ARCADIAN
Thursday, April 7, 2016 - 24 pages / 75 cents
DCHS SPRING ART SHOW The DeSoto High School Spring Art Show featured a number of eye-catching pieces on display.
THE
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INSIDE
The Arcadian won 2 first-, 3 second- and 5 thirdplace awards in the Fla. Press Club 2015 contest! Amvets host lunch ........7
Parade winners .............9
PAGE 12
Foundation, DMH Board clash By STEVE BAUER
ARCADIAN EDITOR What started as a routine meeting of the DeSoto Memorial Hospital Board of Directors quickly turned ugly when board members clashed with DMH Foundation members over a phone call and letter from DMH CEO Vince Sica prior to the Board’s Feb. 25 meeting. Foundation members received a two-page letter and a phone call from Sica prior to the Board’s February meeting, informing them the Foundation had not been
following its bylaws and as a result, some were told their terms would expire March 31. After the regular business of the meeting ended, several Foundation members questioned why they weren’t given prior notice regarding the bylaws so they could remedy the situation. DMH Board Member Dan Presilla started the discussion by saying, “We’ve been made aware of our responsibilities (regarding the Foundation board) in the past six or nine months,” he said. “It’s good to have a discussion, it’s not us
against them.” Although she admitted the Foundation needs to do a better job in following its bylaws, Bradt said the tone of Sica’s letter was hurtful, and felt the situation could have been resolved in a more civilized manner. “We obviously as a Foundation board over the years became very lax about bringing people before (the board) to OK to be on the Foundation,” Foundation member Kathy Bradt said. “I think maybe we’re 50 percent responsible for that, and
I’m holding Mr. Sica and the Board 50 percent responsible, because where the hell have you been? You’re just sending me a letter now, and after all these years you didn’t figure it out that we weren’t bringing anyone here? It could have been handled much better, without the two-page letter and the telephone call. It probably hasn’t affected any of you because you weren’t aware of it, but it’s caused a lot of anxiety and bad feelings.” Bradt added the Foundation
DMH | 3
A balancing act: Sparkle your garden ...19
When faith conflicts with community By COURTNEY CLAYTON
ARCADIAN STAFF WRITER Driving by the weathered, modest white house on Poinsettia Ave. in Arcadia, it would be nearly
impossible to imagine it being the centerpiece of one of the biggest controversies in DeSoto County in recent memory. At issue is eight Sunni Muslim men, immigrants from
Bangladesh and India who have lived and worked in Arcadia for years, wanting to use the building as a house of worship. But based on public reaction on social media sites such as Facebook
and Tuesday night’s Planning and Zoning Board hearing, DeSoto residents aren’t exactly welcoming them with open arms.
FAITH | 2
Support Smith Brown 22
INDEX Viewpoint .................4 Calendar ...................6 Police Beat ................8 Obituaries .................9 Religion ....................10 Sports .....................14 ůĂƐƐŝĮĞĚƐ .............. 2 0
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