Main St Daily News

P.K. Yonge captures first win of the year

Alachua County ratifies millage rate

BOCC also approves $5 million in emergency funds

By Seth Johnson RepoRteR

The Alachua County Board of County Commis sioners (BOCC) ratified its millage rates and budget for the next fiscal year at a meet ing on Tuesday that included emergency action on Hurri cane Ian.

The BOCC authorized up to $5 million in emergency funds to prepare for and deal

with the aftermath of the hurricane. Because Florida earned federal approval, the Federal Emergency Manage ment Agency (FEMA) will cover funds used to prepare for the storm.

However, county staff noted that Hurricane Irma in September 2017 cost more than $4 million that has yet to be refunded by FEMA.

During the evening por tion of Tuesday’s meeting,

the BOCC unanimously ap proved a general millage rate of 7.7662 mills, the same as last year. However, the coun ty will earn more at the same rate because of higher prop erty values. The county will earn just over $15 million more than last year.

The county rollback rate, at which the county would earn the same amount as last year, sat at 7.2684 mills—7.02% above the ad

opted rate. The county will now operate with a total bud get of $702 million.

The BOCC also accepted the Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) millage rate of 3.5678 mills—8.17% above the rollback rate of 3.2983. The fire assessment dropped for next year, from $94.50 to $90.69 for Tier 1 and from $8.55 to $8.31 for Tier 2.

Area escapes Hurricane Ian’s wrath

Bridlewood earns Plan Board OK

By Seth Johnson RepoRteR

The High Springs Plan Board approved the Bridle wood planned development 4-1 at its regular meet ing last week, sending the 2,000-unit subdivision to the city commission.

The commission is scheduled to take up the item for a first reading at its Oct. 13 meeting.

The Bridlewood de velopment has been in the works for more than a year, working in conjunction with city staff to tailor the plan for High Springs. The approval by the plan board forms the first step in a po tential 15-to-20-year pro cess to finish all the phases.

Chris Potts, director of civil engineering for JBPro, said the number of homes

Resources shift to central, southwest Florida

By Seth Johnson RepoRteR

With damages expected to exceed $60 billion, Hurri cane Ian will go down as “the big one” for many Floridians, but for North Central Flori da, the storm’s final track left locals relieved.

As Ian gained strength in the Caribbean, forecasts pegged landfall along the Na ture Coast, including poten tially Levy County—which could have brought a storm surge as far inland as U.S. 19. Instead, Ian curved hard and hit near Ft. Myers, leaving a wake of devastation.

As of Monday morning, more than 75 Floridians had been confirmed dead as a re sult of Ian while the total number of those killed by the storm in Cuba and the U.S. inched toward 100.

built each year would vary on market conditions. But at the moment, an estimate would be 100 to 150 hous es per year. That number would have been a 100 units higher just a year and a half ago, Potts said.

The plan board took up the item at its last meeting but voted to postpone a de cision until all five members were present. The city com mission has also seen the plans for Bridlewood at a July presentation, and some commissioners had con cerns about density.

Community members also questioned whether such a large addition should be al lowed. But plats on the land dating back to 1925 already give the developer the ability to install around 1,787 units.

Area gas prices drop slightly

Cost skyrockets in several states nationwide

By Taryn Ashby RepoRteR

Gas prices dropped slightly last week in Flori da while several states wit nessed large increases at the pump.

According to Sept. 26 AAA report, the nation al average price per gallon rose a nickel to $3.72. In Florida, prices went from $3.40 last week to $3.37 and from $3.46 to $3.44 in Gainesville.

“Slack demand and lower oil prices should take some pressure off

rising gas prices,” AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said in a statement.

“But Hurricane Ian could cause problems.”

STORM, A8

BRIDLEWOOD, A6 GAS, A4

TAX RATE, A4

BY SETH JOHNSON

Alachua County Commissioners Marihelen Wheeler (left) and Anna Prizzia joined fellow commissioners to approve the millage rates and county budget for next fiscal year.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Gas prices fell in both Florida and Gainesville.

PHOTO BY C.J. GISH

A tree fell in the Bellamy Forge neighborhood off 43rd Street in Gainesville as winds from Hurricane Ian moved through the area.

PHOTO BY MEGAN V. WINSLOW

Gainesville resident Kellam Johnson O'Brien, 7, takes a break from holding sandbags open as his fa ther, Sean Johnson, in white shirt, fills bags for a stranger.

Growing GRU program needs more contractors LEEP program assists low-income customers with energy-efficient home upgrades

By Suzette Cook City of Gainesville

Master plumber Cyle Dunaway refers to Gainesville Regional Utilities’ (GRU) Low-Income Energy Efficien cy Programplus as a blessing.

The program, known as LEEPplus, assists qualify ing low- and moderate-in come customers with home improvements that can reduce energy use and lower their electric bill.

After moving to the area from South Florida, Dunaway was hired by Fletcher Plumb ing, Inc., and put to work in stalling hot water heaters in the homes of GRU customers who were eligible for LEEP plus upgrades.

“I’ve installed at least 150 hot water heaters under the LEEP program,” said Dun away during a recent instal lation at a home in Northwest Gainesville.

“It used to be one or two days a week,” he added about the frequency of water heat er installations. “But now it’s five days a week.”

For Dunaway and oth er local installers – including HVAC, electricians, insula tors, plumbers and mechanical contractors – aligning with LEEPplus and officially be coming a partnering contrac tor has a lasting impact on their businesses.

King’s Heating & Air Of fice Manager Brittney Ken ney says GRU’s LEEPplus customers are the company’s biggest client. The Gaines ville-based business got in volved two years ago by answering the request for li censed contractors to part ner with the program, which started in 2007 and has since serviced more than 1,800 homes in Gainesville.

“This is by far one of our biggest accounts,” Kenney said. “And we’ve gotten ex tra work from customers who were happy with our work. It’s forming lifelong cus tomers for us and we’re very thankful for the opportuni ty.”

According to GRU’s Res idential Efficiency Program Coordinator Scott Down ie, partnering contractors are on schedule to complete ener gy efficient upgrades for 130 homes this fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30.

And with the recent ex pansion of the program, which upped the amount of money allotted to each home, includ ed renters as potential recipi ents, and received $1.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds over the next three years, LEEPplus is on a trajectory to help 150 resi dences or more next year and beyond. The only thing that may hold them back is a short age of contractors to complete the work.

When Downie, a licensed HVAC contractor, joined GRU more than a year ago, LEEPplus had been slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented him from go

ing into homes for inspections and approving projects.

“When the lockdown hit, there were 77 customers in the pipeline,” Downie said, adding that only 10 homes benefitted from the program in 2021. But when things opened up in Jan uary 2022, “It swung in the other direction.”

In May, GRU made im provements to LEEPplus by increasing the amount of money spent per home on en ergy upgrades from $4,250 to $10,000, raising the program’s income threshold so more cus tomers are eligible to receive home upgrades and by mak ing the program available to renters.

Once determined to be eligible, LEEPplus partici pants work with GRU to de cide the improvements that best suit their homes. These may include replacing or ser vicing central air conditioning and heating systems, repair ing and sealing duct systems, installing additional insula tion, replacing the water heat er, upgrading electrical service panels, installing a program mable thermostat, weath er stripping and caulking of doors and windows, and pro viding up to 10 LEDs.

There are more than 150 ef ficiency upgrade projects cur rently ready to be taken on by approved partnering contrac tors, including the installation of dozens of hot water heaters and air conditioning units.

Downie breaks down the need for more contractors by category. For those 150 ap proved projects, 90 percent involve HVAC, 80 percent in volve water heater installa tion and plumbers, 30 percent will require a licensed electri cian, and 80 percent are going to need insulation.

