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GAINESVILLE - Alachua County children and their families are invited to attend the annual Stop the Violence/Back to School Rally on Saturday, July 27, 2024 from 10 a.m. to noon. Doors will open at 9 a.m.

The event will be held in the gym of Santa Fe College’s northwest campus at 3000 NW 83^rd Street. The event is once again being organized by People Against Violence Enterprises (PAVE) and is supported by a wide variety of local sponsors.

This year will mark the 25^th year the Rally has been held.

The rally’s keynote speaker will be Patrick Earl Houston, a rapper known as Project Pat who was previously affiliated with Three 6 Mafia, a ‘gangsta’ rap group. After spending time in prison for robbery and other charges, Project Pat founded Go Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on prison ministry. He has spent years touring the country to speak to people in and out of prison, particularly young people, about overcoming adversity and making good decisions.

The Stop the Violence event will feature entertainment and other speakers, as well as information provided by community organizations about safety, counseling and other topics. Free vaccinations will also be available from the Alachua County Health Department. Representatives from Alachua County Public Schools will also be at the event to provide back to school information on topics including free school meals, free mental health services and parent coaching, calendars, enrollment and more.

The first 5000 school-aged children in attendance will receive a free backpack filled with school supplies, provided by Meridian Behavioral Healthcare. Children must be present to receive the backpacks. There are no limits to how many children may attend.

More information about the rally is available at 352-505-6839 or at www.pavingpeace.org

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ALACHUA ‒ Mark your calendars. Ken Block and Drew Copeland, two of five original members of the platinum-selling band, Sister Hazel, will be performing at the Legacy Park Amphitheater on Aug. 8, 2024, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, and in addition to the live music, there will be local food vendors on site.

Ken Block and Drew Copeland, best known as two of the five members of the platinum-selling southern rock band Sister Hazel, will bring their wildly successful tunes to select cities for intimate, “miss it and miss out” acoustic shows, reminiscent of their earlier performance days when they canvassed the club and coffee shop circuit as a duo from Gainesville, Florida.

While performing over 100 shows each year with the band, Block has long been praised by both media and fans alike for his powerful and emotion-evicting voice, which is both unique and instantly recognizable thanks to a string of radio hits including “All For You,” “Change Your Mind,’ “Happy,” “Champagne High,” and others. Over the last 15 years, Block and the band have been prolific in the studio and at live shows.

Similarly, Copeland is also a celebrated songwriter and vocalist, in 2004 he released a solo album, “No Regrets.”  An avid sports and music lover, Copeland has been honing his songwriting skills in Nashville, Tennessee over the last decade with some of country music's finest tunesmiths.

Sister Hazel is known for their personal approachability and fan-friendly events including being Co-Founders of The Rock Boat, founders of the annual Hazelnut Hang, and for starting their own “Lyrics for Life” charity and raising nearly $1 million for childhood cancer research and family support programs. As University of Florida alumni, Copeland and Block also returned to their alma mater to be the first-ever celebrity hosts of the world’s largest student run pep rally, Gator Growl. 

Sister Hazel songs have appeared in many motion picture soundtracks over the last decade including 10 Things I Hate About You, Major League: Back to the Minors, The Wedding Planner, Clay Pigeons, American Wedding, and Bedazzled.

“The Ken and Drew Show” will take fans through intimate acoustic performances of Sister Hazel favorites, a few “B sides” and deep cuts, and new material that writers have called “some of the freshest new music to come out of Music City”. No evening with Ken and Drew would be complete without lots of laughs and some crafty storytelling, all delivered using with their well-known wit. 

This event is truly a “miss it and miss out” opportunity. Be sure to join Ken Block and Drew Copeland at Legacy Park Amphitheater on Aug. 8 for an unforgettable evening of music and camaraderie.

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ALACHUA ‒ The skies around Alachua were once again bursting with flashes of dazzling lights and displays of patriotism as the city’s annual Fourth of July celebration returned Thursday evening. From spectacular fireworks to food, live music and fun for the entire family, Alachua had it covered. It was a star-spangled extravaganza as live music, food trucks, and kids’ activities set the stage for the dazzling fireworks show that wrapped up the day’s events.

For over 20 years the City of Alachua has hosted an annual July 4^th celebration billed as the “Largest Small Town Fireworks Display in America.” The event is so popular that it attracts thousands of spectators each year from surrounding cities, and oftentimes doubles the size of the town’s nearly 12,000 population.

