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Posted January 27, 2011 05:35 pm
Columbia
County's veteran IT Director, Todd Manning,
tendered his resignation this past Wednesday,
January 25, 2012. Mr. Manning was the man in
charge as the County upgraded its computer
network into the 21st century.
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Posted January 27, 2011 09:48 am | Special to the
Observer
 A
21-year-old woman acquitted of violating the
strict
Illinois eavesdropping statute is suing the
City of Chicago and three officers for allegedly
violating her Fourth Amendment rights when she
was arrested for recording her conversations
with police officers while filing a sexual
harassment complaint with the department. ¶
After recording a conversation with police,
Tiawanda Moore was arrested for violating an
Illinois law that makes it a felony to use a
device to record any conversation or intercept
communications without all parties' prior
consent. The law is broad, but there are
exemptions.
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Posted January 26, 2011 03:59 am | Part II - Part
I below
LAKE CITY, FL – The
recent reports of Lake City Police Department Captain
John Blanchard being put on administrative leave only
tell part of the story. Since the City Council meeting
of Monday evening, January 23d, more information
concerning the events surrounding the administrative
leave and the alleged charges regarding Captain
Blanchard have surfaced.
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 Posted January
26, 2011 02:30 am
| Part I
LAKE CITY, FL –
The Lake City Police Department took center
stage at the January 23d City Council meeting.
Members of the Lake City community were upset at
their perceived unequal treatment of black and
white police officers. The items brought up at
the meeting were all under or pending
investigation or litigation. Before the meeting
was called to order, the City Council was
advised by its attorneys not to speak about
those issues. (Photo: Chief Gilmore a few
moments before the meeting was called to order)
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 Columbia County, FL (Posted January 24, 2011 10:58
am) | Part II
The Suwannee River/St. Johns River Water
Management Districts multi county/city working
group picked up steam last night as it looked
for a direction and method to keep a watchful
eye on the region's water resources and the
water management districts that by Florida
Statute are entrusted to manage them. It was
never explained by Columbia County, the
facilitators of the event, why the water
management districts were intentionally kept
from updating the gathering on the joint
progress being made by them, the DEP and the
State of Georgia. These multijurisdictional
issues are the very issues that the group was
formed to address.
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Columbia County, FL (Posted January 23, 2011 04:50
pm) | Part I
All the counties and cities represented in the
recently formed Water Working Group that are meeting
tonight in Columbia County are represented on the board
of directors of the Suwannee River Water Management
District (SRWMD) or the St. Johns Water Management
District (SJRWMD). It has yet to be established why the
counties don't go to the water management districts and
address them directly. That may be answered to night,
along with the reason that the directors of the SRWMD
and the SJRWMD were refused a place on the evening's
agenda, again.
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(Posted January 23, 2012 07:20
am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - A
telephone poll by U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio
conducted late last year found that an over-whelming
majority of Floridians think all of the funds paid out
by BP for the oil-spill disaster should come back to the
states affected, to clean up the environment.
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Posted January 16, 2012 05:45 pm | Special to the
Observer
CHICAGO – With the
U.S. average price of gasoline at the highest
level ever recorded at this time of year,
volatile gasoline fuel prices are the order of
the day. The research contained in Gas Buddy's
Annual Gasoline Price Outlook includes a look at
prior projections and actual prices going back
to 2001.
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Posted January 13, 2011
11:45 pm | Part XIII
 Lake City, FL – Why is the NFBA clique, its attorneys, the NFEDP,
Jacobs Engineering, and the ex GSG employees
having secret meetings with the Feds under the cover of
darkness? ¶ The saga of the North Florida
Broadband Authority continued last Thursday and Friday,
January 5th and 6th. This time the NITA's Chris Holt and his boss,
Doug Kinkoph, were scheduled to appear by teleconference
from Washington. Photo: NFBA's Pat O'Neal stands in
front of new 52 Eighty tower.
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(Posted January 13, 2012 06:10 am) | Special to the
Observer
MASSACHUSETTS - After standing by their officers
for four years, the Boston Police Department
admitted officers were wrong when they arrested
attorney Simon Glik for filming an arrest of a
young man with his cell phone. ¶ In a
separate case the Dept. of Justice weighed in:
The right to record police officers while
performing duties in a public place, as well as
the right to be protected from the warrantless
seizure and destruction of those recordings, are
not only required by the Constitution. They are
consistent with our fundamental notions of
liberty, promote the accountability of our
governmental officers, and instill public
confidence in the police officers who serve us
daily.
