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  • Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 12:18 am

    In search of . . . Tiger

    by By Robbie Andreu Sun sports writer

    ord has been floating around town for months that the world's most recognizable athlete has been spending time in our area.
    There have been Tiger Woods sightings dating back to 2002.
    Apparently, he hasn't been coming here for our golf courses, but for the many natural springs that dot our landscape.
    It turns out Tiger Woods is more than just the world's No. 1 golfer. He's also an avid cave diver — and he just happened to earn his certification at nearby Ginnie Springs.
    Well, at least that's the story going around town.
    Is this a really cool Tiger tale or just a rural legend?
    We needed to know. So, on a steamy June morning, we set out on a search for Tiger Woods. We knew the chances of actually coming across Woods were nil, but we were hoping to find some Tiger tracks that would show he's been here.
    The search begins on Highway 441, heading north through Alachua and into the Mayberry-like hamlet of High Springs. Our first target is a few hundred yards inside the city limits, on the right side of the road — the High Springs Country Inn.
    The old-fashioned, drive-up motel looks like something right out of the late 1950s or early 1960s. Walk into one of the 16 rooms — with its twin beds, window air-conditioning unit and open closet — and it's like stepping back to a simpler time.
    Is this the motel that one of the world's richest celebrities would call home for more than a week?
    We're about to find out.
    We pull into and an empty parking lot. The only person we see is a young man cleaning rooms. He turns out to be Vic Patel, the son of Inn owner Sam Patel. He greets us at the office.
    "This may sound strange," we say, "but we're looking for Tiger Woods."
    Patel doesn't hesitate.
    "Yes," he says, "Tiger stayed here."
    Patel explains that the motel was under different ownership at the time, but he's heard all the stories about Tiger's eight-night stay.
    "He just showed up one day. No one was expecting him," Patel says. "People were looking outside their windows to see who he was. People were coming by the hotel trying to catch a glimpse of him. It was really crazy. This is High Springs, 5,000 people, everybody knew. I heard he was a really cool guy. He told people he liked the environment here because they treated him like a normal person.
    "He said he came here to earn his cave-diving certification."
    Can we see the room where he stayed?
    Patel pulls out the key to unit No. 1 (of course) and takes us to Tiger's room.
    On the wall to the left when you walk in the door is a small plaque commemorating Woods' stay in the room and his accomplishment while he was in town.
    The plaque reads: "Congratulations to Tiger Woods, who stayed in this room while completing his full cave diver's certification in the area springs — 12/16 through 12-23 '02."
    Has Tiger ever come back?
    Patel says doesn't know for sure.
    "The word going around is that Tiger's managers think cave-diving is too dangerous and he shouldn't being doing it anymore," Patel says. "I don't know if that's true or not."
    Before we leave, Patel offers up another clue. Tiger, he says, ate right across the street — at the legendary Floyd's Diner.

    We are greeted by a life-size statue of Elvis Presley as we enter Floyd's with the early lunch crowd. The lobby walls are covered with pictures of smiling customers. But no sign of Tiger.
    We sit at the counter and ask long-time server Isabel Appleby if it's true — did Tigers Woods eat here? She smiles and nods.
    "He walked in one morning and one of the servers said, 'I believe that's Tiger Woods,' " she says. "I told my husband, and he said, 'No way.' But it was Tiger. He said he was here taking a diving course. He was here every morning. One morning I said to him, 'Have a nice day', and he gave me that big smile of his. He was a very nice man."
    Appleby introduces us to Sayed Vahedi, the server who recognized Tiger that first morning — and would go on to serve Woods twice.
    "He sat in my section," Vahedi says. "He likes omelets. I served him omelets. His bodyguard or manager was with him and he paid the bills. I asked Tiger for his autograph and he gave it to me. The next day, a lady came up to me and offered me fifty dollars for it. I said, 'I'm sorry, I gave it to my daughter.' The next day, Tiger came back and I got his signature again. I gave it to a friend's daughter."
    Vahedi says the news that Tiger was in High Springs — and eating breakfast every morning at Floyd's — quickly swept across town.
    "There were always two policemen sitting in back to make sure he was OK," he says. "He was here to enjoy his breakfast and didn't want anybody to come over and bother him. It was early, around 6:30 a.m., so there weren't many people in here when he was here."
    Vahedi says Tiger was a gentleman who called him sir.
    "He's a very polite guy, he's wonderful," he says. "His father raised him good. I would love to have him as a son, not because of the money but because of his kindness. To be that big and be humble like that is something."
    Before going back to work, Vahedi reveals something else.
    "A couple of years later, I served his fiance (Elin Nordegren, now Tiger's wife) here. She came here by herself to take a diving course. But I haven't seen Tiger since that first time. It's been a long time now."