“A/C usually gets there pretty quickly and gets up and running, then sometimes we wait months for insulators,” Downie said about the short age of contractors.

Currently, the LEEPplus Partnering Contractors list at GRU.com has 11 HVAC in stallers, three insulators, three

gram for reasons ranging from helping community members to guaranteed payment.

Virgil Dixon, sales rep for Newberry-based Suncoast In sulators & Specialties, is a current partnering contractor with the LEEPplus.

“It’s pretty easy to get the proposals out and everything is smooth-running,” Dixson said. “It’s probably one of the easiest accounts I deal with. We do five to 10 LEEP jobs a month. It’s steady work, be cause of the amount of work that comes through, it’s worth doing.”

Downie continues to meet LEEPplus-approved appli cants in their residences, where he explains that each project requires three esti mates from the list of partner ing contractors before the in stallation can move forward.

His message to contractors

“LEEP work is consis tent year round, which is a benefit,” he said. “LEEP’s going to be there in the mid dle of January when you don’t have all that work.

Partnering contractors will still be doing business, and that keeps you in the com munity.

Being part of LEEPplus is “not a one-and-done” for con tractors, Downie added.

“Once you install an air conditioner you have that customer for at least 10 years if they sign a maintenance contract,” Downie said. “If Fletcher Plumbing installs a water heater and two years later when they need toilets replaced, who are they like ly to call? The company they have already dealt with. Work begets work.”

Contractors interested in participating in LEEPplus

PHOTO BY SUZETTE COOK/CITY OF GAINESVILLE King’s Heating & Air employees haul off an air conditioning unit after replacing it with a more ener gy efficient model as partnering contractors with Gainesville Regional Utilities’ Low-Income Energy Efficiency Program.

PHOTO BY SUZETTE COOK/CITY OF GAINESVILLE

Master plumber Cyle Dunaway of Fletcher Plumbing,

for

St. Augustine Lighthouse offers fun day and night Ghost tours also part of family friendly activities

By Ronnie Loveler CoRRespondent

ST. AUGUSTINE—I was prepared to view a beauti ful lighthouse—and perhaps even climb 219 steps and 165 feet to the top for a view of Matanzas Bay and St. Augus tine. But I never expected to find so much to see and do on the ground at the St. Au gustine Lighthouse & Marine Museum on Anastasia Island.

My visit lasted a mere two hours, but I could have easi ly stayed all day. That would have given me time to ex plore the lighthouse keep er’s quarters more extensive ly, view an exhibit about the local shrimping and boat ing industry, peer at artifacts found from an 18th century shipwreck, and perhaps get to watch volunteer boatwrights build small wooden boats.

Did I say all day? Make it all day and all night.

There’s also more to do when the sun goes down with occasional sunset/moonrise experiences from atop the lighthouse and ghost tours that look at lighthouse haunt ings.

Executive director Kathy A. Fleming can’t contain her enthusiasm when she talks about the museum. She’s been there since December 1994, coming onboard just months after the museum opened its doors full time in the spring of that year.

“It’s almost like studying a bit of family history,” she said. “My husband’s great grandfa ther was a lighthouse keeper in the Bahamas.”

Historians and archeolo gists who are part of the mu seum team are documenting historic moments from the ar ea’s past, which include un covering artifacts from a boat that shipwrecked in nearby waters in 1782, when British residents were fleeing the bat tles of the Revolutionary War.

“One poor man had his door lock, folded into a piece of linen,” she said. “Apparent ly, he was going to put it into his new house, wherever he landed. You can imagine him packing it up.”

Fleming is quick to sing the praises of women from the Junior Service League of St. Augustine who saw potential in a lighthouse that was about to be scrapped.

“The keeper’s house was burned in a fire in the 1970s, and the U.S. Coast Guard was about to declare it ex cess property when it burned. It was just a wreck,” she said. “There were 15 or 16 wom en who stepped in and said, ‘You’re not going to tear it down.’ They got grants and community donations and they saved it. Some are still on our board today.”

She also described the work of another historian on staff whose research uncov ered the existence of the fa

cility’s first African American lighthouse keeper, who went on to become a minister.

But if you think the light house itself is just a relic from the past, think again. The lighthouse still functions as a private aid to navigation and houses the original, 9-foottall Fresnel lens handmade in France.

On Oct. 15, the museum will celebrate the 148th an niversary of the tower’s first lighting.

Additionally, the facility has been awarded funds from the state government to re store and preserve the interi or of its tower.

Donations from friends of the museum, the St. Au gustine community, Florida Lighthouse Association and others will fund painting the exterior and other restoration needs.

The St. Augustine Light house & Maritime Museum even has something for the very young, featuring a spe cial play area with a mari time feel and trails to explore to check out native plants and animals.

The lighthouse also has a boatbuilding program and offers daily demonstrations about boatbuilding, historic sailing, and navigation. Oth er talks cover underwater ar chaeology and lighthouse his tory.

World War II is part of the ambiance here as well. One

exhibit looks at St. Augus tine’s role during World War II, when there was real con cern Nazi submarines might be lurking off the Florida coast.

Then there’s the Tin Pick le, made to resemble a “ge dunk,” or canteen, aboard a United States Navy vessel. It is in a building first construct ed as a garage for the keepers in 1936.

What you can pick up here to stave off hunger is not the usual snack bar fare—try house-made sangria, just-outof-the-oven muffins or cook ies and specialty hotdogs. There’s also handmade fudge,

MAINSTREET DAILY NEWS STAFF

including a yummy key lime variety.

If you are lucky, you might end up on a day when Silvia Thomas, who does everything at the canteen, makes her em panadas. Silvia hails from Mendoza, Argentina. Trust me, they are the real thing.

The last time I had empana das so good was when I was in Argentina.

Museum achievements in clude making the official list as a Smithsonian Museum af filiate as well as holding mem bership in the American Alli ance of Museums. Or as they themselves would say, what

you will find here is “a light house and so much more.”

Memberships start at $35. Admission is $14.95 per adult while the charge for seniors and children under 12 start at $12.95

If Halloween has got you in the mood for something a little spooky, the Museum offers a Ghost Tales tour for $17.95, an hour tour full of ghost stories. The more ad venturous can buy a $25 tick et for the Dark of the Moon Ghost Tour that includes ghost stories but also a chance to visit the lighthouse tower at night.

Mainstreet Daily News is a digital-first news outlet independently owned by MARC Media. It is a member of the Florida Press Association, America's Newspapers, and the Circulation Verification Council. Mainstreet is dedicated to fair and accurate reporting of local news, sports, and lifestyle features that inform, engage, and inspire on a daily basis. Based in Gainesville, Mainstreet's professional journalists cover Alachua, Levy, Gilchrist, Dixie, Suwannee, Columbia, Bradford and Union counties, plus Keystone Heights.

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COURTESY OF THE ST. AUGUSTINE LIGHTHOUSE AND MARINE MUSEUM

Visitors can climb the lighthouse stairs to get a view of Matanzas Bay and St. Augustine.

COURTESY OF THE ST. AUGUSTINE LIGHTHOUSE AND MARINE MUSEUM

The St. Augustine Lighthouse still contains the original, 9-foottall Fresnel lens, which was handmade in France.

COURTESY OF THE ST. AUGUSTINE LIGHTHOUSE AND MARINE MUSEUM

The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum continues to function as a private aid to naviga tion.

Taryn Ashby

C.J.

J.C.

Mike Ridaught

Director Seth Johnson

Brandon Cleaver

Ronnie Lovler

Camille Broadway Publication Coordinator

Janalyn Peppel Advertising Tammy Lane Advertising

TAX RATE

FROM A1

County Manager Mi chele Lieberman said in June that Alachua needed a con servative budget because of national and international financial uncertainty.

