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NEWBERRY ‒ A Newberry man is in jail after allegedly discharging a weapon. Michael Troy Roland, 34, was arrested on Dec. 26 after allegedly firing a bullet into the ground outside a Newberry home.

According to the arrest report, Roland had been arguing all day with a female individual over the phone. When she returned home at about 5:15 p.m., she and Roland continued arguing in the front yard of the home. Roland then allegedly produced a pistol and fired a single round into the ground near the victim.

The victim also said that after shooting into the ground, Roland pointed the gun at his own head and threatened suicide but then threw the gun down and left. The victim was not injured but was visibly shaken and afraid that Roland might return. The pistol was recovered by law enforcement.

During a search of Roland’s vehicle, deputies found 24.1 grams of marijuana. Following the reading of his rights by law enforcement, Roland denied firing a weapon in the presence of the victim. He has been charged with domestic aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and possession of over 20 grams of marijuana. The suspect is currently being held in the Alachua County Jail on $30,000 bond.

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ALACHUA ‒ The Gainesville based professional ballet company Dance Alive National Ballet (DANB) has been performing the Nutcracker for 55 years with over 200 touring performances and 30 school programs in the Continental United States. Over the past four years it has also become a traditional show in Alachua as well.

The Nutcracker is an important part of the company’s history, and even in 2020 when many entertainment performances were canceled, the Nutcracker performance went on in the new Legacy Park Outdoor Amphitheater where social distancing could be observed.

This year, there was a change of venues due to concerns about possible rain and the performance was moved indoors to the Legacy Park Multipurpose center. Neither the threat of bad weather nor the change of venue deterred an enthusiastic audience. All interior bleachers were filled with additional viewers either bringing lawn chairs or standing on either side of the bleachers watching more than 30 dancers perform in the almost two-hour show.

Dance Alive is a dance academy and professional dance troupe that has always been the heart and soul of the Pofahl family. In 1966 Mary Ellen Pofahl, a professional dancer and teacher, founded the DANB company and it has continued through the talents and efforts of her daughters, Judy Skinner and Kim Tuttle serves as Artistic Director and Skinner is Choreographer-In-Residence.

Pofahl Studios is the official school of DANB, and the faculty have been selected for their professional knowledge of a particular dance discipline as well as the ability to teach a particular age or ability level. The instructors also take part in performances by the DANB. Many of the school's students have gone on to professional dance careers throughout the world.

Both Skinner and Tuttle actively teach at the school as well as run the DANB. The Nutcracker performance is one of their best known and attended shows. During December, the company will perform the Nutcracker at a variety of venues, combining music and dance with one of the best-known Christmas stories, while keeping alive a half century tradition.

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LACROSSE ‒ A small home was destroyed by fire in LaCrosse early Sunday, Dec. 19. Alachua County and Gainesville Fire Rescue as well as the LaCrosse Fire Department responded to the home located at 12720 N.W. County Road 231 to find the house 50 percent engulfed in flames.

The single-story wood framed structure was unoccupied and being used for storage. Nobody was injured in the blaze.

Crews were able to quickly put out the fire, but the building was a total loss. The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental.

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NEWBERRY ‒ It’s that time of year again as Christmas is a time of celebration, with festivities, reunions, gift giving and decorations on houses and along streets. While Christmas honors the birth of Christ, the December holiday season encompasses other activities, traditions and beliefs with the common thread of goodwill, compassion and love toward others.

Besides the popular traditional Christmas tree with colorful ornaments and twinkling lights, many people and businesses decorate their homes and buildings with lights, with some expending much time, effort and expense each year. The City of Newberry has joined in the holiday lights decorating tradition with a citywide contest for businesses and residences.