    Time for us to move on. The search now takes us out to County Road 340, and to Ginnie Springs, where Woods earned his cave-diving certification in 2002.
    It's a weekday and the quiet early afternoon gives general manager Rose Meadows a chance to talk about the time Tiger came to Ginnie Springs.
    "We didn't know he was coming," Meadows says. "He did it as a private (course) and contracted out with an instructor from out of town.
    "People knew who Tiger was. We were very considerate of his privacy, very adamant that he would have his privacy and we would not let people invade his space. He was a nice guy. He was here to do his job and that job was to get his training. It was pretty intense training. He was a good guy; he passed."
    Has Tiger been back since then?
    "Probably only two or three times, that's all," Meadows says.

    The word is that Tiger has dived at more than just Ginnie Springs, that he's been to several other springs in the area.
    So, the search continues. We hop on I-75 just outside of High Springs and head to Williston.
    Just west of town, off of Alternate Highway 27, a bumpy, dusty dirt road leads us to Blue Grotto. There are only a few divers in the spring. We find manager Dan Fisher alone in the dive shop on this quiet weekday.
    "He came here once," he says. "It was about three years ago. He did it very discreetly. It was him and his girlfriend; they're married now. She was getting certified and they came with an instructor from Orlando. He did some diving here.
    "It was midweek and there were only a few people here. People came in the shop and said, 'Wasn't that Tiger Woods?' I said, 'Yeah, it sure was.' My boss got mad at me for not taking a picture of him."
    Fisher tells us Tiger created quite a stir in town when he went through the drive-through at McDonald's.
    "Somebody recognized him and then everybody had to get his signature," he says. "Tiger was real nice, very personable, just a normal guy. I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up here again."
    As we're leaving, Fisher tells us Tiger also dived at Devil's Den, just a few miles away.
    This is confirmed by Rowena Thomas, the manger of guest relations at Devil's Den. Citing her respect for Woods' privacy, she will not elaborate on his time at the Den, and whether he has returned.
    "I'll only say that he has been here," she says.

    At another area dive shop, there is a picture of a smiling Tiger with some of the employees. The owner said out of respect for Tiger, he did not want us mentioning the name of the shop or coming out and taking a photo of the Woods picture that hangs on the wall.
    "He is a customer, and I don't want to do anything that would make him lose his respect for us," he says.
    So, is Tiger a regular in the area diving scene?
    "I'd rather not say," he says.
    After our search, here's what we can say: there are Tiger tracks all over the place.

    • Comments | Permalink
  • Thursday, August 28, 2008, 4:23 am

    Regrets After Prostate Surgery

    One in five men who undergoes prostate surgery to treat cancer later regrets the decision, a new study shows. And surprisingly, regret is highest among men who opt for robotic prostatectomy, a minimally invasive surgery that is growing in popularity as a treatment. The research, published in the medical journal European Urology, is the latest to suggest that technological advances in prostate surgery haven't necessarily translated to better results for the men on which it is performed. It also adds to growing concerns that men are being misled about the real risks and benefits of robotic surgical procedures used to treat prostate cancer. Of the 219,000 men in the United States who learn they have prostate cancer each year, nearly half undergo surgical removal of the gland, according to the National Cancer Institute. Duke University researchers surveyed 400 men with early prostate cancer who had undergone either a traditional "open" surgical procedure or newer robotic surgery to remove the prostate. Overall, the vast majority of men were satisfied. However, 19 percent regretted their treatment choice. Notably, men who had undergone robotic surgery were four times more likely to regret their choice than men who had undergone the open procedure. Researchers say the higher level of regret among robotic patients suggests that they had higher expectations for their recovery, possibly because the robotic procedure is widely touted as a more innovative surgery than traditional prostatectomy. Even among men who had the same scores on erectile function and other measures of post-surgery recovery, the robotic patients still reported a higher level of dissatisfaction and regret than other men. Part of the problem may be that doctors who perform robotic prostatectomies commonly cite potency rates as high as 95 percent and above among their patients, giving patients an unrealistic view of life after surgery. But the data are highly misleading. Researchers often define potency as simply being able to achieve an erection that is "adequate" for intercourse -- but for many men, that definition doesn't capture their ongoing struggle to return to a normal sex life. Earlier this year, researchers from George Washington University and New York University used a more realistic definition of potency, showing that after surgery, fewer than half of the men studied felt their sex lives had returned to normal within a year. Another important finding of the new research showed that men were less likely to regret their choice shortly after surgery. The men who were long past surgery experienced more regret. That finding likely speaks to the fact that as time passes after surgery, men gain a more realistic view of lingering health and quality-of-life issues like erection problems and other changes in their sex lives. The Duke researchers said that the study shows urologists need to communicate more carefully the risks and benefits of the treatment prior to surgery so that men have more realistic expectations of what to expect. To learn more, read "Sex After Prostate Cancer,'' a Well blog post that includes my column about the issue as well as numerous comments from men and women about the aftermath of prostate cancer treatment.

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  • Thursday, August 28, 2008, 4:23 am

    Diabetes Drug Tied to New Deaths

    The diabetes drug Byetta, marketed by Eli Lilly & Company and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, was linked to four more deaths in patients with pancreatitis, adding to two deaths announced by federal regulators last week.