In a welcome message to the patriotic revelers, Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper stated, “Thank you for celebrating the Fourth of July with Alachua, and we hope the event becomes an annual tradition for your family.”

The annual extravaganza is made possible by support of community businesses and organizations as well as volunteers from the City of Alachua. This year’s Diamond Sponsors were Alachua County Today Newspaper and Dollar General. Gold Sponsors were Alachua Chamber of Commerce, Alachua Lion’s Club, Douglas Adel, DDS, P.A., Rush and Frisco Law and Sunstop Stores. Platinum Sponsors were Hitchcock’s Markets and Waste Pro. Silver Sponsors were the Alachua Business League and Campus USA Credit Union. City volunteers included City Manager Mike DaRoza, Damon Messina, Stephanie McDonald, Jack Hansen, Wes Barrett, Kyler Burk, Lynn Hayes, Steven Holton, Tony Love, Tara Malone, Sgt. Carl Newsome, Pam Philman, Police Chief Jesse Sandusky, Donna Smith, Ofc. Thomas Stanfield, Linnelle Stewart, Rodolfo Valladares and David Wisener.

The fun filled event took place at the Legacy Park Amphitheater. Gates opened at 5 p.m. with events starting at 6 p.m. The evening’s entertainment featured “Whiskey Jones,” a local band that performs an assortment of well-known classic rock, blues and country rock songs. The band has been entertaining audiences in North Florida since 2018. Caitlyn Phillips delivered a patriotic tribute song to America and the National Anthem

As the musical entertainment died down, the skies exploded in a display of multi-colored fireworks and the show began.

For the next half hour, a continuous display of fireworks lit the night sky over Legacy Park as thousands celebrated the Fourth of July.

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NEWBERRY ‒ The Newberry City Commission met July 8, 2024, to consider rates for the upcoming fiscal year. Of the five-member commission, Commissioner Mark Clark was not in attendance.

Newberry Assistant City Manager and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Dallas Lee proposed Resolution 2024-28, a preliminary Fire Assessment. Summarizing calls received for services, Lee said there had been 1,180 total calls for EMS and fire-related issues in the past year. Breaking down those calls by category, Lee reported that EMS service calls numbered 882, while 308 had been for fire services with another 88 for non-specific fire calls.

This year, rather than only identifying calls and fees by category such as residential, commercial, industrial/warehouse, the City weighted the calls using two factors; average call duration and average personnel response. Results of the new methodology revealed that the Industrial/Warehouse category made up 13.26 percent of the calls, which was the largest category except for residential properties. Using this weighted process, Industrial/Warehouse calls showed a difference of 11.62 percent.

“A special assessment for fire services can only be used to fund personnel costs, capital improvements, equipment and other costs related to responding to fire/non-medical emergencies and maintaining readiness to respond to fire/non-medical emergencies through staffing, training, procuring and maintaining facilities and equipment,” said Lee during his presentation.

The Commission voted 3 – 1, with Commissioner Monty Farnsworth casting the dissenting vote, to continue with a $200 assessment per Residential Dwelling Unit for Fiscal Year 2024-25. Rates will be charged for Commercial properties at $0.24 per square foot, Industrial/Warehouse properties will be charged $0.25 per square foot and Institutional properties will be charged at $0.06 per square foot.

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NEWBERRY ‒ The Newberry City Commission on July 8, 2024, annexed 44.61 acres into the City of Newberry. The Commission held three separate legislative public hearings to consider on first reading the voluntary annexation of a total of 44.61 acres. All three ordinances were heard separately and all three received unanimous approval on first reading. Second reading of these three ordinances will take place at the July 22, 2024, regular City Commission meeting.

The first hearing was for Ordinance 2024-16, a petition by Jamie and Steve Nelson providing for the voluntary annexation of a parcel of land contiguous to the boundaries of the City of Newberry. The area to be annexed is consists of 4.76 acres and is located at 1318 S.W. 226^th Street, Newberry.

The second hearing concerned Ordinance 2024-17, a petition by Daniel Shore, providing for the voluntary annexation of a parcel of land contiguous to the boundaries of the City of Newberry. The area to be annexed consists of 9.85 acres and is located at 17406 S.W. 46^th Avenue, Archer.