During commission comment, Commissioner Ken Cornell asked that the BOCC codify its commit ment to using 70% of the infrastructure half of the proposed one-cent surtax toward roads and the oth er 30% toward affordable housing. The other half of the surtax will remain sole ly for the Wild Spaces Pub lic Places (WSPP) program.

The BOCC voted to add the proposed full cent surtax to November’s ballot in the spring, and a campaign in support of the ballot initia tive launched in September.

The commission has dis cussed a 70/30 split before but has yet to bind them selves to it. Cornell said the step will help during discus sions with the public, and Commissioner Anna Prizz ia agreed, saying the board had already used the figures during talks with the sur rounding municipalities.

Lieberman asked the board to continue the split discussion at its next meet

ing. She said the BOCC tries to avoid making substantial decisions without prior no tice and placing items on the agenda.

Lieberman added that voting on the split would help. County staff has searched for a written record or vote that codified the 90% conservation lands and 10% active recreation split of WSPP but has not found it set in stone from the last time the surtax passed, Lieb erman said.

However, the county manager said staff has stuck to the 90/10 split.

An ordinance requiring the 70/30 split for the infra structure portion of the sur tax will return at the next regular meeting.

Also at last week’s meet ing, the commission ap proved $1.1 million to pur chase 202 acres along the Santa Fe River. The funds include a 10% contingency amount and payment for due diligence costs of $79,500. If the purchase goes through, the county plans to open the property to the public with trails, said Andi Christ man, director of the coun ty’s Land Conservation and Management Office.

Local leaders praise work of Bread of the Mighty Food bank marks National Hunger Action Day at event

Lily Martin RepoRteR

Bread of the Mighty Food Bank held its bimonthly food distribution event on Sept. 23 at Vineyard Christian Fellowship while recognizing National Hunger Action Day.

Dozens of cars lined SE 17th Drive a half an hour be fore the 10:30 a.m. event was scheduled to start as people waited to collect the provid ed food staples.

Gainesville Mayor Lau ren Poe said he was grateful for the food bank’s work in the area.

“Bread of the Mighty Food Bank is one of those un sung heroes in our communi ty,” Poe said at the event. “They are behind so many ef forts to make sure people are able to meet their basic nutri tional needs.”

Poe described financial difficulties that many people face in buying meals.

“Food, one of the most ba sic things you can’t live with out, has been really affected by inflation,” Poe said. “It’s so important to have Bread

GAS FROM A1

Even with the demand for gasoline decreasing, the national average price in creased due to the limit ed supply and fluctuating oil prices, according to the AAA.

Florida has the 15th least expensive average price at $3.37 per gallon. A month

of the Mighty Food Bank here providing that essential need.”

Florida Rep. Yvonne Hin son, D-Gainesville, said 2.25 million people are facing hunger in the state of Flori da, placing it at No. 10 in the nation for food insecurity.

“I’ve hosted food distribu tion with Farm Share during my term,” Hinson said at the

event. “I’ve also tried to bring grocery stores into our area over here on the east side be cause we’re a food desert.”

Hinson said the neigh borhood grapples with job lessness and poverty, and thanked Bread of the Mighty Food Bank for helping tack le hunger and food insecurity.

“We need to applaud and recognize how great they are

serving our community,” she said. Sherah English, pro grams director at Bread of the Mighty Food Bank, said she appreciated all the effort from the local farms, grocery stores, food donors and vol unteers during September’s Hunger Action Month.

To find out how you can help, visit their website at breadofthemighty.org.

ago, the average cost was $3.54; last year it was $3.09. According to gasbuddy. com, here are some of the cheapest prices to fill up in Alachua County:

• $3.27 at Circle K, 5708 NW 34th St., Gainesville

• $3.29 at Circle K, 20 NE Waldo Road, Gainesville

• $3.33 at Shell, 13820 NW 140th St., Alachua

• $3.23 at Circle K, 16130 NW US Hwy 441, Gaines ville

• $3.25 at Murphy Ex press, 6323 NW 13th St., Gainesville

• $3.33 at Raceway, 15330 NW US-301, Waldo

• $3.33 at Raceway, 16171 Martin Luther King Drive, Alachua

• $3.34 at Love’s Travel Shop, 5615 SE US-301, Hawthorne

• $3.34 at Pilot, 17276 US301, Waldo

• $3.35 at Shell, 905 S Main St., High Springs

PHOTO BY SETH JOHNSON

Commissioner Ken Cornell asked his colleagues to commit to an ordinance specifying how a proposed surtax should be split at last week’s Alachua County Board of County Commission er meeting.

PHOTO BY LILY MARTIN

Cars lined up to collect food at a Hunger Action Day event at Vineyard Christian Fellowship.

digital

source

Potts presented a letter from Su san Trevarthen, an attorney brought on by the landowner. The letter, di rected to city staff and dated Sept. 26, outlined the requirements that staff must abide by and referenced several previous legal cases that helped form state law.

“To be clear, my client’s goal is de velopment of the project, not litiga tion,” Trevarthen said in the letter. “We ask, however, that the legal prin ciples above be kept front of mind through the process.”

Trevarthen said she was retained to provide information on the land owner’s rights because some members of the community and plan board “re main uncomfortable with the project as proposed.”

The proposal calls for 1,432 single family homes on 70-, 80- and 100-foot lots along with 250 units multifami ly units and 200 age-restricted units. The development would include 22% open space —from parks to dry storm water basins — and a 25-foot buffer around the entire perimeter.

The development also set aside land in the northeast portion to give to the school district for a possible fu ture school and an area in the north west for a fire station.

“The suggestion raised by cer tain members of the community that the project should be denied or con ditioned upon a greater reduction in the number of proposed units is thus not warranted by the facts,” Trev arthen said. “Those facts demonstrate

that the density of the development is consistent with existing rights but is planned in a manner that creates a community consistent with modern development standards and with sur rounding properties.”

The development still needs ap proval from the city commission to start the platting process, and plans could tweak during those stages. Many community concerns about road impacts will also be addressed in later stages, as required by state law.

Once a roadway study is complet ed, the developer must pay for offsite road impacts caused by the new de velopment. The roadway study will include local, county and state roads.

After full development, the site plans to have entrances at State Road 45, 239th Terrace, 174th Avenue and 222nd Street.

“Staff will not recommend a plat be approved if we are not going to have adequate water, sewer, roadway capacity and if we do not have plans for how we’re even going to handle our park system,” City Manager Ash ley Stathatos said at Tuesday’s meet ing.

Board Member John Walsh voted against approval, echoing comments from the last meeting. He said the de velopment is in the wrong place, too close to the city, and lacking infra structure.

“It’s a bittersweet decision be cause the city’s done a phenomenal job,” Walsh said. “It looks like a great plan; it looks like a great place.”

GNV Beautification Board honors local projects Ceremony awards projects for their excellence and outstanding aesthetics

By Taryn Ashby RepoRteR

The city of Gainesville's Beautification Board recognized 11 projects at its annual awards ceremony Tuesday night at the Thomas Center.

The Board honored the 2022 recipients and acknowledged the 2020 winners who didn't have an award night due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each project had a summa ry read that contained the mean ing and photos behind the work, then members from each team re ceived a plaque from City Beau tification Board Chair April O'Neal.

The City Beautification Awards started in 2019 to rec ognize excellence and highlight projects with outstanding aes thetic and artistic appeal. The board honors those who make a significant contribution to the community.

"The Citizen Beautifica tion Board is a volunteer citizen board that decides which projects throughout the year truly beauti fy the city," said city of Gaines ville's Beautification Board staff liaison Chelsea Proia in an in terview. "We really look for proj ects that are original, innovative, creative, and sustainable. A proj ect using serviceable materials and creative colors with different textures catches our eye because those aspects beautify the city."