    • Comments | Permalink
  • Thursday, August 28, 2008, 2:09 am

    County rural vote can’t carry Bryant

    by By CINDY SWIRKO Sun staff writer

    Rick Bryant was counting on the rural vote in his bid to unseat Mike Byerly from the Alachua County Commission District 1 post.
    Well, he got it. But it wasn’t anywhere near enough to win. Byerly drew heavily throughout most of Gainesville to capture the Democratic nomination, topping Bryant by 54-45 percent margin.
    Byerly will meet Republican Kevin Riordan in the Nov. 4 general election.
    Bryant had hoped to tap what some believe is a current of dissatisfaction with county commissioners over traffic, taxes and other concerns.
    University of Florida political science professor Dan Smith said that while people may have concerns, it doesn’t mean they want to boot out the incumbents.
    “People are not necessarily upset with county commissioners. People may be upset with traffic congestion but it is a question of what the solutions are,” Smith said.
    “Obviously some people aren’t pleased, but is that going to translate into a vote to unseat an incumbent? I don’t see that happening.”
    Bryant took precincts in Waldo, Lacrosse, Alachua, High Springs and Newberry.
    He also took some precincts in east Gainesville — including the McPherson Center on SE 15th Street. McPherson and Newberry gave Bryant his biggest precinct margins of more than 61 percent, including 65 percent at Newberry Methodist Church.
    But Byerly swamped Bryant in central Gainesville. He took 80 percent of the vote at First Lutheran Church on NW 5th Avenue and at the Thelma Bolton Center in the Duck Pond neighborhood.
    Byerly collected more than 70 percent in two other central precincts and more than 60 percent in 18 precincts, most of them within Gainesville.
    Byerly said on election night his strategy was to reach out to as many voters as possible with a consistent message.
    Bryant had said during the campaign he was counting on the rural vote and spoke often of the less-than-warm relationship between the County Commission and officials in the small cities.
    Smith believes low turnout helped Byerly — the Democrats who were most motivated to vote were Byerly supporters, he said.
    “Low turnout certainly hurt Bryant. It’s the party activists and insiders who tend to turn out to vote, and there is still a lot of skepticism toward Bryant among some Democrats in Gainesville,” Smith said. “Folks who know (Byerly) in Gainesville who are core Democratic supporters were not going to be Bryant voters in this primary.”
    Stafford Jones, chairman of the Alachua County Republican Executive Committee, said the results indicate a liberal leaning of the county’s Democrats.
    Jones predicted a close race between Byerly and Riordan in the general election — even though Riordan is a political unknown — if independents and voters without a party affiliation turn out.
    “This was a Democratic primary. I think we are going to see a whole different ball game in the general election. I think independents and NPs (no party affiliation) are really ticked off,” Jones said. “I think this shows that the Democratic Party has moved so far left that a moderate, pro-business Democrat can’t get elected.”
    Three commission seats will be contested in November. Democratic incumbent Rodney Long faces Republican Ward Scott and Democratic incumbent Paula DeLaney faces Republican Lloyd Bailey.

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  • Thursday, August 28, 2008, 2:05 am

    Playing for a new record

    by By ZACHARY BENNETT Campus correspondent

    Confident, commanding voices rang out across the first floor of UF’s Reitz Union porch Wednesday morning.
    “I will buy Hong Kong,” yelled one student. “I own Vancouver,” said another.
    “I own Beijing,” another student bragged. “And I want Barcelona.”
    One student ended up going to jail. The crime: rolling the same number twice on a six-sided die.
    Neither criminals nor the wealthy were outside the Reitz Union Wednesday, but Monopoly was.
    A global game of Monopoly took place under the shade of the student union on Wednesday morning, helping to break the world record for the most people playing Monopoly at one time.
    A total of 3,661 people participated in the record-breaking game, as verified by Guinness World Records, said Rebbeca Woelfel, public relations representative of Hasbro.
    Wednesday’s hour-long attempt spanned the globe. Here in Gainesville, it was 10 a.m. when heads were counted, in London it was 3 p.m.
    Gainesville was one of more than 20 cities in more than a dozen countries involved in the global game. Other cities included Tokyo, Las Vegas, London, Atlantic City and Madrid.
    The group at the Reitz Union started out by playing a modern version of Monopoly, which uses credit cards instead of paper money. In this version, properties such as Atlantic City and Park Place are instead locations in cities all over the world. The houses/hotels are now tiny recreations of Australian and Asian architecture. The game pieces have even taken on a new persona, now ranging from surfers to bullfighters.
    The goal at the Reitz Union was not only to help break a world record, but to raise money for UF’s Public Relations Student Society of America. It was also a promotion for Hasbro’s new version of Monopoly, called Here & Now.
    The treasurer of PRSSA, Jenny Long, would not say how much money the group made from the fundraiser, but she did say, “I’ve definitely passed go and collected $200 today ...”
    Participants in the event got the best deal of all: Free breakfast, a free T-shirt, a free Monopoly board game and the chance to take part in a world record.

