NEWBERRY – Newberry joined a list of proud cities Friday. That list boasts the likes of New York, Chicago, Atlanta and San Antonio. They did so with the Easton Newberry Sports Complex receiving a Community Olympic Development Program (CODP) status for archery Friday, Aug. 30. The city is one of only 10 in the nation to receive such a designation and only the second of its kind to showcase archery.

“The city earned this designation after almost two years of working towards it and getting a USA Archery endorsement,” said Bobbi Ullman, a United States Olympic Committee representative.

The ceremony took place Friday morning at the Easton Newberry Sports Complex, located at 24880 NW 16^th Ave. in Newberry. The junior archers kicked things off with an open shooting session that started at 10:30 a.m.

Around noon, the athletes, their families and some Newberry residents made their way into the gymnasium-turned-ballroom for a luncheon and the CODP presentation.

In attendance at the ceremony were Bobbi Ullman, London Olympic men’s team archery silver medalist Jake Kaminski, Easton Sports Development Foundation vice president, Don Rabska, and Easton Sports Development Foundation president, Greg Easton.

Everyone near the event seemed to be brimming with excitement, but it would be hard to match the enthusiasm that belonged to Robert Turner, head archery coach at the complex.

“To try to explain what this means for our kids is incredibly difficult,” Turner said when asked how this could improve the facility. “This will give every athlete the opportunity to try archery in a professional setting, with top notch coaching, equipment and facilities.”

Turner began his archery career at the age of 15, ending up with five national championships in his native Australia. He worked with the Australian National Team before coming to the Easton Foundation three years ago. He has also been involved with the United States National Team, a relationship that helped to put the small-town complex on the map.

When the luncheon was coming to a close, the attendees were moved back into the room where the first shooting session took place so the wall displaying the CODP logo could be unveiled. The junior archers gathered along the wall with Greg Easton and together pulled the covering off. The consensus among the event-goers seemed to be that it was a rewarding moment for those who worked so hard.

“While this is about establishing an Olympic pipeline, it’s also more than that,” Rabska said. “It brings me joy to see a community come together and earn something like this.”

The excitement of the event was also multiplied with the attendance of Jake Kaminski, a silver medalist at the London Olympics. Kaminski has been a professional for seven years and said he wished he could have had the support from a great facility when he was first beginning in archery.

“For these kids to get proper coaching and get started on the right foot is so invaluable,” Kaminski said.

The Easton Newberry Sports Complex is home for upwards of 200 archers for classes each week said Turner. The students range in experience from first-time shooters to having two or three years already under their belt. On top of being honored with the CODP status, the complex will also play host to the Florida Archery Association Federation of International Target Archery State Championship Sunday, Sept. 8.

The motivation behind the United States Olympic Committee creating the CODP designation is not just to expand the Olympic pipeline but also to provide youths with an opportunity to participate in Olympic sports. Now with even greater support, the community of Newberry will be able to continue to offer a high level of instruction to these athletes, Ullman said.

“Going to London and being with track stars and athletes of all sports, and being able to feel the same, was a dream come true,” Kaminski said. “If this kind of program can help someone make the change to being a professional easier, it will be incredible.”

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ALACHUA– Renovations are underway for downtown Alachua as part of a larger plan to develop the area.

Northwest 150^th Avenue, which runs by Skinner Field, is getting repaved with new asphalt. The makeover started Aug. 23, but it’s only part of the big picture.

“There absolutely is a bigger plan,” said Mike New, public services director for the city.

The goal is to make Northwest 150^th Avenue and Northwest 142^nd Terrace more like Main Street, he said. The improvements to Northwest 150^th Avenue were phase two of a three-part plan.

New said, “150^th avenue is going to have the same look and feel as Main Street does.”

The first phase was installing a retention reservoir under Skinner Field across from Alachua City Hall in April to help combat problems with flooding.

Renovating Northwest 142^nd Terrace will be phase three.

Other than laying down new asphalt and pavement, the improvements will include landscaping and the installation of trash receptacles, new sidewalks, gutters on the curbs, straightening out the intersection between Northwest 142^nd Terrace and U.S. Highway 441 and adding new parking spaces.

Property was acquired from five landowners to make room for the renovations, New said.