Projects must meet applicable building and landscaping codes to win one of the awards.

These awards are unique be cause it doesn't only recognize one person from the project, or ganizers said. The award-win

ning projects reflect the commit ment of many individuals who spent time planning and building the structures, including owners, managers, architects, landscape architects, engineers, and design ers.

"We recognize everyone who had a part in the projects to give a sense of encouragement for peo ple to continue to not just focus on big brutalist buildings, but see the importance of environmental enhancements, landscaping and even aesthetics," Proia said.

Here’s the list of the 2022 City Beautification Award-win ning projects:

• Outstanding Institutional Facility — Santa Fe College Blount Center

• Public Places — Oakview Park, Unity Park, Generation Play Zone

• Historic Preservation — 1908 Grand

• Uniquely Gainesville — Leb owski’s Pup Pub

• Sustainability — Edible Groves

• Innovative Programming — Gainesville Cohousing

• Adaptive Reuse — Total Home

• Lodging — Hotel Eleo

• Innovative Dining — Mid point Park & Eatery

PHOTO BY SETH JOHNSON

High Springs Plan Board members (from left) Chair Donald Alderman, Vice-Chair Bradley Riddle and Member John Walsh approved the Bridlewood development at a meeting last week.

PHOTO BY TARYN ASHBY

(From left) Santa Fe College's Dr. Paul Broadie II, Liam McClay and Rebec ca Rogers picked up the college’s honors at the GNV City Beautification Awards ceremony.

State Senator

Save water, save money Cost-saving tips for conserving water

By Brad Buck Uf/ifas

With summer’s heat still simmering in Florida and in many parts of the United States, people may be tempt ed to water their lawns and take more showers.

Beth Robertson, wa ter conservation special ist for UF/IFAS Extension Polk County, is one of many UF/IFAS Extension experts statewide who can help you with cost-saving tips on wa ter use:

1. Only water when your grass needs it. Over watering can cause as many issues as not watering often enough. There are three main symptoms of water stress in grass: the leaves will turn a blue-green color relative to their original shade, walking on the grass will leave foot prints that stay, and the leaf blades will fold in half. When you do water, irrigate accord ing to the watering restric tions for your municipality.

For example, you can check with the Southwest Florida Water Management District for restrictions in that area of the state.

2. Limit lawn irrigation to half to three-quarters of an inch of water at a time. When you water your lawn, you are trying to reach the roots, where they can absorb it. Most roots are in the top 12 inches of soil. Depend ing on site conditions, excess water will continue to perco late through the soil past the roots, pond, or run off to an other location.

3. Make sure your rain sensor works. Did you know that all automatic ir rigation systems in Florida are required to have a func tional moisture sensor? The most common models use cork disks that expand when it rains. To test these, man ually turn on the sprinklers and then press the button on top of the sensor. If the water shuts off, it’s working prop erly. If not, check the con

nection and controller set tings. If no problem is found, the sensor likely needs to be replaced.

4. Update your toilet to a low-flow model. If you live in a home built before 1994, make sure your toilet has been replaced. A rule that took effect in 1994 requires all toilets to use a maximum of 1.6 gallons per flush, com pared to the previous aver age of 3.5. By replacing the old toilet, you can likely save two or more gallons for ev ery time you flush. Check with your utility company to see if rebates are available to help you replace old toilets.

5. Use your dishwasher efficiently. Water Star-certi fied dishwashers use no more than 3.5 gallons of water per cycle. It would be nearly im possible to hand wash your dishes with that little wa ter and still get your dishes clean. In addition, you don’t need to pre-wash your dish es. Scrape excess food into the garbage or compost.

Picking the right dishwasher can help reduce how much it costs to run a load.

Also, be sure to fill the dish washer completely before starting it. If you don’t have a dishwasher, the two-basin method is the recommended way to save water; one half of the sink is for soaking and washing while the other is for rinsing.

6. Take shorter show ers. Did you know the stan dard shower uses 2.5 gal lons of water per minute? The average shower length is between 7 and 8 minutes, adding up to about 20 gal lons of water. You could cut that down to 5 minutes.

7. Get a low-flow show er head. install a low-flow shower head, some which can save 1 gallon per min ute. A 5-minute shower with a 1.5 gallon-per-min ute shower head would save around ten gallons of water.

Gilland: Responding rightly to painful pruning

In September my wife and I celebrated 46 years of marriage, and I couldn’t love her more.

Such occasions always cause me to think back to those first years in our marriage. Our first anni versary was celebrated with the purchase of our first home in Evansville, Indiana. It was a very old bungalow-style house, built in 1930 and set in a neighborhood of much older couples.

A couple of months after moving into our home, I was preparing to leave for work one morning when our neighbor, Mr. Brown, caught me and commented that one of my plants could use a trim. He wondered if I would like for him to prune it back for the winter. I thought it was a delightful and hospitable offer.

At that point in my life as a young homeowner, I really didn’t know what kind of tree it was (it was actually a crape myrtle, and it had been shaped to be more like a tree). I told him to have at it and expressed my appreciation.

In my mind, I thought that cutting back and rounding those limbs would be a great thing. What a neighbor! But…I had no idea what was coming.

As I pulled into our driveway that night, there was enough light outside to see that my little tree had been cut back alright. WAY back. In fact, there seemed to be very little of it left. All that remained was the “trunk,” and nubs for where the branches used to be.

I was shocked, disappointed and confused. Why would my neighbor do that? I wondered if he had made one bad cut, and then decided to whack it all down.

The next morning, I saw him outside, and mus tered up as much grace and tact as I could and asked him about the “trim” job that left my tree looking more like a dead stick.

He was a wise, gentle man, and he read my con cerns, and then smiled, assuring me that what he

did was what the plant needed. He explained that crape myrtles have to be pruned back each year, in order for them to maintain the desired shape and form. It was hard for me to understand that such a radical pruning could be a good thing, but time proved him to be exactly correct.

I have thought about that experience many times over these years, especially when God would cut back an area of my life. Often, my first response would be identical to how I reacted when I first saw my tree. I would be shocked at the circum stances and confused as to why God allowed something like that to happen.

But very soon I would see the wisdom in His actions, and grateful for those radical cuts, the pruning that was designed by the Lord, to bring greater growth in my life.

–Mike Gilland is a longtime Gainesville pastor and operations manager for The Shepherd Radio Network.

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Sponsored by The Shepherd Radio Network

Biden approves disaster assistance to Florida

staff RepoRts

President Joe Biden approved Gov. Ron De Santis’s request for a ma jor disaster declaration on Thursday morning.

The declaration au thorizes The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to pro vide individual assistance for survivors in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Mana tee, Pinellas and Sarasota counties.

In addition, all 67 Florida counties and the Miccosukee Tribe of In dians of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Flori da are eligible for emer gency protective mea sures. The assistance will also provide 100% federal funding for debris remov al and emergency life-sav ing measures for 30 days in those counties.

FEMA assistance can include grants for tem porary housing and home repairs, low-interest loans to cover uninsured prop erty losses and other pro grams to help individuals and business owners re cover from the effects of the disaster.

Residents and busi ness owners in the desig nated areas can apply for disaster assistance at Di sasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362, or by using the FEMA mo bile app. .

John MacDonald, direc tor of Levy County Emer gency Management, said Ian scared him a bit compared to past storms with predict ed 15- or 16-foot storm surg es and winds of more than 115 miles per hour.

“We were under the bulls eye, then all of a sudden, day three, you go in there and you start seeing it take that track,” MacDonald said in a phone interview.

He said the county saw a few downed trees caused due to wind gusts and the already saturated ground, but the Category 4 storm ultimate ly caused less damage than Tropical Storm Elsa last year.

Levy County ordered evacuations for coastal and low-lying areas along with mobile homes. Bronson Mid dle High School opened as a general population shelter with the elementary school serving as a special needs shel ter.

MacDonald said the shel ter had around 40 people and noted that the uncertain track and evacuation orders could hurt down the line.

“It causes a lot of compla cency when you start having storms pop up in the future,” MacDonald said. “It caus es that uncertainty, so it does [create] a level of problems for us when the next one comes.”

Gainesville, Newberry and High Springs sent emergen cy personnel southward to help with relief efforts before the tropical storm watch had lifted in the area. Forecast ers had projected 6-8 inches of rainfall in Alachua Coun ty, but less than 2 inches ma terialized.

Garbage routes returned to normal Monday for Gaines ville Regional Utilities cus tomers, but customers with Thursday pickup who missed trash collection last week be cause of Ian can place extra

bags beside their carts this week. GRU will not charge Thursday pickup customers for additional bags left beside their carts, city officials said at a town hall meeting last week.

Gainesville Regional Util ities reported restoring 17,605 outages along with help from out-of-state crews. Clay Elec tric reported 30,000 custom er outages at the height of the storm, and 80 percent were restored by Friday morning. The Central Florida Elec tric Cooperative reported 1,510 customer outages on Thursday morning and by 1 p.m. only 165 customers still lacked power.

All power in the North Central region had been re stored by Monday, but hun dreds of thousands of people in South Florida were still without power at the begin ning of this week, according to PowerOutage.us.

High Springs held normal office hours on Friday, and Gainesville officially opened Depot Park at noon Friday. The remainder of the Gaines ville parks officially reopened Monday. Even by Thurs day evening, residents played soccer at Veterans Memori al Park as dogs walked their owners on the paths.

MacDonald said Levy County might not hit the $175,000 threshold for certain federal assistance but encour aged all residents to report storm damage at levydisaster. com. “If we don’t trip it, then no harm no foul,” MacDon ald said. “If we do trip it, then that opens the gates to where we can get some kind of feder al assistance.”

Meanwhile, Florida con tinued shuffling resourc

es to the southwest and cen tral counties. On Friday, 20 trucks with 1.2 million gal lons of water headed from Lakeland to Fort Myers for hospitals without potable wa ter, according to a press re lease from Governor Ron De Santis’ office.

On Sunday, the gover nor’s office said that more than 1,600 Floridians had been rescued in the wake of the storm.

The Florida Disaster Fund surpassed $10 million in donations within 24 hours of being activated. On Friday, the Florida Division of Emer gency Management (FDEM) began deploying more than 4,000 gallons of diesel to pow er water plants, drone teams to access flooding, more than 400 bottles of oxygen, 255 ambulances, 200 trucks of supplies and two full service mechanical shops.

PHOTO BY C.J. GISH

Tree crews off Newberry Road on NW 94th Street removed a tree that fell on a power line on Thursday morning.

PHOTO BY C.J. GISH

Tree limbs down on 34th Street at the intersection of 39th Ave nue in Gainesville.

PHOTO BY MEGAN V. WINSLOW

Gainesville resident Matthew Sides, in gray, helps a stranger fill sand bags. Gainesville and Alach ua County opened several sandbag distribution spots on Tuesday and Wednesday as Hurricane Ian threatened the area.

Obituaries

Dr. Can Trong Tran

Can Trong Tran of Gainesville our beloved husband, father, brother, uncle, friend and doctor passed away on September 22 2022 with loving family members at his side at the age of 82

Can was born in Can Tho Vietnam to Huy Trong Tran and Duong Thi Nguyen He was a military doctor for the South Vietnamese Army from 1969 to 1975 Can moved to the United States in April 1980 and resided in California with his family In 1985 he successfully passed his boards to practice medicine in Florida He worked for the Florida State Prison at the Reception and Medical Center in Lake Butler as an internist from 1987 to 2013 Can practiced Buddhism and enjoyed reading gardening playing Mahjong writing poetry solving sudoku spending time with h is family dogs, helping with housework, and playing the lottery

There was a period in his life when he and his wife would dance the Tango, Rhumba, and Cha Cha Cha on the weekends

Can is survived by his beloved wife, Nhan Thi Le, of 47 years He is also survived by his son, Nhan Trong Tran; his daughter, Chan Huyen Tran; his daughter Van Thuy Tran; his son in law Timothy Huth; his brother Thanh Tron g Tran; his sisters Nhu Mai Thi Tran Nhu Tuyet Thi Tran Nhu Suong Thi Tran; and his nieces and nephews He was preceded in death by his parents; brother Dr Lang Trong Tran; and son San Trong Tran

The funeral

Tuesday September 27 2022 at Milam Funeral

Australia Beatrice Webb

Robert G. Phillips

Robert G Phillips of Newberry died Friday, September 23, 2022 He was living in Chiefland at the

Gainesville

Gainesville City Hall: 200 E University Ave

Gainesville Regional Airport: 3880 NE 39th Avenue A

Greater Gainesville Chamber: 300 E University Ave #100

Harbor Chase: 1415 Fort Clarke Blvd

Drummond Community Bank: 3833 SW 37th Blvd

43rd Street Deli: 4401 NW 25th Pl

The Bagel Bakery: 4143 NW 16th Blvd

Milam Funeral Home: 311 S Main St

Kava Gator Coffee Shop: 185 E University Ave

Eastside Community Center: 2841 E University Ave

Alachua County Library District Cone Park Branch: 2801 E University Ave

McDonald’s: 1030 E University Ave

GRU Building drive thru: 301 SE 4th Ave

Sweet Dreams: 1522 NW 13th St

SIMEDHealth Pharmacy (bus stop): 4343 W Newberry Rd #9

Taco Bell: 2224 NW 13th St

Quality Cleaners: 5200 NW 43rd St #101

Rip s Cleaners: 5121 NW 39th Ave

Thornebrook Village (east side): 2441 NW 43rd St

UF Plaza: 17th St and University Avenue

Wawa: 2373 SW Archer Rd

Across from U S Post Office: SW 34th Street and SW 47th Avenue

The Polo Apartments: 2330 SW Williston Rd

Senior Recreation Center: 5701 NW 34th Blvd

Tax Collector: 5830 NW 34th Blvd

Circle K: 2152 NW 39th Ave

Ballyhoo Grill: 3700 W University Ave

Coffee Culture: 2020 NW 13th St

Sunflower Health: 3424 W University Ave

Adam’s Rib: 2109 NW 13th St

MARC Radio: 100 NW 76th Drive Suite 2

City Hall: 15100 NW 142nd Terrace

Chamber of Commerce: 14801 Main St

Edward Jones (Matt Surrency): 13100 Tech City

Circle K: 16130 NW US Hwy 441

Dollar General: 15250 NW US Hwy 441

Across from Tony and Al’s Restaurant: 14960 Main St

City Hall: 16870 SW 134th Ave

Kangaroo Station/Circle K: 12771 FL 45

City

Dixie: 20303

Hall:

Go & Do Area roundup of events

The weekly events listing is a selection of items pulled from Mainstreet Daily News’ website calendar.

To submit an event, you can visit mainstreetdailynews.com and click on the events section or you can send us an email at submissions@ mainstreetdailynews.com.

The newspaper is printed in advance, so your event would need to be submitted eight days in advance of the paper’s Wednesday publication to be considered for the printed ver sion of the calendar.

Wednesday, October 5

Sweetwater Wetlands Park

Wednesday Bird Walks

8:30-11 a.m. thru Oct. 12. at Sweetwater Wetlands Park, 325 SW Williston Road Walks are free with the park admission fee ($5/vehicle), and we recommend you bring water, sunscreen, and binocu lars if you have them. Free.