The third application was for Ordinance 2024-19, a petition by Paul and Pamela Smith, providing for the voluntary annexation of a parcel of land contiguous to the boundaries of the City of Newberry. The area to be annexed consists of 30 acres and is located at 3201 N.W. 202^nd Street, Newberry.

Solar Project

The City of Newberry has opted out of a proposed solar project. In 2019, Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) issued a Request for Proposals seeking energy from large scale (74.5 MW) solar array projects. The City reports that solar energy was competitive with other energy sources and recognized that solar energy was environmentally friendly. The proposals received by FMPA were competitive, and the City elected to acquire one MW (mega-watt) of solar energy capacity through FMPA. Newberry’s one MW allocation was divided across two projects.

During the July 8 meeting, FMPA representative Susan Schuman addressed the Commission to explain that one of the two locations called “Whistling Duck” has suffered rate increases due to supply chain constraints since COVID-19 and must raise their earlier proposed rates from the rates quoted in 2019.

Schuman said some of the cities that were originally going to participate have dropped out due to the rate increase. After explaining the logistics and approximate increase to citizens’ rates, the Commissioners voted to opt out of their previous request to join in the Whistling Duck solar project.

FMPA plans to move forward with the project, but with the remaining municipalities that still want to participate.

Newberry Youth Council

In other City business, Newberry High School student Annah McGehee addressed Commissioners asking for the creation of a Newberry Youth Council similar to the ones in several other cities she listed, including High Springs. She explained that a Municipal Youth Council is an advisory body to the Commission composed of local youth that advocates for issues that matter to them.

Although Commissioners seemed in favor of the program, Mayor Jordan Marlowe suggested the City take this year to develop the program. This was a presentation by McGehee and did not require a vote. However, Commissioners unanimously chose to formally vote to work on the details of a Youth Council this year.

Recreation Month

The City has proclaimed the month of July Recreation Month in Newberry. Park and recreation agencies nationwide are recognizing the month with various summer programs, events, contests, commemorations and celebrations. These activities are designed to engage communities, encourage participation in outdoor activities and promote the numerous benefits of parks and recreation.

City Manager Comments

City Manager Mike New announced that the City would hold a Budget Workshop on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, to discuss the General Fund, Recreation and the Fire Department. He said he hoped to wrap up budget workshops by the end of August.

Also announced was the closing of Southwest 4^th Avenue to begin construction of a turn lane for Bev’s Better Burgers, now open and located at 24974 S.W. 4^th Avenue.

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ALACHUA COUNTY ‒ Interstate-75 southbound in Alachua County was the scene of several accidents on July 4, 2024. Around 5 a.m. on July 4, 2024, units from Alachua County Fire Rescue (ACFR) and Gainesville Fire Rescue were dispatched to a reported vehicle accident on I-75 southbound, at the 386-mile marker. First units to arrive on scene reported there was a two-vehicle accident, off the roadway, with heavy damage.

First responders confirmed that one victim needed to be extricated from one of the vehicles. Crews deployed rescue tools, including the “Jaws of Life,” and safely extricated the victim from the heavily damaged vehicle.

The rescue lasted less than 20 minutes with the individual reported to have only minor injuries. No other injuries to any other parties were reported, and the accident is being investigated by Florida Highway Patrol.

On the same day only a few hours later at 11 a.m., a serious vehicle accident occurred on I-75 southbound near the 389-mile marker, once again necessitating a multi-agency emergency response.

Units from ACFR and Gainesville Fire Rescue were dispatched to the scene following reports of a two-vehicle collision involving a passenger car and a semi-truck.

Upon arrival, first responders found both vehicles off the roadway, heavily damaged and entangled in the tree line. The semi-truck required urgent attention as one of the occupants was trapped inside the wreckage. The complex extrication process, which involved the use of rescue tools such as the "Jaws of Life," took nearly two hours to complete.

The extrication was very complex and rigorous reported an ACFR spokesperson. Responding crews worked tirelessly to safely remove the victim from the heavily damaged semi-truck.

Once extricated, the individual was airlifted to a nearby medical facility for treatment. The specifics of their condition have not been disclosed.

Adding to the complexity of the rescue, the semi-truck's cargo posed a hazardous materials (HAZMAT) risk. Specialized teams were deployed to manage and mitigate the situation, ensuring the safety of both the responders and the public.

In light of these incidents, ACFR officials have reiterated the importance of safety precautions on the road, including the use of seatbelts.

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