Local

LAKE CITY – Feb. 5, 2022 – It wasn’t a question “if” Tyler Nicely would win a Feature during DIRTcar UMP Modified Speedweeks, so much as it was a matter of “when.”

After some struggles at East Bay Raceway Park last week in the kickoff to the Speedweeks points championship, the 2020 Speedweeks champion and his crew regrouped earlier this week and didn’t have to wait long to see Victory Lane. Nicely pulled off a clean sweep of Saturday night at North Florida Speedway, setting fast time in Qualifying, winning his Heat Race and holding off the field on a green-and-white, checkered finish to score the win.

“I feel like we should’ve had one over there at East Bay,” said Nicely, of Owensboro, KY. “Definitely should’ve been on the podium every night I feel like, so it feels good to get the first one off our back.”

He won the race, but didn’t actually get the lead until the final laps. Outside polesitter Jason Garver swiped the lead from Nicely when the green dropped and held tight to it until Lucas Lee bested him on a Lap 7 restart. With Lee now in command of the field, Garver began to slip back into the clutches of Nicely.

The two swapped the second and third spots around a few times over the next 15 laps – Nicely using his excellent acceleration out of Turn 2 to pass Garver back after he would drive around him on the top. Several caution periods littered the second half of the race, which eventually benefitted Nicely and his choice of Hoosier Racing Tire in the end.

“We went with a little harder tire, and I feel like I got beat by that down at East Bay, so I didn’t want to try and go softer,” Nicely said. “I just needed about three laps to get going.”

Then came a turning-point restart on Lap 17, when Nicely fired-off well and maintained pace with leader Lee. With Nicely inching Lee in every lap, Lee decided to stay about a half-groove higher than the very bottom of the track, where Nicely was running. Nicely saw this and took his shot with three-to-go, getting under him out of Turn 2, drawing even with Lee’s #12 into Turn 3 and prying the spot away from him at the exit of Turn 4.

“On those restarts I’d get shuffled back, and finally we got a couple laps run and I was able to get underneath Lucas, and it was a good, clean race,” Nicely said.

“I thought as long as I could keep my speed up, [I’d be fine],” Lee said. “I didn’t think he was coming. My [signal] guy gave me a lead, and then it closed-up, and I knew I was a sitting duck.”

 But that wasn’t the end of it. Christopher Rutherford spun in Turns 3-4 just as the leaders were coming for the checkers and the caution flag was thrown. This set up an intense green-and-white, checkered finish.

“I was actually worried more about Lucas,” Nicely said of his thoughts under the yellow. “I just wanted to make sure I hung my car out enough just so he couldn’t get a run in the middle going into Turn 1 on the last lap.”

 But Nicely never flinched. He mashed the throttle on the start and sped away, opening a big gap behind him and securing the victory the next time by.

 Crossing in second was Jupiter, FL-driver Clay Harris. Sporting a brand-new Longhorn by Loenbro chassis in his first competitive night on the car, Harris put together an amazing drive from 14th to second in 25 laps.

 Before the final caution was thrown, Harris had been riding in third behind Lee. But that final restart gave him one last opportunity to pick up another spot, which he didn’t waste.

“He messed-up a little bit coming out of Turn 2 and Turn 4 on the same lap,” Harris said. “I thought I was going to pass him, and then the white flag came out, and I wasn’t even gonna try him. Then, they threw the caution, and I knew it was game time.”

New Speedweeks points leader Lucas Lee finished third after leading most of the race. Though he only lost ten points to Nicely in the standings, he said his tire choice cost him in the end.

 “It was a gamble anyway,” Lee said. “I think I found the rubber before they did, and my tire wasn’t going to be there at the end. When my [stick signals] closed-up, I knew [Nicely] had a [harder compound] on. I figured he was coming.”

 The DIRTcar UMP Modified Winternationals action continues at North Florida Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 6. Follow along on the DIRTcar Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for all the latest updates and content.

