This is Marcia Lane, your roving reporter.
People do care about one another as was obvious Thursday night as civic clubs and youth groups in Putnam County gathered to pack food backpacks for the Feed the Need program in Putnam. Volunteers including Palatka High School football team and cheerleaders, FFA groups and Palatka Kiwanis were on hand to pack 32,000 meals for 800 students who probably otherwise wouldn’t get a meal over the weekend. Organizers said it was the biggest group of volunteers they’ve had. If you want to help out, call Bramlitt Plumbing which oversee the operation coordinated with the group Eradicate Hunger.
Jenkins Elementary School in Interlachen went on lockdown Thursday morning after a BB gun was found in a school bathroom. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office described the gun as “unloaded and inoperable” and deputies determined there was no threat. School administration lifted the lockdown later in the day.
St. Johns County small businesses may be able to get help redoing their stores under federal funding administered through the St. Johns County Commission. Under the program a small business owner can get up to $49,500 provided the improvements meet specific requirements such as updating outdoor spaces, helping protect against COVID-19, upgrading the building front or making exterior repairs. Only $500,000 is available and applications are taken on a first-come, first-serve basis. Deadline to apply is July 1, 2022.
It just doesn’t pay to drive a stolen vehicle in Flagler County. Two men were arrested Monday after Sheriff’s Office deputies pulled over a 2017 U-Haul box truck reported stolen from Volusia County earlier in the day. Driver John Pozzuoli, who turned 59 Wednesday, said he rented the vehicle online through U-Haul and picked up the keys after hours from a lock box in Ormond Beach. While he said proof of the rental was on his phone, he couldn’t find the phone. Pozzuoli told deputies drugs were in the vehicle and they found methaphetamine, hallucinogenic mushrooms and, in a cigarette box, cocaine. His passenger, Gregory Goreham, 43, told deputies he wasn’t at the truck pickup and Pozzuoli had only picked him up shortly before the traffic stop. The two were arrested with Goreham charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle and bond set at $5,000. Pozzuoli was charged with grand theft, driving with a suspended license and several counts of drug possession. His bond was set at $10,500
Lots of high school football games tonight. In Putnam County, Crescent City is at Keystone Heights, which is undefeated. Taylor Pierson plays Interlachen High. Palatka plays away at West Nassau in Callahan.
Farm Share holds a food giveaway Saturday at the former Jenkins Middle School on North 19th Street in Palatka. Several local businesses including Kemper Life as well as Florida Highway Patrol, City of Palatka, Mayor Terrill Hill and East Palatka Fire Rescue are taking part. Giveaway begins at 8:30 a.m.
If you bought a Fantasy 5 ticket Wednesday at the Publix at the Shoppes at Murabella in St. Johns County, check your ticket. You could have won $94,004.24. Winning number is 3-10-11-13-17.
Today’s the last day to register for the Mellon High School Reunion gathering Oct. 14. Contact Edwin Reid for tickets at 386-325-5077. The elegant Mellon School once stood in what is now the Putnam County Courthouse parking lot.
Looking for something to do this weekend? Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church celebrates Greek food at the church on County Road 214 today and Saturday. Go to staugustinegreekfestival.com to order. Food is available today from 3 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.Sykes Family Farms Corn Maze in Elkton is open today through Sunday.Flagler County holds their 16th annual Creekside Music and Arts Fest Saturday and Sunday at Princess Place Preserve.Tonight in Palatka Arts Council of Greater Palatka opens the show “Paintings” An Interior Travelogue” featuring works by Florida School of the Arts Dean Alain Henstchel. Opening reception at Larimer Arts Center begins at 6 p.m. and is free.
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