The total cost of the project was originally about $1.8 million, but the city changed some details and saved around $100,000. Northwest 150^th Avenue should be fully repaved by the end of the week, he said, and the entire project should be finished by around February of next year. Work on Northwest 142^nd Terrace should start this September. The project is paid for by the Downtown Redevelopment Trust Board (DRTB), which can only initiate projects in certain parts of town.

It had been planned by the DRTB since 2006 or 2007, New said.

“What the board wanted to do was interconnect Main Street with the Alachua Town Center, he said. “Tie them together so you can have that community feel.”

New said he thinks the project will be significant for Alachua.

“In 30 years, it will be spoken of with the same significance that Main Street is today.”

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HIGH SPRINGS – Labor Day is coming up, but anybody with plans of visiting their favorite river or spring should check with state park authorities first.

Swimming and boating activities may not be allowed in some areas after last week’s major rainstorms in the county, particularly north of the High Springs area.

After last week’s deluge, retention ponds in the area are filled to the brim, or more likely, spilling over. A sinkhole has reportedly opened up on Poe Springs Road. Despite this, officials at O’Leno State Park, just north of High Springs, said the water levels are average for the first time this year.

Terri Newmans, assistant park ranger at O’Leno, called the rushing waters of the Santa Fe River average, even as she trekked through the water-soaked grounds in the still falling rain.

The rain had been pouring in for more than five hours that day, but the river’s water level was at 35.7 feet. The average is 34 feet.

If the water levels fall too low, the park could be closed to swimmers because the water would be considered stagnant, Newmans said. Swimming in stagnant waters can be a risk because dangerous microorganisms can thrive in those conditions. If the water levels rise too high, parks might have to close trails. About two or three weeks ago, O’Leno had to close trails for a few days when the water level reached 39.7 feet, she said.

For comparison, after Tropical Storm Debbie hit in June 2012, the water level was close to 50 feet. Park management closed down River Rise State Preserve.

Rainfall in Aug. 25, 2012 was about 40 feet. The same day in 2013 was listed at about 37 feet, according to Weather Underground, an online weather service, backing up Newman’s claim that the river is at an average level for this time of year.  

The National Weather Service does not expect that to last, as they have issued a flood warning for the Santa Fe River this week. North of High Springs, the river could approach a flood stage by Tuesday.

The complexity and interconnectedness of the river systems could play a role in any potential flooding.

Between 4 and 8 inches of rain fell in the upper reaches of the Alapaha and Withlacoochee rivers in the last seven days, causing renewed minor flooding on the Withlacoochee River in Valdosta. The Alapaha and Withlacoochee rivers are major tributaries of the Suwannee River, accounting for almost 40 percent of the Suwannee’s watershed.

The National Weather Service warned that swimming and diving on the rivers and springs over the Labor Day weekend might have to be curtailed, due to the rising water levels.

While the levels at O’Leno might be average for this time of year, some people might have to reschedule their plans for the holiday. Park alerts are issued daily, and information about forecasts, rainfall and current river readings are available online at www.mysuwanneeriver.com or at 386-362-6626 or 800-604-2272.

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HAWTHORNE– When the family of Roger A. Henderson, 64, hadn’t heard from him since the previous evening, they became concerned, according to a release from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO). So, on Saturday, they contacted the ACSO. Shortly after, a family member entered his home on the 6000 block of Southeast 215^th Street in the city of Hawthorne.

The relative found Henderson lying on the floor with blood on his clothes. When patrol and K-9 deputies entered the house, they also found him near the living room couch with multiple stab wounds to his chest and back.

Family members reported seeing Henderson’s possessions thrown across his front yard. They also saw a female walk into a bedroom at the back of the home once they were inside, according to the press release.

Deputies searched the home for the woman, and found her sitting on a bed in a nearby room. She was later identified as Claudia B. Dallas, 41, Henderson’s girlfriend. When deputies asked her to surrender and show her hands, she ignored the orders. The deputies managed to arrest her with the help of a police dog.

Henderson was pronounced dead on the scene. An autopsy has not yet been conducted, but will soon be by the Medical Examiner’s Office. Dallas is currently in Alachua County Jail on charges of first degree murder and resisting an officer. Her bail has been set at just over $1 million dollars.  

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