Tallahassee Democrat from Tallahassee, Florida • Page 8

2BTallahassee Democrat Tuesday, April 19, 2005 From Page IB nww.TAI J-All ASStXcom Monday Bill Cotterell Caring Connection Tuesday Traffic Doctor Wednesday Thursday Traffic Doctor Friday Capitol Comer Saturday GO! Sunday Gerald Ensley Street Beat i Inside Politics LIE Miscellanea I Lottery results COTTERELL NELSON HARTUNG LAUER ENSLEY BAND PROFS missed it. "The part with the Guggenheim letterhead fell out on the kitchen floor," Olsen said. "I thought it was a letter asking us to send money to the Foundation." Wingate is working out of the country this month and was not available for comment on Monday. According to FSU, Wingate will use his Guggenheim windfall to write a new album-length collection of music. It will be digitally recorded on DVD-Audio, a new format that features multichannel playback through multiple speakers.

Wingate, who is director of the new center for "electroacoustic music" at FSU, was a Fulbright Scholar in 1994. He received the Prix de Rome in Music Composition from the American Academy in Rome in 1999. Other Guggenheim Fellows for 2005 include California poet Kim Addonizio and former Tallahas-seean Geoffrey Brock, whose father, Van Brock, was a noted poetry professor and publisher at FSU for many years. will be recognized at a poetry reading at 8 p.m. today at The Warehouse on Gaines Street.

Maclay came out on top in the Battle of the Belts seat-belt awareness campaign. Tallahassee Police Department officers conducted random surveys of seat-belt usage as vehicles entered and exited public and private schools on March 15 and April 11. Maclay had the "Highest Buckle-Up Rate" with 87 percent of students surveyed wearing a safely belt. The "Most Improved Buckle-Up Rate" award went to Lincoln High with an increase from 67 percent to 73 percent. The winning schools were each awarded a plaque and $1,000 from Fonvielle Lewis Foote Messer.

Two Godby High students earned top honors in the National Association of Women in Construction national drafting competition. Competitors had to design a bank to fit into a residential neighborhood. Junior Jeff Durrance placed first in the local competition and junior Michael Coggin placed second. Jeffs first-place finish qualified his design and plans for entry into the regional competition. Adults affiliated with Oak Ridge Elementary School are invited to Craft Night from 6 to 8 p.m.

April 28. They will learn to make and personalize cards and gift bags, in addition to learning how to design scrapbook pages. All materials will be provided and there is no charge to participate. Because this is an adults-only event, child care will be provided. Sealey Elementary School's book fair is in full swing.

Its theme is Read a Great Tale. Parents are invited to view it at Family Night, which is p.m. today. Door prizes will be awarded and refreshments will be served. The fair ends Thursday.

TO OUR READERS Gold Stars is looking for submissions from K-12 public and private schools in Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty and Wakulla counties. The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. Friday for publication the following Tuesday, space permitting. If you have a Gold Star you'd like to submit, contact Kim McCoy Vann by e-mail at kmccoytallahassee.com or by fax at 599-2143. Sorry, we don't accept submitted photos.

the trombone. "We had to make sure we were constantly thinking about music." Other school news Four Maclay School students were chosen to participate in the 50th State Science and Engineering Fair April 6-8 in Orlando. Each was recognized for his or her project. Seventh-grader Brynmor Chapman received an honorable mention in Junior Engineering and was awarded a membership in the Florida Junior Academy of Science. Eighth-grader James Thompson was awarded an honorable mention for his Junior Botany project.

Eighth-grader Mark Stern placed third in the Junior Medicine and Health division. Sophomore Tyler Rowland placed fourth in Senior Botany. Florida State University's creative-writing program recently conducted a high-school poetry competition. The first-prize winner was Erica Flanders of Godby High, who won $250. The finalists, who won $50, were Adam Gilroy, Leon High; Jordan Weinstein, Chiles High; Brice Stacey, Rickards High; Cacey Crawford, Lincoln High; Kelly Walsh, Lincoln High.

They From Page IB Tarewell to the is the name of a popular Vietnamese pop song," Olsen, 63, said on Monday. "It's an exciting time for popular music, and there so many good rock bands, which are very influenced by the West. Sixty percent of the country's population is under 30 The youth are not interested in Ho Chi Minh or the country's past even if the government wants them to be." As former director of FSVs Vietnam International Summer Program, Olsen spent the summers of 2002 and 2004 in Vietnam. "These trips are pretty expensive. I'm going to use the Guggenheim money to step up to a nicer hotel," Olsen said.

"No five-star hotel; that's too much, too pretentious. The people of Vietnam are so nice, so sweet and have no animosity toward Americans. Even after the war." When the Guggenheim Foundation sent Olsen a letter telling him he'd made the cut from more than 3,000 applications, he nearly EXPO From Page IB association. The association isn't asking for a hand in financing the building; it's asking the County Commission to take ownership of the land. The association wants to deed the property to the county and then lease the building from Wakulla.

