel-
evision and computers," she


While this study does not
provide specific information
on the mechanism by which
the presence of parks might
affect activity in other places,
it does provide useful data on
how differences in urban
environments may translate
into differences in lifestyle
activities, researchers said.
An American Heart
Association statement
released in June of 2008 says,
"walkable" neighborhoods,
with adequate sidewalks and
areas for physical activity, can
play an important role in com-
bating the rise in obesity rates
by making it easier to get
daily exercise.


OBITUARIES


Daniel M. Bowen
Daniel M. Bowen, 38, of
Fernandina Beach, Florida
paysedraway Wednesday, March
11, 2009 at Baptist Medical
Center Nassau.
* Mr. Bowen was a native and
lifelong resident of Fernandina
Beach. During
his academic
life he attended
grammar
school. in
Fernandina and
later attended
and graduated
from Fernandina Beach High
School, where he was member
of the Class of 1988. During his
career he worked for ITr
lIayonier paper mill irin'
Fernandina Beach for seven
years, then going on to work
fdr Smurfit-Stone paper mill as
an electrician for the past thir-
teen years. Throughout his life
he enjoyed hunting and was an
avid fisherman.
He was a faithful member of
First Baptist Church. He dearly
loved his family and friends, and
it was well known that he had
the heart of a servant because
he never met a stranger and
helped anyone as much as he,
could. Above all, he loved his
Lord and Savior Jesus'Christ
His heart's desire was that
everyone he knew would come
to know God.
He is survived by his wife,
Heather Andrina (Deas) Bowen,
two sons, Madison Adam
Bowen and Hayden James


Bowen,' all of Fernandina Beach,
Fla., parents, Daniel M. Bowen,
Sr. and Diane Bowen of
Tallahassee, Fla., and sister,
Sherry (Bowen) Stirckland of
Blackshear, Ga.
The family will receive
friends this evening from 6 P.M.
until 8 P.M. at Oxley-Heard
Funeral Home. Funeral servic-
* es will be held on Saturday at
11:00 A.M. at First Baptist
Church in Fernandina with Rev.
Jeff Overton, pastor, officiating.
He will be assisted by Rev. Neil
Helton pastor of AmeilA Baptist
Church. Following the service
he will be laid to rest in Bosque-
Bello Cemetery.
Please share his life story at
wwwoxleyheard.com .. !, !
Oxley-Heard FuneralDirectors

James Stephen
Patterson
James Stephen Patterson, 50,
of Callahan passed away March
7,2009.
He was born September 5,
1958 and served in the U.S.
Army. He was a proud member
of the U.S. Military Vets
Motorcycle Club. ,
He is survived by his loving
wife, Deanne; sons, .James,
Scott, Ilichael, and Sean; 5
grandchildren; mother, Jewel
Krauter; stepfather,. Ron
Krauter.
"Fly High Free Bird" We
Love You,
Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home.
Jacksonville


DEATH NOTICE

Roger Dale Vernon, 66, died Wednesday morning, March,
11, 2009 as a result of an extended illness; No local services are
planned at this time.
Green Pine Funeral Home


Paid obituary policy
Our policy: The News-Leader strives'to make this list a complete
record of deaths involving Nassau County residents and their families.
Please ask your funeral home or cremation society to fax us or e-mail us
with all death notices. Death notice listings are free and include the
deceased's name. place of residence. age. date of death, service date and
name of the funeral home or cremation society handing the arrange-
ments. For a paid detailed family-placed obituary. have your funeral
home fax (261-3698) or e-mail the information to
sperry@fbnewsleader.com. Deadlines are noon Tuesday for the
Wednesday newspaper and noon Thursday for the Friday newspaper.
Any billing questions can be tlirected to the business office at 261-3696.


FOR THE RECORD


Telephone complaints to
the Florida Public Service
Commission should be direct-
ed to 800-342-3552.
The telephone number *
was incorrectly published in
Voice of the People on
March 11.
The maximum price
for a home that qualifies for
State Housing Initiative
Partnership, or SHIP, loans
in Nassau County is
$215,000. The maximum price
was misstated in a story on


Fernandina Beach and the surrounding areas
Our Life Stories At uwww.OxleyHeard.com


page 3A on March 11.
The Mount Union College
baseball team of Alliance,
Ohio, was involved in a char-
ter bus fire reported on page
9A March 11.
The name of the college
was reported incorrectly. -
*-*
The Junior League of
Jacksonville was identified
incorrectly on page 5A of the
March 11 edition of the News-
Leader.
The News-Leader strives for
accuracy. We will promptly cor-
rect all factual errors. Please
notify the editor of errors at
mparnell@fbnewsleader com or
call (904) 261-3696.


*
*


-AL









FRIDAY, March 13.2009 NEWS News-Leader


MILL Continued from 1A
before working for Smurfit
for the past 13 years.
Emergency workers were
called to the scene about
.11:20 p.m.; co-workers of
Bowen were performing
CPR when paramedics
arrived. Rescue workers took
over resuscitation efforts and
transported Bowen to Baptist
Medical Center Nassau,
where he was pronounced
dead.
A Fernandina Beach
Police Department detective
is investigating the incident.
Bowen's body was trans-
ported to the Jacksonville
Medical Examiner's Office
for examination.
According to a police
report, Bowen's coworker,
Scott Miller, said' he was
working with Bowen taking
cooling fans out of service
by disconnecting the power
to the circuit, breaker he
told police the procedure to
shut down the power should
not have required any expo-
sure to high voltage.
Miller said he left to per-
form other work, then drove
by the area about 30 to 45
minutes later and found.
Bowen lying on the floor,
*unconscious and not breath-
ing. Miller called for help and
other witnesses started CPR
until rescue workers'arrived.
In talking to police, Miller
said he noticed a screwdriv-
er on the floor, and he said
the access door to the high.
voltage circuits was open
when he found Bowen.
Police could not locate the
screwdriver later, but took
pictures and taped off
the scene for the investiga-
tion. '-
Mike Mullin of Smurfit-
Stone said the mill was on
"scheduled maintenance
downtime," which occurs.
twice annually at this mill.
"(They) stop production
and take extra care to make.
sure that people are working
extra safely," he said. "When
we do. these shutdowns,,
emergency medical person-
nel are staged on site and.
that was the case here." '
Mullin said mill adminis-
trators and employees are
"cooperating fully" with an
investigation by the
Occupational Safety and,'
Health Administration.
"Our thoughts and con-
dolences go out to (Bowen's)
familyand'friends as wells
.to all of his.,coworkers'"-,,,
Mullin added. "This is a very,
very sad time for everyone
included in the mill family...
we really appreciate the sup-
port of the community, that's
something we've. always
appreciated."
Bowen had been
employed nith the mill since
1996.
Jeff Romeo, with the
Occupational Safety and
Health Administration, esti-
mated the OSHA investiga-
tion could take approxi-
mately a month. Romeo said
investigators were,'at the
scene Wednesday morning.
"Once we get done inves-
tigating the fatality,' we're
going to do an overall inves-
tigation as well," he said.
smalcom@fbnewsleader.com
Obituary, 2A


SHANNON MALCOM/NEWS-LEADER
Having a B.L.A.S.T. are, front from left, Michelle Forde, Jasmine Blash, Jordyn Moore,
Kayla McKeldin, and Kim Moore; second row, Jacob Emmons,; Amanda Strickland,
Lyndsay Moore, Jack Chapman, Jamie Mullins and Lynelle Mullins; back, Curtis
Hutto, Karla McKeldin, Alaina Mullins and Christian McGee.


