Blountstown FL News Commentary and Reading Recommendations

Another interesting article about current developments with St. Joe Company.
 
Still haven't heard about St. Joe Co.? You should. This company is shaping the world around us as they're constantly building homes and selling of thousands of acres of property at (in my opinion) inflated prices. Chances are you can blame a sprawling housing development near you on their activities.

From http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahass...ss/10685983.htm:
 
The department in 2002 required Franklin County to update its expired growth policies in return for approval of St. Joe's 499-home SummerCamp development near St. Teresa.(...)

At a contentious meeting in December, the Franklin County Commission agreed to hold the "consensus workshop" on Tuesday to hear public concerns.(...)
Commissioners talked about possibly appointing a working group but didn't do so. Commission Chairwoman Cheryl Sanders said the commission couldn't legally take action because it was a workshop, not a formal meeting.(...)
But David McLain, the Riverkeeper group's executive director, said he's against changing land-use maps to allow development on St. Joe land before there are policies to protect the seafood industry and natural resources.

Clearly The Riverkeeper group is up against a giant. Real estate development is a multi-billion business and sadly, environmental concerns can quickly get lost among the dollar signs.

06:35 AM   

Congratulations to the Tigers!

From http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/10140982.htm:
 
The news spread quickly.
"It has been crazy here (at school)," junior quarterback Michael Guilford said. "It was like a sigh of relief - we finally got some respect. There's a real closeness on this team, almost like a family. The key now (playoffs) is playing our game and being patient."(...)

Blountstown has not won a playoff game since 1977 and was last ranked No.1 during the 1991 regular season, according to coach Bobby Johns. The Tigers were ranked second in last week's state poll before vaulting over Tampa Berkeley Prep to the top spot on Tuesday.

A lot of work went into this. What a wonderful thing for the school! The Tigers have an exceptional lineup this year. Let's keep our fingers crossed they're still Number One after the playoffs!

09:08 AM   

He must be doing remarkable well. McDonald's has made an astonishing comeback over the last couple years.

From http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahass...ss/10013044.htm:
 
Casper, 31, declined to disclose terms of the deal, which includes ownership of three McDonald's in Marianna and one each in Blountstown and Quincy. The sale should be complete on Sunday.
"We're always looking for McDonald's operators wanting to sell," said Casper, who entered the Tallahassee market four years ago when he purchased its 13 restaurants. "We recently bought to the east in Live Oak, Madison and Perry. Our strategy has been to buy up restaurants in neighboring counties. Now we're going to the west."

On a slightly related note, I do believe that the McDonald's Philly Cheesesteak sandwich was a little bit too dry. A proper Philly Cheesesteak sandwich needs to be smothered in onions, cheese, and sauce. The sandwich I got only had one wimpy dry slice of cheese. Still like their Bic Mac's, though.

09:30 AM   

Our prayers are with the victims and families of all people affected by the recent storms.

From http://www.cnn.com/2004/WEATHER/09/17/hurricane.ivan/:
 
Four people died in Georgia, including a 6-year-old girl who was swept away by floodwaters. An electrocuted utility worker, a 4-year-old swept away and a person hit by a falling tree also died, according to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
(...) Tornadoes in the Panhandle town of Blountstown, west of Tallahassee, and in Panama City Beach caused six of Florida's eight deaths. A tornado destroyed the Blountstown mobile home of Santana Sullivan and her fiance, Chris Ammonds. They returned home to find "a clear lot," she said

Please respect the victims' rebuilding efforts by not going on "sightseeing tours" through their neighborhoods gawking at the damage.

06:11 AM   

A nightmare that happened in the middle of day in Blountstown.

From http://thecountyrecord.net:
 
A Blountstown man is being held on $100,000 bond for allegedly raping a woman Saturday afternoon. (...) According to the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office, a woman (...) was reportedly walking along State Road 20 in the Blountstown area around 1 p.m. when Danley allegedly offered her a ride. The woman, who reportedly had known Danley for many years, accepted his offer. However, she became concerned when he continued driving past the road where she had asked to be dropped off and refused to stop the vehicle. He then reportedly pulled a long machete on the woman (...)

The worst fear of any woman. It's sad to think that one has to think twice even before accepting a ride from someone you know.

09:20 AM   

Great article in Florida Game & Fish Magazine.

From http://www.floridagameandfish.com/fl_aa081003a:
 
No knowledgeable angler is going to list August as a hot month for catching seatrout along Florida's Panhandle coast. Unless, of course, they are talking about the weather!
By the time we enter August, the Gulf of Mexico becomes, as one veteran guide termed it, one large, warm bathtub. And that only describes the water temperatures. Anglers above the surface are going to get an even bigger dose of the heat. For a notoriously delicate fish like the trout, these are not the most favorable conditions for feeding.

