Local

Classes begin Monday, Aug. 22, and it’s expected that hundreds of families will wait until that day or even later to register their students.  That means long lines in school front offices across the county.

“By waiting until the last minute, parents will almost certainly face big crowds and very long waits,” said public information officer Jackie Johnson.  “Middle and high school students may also miss out on getting the courses they want because they’re already full.”

Complicating the situation is Florida’s class size law, which went into full effect during the last school year.  Under the law, core academic classes in grades K-3 are limited to no more than 18 students, grades 4-8 are limited to 22 students and in high school the limit is 25 students.  Districts will be fined for every student over the limit in each classroom.

“The law definitely limits the principals’ scheduling flexibility, which makes having an accurate student count before school starts that much more critical,” said Karen Clarke, the district’s director of secondary curriculum.

Even without the class size requirements, late arrivals create a major headache for schools, teachers and their fellow students.

“If principals don’t know how many students are coming, they won’t know how many teachers they’ll need or how many class sections to schedule,” said Clarke.  “When students register late, teachers and students often have to be moved around to accommodate them, and that can be very disruptive.”

Parents need to register if their child will be entering an Alachua County public school for the first time (including students entering kindergarten) or if they have moved to a different school zone within the county.  Families new to the district should go to the child’s zoned school with documents including the child’s birth certificate, Social Security card, proof of a recent physical, proof of immunizations and two proofs of primary residence.  Records from previous schools are useful, but not required.  Those who’ve moved within the district will need to take just the two proofs of residence to the new school.

Local schools are open Monday through Thursday during the summer.  Typically the best time to register a child is between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Parents who aren’t sure which school their child is zoned for or who need more information can contact the district’s zoning office at 352-955-7700.

The city’s two newly elected commissioners are not opposed to the idea of bringing back former City Manager Jim Drumm, making it a possibility that he could be rehired.

High Springs Commissioner-elect Sue Weller said there’s a lot to discuss before she could decide whether she wants him to return to the position.

“I don’t know yet,” she said, “But I’m not ruling anything out at this point.”

Possible scenarios under which Drumm might return include a majority vote by the commission to reinstate him, or if the position was openly advertised according to the city’s usual hiring process, he could apply for the job and be considered like any other applicant.

Weller is sure the issue will come up one way or another, but she doesn’t yet know what she’ll do.

There needs to be open, public discussion among the commissioners before any decisions are made, Weller said.

Fellow commissioner-elect Byran Williams said he hadn’t really thought about Drumm’s return as a possibility.

But he agreed that it would need to be discussed, but was noncommittal whether he would support it.

“I’m not in favor, but I’m not opposed.”

Vice Mayor Eric May suspects there are those who intend to rehire Drumm, although he didn’t specify which commissioners, but did say it would be “a huge mistake.”

May said if a majority votes to hire the former manager again, he will be more than willing to work with Drumm, and he will respect that decision, but he wouldn’t vote in favor of it.

May said that as long as the commission follows the proper process of advertising the manager position fairly for all who are qualified to apply, then Drumm has the right to apply – but he shouldn’t be brought back carte blanche.  “We need to find a manager we all mutually agree on,” May said.  “There’s too much animosity surrounding Drumm.”

Facing termination, Drumm resigned on Oct. 21.  At that time, the city commission gave unanimous approval to accept a severance agreement which included $66,433.80 in severance pay, retention of city health insurance including family coverage for the next six months, and a neutral reference letter for future employers. 

For the 12th straight year the community group People Against Violence Enterprises (PAVE) will be hosting the event, which is expected to draw more than 2,000 people. The event, sponsored by a variety of businesses and community organizations, including primary sponsor Meridian Behavioral Healthcare, Inc., offers musical entertainment, guest speakers with anti-violence messages, a bounce house, an art table and other activities for kids. Meridian will also provide the first 1,200 children attending the fair with free backpacks filled with school supplies.

The purpose of the rally is to give parents and students important tips on preventing violence in their neighborhoods, homes and schools, and to help them prepare for the upcoming school year. This year’s theme is “Who U Reppin’? PEACE!” and the focus will be on preventing gangs and gang-related violence.

Alachua County Public Schools will again be partnering with PAVE this year to hold the district’s annual Back to School Fair in conjunction with the Stop the Violence Rally. District staff will be on hand to provide families attending the event with school bus schedules, calendars, school supply lists and other important back-to-school information.

As part of the Stop the Violence/Back to School Rally, the Leadership Gainesville Alumni Association (LGAA) will be providing backpacks, supplies and clothing to eligible students who have graduated from the local Head Start program. This is the 16^th year the LGAA has sponsored the program for Head Start graduates.