B.L.A.S.T.
Continued from '1A
the Florida Bright Future
Scholarship.
The program also offers a
$500 scholarship to the mem-
ber who works the most volun-
teer hours with the organiza-
tion and. they have T-shirts,
too, which Forde sAys the stu-
dents wear with pride.
Currently, the group has no
official business sponsors,
but Rayonier Inc. provided
the money for the scholarship
and the T-shirts. Papa Johns,
Chik-fil-A and Hollywood
Theater have also, donated
food and gift certificates to the
group. A drawing is held at
every game night; the gift
certificates are prizes the kids
can win. And the game nights -
held the last Thursday of
every month at the Fernandina
Beach Police Department com-
munity room are open to all
teens from sixth through 12th
grade.
But on topof free shirts,
snacks and scholarship oppor-


The Family of
Ira Holton, Jr. (Jay)








3/10/30- 3/3/09
Would like to thank family
& friends for their thoughts
and prayers,. cards, calls,
flowerr, and food during
our time of sorrow.
He will always be a part of our lives.


tunities,. the kids involved say
the program .offers them a
chance to just have fun with
their friends while developing
leadership,and event-planning.
skills. 0. ..
"I -love,it, it's so much fun,"
said home-schooled 10th grade
student Jamie Mullins. "You get
to spend time with yourfriends,
and I do read a lot, so. it's a good
fit for me."
Another, member, Fernan-
dina Beach High School stu-
dent Jasmine Blash, joined the
.group one evening when she
just happened to be at the
library when B.LAS.T. mem-
bers were working on a proj-
ect.
"I saw the meeting, I saw the
people there, and how enter-
taining it was,' she said. "It was
close to Halloween, and they,
were working on the set for the
haunted house." "
Karla McKeldin, the mother
of B.L.A.S.T. member Kayla
McKeldin, often attends the
meetings with her daughter,
and said she's noticed a posi-
tive difference in her daughter


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since she first became involved
with the group.
"It's really something that
benefits the child," she said.
"'ou see them help each other
come out of that shell ... I just
like to see kids growing, and
anything in the community that
can help that is a good thing ...
now we just need to, get the
.word out." '
For more information on
B.LAS.T., contact Forde at 548-
4858 "or e-mail her at
mforde@nassaucountyfl.com.


YHS Continued from 1A
of the group is to raise aware-
ness and prevent prejudice
and bullying.
"This is a victory for our
clients, for the Yulee High
GSA, and indeed for gay and
straight. kids all across
America," said Robert
Rosenwald of the ACLU of
Florida, lead counsel for the
students, in a press release.
* 'Time and time again, we've
seen discrimination and intol-
erance struck down by the
courts in these cases, and for
every school that wishes to
cross the line, we'll be here
to defend the .students."
"Gay and straight students
deserve a learning atmos-


phere that promotes toler-
ance. That is exactly what
these students are promot-
ing, and it's a lesson that we
hope the school officials will
learn from them," Rosenwald
said.
Page and Brock, who are
gay, report that students have
threatened to beat them up
based on their sexual orien-
tation, and both are routinely
called derogatory names at
school.
Page reported they want
the club so that straight and
gay kids can get together to
talk about the harassment
and the discrimination against
gay kids in an open environ-
ment.
smalcom@fbnewsleader.com


Wildfire danger rises


Florida is experiencing
twice the wildfire activity of a
year ago and' the danger is
increasing every day, Florida
Agriculture and Consumer
Services Commissioner.
Charles H. Bronson said.
Bronson urged residents
to avoid any unnecessary out-
door burning.
A lack of substantial rain-
fall, coupled with recent
freezes throughout the state,
has left Florida's vegetation
ripe for wildfires.
Statewide, the Keetch-
Byram Drought Index
(KBDI) currently stands at
520, well above normal for this
time of the year. Moreover,
the index shows that nearly


half of Florida is well above
the statewide average and is
experiencing "severe" dry
conditions. The KBDI meas-
ures available soil moisture
and runs from 0 (saturated) to
800 (desert-like).
Since Jan. 1, Florida has
had 1,024 wildfires that have
burned 24,730 acres com-
pared with 508 fires impact-
ing 11,292 acres at the same
time last year.
Because, the lightning sea-
son has yet to begin, virtually
all of the fires that have
occurred to date were caused
by humans and were there-
fore avoidable.
For wildfire prevention
actions visit www.fl-dof.com


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ELECT

lARRY MYERS.
City Commission Grp 4
April 14th
Pd. Pol. Adv. Paid & Approved By
Larry Myers Camlaign for City Comm. Grp: 4


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FRIDAY. March 13.2009 NEWS News-Leader


Crawford asks AG to review investment


RYAN SMITH
Neths-Leader
Nassau County Clerk of
Court John Crawford has
responded to questions raised
by County Commissioner Mike
Boyle about the county's invest-
ment in a state investment fund
that crashed.
In a letter dated March 4,
Crawford responded to each of
22 questions Boyle posed in a
Feb. 23 letter to the clerk. Boyle
had questioned the security of
$7.8 million the county still has
invested in the State Board of
Administration, which suffered
a $13 billion run in 2007.
Crawford also forwarded a
copy of Boyle's'letter and his
response to Wesley White,
director of the State Attorney's
Office in Nassau County. "These
documents are being provided
to you in the spirit of trans-
parency that we adhere to,"
Crawford wrote to White. "To


No funds are 'missing.'
Further, no funds have
mysteriously disappeared, no
funds have beeh stolen.'
CLERK OF COURT JOMH CRAWFORD


avoid any misconception or
appearance of impropriety
regarding the issue of the
Clerk's Office management of
the SBA investments, I am ask-
ing that you please provide a
review of the same."
The SBA handled funds for
hundreds of local governments
in Florida, which pooled their
money to attain .larger invest-
ment returns. But in 2007 other
governments withdrew $13 bil-
lion, nearly half of the fund, and
the SBA's board of trustees
froze the organization's assets.
The board created two funds -
Fund Afor safe investments and


Fund B for those assets still at
risk.
At the time of the meltdown,
Nassau County had $55.6 mil-
lion invested with the SBA -
$7.8 million of which was des-
ignated as "at risk" and placed in
Fund B. As, the instruments in
that fund have matured, the
money has been moved into
Fund A, with $2.4 million still
remaining in the at-risk fund.
Boyle's letter asked if any of
the' county's money was miss-
ing, and if the SBA crisis could
have been foreseen. The answer
to both questions, according to
Crawford, is a resounding no.


"First, as you requested; let
me state with absoluteness that
no funds are 'missing,"' Craw-
ford wrote. "Further, no funds
have mysteriously disappeared,
no funds have been stolen."
Crawford said he didn't
remove the county's funds dur-
ing the November 2007 run on
the SBA because he felt the
SBAwas ultimately a safe place
to invest the money. "Based on
the information available to the
county at the time, the invest-
ments (asset values) should
have been safe and secure," he
wrote. "It is only subsequent to
that period that we learned
through the State of Florida
State Board of Administration
Investment Compliance Audit,
performed by Clifton
Gunderson LLP and dated Dec.
31, 2007, that the SBA did not
follow all the state mandated'
investment policies, rules and
regulations, nor their own pub-
lished investment policies." -


I POLITICS IN BRIEF...


