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GAINESVILLE, FLA., (Aug. 22, 2023) – Judges for 2023’s National Cade Prize for Innovation named this year’s 21 Fibonacci Finalists. Finalists will compete to win $10,000 in their respective category groups—Agriculture and Environmental, Healthcare/Biomedical, IT/Tech, Energy, and Wildcard. One of the five category winners will be selected as the Inventivity™ Grand Prize winner and take home an additional $50,000 prize.  

For the first time, this year’s 14th Annual Cade Prize for Innovation accepted applications from inventors and entrepreneurs based anywhere in the United States.  Almost half of this year’s 21 Finalists are from outside of Florida.  Prize applicants from 15 states, affiliated with research universities, the private sector, and technology transfer organizations submitted early-stage inventions.  

“We were very pleased to see strong interest in the Cade Prize from leading research institutions across the country,” said Cade co-founder Richard Miles.   

The finalist teams not only have an innovative idea, but one that also has significant market promise and the potential to make a big impact in its field.  

The Cade Prize, a capstone initiative of the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention, is named after Dr. James Robert Cade, Gatorade’s lead inventor. This year’s 21 Fibonacci Finalists are: 

Final judging will take place at the Cade Prize Awards Ceremony at the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention in Gainesville, Florida on September 28. $100,000 in cash prizes will be awarded: $10,000 to the winner of each category and an additional $50,000 for the Inventivity™ Grand Prize Winner selected from the five category winners. Each award recipient also receives $2,000 of in-kind legal services. 

 This year’s Cade Prize is sponsored by Scott R. MacKenzie, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), Exactech Inc., Infotech, Florida Farm Bureau, OneSixOne Ventures, Saliwanchik, Lloyd & Eisenschenk law firm, Florida Trend, James Moore Certified Public Accountants and Consultants, and Aloft Gainesville University Area Hotel. Visit https://cademuseum.org/inventivity/cade-prize/ to learn more.  

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The at Catherine Taylor Park in High springs on July 29. The library has a selection of books for young children. A child, or their parent, may select a book, take it home, read it and then return it for another book.

Through the establishment of the free library at a local park, the Kiwanis Club is advocating for children by reinforcing the importance of reading in individual’s lives and that learning to read should be stressed at a very early age. The Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe says that a child that can read and read well will succeed in school.

The primary focus of Kiwanis clubs worldwide is young children. It is during these early years that a child’s education is so vital to the child’s development.

A Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe member said that the club is happy to be able to provide this library for the children of the community and looks forward to supplying more books for the children to enjoy. “The Kiwanis Club hopes that families and children will take advantage of this opportunity.”

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ Hundreds of people showed up for National Night Out in High Springs. For the past 40 years, communities throughout America hold a National Night Out event. Over 38 million neighbors take part in National Night Out across 16,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories and military bases worldwide get together for an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.

The annual celebration is typically held on the first Tuesday in August, with the purpose of bringing law enforcement officers, emergency personnel and the public together to learn about local neighborhood crime, crime prevention tips, safety tips around the home and creating neighborhood watch groups in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

Neighborhoods host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and various other community events along with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, including games and activities for children. It also gives the community a chance to meet their neighbors and get to know their local officers on a personal level.

High Springs is one of 100 communities in Florida that sponsors a National Night Out event. Each year first local responders and city staff host the event at the Civic Center field.

On Tuesday evening, Aug. 1, a line of police and fire vehicles parked with lights flashing to welcome attendees to the event. Kids were given the opportunity to explore the specially equipped vehicles as well as opportunities to play games and win prizes hosted by local civic organizations and churches.

There was also a long line of parents and students gathering for a free back-to-school giveaway of supplies and backpacks. Deeper Purpose Church, 1^st Baptist Church, Mount Olive Missionary Baptist church, Santa Fe Kiwanis Club, High Springs Police Department and the GFWC High Springs Women’s Club spent several months gathering new school supplies to distribute at the event to families in need. Everything was laid out in orderly rows as the families got the needed supplies for the new school year.

In the Civic Center field, police and fire vehicles were parked with crews giving information about the vehicles and answering questions as well as giving tours of their vehicles to curious children. A DJ played music for the crowd as people lined up to receive free hot dogs, pizza or burgers served by police department and City staff volunteers.

