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ATTORNEY from page A1 City Clerk Margaret Riley also presented the council with an advertisement for approval. The town will be searching for a new city clerk, and Riley suggested they begin advertising as soon as possible for her replacement. Riley announced her intention to retire in September during the June 13 town council meeting. “It looks like a large job description, but it’s a large job,� Phillips said. “We definitely want to find someone who is well qualified.�
WATERMELON from page A1 FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS FRIDAY
5 p.m.: Pals Park Opens 6 p.m.: Andy Griggs 7:30 p.m.: Joe Diffie
SATURDAY
7 a.m.: Pancake breakfast
at Shriners Club, off Brickyard Road. Tickets at door. 7:30 a.m.: Hot Trot Road Race at Washington Holmes Technical Center, Hoyt Street. Front entrance to register. All day: Vendors at Washington County Agricultural Center. Call 638-6180 for information. All day: Antique Car Show at WHTC. Call John Ostrowski at 638-7370. All day: Horseshoe Pitch behind ag center. Entries welcome. Call John Claghorn at 638-1625. 10 a.m.: Parade. Lineup starts at 9 a.m. at Old High School Stadium. Call Greg Hutchin at 638-1180. 11 a.m.: Crossroads Gospel Quartet at ag center auditorium. Noon: Big Watermelon Contest and Auction at ag center auditorium. 1:30 p.m.: Dailey & Vincent in concert at ag center auditorium
done. The city’s insurance provider, the Florida League of Cities, denied the claim, saying the city was not responsible for the damage. In the June 17 workshop, City Clerk Dian Hendrix advised the council that the League of Cities recommended they not pay for damages the insurance company found them not responsible for paying. “It would set a bad precedent,� Hendrix said. She reiterated it on Monday. “They recommended against us doing anything,� Hendrix said. “We can understand where you’re coming from,� Hawkins told Brown, “but we have to do what’s best for the city.� Hendrix provided Brown with contact information for the city’s insurance provider so he could pursue an appeal. Mayor Michelle Cook reminded everyone of the July 4 celebration planned in Vernon, which will begin with a parade at 4 p.m. and end with fireworks at 9 p.m. There will be food, vendors and entertainment by Gilley’s Family Opry. The Miss Firecracker Pageant will be Saturday in Vernon, and the starting time has been changed to 2 p.m. because the Watermelon Festival also is taking place Saturday, the mayor said.
BUSINESS from page A1 for Chamber members from 9 to 11 a.m. July 17 at the Northwest Florida Community Hospital Specialty Center, and attendance is free for members. One of the topics will be Raciappa’s SYSTEM, an acronym for Saving You Stress Time Energy and Money. “Leverage is all about SYSTEM,� Raciappa said. The program is based on Bradley Sugars’ book “Instant Systems,� which “educates entrepreneurs on the benefits of systemizing work processes within their businesses so that the enterprises can function without the direct interference of the business owner,� according to the website instantsystems. net. Sugars is a business coach, author and CEO of ActionCOACH, which is “the world’s number one business and executive coaching firm — home to more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries,� according to the website. “Focus on making one improvement in your life a week,� Raciappa said. “A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. If you make one goal a week, even a small one, and you do that every week, there’s no limit to how far you can go. You’ll be amazed.� Chamber Executive Director Ted Everett also invited members from Holmes and Jackson County chambers to attend the seminar. “We need to be more inter-
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RANDAL SEYLER | The News
Certified business coach Mark Raciappa makes a point while Washington County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ted Everett looks on during Thursday’s Chamber meeting. active and support each others’ events,� Everett said. Call the Washington County Chamber of Commerce at 638-4157 to register.
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Group. These four albums have accounted for 13 singles on the Billboard country charts, of which the highest are “You Won’t Ever Be Lonely� and “She’s More,� both of which peaked at No. 2. He also charted “Grow Young With You,� a cut from the soundtrack to the film “Where the Heart Is.� Joe Diffie is an American country music singer known for his ballads and novelty songs. Diffie has charted 35 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, including five No. 1 singles: his debut release “Home.� “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets),� “Third Rock from the Sun,� “Pickup Man� and “Bigger Than the Beatles.� In addition to these cuts, he has 12 other top 10 singles and 10 other top 40 hits on the same chart. He also co-wrote singles for Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw and Jo Dee Messina and has recorded with Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Jones and Marty Stuart. On Saturday, the festival begins with a Pancake Breakfast at 7 a.m. hosted by the Shriners Club and the 35th annual Hot Trot 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run at 7:30 a.m. at Washington-Holmes Technical Center. There is a fee for both the breakfast and the run. There will also be a car show all day at Washington Holmes Technical Center in conjunction with the festival. The Watermelon Festival Parade is at 10 a.m. in downtown Chipley on Saturday, and at 11 a.m. festivities continue at the Washington County Agricultural Center, beginning with a concert by Crossroads at 11 a.m. The queen introduction will be at 11:45 a.m., and the annual watermelon auction begins at noon at the ag center. Bluegrass group Dailey and Vincent will perform at 1:30 p.m. to conclude the event. There will also be arts and crafts vendors set up at the ag center on Saturday. Admission to all ag center events is free. “We’re trying to also provide more attractions for kids,� Peel said. In addition to the perennial favorites of watermelon rolling and seed spitting contests, there will be bounce houses, face painting and, of course, free watermelon at the festival on Friday. “It’s going to be a big weekend, and we’re all looking forward to it. Come out and enjoy; there’ll be something for everyone.�
which would include attendance at two meetings and two hours of legal service per month. Services beyond the two hours would be billed at $150 per hour. Stafford offered to attend two meetings a month for a $500 monthly retainer and would bill the city at $200 per hour for legal services. Travel expenses were negotiable, Stafford said. After the motion to rehire Adkison died, Councilman Joey Brock made the motion to hire Tagert. Only Hawkins voted against hiring the Chipley attorney. Resident Bill Dobbins asked the council to reconsider their decision. “I think the city is making a huge mistake,� Dobbins said. “I’m sure you hired a good attorney, and Mr. Stafford would be a good attorney too, but Adkison is already up to speed on the city’s pending litigation. I think you are looking at spending a whole lot of money,� Dobbins said. Stafford was the only attorney present at Monday’s meeting. Resident Ronnie Brown returned to the council to discuss damage to his son, Gavin Brown’s, automobile wheels. Brown said the damage was caused by a utility cut on the roadway that was improperly
enough to operate. “Eventually, you are going to need to make repairs, or buy equipment,� Galloway said. “That is when you will really need to have some reserves in the water department.� The auditor recommended the council members remain diligent. “You have to be cognizant of what the water department is doing each month,� Galloway said. “You almost have the perfect storm in operating by taking in just exactly what you need to operate the system.�
Wednesday, June 26, 2013