| FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, THE BASSMASTER ELITE SERIES SEASON HAS OPENED ON THE ST. JOHNS RIVER IN PALATKA. NOT IN 2023. THE PRO FISHING TOURNAMENT WILL OPEN ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE IN SOUTH FLORIDA FEB. 16-19. THIS IS THE ORGANIZATION’S FIRST TRIP THERE SINCE 2017 ALTHOUGH THEY’VE VISITED THE LAKE 22 TIMES SINCE 1980. PUTNAM COUNTY OFFICIALS ARE HOPING TO LURE THEM BACK NEXT YEAR. THE YEARLY TOURNAMENT NORMALLY MEANS SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS BEING PUMPED INTO THE PUTNAM COUNTY ECONOMY. ON TUESDAY PALATKA’S HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD HOLDS A SPECIAL MEETING CALLED BY THE CITY TO DECIDE ON CHANGING THE ZONING AT HAMMOCK HALL, A CITY-OWNED BUILDING NOW FOR SALE. THE CITY WANTS THE ZONING CHANGED TO COMMERCIAL. THE 5 P.M. MEETING IS AT CITY HALL AND IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. HOMEOWNERS FROM THE SOUTH HISTORIC DISTRICT WILL BE THERE JUST AS THEY WERE LAST WEEK FOR A SPECIAL MEETING CALLED BY THE CITY TO GET THEIR INPUT ON WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE AT THE HALL. THE ONE THING MOST AGREED ON WAS THEY DIDN’T WANT TO SEE THE ZONING CHANGED AND OPEN UP THE POSSIBILITY OF COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS OR MULTI-FAMILY APARTMENT COMPLEXES IN AN AREA THAT IS CURRENTLY SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL. ORIGINALLY CITY OFFICIALS WERE GOING TO TAKE THE ZONING CHANGE BEFORE THE PLANNING BOARD BUT FOUND OUT BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION IT NEEDED TO GO BEFORE THE PRESERVATION BOARD. A SMALL PLANE CRASHED IN A HEAVILY WOODED AREA OF CENTRAL FLORIDA, KILLING BOTH PEOPLE ON BOARD, OFFICIALS SAID SUNDAY. THE PLANE CRASHED LATE SATURDAY IN A WOODED AREA BETWEEN CITRA AND ORANGE SPRINGS IN MARION COUNTY, BECAUSE OF THE REMOTE LOCATION OF THE CRASH, A SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCE IN THE MARION COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE WAS CALLED IN TO HELP GET TO THE SITE, THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION WAS NOTIFIED, AND THEIR INVESTIGATORS WERE PLANNING TO LOOK INTO THE CRASH, CONGRATULATIONS to, FLAGLER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE (FCSO) DEPUTY FIRST CLASS MARCUS DAWSON! DAWSON RECEIVED THE 2022 FLAGLER COUNTY “LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OF THE YEAR” AWARD FROM CRIME STOPPERS OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA DURING THEIR ANNUAL BANQUET THURSDAY NIGHT AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY. DAWSON, A K-9 HANDLER, WAS RECOGNIZED FOR HIS HEROISM WHILE RESCUING A THREE-YEAR-OLD CHILD FROM A BURNING HOME IN PALM COAST LAST OCTOBER, “DEPUTY DAWSON EXEMPLIFIES A LIFE OF DEDICATED SERVICE AND ACTS OF KINDNESS AND COMPASSION, BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY,” FLAGLER COUNTY SHERIFF RICK STALY, WHO WAS ON HAND TO SEE DAWSON WIN THE AWARD, SAID. “HIS QUICK RESPONSE AND COURAGE PREVENTED WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO CONGRATULATE BUNNELL POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICER ALEXANDER KILPATRICK FOR BEING RECOGNIZED BY CRIME STOPPERS.” ACCORDING TO THE RELEASE, ON OCT. 17, 2021, DEPUTY DAWSON RESPONDED TO A HOUSE FIRE IN THE W SECTION OF PALM COAST. HE DISCOVERED FLAMES INSIDE THE KITCHEN AND THICK BLACK SMOKE SPREADING FROM THERE TO THE REST OF THE HOME. AFTER RECEIVING NO RESPONSE FROM ANYONE INSIDE, DEPUTY DAWSON ENTERED THE HOME THROUGH AN UNLOCKED SCREEN DOOR IN THE BACK PATIO AND SPOTTED THE CHILD WATCHING CARTOONS WHILE HIDING UNDER A BLANKET IN THE MASTER BEDROOM. DAWSON CARRIED THE CHILD OUT TO PARAMEDICS, WHO CHECKED HIM OUT AND FOUND NO INJURIES. THE RESCUE WAS CAPTURED ON BODY CAMERA VIDEO. THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAID IT LEARNED THAT THE FATHER WENT TO PICK UP DINNER AND LEFT THE SLEEPING CHILD HOME WITH AN OLDER SIBLING. ALL THREE RESIDENTS OF THE HOME WERE REPORTED SAFE AND UNINJURED. A 20-YEAR-OLD ORMOND BEACH MAN WAS KILLED IN A REAR-END COLLISION AS HE TRAVELED NORTH ON I-95 LATE FRIDAY NIGHT, TWO MILES NORTH OF THE OLD DIXIE HIGHWAY INTERCHANGE IN FLAGLER COUNTY. THE CRASH WAS REPORTED AT 11 :15 P.M. WHEN A COUPLE TRAVELING IN A 2020 DODGE JOURNEY REPORTED BEING STRUCK FROM BEHIND BY THE MOTORCYCLIST,. WITNESSES REPORTED THE MOTORCYCLIST GOING MORE THAN 100 MILES PER HOUR AS HE RAN INTO THE BACK OF THE DODGE. ACCORDING TO THE FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL, THE RIDER LOST CONTROL, VEERED OFF TO THE EAST OF THE HIGHWAY, AND WAS EJECTED INTO THE WOODS AS THE MOTORCYCLE OVERTURNED. FHP NOTES HE HAD BEEN WEARING A HELMET. THE FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL HAS NOT IDENTIFIED THE VICTIM. THE COUPLE IN THE DODGE, A 43-YEAR-OLD MAN AND A 41-YEAR-OLD WOMAN FROM MIAMI, WERE NOT INJURED. IT WAS THE SECOND ROAD FATALITY IN TWO DAYS ON FLAGLER ROADS, AND THE 18TH THIS YEAR IN THE COUNTY. |
ANGELS DINING CAR HAS STEPPED UP TO COVER THE EXPENSES OF THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARADE IN PALATKA AFTER THE CITY DECIDED NOT TO BE A CO SPONSOR AND NOT TO WAIVE THE OVER $3000 FEE FOR CITY SERVICES AT THE PARADE. ORGANIZER SAM DEPUTY LAST WEEK HAD ISSUED A PLEA FOR DONATIONS TO HELP OUT WITH THE COST. IT HAS BEEN AN ANNUAL EVENT THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING EVERY YEAR IN DOWNTOWN PALATKA AND SANTA’S ARRIVAL AT THE END HAS BEEN A FAMILY FAVORITE WITH THE KIDS JOHN BROWNING WITH ANGELS DINER SAID HIS FAMILY WILL SPONSOR THE PARADE THIS YEAR.
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