March 29 – Marcia Lane, roving reporter

This news bulletin is brought to you in conjunction with NATKIM Radio. Listen to WPLK (800 AM), WIYD (1260 AM) and WPLK FM (98.3 FM).

Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is working two shootings that happened overnight. The first occurred around 7:30 p.m. Thursday when one of two individuals shot phoned for help. Col. Joe Wells said the two were in a vehicle when the shooting occurred off Skeet Club Road. It was apparently a drug deal that went bad, Wells said. Detectives are working the case and arrests are expected. One of the suspects reportedly is a juvenile. One of the individuals shot was taken to UF Health Shands in Gainesville, the other to Orange Park Medical Center. Both are in critical condition this morning.

The shootings happened in the area by Rosa K. Ragsdale apartment complex. Also under investigation is a shooting early this morning after a man allegedly attempted to burglarize a home in the area behind the Oasis Bar. Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Allison Waters-Merritt said questioning is still going on but the individual who was shot apparently attempted to burglarize the residence and was shot in the shoulder. He drove to the Cheyenne Saloon on U.S. 17 South and emergency vehicles were called shortly after midnight. The suspect was taken to Orange Park Medical Center before being returned to the Sheriff’s Office.

Putnam County students have a holiday today. It’s a teacher planning day.

St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man after he allegedly tried to fire a homemade shotgun at a deputy. Brad Timothy Germain, 41, pointed what looked like a metal pipe at a deputy sent to arrest him Tuesday for violation of probation. Germain fled and a search including other deputies followed with the suspect found in a wooded area. They also found a 12 gauge shotgun round on him and discovered the metal pipe was a gun prepped to fire. While Germain was being taken to a deputy’s car, he attempted to escape again and injured one deputy’s hand. He is now in the St. Johns Jail facing more charges including attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.

Flagler County officials are considering a new location for the Sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell. More than two dozen workers have filed worker’s compensation claims over the sick building found to have mold. Among locations proposed one is in Bunnell, the county seat. The other two locations are in Palm Coast. One is at the same site as the public library. The other is on a county-owned site at the edge of Palm Coast’s Town Center.

Palatka is back in the process of looking for a city manager after their last search ended with eight final candidates where all but two of those either dropped out or failed to complete requirements. So far 65 new applications have come in since the process reopened March 14. Deadline to apply is April 5.

Saturday is the 64th annual Flagler County Cracker Day at the fairgrounds in Bunnell. For $10 you get parking, admission, a barbecue dinner and rodeo.

Tonight the St. Augustine Concert Band performs a concert of featuring scores from Those Magnificent Movies at 7:30 p.m. at Pacetti Bay Middle School.

Garden Club of St. Augustine presents the annual EPIC Flower & Garden Expo Saturday and Sunday at the St. Johns County Agricultural Center off I-95. In addition to gardening events and plants for sale there’s a quilt show, food and beverages and kids area.

Tim Tebow and friends will be at TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach Saturday for the 9th annual Celebrity Golf Classic tournament. The Tim Tebow Foundation presents the event where celebrity golfers play for charity.

Putnam County Fair continues through Saturday at the fairgrounds in East Palatka. Market steer and swine sale is tonight with 4H/FFA pullets and blueberry bushes up for bid during a silent auction today.

At the Larimer Arts Center on Reid Street its Saturday Nite Live Saturday with The Sandspurs, an acoustic Americana duo based in St. Augustine. Putnam’s Sam Wimberly will offer an opening set beginning at 7 p.m.

At Federal Point Saturday the latest Bartram Trail marker will be dedicated for Stanton Landing at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 11:30 a.m. A barbecue put on by the Stanton Family and the Putnam County Commission follows. St. Paul’s is coordinating the event that offers kayaking and bicycling events beginning at 8 a.m. and features exhibits including ones by the Putnam County Library System archives and the Putnam County Historical Society.

This is Marcia Lane, your roving reporter.