    • Comments | Permalink
  • Thursday, August 28, 2008, 2:01 am

    Transgender petition signatures verified

    by By Megan rolland Sun staff writer

    Enough valid signatures were gathered to put a charter amendment on the ballot that, if approved by voters, would override the city of Gainesville’s civil rights protection for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals.
    The Supervisor of Elections checked 8,747 signatures submitted by the registered political action committee, Citizens for Good Public Policy. Of those signatures, 2,368 were rejected for various reasons including duplicate signatures.
    Additionally, opponents to the amendment led a campaign to have citizens revoke their already submitted signatures from the list. There were 36 valid signatures revoked from the petition.
    All told, there were 6,343 valid signatures, while 5,581 were needed to get the amendment on the ballot.
    The petition was sparked by a law passed by the City Commission in January that included “gender identity” among the city’s list of individuals specifically protected from discrimination in housing, public accommodation, obtaining credit or employment.
    The language on the petition would make the city’s anti-discrimination clause the same as the state of Florida’s civil right’s amendment, which does not include sexual orientation or gender identity as protected groups.
    It is not clear which election the charter amendment will appear on because it is up to the discretion of the Gainesville City Commission to set a date. However, speculation has been that the measure will now appear on the spring 2009 ballot.
    Megan Rolland can be reached at 338-3104 or megan.rolland@gvillesun.com.

  • Thursday, August 28, 2008, 1:59 am

    A financial lifeline for Stadium Club?

    by By MEGAN ROLLAND Sun Staff Writer

    Stalled more than four months ago due to problems with financing, the partially constructed Stadium Club condominiums may receive some help from a New York-based developer.
    Scott Lennon, managing director of York & Pacific, LLC, said his company is “investigating the possibility” of getting involved in the financing of the proposed eight-story luxury condominium project.
    “Given the circumstances of the credit market right now, it’s a very difficult project to finance,” Lennon said. “We’re seeing if we can help. It’s a great university, it’s a great city and it’s going to be a great development.”
    Meanwhile, construction has stalled at four partially finished stories for several months and NW 18th Street was closed to traffic since at least April.
    The street opened back up this month as the development company’s building permit expired.
    Erik Bredfeldt, the city’s planning and development services director, said that his office has fielded many complaints about the road’s closure.
    “With the timing of a new sports season at the university, there’s just some impracticalities with having that right of way closed there,” Bredfeldt said.
    Stock Real Estate Development, Inc., the company listed as the developer of the project could not be reached for comment.
    The Web site for the project says 24 units will be constructed with prices ranging from about $300,000 for a one-bedroom, one-bath, 861-square foot apartment to $2 million for a penthouse.
    Lennon said his interest in Stadium Club came from its location just across the street from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, although he said the luxury condominium market is a hard sell right now. Lennon is also the developer behind the proposed and long-discussed Creekside at Beville Run mixed-use development in an area envisioned for dense student housing.
    Creekside was presented to the city and Alachua County several months ago as a mix of housing and retail in towers between five and 23 stories tall. It would be located on approximately 12 acres of land directly west of the Hilton hotel and the University of Florida Orthopaedics and Sports Institute on SW 34th Street.
    The project is large enough to require review by the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council.
    That process will begin when the developer submits a pre-application, called a development of regional impact study (DRI) — an application Lennon said is ready to be submitted.
    “That project has got so many components tied to it with the remediation,” Lennon said. “The longer it takes, the more difficult it gets. Once we start the DRI then we’ll be OK.”
    Megan Rolland can be reached at 338-3104 or megan.rolland@gvillesun.com

  • Thursday, August 28, 2008, 1:52 am

    Law and order

    by By KAREN VOYLES and LISE FISHER Sun Staff Writer

    FHP mops up a certainly failed driver’s test
    A Jacksonville woman got a traffic ticket before she had even passed her driver’s license road test.
    Preethi Naidu Ramamoorthy was doing OK in Duval County on Wednesday morning until nearly the end of the test. The 24-year-old Jacksonville woman was directed by Driver’s License Examiner Mary Phillips Young to pull into a parking space behind a driver’s license office in Jacksonville.
    Maybe Young should have been more specific and told Ramamoorthy how to stop.
    According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Ramamoorthy successfully pulled into the parking space, then apparently got confused and thought she was stepping on the brake when she stepped on the accelerator. She drove a 1999 Hyundai Elantra over a parking stopper before hitting the side of the building.
    Young was taken by ambulance to Shands Hospital Jacksonville with minor injuries.
    Ramamoorthy was not injured and there was no visible damage to the building. She walked away with a ticket for an improper stop and without a driver’s license.
    Mapping crime: After six months of tweaking, the Levy County Sheriff’s Office is ready for the public to start using its online map showing where incidents and crimes have happened.
    The Sheriff’s Office now subscribes to www.crimereports.com. Early each morning, the system automatically updates maps showing where there have been crimes or other incidents.
    Users can enter a Levy County address into the system and instantly see a map of the area showing where crimes may have occurred, what sex offenders live nearby or they can sign up for e-mail alerts to be notified when something happens near their address.
    Preventing metal theft: With thieves stealing metal from churches, railroad tracks and sports fields, officers are telling people to keep a close eye on air conditioning systems and construction sites.
    The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office offered these tips:
    Avoid storing large quantities of metal on construction sites.
    Have outside lighting to discourage thieves.
    Lock construction sites before installing metal such as copper.
    Install a cage over or an alarm on outside air conditioning systems, which can be vandalized for metal.
    Gold medalist: A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officer in Columbia County brought home the gold and broke a record in the process.
    Officer Billy Giles participated in the 2008 International Police & Fire Games held at Walt Disney World earlier this month. Giles, a K-9 officer with the agency, participated in the powerlifting games. He topped the old bench press record of 430 pounds by pressing 455 pounds.
    Giles received two gold medals, both for weight lifting, and a silver medal for arm wrestling.

