Community walk planned for Nov. 19

WHITE SPRINGS, Fla. — The Florida Department of Health in Hamilton County with the UF/IFAS Extension Office are hosting a Community Walk at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park on Saturday, Nov. 19. There will be a free health check including weight, body mass index, blood pressure and more at 9 a.m. The walk will begin at 10 a.m. The walk will be approximately three miles along the paved drive at the park. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and closed toe shoes. The community walks will be every quarter throughout the year. There will be a small entrance fee to the park but free admission vouchers will be given to participants for a return visit. The park is located at 11016 Lillian Saunders Drive, White Springs. For more information contact Wendy Bragdon at 386-754-7083 or Heather Janney at 386-792-1276. 

 

Jaspers easily keeps state House seat

CHATSWORTH — In the State House District 11 race, which includes parts of Murray County, incumbent Rick Jasperse, R-Jasper, easily held his seat with 17,996 votes (84.47 percent) against Democratic challenger Brandon Crisp with 3,309 votes (15.53 percent). Jasperse thanked voters for trusting him.  “Races in my level are about people trusting you to do the right thing,” he said. Crisp didn’t immediately return phone calls from The Daily Citizen Tuesday night.

 

Plane rolls into ditch, damages fence

By BILLY W. HOBBSbhobbs@unionrecorder.comWhen Charles Henry Mount safely landed his plane Monday night at the Baldwin County Airport, he never imagined what would eventually happen while he greeted family there a few minutes later. As he gathered belongings of his wife and talked with his daughter, just a short time after he landed his 1969 Cessna 177 Cardinal, he looked up and saw his plane rolling backward, according to a report filed by Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jerome Roberts. The Gainesville pilot told the deputy that he ran toward the plane in an attempt to catch up with it and prevent any mishap from taking place. Mount said the closer he got to it, the faster the plane seemed to get. The aircraft eventually rolled backward into a nearby ditch and fence. No one was aboard the plane at the time. It was not immediately known how much damage was done to the fence. The mishap occurred between 6:55 and 7:13 p.m.Roberts said in his report that Mount recalled that he the parking brake on after he landed and parked, approximately 20 yards from a grassy area on the north side of the airport. Mount said he then walked over to his wife’s vehicle and began to retrieve her belongings and spoke to his daughter. It was during that time that the accident happened. Mount later contacted Danny Cox, an inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to gain permission to have a local wrecker service pull the aircraft up out of the ditch. Such permission was granted. 

 

Viking heading to Miss Georgia Teen USA

VALDOSTA , Ga. – Lowndes High School student Shayla Jackson will compete as one of the youngest beauty queens in  the Miss Georgia Teen USA competition in McDonough. Contestants for the pageant must be between the ages of 14 and 19. Jackson, who is 14, will be one of the two youngest contestants competing. “Me being 14, there’s not a lot of girls who go for the bigger pageant,” Jackson said. “I do it so I can show girls that if they put their mind to something, they can achieve it and become better at it. With me being hearing impaired, I want to show them that a disability doesn’t stop you from doing what you want to do.” The 2016 pageant marks a change in the competition. The traditional swimsuit competition has been changed to “active wear.” The Miss Universe organization decided teens can wear a sports bra and athletic pants versus a swimsuit. Both Jackson and her mother, Shanta, agreed the change will make girls feel more comfortable on stage. The pageant is broken into active wear, evening gown and, for the top five, interview categories. Thanks to a previous pageant, Jackson won a custom evening gown and custom active wear outfit for the contest. Another difference at the pageant is that Jackson will be without her mother for the weekend of the pageant. Once arriving at the Henry County Performing Arts Center Nov. 17, Jackson and her mother will part ways. “The rules are that parents can’t be in contact in person. I have to do my own hair and makeup and I room with another contestant,” Jackson said. “I’m excited and nervous. I’ve never been on my own like that.” Luckily, Jackson shared that all the rumors of beauty pageant catfights are just that: rumors. “The girls all help each other,” Jackson said. “If you ever need help, you can ask. I am able to make friends from all different places. You make a lot of friends doing this, more than you would think.” The Miss Georgia Teen Pageant will take place Nov. 17-19 at the Henry County Performing Arts Center. It will also be live-streamed with a link on Greenwood Productions Facebook page. No matter the outcome, Jackson said she plans to continue doing pageants and hopefully adding to her prizes and scholarships.