St. Johns County Sheriff's Office detectives are looking for a suspect after an elderly Hastings couple were the victims of a home invasion robbery Wednesday night.

The 74-year-old female victims said someone kicked open the rear door before 10 p.m. and then demanded money.

The woman said she didn't have any, so the suspect asked where the woman's husband was.

She told him that her husband was asleep, and the suspect ran in the bedroom and demanded money from the male victim.

The woman checked on her husband and found he had been beaten.

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The dog shot earlier this month is in serious condition at the Animal Emergency Hospital on Old Moultrie Road, and his owners are asking the community for help.

“He’s fun-loving,” owner Denise Wahl said about her 4-year-old white German shepherd, Sam. “I have two kids that he loves playing with ... He’s not vicious.”

Sam was shot twice after he bit a St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office deputy on March 7, according to a Sheriff’s Office report. That deputy was taken to Flagler Hospital.

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The Creekside softball team locked up its first playoff spot in school history with a 3-0 win over Bartram Trail on March 22. Photos by Gary McCullough.

Just as you can count on Easter, a moveable feast, to occur on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the March equinox, for the past 131 years, residents — especially those of Minorcan descent — also count on the St. Ambrose Parish Fair to occur two weeks before Easter.

With Easter set for April 8 this year, the area’s longest running fair will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday on the church grounds located at Moccasin Branch in the rural community of Elkton.

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Daytona Beach resident Vilpin Verma, a family law attorney in his mid-20s, said he always desired to enter public service, but the “ideological battles” in Congress caused him to realize that no progress was possible without people working together.

This week, Verma announced he will campaign for the newly created U.S. House District 6, the congressional seat encompassing St. Johns and Flagler counties and most of Volusia County, on the Democratic ticket.

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Congratulations to the winners of the March 17 Ancient City Gamefish Association fishing tournament. They are: Most Caught By Girl — Alevia Colee; Most Caught By Boy — Kason Wyatt; Must Skillful — Kaylee Brown; Most Unique Catch — Emma Thrasher, she hooked a pelican; overall winner — Jade Smith.

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The St. Augustine Colonial Grand Muster Torchlight Parade, a re-enactment of Spanish military parades of the 1740s, will cause traffic delays in parts of downtown St. Augustine on Saturday.

The procession starts at 8 p.m. at the Castillo de San Marcos and continues to the city gate on Orange Street, then south on St. George Street, east on Cathedral Place, south on Charlotte Street, west on King Street and north on St. George Street to Government House.

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The Festival of the Chariots is scheduled from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday in downtown St. Augustine.

The procession will cause some traffic interruptions along Cordova Street and near the Plaza de la Constitucion.

The procession will start on St. George Street and Cathedral Place, proceed west on Cathedral Place, continue north on Cordova Street to the Visitors Information Center and then south on Cordova Street, east on Cathedral Place and south on St. George Street to the starting point.

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The Santo Domingo Redoubt, a reconstructed portion of the wall that protected colonial St. Augustine, has been closed for repairs.

The redoubt is expected to be closed for approximately two weeks. It is on the corner of Orange and Cordova streets near the Visitor Information Center.

Dedicated in February 2004, the Santo Domingo Redoubt is a reconstructed corner of the wall that protected the northern, western and southern approaches to St. Augustine. At several points along the wall were redoubts that soldiers guarded with cannons as part of the city’s line of defense.

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The bare bones of a replica 16th-century boat are a promise of things to come at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park.

“We’re recreating the history of St. Augustine one board at a time,” said John Stavely, manager at the tourist attraction that increasingly offers visitors a chance to discover the roots of St. Augustine.

Or as Pedro Menendez de Aviles re-enactor Chad Light puts it, “We’re rebuilding Menendez’s empire.”

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A decade-long policy that saw pit bulls segregated by Putnam County Animal Control as potentially dangerous, then euthanized instead of being put up for adoption has been abandoned after an animal rights group worked out a compromise with the Sheriff’s Office.

The changes mean pit bulls won’t be automatically put down as efforts begin to find legitimate pet rescue groups willing to adopt them to new homes.

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TALLAHASSEE — Two weeks after its first maps were rejected, the Senate passed a second redraw Thursday of the political lines that would shape the chamber for the next decade if the state Supreme Court approves.

The 31-6 vote came after an all-day floor session where members considered and dismissed several last-minute changes. The maps now go to the House for what is largely seen as a procedural vote before heading back to the court.

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City officials will discuss the Riberia Street improvement project at a public meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The meeting will be held in The Alcazar Room at 75 King St., and officials will provide information about Riberia Street’s reconstruction, including the project’s schedule and detour routes. City representatives will also be on hand to answer questions.

For more information, call the Public Works Department at 825-1040.

Club Divas, ordinary women doing extraordinary things, honored Armstrong natives at a special gathering Feb. 25 at the T.L. Holtz building in Hastings.

