Aug. 5 – 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).

Teachers and school staff are back at work in Putnam, St. Johns and Flagler counties today as schools prepare for opening day next week. In Flagler County Superintendent Jim Tager hosted a breakfast at Flagler Palm Coast High School for personnel. In St. Johns County they’re so ready to start the year they’re announcing the October show for the St. Johns County Center for the Arts. It’s Mary Poppins. In Putnam County the school district and the county are working together to be sure caution lights in school zones are in order. Travis Weaver with the district says beginning Wednesday the beacon lights will come on in the zones so motorists can get used to slowing down for students next week.

Interception of a large package from China to Ponte Vedra led to an $800,000 bust and a warning for people considering trying Dr. Seltzer, a pill used for erectile dysfunction. The blue pills are labeled as an all-natural, herbal substance containing shitake mushroom extract. In truth it contains Sildenafil, the active ingredient in certain erectile dysfunction drugs. Sildenafil can have serious side effects and may be fatal for some. Pills sell for $10.99 each on e-Bay and in some retail stores in St. Augustine. A High-Intensity Drug Task Force including sheriff’s offices in Putnam, Flagler and St. Johns counties and the Palatka Police Department is investigating.

A 16-year-old Flagler County youth accused of killing another teen in July in an apparent drug deal gone bad will be tried as an adult. Last month Benjamin Allen was indicted on a charge of first-degree murder by a grand jury. He’s being held in Duval County jail since Flagler doesn’t have a place to hold a juvenile. Allen is accused of killing Elijah RIzvan, 17, over a $120 marijuana transaction.

St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the identity of a swimmer found Friday in the Intracoastal Waterway. A man’s body was spotted by a boater near North Griffin Shores Drive. He alerted a Customs and Border Protection boat in the area. An autopsy has been order. The body is described as that of a white middle-aged man with slim build, 5’8” to 5’10” inches tall, brown hair and graying beard. He was wearing a red-and-grey swimsuit. If you have information, contact Det. Eric Schoenfeld at 904-295-6551.

National Night Out 2019 is this Tuesday. It’s a chance for the community and law enforcement to interact and build safe communities. School fun, safety tips and games are planned. St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and county government will host the celebration from 5-8 p.m. at St. Johns County Beach Pier at St. Augustine Beach. In Flagler County the Sheriff’s Office is hosting the event at Flagler Palm Coast High School from 6 to 8 p.m. In Putnam County the event is at Booker Park, 701 N. 10th Street in Palatka from 6 to 8 p.m.

You can help out a little girl who lost her Cabbage Patch doll over the weekend in Palatka. The family was at Palatka’s riverfront park and somehow the doll got left behind. “It’s very dear to our family,” reported Terra Cole on Facebook. If you find the doll, give her a call at 904-769-3538.

This is Marcia Lane, your roving reporter.