Local News

Midtown Cruisers car club of Williston and Bronson partnered with Advance Auto Parts in a fund-raising car show to benefit Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Saturday's car show, held in front of the Advance Auto Parts store in Williston, attracted several hundred viewers from around the area. About 50 cars, from Bronson, Williston, Chiefland, Trenton and beyond, opened their hoods to show off in front of an appreciative crowd.

The problem is straightforward; the solution is going to be complex.

That was the message Finance Director Mark Schiefer delivered to the city council and department heads at a workshop about the fiscal year 2008-2009 budget.

The problem: according to Florida statute, the city must have a balanced budget by the end of September. At this point, after Schiefer has incorporated all of the directives given him by the council, the deficit is $309,067, based on a budget of nearly $13 million.

The Levy County Commission is doing the end-of-year money shuffle as some departments have some cash on hand to help other departments strapped for cash.

In its regular meting Tuesday morning, the commissioners approved moving money around to help six departments that were short of funds.

The commission took cash from the following funds and departments:

General Revenue, $180,561

E911, $9,440

Emergency Medical Services, $276,843

Fire, $204,512

Drug Task Force, $17,612

Capital Projects, $542,157

And gave funds to:

Access to the Walgreens parking lot will be improved in the next few weeks, but the closure of the Noble Avenue and Northwest Main Street intersection is permanent.

At Tuesday night's meeting, Debbie Reilly, the manager of the Williston Walgreens store, asked Williston's City Council for better access to the store. She said that the closure of Northwest Main Street had made it difficult to access the store directly. Those driving east on Noble Avenue must turn at either Northwest 1st Street or onto Main Street, then access Northwest Main from Northwest 1st Avenue.