St Pafsparty
A St. Patrick's Day party
sponsored by De hocratic
Club of Amelia Island is sche-
duled at 6:30p.m. Tuesday at
the home of Maggie and Joe
Carlson, 95200 Mackinas.
Circle (Harrison Cove),.
Space is limited to the first


40 to RSVP Cost is $20 per
person. RSVP to Maggie
Carlson at 277-5608 or Joyce
Frink atjabfrink@gmail.com.
WestSide
Democrats
The regular monthly meet-'
ing of the Westside


Democratic Club will take ,
place at 7 p.m. Tuesdayat the
County Building on Mickler
St. in Callahan.
Guest speaker is District 4
NassautCounty School Board
member Jim Adams, will dis-
cuss budget cuts, FCAT and
adoptions.
Dinner and a short busi- .
ness meeting will follow. All
Democrats are welcome and
the meetings are always open
to the public. Call 879-5163 or
845-2860 for information.
Sierra Clubcoffee
Fernandina Beach
Commissioner KenWalker
will participate in the March
19 "Commissioners &
Conservation Coffee" spon-
sored by the Nassau Sierra
Club. It will be held from 9-10
a.m. at the Kof6 Haus on
Sadler Road in Fernandina
Beach.
This seriesiof events with
county and city officials is -
designed to provide an oppor-
tunity for the public to discuss'
environmental and conserva-
tion issues and open a contin-


uing dialogue .
between the ,
public and .
elected offi-, .
cials on con-. -
cerns about
preservingthe
natural beauty
of Nassau Walker
County, con-
serving open
space, obtaining funding to
protect sensitive land and.
other issues.
For further information
about the program, contact
Bob WVeintraub at 491-6817.
Republicans to meet
The executive committee
of the Republican Party. of
Nassau County will hold a
meeting at 7 p.m. March 19.
Guest speaker will be District
4 Nassau County Commis-
sioner Barry Holloway. :
The meeting will be held at
the County Building located
next to the fire station on
Pages Dairy Road. All
Republicans are invited.
Refer to www.nassaugop.
org for additional information.


County ponders


no-wake zone on

island's north end


RYAN SMITH
News-Leader

The Nassau County
Commission considered an
ordinance Monday that would
create a no-wake zone around
the North End Boat Ramp.,
The ordinance would create
a zone in which boats would
be required to cruise at idle
speed.
"The basic ordinance is an
effort to get a legally enforce-
able zone-around the boat
ramp so we can enforce speed
limits to keep boats from com-
ing in too fast and creating a
wake that could interfere with
launching other boats,"
County Attorney David
Hallman said Wednesday.
Molly Garrett, a lawyer
with the county attorney's
office, worked on the pro-
posed ordinance. She said cre-
ating a no-wake zone was a
challenge because of the boat
ramp'p proximity to state-con-
trolled waters, which the coun-
ty can't regulate.
"The North End no-wake is
a tedious issue because of the
boat ramp's proximity to the
Intracoastal Waterway, and we
can't put a no-wake zone in
the Intracoastal Waterway
without a lengthy rule prom- -
ulgation," she said. "We're try-
ing to establish a no-wake
zone. in our jurisdiction."
Consideration of the ordi-
nance .was continued until
April 27 in order to map out


AlA Continued from 1A
route, and a very highly used
tourist route."
In addition to widening the
road. FDOT will also replace
two aging bridges. "'This proj-
ect also includes the complete
replacement of the -two
bridges over Mill Creek and
Boggy Creek," Busscher said.
"Those bridges were original-
ly constructed in 1967."
Busscher said construction
could begin in as little as
five months as the project
was "1HovTready." which a
propuei,;fwdening.of A1A on


the county's jurisdiction,
Hallman said. "We're not
allowed to have a no-wake
ordinance that attempts to cre-
ate speed limits in the
Intracoastal, so we need to
have a definitive map that
shows that we're not attempt-
ing to regulate the Intracoastal
Waterway," he said.
Garrett said the county.
hasn't been notified- of any
injuries as a result of speeding
near the boat ramp which
presented another challenge
in drafting the ordinance.
'Typically you're not supposed
to regulate these waters
unless there's a risk to per-
sonal safety," she said.
"Property damage isn't really
enough. But you're allowed to
regulate within 500 feet of a
boat ramp.
0 "We'l go 500 north and 500
south, but we can't go 500
west because that's when we
run into the Intracoastal," she
added. "Well go as far as we
can toward the Intracoastal,
but that's why we need to get
that map, to make sure we
.don't go too far there."
Garrett said that should the
ordinance pass, the county
would work with the sheriff's
,office to-enforce it. The sher-
iff's office already patrols out
there, and they've been known
to write tickets for reckless
boating," she said. "... Now
instead of writing tickets just
for reckless boating, they
could write for speeding too."


the East Side of the county is
not.
"We've had it advertised
since February, and hopefully
we'll award a contract in May.
Construction could begin in
August," she said. "With the
three-y ear tinieframe that is
our deadline, we estimate com-
pletion in early 2012."
Progress on the widening
project will be continually,
updated at the FDOTwebsite,
www.dot.state.fl.us. .The site
will also list contractors hired
to do the work, and jobs cre-
ated by the project.
r:muh./i-bnasu,'leuder.cLiot.


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not at home. Visit your LOCAL news source
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FRIDAY. March 13, 2009 NEWS News-Leader


How to prevent demolition in historic districts?


ANGELA DAUGHTRY
News-Leader

Members of the Historic
District Council, Code
Enforcement and Appeals
Board, and the city's
Community Development
Department got together
Monday to discuss ways to pro-
tect structures within the city's
historic districts. Several owners
of properties within those dis-
tricts also attended.
The meeting, presided over
by HDC Chair Suanne Thamm,
was called to help prevent the
deterioration and demolishment
of historic homes, such as a
house at 801 Someruelus St in
Old Town that is in the process
of being torn down due to years
of neglect.
The city's planning depart-
ment has already made some
changes to deal with the prob-
lem, such as working with the
county Property Appraiser's
Office. Starting this month, vis-
itors to the Property Appraiser's
website will see a pop-up win-
dow that indicates a property
is within a historic district
The city also publishes a
pamphlet with basic informa-
tion for owners of homes in the
downtown and Old Town his-
toric districts. The pamphlet
outlines the city's approval


process for making alterations
and additions to historic struc-
tures, as well as demolition and
relocation.
Several problems with the
Historic District, and some pos-
sible solutions, were distributed
at the meeting and used as a
guideline. One of the specified
problems was the lapse of time
between identifying at-risk
structures and official action to
stop the deterioration.
City Planner Adrienne Dessy
said she is going to conduct
quarterly surveys' of the
Historic District, along with
Code Enforcement Officer
Brian Duncum, to keep better
track of properties in need of
attention.
It was generally agreed at
the meeting that uninhabited
properties are particularly vul-
nerable to deterioration.
Mike Harrison, a resident of
Old Town, said an occupied
building has a much better
chance of survival "because peo-
ple don't like the rain when they
sleep." He noted that the pres-
epce of electricity and water
. service at a home '1are pretty
good indicators of if the prop-
erty is occupiedd"
"You don't get to choose who
buys a building," said Patricia
Bourne, another Old Town res-
ident. "Certain people who.