  • Thursday, August 28, 2008, 1:46 am

    Roberts to judge UF court contest

    by By NATHAN CRABBE Sun staff writer

    The chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court will judge a competition of University of Florida law students on Sept. 5.
    And if that wasn’t enough happening on campus, UF will also be hosting a speech that day by former leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties.
    First, Chief Justice John Roberts will judge moot court at the Phillips Center. Four law students will write briefs and make oral arguments in a fictional case on the Constitutionality of anti-abortion license plates.
    Previously, Florida Supreme Court justices and federal appeals court judges have presided over the competition.
    “This is the first time in history we’ve had a U.S. Supreme Court justice judging it — and here we have the chief justice, no less,” said Debbie Amirin, spokeswoman for UF’s Levin College of Law.
    The event, called the Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Final Four, will initially be open to only law faculty and students, along with special guests. Once the number of interested law faculty and students is established, the college will determine whether there will be seats available to others.
    Later in the day, a speech by national political party leaders will be free and open to the public.
    Terry McAuliffe, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., former chairman of the Republican National Committee, will speak on “The Parties and the Presidency.”
    “These guys have a wealth of knowledge about campaigns on the national level,” said Mike Bowen, assistant director of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service
    The event will be held at 4 p.m. in Pugh Hall. Advance passes may be picked up at the Graham Center’s office in Pugh Hall.
    The center is presenting the event as part of its 2008 lecture series, “The Path to the White House.” Current Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean had been scheduled to speak, but had a conflict due to presidential candidate Barack Obama’s campaign bus tour, Bowen said.
    McAuliffe led the committee from 2001 to 2005. He was chairman of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and was a regular figure on the political talk-show circuit during the primary race.
    Fahrenkopf led the Republican committee from 1983 to 1989, overseeing the successful 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns for the GOP. He is currently president and CEO of the American Gaming Association.
    Roberts became chief justice on Sept. 29, 2005, after being nominated by President Bush. Previously, he served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
    Judges Peter T. Fay, Susan H. Black and Rosemary Barkett will join him on the moot court panel. They are all UF law graduates and judges from the 11th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals.
    The students arguing the case are Cary Aronovitz of Orlando, Kevin Combest of Gainesville, Robert Davis of Ocala and Tara Nelson of Orlando.
    Nathan Crabbe can be reached at 338-3176.

  • Thursday, August 28, 2008, 1:42 am

    Stings bust pot houses in 2 counties

    by By KAREN VOYLES Sun staff writer

    Levy County deputies arrested six South Florida residents and shut down two homes apparently being used as large indoor marijuana growing operations this week.
    The arrests were made after deputies in Marion County discovered an apparent indoor grow operation in a house in the Ocala area that reportedly led them to Levy County. Three people were arrested in connection with the Marion County aspect of the case.
    The investigation focused on homes in the Morriston area of Levy County at 6550 SE 123rd Terrace and 4351 SE 138th Terrace and in a house at 6098 SW 204th Ave. in the Ocala area of Marion County.
    Levy County sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Evan Sullivan said the grow operations were discovered as part of an ongoing operation by area law enforcement agencies to eradicate the indoor marijuana growing operations. Marion County officials said they have seen a pattern develop involving people from South Florida renting homes in rural areas to develop the indoor operations.
    Levy County deputies reported seizing 310 high-grade marijuana plants being grown hydroponically inside the Morriston area homes as well as at least 150 pounds of processed marijuana. The plants had a street value of $310,000, deputies said.
    According to Sullivan, electricity was diverted from local power lines to the houses. Inside the houses, deputies found hydroponic growing systems. At one house, the garage had been converted into a drying room, Sullivan said.
    The five men arrested in Levy County and charged with trafficking in marijuana, cultivation of marijuana and maintaining a drug dwelling were identified as being at least part-time Miami residents: Jose Reyes, 55; Julio Rodriguez, 56; Roman Leonel, 55; Yulio Rodriguez, 28; and Alberto Traviesta, 67.
    The woman arrested in Levy County was identified as Dania Lezcano of Coral Gables, whose age could not immediately be determined. She was charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and maintaining a drug dwelling.
    Those arrested in Marion County and charged with renting a property for the purpose of trafficking marijuana, grand theft of utility service, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia were identified as Yosnel Montejo-Garcia, 28, and Anilay Ayala-Marquez, 23. Also arrested in connection with the investigation in Marion County was Jorge Rosel-Diaz, 43, of Morriston.

