McIntosh Mirror: Reflecting news in the Tosh

Want to impact your community? Many of McIntosh's citizen boards have open seats and a council at a loss as to how to fill them.

Light-up McIntosh December 15

Light-up McIntosh will begin at the Civic Center at 6:30 p.m. The event will host Santa Clause and an area choir from six local churches will sing.

McIntosh Community Bulletin Board: January 2007

Buying, selling or giving something away? Want to announce your yard sale? The comment section here is the place to let everyone know.

posted by Cher @ 3:39 PM,

13 Comments:

At   November 24, 2006 10:16 AM     ,    Blogger fisherwife    said...

There are two stray dogs wandering in McIntosh. They are making their home along Avenue E and the woods adjacent to them. They may have puppies, because a friend told me she saw them toting puppies and moving them. I hate to call the animal control, because, I don't want to involve government unless I have to...so could we figure out a solution together? Any suggestions are welcome.

 
At   November 24, 2006 11:44 PM     ,    Blogger fisherwife    said...

I have more info. about the dogs. There are two adults, one male one female. The female is obviously feeding pup(s). The male appears to be from one of the female's previous litters. If there are pups, they are most likely in the woods just south of the ice house gallery. I think they are being fed by kind neighbors. The female barks at anyone coming near, so she's probably protecting the puppie(s). A neighbor reports that she thinks only one puppie lived from the litter and she believes they were dropped off around festival time. I'd love to give these dogs a home, but have no fence. Any takers?

 
At   December 05, 2006 11:05 PM     ,    Blogger Cher    said...

Whatever happened with these dogs? Just wondering...

 
At   December 08, 2006 3:13 PM     ,    Blogger Sheila Winters    said...

I just got off the phone with my friend Leeni. She and Kimmo have seen these dogs and are very concerned. Apparently, the very old white dog is the mother/grandmother, and it looks like the little brown dog with a white tummy is her son/grandson. These two brave animals are trying to take care of a puppy, barely old enough to eat solid food. Leeni has been feeding them but says they are skittish and they won't let her come to them. Two or three days ago they came up to her garage, the old dog with a puppy in her mouth, and the younger dog with what she thought was another puppy in his mouth. She observed from the window in her garage and realized that it wasn't another puppy, but a teeny teeny kitten! These two brave creatures are trying to keep the puppy and kitten alive, encouraging them to try and eat the food that Leeni is leaving for them. Leeni is worried because now it is so cold outside and hopes they are safe. Humans could take a lesson from what these creatures are trying to do, take care of each other. I don't know what we can do to help. I'm sure that animal control would have no choice but to euthanize these guys. Perhaps someone has some ideas. But it's a real Christmas story, it's cold and this little make-shift family doesn't have a safe place to sleep.

 
At   January 06, 2007 2:02 PM     ,    Anonymous Anonymous    said...

January 3, 2007

Mr. Frank Ciotti, Council President
McIntosh Town Counsel
McIntosh City Hall
McIntosh FL 32664

Dear Mr. Ciotti and Members of the Town Counsel:

Our national organization, which works to keep state and church
separate, has been contacted by taxpayers and residents of McIntosh
over several matters relating to the separation of church and state.

We have been informed that the Town Counsel opens its official civic
meetings with the Lord’s Prayer. We ask that you drop such
denominational prayers from official city functions, or substitute a
moment of silence, as enlightened government boards have done around
the nation.

Prayers are unnecessary, inappropriate, and divisive. Calling upon
council members and citizens to rise and pray (even silently) is
coercive, embarrassing and beyond the scope of secular city government.
Town Counsel members are free to pray privately or to worship on their
own time in their own way. They do not need to worship on taxpayers’
time. The city is lending its power and prestige to religion, amounting
to a governmental endorsement that excludes the 14% of your population
that is nonreligious (Religious Identification Survey 2001). In
choosing a biblical prayer, the Counsel compounds the violation by
endorsing a particular religion and particular holy book.

Citizens of all religions or no religion are compelled to come before
you on civic, secular matters: variances, sewers, building permits,
restaurant licenses, sidewalk repair, etc. They should not be subjected
to a religious show or test, or be expected to demonstrate religious
obeisance at a city function. (We fail to see why divine guidance is
needed over such earthly matters, anyway.)

Christians who know their bible are familiar with the biblical
injunction of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, condemning as hypocrisy
public prayer. “Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut the
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret” (Matt. 6:5-13).
Observing
a strict separation of church and state offends nobody, and honors not
only the First Amendment, but the very tenets being professed during
counsel prayers.

We have also been told that at the Oct. 17, 2006 meeting, a recording
of which is online, Mr. Howard Walkup, a member of the Town Counsel,
stated that he wished to do a background check before hiring a new town
clerk: “I want to know if they are an atheist . . . I want to find
out
because I don’t have to hire one . . . there are some other
categories
I don’t want to hire. . . I am going to find out.” Someone then
replies, “You can’t ask that . . . we will cross that bridge when
we
get to it.”

While it is reassuring that someone at the meeting understands the
Civil Rights Act—that non-church employees, especially government
employees, cannot discriminate in hiring or firing based on protected
categories such as race, color or religion—this allegation, if true,
is
shocking. The U.S. Constitution, which Mr. Walkup presumably took an
oath to uphold, explicitly forbids a religious test for public office.

Given the mantle of endorsement to religion which the recitation of the
Lord’s Prayer confers, it is perhaps not surprising that such openly
unlawful views would be expressed freely at a government meeting! I
and the complainants wish to be reassured that the McIntosh Town
Counsel will take proactive steps not to violate the Civil Rights Act
or to impose an illegal religious test on employees.