S- MFILiE
This house at 801 Someruelus St. in Old Town is the
fourth to be demolished in a city historic district in
recent years.


choose to make the effort (of
owning a historic building)
come up for code enforcement
early on."
The levying and enforce-
ment of liens was also discussed
as a way to get owners to be
more responsible for their prop-
erties. Community
Development Director Marshall
McCrary said lien assessments
are done quite often in the city,
to give property owners time to
fix structure problems before
they become unfixable.


GIVING BLOOD


However, as Thamm pointed
out, "liens don't do anything to
protect the property."
Thamm also noted that there
was a preservation fund set up
,by the Port of Fernandina after
it tore down two historic hous-
es to build a parking lot. She
suggested setting up a loan pro-
gram for needy property own-
ers using the fund.
Another problem is the Land
Development Code, and the dif-
ficulty of interpreting it regard-
ing the Historic District.

ELECT

LIARY MYE1S
City Commission Grp 4
April 14th
Pd. Pol. Adv. Paid & Approved By
Larry Myers Campaign for City Comm. Grp. 4


Thamm said the city commis-
sion should soon approve a
preservation ordinance that can
be added to the Land
Development Code and com-
prehensive plan.
The disconnection between
code enforcement safety goals,
which may trump HDC con-
cerns, was also seen as a prob-
lem. Thamm said it was impor-
tant to "make sure people are
working and thinking togeth-
er." She also suggested having
a Historic District Day, with
exhibits by builders and historic
structural components on dis-
play. Code Enforcement mem-
ber Adam Kaufman also sug-
gested having "City Living
Weekends" to focus on specific
neighborhoods. -
Another problem was that
of city rulings, which appear to
be inconsistent, time-consum-
ing and costly to property own-
ers. Thamm said having joint
meetings by the HDC and Code
Enforcement was very impor-
tant, and noted that the city
commission is "much more his-
toric-district friendly" than pre-
vious commissions.
Thamm also said turnover
in city staff was always a prob-
lem, but that "we have the best
city staff we've ever had."
"Sometimes I think the only
continuity in the city comes


through the boards," said
Thamm, "but we really aren't
decisionmakers or policymak-
ers."
Thamm also noted that all
city staff, no matter which
department, should be made
aware of HDC policies to avoid
instances of "inappropriate
maintenance."
"City staff should be on the
forefront regardless (of where
they work)," said Thamm. "The
education campaign needs to
be extended to city staff as well
as property owners."
Thamm said there have
been three instances of historic
houses being demolished in the
past five years. One was the
house on. Someruelus Street,
another the two houses demol-
ished by the port, and the third
was the demolition of a house
on the corner of Broome and
Sixth streets. In the third
instance, said Thamm, the
house was ordered torn down
by the city's building official
without the knowledge or input
of the HDC or the code enforce-
ment board.
'We need to keep the .right
people informed, "said Thamm.
"We ended.up with egg on our
face ... how could we let it be
torn down, when we didn't let it
be torn down?"
adaughtry@fbnewsleader.com


;. . ANGELA DAUGHTRY/NEWS-LEADER
City Police Detective Tracey Hamilton, left, waits to finish donating blood, assisted by
phlebotomist Sherri Aneone, right, during the city of Fernandina Beach's first blood
drive March 6 in the City Hall parking lot


FAITH
C ( kt[ACADEMY




WOULD LIKE TO THANK *



AMELIA ISLAND PLANTATION



For a Spectacular


Father-Daughter Ball!


C'


STATE OF FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
NOTICE OF INTENT TO ISSUE PERMIT

The Department of Environmental Protection gives notice of its intent to issue a permit to City of Fernandina Beach, 1180 South Fifth Street, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 to remove the existing 1.0 mgd AADF permitted
capacity contact stabilization treatment train from service and construct and place into operation a new 2.5 mgd AADF design capacity oxidation ditch treatment train. Construction of the pew treatment train will include the following
facility modifications: modification of the existing flow splitter box and associated piping to accommodate the new plant configuration, construction of an oxidation ditch, construction of a secondary clarifier, construction of a return
and waste activated sludge pumping station, conversion of an existing clarifier into a chlorine contact chamber, removal of the chlorine contact chamber within the existing oKidation treatment train from service, and modifications of
miscellaneous pumping, yard piping, and improvements to the electrical system and instrumentation. The total permitted capacity of the WWTF and surface water discharge will remain at 3.50 mgd AADF. The facility is located at
latitude 3139'31" N, longitude 81027'49' W on 1.007 South Fifth Street, Fernandina Beach, FL in Nassau County.
The intent to issue and application file are available for public inspection during normal business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except legal holidays, at Northeast District Office, 7825 Baymeadows
Way, Suite B200, Jacksonville, ,FL 32256-7590.
The Department wUll issue the pernui with the attached conditions unless a timely petition for an administrative hearing is filed under Sections 120.569 and 120.57, Florida Statutes, within fourteen days of receipt of notice.
The procedure. for peilmorung for a hearing are set forth below.

A person whose substantial interests are affected by the Department's proposed permitting decision m4y petition for an administrative proceeding (hearing) under Sections 120.569 and 120.57, Florida Statutes. The petition
must contain the information set forth below and must be filed (received by the clerk) in the Office of General Counsel of the Department at 3900 Commonwealth Boulevard, Mail Station 35, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000.

Under Rule 62-110 106(41. Florida AdminisuatiAe Code, a person may request enlargement of the time for filing a petition for an administrative hearing. The request must be filed (received by the clerk) in the Office of
General Counsel before the aid of the time period for fihng a petition for an administrative hearing.

Petition* filed by iny persons other than those entitled to written notice under Section 120.60(3), Florida Statutes, must be filed within fourteen days of publication of the notice or within fourteen days of receipt of the
written notice, %whichever occurs firit. Under Section 120 (60(3), Florida Statutes, however, any person who has asked the Department for notice of agency action may file a petition within fourteen days of receipt of such notice,
regardless of the date of publication.'
The petitioner shall mail a cop) of the petiuon to the applicant at the address indicated above at the time of filing. The failure of any person to file a petition or request for enlargement of time within fourteen days of receipt
of notice shall constitute a waiver of that person's right to request an administrative determination (hearing) under Sections 120.569 and 120.57, Florida Statutes. Any subsequent intervention (in a proceeding initiated by another party)
will be only at the discretion of the presiding officer upon the filing of a motion in compliance with Rule 28-106.205, Florida Administrative Code.
A petition that disputes.the material facts on which the Department's action is based must contain the following information:
(a) The name, address, and telephone number of each petitioner; the name, address, and telephone number of the petitioner's representative, if any; the Department permit identification number and the county in which the
subject matter,or activity is located;
(b) A statement of how and when each petitioner received notice of the Department action;
(c) A statement of how each petitioner's substantial interests are affected by the Department action;
(d) A statement of all disputed issues of material fact. If there are none, the petition must so indicate;
(e) A statement of facts that the petitioner contends warrant reversal or modification of the Department action;
(f) A concise statement of the ultimate facts alleged, as well as the rules and statutes which entitle the petitioner to relief; and
(g) A statement of the relief sought by the petitioner, stating precisely the action that the petitioner wants the Department to take.
Because the administrative hearing process is designed to formulate final agency action, the filing of a petition means that the Department's final action may be different from the position taken by it in this notice. Persons
whose substantial interests will be affected by any such final decision of the Department have the right to petition to become a party to the proceeding, in accordance with the requirements set forth above.
In addition to requesting an administrative hearing, any petitioner may elect to pursue mediation. The election may be accomplished by filing with the Department a mediation agreement with all parties to the proceeding
(i.e., the applicant, the Department, and any person who has filed a timely and sufficient petition for a hearing). The agreement must contain all the information required by Rule 28-106.404, Florida Administrative Code. The
agreement must be received by the clerk in the Office of General Counsel of the Department at 3900 Commonwealth Boulevard, Mail Station 35, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000, within tel days after the deadline for filing a petition,
as set forth above, Choosing.mediation,will not adversely affect the right to a hearing if mediation does not result in a settlement.
As provided in Section 120.573, Florida Statutes, the timely agreement of all parties to mediate will toll the time limitations imposed by Sections 120.569 and 120.57, Florida Statutes, for holding an administrative hearing
and istuing a final order. Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, the mediation must be concluded within sixty days of the execution of the agreement. If mediation results in settlement of the administrative dispute, the Department
mumt enter a final order incorporating the agreement of the parties. Persons seeking to protect their substantial interests that would be affected by such a modified final decision must file their petitions within fourteen days of receipt
of this notice, or they shall be deemed to have waived their right to a proceeding under Sections 120.569 and 120.57, Florida Statutes. If mediation terminates without settlement of the dispute, the Department shall notify all parties in
writing that the administrative hearing processes under Sections 120.569 and 120.57, Florida Statutes, remain available for disposition of the dispute, and the notice will specify the deadlines that then will apply for challenging the
agency action and c-i'Ciit.' r.'ieliei., under those two statutes.











6A 'OPINION


FRIDAY. March 13,2009/NEWS-LEADER


"--i Is there a Fatathon


..4


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of I bo


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U U


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me'


We car
Stress affects us all; we can't"
escape it. It rears its head more
at certain times and less in oth-
ers. Right now many of us are'
inder more stress than ever
before watching our financial
security diminish, suffering or
barely dodging employment
loss, losing health care cover-
age or even losing our homes
and cars.
In the midst of all this stress,
all we can do is learn how best
to manage its effects on our
lives through understanding
what it can do and what we can
do. Stress is a word that just
means force. There can actual-
ly be neutral stress, positive
stress as well as the well-known
negative stress. The way we
perceive what happens to us
and the way we handle it, great-
ly influences our experience of
stress. External events in our
lives cause internal events that
can have significant effects on
our overall health, quality of life
and even lifespan.
In a nutshell,' our brains
* respond to things we perceive
as stress with a cascade of
mood regulating chemicals and
hormones. Research has
shown that we have receptors
for these elements in many dif-
ferent locations in our bodies,
not just our brains. This is why
the effect of stress takes place
in our whole body, not just our
minds.
Many of us are familiar with.
the common effects of stress;
sleep disturbances, muscle ten-
sion, headache, fatigue and
stomach upset. What may be
less well known are the condi-


in your
I innocently mentioned to an
acquaintance of mine the other
day that my girlfriend and I are
gearing up for another of our
famous Fatathons; well be leav-
ing later this month, so we are
busy planning both our route
and our itinerary. My coffee
companion stopped what she
was doing to ask "What on
earth is a Fatathon?"
About half way through my
subsequent explanation, I real-
ized that others could benefit
from *my vast repertoire of
knowledge on the subject of
Fatathons, so here goes:
The quick explanation is that
a Fatathon is a verbal contract
between a minimum of two peo-
ple. This contract stipulates that
these people will spend a spec-
ified amount of time together
in one or more agreed-upon
locations, preferably a couple
of hundred miles distant from
home base. The Senior Class
trip to Washington', D.C. does
not "qualify, nor does flying to
Spokane for your parents' 50th
wedding anniversary. (And,
while it was enjoyable, the after-
noon you slipped your leash to
join old high school chums to
drink pitcher-s of milk and shoot
pool instead of helping Uncle
Frank put together his slide
show was but a poor approxi-
mation of a true FatAthon.) ,
Before I elaborate further, I
must stop anid'explain that there
are several "givens" to any
Fatathon. First, ifs given that
there's no Adult Supervision.
He'd hate everything about it,
anyway. The second given is
that a participant in the Fatathon'
will notattempt to be a proxy for
the absent Adult Supervision -.
unless, of course, grievous bod-
ily harm, legal consequences,
or the obligation of large sums
of money are involved.
After you have agreed upon'
the duration and locations) of
your Fatathon, you now enter
into the more important, but
secret negotiations. We all
speiida great deal of time in"


S Paradise
doing what
we're sup-
posed to be
doing. We do
laundry y,
make dinner
ravioli or
reservations,
it doesn't mat-
CITY ter run
SIDEBAR errands, chair
committees,
attend reli-
Cara Curtin gious servic-
es, vote, pay
taxes, and obey the speed limit.
We consume antioxidants and
aspirin, avoid carbohydrates
and subject ourselves to some
form of rigorous exercise
almost every day. We keep
abreast of current events and
read best sellers so we may be
stimulating conversational part-
ners; we dress as stylishly as
our budgets allow, and com-
plement our wardrobes with
sharp haircuts and well-
groomed nails. You do not have
to do any of these things on
your Fatathon. You can even
spend the day in your jammies,
if you want to. And'the most
delicious thing is that there's
* no one to cock an eyebrow or
complain. Or tattle.
The next element of a suc-,
cessful Fatathon is that you do
things you've wanted to do for
Sa long time. (I must stop here to
strongly urge you to avoid
attracting the attention of Law
Enforcement. Ihave found that
the members of this profession
often lack a sense of humor,
especially when they are con-
fronted with any disaster I may
have allegedly perpetrated.) I'm
sorry to say that as the years go
by, however, my list of things to
do becomes' more pedestrian.
I'd still like to drink champagne
at dawn atop the Eiffel Tower,
but a leisurely stroll through a
museunimor gallery thatwould
turn my Adult Supervision com-
atose is more like it. This year,
we're going to look for Flossie,