"We are doing this in the spirit of helping the citizens of the county," association member Lee Vause said. "I'm probably the oldest person here," Wakulla resident D.P. High said. "If it's ever been a facility to benefit the county, this is it." The association wants $2 million from the Legislature to build the center that is planned for 48 acres on Lower Bridge Road, east of the courthouse. It has received almost $500,000 from the Legislature through the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services since 1996.

There is currently $100,000 earmarked in the House budget for the project. There are no plans by the association to raise money through a separate public campaign. Association members suspect that the reason Gov. Jeb Bush has vetoed about $900,000 for the project over the last three years is because it wasn't identified as a county project. The commissioners all agreed that the building was needed, but Commissioner Howard Kessler raised concerns about liability.

"It's like motherhood and apple pie; everyone wants it," Kessler said, "but we need to know what we are on the hook for. Can we afford it?" D.R. Vause said the association believes the Expo will make enough to pay for operational costs in the first year. However, the first-year operating figures and final construction costs are outdated. Both entities agreed to work together to get updated figures before agreeing on a partnership.

Contact reporter Jennifer Jefferson at (850) 599-2243 or jjeffersontallahassee.com. 2005. Admission to the benefit for Tallahassee 25 is $25 for the general public and $20 for Tallahassee 25 members. Call 222-0936 or e-mail jaiminewspaperclips.com. I The Tallahassee Parrot Head Happy Hour with live music by Reed Mahoney will be from 6 to 9 p.m.

Wednesday on the deck at Barnacle Bill's, 1830 N. Monroe St. The Tallahassee Parrot Head Club meets for happy hour the first and third Wednesdays. This information was omitted from Friday's Limelight. To report a correction, please contact Jane Parrish at 599-2349 or fax 599-2295.

TALLAHASSEE.COM Internet advertising 671-6529 From Page IB for Alex Kaminsky, the school's director of "This has been a career goal of mine," he said. "It's the ultimate accomplishment. There's no higher honor I could get as a director for a high-school band." Kaminsky said he came to Lincoln five years ago because he knew the band program had the potential to achieve this level of performance. The school draws a large pool of talented students partly because it has an advanced-placement program that's open to students outside the school's zone, he said. "Drawing these kids with parent support and the administration behind you, you have a recipe for success," Kaminsky said.

This week the symphonic band is preparing for a state assessment that will be held near Tampa. Members practiced a rich Irish tune on Monday with Alex Jimenez, music director of the Florida State University Orchestra. Other guest conductors will lead band classes throughout the week. Playing with guest conductors gives students another perspective and helps them become more flexible, Kaminsky said. When the students go to the Midwest Clinic, they'll perform new and standard, traditional music with Kaminsky as well as other conductors.

Junior Joseph Sheets said the chance to perform at Midwest is a testament to the band's teamwork. "Everybody had to stay focused," said Joseph, who plays END TIME From Page IB disillusioned college students. Roughly 2,000 of them resided in Lake City, Meade's favorites clustered about him in the South-wood Acres subdivision like drones to a queen bee. Together, they had established more than 75 new businesses. After nearly tilling up bouthwood Acres, tney naa created two new Duuuiviaiuiio, kjuuui wuviu lucau- ows and Rose Creek Plantation, ViiVi miiilrlj fllla1 uritK Rrrl Timers.

urvings' paia Tor growin And in that neighborhood, the Wnrt: i f.nn or trraw From the road, a motorist might have thought Noah's Ark had been airlifted to Columbia County, flipped upside-down and set atop a foundation of concrete block. Its roof was green and its walls white, a white so dazzling that the glare it threw stung the eye on a sunny day. The front entrance had two porticos, above which ran two rows of enormous transom windows, 42 in all. The rib cage of arches that sup- ported the roof was of California "cedar; the chandeliers were of European crystal; the pews and doors, hand crafted, were of Hon-I duran mahogany; the bathroom 1 fixtures were plated in gold. Such things cost money, and much was needed for this splen-' did edifice.

One source was Church Loans and Investment Trust, an Amaril- Texas, company that loaned money for church construction. Meades borrowed $3.75 mil- lion at 8 percent annual interest over 15 years meaning the 'ministry had the burden of $29,000 in monthly payments, according to Columbia County records. In the end, however, the bill came to about $14 million, accord- ing to a former senior member of the sect who was close to the project. And so, the faithful were asked to cover the shortfall. End Timers had always been expected to pony up a fifth of their after-tax earnings to help Meade spread The Word.

