A MEDIA GENERAL NEWSPAPER 0880 70 r oln op ,ki Hocll _r ZL infoiai n 1l Crosw---.2B i National ..---.6A Obituaries -----5A Z State------4A Sports 1B STVUstng..--.6A 2 Sections, 12 Pages Volume 85 Number 167 ORIGINMIXED LIBRARy OF FLORIDA HISTORY Po BOX 117007 GAINESVILLE FL 32611-7007 ADDAN ADC 324 MPD officer stops runaway van BY DEBORAH BUCKHALTER FLORIDAN STAFF WRITER Marianna police officer Cheree Edwards probably expected to be chasing down criminals when she signed on with the Marianna Police Department, but perhaps she didn't anticipate chasing down runaway vans. On Monday, though, she wound up doing just that. When someone called 911 to report a. reckless driver headed down Lafayette Street driving all over the road, MPD officers went looking and encountered an eastbound 2004 gray KIA van traveling erratically at the intersection of Russ: and Lafayette and tried to pull it over. Although it was moving slowly, the driv- er wasn't responding to the flashing lights. Edwards soon realized the driver was having some kind of medical problem and could- n't comply or even respond as she. yelled for him to stop. "He was almost like coma- tose," Edwards recalled. As the van traveled onto the curb, she gave chase on foot,, "I knew.l had to do some- thing before it got down to the post office," further down n Lafayette. Edwards said,: "because we had the the light blockaded there and someone was probably going to get hurt if it got down that far. I had to open the door and get to the brake. Luckily, he was a 'small-built man, and I was *able to get far enough in there to step on the brake." SAfter Edwards stopped then turned off the van, the driver, who was not immediately named. w as rushed to J~ikson Hospital for treatment of his illness. Edwards .drove his, van to the hospital, and was able to speak with him after.he was 'treated and ready, to be released. "I handed him the keys, and he said thank you. He said it was a good thing he was .small," she said with a chuck- le. Marathon hunt ends in gator' s capture BY DEBORAH BUCKHALTER ... .... FLORIDAN STAFF WRITER Alligator season opened in Florida on Aug. 15, and in the wee hours of Aug. 25, a band of local 'gator hunters had landed one of their biggest catches ever. Brothers Jason and Jeff Everett own Southern Gator Trails, a small business in Sneads devoted to "all things 'gator," Jason Everett said. Among other things, they produce and sell video of the alligator hunts they've been on. Their capture of a 12-foot, 7-inch alligator early Monday morning is sure to be a hot stock item for the duo once production is done and it goes on the market. The quest began around 9:30 p.m. Sunday as th'e Everett brothers and their friends, husband-and-wife team Ryan and Kelly Ziglar, launched the Everett's customized boat into Lake Seminole from Parramore's Landing off River Road above Sneads. Kelly Ziglar, Ryan Ziglar, Jason Everett and Jeff Everett pose with the gator that they caught. It measured ,12-ft. 7-in. in length and weighed an esti- Smated 60Q0 lbs. Mark' Skiiher/4.Floridan The" 'd been casting beams of light | across the lake more than three hours in hopes of catching the tell-tale glint 64of' a 'gator's eye w hen they hit the, jackpot around 1:15 a.m. Monday. For the next t'o hours or so, Jason See CAPTURE, Page 5A > Attorney General: Fay's wake could bring scams OFFICE OF:THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF FLORIDA Attorney General Bill McCollum today issued a consumer advisory in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fay, encouraging residents to be proactive in protect-. ing themselves from common scams. The Attorney General specifically encouraged Floridians who are victims of flooding to be alert for contractors who offer water removal services from homes and property or other repair services in the wake of the storm. "'With the flooding and other damage brought on by Tropical Storm Fay, Floridians need to be on the look- out for people who may try to profit from others' mis- fortune," said Attorney General McCollum. "This is certainly no time to be trying to take advantage of storm victims." With many Floridians facing the prospect of remov- ing significant amounts of water from their property, the Attorney General cautioned that scam artists pos- ing as contractors may seek to profit at the expense of storm victims. Consumers face the