GAINESVILLE, FLA. – Santa Fe College (SF) will celebrate Fall 2023 graduates with in-person commencement ceremonies that will be held in the SF Gymnasium on the Northwest Campus, 3000 N.W. 83rd Street, Gainesville.

The pinning/graduation ceremony for Nursing program graduates is Thursday, Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. No tickets are required to attend this ceremony.

Students earning a bachelor’s, A.A., A.S., A.A.S. or certificate degree will be recognized at the ceremony on Friday, Dec. 8 at 3 p.m. Students who are walking in the Friday ceremony will receive four tickets each. Only people with tickets will be admitted.

Doors to the gym will close once the procession begins. On Friday, guests arriving late and/or without tickets can view the ceremonies on the big screen inside the Fine Arts Hall. Seating in both the gym and the Fine Arts Hall is provided on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Everyone should plan their travel routes accordingly. North Road at the gym intersection will be closed at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 and 8.

Visit the graduation website for parking information and more.

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ALACHUA ‒ Alachua Boy Scout Troop 88 and the Alachua Lions Club broke ground on a new scout hut Nov. 10, 2023 at the site of the existing scout hut, located on N orthwest142^nd Terrace across from the Alachua Post Office. Chartered in 1912, and one of the oldest Boy Scout troops in the United States, Troop 88 has a long history in Alachua and with the Alachua Lions Club.

After the Alachua Lions Club was chartered in 1931, it began sponsoring Troop 88. According to Alachua Lions Club records, the first scout hut in Alachua was built in the 1930s with the assistance of the Alachua Lions Club but was burned down in 1983 as result of arson.

Continuing its dedication to Boy Scout Troop 88, Alachua Lions Club members, headed by Lion Gil Whitman, spearheaded the construction of a new scout hut to replace the one that burned down. Funds were raised by the Lions and many “man-hours” were donated to construct the new building, Lions Club records state.

In February 1984, the concrete slab for the current scout hut was poured and the building began to take shape. The building was enlarged from the original size, giving the troop a chance to grow and include more scouts into the scouting program. Upon the completion of the building, Boy Scout Troop 88 decided to dedicate the new scout hut in memory of Lion Gilbert Whitman who was killed in a car accident on Feb. 14, 1984 after spending the day pouring the concrete for the hut.

In 2017, Alachua Lions Club member Gib Coerper began heading up an effort to raise money for a major expansion and renovation of the scout hut. The expansion comes with a price tag of about $185,000. All of the construction and design costs and efforts have been donated either in cash or in-kind.

The project will be a complete renovation of the existing building, plus a major expansion increasing the scout hut by two-thirds. The existing restroom will be renovated, and an additional wheelchair accessible restroom will be constructed. The expansion also includes an entirely new HVAC system and a covered front porch.

Coerper said he expects construction on the project to move at a fast face, with completion as early as mid-December. While the scout hut undergoes the renovations, scouts will utilize the Alachua Lions Club building next door.

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OCALA, Fla.- Last week, three vehicles were involved in a hit-and-run crash with serious bodily injury in Marion County. In the early morning of Saturday, November 18, 2023, a Ford Mustang and a Chevrolet Corvette were traveling west on State Road 200, operating their vehicles at a high rate of speed, making multiple lane changes, and driving recklessly for the purpose of racing.

In the area of Southwest 80th Street, the Corvette struck a Toyota Prius that was also traveling west. The Corvette then traveled off the roadway before hitting a utility pole and a tree; the Prius remained in the median.

The driver of the Ford Mustang briefly parked, concealing his car in a local business parking lot. At the same time, he checked the injury status of the driver of the Corvette, who had been ejected, before fleeing the scene. The driver of the Corvette, a 38-year-old male from Ocala, was seriously injured.

At the time of the crash, Florida Highway Patrol (F.H.P.) investigators released images of the Ford Mustang driver to the public in hopes of identifying him. The male driver appeared to be a heavy-set white male with tattooed arms, wearing a baseball hat and a beard. The Mustang was also described as a silver-in-color 2020-2023 model with tinted windows. Anyone with information was asked to contact F.H.P. or their local Crimestoppers to provide tips.

Through investigative efforts and help from the public who volunteered tips following the crash, the suspect driver of the Mustang was identified as white male Jacob Steven Michael Carmack, 23, of Ocala.