 Winternationals Feature (25 Laps) – 1. 25-Tyler Nicely[1]; 2. 21J-Clay Harris[14]; 3. 12-Lucas Lee[3]; 4. 27-Jason Garver[2]; 5. 72-Todd Neiheiser[8]; 6. 27R-Steve Rex[17]; 7. 57-Fletcher Mason[4]; 8. 51-Brandon Green[13]; 9. 242-Brandon Bollinger[15]; 10. 91-Jamie Green[6]; 11. 117-Clinton Gillen[12]; 12. 7S-Ronnie Chance[18]; 13. 2J-Troy Johnson[9]; 14. 18-Christopher Rutherford[20]; 15. 62E-Deece Schwartz[11]; 16. S21-Seth Daniels[5]; 17. 3D-Makayla Tyrrell[16]; 18. 141-Justin Galbreath[7]; 19. 16C-John Clippinger[10]; 20. 21D-Danny Schwartz[21]; 21. 711B-Jerry Bland Jr[22]; 22. 05-Dave Wietholder[25]; 23. I 70-Kim Edington[19]; 24. 60-James McKeown[24]; 25. 12D-Wesley Duboise[23]; 26. 49-Billy Green[26]

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA ‒ The City of Alachua will be searching for a new top cop as Police Chief Chad Scott announced he would be leaving his post with the City. The news came at the Jan. 24 Alachua City Commission meeting. Scott has accepted a position with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ASO), where he previously worked, serving 16 years until 2007 when he joined the Alachua Police Department (APD) as a reserve police officer. After Scott’s announcement, the audience gave him a standing ovation in honor his service to the city.

In other City business, the Commission announced the schedule for the upcoming April municipal election. Two seats will be decided including Mayor and Commission Seat 2. Mayor Gib Coerper has stated his intent to run again for the Mayor's seat and Commissioner Robert Wilford has announced he will not seek reelection. The election will be held April 12, the second Tuesday in April. In the event no candidate receives a majority of more than 50 percent of the votes cast, a runoff election will be held Tuesday, May 3, 2022.

The election qualifying period is from noon, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022 to noon, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. The polling places will be located at the Multipurpose Center at Legacy Park, the Clubhouse at Turkey Creek, and the Cleather H. Hathcock, Sr., Community Center.

The Alachua Lions Club was honored with a special presentation by the City Commission. The not-for-profit service organization has been serving the Alachua community for more than 80 years. The club is celebrating its upcoming anniversary, and to commemorate its achievements a proclamation was read by Mayor Coerper proclaiming Jan. 24, 2022 as Alachua Lions Club Day in the city of Alachua. Alachua Lions Club Vice President Jeremy Thomas accepted a copy of the proclamation.

In other business, the Commission considered an offsite tree mitigation request as part of a site plan for the Alachua Dreyer's building. The site plan application proposes the construction of a 16,000-square-foot building with associated site improvements on a heavily forested 3.95-acre property located on U.S. Highway 441and 133^rd Terrace. The mitigation request proposes to provide eight replacement trees onsite while the offsite mitigation is for 240 trees. Cost of the off-site mitigation is $38,400, which must be paid to the City prior to the issuance of a building permit for new construction associated with the site plan.

During property development, when trees are removed from a property, new trees must be installed to replace healthy regulated trees on a one-for-one basis. A regular tree is defined as 10 inches or more in diameter or two feet in circumference. Heritage and champion trees, which are defined with a diameter of at least 30 inches or seven feet, ten inches in circumference, must be replaced on an inch-for-inch basis. When required tree replacement cannot be accommodated through onsite mitigation, offsite mitigation trees may be planted in City-owned properties and parks, City rights-of-way, preservation or conservation areas owned by the City, and within medians and rights-of-way of state and county roads where an inter local agreement authorizes such planting.

In other business, the City’s Director of Finance and Administrative Services, Robert Bonetti, informed the Commission that the City had been awarded a $2,024 grant through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). The FY 2020 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) award will be used to purchase new gun holsters for APD.

#     #    #

Email rcarson@

alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA ‒ The City of Alachua is losing its police chief while the Alachua County Sheriff's Office (ASO) is gaining a police commander with 32 years of experience. At the Jan. 24 Alachua City Commission meeting, Alachua Police Chief Chad Scott announced his resignation to accept a job with the ASO as the Chief of Operations with the rank of Major.

