Read the Tri-County Advertiser, your new source for the best deals in the Tri-County area! Y COUNTY JOURIAT SE COUNTY PAPER EST. 192 Vol. 85, No. 45 May 14, 2009 Inside News The GFWC Williston Junior Woman's Club has brought home the Mary Clark Tea Service, along with bragging rights for being the best club in Florida. Hear them roar, Page 2A. News The knuckleheads in Washington have stopped a public ceremony observing National Prayer Day. Chiefland citizens, however, opt to keep it alive, Page 3A. News An undercover investigation by the Chiefland police has identified a local man advertising prostitution services over the Intemet. Sordid details, Page 5A. News The Bronson Youth League has new life and new leadership after a recent meeting. Find out who the new league officials are, Page 6A. Editorial Thomas Sowell says Barack Obama's plan to find a new Supreme Court Justice with empathy is a little crazy. Read why, Page 7A. Editorial . Journal Editor Rick Burnham does not lIke actress Wanda Sykes, and gives you 658 words as to why, Page 8A. Sports The Williston Red Devils traveled to Keystone Heights Friday with their sights set on advancing to the regional final. How did they fare? Page 1B B. Sports The Chiefland Rotary Club's annual fishing tournament featured many of the area's best anglers. Who brought in. the biggest fish, and who came home empty-handed? Get all the details, Page 3B. Lifestyle Two Bronson High School graduates have welcomed a new bundle of joy to their family. Find out who they are and what they named him, Page 6B. S8 1 90782 0020 8 www.levyjournalonline.com 50 cents Fire destroys Bronson gas station By Anna Suggs Assistant Editor f Five fire departments were called out to Lee's Grocery in Bronson Monday morning. . The call came in at 7:26 a.m. with departments fropn Bronson, Williston, Chiefland, Morriston and Archer responding. Although no one was injured,. the store that is located across from the Bronson Motor Speedway was a complete loss, said Bronson Fire Rescue Capt. Jerry Horton, who was in charge of operations at the fire. The clerk at the store said he saw a spark at the back of the building where electrical work was being done but is not sure why or how the fire started, according to a Levy County Sheriffs release. After he called 9-1-1, he unsuccessfully attempted to use a fire extinguisher to contain the fire. There were two 500-gallon diesel tanks and one diesel tank with over 1,500 gallons next to the building, according to the release. The fire was controlled after about an hour and a half and 20,000 gallons of water. Horton said the tanks were never in danger. The cause of the fire is still unknown, and', The cause ofthe fire is still unknown and Crews spray water on a fire that consumed Lee's Grocery in Bronson Monday morning. Five is under investigation, fire departments responded to the blaze. (Photo courtesy of Williston Fire Rescue) Children temporarily abducted from Levy School By Terry Witt Staff Writer 1, Authorities said two young boys were apparently abducted for a short time from Joy ce Bullock Elementary School in Williston Tuesday before the suspect dropped them off within 100 yards from where they had been lured into his red and white pickup truck. Investigators and School Superintendent Bob Hastings were not sure at press time whether the man who picked the boys by lifting them over a four-foot fence near the kindergarten building and playground knew the children or if he was a stranger. "Right now I don't know the nature of why someone would drive up, pick up the kids, and -then let them out," Hastings said. "Did he know the kids? I don't know." Assistant Superintendent Jeff Edison and Director of Secondary Education.PatrijcjVynek Were at the school working with investigators from the Williston Police Department and Levy County Sheriff's office. Hastings said the two boys were about 5 years old. The area where the truck parked was, in a loop that is commonly used by parents to pick up and drop off their children. Hastings is wondering if that's the reason no adults were alarmed by what was happening. "He.came in and stopped right about where the kids' area is," Hastings said. "There were two kids playing in the area. He did call them over. He reached over the fence and picked them up and put them into his truck." They were placed in the cab of the truck. After driving 100 yards to the area of the Joyce Bullock Elementary School sign, he let the children out. They were still on campus. An adult spotted the children standing near the sign and took them back to the school. The sheriff's office said the incident occurred at 12:30 p.m. The suspect was described as a white or Hispanic male. with black hair possibly