It escape stress
tions of heart depression too, which can be a
-di s e as e, long-term effect of chronic
accelerated stress. Many complex physio-
aging and logical and emotional things
depressed take place when people interact
immune func- with others that they feel sup-
tion being ported by and safe with.
caused by Therapy is an effective tool
prolonged, to combat stress. Whether the
untreated stress is episodic or chronic,
MIND YOU stress. In counseling can be very pro-
addition, peo- ductive'in producing new per-
ple who expe- sonality growth and the atten-
Linda rience chron- dant new healthy behaviors.
Gamble ic negative The therapeutic relationship is
stress are an exaggerated, example of
more likely to use alcohol and social support and can trigger
drugs to combat the unpleasant real change in a person's abili-
symptoms of being stressed. ty to handle the negative stress
,out. Unfortunately, this leads in their lives.
*to a vicious cycle which makes Everything from learning
the person's symptoms worse, about how the relaxation
causing them to engage in response counteracts.the fight
more unhealthy coping behav- or flight response, to changing
iors which make the stress the way one thinks about cer-
worse, etc. '" tain situations; a good relation-
Unpredictable and uncon- ship with a counselor can help
trollable stress is by far the produce the motivation for one
worst kind for our minds and to-become empowered in the
bodies. The perception that we battle with stress, engage in
are alone or not capable of han- more self care behaviors, devel-
dling the stress makes it much op more spiritual grounding,
worse. interact more in socially posi-
We know a lot about what tive ways and develop creative
. happens to us internally when interests. All of which are insu-
we experience stress. lation against the mind and bod-
Fortunately we know, a lot ies experience of stress. Soon,
about what protects and insu- negative experiences can actu-
lates us from stress and its -ally be seen as opportunities
effects too. The biggest pre- for growth and change, as they
dictor of a person's resilience to are.
stress is having an adequate Linda Gamble, LMHC, is a
social support system. This can psychotherapist and mediator in
be.family, friends, co-workers, private practice in Fernandina
professionals, or all of the Beach. Visit www.floridacoun
above. Interestingly social sup- selingmediation.com or call 206-
port is a major buffer for 176 for more information.


Families under greater stress
The recent economic crisis has wreaked
havoc on families. A recent study of 300 mar-
ned working couples conducted by Wayne
Hochwarter at Florida State University's
College of Business reveals just how deeply
the crunch is being felt.
More than 70 percent of both men and
women in the survey confirmed that the
recession has significantly increased the
stress levels of employees in recent months.
More than one-half (55 percent) reported
that management has grown increasingly
demanding over this period.
More than 65 percent predicted signifi-
cant job changes to occur within one year,
causing employees to grow progressively
more concerned about job status; 80 percent
of employees reported being nervous about


their long-term financial well-being.
More than 60 percent were asked to find
ways to cut costs on a weekly basis.
More than 40 percent of employees re-
ported increased incivility (i.e., "backstabbing."
"sucking up" and politicking) as a means to
stay employed in the qvent of a layoff.
More than 70 percent of both men and
women admitted making significant spending
changes, including a decision to limit or elimi-
nate the purchase of items deemed non-
essential More than 80 percent of both men
and women also admitted that it was unlikely
they would be able to retire when they wanted
and with the amount of money anticipated as
recently as one year ago.
Many people (42 percent) could maintain
their current standard of living for just one
month or less, while the majority (55 percent)
reported three months or less.


It's a given that there's
no Adult Supervision.
He'd hate everything
about it, anyway.


Borden's grave she was the
first mistress of Villa Las
Palmas and rumor has it that
she's buried in Arlington
National Cemetery. We'll let
you know aboit that one. And
we're going to spend at least
one day in the library and/or
museum of the Daughters of
the American Revolution.
An important part of this ele-
ment of things you've wanted to
do for a long time is the
Forbidden List. As you spend
most days in the real world
doing what you're supposed to,
I am positive that you, too, have
a Greek chorus in your head
telling you what you can't do
or have at any given moment.
You may not go in Peterbrooke.
You may not have biscuits and
gravy for breakfast You have an
early appointment tomorrow,
so you 'may not. stay up late to
watch that.movie. You may do
all of those things on the
Fatathon.
Perhaps the most important
Roman numeral of the
Forbidden List is the Food List
And while the last element of
this Fatathon is one of secrecy
- "What happens in Vegas,
. stays in Vegas" to steal a phrase
- I will confide in you that so far
my Food List includes warm,
glazed donuts and crispy fried
chicken. And ice cream. I
,haven't had ice cream since
Christmas, so I may be totally
decadent and eat it out of the
carton. In the middle of the
afternoon. [n myjamniies. And
the best part will be thatno one
is going to tattle on me. Right,
girlfriend?
wordsmythe@net-maglc.net


LAILY SCHLEGEL
REALTOR/OWNER

DAVID SCHLEGEL
BROKER/OWNER


Your Questions Answered

About Women's Health

Dinner with the Doctor,

Andrew J, Halperin, MD
Board Certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist
at Baptist OB/GYN in Fernandina Beach

Thursday, March 19, 6 pm
FREE
Doors open at 5:30 pm
The Nassau Room at the FCCJ Betty P. Cook Center
76346 William Burgess Boulevard, Yulee

A healthy dinner by the FCCJ Culinary Department will be provided.
Seating is limited. Reservations required by March 17, to 904.202.CARE (2273).


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FRIDAY. March 13,2009 NEWS News-Leader


NEWSY,'

LEADER


FLORIDA'S OLDEST WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
ESTABLISHED IN 1854 "
The News-Leader is published with pride weekly
for the people of Nassau County by Community
Newspapers, Inc., Athens, Georgia. We believe
that strong newspapers build strong communi-
ties "Newspapers get things done!" Our primary
goal is to publish distinguished and profitable
community-oriented newspapers. This mission
will be accomplished through the teamwork of
professionals dedicated to the truth, integrity, qual-
ity and hard work.
FoY R. MALOY JR.. PUBLISHER
MICHAEL PARNELL, EDITOR
MiKE HANKINS. ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
ROBERT FIEGE, PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
BOB TIME. CIRCULATION DIRECTOR


TOM WOOD
CHAIRMAN


DINK NESMITH
PRESIDENT


Community
Newspapers,
Incorporated

The views expressed by the columnists and
letterwriters on this page are their own
and do notnecessarily reflect the views of
the newspaper, its owners or employees


EDITORIAL


Please help


save water

New restrictions for lawn watering in
Nassau County and the other 17 counties of
the St. Johns River Water Management
District went into effect Sunday.
We encourage you to abide by these and
help us save the precious water of Northeast
Florida.
Landscape irrigation is now limited to
two days a week during daylight saving time
and one day a week during Eastern
Standard Time;
The restrictions apply to water with-
drawn from ground or surface water, from a
private well or pump or from a public or pri-
vate water utility, but they do not apply to
irrigation using reclaimed water or storm
water.
During DST residential and nonresiden-
tial users can irrigate:
Wednesday and Saturday for residen-
tial landscape irrigation at odd-numbered
addresses or no address
Thursday and Sunday for residential
landscape irrigation at even-numbered
addresses ,
* Tuesday and Friday for nonresidential
S landscape irrigation
No irrigation allowed between 10O a.m.
and4p.m. .
Limited to one inch of water per irriga-
tion zone and to no more than one hour per
irrigation zone on each day that irrigation
occurs.
Local governments are authorized to
enforce the restrictions within 'their bound-
aries by adopting ordinances incorporating
the district's restrictions. The district can
enforce restrictions throughout its 18icounty
area. : '
,For complete information about the
watering restrictions and exceptions to the
rule, visit www.sjrwmd.com/wateringre
strictions.. '
We see many lawns hereabouts being
watered three or more times a week, with'
water running down the sidewalks or streets
to storm drains.-
Please do your part by watering your
lawns and gardens only on the specified
days, in the early morning or late evening
and within the limit of one inch of water per
zone.