“Law enforcement was my passion ever since I was a teenager,” Scott said. Growing up in Newberry, Scott described himself as a kid who always talked with local law enforcement and asked a lot of questions, learning about the career by listening to officers’ stories. After high school Scott played on the football team at Bethel College, graduating in 1988 with a Bachelor’s Degree focused in Social Sciences.

Two years later he began his career in law enforcement when he was hired by the ASO. Over the next 16 years he served in a variety of capacities, including Patrol Deputy, School Resource Deputy, Detective, Special Operations, and SWAT. As he advanced through the ranks, he further developed his professional skills through classes and coursework.

Scott’s tenure with ASO would ultimately come to an end, when in 2007, an internal investigation alleged that he had incorrectly filled out timesheets over a year’s time, resulting in overpayments totaling $900. While the investigation was underway, Scott was placed on probation. Although the investigation ultimately failed to find evidence, as well as a second investigation by the State Attorney’s Office, then Sherriff Sadie Darnell kept Scott on probation.

After the dustup with the sheriff, Scott realized that further advancement with the department would be limited, and he resigned. Scott says that at the time he considered changing careers. “However, what I thought was my worst day, turned out to be my best day ever.”

Scott had come to know many people during his time with ASO, and some became friends. One of those individuals was current Alachua County Sheriff Clovis Watson, Jr. Watson had served as the Deputy Chief of Police with the City of Alachua Police Department and later became City Manager. “Although we had been friends for a long time, he was also my mentor, giving me advice and support in my law enforcement career,” said Scott. “When I told him about my thoughts of changing careers, he told me ‘Chad, you are a cop and nothing else will make you happy,’” Scott said.

Scott was hired by the City of Alachua Police Department (APD) in 2008 as a reserve police officer. Over the next 13-plus years he would be hired full time and rise through the ranks. He was first assigned to the Patrol Division until his appointment to the Traffic Safety Unit. In March 2010, he was promoted to the rank of Detective and assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division where he investigated multiple high-profile cases.

In May 2011, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and assigned to the Patrol Division as a supervisor. Scott also supervised the Traffic Safety Unit until his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant in November 2011. As a Lieutenant, Scott was responsible for the oversight of Police Operations and Administration. In August 2014, he assumed the position of Deputy Chief of Police and was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Police Department.

In 2015, APD Police Chief Joel DeCoursey, Jr., retired and then Alachua City Manager Traci Cain appointed Scott to replace him. “My work ethic has always spoken for itself,” Scott said. “I just think the City of Alachua recognized it as an asset to the ‘Good Life Community.’”

During his tenure as Police Chief Scott saw the department grow and become more involved with the community. He stressed that officers must always be professional and treat people fair. “You have to be engaged in your community,” he said. “That consists of, at times, of being a big brother or a big sister, a mentor, a counselor, a teacher. Sometimes you have to be a minister or a deacon. And my most favorite is being a coach.”

Scott believes he is leaving APD in good hands and that his move to ASO will benefit Alachua by establishing a stronger bond and communication between the city and the county. “I may be moving on to a new position with the ASO, but my heart stays with Alachua.”

#     #    #

Email rcarson@

alachuatoday.com

TALLAHASSEE – The Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention and leaders from science centers and museums from around the state assembled during STEM Day at the Florida Capitol on January 25, 2022. The goal was to engage legislators about the critical role that Science Centers and museums play with inspiring and creating the STEM workforce of tomorrow while also advocating for increased funding to support these efforts. 

Participants were stationed inside and outside the Capitol building with experiments, displays, robots and more! Throughout the day, state legislators took part in hands-on activities while learning how STEM education helps grow Florida’s technological workforce.  Science museums act as a hub for STEM learning and can easily facilitate opportunities between industry, education and the public. Collaborations between science museums, corporations and education are key to developing a comprehensive approach to promote STEM learning from cradle to career.