wearing a brown shirt, blue pants and black boots, possibly with a silver tooth or a dark spot or mole on the face. The truck was red and white. The sheriff's office is not sure whether the truck was an. older model or late model. Hastings said the school immediately was placed on lock down for the safety and security of students and staff. All students were accounted See Abduction, Page 5A Williston approves contract with garbage hauler By Terry Witt Staff Writer Williston City Council members voted last week to approve the first ever contract with a private company to haul the city's garbage. City Manager Marcus Collins said Emerald Waste Service has agreed to keep the household garbage rate at $16.88 per month. The company will purchase the city's garbage hauling equipment for $180,000. The money will retire existing debt on the city's garbage truck and put money in the bank. "It's really a major change for us," Collins said. Williston hopes to start the new privately operated garbage service by June 1. As part of the contract Emerald will also provide recycling containers for residents. The city's solid waste department currently employs three people. Collins said the council will have to take a look at the budget and decide if they can absorb the employees into city work force. Williston's municipal garbage service lost $87,000 last year. The city as a whole had to borrow $300,000 from reserves to balance the budget in 2008 and $200,000 to balance the budget the year before, according to Collins. The commercial garbage rates would go up under the proposal. Emerald officials plan to contact each business'to gauge whether they could decrease their costs with fewer pickups per week. In other business: The council awarded Brays' the contract to erect a handrail fence along the city sidewalk that borders Heritage Park. Brays' was the low bidder at $5,600. Collins said the Florida Department of Transportation is concerned about people leaving the sidewalk and crossing U.S. 41. The handrail is intended to discourage the practice. The city's Community Redevelopment Agency is paying for the handrail. Council members awarded Burrell Engineering, Inc. the contract for preliminary design services for Blocks 0-2 of Heritage Park and the right- of-way adjacent to the Williston Post Office. Burrell has a continuing service contract with the city. The work will consist of preparing several concept plans for the project area to be reviewed by CRA and the City Council members. Mayor Gerald Hethcoat awarded the mayor's Student of the Month Award. Hadley Etheridge, a first grader at. Joyce Bullock Elementary School See Williston, Page 3A Bronson recognizes top st By Terry Witt Staff Writer Bronson FFA honored its outstanding student members and alumni at the 2009 FFA Banquet on May 7, with Katie Norris receiving this year's Star Chapter Farmer, Sarah Trimm Star Greenhand and Tyler Beauchamp Star Discovery. Norris, as Star Chapter Farmer, was the top award recipient at the banquet. She has served as a chapter officer throughout middle school and high school. She is vice president of the senior chapter. Her supervised agriculture experience program consists of an equine science project. She team ropes and attends classes with Donna Sharp. She has shown feeder steers at the Suwannee River Fair for the past few years and has also participated in public speaking, parliamentary procedure, livestock judging and horticulture demonstrations. She has attended the state and national FFA conventions and will represent Bronson in the job interview competition at the state FFA convention in udents, alumni at banquet June. She plans to seek District office in June.- Trimm as Star Greenhand, won the highest award for 9th grade FFA student. She has served as chapter officer in middle and high school and participated in forestry, parliamentary procedure, creed speaking, horticulture demonstrations and land judging. She attended the state and national FFA conventions. Her supervised agricultural experience program consisted of a market pig and a beef heifer for the Suwannee River Fair: She has a menagerie of farm animals in her care including goats, chickens and rabbits. She has participated in forestry, parliamentary procedure, creed speaking, horticulture demonstrations and land judging. Tyler Beauchamp, as the Star Discovery recipient, won the top Bronson Middle School FFA award. He has been a chapter officer for the past several years and has participated in forestry, parliamentary procedure, tool identification and livestock judging. He was a member of the second place state middle school livestock team and high individual in the overall See FFA, Page 12A w z 0 c..J V)~o (J) ,'~ 0w~u >MZ 2 0:;z