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Law enforcement officers and K-9 tracking teams from area agencies are trailing a gunman who was allegedly shooting at cars earlier this morning around the County Road 167 area. The alleged shooter was reportedly on foot and has fled. According to Lt. Emory Godwin of the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office, the identity of the shooter is unknown at this time. More details as they become available.

It was all about “Boots, Blue Jeans and Barbecue” Friday night at the 66th Annual Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce Membership Banquet held at the W.T. Neal Civic Center. [Full Story »] 

Here's a preview of the agenda for the Calhoun County Commission meeting set for Tuesday, March 5, at 6 p.m. in the Calhoun County Extension Office (next to the old courthouse):

CALHOUN COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA
MARCH 5, 2013, 6 p.m.

6:00 P.M. CALL MEETING TO ORDER

6:01 P.M. APPROVAL OF FEBRUARY 19, 2013 MINUTES

6:02 P.M. JOE WOOD, GRANTS COORDINATOR, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR

6:15 P.M. C. R. COCHRAN – TRAILER PARK

6:30 P.M. ANGIE SMITH, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR

6:45 P.M. DAN CLEMONS - SHIP

7:00 P.M. DONALD STANLEY, PREBLE RISH, INC.

7:15 P.M. BECKY SMITH, TAX COLLECTOR

7:30 P.M. BRITTNEY WOOTEN – GIRL SCOUT DOG PARK

7:45 P.M. LINDA VAN CLEVE – 4-H GROUP

8:00 P.M. PHILLIP HILL – EMS MATCHING GRANT

8:15 P.M. ATTORNEY TIME

8:30 P.M. COMMISSION TIME
MEDICAL EXAMINER APPOINTMENT
CHIPOLA REGIONAL WORKFORCE REPRESENTATIVE

Funeral arrangements have been finalized for Chaz Fain, the 18-year-old Blountstown native who was killed in Oklahoma last week. The service will be held at 12 noon Saturday, March 2, at the Blountstown Middle School Auditorium. The BHS Boosters fundraiser planned Saturday, featuring a homerun derby, chili cookoff and cow chip bingo, will be rescheduled due to many students and families wishing to attend the funeral.

BY KELLI PEACOCK DUNN
News Editor

After days of heavy rains, the Apalachicola and Chipola rivers are on the rise, with forecasts indicating they will remain high for several days.

According to Calhoun County Emergency Management Director Angie Smith, “We’ve got some places that received 15 inches of rain in the past four days.”

Smith says the National Weather Service predicts the Apalachicola will crest at 24.9 feet Saturday and the Chipola should reach 28.2 feet Thursday, six feet above flood stage.

“When the Apalachicola is up, the Chipola has a harder time flowing out and sometimes you get back up. Those people in that area of the county tend to have a rougher time,” says Smith of those residing along the Chipola. “If they have friends or family who they could stay with and feel more comfortable, my suggestion would be to go there. I just want everybody to be aware, be cautious, be safe and be prepared for conditions similar to the 2009 flooding event.”

The following are areas of concern: Logan Road, Sybil Lane, Blackbottom, Bumpy Hill Road, Shuman Ferry, Jessie Lee Road, Lamb Eddy, Missy Lane, areas off of Bailey Cemetery Road, Jack Lake Road, Lee Bailey Landing, Cypress Park off BH Stone Road, TD Barker Road.

Roads under water include: Abe Springs/Bullhead Bay Road, Big Mac Drive, Buddy Johnson Road, J. J. Young Road, Dessie Stone Road, Flatwoods Road, John F. Bailey Road, John Daniels Road, John Redd Road, Hanna Tower West Road, Lands Store Road, Leonard Varnum Road West at the Creek, Matthew Wood Road, McCullough/Ervin Road, McClendon Road, North Street, Ocheessee Landing Road, Oscar Hall Road, Pole Road, Roy Golden Road, Sam Duncan Road, J W Alexander Road, Willard Smith Road, CR 69 A off of SR 69 North, CR 274 East off of Alliance Road, CR 1 South of CR 5, CR 5, CR 12, CR 275 South @ Silas Green Road.

Road closures include: Clayton Shiver, Iola Road, Mac’s Nursery Road, and Silas Green Road.

The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office also advises all Calhoun County citizens living in low-lying areas to be aware of the water levels and flooding potential as the week progresses.

Currently, there have been no evacuations ordered for low-lying areas, but water levels are being closely monitored by the Emergency Operations Center and the Sheriff’s Office.

Records indicate the Apalachicola climbed to 27.23 feet back in 1998 and the Chipola hit 31.23 the same year.

Smith says anyone with questions or concerns should call her office at 674-8075.

Calhoun County Superintendent of Schools Ralph Yoder announced Monday that the Calhoun County School Board (CCSB) has approved action to begin the process of requesting funds from the State of Florida to construct a new school in Altha. [Full Story »] 

The U.S. Supreme Court Rules in Favor of the State of Florida in Case of
“Dog Sniff” Establishing Probable Cause During Traffic Stop

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—The United State Supreme Court today ruled in favor of the State of Florida in Florida v. Clayton Harris, deciding that police dog Aldo’s sniff constituted probable cause for Liberty County K-9 Officer William Wheetley to search Clayton’s Harris’s vehicle for illegal drugs. The Court’s decision is important to law enforcement officers throughout the nation because it clarifies the legal standards governing their reliance on drug detection dogs, a common law enforcement practice.

The Supreme Court unanimously reversed the Florida Supreme Court’s judgment and declared, “Because training records established Aldo’s reliability in detecting drugs and Harris failed to undermine that showing, we agree with the trial court that Wheetley had probable cause to search Harris’s truck.”

“This victory is paramount to preserving our law enforcement officers’ ability to use police dog alerts to locate illegal drugs and arrest those who possess them," stated Attorney General Pam Bondi. "The Supreme Court correctly held that a police dog’s reliability is determined through a common-sense evaluation of the relevant circumstances, rather than through a rigid set of judge-created requirements."

To view the opinion, please follow this link: http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/MMFD-953LBE/$file/HarrisOPINION.pdf

Calhoun County Clerk of Court Carla Hand has issued this agenda for the upcoming county commission meeting set for Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. This allows interested citizens an opportunity to know issues being discussed so they may plan to attend. Meetings are held the first and third Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the board room at the Calhoun County Extension Office (next to the old courthouse). The agenda is as follows:

CALHOUN COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA
FEBRUARY 19, 2013

6:00 P.M. CALL MEETING TO ORDER

6:01 P.M. APPROVAL OF FEBRUARY 5, 2013 MINUTES

6:02 P.M. JOE WOOD, GRANTS COORDINATOR, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR

6:15 P.M. ANGIE SMITH, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR

6:30 P.M. DAN CLEMONS - BIDS

6:45 P.M. DONALD STANLEY, PREBLE RISH, INC.

7:00 P.M. MAXIE WALDORFF, IDA BOARD

7:15 P.M. KATHLEEN HERZOG – NATIONAL RECREATION TRAILS

7:30 P.M. BRITTNEY WOOTEN – GIRL SCOUTS

7:45 P.M. VOLENA BARFIELD – VOTING PRECINCTS

8:00 P.M. TAMMY MARTIN – HOME BUSINESS

8:15 P.M. ALVIN JOHNSON – 3RD ANNUAL BLOUNTSTOWN CAR SHOW

8:30 P.M. DOWLING PARRISH – PICKRON UPDATE

8:45 P.M. ATTORNEY TIME

9:00 P.M. COMMISSION TIME