Dec. 2, 2020 The Roving Reporter

This is Marcia Lane, your roving reporter.

Two people died Tuesday in separate single-vehicle accidents in Putnam County. In the early morning a 31-year-old man was killed on State Road 207 after he was thrown from the Suzuki SUV in which he was a passenger.  Florida Highway Patrol says the 29-year-old St.. Augustine woman driving the vehicle was headed south on 207 when it crashed north of Wildwood Lane, going off the road and overturning. The man was thrown from the SUV, the woman is in serious condition. Wildwood Lane is just before County Line Market, on the Putnam side of the line. On Tuesday evening a teenage girl died in a single-vehicle crash in the town of Welaka, according to FHP. That crash in South Putnam occurred on County Road 308B near the intersection with Foerster Lane. The vehicle went off the road, the driver corrected and went back onto the roadway, but then lost control and the vehicle hit a tree on the car’s right side. The 17-year-old driver was not wearing a seat belt, according to FHP.

Area residents are shivering this morning after a freezing night that found some scraping ice off their windshields this morning. Marshall Fulgham was sending out a blast at 4:30 a.m. to tell Sunrise Rotary Club members it was meeting day and 31 degrees.  That would make you pull the covers back over your head. National Weather Service says tonight will be warmer, with 42 the expected low. Tomorrow temperatures are expected to reach a high of 72.

Palatka Water Works Environmental Education Center is looking forward to that warming trend; they’re holding a workshop on urban organic gardening this Saturday. The workshop is made possible through a 2020 TD Greenspace grant. The workshop will be at the organic garden section of the Water Works facility, 1101 Whitewater Dr. in Palatka and is from 10-10:30 a.m. Saturday.

On Tuesday Florida Department of Health in Putnam County reported 35 new cases of coronavirus. Five of those cases are confirmed as direct contact, the other 30 are under investigation. Total number of cases in Putnam since March is now 2,783. In Flagler County, 16 new cases were reported, putting their total at 2,764. In St. Johns County 99 cases were reported. Their total is now 8,931.

The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reportedly is about to announce new guidelines. Currently people who come in contact with someone infected with coronavirus have a 14-day recommended quarantine period. New guidelines reportedly will allow someone infected to resume normal activity after 10 days, or seven days if they received a negative test.

The 77-year-old bicyclist who was struck and killed Monday in St. Johns County has been identified as retired ABC News correspondent Tim O’Brien. Florida Highway Patrol reported O’Brien was on the sidewalk with his bike when a pickup headed north on State Road A1A attempted to turn onto Mickler Road in Ponte Vedra Beach. The driver collided with a car traveling south on A1A and that car went off the roadway onto the right should striking O’Brien. An attorney, O’Brien covered the U.S. Supreme Court for more than 22 years for ABC and was a recognized expert on the court and the justices. He won an Emmy award for his contributions to CNN’s coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

A contender for the 2020 Grinch of the Year award struck in Crescent City Sunday when someone took a three-wheel bike at the front door of Winn-Dixie. The bike belongs to a fellow named Ralph, who is a familiar sight at the store and it’s his mode of transportation. Melisa Ignos of Crescent City posted the info on Facebook trying to get the bike back and urging: “Do a good deed, just bring it back to the poor man and degrade yourself to a low-life scum.”