May we hear from you about these matters at your earliest convenience?

Sincerely


Annie Laurie Gaylor
Co-President
Freedom From Religion Foundation
PO Box 750
Madison WI 53701
608/256-5800

 
At   January 09, 2007 6:33 PM     ,    Anonymous Anonymous    said...

I just want to give a quick update on the case of my airboat being stolen. Well you all know that one of the guys who stole it is on the run and yes I have a few leads and have contacted some friends up there to do a little searching in Georgia. But here is some good new news from the sheriffs they just reported to me that yes they recovered finger prints from my boat at that time and now are being processed. So maybe the others who helped him will be caught. As you all know I am out $5,986.00 from that ordeal so no I am not giving up that easy.
, Fred

 
At   March 11, 2007 9:31 PM     ,    Anonymous Anonymous    said...

Annie Laurie Gaylor needs to "get a life," She obviously needs something constructive to do.

 
At   April 04, 2007 4:48 PM     ,    Anonymous Anonymous    said...

Does Debbie need a permit for the construction on the side of her house she is doing?

 
At   April 04, 2007 8:57 PM     ,    Blogger Cher    said...

I don't know about the permit. The main reason is that I have no idea what she is doing to the side of her house.

The permit question reminds me of the days of Art Davis and proactive code enforcement, and I'm really not sure McIntosh wants to go there.

However, if there is a problem, code violations are filed with the town clerk. Since Debbie's the town clerk, it would be a conflict for her to process a complaint form against herself -- not to mention just plain weird. I suggest asking this question of one of the council members if you are seriously concerned.

 
At   June 11, 2007 3:14 PM     ,    Blogger Cher    said...

Josh Kamons e-mailed me asking me to post this information on the blog:

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19020 North US Hwy 441

Next to Day's End Mobile Home Park

Across from The Lakeside Volunteer Fire Dept.

Renting 1 & 2 Room Efficiencies

From $500 a Month plus Security Deposit

Includes Electric, Water & Cable

Pay only 1 Bill!!

Call 352-875-8414 & Leave message

***

Se Rentan Departamentos chicos de 1 o 2 Personas desde $500 por mes Mas Deposito

Se inclue Renta, Agua, Luz, y Telecable

19020 N. US Highway 441

Orange Lake, Florida

Marca 352-875-8414 y Deja su Recado
Se habla Espanol

 
At   September 15, 2007 1:48 AM     ,    Anonymous Anonymous    said...

HI, CHER, JUDE HERE, THIS MIGHT INCREASE YOUR INTEREST TO YOUR READERS, A GOSSIP COLUMN. NOW I FEEL THIS WOULD STOP ALL THE LOUD MOUTHS AROUND TOWN FROM SPREADING B.S. AND JUST KEEP IT IN ONE ZONE.
NOW I KNOW YOUR BLOG IS ABOUT THE TOWN POLITICS AND ALL BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER WHY ALL THESE NOSEY ,BORED WITH THEIR OWN PETHETIC LIVES, HAVE TO BE SO DANG
INTERESTED IN WHAT OR WHO THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR IS SLEEPING WITH, OR HOW MANY BEER BOXES JOE BLOW PUT IN HIS TRASH CAN ON GARBAGE DAY. GET LIFE PEOPLE AND MIND YOUR OWN BIZZ.
I TELL YA I HAVE NEVER HEARD MORE BACKSTABIN CRAP FROM FELLOW CHRISTIANS IN ALL MY LIFE. IF YOU HAVE A PROB GO TALK TO EACHOTHER AND COMMUNICATE IT WORKS GREAT.
SMILE AND BE NICE, NOT BITCHY NASTY.
ANDTHE NEXT TIME YOU HEAR SOMEONE SAY,,,, DID YOU HEAR.... SAY
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
..... AND LETS PUT A STOP TO ALL THIS GOSSIP....... JUDY B

 
At   September 15, 2007 10:33 AM     ,    Blogger Cher    said...

I don't want a gossip column on the blog. Yes, it would increase readership. But it wouldn't be in the interest of the town or of ethical, professional journalism and blogging.

One of the last things I'd want would be gossip in this one zone.

That would be the day *I* stopped hosting the blog. I put records of the town's meetings up here to diffuse that crap.

The blog is about the town's politics and all as you note, for a reason. After I wrote about the school board neighborhood meetings bending the Sunshine law, I got a response that implied I invade people's privacy writing about every time someone sneezes or something like that. *THAT* would be a gossip column and irrelevant. That, I don't do.

My aunt told me something really intelligent about gossip years ago. It takes two people to make it happen. Someone saying it. Someone hearing and carrying it on.

There's another thing I'd like to point out. I noticed this covering the town over the last year and a half. Sometimes, you can discount people's legitimate concerns by wholesale labeling those concerns as "gossip" and brushing them aside. This was the fatal mistake of the first council I covered.

Thanks for the comment.

 
At   September 28, 2007 1:01 PM     ,    Anonymous Anonymous    said...

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Editor and Publisher:

I'm Cher From McIntosh, FL I'm a graduate student at the University of Florida working on a master's degree in Mass Communication. While I was finishing my undergrad degree in journalism last year, I reported on McIntosh, Fla. for an in-depth reporting class. I figured that the reporting and the public record files should go somewhere people can access them. Reporters don't report to keep the information they find to themselves. Some of that reporting is included here in a forum that allows response. McIntosh suffers because with no news coverage, the local government and the rumor mill have too much potential to run rampant over residents. I moved to McIntosh in the fall of 1999. My profile

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