(The more fortunate were expected to give about a third, according to former members.) Contributions cash only were collected in a tote bag left open on a table at services. But now, members also were expected to offer cash presents to Meade, as much as $5,000 per family what was called quar-' terly "givings," say former mem-' bers, including Rebekah Hoffman, 24, of Billings, who had joined the sect with her parents. As an 18-year-old working part time at a Wal-Mart for $3.50 an hour, she was told to give $100 a month. "I pawned all my stuff," CORRECTIONS The Tallahassee City Commission target issue workshop scheduled for Wednesday will begin at 3 p.m. An incorrect time was giveri in Sunday's Government Calendar.

For more information, call the city of Tallahassee Communications Department at 891-8533. The following agencies responded to a chemical scare at Florida State University School on Friday: the Tallahassee Fire Department, the Leon County Sheriff's Office and Florida State University Police. A photo caption on Page IB of Saturday's newspaper omitted one of the agencies. An item in the Potpourri section of Friday's Limelight listed an incorrect ticket price for MartiniFest Ifowtoreadithe Tallahassee Democrat 277 N. Magnolia Tallahassee, FL 32301 or P.O.

Box 990, Tallahassee, FL 32302-0990 Main number (850) 599-2100 To subscribe: 1-800-999-2271 again, by $1,969.29, and then missed payments in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. By 2002, he was facing $65,119.47 in IRS liens, court records show. One afternoon, a week before Christmas, Nancy Bulock went for a walk with a friend after lunch. When she returned an hour and a half later, there was a heavy stillness in the house. As she entered the living room, she "observed the wood floor to be soaked in blood," according to the sheriffs report filed by the investigating officer, Brady Lutz.

Her husband lay in a heap on the bathroom floor, his wrists, arm and carotid artery cleanly cut. The sheriffs report makes no mention of whether a weapon was found. Steven Bulock didn't leave a note, but the case was ruled a suicide. (At least three other End Timer deaths have been ruled suicides; one victim was a woman who had been planning to leave the sect.) Group an economic blessing But for the Meades, life was good. Today, according to state and county records, the preacher owns 146.62 acres in Columbia County, including 47.98 acres of timberland.

He owns six houses, three tractor trailers, a trio of mobile homes, a climatized barn and a stable for his horses. He possesses a fleet of Cadillacs and pickup trucks, according to several former End Timers, including Tom Pearson, who frequently volunteered to polish the marble floors of Meade's house. (Florida motor vehicle records show the Meades own 11 vehicles registered in this state.) Meade's primary residence, surrounded now by a high, brick wall, is five times larger than it was in 1984, when he bought it for $78,400. It is now assessed at $541,157. County records show that the total assessed value of Meade's real estate holdings stands at $1,759 million.

(Real estate here tends to sell for two to three times the assessment.) But Meade isn't the only one profiting from End Time Ministries. They've been good for the county's economy, according to Jim Poole, 57, the chamber's executive director and a local resident since 1980. He points to new office complexes, many the work of End Timers, and strip malls buzzing with customers, many of them End Timers, who patronize shops run by End Timers, which employ, largely, End Timers. Twenty years after first arriving in Lake City, the End Timers "still haven't blended shoulder-to-shoulder with other faiths," Poole says. However, he says, "economics-wise, they've been a blessing." THIS WEEK Sunday: A new religious sect converges on a small North Florida town.

Monday: End Timers thrive in Lake City, but what goes on behind their walls and fences is not always so pretty. Today: Building a palatial house of worship fueled incessant demands for money. ONLINE If you missed Part One or Part Two, you can find the complete series at tallahassee.com. she says. "I sold my $60 jeans for five bucks a pair just to make them happy." Then came the bimonthly cash drives.

Jim Fallucco, 57, a former member who works for the U.S. Forest Service, says the congregation gave $300,000 during one drive, only to be berated during a Sunday service because it had fallen short of the half-million-dollar goal. "We gave what we could, but it was never enough. I gave them $40,000 over 13 years. That's probably nothing to Meade, but I wish I had it now." Even among the prosperous, the demand for money was taking a toll.

A number of families took out two, even three home mortgages. Some maxed out their credit cards. Others fell in arrears on their property taxes, and with the Internal Revenue Service and Florida's department of taxation, according to Columbia County records. But they kept on giving. Some pushed over the edge Brian Johnson, a senior member who joined the ministry in 1975, said he knew of 10 families who lost their houses through foreclosures in the '90s.

Finally, he decided he'd had enough; in 1998, the year the Worship Center opened, Johnson and his wife and four children quit. "The financial demands," he says, "were pushing some families over the edge." Fallucco and his wife finally left the group, without their daughter, in 1998, after 13 years, because, he explains, "if we hadn't, we'd be in the poorhouse, too." Still, most End Timers even those in financial trouble chose to stay in the church. One was Steven Bulock, 50, who operated a laundry-equipment supply store, Ability Laundry Equipment, with his wife, Nancy. It was a small business, but the Bulocks appeared to be in reasonably sound financial shape until 1995, the year the Meades began to raise money for the Worship Center. According to IRS and state tax records, Bulock failed to pay $13,191.60 in income tax in 1995.

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