Wild Wednesday

5:30 p.m. at Gainesville Race way, 11211 N County Road 225.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show! LIVE on Stage!

8 p.m. at High Dive, 210 SW 2nd Ave. Suite A. $13.

Thursday, October 6

Weekly Walk & Talk at Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery

9 a.m.-11 p.m. at Prairie Creek, 7204 County Road 234, Prai rie Creek.

Space is limited to the first 20 people who RSVP.

Bachata Boulevard 6-11 p.m. at The Bull, 18 SW 1st Ave.

Latin dance classes and so cial dancing in the streets of downtown Gainesville ev ery Thursday. Salsa (6 pm) and bachata (7:30 pm). Free.

Ace Hood 8 p.m. at High Dive, 210 SW 2nd Ave. Suite A. $20 - $35.

Friday, October 7

Volunteer Workday at Rockwood 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at Rockwood

Park, 2221 NW 22nd Street, Rockwood Park. Join Alachua County Trust for a cleanup event at Rockwood Park.

UF Homecoming Festival 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Plaza of the Americas at UF.

The Homecoming Festival is an opportunity for student or ganizations and local busi nesses to promote themselves by offering fun activities and free goodies for families and students in Gainesville. Free.

Harn Museum Friday Tot Time 10-11 a.m. at Harn Museaum, 3259 Hull Road.

Explore color, shape, pat tern and other “tot interests” during this free program for children ages 2-5 and their caregivers. Free.

Gator Gallop

11 a.m.-noon at Plaza of the Americas on UF Campus This time-honored homecom ing tradition will feature a new 2-mile route that will take Ga tors through the historic Uni versity of Florida campus and finish at the Homecoming Fes tival. $10 - $22.

UF Homecoming Parade Noon-2 p.m. at Norman Hall on 13th St. then turns right on University Ave.

Kick off the homecoming fes tivities with the largest stu dent-run parade in the nation.

Free Fridays Concert Series: “The Last Waltz” Tribute to The Band 7-9 p.m. at Bo Diddley Plaza, 111 E University Ave. Free.

Concert Night - Chris McCarty 7-10 p.m. at Tioga Town Cen ter, 13085 SW 1 Lane.

Join us for our Friday Night Concert Series, featuring Chris McCarty. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and come enjoy the music under the stars. Free.

Gator Growl 2022 7 p.m. at Stephen C. O’Con nell Center, 250 Gale Lemer and Drive.

Flo Rida and Olivia O’Brient will be the Gator Growl per formers with former UF quar terback Danny Wuerffel host ing. UF Students can purchase their tickets on ticketmaster. com. Tickets: $40 - $75.

Saturday, October 8

Alachua Audubon Field Trip: Blues Creek Ravine Preserve 8 a.m. at parking area on NW 71st St (off Millhopper Road).

Managed by Alachua Con servation Trust, this recent ly opened 160-acre preserve is touted to have “an almost pristine example of a north Florida upland habitat.” We will search for migrant war blers along the wooded trail, as well as thrushes, grosbeaks, tanagers, and other species. Free.

Family Friendly Bike Ride 8:30-9:30 a.m. at Depot Park, 874 SE 4th St.

Join us at the Depot Park park ing lot for a family-friendly bike ride and ride the Gaines ville Hawthorne trail down to the Alachua Overlook for a round trip of 9 miles. Free.

Sweetwater Wetlands Park Ranger Led TourSecond Saturdays 8:30-9:30 a.m. at Sweetwater Wetlands Park, 325 SW Willis ton Road Sweetwater Wetlands Park hosts in-person, socially dis tant tours. Online pre-regis tration through Eventbrite is required. Only 10 spaces per tour are available. Check for registration link on website or Facebook page. Free.

Bird Banding at Tuscawilla Preserve 9 a.m.-noon at Tuscawilla Pre serve, 406 SE Tuscawilla Road, Tuscawilla Preserve.

Join Alachua County Trust and Alachua Audubon for a bird banding workshop to get up close to species at Tuscawil la and migratory birds of the season.

UF Volleyball vs. LSU 4 p.m. at Stephen C. O’Con nell Center, 250 Gale Lemer and Drive.

Doors open at 3 p.m. Enter through Gate 1. For Tickets visit FloridaGators.com. $5$25.

Gainesville Street Rods Cruise-in 5-8 p.m. at Publix parking lot, 9200 NW 39th Ave.

Monthly cruise-in classic cars, hot rods, motorcycles, trucks all welcome. The event has a DJ, prizes and giveaways. Spectators are welcome. $5.

Carillon Recital 6:15 p.m. at Century Tower Carillon, 375 Newell Drive. The Saturday Evening Con cert Series offers listeners the chance to hear the UF Carillon performed in a 50-minute re cital. Programs are distributed at the south base of the tow er and listeners are encour aged to find a location at least

100 feet from the tower for an optimal listening experience. Free.

Jazz on the Green Series 7-9 p.m. at Celebration Pointe, 3528 SW 45 St.

Bring your lawn chair, enjoy the open-air show in the cool of the evening. Free.

Apex, Haylin Watkins, Mandala Sky 8 p.m. at High Dive, 210 SW 2nd Ave. Suite A. $8

Into the Oblivion 10 p.m.-2 a.m. at The Loft, 11 SW 1st St.

Tickets on Eventbrite or at the door. $15 - $20.

Sunday, October 9

Red, White and Blues Farm Fall Festival

10 a.m.-7 p.m. through Oct. 2. at 3250 NE 140th Ave.

Red, White & Blues Farm is happy to welcome you to our second annual Fall Festival.

Enjoy lunch and fresh baked goods at our café. We offer a pumpkin patch with unique pumpkin varieties.

Mayhem Ranch Fall Festival 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at Mayhem Ranch, 17830 SE 40th St.

Come join us for our annual Fall Festival. Fun for the whole family. Live music, food trucks, craft vendors, and animal show activities. $12 - $15.

Historic Haile Homestead Tour Noon -4 p.m. at Haile Home stead, 8500 SW Archer Road.

Learn about the history of the 1856 Homestead, the en slaved people who lived and worked there as well as the Hailes. $5

High Springs Museum Open Day 1-4 p.m. at High Springs Mu seum, 23760 NW 187th Ave.

The Museum is dedicated to preserving the history of High Springs as it was in the 1800s to 1900s era. The museum de picts pioneer life during this time period and includes pic tures, artifacts and memorabil ia. Free.

UF Volleyball vs. LSU (Camp Reunion Night) 2 p.m. at Stephen C. O’Con nell Center, 250 Gale Lemer

and Drive.

Doors open at 1 p.m. Enter through Gate 1. For tickets vis it FloridaGators.com. $5 - $25.

The Gainesville Brass Quintet in concert 4-5 p.m. at Holy Trinity Epis copal Church, 100 NE 1st St. Free.

North Central Florida Regional Blues Challenge 5 p.m. at High Dive, 210 SW 2nd Ave. Suite A. $5.

Monday, October 10

Fun 4 Gator Kids Playgroup Fire Station #8 10-11 a.m., 3223 NW 42nd Ave.

Fun 4 Gator Kids Playgroup is going to Fire Station #8 in Gainesville. This is such a fun and educational experience. Tour the station and meet fire fighters. Free.

Auditions for A Christmas Story at High Springs Playhouse 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday at the High Springs Playhouse, 23416 NW 186 Ave.

Auditions for High Springs Playhouse “A Christmas Story” By Philip Grecian. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.

Tuesday, October 11

Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC)

6-7 p.m. at Historic Thomas Center, 302 NE 6 Ave. The primary purpose of the AHAC is to review the City’s rules, regulations, plans, pro cedures, and policies that im pact the costs of developing affordable housing.

