Nursing home receptionist stole from residents BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor STARKE— A 38-year-old Starke woman was sentenced to 14 months in prison after she pleaded to stealing money from 13 residents of Riverwood Health and Rehabilitation Center. Amanda Brooke Murrow pleaded no contest to the July 2018 offenses of identification theft, fraud and larceny. … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor STARKE— A former education supervisor employed at Florida State Prison was sentenced to 95 months in prison for raping an inmate in 2019. Antonio Lebaron Carlisle, 47, pleaded no contest to sexual battery and to sexual misconduct with an inmate. According to court papers, the victim said he walked to Carlisle’s office to get information about furthering his education. “They began to discuss the program … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor GREEN COVE SPRINGS— The Florida Department of Health’s administrator in Clay County said COVID-19 cases dropped to 275 during the first week in October and that the county’s positivity rate is at seven percent. “At one point, we were at that in a day,” Heather Huffman told Clay county commissioners of … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor GREEN COVE SPRINGS— A state bear biologist said the number of bear encounters reported by Kingsley Lake residents have decreased since the area’s homeowners have taken steps to secure their garbage. Over the summer, Kingsley Lake homeowners reported seeing bears rummaging through garbage or on their properties Mike Orlando, the … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor FLEMING ISLAND— Parents lined up to complain about the shortage of substitute teachers and bus drivers during the Oct. 7 meeting of the Clay County School Board. The speakers told school board members that the labor shortages are having a negative impact on students’ education. Patricia Shaefer said that even though the district’s bus … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— A Clay County deputy told a Lake Region business group that one barrier to fighting crime is that many victims now don’t report crimes to the sheriff’s office, choosing instead to complain about the offenses on social media. Deputy Dimitri Santiago spoke to the Keystone-Lake Region Business Association during the group’s Oct. 12 meeting at the … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor FERNANDINA BEACH— An official with the St. John’s River Water Management District said the district has two final permits to obtain before the Black Creek Water Resource Development Project can proceed. The planned 17-mile pipeline from the south prong of Black Creek to an aquifer recharge area in the southern part of Camp Blanding could transfer up to 10 million gallons of water a day, during high water periods, … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— City Manager Lynn Rutkowski said the developers of a proposed 180-home project north of Fox Run Road and Commercial Circle and east of SR 21 near American Legion Post 202 have put the project on hold. Rutkowski said the developers have other projects they are focusing on now and will continue to advance … Read more
BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— Clay County Commissioner Betsy Condon told a Keystone Heights civic group that she fully supports first responders, while explaining her standalone opposition to the county commission’s recent vote to raise taxes. Condon told the Keystone Heights Rotary Club during the group’s Oct. 13 meeting that the reason she voted against … Read more
Program combines buprenorphine with counseling BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— Clay County Fire Rescue has a new program to help people addicted to opioids. Stephen Teal of the department’s paramedicine team told the Keystone SafetyNet Alliance during its September meeting that the program includes up to seven days of treatment with the drug … Read more