Carmack was arrested on Tuesday, November 27, 2023, and booked into Marion County Jail on the following charges:

• Reckless Driving which resulted in serious bodily injury to another- 1 count (Felony) F.S.S. 316.192.3a2
• Crash Involving Death or Personal Injuries for the failure to remain on scene of a crash which resulted in the serious bodily injury to another- 1 count (Felony) F.S.S. 316.027.2b
• Racing on Highways-1 count (Misdemeanor) F.S.S. 316.191.2a

This investigation remains active and ongoing. To learn more about the dangers of street racing and how you can report information on upcoming events or identify participants, visit Street Racing/Takeovers, Stunt Driving - Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (flhsmv.gov).

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Photo by MICHAEL P. MAUER special to Alachua County Today / Alachua County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2811 Quartermaster Avery Owen, left, and Commander Chester Lundy display the flag that was rescued and returned to the Gainesville post after being thrown away in a dumpster 350 miles away.

GAINESVILLE ‒ More than 350 miles away outside of Atlanta, a United States flag carefully folded into a display case was casually thrown into the trash. Rescued by a patriotic citizen, it was placed in the hands of Michael T. Brown, adjutant of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5255 in Lawrenceville, Ga.

As Brown removed the back from the display case to properly prepare the flag for disposal, a newspaper clipping dated July 2, 1989 fell out. The topic of the article was flag desecration, and a court ruling that upheld flag burning as an expression of speech. It featured remarks from Past Alachua County VFW Post 2811 Commander Adrian K. Stitt.

“To be free, you’ve got to have patriotism, and patriotism is part of who I am as a person,” Stitt was quoted in the article. “I will not speak against our government yet – until they give me something to speak out against.”

Stitt, a veteran of World War II and Korea, served as commander of the Alachua County post 34 years ago. A few years later following his term, he moved to be closer to family near Atlanta.

And there he stayed until he passed. Part of his legacy were the words read by the VFW Post 5255 adjutant.

Motivated by the newspaper article and a sense of duty, adjutant Brown – a veteran of the Vietnam War – delivered the flag to the Gainesville VFW. Instructions with the national emblem and case read that the flag should be displayed proudly with honor.

Alachua County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2811 Quartermaster Avery Owen received the display case earlier this month. A retired master sergeant with the 3rd Bn, 20th Special Forces Group of the Florida Army National Guard, Avery said he felt honored by the adjutant’s request.

“Those of us who’ve served overseas have seen firsthand what countries are like where people have few rights and freedoms,” he said. “It helps make you understand that the U.S. flag truly represents protection of liberties, and deserves to be respected and honored.”

With dozens of combat veterans in its ranks, the Alachua County post is dedicated to honoring the U.S. flag. On Nov. 4, for example, members of the post and its auxiliary spent part of the day decorating the graves of former servicemembers with American flags for Veterans Day.

Also, carefully displayed on the walls of the post’s main meeting hall are scores of U.S. flags in wooden presentation cases. Each is marked with a small brass plaque inscribed with the name of the servicemember it honors.

Avery said he understands that some of the freedoms he’s fought for include the right of fellow citizens to desecrate the flag as a form of protest. He is quick to add, however, that it is also his privilege and that of many others to honor the flag at all times.

“We could argue what is right or what is wrong,” said Avery “But in the end, respecting our country and its founding principles and our fellow citizens is paramount.”

Etiquette taught to those in the military and service organizations is based on the premise that the American flag should be respected as a symbol of freedom. According to the VFW, proper protocol should be followed in the disposal of a flag. This process includes reverently burning the flag, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and burying the ashes. Alachua County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2811 accepts donations of old and worn flags, and regularly retires them according to these guidelines.

“It’s never right to just throw the United States flag into a dumpster,” said current VFW Post 2811 Commander Chester Lundy. “That’s like throwing away all your rights and privileges as a citizen of this country.”

Lundy, a retired Marine master sergeant and Desert Storm veteran, said that he’s glad the flag arrived under his watch.

“It gave myself and a few others a chance to reflect about how many different opinions there are, and how good it is to be in a country where differences are allowed,” the commander said.

Those interested in VFW Post 2811 and its activities can call 352-376-7660

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Michael P. Mauer is a life member of VFW Post 2811. He served as an Army photojournalist during Operation Desert Storm, and was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal by Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf for his actions during the war. This year, Mauer won the Grand Award for top feature article in the VFW National Publications Contest.

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