SOLUTION

Clarice, e.g.

SHUTTERSTOCK

The Matheson History Museum, 513 E. University Ave., will fea ture a talk at 7 p.m. Thursday by UF professor Dr. Alice Rho ton-Vlasak about the history of the relationship between horti culture and medicine, specifically in Alachua County. Register for “Camellias and Their Connection to Local Medical History” on line. Link to event registration: https://mathesonmuseum.org/ events/.

8. Mackenzie Klein, Jr, Oak Hall Klein ran a season-best of 20:34.60 to finish 44th at the Katie Caples Invitational.

9. Ashley Hamilton, So, Buchholz Hamilton improved 6:27.76 off her previous sea son best to finish 45th at the Katie Caples Invitational in a time of 20:35.44.

10. Valeria Beaver, 8th, Oak Hall Beaver did not compete over the weekend.

Boys

1. Emerson Miller, Sr, Bu chholz Miller remained unde feated against area runners and picked up his second in dividual title with a win at the prestigious Katie Ca ples Invitational. His time of 15:33.29 was an area and sea son-best time.

2. Caden Montini, Sr, Oak Hall Montini lowered his sea son-best time to 15:57.51 in finishing third at the Katie Caples Invitational.

3. Mason Kawaja, Sr, Bu chholz Kawaja finished fifth at the Katie Caples Invitation al in a time of 16:04.46.

4. Quinten Dragstedt, Jr, Oak Hall Dragstedt lowered his personal best by a whopping 29.48 seconds to finish 16th

at the Katie Caples Invita tional. His time of 16:37.54 was the first time he had gone under 17 minutes.

5. Evan Fleming, Jr, Bu chholz Fleming lowered his per sonal best by 16.57 seconds to finish 23rd at the Katie Caples Invitational in a time of 16:50.43.

6. Samuel Freas, Fr, Bu chholz

Freas dipped under 17 minutes for the first time in finishing 27th at the Ka tie Caples Invitational in a time of 16:56.62. That was a 5.38-second improvement over his lifetime best.

7. Tyler Griffin, Jr, Key stone Heights Griffin ran a seasonal best time of 17:27.20 to finish sec ond at the Suwannee County Invitational in Live Oak.

8. Peter Peloso, So, Oak Hall Peloso ran a season-best time of 17:33.92 to finish 50th at the Katie Caples In vitational.

9. Landon Turley, So., St. Francis Turley finished third in the varsity division at the Katie Caples Invitational in a near personal best time of 17:38.38.

10. Joshua Adolphson, Sr., Buchholz Adolphson finished 60th in a time of 17:38.72 at the Katie Caples Invitational.

Santa Fe had multiple at tempts inside the P.K. Yonge30-yard line but could not find the end zone in any of their attempts, turning the ball over on downs most pos sessions.

“It’s going to be the hap piest $50 I spend on dough nuts on Sunday when we get to the meeting,” Doelling said of his defense. “That’s a heck of a performance from those guys.”

Prior to Tuesday’s contest, P.K. Yonge gave up scores of 48, 55 and 46 through their first three games.

Santa Fe backup quarter back Erik Hockman hit Am arion Cason for a 30-yard re ception to put the ball in Blue Wave territory, eventually leading to a Keimarion Neal 11-yard touchdown run.

However, Neal’s score would be called back for a holding call. Neal previous ly had a 25-yard run in the game called back for a hold ing call. They would even tually turn the ball over on downs.

On the following posses sion, the Blue Wave drove down the field behind hero ics from Pedro and running back Rashuan Walden. How ever, it was Curtis’ 40-yard pass to Thomas that put P.K. Yonge on the one-yard line, leading to Pedro’s game-seal ing score.

“It doesn’t matter who it is, I trust my guys one-onone every time,” Curtis said

FOOTBALL

FROM A12

28. However, Bradford must first defeat Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) at home on Oct. 14.

Bradford finally allowed its first points of the sea son in a 21-7 win at home against Munroe (Quincy). Prior to that, the Tornadoes didn’t allow a score spanning 14 quarters.

They were shutting out Baker County (Glen St. Mary), 21-0, in the second quarter in the season open er when the game was sus pended due to weather. That game will be made up on Thursday, Oct. 6, at Baker County.

The Tornadoes then pro ceeded to shut out Baldwin (35-0) and Middleburg (210) at home, followed by a 28-0 win at Eastside.

Heading into the season the top two teams in Alach ua County were Hawthorne and Buchholz.

This was based on their finish in 2021 as Hawthorne was the Class 1A state run ner-up and Buchholz lost in the Class 7A state semifi nals.

October is a critical month for both.

about Thomas’ clutch recep tion in one-on-one coverage.

The Blue Wave contin ue a wacky schedule with

a Monday night matchup at Mount Dora Christian Academy with kickoff at 5 p.m. Meanwhile, Santa Fe

looks to bounce back with a home matchup on Friday, Oct. 7, against Suwannee (Live Oak).

Their district has been noted as one of the toughest in the state and also includes Bartram Trail (St. Johns), Creekside (St. Johns), and Fleming Island (Orange Park).

Buchholz travels to Bar tram Trail on Oct. 21 and concludes the district slate with a home game against Fleming Island on Thursday, Oct. 27.

main event came around, the titles were on the line, and the drama was high. Each race decides titles, and so you get to see all different types of emotions.”

The races started on Fri day, Sept. 23, and finished Sunday, Sept.25. Top racers

in their respected age group and proficiency received a unique plate called the Gold Cup Plate, representing a top-three finish in the series.

Official results will be posted on mainstreetdaily news.com once they become available.

The Hornets will play their biggest game of the season on Friday, Oct. 14, at Union County (Lake But ler) in a Class 1R showdown. The host Tigers could be No. 1 in the state before kickoff.

Hawthorne is loaded with talent, including Di vision-I players Jailen Ruth (Washington State), Stan ley Cooks (Georgia State) and Mozell Williams (Rut gers), among others.

Union County has its own big names in senior dual threat quarterback AJ Cor tese (over 1,100 yards pass ing/rushing), running back Rayvon Durant (696 yards and eight TDs), and Markus Strong (team-leading 11 tackles for a loss and seven sacks), among others.

Last year, Hawthorne lost by one point to Madi son County in the Class 1A state championship game and Union County was un defeated until falling to Chiefland in a regional final. So, this is a good measuring stick for both programs with a state playoff vibe.

But it’s not the only big game on the schedule for the Hornets.

Perhaps the more an ticipated game is Oct. 21 at home against North Mari on (Citra), which made the Class 5A playoffs last sea son. The Hornets lost to the

Colts in 7-on-7 drills last summer which “got very heated,” according to Ruth, so they were looking for ward to the rematch during the regular season in 2021, but the game didn’t happen.

“We weren’t able to play them last year (due to weath er) and that’s a game every body was looking forward to,” Cooks noted. “Now with us being able to play them this year, I feel like it’s going to be a big crowd once we play them.”

Buchholz was ranked 11th overall in the FHSAA standings and No. 2 in Class 4S.

The Bobcats (4-0), who host rival Gainesville (0-6) on Thursday (7 p.m. kick off on 106.9 FM “I am Coun try”), have a big district game at home against Oak leaf (Orange Park) on Oct. 14 to start a tough 3-game league swing.

Also, keep an eye on Chiefland and Williston in Class 1A. Both teams are undefeated heading into the month of October, along with Oak Hall School, which competes in the Sun shine State Athletic Con ference. in Class 1A. Both teams are undefeated head ing into the month of Oc tober, along with Oak Hall School, which competes in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference.

And don’t forget about Columbia (Lake City).

Despite three losses heading into the month, the Tigers (2-3) have played a tough schedule that in cludes Buchholz, Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) — ranked 5th overall in the FHSAA rankings — Union County and defending 1A state champion Madison County.

Expect Columbia to win the Class 3S-District 3 title at home against Ridgeview (Orange Park) on Oct. 28.

Those are the favorites, but there’s also underdogs and spoilers.

October is the playoffs before the playoffs. There’s a lot at stake.

BMX FROM A12

PHOTO BY TARYN ASHBY

Buchholz’s Emerson Miller remains undefeated against area run ners and stays at the top of the area cross country rankings.

P.K.

FROM A12

PHOTO BY C.J. GISH

P.K. Yonge's Adrian Curtis escapes Santa Fe's Ethan Thomas (14) and Calel Perry (21).

PHOTO BY TARYN ASHBY

Buchholz's Camron Boykin (12) and Jacarree Kelly (9) have helped the Bobcats to a 4-0 start.

PHOTO BY TARYN ASHBY

The High Springs BMX facility played host to the USABMX Southeast Region Gold Cup Championships, which featured 688 racers over a series of events that included beginners to elite-level professionals.

Area

CROSS COUNTRY POWER RANKINGS

Buchholz runners pace girls, boys rankings

By Ricky Quintana CoRRespondent

Buchholz’s Kate Drum mond and Emerson Miller topped the girls and boys re gional cross country rankings this week.

Most teams took a weeklong break after the last rank ings on Sept.12 and hit the turf again this week.

the Katie Caples Invitational at Bishop Kenny in Jackson ville in a time of 19 minutes, 3.96 seconds to lead all area runners.

2. Sydney Miller, Sr, Oak Hall Miller finished ninth at the Katie Caples Invitation al in a time of 19:17.17.

5. Eleanor Whisler, So, Buchholz Whisler finished 19th at the Katie Caples Invitation al in a time of 19:41.22.

Postponed to Oct. 3 (see Mainstreetdailynews. com for scores/recaps):

„ P.K. Yonge at Mount Dora Christian, 5 p.m. (PPD from earlier in the season)

„ Oak Hall School at Bronson, 6 p.m.

„ Eastside at North Mar ion (Citra), 6:30 p.m.

„ Newberry at Williston, 7 p.m.

Postponed to Oct. 4

„ Gibbs (St. Pete) at Hawthorne, 7 p.m.

Canceled

Chiefland at Trenton

Here is a top 10 list of the cross country runners in the area.

Girls

1. Kate Drummond, Sr, Buchholz

Drummond placed fifth at

3. Lucy Voss, Jr, Buchholz Voss was two ticks behind Miller in 10th at the Katie Caples Invitational in a time of 19:19.60.

4. Emma White, Jr, Buch holz

White finished 13th at the Katie Caples Invitation al in a time of 19:28.55.

6. Alivia Dragstedt, So, Oak Hall Dragstedt ran a sea son-best to finish 20th at the Katie Caples in a time of 19:41.44.

7. Lola Murfee, 8th, Oak Hall Murfee chopped 57.75 seconds off her season-best time to finish 37th at the Ka tie Caples Invitational in a time of 20:22.05.

P.K. Yonge shuts out Santa Fe Blue Wave earn first win of 2022 season

Cam Parker CoRRespondent

It wasn’t pretty, but P.K. Yonge shut out Santa Fe 15-0 behind a stout defense and a late touchdown run by Devin Pedro, giving the Blue Wave their first win of the 2022 season.

October sharpens football intensity

Mike Ridaught spoRts diReCtoR

With September now behind us, high school football should get intense in the month of October as teams try to earn a spot in November’s state playoffs.

District champion ships are at stake during the month. Play is begin ning to heat up as we sep arate the pretenders from the contenders.

The last district play ing date is Oct. 28, so dis trict champions will be de cided by the end of the month.

The Florida High School Athletic Associ ation (FHSAA) released its football rankings on Wednesday, Sept. 27, and the highest ranked team in the area was Brad ford (Starke), which was ranked No. 1 in Class 2S and 10th overall in Florida.

The Tornadoes’ quest for a district title could come down to a trip to Palatka on Friday, Oct.

Despite a hurricane loom ing and area teams either canceling or postponing their matchups, P.K. Yonge and Santa Fe decided to push their matchup up to Tuesday night giving both teams only a three-day break from last week’s games.

With the short week, P.K. Yonge coach Kevin Doelling said that they only had a walk-through practice on Monday to prepare for the game.

“I will say it’s a relief,” Doelling said. “This is a young team, and they’re still learning a lot of little nuanc es of the game… I’m happy for the boys. They have a bunch of smiles on their faces. I’m just really proud right now.”

The Blue Wave kicked off the scoring on their opening drive with a 31-yard touch down pass from sophomore Adrian Curtis to Thom

as Young III, Curtis’ sixth touchdown pass in his first season as the full-time starter.

A missed PAT would put the score at 6-0 with 9:12 left in the first quarter.

“Tonight, we had a pret ty balanced attack,” Cur tis said. “I feel like we ran the ball pretty good. I feel like we threw the ball OK. I didn’t play to the best of

my ability today, but I’ll fix that.”

Curtis, who was named the Sonic Drive-In play er of the game, shined in a tough offensive night, throw

„ Gainesville at Buch holz. Pre-game starts THURSDAY at 6:30 p.m. on 106.9 FM I Am Coun try and streams online at IAmCountryRadio.com

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ing for passes of 40 yards and 70 yards to Deldrick Gos ton and 40 yards to Calvin Thomas.

“I will say, three or four times during the game, he came over and apologize for his ‘poor performance,’” Doelling said. “He’s a won derful kid. He’s tougher on himself than I could ever be. I try to be the nice one on him so there isn’t double the pres sure.”

Goston’s 70-yard recep tion set up a 25-yard field goal by Pablo Diaz to put the Blue Wave up 9-0 with 8:14 left in the third quar ter.

BMX racers earn Gold Cup honors

High Springs hosts Southeast regional for first time

By Taryn Ashby RepoRteR

Crowds of spectators and competitors filed into the racetrack at High Spring BMX for the much-antici pated USABMX Southeast Region Gold Cup Champi onships on Sept. 23-25.

Food vendors, bike shops, merchandise pop-ups, and close to 100 team tents packed the facility’s grounds.

The weekend marked High Springs’s first time

hosting the regional finals.

“It has been incredible,” said High Springs BMX track operator Laura Pringle in an interview. “It’s been a buck et list item for us to bring this event here to North Central Florida. I get a little misty and emotional all weekend when I think about it because it’s been pretty cool to see how these people come and experience not only our track but also Alachua County.”

The event attracted 688 unique racers across Flori

da, Georgia, Alabama, Ten nessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina to compete for the title. Competitors ranged from ages 2 to 65, and their skill sets went from be ginner to elite-level profes sionals.

“The events went real ly well,” Pringle said. “We’ve had a ton of people. Everyone has a great time. The racing action has been amazing, so it’s been fantastic. Once the

Sept. 27

P.K. Yonge def. Santa Fe 15-0

Menendez (St. Augus tine) def. Gainesville 23-14

Off week: Buchholz & St. Francis Catholic Academy

Mike Ridaught spoRts diReCtoR

This Week’s Broadcasts

*Games and times are subject to change

PHOTO BY TARYN ASHBY

Buchholz senior Kate Drummond jumped to No. 1 in this week's area cross country rankings.

PHOTO BY C.J. GISH

Santa Fe's Blake McCoy makes a first half reception against P.K. Yonge's Jammel Gillins.

PHOTO BY TARYN ASHBY

Starting gate at USABMX Southeast Region Gold Cup Champion ships in High Springs.