The challenges of the past 18 months have reminded all of us that science matters now more than ever. Science literacy not only leads to a better understanding of life’s problems, but it promotes the development of skills to help solve them. Through study and experimentation, we acquire knowledge, which leads to understanding, innovation and ultimately prosperity. Our youth can save the world and science can help them do it. 

“We are in the middle of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, seamlessly blending our digital and physical worlds. Technology is evolving so quickly, we don’t know what the future will look like, but we do know how we can prepare for it,” says Stephanie Bailes, CEO & President of the Cade Museum. “We can teach our children to think like inventors, to be creative and problem solve, to work in teams and explore new perspectives, and to learn how to be fueled by failure rather than fear it.” 

During STEM Day at the Capitol, participating partners, including student groups, shared their passion for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with legislators, demonstrating the impact that their efforts can have on economic development across the state.  Displays will reinforce how science museums light the spark of curiosity, promote future careers and build essential 21st century skills while also illustrating how increased funding could expand these efforts. 

STEM DAY 2022 PARTICIPANTS:

• Orlando Science Center 
• Motorola Solutions Foundation 
• Museum of Discovery and Science (Ft. Lauderdale) 
• Cox Science Center and Aquarium (West Palm Beach) 
• Tallahassee Museum 
• FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), Northwest Florida  
• River City Science Academy (Jacksonville) 
• STEM SimX 

#    #   #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA COUNTY ‒ The Department of Health – Alachua is expanding Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) services to Wednesday evenings. Extended hours began on Jan. 12.

“In addition to services provided during regular business hours five days per week, our staff is pleased to be able to improve access to vital educational and nutritional services to our pregnant, new mothers and children under the age of five on Wednesday evenings,” said Alachua County’s Florida Department of Health Administrator Paul Myers.

Existing clients wanting to make an appointment, and new clients seeking eligibility criteria, are asked to contact the Alachua County Health Department WIC Program at 352-225-4343 or toll-free at 800-494-2543. Additional information on eligibility can be found at FloridaWIC.org and SignUpWIC.com.

WIC is a nutrition program for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding or who have recently been pregnant, infants and children under five. WIC provides healthy food, nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding and referrals to healthcare, immunizations and community services at no cost.

#     #     #

Email cwalker@

alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA COUNTY – North Central Florida is expected to see temperatures at or below freezing this weekend. The Alachua County Department of Animal Resources and Care wants to remind citizens that pets, just like people, need a warm place to stay. 

Due to the present quarantine for exposure to the canine distemper virus, Animal Resources & Care has several dogs housed in a large tent outdoors. On cold nights, like those forecast this weekend, the dogs are brought indoors. The public can rest assured that all efforts are made to keep these dogs safe and warm. Animal Resources and Care encourage all pet owners to do the same.

The common belief that dogs and cats are more resistant than people to cold weather because of their fur is untrue. Like people, cats and dogs are susceptible to frostbite and hypothermia and should be kept inside. Longer-haired and thick-coated dog breeds, such as Huskies and other dogs bred for colder climates, are more tolerant of cold weather; but no pet should be left outside for long periods in below-freezing weather. Pets can freeze, become disoriented, lost, stolen, injured, or killed if left outdoors. In addition, do not leave pets alone in a car during cold weather, as cars can act as refrigerators that hold in the cold and cause animals to freeze to death.

Consider a sweater or dog coat for dogs with short coats or who seem bothered by the cold weather. Have several on hand, so dogs can use a dry sweater or coat each time it goes outside. Wet sweaters or coats can make dogs colder. Some pet owners also use booties to protect their dog's feet. Those who choose to use them should make sure they fit properly.

Just like people, pets' cold tolerance can vary from pet to pet based on their coat, body fat stores, activity level, and health. Dog owners should be aware of their pet's tolerance for cold weather and adjust accordingly. Owners will probably need to shorten their dogs’ walks in frigid weather to protect both owner and dogs from weather-associated health risks. Pets with diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, or hormonal imbalances (such as Cushing's disease) may have a more challenging time regulating their body temperature and may be more susceptible to problems from temperature extremes. The same goes for very young and very old pets. Pet owners should consult their veterinarian if they need help determining their pet's temperature limits.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com