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GAINESVILLE -  The National Association of Letter Carriers’ annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive returns Saturday, May 14, after a two-year absence from the community due to the COVID pandemic.  This one-day event provides an opportunity for the community to help hungry individuals and families.  

The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, the country's largest one-day food drive, provides residents with an easy way to donate food to those in need.  People are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox before the regular mail delivery on that Saturday. 

The food donations collected locally stay in the community, going to help local residents.  Food collected will be distributed through the following local agencies:  Bread of the Mighty Food Bank, Catholic Charities, Food for Kids and Gainesville Community Ministry.  

Sherah English, Agency Relations Director and Co-CEO of the Bread of the Mighty Food Bank, said, “We are pleased to partner with the local mail carriers and appreciate their efforts to make a significant contribution toward hunger relief.”  In the 30 years since it began, the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has collected about 1.88 billion pounds of food nationwide, helping to feed millions of Americans.  

Dave Hill, President of Union President Branch 1025, Florida said, “The timing is important, with food banks, pantries and shelters running low on donations from the winter holidays and with summer approaching, when most school meal programs are suspended.  Mail Carriers see the need every day and are proud to make a difference in the lives of the hungry.”

Bread of the Mighty Food Bank, established in 1987, serves the counties of Alachua, Dixie, Gilchrist, Lafayette and Levy.  Bread of the Mighty Food Bank acquires, stores and distributes food and basic essentials through the support of over 170 agency partners, including feeding programs, churches, food pantries and shelters.  

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NEWBERRY ‒ The Newberry City Commission has agreed to drop two counts against Alachua County in a lawsuit. During the April 25 Newberry City Commission meeting, Newberry City Attorney Scott Walker provided an update on the City’s case against the Alachua County Charter Review Commission that has been pending since Oct. 26, 2020. The City of Newberry, along with the Cities of Alachua and Archer, filed a Complaint for Declaratory Judgment and Injunctive Relief against Alachua County and the Charter Review Commission.

The lawsuit raised three separate counts asking the court for relief from an amendment to the Alachua County Charter establishing a Growth Management Area to be managed by Alachua County instead of by municipalities, thereby removing the individual cities from the ability for Home Rule which would affect such matters as property use and zoning.

Count I of the Complaint was an action for declaratory judgment and injunctive relief alleging that the ballot title and summary for the charter amendment were defective pursuant to Section 101.161(1), Florida Statutes.

A summary judgment hearing was held Dec. 14, 2020, and the court granted the County’s motion for summary judgment and denied the plaintiffs’ (Alachua, Newberry and Archer’s) joint motion for summary judgment on Count I of the complaint.

On Feb. 22, 2021, plaintiffs filed a joint motion for reconsideration and on March 2, 2021, the plaintiffs filed their notice of appeal, which is currently pending in the First District Court of Appeal (DCA).

At a status conference on Monday, April 18, 2022, summary judgment hearings were set for Oct. 17, 2022 and trial was set for Dec. 1, 2022 on Count II and Count III of the complaint. Lead counsel David Theriaque advised the plaintiffs to await the appellate court’s ruling on Count I prior to proceeding with Counts II and III.

Based on a recommendation from Walker, the Newberry City Commission voted 4-1 to voluntarily withdraw Counts II and III with Commissioner Tim Marden dissenting. Walker had pointed out that those two Counts “are not our strongest arguments.”

Upon ruling of the appellate court on Count I, Walker said he would advise the Commission on the best way to proceed with Counts II and III at that time.

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NEWBERRY – Newberry City Commissioners have certified the 2022 Newberry Municipal Election results and sworn in the 2022 elected officials.

Commissioner Group I – Ricky Coleman and Commissioner Group II – Mark Clark were unchallenged in the 2022 election and retained their seats.  Commissioner Group III – Monty Farnsworth retained his seat after a close election, winning by a three-vote margin. 

Following the official swearing in ceremonies on April 25, Commissioner Mark Clark was elected as Chairperson Pro-Tempore and Commissioner Tony Maizon was elected as Alternate Chairperson Pro-Tempore.  The Chairperson Pro-Tempore serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Adjustment and as the Chair of the Canvassing Board.

In other City business, Monarch Design Group Architect Barnett Chenault provided the Commission with an update on a conceptual phase of a proposed new City Hall. 

Commissioners expressed concern about a drive-through covered pavilion between the existing City Hall structure and the new facility.  Asphalt pavement in the design seemed to suggest vehicles could drive under the covered pavilion and between the two buildings.  Safety concerns for pedestrians as well as aesthetics led Commissioners to suggest more attractive alternatives.

The original plan called for an office for each of the Commissioners and the mayor but was changed to provide two offices for use by Commissioners.  The saved space would leave room for other options such as a conference area, or an office for the tax collector or a driver’s license renewal office at a future date.

Chenault suggested it would take six to 10 months for civil and architectural work to be completed and another 10 months to build out the structure. 