The honorees were recognized for the many accomplishments in their careers and endeavors. Each received an Armstrong Finest medallion, a plaque and certificate of appreciation from Congresswoman Corrine Brown.

The honors were presented by Carla Vickers and Patricia Milton.

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Recently, the Veterans’ Council of St. Johns County, Inc. presented the Col. George E. Taylor Award to Coquina Veterans for their many efforts to support USA troops and veterans. The presentation was made at the St. Augustine Elks Lodge 829 on Anastasia Island.

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The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) announced in a recent press release, that Forest High School student Abigail Elizabeth Reed of Ocala has been selected for membership. The Society recognizes top scholars and invites only those student who have achieved academic excellence.

OCALA – Board members from the Marion County Kidney Foundation attended a staff meeting March 19 at Winco Manufacturing to provide refreshments and thank the employees for their support. Winco manufactures medical office equipment. In addition to being a Diamond level sponsor for two years, Winco employees raised additional funds through various events to help the foundation, according to a press release. Winco also had the greatest team participation in the 2011 Kicking Kidney Disease 5K and the 2012 Kicking… Read More »

MARION COUNTY – Local 4-H archery team members have qualified to represent the county at national competitions each of the past two years – which is how long the team has been in existence.  On March 13, 14 team members joined more than 300 other participants to compete at the state level. The members, ages 8 to 18, aimed to win and nabbed 10 top-three placements in various categories, according to a press release from the county. Joshua Chapman and… Read More »

OCALA – Ocala resident Angela “Angie” DeSimone has been awarded Ocala Health System’s 2012 Frist Humanitarian Award. DeSimone will be eligible for the nationwide 2012 Frist Humanitarian Award, the highest honor an employee or volunteer can receive at HCA, the parent company of Ocala Health System. The Frist Humanitarian Awards were created to recognize individuals at each HCA-affiliated facility who demonstrate extraordinary concern for the welfare and happiness of patients and their community, according to a press release. The awards… Read More »

OCALA NATIONAL FOREST – A Tampa-based online kitchen cabinet retailer has pledged to regrow the trees used to make their all-wood cabinets. Kitchen Resource Direct is working with the Ocala National Forest to plant trees representing each kitchen cabinet purchase. Shortly after a customer purchases a kitchen online, they will receive an official Ocala National Forest Plant-A-Tree certificate thanking them for their support, according to a press release. Gaining inspiration from Blake Mycoskie’s TOMS Shoes One for One™ campaign, Benjamin… Read More »

Out of nearly 400 entries, Michael Bones, an 8th grade student at Dunnellon Middle School, has been named the Region 2 (Central Florida) winner for his essay in the 2011 Annual Florida KidCare Act-Out for Health Contest [www.actoutforhealth.net]. According to a recent press release, the competition provides 4th to 12th graders an opportunity to use their voices and talents to promote the importance of health insurance and healthy living by creating television public service announcements (PSA), billboard ads, or writing… Read More »

P. E. O. Chapter EQ of Ocala elected new officers for 2012-13 at a meeting in March. Officers are: President:  Sue Marr Vice President:  Frances Kolonia Recording Secretary:  Elaine Cox Corresponding Secretary: Linda Johnson Treasurer: Joan Truby Chaplain:   Jackie Whitmore Guard:  Ann Thomas Delegate to Florida State Convention:  Sue Marr Alternate Delegate to Convention: Catherine Matthews P.E.O. is a 501(c)(3)  International Philanthropic Educational Organization dedicated to promoting educational opportunities for women with six philanthropies and ownership of Cottey College… Read More »

Robert Kuhn Jr., Ocala has been accepted into the Delta Epsilon Iota Academic Honor Society at the University of Florida. Students qualify on the basis of academic achievement. Prospective members must have completed a minimum of 30 semester hours at an accredited college or university, while marinating a 3.30 cumulative grade point average or a scholastic ranking with the top 15% of their class. An inductions ceremony was be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 18 at the University of… Read More »

Junior Achievement of West Central Florida recognizes outstanding leaders, educators, and volunteers throughout the region each year. According to a recent press release, this year, two Marion County leaders were recognized for their partnership in bringing the inaugural JA “Our Nation” program to 402, sixth grade students at Howard Middle School.  Robert  A. Hensel, Principal Howard Middle School, and Marianne Howanitz, Attorney-At-Law, were honored at the February 16, Hall of Achievement Celebration Dinner held at Busch Gardens in Tampa. Principal… Read More »

When the city of Jacksonville landed its NFL franchise in 1993, it received a fortuitous bounce from pre-expansion favorite St. Louis, which fumbled the opportunity away with a mismanaged game plan.

This time, in one of the biggest opportunities in franchise history, the Jaguars dropped the ball by not agreeing to pay a reasonable price to acquire the most popular football player in Jacksonville history.

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