COMMUNITY THANKS

Wildgame
On behalf of the, Fernandina Beach High
School Foundation Board, we would like to
thank the many sponsors and individuals who
supported our 5th Annual Wild Game dinner
on Feb. 26. It was once again a success, and the
funds that were raised will directly benefit the
teachers and students at FBHS.through the
Annie Partin Burns Mini Grants.
Amelia Island Plantationho6sted this event
at Walker's Landing, and without their contri-
butidn the dinner would not be possible. We
would also like to thank the following sponsors
for their support of this event. Title Sponsor:
Amelia Island Plantation; Gold Sponsors: First
Coast Community Bank, Purcell, Flanagan &
Hay, PA, W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractors.
Silver Sponsor: Dr. and Mrs. David Page;
Bronze Sponsors: Rick Keffer Dodge Chrysler
Jeep, Mr. and Mrs. Bill'Bryan, Sandricourt
Farms, Buchanan Builders.
We also want to thank all of the individuals
who supported this event by purchasing tick-
ets and attending the dinner. The support from
these businesses and community leaders helps
FBHS continue to excel in/ academic per-
formance.
Patti Burch
For the Wild dame Committee
FBHS Foundation Board

HOW TO WRITElUS Maximum length is 500 words.
Letters must include writer's name, address
and telephone number for verification.
Writers are normally limited to one letter in a
30-day period. No political endorsements will
be published. Letters should be typed or print-
ed. Not all letters are published. Send letters
to: Let-ters to the Editor, P.O. Box 766,
Fernandina Beach, FL., 32035 E-mail: mpar-
nell@fbnewsleader. com.
visit us on-line at fbnewsleadercom


Whiny

.T wice lately, I've heard rock
ered by country artists. Oi
was "I don't want to miss a
Aerosmith. I love Aerosmi
it's hard core, in your face, jamming
Nothing whiny or maudlin about-it.
try music singer who covered it ma
make it sound as whiny and maudli
country music. It was awful.
I'm gonna catch hell from some
music fans, but here goes. Is there
where that says male county singer
sound like they're about to break d
cry when they sing? Holy hermit cr
thought the genre was all about ma
stuff. You know, the old "my huge p
truck can beat your wimpy Euro im
then I'll drink you under the table,
butt, steal your dog and run off wit]
lady" kind of stuff.
Shoot, I grew up in South Georg
spent most of the rest of my life rig
this neck of the woods, which is pr(
South Georgia's pretty cousin. Mos
hardcore good ol'boys I've rubbed
knocked knuckles with along the w
probably embarrassed by the state
country music. A bunch of pretty b
most part. Pretty boys who sing lik
their mommies. What's with that?'I
ol' Hank done it this-a-way, to quote
great Waylon Jennings, who was at
try music cowboy. No sir, when Ha
up to the mike and belted one out,:
i smell the beer on his breath knd ith
on his boots. Now, that was a real r
try music. None of that I'm-fixin-to-
| being boo-hooed by these make-be


rhinestone cowboys

songs cov- boys. whining like his mommy abandoned him at
ne of them And speaking of cowboys, the train depot.
i thing," by why is it that all these When are country music stars going to
th because wannabe cowboy country start sounding like hell raising tough guys
Srock. music types feel the need to again? Right now, most of them sound like
The coun- wear phony cowboy hats? I've they're in therapy.
naged to known some real cowboys But getting back to where I started.
n as faux over the years and I've never Country singers ought not to cover rock or
seen one wearing what pop songs. Yeah, there are exceptions. In 1981,
country amounted to a starched white country music femme fatale Juice Newton
a law some- CUP OF Stetson with a dead chicken's busted the charts on both sides of the aisle,
*s have to JOE butt sewed to the crown. My and got a Grammy nomination for, "Angel of
own and man Waylon wore a black the Morning," which had previously been
-abs, I cowboy hat that looks like it'd recorded by Merrilee Rush and The Turna-
icho dude Joe Palmer been around the ranch house bouts in 1968. Merrilee Rush's version made it
pickup a few times, to #7. Juice Newton's bodice ripping version
port and And some of these guys ain't even bona fide went Numero Uno and stayed there awhile. So
beat your country boys. Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, sometimes it does work, but most of the time,
h your old Willie Nelson, Charlie Pride, Chet Atkins, the rock to country crossovers end up sound-
Kitty Wells (God's Honky Tonk Angel), ing just like whoever the yuck who covered
ia and have Bobby Bare, Charlie Rich now those are the Aerosmith's "I don't want to miss a thing.".
ht here in some country-fried folks. Heck, if you Dude, I got news for you. You missed every-
etty much squeezed any one of them hard enough, you'd thing.
st of the get equal parts sawmill gravy and moonshine Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything
elbows and instead of blood. against country music, just the overly formu-
ray are Some of these newcomers to the country lated, whiny Nashville sell-out stuff that poses
of modern music scene ain't even from Down South. Or as country music these days. Good Lord, 01'
oys, for the Out West. Some of them are from places like Waylon's probably rolling over in his grave.
e they miss Michigan and New York. How can you sing Before y'all start calling for my head, heed
don't think about the country when you're from Michigan Waylon's words:
the late, and New York. Michigan is Motown and New "It's the same old thing, fiddle and guitar,
true coun- York is Doo Wop. Every fool knows that. Put a where do we take it from here? Rhinestone
nk stepped white cowboy hat and sequined shirt on some suits and new shiny cars, we've been the same
you could schmoe from Grand Rapids and have him way for years,
e cow poop whine into a microphone till it sounds like his We need to change."
nan's coun- mommy abandoned him at the train depot and Joe Palmer ofFernandina Beach writes regu-
cry angst you still don't have a country music singer, larly for the News-Leader