Other local agencies will also be on hand to provide vital services and information. For example, the Alachua County Health Department will be offering free school immunizations and information on signing up for low-cost health insurance. Health Department staff members will also be sharing information about the upcoming Flu Mist vaccination program, a community-wide effort to immunize all students against the flu for free while they’re at school.

Rev your engines and motor over to the south end of Santa Fe College's Northwest campus (by the large flagpole!) for the All American Liberty Fest, a new family-friendly event featuring a motorcycle Flag Run and a car show.

Sponsored by Santa Fe's Collegiate Veterans Society, this first-annual festival, 11 a.m-4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, replaces the Bikers on Parade event as the fundraiser for Alachua County veterans' associations.

"We're hoping to get a lot of donations, because this one event holds over the veteran organizations for the entire year," said Tamsen Pintler, Santa Fe College's veterans' advocate specialist. "This is what sustains them, so I hope everybody opens their minds, their hearts, and their pockets to keep great veterans' organizations in Gainesville."

The All American Liberty Fest represents an official Veterans Affairs (VA) "Welcome Home" event, and a mobile unit from the VA hospital will be available enrolling veterans for their services and administering flu shots to those already enrolled. Veterans can also sign up for unemployment benefits at the event, thanks to the Florida Works Veterans Employment Services.

While grease monkeys can get their fill of automobiles old and new at the motorcycle run and car show, bounce houses, clowns, face painting, and a rock-climbing wall will be among the attractions aimed at the younger set. 

Other attractions include a SWAT team exhibit, military vehicles, and a Gainesville police department K9 demonstration. Food vendors will be out in force, and several musicians are booked for the event, including the country-rock group Sin Waggin' and Hartley Leacock's collective format band.

Leading this year's festivities is honorary chair Joe Galloway, a newspaper correspondent famous for co-authoring the book We Were Soldiers Once... And Young, which was adapted into a 2002 Mel Gibson movie.

Surveillance photograph of the suspect

The High Springs CVS located at 110 North Santa Fe Boulevard was robbed Saturday afternoon at around 5:25 p.m. The High Springs Police Department (HSPD) is currently investigating the armed robbery.  A clerk employed by the High Springs CVS called 9-1-1 to report that she was the victim of a robbery.

HSPD officers arrived on scene and learned that a man, described as a white male, mid to late twenties, 5’10,” between 165 and 185 lbs. He was last seen wearing a grey Nike ball cap, a dark colored Harry Potter tee shirt, long blue jean shorts (past his knee) and running shoes. He had a moustache and goatee. 

The suspect entered the store at approximately 5:11 p.m. and walked around the store for several minutes before he approached the check-out counter and paid for a small item. After his transaction was completed, the man handed the clerk a note which instructed her not to scream and that he had a gun. The man demanded cash from the drawer and after receiving an undisclosed amount; he took his note back and fled the store on foot. No one was physically injured during this robbery.

HSPD, ACSO and APD officers searched the area with negative results. Although a weapon was not seen, the man implied by note and via his actions that he was armed.

Anyone with information about this robbery is asked to contact the HSPD at 386-454-1415, or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 352-372-7867 (STOP). Callers are eligible to receive a reward up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.

SunState FCU employees Brad Walden and Cassandra Davis team up to build a prosthetic hand destined for an accident victim in a third world country.

SunState Federal Credit Union (SunState FCU) recently partnered with the CU Philanthropy Group, to provide employees with a truly unique training and team building exercise. Ninety nine credit union participants assembled 33 fully functional prosthetic hands during the Helping Hands program.  The event was part of SunState’s annual training day.

SunState FCU became the latest credit union nationally to participate in the Credit Union Helping Hands program. In teams of three, credit union employees worked together to assemble the prosthetic hands destined for victims of land-mines, as the central exercise in a team building and process improvement program.

This was “a huge win-win; probably the best team building exercise we’ve ever done; and in doing it, we attained the additional pleasure of helping someone else,” said SunState FCU CEO Jim Woodward. “What a powerful way to build teamwork,” echoed Vice-President of Marketing Robert Hart. “It’s a rewarding exercise that helps you take a very real look at how your teams truly interact. Not only is there valuable self-discovery, but helping to dramatically improve a person’s quality of life at the same time is a powerful thing.”

The prosthetic hands built by SunState FCU staff during their program will be distributed and fitted globally at no cost to recipients through Odyssey Teams, Inc. and Rotary International. Photos of each assembly team will accompany the hands to their final destination, where lives will be positively impacted by the power of this innovative event.

“Once the teams figured out what they were building, and then where the prosthetic hands were going, a regular team building exercise became a truly life changing event,” said SunState FCU Senior Vice President Joe Bour.  “In little over an hour, each team had built a hand for someone that needed it to survive in a developing country. The message that just a little effort on our part, and a few minutes of our time, can mean the world to our members, really hit home. I can’t say enough good things on so many levels about the Helping Hands project.”