Various groups set up stations to give away small prizes or offer games for the kids. These included Childrens Trust of Alachua, GFWC Women’s Club, Santa Fe Kiwanis Club, and UF health.

Choi Kwang Do Martial Arts Academy set a up a practice dummy for kids to try their punches on. In the middle of the field was a small kiddie pool filled with water balloons. This quickly turned into a favorite spot for the kids, enjoying throwing water balloons at each other and also at several police officers who became involved in the good-natured fun.

National Night Out is not all games though. The Police Department gave advice about safety, drug issues and neighborhood crime prevention for families to better protect themselves and explained how police officers are there to help people and protect the community.

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NEWBERRY ‒ Six City of Newberry employees have graduated from the nationally-recognized Certified Public Manager (CPM) program at Florida State University's Center for Public Management. “These six leaders have shown exemplary commitment to serving our city and furthering their skills in public management,” said City Manager Mike New.

The CPM program is a nationally recognized comprehensive management development program that provides participants with an in-depth understanding of the principles, practices and issues of professional public management. The two-year-long CPM program consists of 31 days of classroom instruction, supplemented by homework assignments and exams, focusing on the fundamentals of leadership and management.

“We are confident that the skills and knowledge they have gained from the CPM program will significantly benefit our residents and contribute to the ongoing development of our community,” said New.

The City’s CPM graduates are Assistant City Manager for Public Works & Utilities Jamie Jones, Assistant City Manager and Chief Financial Officer Dallas Lee, Director of Parks, Recreation, and Facilities Travis Parker, City Clerk Judy Rice, Customer Service Manager Tammy Snyder, and Director of Planning & Economic Development Bryan Thomas.

“I am incredibly proud of these leaders for their dedication and hard work,” New, said. “Their commitment to enhancing their skills through the CPM program epitomizes the spirit of continuous learning and service that we value so highly here in Newberry. This accomplishment not only enriches their professional journey but also reinforces our commitment to providing the highest level of service to our residents.”

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The City of High Springs will hold its next municipal election on Nov. 7. The qualifying period for the fall election to fill two seats on the City Commission ended July 20 with four candidates on the ballot.

Commission seats #1 and #2 are currently held by Commissioners Ross Ambrose and Gloria James, respectively, and both filed for re-election.

Incumbent Commissioner Ambrose will face off against newcomer Kajana Andrew Miller in the Seat #1 contest, while incumbent Mayor James will face off against another newcomer, Hector S. Tapanes, for Seat #2.

High Springs city commissioners serve three-year terms and receive an annual salary of $11,124.

High Springs’ citizens can verify their voter registration status or inquire about polling locations by visiting the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections website or by call calling the Supervisor’s office at 352-374-5252.

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Staff Report/Alachua Chronicle

ARCHER – David Harris Warner, III, 29, was arrested early Aug. 4, 2023 and charged with prowling and burglary of an occupied residence after allegedly following a woman home and then entering her home.

The victim told an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy that while she was driving home, she passed Warner standing next to a closed city park near her home. She parked her car in her driveway and walked into her home; Warner allegedly followed her on foot to her front door. The deputy reported that Warner can be seen on the victim’s Ring doorbell wearing a hoodie and a mask covering his face. At about 5:22 a.m., Warner allegedly opened her door and walked into her house.

The woman’s dog barked, and her husband confronted Warner, who reportedly turned around and left. The Ring doorbell camera reportedly shows Warner leaving the house about 50 seconds after he entered, then walking down the driveway.

The victim’s husband reportedly followed Warner to ask him why he had entered the house and told the deputy that Warner had removed his shirt and that he threw his cell phone and wallet on the ground. The victim’s husband said Warner moved toward him in an aggressive manner, so he punched him in the face. He said Warner told him he “needed to look him up” and then ran away.

The responding deputy used the ID card in the wallet to identify Warner and made contact with him at his mother’s home, which is a few blocks from the victim’s home. The deputy reported that Warner was unable to dispel his concerns about why he was loitering in the area with his head and face covered.

Warner has one felony and one misdemeanor conviction, both violent. The deputy noted that he had taken a report in February 2023 about an attempted stabbing at the Circle K in Archer and that he had identified Warner as the suspect in that case, but the victim was never identified. No charges were filed in that case.

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