Light has been significant in Christmas celebrations for centuries and candles were lit to “signify the light of Jesus.” The tradition of electrical lights on trees and houses was first introduced to the holiday world in 1882 by Edward Johnson, a friend and partner of light-bulb inventor Thomas Edison. Lit fires presented a hazard, and Johnson’s idea was to replace the candles with a string of colored electric lights, which he did with eight bulky, pear-shaped bulbs on a single wire. The idea didn't really catch on in America until the 1920s when General Electric’s pre-assembled lights became more accessible and cheaper.

Over the years as electric and lighting technology advanced, so did the idea of creating a festive atmosphere in communities with a variety of lights to create a magical wonderland. People often spend weeks decorating the exterior of their houses and yards for others to enjoy. Towns decorate their Main Street areas for the month and businesses decorate their shops in the holiday spirit.

Alachua, High Springs and Newberry all decorated their towns in their unique style and each held a tree lighting and Christmas parade with visits from Santa Claus. Last year in 2020, Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe kicked off “Light Up Newberry,” a contest for best building decoration for both businesses and residences. With the Covid restrictions in place, Jordan knew the contest was a community activity for the season that still maintained the safety precautions of social distancing. This year, “Light Up Newberry” entries were viewed by voters and a committee with the top three winners in each of three categories announced Dec. 19.

In the Business Front category, third place went to Glanzer Realty, second place went to Newberry Ace Hardware and first place went to Bosshardt Realty Service. In the Business Window category: third place went to Sugar, Refined, second place went to Rebecca's Hair Studio, and first place went to Beauty & Pain Solutions Massage. Finally, in the Residential category: third place went to Jason and Haley Ryan, second place went to Logan Euler, and first place went to Shawn and Angie Walker.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ High Springs is annexing over 735 acres into the city, property that may be used for a solar farm. Commissioners voted on three ordinances annexing a total of approximately 735.17 acres into High Springs at the Dec. 9 City Commission meeting.

Ordinance 2021-09 was approved on second reading in a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Katherine Weitz casting the dissenting vote. This action was brought by property owners Bernard C. and Vivian L. Arndt. Their annexation request consisted of approximately 80 acres and approximately 237.81 acres for a total of approximately 317.81 acres.

Ordinance 2021-10 was also approved on second reading in a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Katherine Weitz casting the dissenting vote. This action was brought by property owner Larry Eugene Jones. His annexation request consisted of approximately 160 acres.

Ordinance 2021-11 was also approved on second reading in a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Katherine Weitz casting the dissenting vote. This action was brought by property owner Patrick McKenzie Post for three pieces of property. His annexation request consisted of approximately 42.36 acres, approximately 160 acres, and approximately 55 acres for a total of approximately 257.36 acres.

All three ordinances were presented by Jerry Dedenbach, CHW Professional Consultants, acting on behalf of Duke Energy Renewables. Although the ordinances did not specify the intended use of the properties, the staff report indicated the eventual use would be for a solar array for Duke Energy.

Two items of concern were brought up during the presentation and voting of these three ordinances. First was that Alachua County had sent a letter to the City with a potential question about a portion of the annexation which they believed caused a finger area serpentine projection.

Dedenbach addressed this concern by showing a map highlighting the one-mile contiguous boundary adjacent to the city limits of High Springs. “It is a reasonably compact area, doesn’t create an enclave nor a pocket and doesn’t create a finger area serpentine projection as Alachua County is stating in their letter,” said Dedenbach. The property in question is accessible via Northwest 142^nd Avenue. “It will remain accessible via Northwest 142^nd Avenue,” Dedenbach said. In addition, he emphasized that the acreage being added to the City “is only five percent of the City in size and is adjacent to the City limits.”

Dedenbach said he had spoken with the city attorney and North Central Florida Regional Planning Council and the Planning Council forwarded the annexation requests to the City with a recommendation to approve. Dedenbach doesn’t think the County will oppose it and he also said he had contacted the County, but had not heard back by the time of the meeting.