risk that services will be offered by -those who are not licensed, that clean-up services will be offered at unconscionable prices, or that so- called "contractors" will accept down payments but will not do the' work at all. The Attorney General offered the following consumer protection tips for those affected by Tropical Storm Fay: *. Do not pay cash to home repair contractors or water and tree removal services Work only with reputable, established businesses. Avoid people who knock on your door offering to fix "your roof or windows. Try to obtain more than one estimate for the repair work. Make sure contractors have proper occupational licenses as required by state law. Require home repair contractors to obtain all necessary government licens- es and permits, rather than leaving that burden on the consumer. Before signing a contract, check the 'payment terms and other provisions carefully. Don't pay a con- tractor in advance. The Attorney General also encouraged Floridians to continue to report price gouging to the Attorney General's Price Gouging Hotline at 1-866-9-NO- SCAM. Under Florida law, a commodity's price is unconscionable if the increase in the price represents a "'gross disparity" from the average price of that com- See SCAMS, Page 5A > Dept. of Labor: $20M in aid to Florida for recovery from Tropical Storm Fay Katia Thomas, Zoey Durden and Connor Gruver play on some of the new equipment at the Grand Ridge Town Park Wednesday. Mark .Skinner / Floridan '. U.S. DEPAR' MN'NT OF LABOR The U.S. Department of Labor today announced, a $20 million grant to the state of Florida to fund the creation of approximate- I 6.500 temporary jobs for cleanup and recovery efforts underway in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fayv. "This $20 million grant will provide Floridians with tempo- rary jobs assisting in disaster relief and clean-up efforts to help communities recover from the record amounts of rain that fell as , a result of Tropical Storm Fay," said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. On Aug. 21, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared all 67 'Florida counties as eligible for FEMA's Public Assistance program. The grant, awarded' to the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, will provide funding to create temporary employment on projects that provide cleanup, demolition, repair, renovation and reconstruction of damaged struc- tures and public lands within affected communities. Funds also will be used for projects that provide food, cloth- ing, shelter and other types of humanitarian assistance, includ- ing work on the homes of individ- uals who are eligible for the fed- erally funded weatherization pro- gram with priority assigned to the -elderly and individuals with dis- abilities. Of the $20 million awarded, $8 million will be released initially. Additional funding up to the amount approved will be made * available as the state demon- strates a continued need for disas- ter assistance. National Emergency Grants are part of the secretary of labor's discretionary fund and are award- ed based on a state's ability to meet specific guidelines. For more information,, visit www.doleta.gov/NEG. S, i This Newspaper _ Si gggfls #1 Is Printed On hCiss|iD SouRClN espnRecycled WIREGRASS CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE See Pages 3-6B 65161 0 9 l .. .,.:. ,.,." l-.. ..i . . TUESDAY Radio exec mourned by WJAQ/WTOT family B) DEBORAH BUCKHALTER FLOiN 'T-.frF %'FJTEI- Local radio execunve Ed CearleI III was found dead of natural caus- es in his home Nlonday. authohntes say. President and general manager of MFR Inc. and GFR Inc.iNlarianna Florida Radio and Graceville Florida Radio.. Cearley was 61 years old. Hais body was found in his home by police, after employee Robert Conrad went to check on him MNonday because he failed to report for work and wasn't answering his phone. Ed Cearley III "His mom and dad kept trn ing to get him at home over the weekend and couldn't." Conrad said. -'I ent to the house. There "ere two papers out front. maybe Friday's, and Sunday's. that he hadn't picked up. I couldn't get him to the door. so I called police. arid they found his bod,...on the ih ing room floor near the front door." Conrad and other employees at WTOT AM/FM and WJAQ FM said See RADIO. Page 5A > ;1 - -- - -- --r-:::-----li ~-:.---- -I 1----r--.-i:---:- --: