News

Kinard Halloween Carnival a tradition for many

October 29, 2010

MIDDLE: Many youngsters have flocked to Kinard in their Halloween costumes over the years to play games and collect treats and prizes. RIGHT: The cake auction is the highlight of the night as the highly competitive bidding keeps everyone on their toes. LEFT: Ryan Flowers, shown here at the Halloween Carnival in his Superman costume many years ago, is now a member of the Kinard Fire Department. He is pictured with his father, Chris Flowers, and his sister, Karissa. One night a year, the population of the tiny community of Kinard explodes. Nestled in southwestern Calhoun County, not far...

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Hunter hurt in fall from tree stand

October 29, 2010

A 47-year-old man hunting on Forest Road 136 in Liberty County was injured when he fell approximately 20 feet from a tree stand Sunday afternoon. Jose Ernesto Garcia, of Stuart, was camping with friends and family at Camel Lake before going into the woods. One of his friends was hunting nearby and heard him when he tumbled out of a long leaf pine tree, according to FWC Officer Lane Bentley. “He was fortunate they were hunting together,” Bentley said, “He didn’t lay there too long before the ambulance got there.” Bentley said Garcia’s face was badly scratched and he...

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Driver OK after van goes over railing, down hill

October 22, 2010
Driver OK after van goes over railing, down hill

Rescue workers had to cut a driver free from her wrecked van after she went over a guardrail, down a hill and into the woods Sunday at Hwy. 71 South and Gaskin Street in Blountstown. The driver, Courtney Register of Blountstown, reportedly fell asleep and lost control of the vehicle around 6:45 a.m. She had minor injuries to her hand. The vehicle was wedged into a wooded area and several trees had to be cut before it could be removed.

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Clarksville woman dies in rollover Tuesday

October 22, 2010
Clarksville woman dies in rollover Tuesday

A 63-year-old Clarksville woman died Tuesday after losing control of a van at the intersection of S.R. 73 and S.R. 71 in Calhoun County. The Florida Highway Patrol identified the deceased as Dorothy L. Barfield. Traveling with Barfield was James D. Spann, 38, who was seriously injured in the 1:55 p.m. crash. He was transported to Bay Medical Center by emergency helicopter. Barfield was taken by ambulance to Calhoun-Liberty Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. According to the FHP report, Barfield was traveling south on S.R. 73 when she failed to stop at the clearly marked intersection with S.R....

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Candidate for Lt. Gov. makes a stop in Bristol

October 22, 2010
Candidate for Lt. Gov. makes a stop in Bristol

Democratic Lt. Gov. candidate Rod Smith made a stop in Bristol Monday as he did a little politickin’ through the panhandle. Smith, accompanied by Robert Trammell, spoke with elected officials at the Apalachee Restaurant and urged them to support Alex Sink’s campaign for governor. He warned that opponent Rick Scott’s budget-cutting plans could lead to shutting down state prisons and the state hospital and handing them over to private companies. In turn, that would “cut pensions, wages, morale and services,” he said. Smith emphasized the rural heritage that he and Sink share. Trammell followed up by saying, “North Florida...

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Crime rate increases in Calhoun County

October 22, 2010

A review of the semi-annual Uniform Crime Reports, covering the first half of 2010 reveals that crime has increased in Calhoun County in the first half of the year. The Sheriff’s Office statistics reflect an increase of 9.1%. Although that seems like a large jump in just six months, to put that figure into perspective that is an increase of just 4 crimes. In the same period of 2009 we experienced 44 Index Crimes which were measured by the UCR reports. In the first half of 2010 we experienced an increase to 48 Index Crimes, representing an increase of...

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Cars collide after running stop sign in Hosford Friday

October 15, 2010
Cars collide after running stop sign in Hosford Friday

Five people sustained minor injuries and two vehicles were totaled in a collision Friday night in Hosford. Two vehicles were traveling north on Chester Street and failed to heed a stop sign at State Road 20. Both drove across the state road and onto NE Zack Luke Road around 11:27 p.m. The first vehicle – a 2001 Ford Explorer, driven by Derek Basford, 22, of Panama City – collided with a tree. The second vehicle – a 1995 four-door Honda driven by Matthew Scott McKenny, 19, of Freeport – ran into the back of Basford’s vehicle. The impact caused...

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Christy Corbin Evans wins $7,000 on Wheel of Fortune

October 15, 2010
Christy Corbin Evans wins $7,000 on Wheel of Fortune

She may not have won the top prize but she came home $7,000 richer when she took a shot at fame and fortune on Monday night’s Wheel of Fortune, which aired locally on WJHG and WCTV. Blountstown native Christy Corbin Evans got off to a quick start by solving the first two Toss Up puzzles. The first was “Buckingham Palace” and the second was “Seagulls and Pelicans.” But when she landed on the “Lose a Turn” wedge on the wheel, it gave a competitor from Jacksonville a chance to catch up as he solved the third puzzle, “Fancy Meeting...

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Calhoun gets $5 million to protect roadways from recurring storm damage

October 15, 2010
Calhoun gets $5 million to protect roadways from recurring storm damage

TALLAHASSEE – On the steps of the Calhoun County Courthouse, U.S. Congressman Allen Boyd (D-North Florida) announced that Calhoun County has been awarded more than $5 million in federal funding to protect area drivers by making critical s to key roadways in the county. Congressman Boyd was joined by members of the Calhoun County Board of County Commissioners and representatives of the state and local departments of emergency management at the Oct. 6 announcement. “No one knows better than Calhoun County drivers how frustrating it is when our local roadways become impassable, and this federal funding will help correct...

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Man bikes from Tallahassee to make court date

October 15, 2010

A 19-year-old traveled from Tallahassee to Blountstown on a borrowed bicycle to make a court appearance after being charged earlier this year with driving without a license. “I’ve never been in court before. I didn’t want to miss it or be late,” said Brian Leroy Cook Jr. A friend at the homeless shelter on Tennessee Street in Tallahassee, where he and his girlfriend are staying, loaned him the bike for the 60-mile trip. He left around 10 a.m. Wednesday. He arrived in Blountstown at 5:22 p.m. It was a warm day and he stopped a couple of times to...

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