Newberry Finance Director Dallas Lee said $200,000 has been set aside in this year’s budget for the City Hall project, but Chenault said the cost could be $400,000 to $550,000 to finish up the design concept.  Lee said they could set aside another $200,000 to $300,000 in next year’s budget and that there were other funding sources that would be available to them.  In addition, Commissioners are considering increasing development fees.

Concern was expressed about the Southwest 15^th Avenue project vs. City Hall.  City Manager Mike New said the population is growing and if the City is going to keep up with providing services to citizens, a new City Hall structure was going to be needed.  “We already have people located all around the City,” he said.  The only other option was to put staff in portables.

In a roll call vote Commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of going ahead with the City Hall project.  Commissioners Mark Clark and Rick Coleman provided the dissenting votes.

In other business, Commissioners unanimously voted to increase the original State Revolving Fund (SRF) Loan Agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) from the original loan amount of $275,000, with a 50 percent grant forgiveness, to $1.1 million.  The original amount was to develop an engineering report on the expansion of the City’s wastewater treatment plant. 

In December 2021, the City Commission entered into a land purchase agreement to acquire additional property at the City’s existing plant.  With this action the Commission authorized the increase to the loan amount to cover the cost of the land purchase at an interest rate of 0.02 percent.

Commissioners unanimously approved Resolution 2022-23, requesting that the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners include funding in their FY 2022–23 budget to develop an annual rural highway improvement/ resurfacing program and receive suggestions on rankings of county rural highways in and around Newberry for improvements and resurfacing.  New said a joint meeting with the County is scheduled for the end of May.

New initially proposed seven roadways in and around Newberry, but Commissioners whittled that list to three top choices.  County Road 337 was at the top of the list due to the high fatality rate and number of curves on that roadway.  Second and third are CR 235 and 232 due to the high trip count on both roadways.

In other action, three expiring Planning and Zoning Board seats will be filled by Donald Long, Anne Polo and Linda Woodcock.  Their seats will expire on April 30, 2025.  Mellina Parker will join the Historic Architectural Review Board.  Her term will also expire on April 30, 2025.

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HAWTHORNE ‒ At approximately 7:10 p.m., Monday, April 18, units from Alachua County, Melrose, and Windsor fire departments responded to a reported residential structure fire in the 2900 block of Southeast 301, north of Hawthorne. The first arriving unit found a detached garage fully involved with a fire that was threatening the house.

Water tankers also were utilized because there were no fire hydrants in the area. The first units on scene were able to contain the fire to the garage and kept it from spreading into the residence that was in close proximity, but not attached.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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WALDO ‒ Ernest Francis Dority, 86, of Waldo was arrested at 10:47 p.m., Saturday, April 23, after allegedly shooting a man who wouldn’t give him his car keys after he had been drinking at a party.

According to the arrest report, Dority had been engaged in a verbal dispute after a party with a man who had taken his car keys in the belief that Dority was too intoxicated to drive.

Dority reportedly left the party on foot and returned with a revolver, pulled it from a holster and demanded his keys. He then allegedly fired one round, striking the victim in the face/head. Dority then left on foot and was detained by deputies a short time later. Deputies reported that he had an empty holster in his pocket when he was detained and that they found a revolver sitting on the passenger seat of his vehicle.

A witness told deputies that they saw Dority return to the party with a gun in his hand. That person made everyone else go inside. They then said they heard a gunshot and found the victim in the yard with a gunshot wound to the head. Witnesses told deputies that the victim did not have a gun.

Post Miranda, Dority reportedly admitted to shooting the victim from roughly six feet away but claimed that the victim had a gun in his hand and that he fired in self-defense.

Dority has been charged with attempted murder and is being held on $500,000 bond.

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NEWBERRY ‒ Shaniqua Sade Glasco, 31, was arrested on Monday afternoon, April 18, for allegedly shoplifting multiple items from the Dollar General store at 25150 W. Newberry Road, Newberry.

An Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a call from store staff regarding a woman, who was reportedly known to the employee, who had left the store with stolen items in her purse. Employees said they reviewed video footage and saw Glasco putting items into her purse and then walking out of the store.

Deputies contacted Glasco at her Newberry residence, and post Miranda, she reportedly said she had been at the Dollar General but had not taken any items. When she was told that she was under arrest for theft, she reportedly asked if she could avoid going to jail if she returned the items. After she was informed that the store wanted to press charges and was asked where the items were located, she reportedly reverted back to her earlier statement in which she said she had not taken anything from the store.

Glasco has 11 prior convictions for theft beginning with a 2009 arrest for shoplifting, for which she was sentenced to a year of probation. She was arrested again for shoplifting five months later and served 120 days in jail. Since then, she has been arrested and re-arrested numerous times and has had her probation revoked. Her last jail release date from state prison was just before Christmas 2021.

She has been charged with petit theft with two-plus prior convictions, a third-degree felony, and released on her own recognizance.

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