  • Thursday, August 28, 2008, 1:39 am

    Groeb won’t seek recount in judge Group 2 contest

    by By MEGAN ROLLAND Sun staff writer

    The run-off election on Nov. 4 for the Alachua County judge Group 2 seat will be between candidates Denise Ferrero and Lorraine Sherman.
    Ferrero finished Tuesday’s primary far ahead of any of the other three candidates, with more than 45 percent of the vote, and more than double the votes of the runner-up.
    Rob Groeb, who took third out of four candidates for the judicial seat, finished only 63 votes behind Sherman and was legally entitled to a recount.
    Groeb, however, wrote a letter to the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office waiving his right to a recount.
    “Because I have no reason to question the validity of the preliminary vote count and I have no wish to impose upon the taxpayers of Alachua County the burden and expense of conducting a vote recount, please consider this letter to serve as a formal waiver of my legal right to seek this vote recount procedure,” Groeb wrote to Supervisor of Elections Pam Carpenter.
    Meanwhile, a number of people reported that they were confused by signs posted in precincts saying that candidate Jim Fisher had withdrawn from the election.
    The posters stated that a candidate had withdrawn from the race and then listed each candidate alphabetically and stated whether a vote for that person would count.
    Ferrero said she was concerned that four people who contacted her may have been confused because her name came first on the list, even though the poster clearly stated that a vote for Ferrero would count.
    “We did have some reports of some confusion as to that sign, and I checked all of them out and felt satisfied with the response from the supervisor of elections,” Ferrero said. “I think there could be some confusion but I hope that the majority of voters were not confused.”
    Carpenter said that the language used on the poster was official.
    “It’s the same information that we sent out in the absentee envelope that the division of elections provided that we would use for candidates who had withdrawn after the ballots had been printed,” Carpenter said. “When we got that call, my concern was someone had written on one of our signs. We confirmed that all of the signs were signs that we had posted.”

  • Thursday, August 28, 2008, 1:37 am

    Election of Roy, Sharpe adds to Board experience

    by By KAREN VOYLES Sun staff writer

    School officials are not expecting any big changes on the Alachua County School Board following Tuesday’s election that returned one incumbent board member and resulted in a former board member being returned to office.
    First-term board member Eileen Roy received two thirds of the votes cast to defeat her challenger, former board member Jeannine Murphey Cawthon, in the District 2 race.
    Roy was first elected to the seat four years ago when Cawthon decided not to run for a second term.
    In District 4, former three-term board member Barbara Sharpe defeated first-term incumbent Janie Williams to retake the seat Sharpe chose not to run for four years ago.
    School Board members are paid $34,816 a year.
    School superintendent Dan Boyd, who reports to the five-member School Board, predicted Wednesday that, “There will be no significant departures from the track the board has established.
    “I expect they will continue to put emphasis on providing the maximum resources that are available to ensure our students are successful,” Boyd said.
    After Roy and Sharpe were victorious Tuesday, both said they intended to devote a lot of time and energy during their terms to lobbying the state Legislature and looking for ways to restore the funding cut from public schools over the past 18 months.
    Alachua County Education Association President Gunnar Paulson was enthusiastic about Roy’s return to the board.
    “We (teachers) have a real advocate in Eileen Roy and I think the community sees it that way, too,” Paulson said. “It remains to be seen in the other race. We want to see if Barbara Sharpe will work with us.”
    Boyd said the district has a distinct advantage by having five people with experience on the School Board.
    “There can be a loss of momentum when you have a major turnover,” Boyd said. “I look for good things to happen because we have an experienced board.”

  • Thursday, August 28, 2008, 1:21 am

    History for Obama

    by The Associated Press
    Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., left, and Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., wave to the crowed following Biden's vice-presidential nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008. ((AP Photo/Paul Sancya))