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 Lake
City, FL (Posted January 12, 2011 04:50 pm)
As Florida's Governor Scott touts the rebound of
Florida's failed economy, Food Lion's parent
company, Delhaize America is closing down all of
Florida's Food Lion supermarkets. Delhaize
America calls the closings a "key strategic
decision."
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(Posted January 12, 2012 06:55
am)
LIVE OAK, FL,
January 11, 2012 – On Jan. 10, the Suwannee River
Water Management District’s Governing Board
authorized the District to enter into an agreement
with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
to assist with flood mapping efforts. FEMA will
provide a $1.8 million grant for the District to
administer FEMA’s Risk MAP (Mapping, Assessment, and
Planning) Program for the Upper Suwannee River and
the Santa Fe River basins.
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 (Posted January 11, 2011 06:30 am)
LAKE CITY, FL – Signed, sealed and almost delivered, Lake City's new
Master Plan was moving into primetime toward City
Council acceptance after last night's joint P&Z -
Community Redevelopment Advisory Committee meeting.
Begun in February 2010, there were no real questions
left as IBI's master planner, Kurt Easton put the
finishing touches on the yearlong $100,000 process.
Photo:
IBI's Master Planner Kurt Easton explains Lake City's
new Master Plan as IBI's Suzanne Thompson take notes.
CRA Advisory Committee member Matt Vann looks on as CRA
Director Jackie Kite...
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Posted January 10, 2012
06:45 am
Commentary from
Craig Womer
When I see the
Banner Center I immediately remember the
Logistics Program at Gateway College and all the
jobs that program was supposed to create. ¶ I
question merits of the Banner Center's New Media
TV and Film program and the actual jobs that
such courseware would create. ¶ Who benefits the
most -- the educators with the revenue stream
they create for themselves, or the students
seeking educational value that will enhance
their earning power?
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 Columbia County, FL (Posted January 09, 2011 07:45 am)
It took over five months for the Lake City
Police Department to release its report on the
demise K-9 Officer Trooper. The record clearly
indicates that the investigation was completed
on October 19, 2011. On November 10, 2011, LCPD
Capt. John Blanchard recommended to Chief
Gilmore that Officer Kevin Johns, Trooper's
handler and partner, be given a 2 day suspension
for neglect of duty. Chief Gilmore dragged her
feet for almost two months before deciding to
put a letter of reprimand in Officer John's
personnel file. (1
comment)
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Posted January
7, 2011 (10 day post)
Car pool - take a course - expand your mind -
dream - at the University of North Florida
Banner Center for Creative Industries.
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(Posted January 6, 2012 07:50
am)
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL– Last night, the Columbia
County, County Commission spent millions in
taxpayer dollars and is looking to borrow
millions more for various projects throughout
the County. The County Staff backed off from its
recent practice of providing power point
presentations, which provided clear graphical
explanations of expenditures, and instead went
back to the practice of a lot of talk, followed
by slam dunk votes from the Commissioners.
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(Posted January 03, 2012 07:59
am)
 TALLAHASSEE, FL - The Florida Senate has held
two workshops on a proposal that would allow
three destination casino resorts to be built in
South Florida. The bill represents $6 billion in
investments in Florida. Supporters say it would
create thousands of jobs. But polls indicate the
state is divided on the issue, and that division
can be heard in lawmakers' remarks.
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Posted
December 31 09:35 am (30 day post)
At the end of 2011, America,
like much of the rest of the
western world, has dug deeper
into a cocoon of denial. Tens of
millions of Americans remain
unaware that this nation is
broke — broker than any nation
has ever been. ¶ Public debt has
increased by 67% over the last
three years, and too many
Americans refuse even to see it
as a problem. For most of us,
"$16.4 trillion" has no real
meaning, any more than "$17.9
trillion" or "$28.3 trillion" or
"$147.8 bazillion." It doesn't
even have much meaning for the
guys spending the dough.
• One of the poster children of dysfunction, where the American
People's money is treated like
Monopoly money:
North Florida Broadband
Authority
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Posted December 29, 2011
12:01 am | Part XIIb
Lake City, FL – Neither NFBA Chairman Fulford, nor GSG's CEO Sheets,
nor NGN's Counsel, Heather Encinosa mentioned that the
Firm was already burning through the yet to be approved
$10,000 retainer as the NFBA meeting began. By the end
of business on September 27, the evening Mr. Fulford
approved the retainer, Patton Boggs (the Firm) had
already burned through $7056 of it in two days. By the end of the
week the Firm had billed $13,104.
