Local
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Washington County News | A3
ACA Forum: cold-stunned TURTLES Confusion reigns By CHRIS OLWELL
747-7059 | @PCNHchriso colwell@pcnh.com
Photos by HEATHER LEIPHART | Halifax Media Group
Above, a sea turtle comes up for a gulp of air while recovering with 61 others at Gulf World Marine Park on Thursday. Sixty-two Green and Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles were stunned from the recent cold weather that washed ashore in Port St. Joe, Perdido Key and Tyndall and were brought to Gulf World for treatment. Left, Pamela George, left, operations manager, and Secret Holmes-Douglas, director of animal care, watch as dozens of recovering sea turtles swim in a pool. Top, a hypothermic sea turtle recovers in a makeshift triage area.
DOT unveils I-10 study area CRESTVIEW — Residents and local officials offered suggestions for Interstate 10 improvements during a Thursday a meeting hosted by the Florida Department of Transportation. Attendees were offered an overview of the FDOT I-10 Master Plan Middle Section, which encompasses Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington and Jackson counties. Though turnout at the Crestview Community Center was light, attendees voiced concerns including access and traffic problems. A Jan. 7 wreck near the single Crestview exit caused eastbound traffic to back up for many miles, underscoring the value of a suggested second interchange at the Okaloosa County seat. “We certainly help the study will result in a new interchange at Antioch Road,” Mayor David Cadle said. “We sure need it.” Okaloosa County Commissioner Nathan Boyles recently called for the interchange in a letter to the DOT. “I’m just glad we’re talking about it,” Boyles said during Thursday’s meeting. “We’ve acknowledged we have a problem and now we can move to figuring out ways to fix the problem.”
FFA Teams Place at Sub-District Contests
Want to comment? Residents wishing to suggest improvements or comment on the Interstate 10 study area between Okaloosa and Jackson Counties may contact consultant project manager Sarah Walker, 1725 Capital Circle NE, Suite 201, Tallahassee FL 32308, 878-977, SaWalker@HNTB.com; or FDOT District 3 project manager Virgie Bowen, Highway 90 E, Chipley FL 32428-0607, 888-638-0250, ext. 1530, Virgie.Bowen@dot.state. fl.us. Ponce De Leon property owner Harold Puderer would like to develop his land that straddles both sides of the interstate. However, lack of highway access to the property has stymied his plans for an RV park. “We can’t very well develop it without access,” Puderer’s business partner Carol Cumber said. DOT public information officer Tanya Branton said the current phase of the study is gathering public comments before starting in March to develop a master plan for the study section. The plan is expected to be completed by the end of June.
BRIAN HUGHES | News Bulletin
Ponce De Leon property owner Harold Puderer offers suggestions for Interstate 10 improvements to FDOT public information officer Tanya Branton during Thursday’s meeting in Crestview.
Special to the News
Congratulations to all the Chipley FFA members that participated in the 2013 Sub-District Contests on Dec. 17. The Parliamentary Procedure team won first place. The team consisted of Carol Boswell, Jessie Massey, Katie Register, Maegen Zauner, Elizabeth Fleener and James Clark. Mikaela Davis won first place in Prepared Public speaking, Cara Griffin won first place in Extemporaneous Public speaking and Elizabeth Fleener won second place in Creed Speaking. Dairy judging team members are Denise Pleas, Kelly Jones, Madison Curry and Desiree Beman.
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By BRIAN HUGHES
682-6524 | @cnbBrian brianh@crestviewbulletin.com
PANAMA CITY — Confusion over the Affordable Care Act, the sweeping new law aimed at reforming American health care, was evident Wednesday night at a community forum hosted by Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart Health System. Roughly 50 people attended the forum, one of several such events the hospital plans to host before the end of the open enrollment period on March 31. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), which requires individuals to have health insurance or pay a fine, is complicated and politically divisive, but the purpose of the forums is to inform rather than inflame, said Bay Medical spokeswoman Christa Hild. “In general, nobody’s here to pick a political fight,” Hild said. “They’re just here to find out what’s going on.” An estimated 38,000 Bay County residents are eligible for some level of subsidy, Hild said, and everyone in the region who buys an ACA plan will be insured by Florida Blue. Steve Macomber, a representative of Florida Blue, delivered a brief presentation and spent much of
an hour answering questions, many of which were very specific to the interrogators’ situation. For those specific questions, Macomber recommended contacting an agent with Florida Health Connector. Regina Cummings didn’t want anything to do with the ACA. She showed up because she hoped Florida Blue was Blue Cross Blue Shield. She’d done research on the Internet but was still very confused about the new law. Her biggest takeaway from Macomber’s presentation was the contact information for Florida Heath Connectors. “It’s great to know there’s an agent you can sit down with and will help you,” Cummings said. Macomber went over the broad strokes of what the ACA offers, but because each individual’s circumstances are different, he urged audience members to contact an agent who can understand what someone needs from a plan and help get the appropriate subsidy for those who qualify. Because of that, agent Connie LeVasseur expected to busy on the phone Thursday morning. “This usually starts the conversation,” she said after the forum. “It heats up around 6 tomorrow morning.”