    — Barack Obama stepped triumphantly into history Wednesday night, the first black American to win a major party presidential nomination, as thousands of Democrats transformed their convention hall into a joyful, shouting celebration.
    “I think the convention’s gone pretty well so far, what do you think,” called out the Democrats’ man of the hour in a surprise late-night visit to the hall. The crowd thundered its approval, and he and running mate Joe Biden basked in the cheers.
    Obama implored the delegates to help him “take back America” in the fall campaign against Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
    Earlier, former rival Hillary Rodham Clinton asked the convention to interrupt its roll call of the states and make its verdict unanimous “in the spirit of unity, with the goal of victory.” And they did, with a roar.
    Competing chants of “Obama” and “Yes we can” surged up from the convention floor as the outcome was announced.
    Obama, the son of a black Kenyan father and a white American mother, is now one victory from becoming president of a nation where, just decades ago, many blacks were denied the vote.
    But even as he won the nomination, there was open talk in the convention city that Obama’s race remained a stumbling block to winning the White House.
    “A lot of white workers ... and quite frankly a lot of union members believe he’s the wrong race,” AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka told a breakfast meeting of Michigan delegates.
    Obama will face McCain, who will accept the Republican nomination next week in St. Paul, Minn.
    The polls show a close race ahead with McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war a few days shy of his 72nd birthday, and Obama was hoping Democrats would leave their convention united despite the hard feelings remaining from a bruising primary campaign that stretched over 18 months.
    Former President Bill Clinton did his part, delivering a strong pitch for the man who defeated his wife for the nomination. “Everything I’ve learned in eight years as president and the work I’ve done since, in America and across the globe, has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job,” he said, to loud cheers.
    Michelle Obama, watching from her seat in the balcony, stood and applauded as the former president praised her man.
    And Obama, delighting the crowd with his appearance on stage, praised both Clintons as well as his wife for their prime time speeches this week.
    “If I’m not mistaken, Hillary Clinton rocked the house last night!” he shouted.
    The convention ends today with Obama’s acceptance speech, an event expected to draw a crowd of 75,000 at a nearby football stadium where an elaborate backdrop was under construction.
    Biden, who has twice sought the presidency in his own right, won his place on Obama’s ticket by acclamation.
    In his acceptance speech, Biden said Obama was right about Iraq, a war he opposed from the start, and McCain was wrong.
    “These times require more than a good soldier. They require a wise leader,” Biden said. “A leader who can deliver change. The change that everybody knows we need.”
    Obama isn’t the first black man to seek the White House, but is the first with a chance to win it. Others, including Jesse Jackson in 1984 and 1988, tailored their appeals largely to blacks or lower-income voters of all races.
    Obama’s reach for political power and history was different, aimed at the broad American political middle. And his nomination, delivered so jubilantly, represents a gamble of sorts by the Democratic Party that a country founded by slave-owners and desegregated only in recent decades — and even then sometimes violently — is ready to place a black man in the Oval Office.
    Sen. John Kerry, the party’s 2004 nominee, said Obama’s victory shouldn’t be a close call. In some of the strongest anti-McCain rhetoric of the convention week, he said his longtime friend is merely masquerading as a maverick. “The candidate who once promised a ‘contest of ideas’ now has nothing left but personal attacks,” he said. “How insulting ... how pathetic ... how desperate.”
    Hillary Clinton’s call for Obama to be approved by acclamation — midway through the traditional roll call of the states — was the culmination of a painstaking agreement worked out between the two camps to present a unified front after their long and often-bitter fight for the nomination.
    Inside the convention hall, the outcome of the roll call of the states was never in doubt, only its mechanics.
    “No matter where we stood at the beginning of this campaign, Democrats stand together today,” declared Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, a former Clinton supporter who delivered a nominating speech for Obama.
    “We believe passionately in Barack Obama’s message of changing the direction of our country,” she said.
    Earlier in the day, Clinton formally released her delegates amid shouts of “no,” by disappointed supporters. “She doesn’t have the right to release us,” said Massachusetts delegate Nancy Saboori. “We’re not little kids to be told what to do in a half-hour.”
    And Clinton did get hundreds of votes in the roll call — 341 to Obama’s 1,549 — before she called for him to be approved by acclamation.
    Polls show the campaign now is a close one between Obama and McCain, and both campaigns have been advertising in nearly a dozen battleground states for weeks.
    The same surveys show a strong desire for change after eight years of the Bush administration, and Obama has pledged an end to the war in Iraq and a fresh economic policy.
    Obama’s nomination sealed a political ascent as astonishing as any other in recent memory — made all the more so by his race, in a nation founded by slave owners.
    The son of a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya whom he barely knew, he attended college and Harvard Law School. In between was a turn as a $12,000-a-year community worker on the streets of Chicago.
    He won his seat in the Illinois Legislature in 1996. But his first bid for higher office, a brash challenge to Rep. Bobby Rush in an inner-city Chicago congressional district, ended in failure in 2000.
    Four years later, as a candidate for the Senate, he dazzled with a keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, then won his election. He announced his presidential candidacy a scant two years after arriving in Washington.
    With his gifts as a speaker, his astounding ability to raise funds on the Internet and an unmatched ground operation pieced together by political veterans, he won the first test, the Iowa caucuses, on Jan. 3.
    Clinton rebounded to win the New Hampshire primary five days later, and the two were soon matched in a grueling battle for the nomination that was not settled until June.