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(Posted December 28, 2011
12:01 am | Part XIIa
Lake City, FL –
The North Florida Broadband Authority, the
consortium of 15 North Central Florida Rural
Counties and 8 Cities in partnership with U.S.
the Department of Commerce, NOAA and the NTIA,
continues spending Obama stimulus money as fast
as it can be printed. The project, now
admittedly at least 5 months behind schedule,
has turned into a lawyers dream, as it continues
to be a fiscal nightmare for the pocketbooks of
the American People.
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(Posted December 27, 2011 07:40
am)
MIAMI, FL - The Miami Herald reports that
Florida is the number one state in the country
for international residential real estate sales,
with almost one-third of the nation's
foreign-backed property transactions. Most of
the deals are in cash. However, the State of
Florida and the federal government may be left
holding the bag, according to this investigative
report from Les Coleman.
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(Posted December 22, 2011 07:55
am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - First, the Justice Department
filed suit to stop it. Then, the Federal
Communications Commission moved to block it. In
the end, AT&T this week officially dropped its
$39 billion effort to take over T-Mobile,
signaling a stronger stand on antitrust
oversight by the Obama administration than its
predecessor. Amalia Deloney, grassroots policy
director for the
Center for Media Justice, says there's more
to the story.
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 Posted December
20, 2011 01:30 pm
LAKE
CITY, FL – It was a full house at the Lake City
Airport Committee meeting last night as Lake
City's local aviators weighed in with their
thoughts regarding the proposed hanger lease
rate increases at Lake City's municipal airport.
Rates were thought to be going up from 25% to
300%. The local aviators, the backbone of the
airport made it clear. If Lake City raised the
rates to the stratosphere, they were flying out
of there.
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•
Meeting Calendar •
No need to be confused - Find
links to agendas and where your participation is
welcome.
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Posted January 26, 2011 05:49 am
TAMPA – Progress Florida has submitted a
petition signed by 11,289 Floridians in
opposition to HB 1355 – the “Voter Suppression
Act of 2011.” The petition was made part of the
official record of the Senate Judiciary
Committee's hearing on Florida’s elections law
to be held Friday in Tampa.
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 (Posted January
25, 2012 06:45
am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Next week, on January 31st, is
the deadline to enroll in Florida's Prepaid
College Program savings plans. These plans allow
parents to lock in today's tuition rates years
in advance of their children going off to
college and start saving for it.
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What's the 'State Of The State' of Florida? It
depends.
(Posted January 17, 2012
02:05
am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Hearing Governor Rick Scott
and his critics last week was like listening to
the start of a famous Charles Dickens tale - and
whether this is the "best of times" or the
"worst of times" depends on who's doing the
talking.
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(Posted January 12, 2012 06:50
am)
ORLANDO, FL - More than 2,000 Latinos gathered in
Orlando this week to kick off a six-state campaign to
mobilize young, evangelical Hispanic voters. They say
the goal of Nuestro Futuro (New Future) is to let both
political parties know they want a strong, secure future
for young people.
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Downtown Lake City:
Low Income Housing On the Way?
Posted January
7, 2011 (5 day post)
Downtown
redevelopment is on the calendar for discussion
this Tuesday evening in City Hall. Low income
housing on Lake City's Main Street will be the
death of the downtown. The CDC wants to put it
there. City Manager Wendell Johnson told the
Observer that it is not.
Download the Master Plan here. You will need
a high speed connection.
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Looking for Ways Panthers and Ranchers Can
Coexist in FL
(Posted December 28, 2011
12:40
am)
GAINESVILLE, FL - A new
study in Florida is aimed at helping determine the best
ways for cattle and panthers to coexist. ¶ The
endangered Florida panther has made an amazing comeback.
Once only 20 remained, but now the population is
estimated at 100 to 160. However, finding a place for
all those panthers to live without conflict is getting
more difficult.
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Arctic Explorer Steger Treks to Warn about
Climate Change
(Posted
Dec 9, 2011 09:09 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL
- Another of Steger's climate-related concerns
has been the decline of the coral reefs off the
Florida Keys. Despite what he's witnessed,
however, he believes there are ways to reverse
the trends and says he is hopeful about the
future.
(1 comment)
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 Two
charged in Fort White AC Thefts
(Posted Aug. 20, 2011
01:40 am)
Detectives were able to determine that the
suspects had stolen at least eight (8) air
conditioners from the Ft. White area and from
surrounding counties...
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