lieve cow-


just dome Michigander in a sequined shirt


treysurf@comcast.net


. VOICE OF THE PEOPLE


ThanksFPU
On behalf of the board of directors of the
Amelia Island-Fernandina Beach-Yulee Chamber
of Commerce, I would, like to thank the man-
agement of Florida Public Utilities for listening to
the concerns of its commercial" customers in
these difficult economic times and revising its
commercial deposit policy ("FPU revises deposit
policy to spare most," March 11).
FPU has provided its Amelia Island residen-
tial and commercial customers outstanding serv-
ice for more than half a century, and company offi-
cials' willingness to amend this policy only
enhances that record of service. .
The chamber board of directors also com-
mends everyone in the Amelia Island and
Fernandina Beach -community who ivorked to
raise awareness of this issue and who contacted
FPU to share their concerns.
We are all in this together, and by working
;together as a community we will ride through this
economic storm to better times.
Sean McGill, Chairman
Amelia Island-Fernandina Beach-Yulee
Chamber of Commerce Board of
Directors
Special Olympics
I have read the article about Special Olympics
being canceled in the March 4 issue and I appre-
ciate the good things said about me but I think the
article may have given people the wrong impres-
sion aboutN hat goes into this program and what
it takes to put a sanctioned event on.- .
It's much more than making a'few phone
calls. The steering committee (comprised of
mostly the, county ESE people) would start to plan
the track and field event held in February' in
November. After that event the county ESEoffice
people would help me choose who would go on
to the area competition arid continued to help
, organize the transportation (bus) and& a few of
them took their own time to go with us over that
weekend in March. Then it was on to planning
for the state competition, including how many
athletes could go, finding chaperones for every-,
one, booking hotel rooms, which was a night-
mare in itself,. meals, etc. The county ESE people
helped with all that. .
That's not counting the bowling event in
September. This was a little more difficult because
school started at the end of August and our dead-
line to have the event was in September. Who do
you think took the ball and ran with it? The coun-
ty ESE people. Then you must go through every-
thing you went through before to go 'on to area
and state competition for that event.
And in your spare time there is the paper-
work. Twice a year each program must fill out
their accreditation paperwork, do a budget, phys-
icals for the athletes (200) so they can compete
(which the ESE people organized), fund raise
and more. I loved every minute of it and wish I
could do it again but life happens and now I must
shift my focus.
I thought hard about this before I wrote it
because I didn't want to scare anyone off that may
be interested in stepping up to take it over. It
sounds like ifs overwhelming but I am here to say
that if it wasn't for the county ESE people and all
the volunteers I would not have stayed for eight
years.
The state Special Olympics has a great support
system in place to' help get you through the
uncertain times and answer any questions 24/7.
The reason you must have a county coordinator
is that you must have, someone accountable to the
state Special Olympics for events held and funds
spent etc., which is a good thing. That's why you
just can't make a few phone calls and hold a sanc-
tioned event.
The system we developed is not much more
than a checklist of things to do and people to
call for donations of equipment and organiza-
tions to volunteer and run different parts of the
event being held. The ESE people and I wanted
to put this together because when I took over the
responsibility of county coordinator I was only
going to do it for one year and I wanted to make
it easier for the next person. I fell in love with the
program and stayed eight years. I
There was no Special Olympics program when
I started because of the same reason there isn't
one now. No one will step up. The key is to sur-
round yourself with folks that are as passionate
about Special Olympics as you are then every-
thing flows and I feel I did that.
Bob Hinton
Yulee
'Scurrilous verbiage'
Re: Mike Boyle's latest contention under the


Available from Commercial News Providers A


guise of "1 just wanna know" ("County officials
spar over sour investment," Feb. 25).
Calling for a public forum to investigate why
the State Board of Administration (SBA) invest-
ments administered by Clerk of the Court John
Crawford lost some of their value would be laugh-
able if it did not involve besmirching the reputa-
tion and integrity of Mr. Crawford. Words such
as "foul," "missing money" and "harm" in relation
to Mr. Crawford are sleazy innuendoes and, even
given Mr..Boyle's obtuseness, he certainly knew
or should have known what he was implying-
Out of all of our county servants Mr. Crawford,,
in particular, does not deserve such scurrilous
,verbiage .
Mike, for your information, the majority of
Americans and indeed the world did not see the
fiscal crisis that was looming. If you had prior
knowledge of this catastrophe, it was incumbent
upon you as a good public servant to notify the
rest of us so we could have cut our losses.
Thankfully, Mr. C-awford's actions in regard to
the SBA funds did lessen the county's losses.
His astuteness in not yielding to your advo-
cating drawing down money in Fund A and tak-
ing a hit of $800,000 merely elicited that you did-
n't "begrudge him the fact that he made the right
' decision." The use of the word 'begrudge" is
quite telling and perhaps indicative of an indi-
vidufal with an ax to grind. We don't need nor
want people in public government that seem-
ingly have a private agenda loaded with nega-
tive attitudes.
Mr. Boyle, because of your previous "just
wanna know" (your professed ignorance of the
county comp plan), you have enjoined your unwill-
ing constituents in a lawsuit to overturn the
Crane Island decision. However, your latest "just
wanna know" in calling for a public forum on
Mr. Crawford, and the inflammatory language
accompanying it, is more troubling. In light of the
fact you were privy to.the quarterly SBA invest-
ment reports (but apparently ignorant of their
contents), one must question the reason behind
your present quest beyond the farcical "just
wanna know."
The Crane Island repeal will merely cost your
constituents money that could be better spent
elsewhere (e.g. library material). However, your
latest "just annaa know" public forum is much
costlier in human terms because of its invidious
nature and the slimy innuendoes directed toward
Mr. Crawford under which it will be conducted.
Perhaps if you apologize to John Crawford for
your unwarranted remarks, your public forum
can legitimately go forward absent the oppro-
brium of being viewed as nothing more than a
witchhunt.
Patricia Fitzgerald
Fernandina Beach
'Good ole boy system
I am a 27-year-old African-American male from
Nassau County and when it comes to finding
employment, am I the only one experiencing
these "elements" of discrimination? Rather than
act out, I feel that I will speak out.
I have applied at numerous jobs and can tell
you the jobs in Nassau County that will not hire
anyone black always give the excuse "the position
has been filled" or "canceled" and find this not to
be true from the employees at these companies.
I have been turned down because of my credit
and my background.
Then you have Worksource, Ranstad, Kelly


Services, can anyone tell methe purpose of these
places? The people who work for these companies
have jobs but has anyone ever noticed that they
are never hiring. Online applications still to this
day are the biggest crock known to man. You fill
them out only to fill out a paper application again
(where do they go?).
.I am very skilled. I have a resume and I post
my resume. I have applied from KFC to Advanced
Disposal. Now most people would say "are you
going in with your pants hanging off your butt?"
or using slang -ho! I have child support to pay
and I am a diabetic, so what do I do? Child sup-
port doesn't want to hear that you are looking for
work, but they have my driver's license so how
do I get to a job interview now? Is anyone think-
ing?
Now sure, I can take the easy way out and do
something stupid or illegal but what kind of
man/father would that make me? My family
helped build Nassau County but that is not worth
anything either. So why when I apply for a job do
you ask if I know him or do I know her? I have
been up north and personally know that the
wages are very fair for the work performed. My
father retired from the paper mill, my grandfather
too and my mother worked for Rayonier. They all
were upstanding employees.
'So everyone in the community of Nassau
County, when you see a young man on the news
going to jail over something that is preventable,
ask yourself how many jobs has he applied for, I
wonder?
While I am on my soapbox, the wonderful
tourists of Nassau County, who come and spend
money and enjoy our wonderful summers, who
fill their bellies full of shrimp during Shrimp Fest,
please don't turn your nose up at me! You stay on
a piece of property that someone in Nlassau
County really didn't want. Out of all the places in
' the world, you chose here. Why? They say the
country is in a recession, but does that only apply
to the blue-collar, low-income worker?
Jari Edwards
Callahan
Social Security
This affects every wage earner that pays taxes.
I understand that all the president can do is
veto the legislation and that he is not in control
of either the House or the Senate.
It is already impossible to live on Social
Security alone. If the government gives benefits
to "illegal" aliens who have never contributed,
where does that leave those of us who have paid
into Social Security all our working lives?
The Senate voted to allow "illegal" aliens
access to Social Segurity benefits, with citizenship.
Enough is enough. Handwrite a letter and don't
type it to your representative in Congress and
your senaton One handwritten letter is considered
equal to approximately 300 people.
I see it every day in the construction field
where any immigrant doesn't pay taxes, sends the
money home and then leaves when their visa is
up or they're just here with fake IDs. It's no spe-
cific nationality.
We need to take care of the U.S. people first.
Also, if the government keeps bailing everyone
out everyone will be living in poverty. Everyone
needs money but enough is enough. We're just
everyday working class people trying to sur-
vive.
Karen Nuttall
Fernandina Beach