  • Thursday, August 28, 2008, 1:18 am

    Fay’s rains put a dent in drought

    by By LISE FISHER Sun staff writer

    Tropical Storm Fay frustrated forecasters with its twisted, crawling trek across Florida, where it dumped more than 30 inches of rain in some parts of the state.
    But in North Central Florida, where many escaped the storm’s worst effects, Fay’s rainfall has helped by improving drought conditions.
    “It does look like maybe a lot of Florida is not considered abnormally dry anymore,” said Marie Trabert with the National Weather Service in Jacksonville. “We definitely are making strides to alleviate a drought.”
    As of Tuesday, the Gainesville area had 3.30 inches of rain more than normal for the month. The total for the year still stood below normal by 2.95 inches.
    Rainfall totals at the Gainesville Regional Airport over a four-day period during Fay came to 4.5 inches of rain.
    In Florida, only parts of the Panhandle were still listed as under drought.
    A seasonal outlook from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center forecasts improving conditions for that area as well as other sections of the South, including Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.
    And a drought outlook for Florida over the next three months predicts above-normal precipitation.
    “Things have been improving,” Trabert said.
    Throughout the year, firefighters and forestry officials had warned about extremely dry conditions. But in five out seven months this year, rainfall totals for Gainesville have been higher than the norm, Weather Service records show.
    More rain could be headed Florida’s way if the prediction for this year’s hurricane season is accurate. Forecasters are expecting an above-average Atlantic hurricane season.
    Tropical Storm Gustav, now churning in the Caribbean, should move north into the Gulf of Mexico. Its current track has the storm, predicted to strengthen into a hurricane, making landfall anywhere from eastern Texas to the Florida Panhandle.
    Large amounts of rain at one time, like those from Fay, aren’t the best, however, Trabert said.
    “You need more persistent rain, not all at one time. Short-term things like too much rainfall at one time does cause flooding. A slower, steadier rain over a longer period of time will alleviate drought,” Trabert said.
    Water still is standing in sections of Northeast Florida, where more rain fell from Fay than in Gainesville, Trabert said.
    “Right now the ground is saturated, and everyone has had it with rain,” she said.
    And Fay’s rain continues to impact rivers as water from the storm now drains into them.
    The Santa Fe River at Fort White was at 24.5 feet Wednesday morning, just over the 24-foot flood stage. By Sunday evening, the river is expected to be at 27.4 feet, the Weather Service reported.
    The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission urged boaters to stay off the Santa Fe and Suwannee rivers due to the rising water. The quickly rising water can cause navigational hazards for boaters by submerging docks or hiding debris.
    If the rivers reach certain levels, the commission will declare idle speed and no-wake restrictions along different stretches of the waterway.
    Officers will be patrolling the waters and enforcing those restrictions, said FWC Officer Jeff Summers.

  • Thursday, August 28, 2008, 1:11 am

    Around the region - Aug. 28

    POLICE
    UPD open house for college students set
    College students can attend an open house for the University of Florida Police Department today.
    The upcoming event is the fifth-annual UFPD open house. Participants can learn about the department’s Community Services Division.
    The Police Department is working with UF Recreational Sports to hold the open house at the Broward Recreational Facility, east of Newell Drive and Museum Road. The event, which will feature free pizza, runs from 6 to 9 p.m.
    — Sun staff report

    Police: Gainesville man crashes at high speed
    A Gainesville motorcyclist who was reportedly fleeing from Hampton Police at a high speed received only minor injuries despite being thrown from his motorcycle.
    According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Shawn G. Witte, 24, was driving a 2008 Yamaha westbound on Bradford County Road 18, west of the community of Graham. FHP Sgt. Thomas E. Stebbins determined that Witte was “driving recklessly and at a high rate of speed while fleeing the Hampton Police.”
    FHP said Witte was about four miles west of CR 225 when he drove off the north shoulder of the road. Stebbins said Witte was ejected before the motorcycle flipped several times and crashed through a barbed wire fence.
    Witte, who was wearing his helmet at the time of the crash, was taken to Shands at Starke for treatment of minor injuries. FHP said Witte was being charged with reckless driving, fleeing and attempting to elude, and no motorcycle endorsement on drivers license.
    —Karen Voyles

    Check point planned on Levy County road
    The Florida Highway Patrol will hold a checkpoint on State Road 500 in Levy County Friday, the agency reported.
    The detail is aimed at motorists operating a vehicle without valid driver’s licenses, proper vehicle registration or insurance, or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
    Last year, there were 58 alcohol-related crashes in Levy County, according to FHP. Fifteen fatal crashes occurred in the county in 2007. Alcohol was a factor in seven of those wrecks.
    — Sun staff report

    STATE
    Police: Drunk man tried to stab teen daughter
    DELAND — Police say a drunk man tried to stab his 17-year-old daughter because she wouldn’t ride home with him.
    According to a police report, Charlie Gunter, of Lake Helen, picked up his daughter at a friend’s house Tuesday night. The girl realized her father was drunk and asked him to let her out of the car.
    Gunter, 57, followed his daughter in the car, got out the vehicle and lunged at her with a pocket knife.
    The girl ran away, but returned with a friend. Police said Gunter also tried to stab the girl’s friend.
    Gunter is charged with felony child abuse.
    — The Associated Press

    Firefighter is arrested on charges of theft
    BARTOW — Polk County authorities say they have arrested a Division of Forestry firefighter on theft charges.
    Michael Lamar Adams II, 26, is facing charges of grand theft, dealing in stolen property and defrauding a second-hand metal dealer.
    He has been booked into the Polk County Jail.
    According to a news release, Adams admitted he stole 15 aluminum pipes from a Division of Forestry office in Dundee. He told deputies he stole the pipes during an interview about another scrap metal theft investigation.
    The 4-inch pipes were worth about $1,500 and are usually used to fight forest fires.
    — The Associated Press

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