Weitz voiced a concern, saying, “I am not opposed to extra tax revenue for the City by any means. I’m just trying to look forward to where the train is going. What we’re proposing is that the people in High Springs Estates will have a wastewater treatment plant on their southern border and a solar facility on their western border. My concern would be for them in terms of property values,” she said.

Duke Energy’s Dorothy Perno said that they had held a previous workshop and invited everyone for 1.5 miles from the property perimeter to attend. She said they were planning another workshop in January and this time have noticed everyone within 1,320 feet from the property’s perimeter. She said that the public workshops are open to anyone who wants to attend.

In other city business, the Commission considered a request for authorization to begin contract negotiations with Anderson’s Outdoor Adventures, the only company that responded to a request for proposals, for the operation of the Santa Fe Canoe Outpost.

City Manager Ashley Stathatos reminded the Commission that the City was “piggybacking” on a contract with Alachua County to have Anderson operate the facility on an interim basis.

Commissioner Ross Ambrose said he was abstaining from voting on this issue due to a conflict of interest, but the city attorney had said he could participate in the discussion. Ambrose said the proposal submitted by Anderson was “a little lopsided for what we’re [the City] providing.” He suggested that during negotiations something could be worked out to make the agreement “a little more equitable for the investment the citizens are making in maintaining that property.”

Anderson’s proposal for the operation of the Santa Fe Canoe Outpost consists of a contract for a 10-year term beginning Feb. 1, 2022 and ending Jan. 31, 2032. They also specified Commission/Fees at $1,500 base fee per year with an additional three percent on the difference of gross revenue exceeding $ 200,000 a year. They propose to operate a minimum of five days a week year-round with closures on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Eve. The services they will provide include paddling, water craft rentals, merchandise sales, shuttle services and events.

Stathatos said there are some “economies of scale there where I think we can do some awesome things together,” because they operate other facilities along the Santa Fe River. She too said she believed their proposal was a bit lopsided, but they could work through that.

Ambrose said his company was providing portable restrooms to another Anderson location and thought that was enough of a reason to abstain.

Although Commissioners did not vote on this issue, they indicated by consensus their approval for staff to enter into negotiations and bring a contract back to the Commission for approval at a later date.

Regarding the waterline project, Assistant City Manager Bruce Gillingham said, “They are still doing the lateral connections.” He also stated that paving was scheduled for Dec. 15. A Rails to Trails meeting was scheduled for Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. and said the new telephone system was going in throughout the city on Dec. 16.

Mayor Williams said another Farm Share was scheduled for Jan. 29. However, the location is still being determined.

The next City Commission meeting is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2022, at 6:30 p.m.

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NEWBERRY ‒ It was a good day in Newberry as the UF/IFAS extension complex officially opened with a ribbon cutting on Nov. 30 —two days after an inaugural event was held. The Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce invited Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried to address the group about agriculture issues in Alachua County.

By 2050, experts estimate that the world's population will grow to 9.5 billion people. However, current agricultural production is inadequate to provide enough food to sustain that many people. Fried discussed improving production and technology to make agriculture more productive to meet future needs.

Fried praised the new extension site, located in Newberry, saying that it will help train future farmers and ranchers to meet the challenges of a growing population. She also discussed the need to be environmentally sustainable in farming methods as the population grows and development takes more land. Fried said that the new extension site will serve as a hub for individuals in Alachua County to receive training and specializations in the agriculture field, as well as practical knowledge for gardening, pesticide use, and irrigation.

Fried also held a press conference to promote a new initiative to reduce Styrofoam use in businesses across the state.” Using alternative packaging can actually be good for business and drive new innovation and opportunity,” Fried said. “As both the consumer protection agency and our food safety agency for the State of Florida, we want to seize the opportunity to help consumers and companies make this responsible proactive change.”

Polystyrene, commonly known as Styrofoam, is a plastic material commonly used in food packaging. Lately, it has come under fire for possible links to health issues such as cancer, birth defects, and liver and kidney damage, according to a department press release. Fried has made this a top-priority in recent months.

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