News Archive

MRS. MELBA LEE UNDERHILL of Cross City passed away at North Florida Regional Medical Center Wednesday, April 23, 2008 after a long illness.  She was 85 years of age, born September 11, 1922 in Taylor County, Florida.  She moved to Dixie county with her parents where she was raised.  Melba served as the Dixie County Supervisor of Elections from January 1961 until she retired in 1981.  She was a member of the Baptist Purity Church.

MR. JOUQUIM GOMES, JR. of Horseshoe Beach, FL passed away on April 21, 2008 at the Gainesville VA. He was 75. Born in Key West, FL, Mr. Gomes lived in Horseshsoe for the past 35 years where he was a commercial fisherman. He was a member of the New Beginnings Church in Horseshoe.

By David Ryman

Herbert Hurst presided over a feisty meeting of council members Harden, Dawson, Gooding and Locklear. In attendance were Attorney Greg Beauchamp, City Clerk, Manager, and Superintendent, the Police and Fire Chiefs, and an audience of five residents. Cross City Council’s lectern has gone hi-tech, now sporting a microphone, amplifier and speaker, so the voice of the people can be better heard.

The Shired Island ( County) Park will be closed from Friday May 2nd thru Sunday May 4th and will be available only for the annual Handicapped Fishing Event participants and workers . This action is necessary due to the limited space in the park and the number of participants expected. Only those actively registered and involved with the event will be admitted. We ask that you please observe this and allow our handicapped citizens a weekend to enjoy what most of us take for granted.Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. The Park will reopen for everyone on the afternoon of the 4th (Sunday) after 4 PM.

by Kathy Here’s a tip: if a guy called Stan Meeks ever calls you and asks you to go on a boat ride, take him up on it.  He’s the “Manatee guy” who spends his days canoeing the river, protecting the gentle giants who drift there.  He’s something of a local celebrity.  He’s been on National Geographic and he was featured in the Orlando Sentinel.  A rugged Vietnam vet with a khaki FWC shirt and intense eyes, he came to his calling after five years of living homeless on the river after “his life imploded.”

Kathy McKinney
I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m scared these days.  I’m a voracious reader, particularly of news sites online, and what I’ve been reading does not make for restful nights.  
Did you know that in Haiti, people are eating dirt? Yes, dirt.  Vendors are selling butter and salt flavored dirt to starving people.  When I was a kid, Mary Elizabeth Cravey (now Shehane) and I used to eat dirt in the back yard with gigantic spoons we’d steal from her mama’s kitchen, so I can say, I’m something of an expert.  You have to be darned hungry to eat dirt. 

During a 14 month period, beginning in March of 2007, the Dixie County Sheriff’s Department, along with the Levy County Sheriff’s Office, the Chiefland Police Department’s Drug Task Force, as well as the FDLE, DEA, and United States Attorney’s Office, launched an investigation into a drug trafficking organization operating in Levy and Dixie Counties. The investigations, dubbed “Operation Gill Net” (Dixie) and “Operation Yellow Fever” (Levy), led to the seizure of 5 kilograms of powder cocaine and 50 kilograms of crack cocaine. Seven defendants received federal indictments. 

HENRY ALLEN, 64, went to be with the Lord on April 17, 2008 at Tuscany House in Summerfield, FL, after a year-long battle with cancer.  A Florida native, he was born in Cross City, FL on January 16, 1944 and raised in Ocala.  

James M. “Jim” Mullins, 65, of Palatka, died Friday, April 11, 2008 at the Malcolm Randall V.A. Medical Center in Gainesville following an extended illness. A native of Whitewood, Virginia, he resided in Palatka for 37 years coming from Whitewood.  He was a U.S. Army Veteran of Vietnam.

DOZIER LEE KEEN, 78, of Cross City passed away Friday, April 11, 2008 at his home. He was a lifetime resident of Dixie County; a mechanic and a tow truck driver. He is survived by three sons; Gaston Keen and Larry Keen o Cross City, David Keen of Branford; four daughters: Terry Kight of Horseshoe Beach, Deloris Miller of Panama City, Carol Long of Old Town and Tracey Owen of Branford.