March 10 – 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).

Concerns over potential exposure to the coronavirus are making themselves felt, particularly when it comes to travel plans. For members of the St. Augustine High School Chamber Singers it means they won’t be going to perform in Rome and at the Vatican this summer. Choir Director Jeff Dodds said the decision comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis talked with St. Johns County School Superintendent Tim Forson. More than $60,000 in donations has been raised in a week-and-a-half after word went out students needed help funding the trip. Now the trip is put on hold for a year. Current seniors will be allowed to participate when the trip is made. In Putnam County School Superintendent Rick Surrency received notice Monday afternoon of postponement of a leadership workshop in Finland. Surrency said today he thought his place was in Putnam County right now. “We are continuing to monitor the coronavirus situation day-to-day and taking precautions.”

If you want to more of the science behind the coronavirus, Science League Palatka offers a presentation tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Hammock Hall in Palatka. The biology background and a presentation of Florida Department of Health materials regarding the virus are scheduled. It’s free and open to the public.

In Putnam County tonight One Book One Putnam finale is at the Woman’s Club of Palatka on South 13th Street. Beginning at 5:30 p.m. the finale includes a special staged reading by Readers’ Repertory of Palatka and refreshments. It’s open to the public. This year’s countywide read has been Delia Owens’ Where the Crawdads Sing.

Today the Flagler County School Board meets to vote on the district’s next school superintendent. The meeting at the Government Services Building in Bunnell is open to the public. The four finalists are Earl Johnson, Cathy Mittelstadt, Vernon Orndorff and Janet Womack.

It’s Military Appreciation Day at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra today. That means free and discounted admission for active duty, military retirees, military reserve, national guard and military spouses along with their children. Officials say they’re taking precautions in regards to the coronavirus.

Putnam County law enforcement reports a missing 72-year-old Crescent City woman has been found. Gayle O’Neill was found shortly after 11 p.m. Monday, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. That came after a day-long search for the woman.

Friends report Onyx Hebert, the young son of Shawn Hebert and Heather Bass Hebert of Putnam County, is in stable condition after going through heart surgery Monday. His pacemaker was removed and a Berlin VAD put in. Hundreds of people have been praying for the family after posts on Facebook.

Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies arrested three people in three separate incidents involving stolen cars over the weekend. Friday evening a stolen vehicle was found at the Race Trac gas station on State Road 100. Driver Teresa Clawson, 36, said she had legally purchased the vehicle in Jacksonville but she had no supporting documents and no valid driver’s license. Fentanyl and marijuana plus counterfeit currency were found, according to the Sheriff’s Office. A six-year-old in the car with her ended up with the Department of Children and Families. Sunday afternoon a stolen vehicle was found at the Mobil gas station on State Road 100. Driver Jacob Ragsdale, 35, had no valid driver’s license and was wanted in South Carolina for a probation-parole violation. Sunday evening a  stolen vehicle was located in Victoria Plaza on Belle Terre Parkway. Driver Charles Brockhaus, 48, told deputies he leased the car and gave them his phone where he said the lease agreement was contained. Deputies didn’t find an agreement but did find messages related to narcotics sales and usage. A counterfeit $50 bill was found and Brockhaus was driving on a suspended license.

Congratulations to Interlachen High School softball coach Ron Whitehurst who had his 200th win this weekend during a tournament in Palatka. Fellow coach Tonya Troiano was there, she was a player for Whitehurst when he had his first win as coach for the Lady Rams.

This is Marcia Lane, your roving reporter.