Read the full (long) article how fishermen outsmart trout and other fish anyway, espeically in areas around Pensacola and Apalachicola Bay. Very interesting!

09:22 AM   

'Living Waters' is slated for broadcast on WFSU-TV on June 8.

From http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/...ent/8604774.htm:
 
The hour-long film, which is introduced by famed Florida nature photographer Clyde Butcher, glides through the marshes, springs, mangrove islands and protected estuaries around the Sunshine State. Some are as close by as Port St. Joe Bay and others as far away as the Everglades.
(...) At 7 p.m. (CDT) Thursday, Stoltzfus will screen "Living Waters" for the hometown crowd at Blountstown High School Auditorium on Highway 71.
(...) "Living Waters" is being shown on a loop at the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science on Kleman Plaza. It's running in conjunction with a photo exhibit by Butcher until May 16.

For more information on the documentary, visit Stolzfus' website at www.liveoakproductiongroup.com

07:26 AM   

This happened near Fort Myers, however missiles are still found all over in the waters around Florida.

From http://www.news-press.com/news/local_state/040319missle.html:
 
Investigators think a missile found in a Fort Myers metal scrap yard Tuesday was pulled out of the Gulf of Mexico by a shrimp boat months ago, according to the Southwest Florida Domestic Security Task Force.
(...) Investigators think a missile found in a Fort Myers metal scrap yard Tuesday was pulled out of the Gulf of Mexico by a shrimp boat months ago, according to the Southwest Florida Domestic Security Task Force.
(...) A shrimper probably nabbed the missile in its net. Thinking it was scrap metal, the shrimper tossed it in a 40-foot-long bin
(...) Excitement over the missile began shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday when a Garden St. worker thought he was blow-torching a piece of pipe. Sparks flew and smoke shot out an end of the missile, which was corroded and without markings.
Garden St. President Robert Weber used a crane to pin down the missile as it scooted across the ground.

Military officials detonated the missile later in a remote area. Lesson of the story: Be careful when blowtorching obscure metal objects.

06:06 AM   

The Orlando Sentinel reminds us of the danger of sinkholes around Florida, by printing the recollection of a now 94-year-old woman who survived the 1981 Winter Park sinkhole.

From http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loca...-home-headlines:
 
Mae Rose Williams doesn't like to talk about her bad times.
Her first husband died 70 years ago, leaving her with five elementary-age children to raise.
She turned 94 on Jan. 28, having buried four of her five children.
Despite the heartache, she considers herself fortunate.
(...) "I don't believe in things happening out of the blue," said Williams as she sat in her wheelchair in the DePugh Nursing Center, just two blocks from where she watched the famed Winter Park sinkhole swallow the home where she raised all of her children.
(...) For many years after the loss of her home, Williams said she could not even walk past the gaping 260,000-cubic-foot sinkhole. There were too many memories.
(...) At sunrise that Saturday morning, Williams said she saw a hole that was big enough to swallow the full-grown tree. Then she heard a noise "like giant beavers chewing," and the gaping hole began devouring more land.
Her relatives were allowed to move her furniture and belongings out of the home, and Williams moved into the Browns' Winter Park home. She stayed there with her son, Chet, while her new house was being built.
(...) Sinkholes are found throughout Florida. Just about all of the region's round lakes formed as sinkholes. But the 1981 Winter Park sinkhole, now Lake Rose for homeowner Mae Rose Williams, was a whopper, largely because of its size and its urban location. When it stopped growing, it measured 350 feet wide, 75 feet deep and caused $4 million in damage.

Very interesting facts. Anyone who has ever visited one of Florida's many, many caves knows that the ground beneath us is not as solid as it looks!

07:16 AM   

Poor freezing manatees...

From http://www.floridasportsman.com/floridas...an/casts/040116:
 
(...) Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) officials will wait for the next cold snap for another shot at the annual statewide aerial manatee count. The Department of Homeland Security's late-December terrorism alert forced the cancellation of flights over state power plants, where the animals gather during cold weather.
(...) "Roughly half the animals we count are around power plants," said Henry Cabbage, spokesman for the FWC. The plants' warmwater discharges attract the animals during the winter months, concentrating them for easy counting.

Poor creatures. Getting torn up by boat propellers, and celebrating Christmas huddled around a cozy... power plant?!

08:12 AM