Privacy of Tiger's Car Crash Causes More Gossip and Speculation

After five days of waiting, an investigative report has finally been released by the Florida Highway Patrol, regarding Tiger Woods' car crash that took place last Friday in the early morning, however the information that it revealed has not kept the speculators from speculating and the gossipers from gossiping.

It has been admitted by Walter Pacheco of the Orlando Sentinel, that the report stated that Woods, 33, was not wearing a seat belt and that the Cadillac Escalade he was driving at the time of the accident, was not his own and was owned by General Motors Corporation. The professional golfer is a valued spokesperson for this corporation. FHP officials charged Woods with careless driving and a fine of $164. He also received four points on his driver's record. The fine was paid on Tuesday.

On Tiger Woods' website, tigerwoods.com, he made a statement addressing the accident. "I have let me family down and I regret those transgression with all my heart. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family," said Woods.

Woods' decision to keep the incident behind closed doors may or may not impact his image. For some, gossip and speculations are increasing, for others they simply do not care. A golf fan, Chris Bond, 22, from Hackettstown, N.J., commented on the issue. "I think, without a doubt, he was drinking. He backed into a fire hydrant, the pulled forward and hit a tree...to me, that equals hammered. And why did his wife smash the back window. I cannot believe, a tiny woman pulled Tiger from the front of the SUV all the way out the back. It is not likely. The SUV hit the tree on the passenger side, why didn't she just open the door. Also, why did FHP wait 12 hours to post the report if it was a simple traffic accident like they said, they do not need 12 hours," said Bond. Bond's view of Woods' has changed, and not for the better.

It wasn't even 12 hours later that the users on social networking sites began to show their opinions and thoughts on the accident. Facebook user, Malcam Godwin made a statement post saying "golfer cheating on his wife, gets confronted by her, she scratches up his face he flees in SUV while being highly medicated and runs into a tree...Wait that was Tiger Woods!"

Yet others, hope for the best and do not care about the incident and think that it is none of our business. Patty Casale, 48, also of Hackettstown, N.J. said "I think everyone should leave the poor man alone. He is entitled to his privacy and does not have to give a statement. There is no need to go digging up everything about him."

Woods was injured in a minor accident last Friday. It has been admitted by Walter Pacheco of the Orlando Sentinel, that Woods pulled out of his driveway at approximately 2:30 a.m. he then struck a fire hydrant and then drove into a tree on a neighbor's property. His wife, Elin Nordegren, heard the accident from the house, ran to the crashed car and smashed in the back window with a golf club. Nordegren pulled Woods from the crashed vehicle. Shortly after, Orange County Fire Rescue and Orange County sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call from the neighbor and arrived on the scene of the crash.

When Orange County Fire Rescue arrived, they found Woods lying in the road with facial lacerations and blood in his mouth. Woods was rushed Health Central Hospital in Ocoee, Fla. and was reported to be in serious condition. WESH 2 News admitted that Woods had been treated for his facial cuts and that the FHP said that alcohol was not involved in the crash. Woods was admitted to the hospital and released later that day, treated and in good condition.

Due to his condition, Woods is unable to host and play in his charity golf tournament, the Chevron World Challenge, this week in California.

A Ghostly Experience

A Ghostly Experience, presented by the Ghost Tours of St. Augustine, is unlike any other ghost tour in St. Augustine. This tour company takes prides in being the first and original ghost tour in St. Augustine and the fact that the guides tell authentic stories, unlike some of their competitors.

Ghost Tours of St. Augustine was developed by Sandy Craig, a native resident of St. Augustine, 15 years ago. Craig also founded Tour Saint Augustine Inc. Craig's background goes back 400 years, to the Spanish settlers that first arrived here. Her heritage can be traced back to some of the oldest families in St. Augustine, such as the Solano family. The tour company is a family-run business. Kimber Ponce, Craig's daughter, currently runs the business.

When the tours first started in 1994, Craig decided to make her tours a field trip destination, primarily for fourth grade school groups who were studying Florida history. The tours were offered for school groups that stayed overnight. These school groups needed a fun, educational activity in the evening, that would wear the children out.

To gather information for her tour, Craig had to do a lot of research. She met with local writers and historians to develop tours that were based on the ghost and paranormal phenomenon that have taken place in the old city. After gathering her information, Craig alone began to give tours to students, in search of the spirits. Her tour "A Ghostly Experience," became very popular and eventually expanded to include the public.

The tour company now has developed other tours besides the walking tour. It now offers a riding tour for those find the walking tour to be difficult. The company has also worked in part with the Schooner Freedom Charters, another company that provides tours on the water, to create the Ghost of Matanzas, a pirate ghost tour where people are taken on a vessel to explore the ghost waters of the Matanzas River.

"All of the stories have been researched through historical documents, The Historical Society, family history and many other documents," said Suzanne Dixon, the general manager for Ghost Tours of St. Augustine. Dixon,54, has worked with the company for two and a half years, and enjoys her job. "i love this job, i love the people interaction, the management and administrative duties that are required in this position, and talking about St. Augustine and its history," said Dixon. "We have had great reviews about our stories and our guides. The guides we look for are a variety from college students to retirees, that way, it will make each tour different," said Dixon.

The guides and the passengers on the tours have been enjoying themselves as well. Cal Colgan, 21, a junior at Flagler College, has been known to have one of the most interesting tours. Colgan has been known by Dixon and many other employees to be one of the louder and most certainly enthusiastic tour guides for the company. "I really like my job, it is good for me to primarily utilize my public speaking skills, as an aspiring journalist it trains you to speak well, to be prepared for interview," said Colgan.

Nicole Pick, 20, a junior from University of Florida, went on a tour awhile back and commented on her great experience. "The guide was really knowledgeable in the history of St. Augustine, and was a great story teller. My brother and I found it to be the perfect thing to do on a Friday night in the city," said Pick.

This tour company has won many awards including the "#1 Guided Tour in Florida," by the readers of Florida Living Magazine. It also appears on certain television channels ever year, including the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel. The company is constantly look for new, creative ways, to make a new tour. "The company itself has only evoked over time, just like any company the products evolves, so do the stories,"said Dixon. With over eight competing ghost tour companies in St. Augustine, competition is not fear. Dixon said, "everyone else is a sincere invitation."

Picture taken from ghosttoursofstaugustine.com

Children Learn Life Skills Through the Game of Golf

Children do not start off with integrity and sportsmanship, The First Tee's Life Skills Education programs teach children life skills through the game of golf, to help them face the challenges of life varying from home, school, sports or friends.
The First Tee's mission is "to impact the live of young people by providing learning facilities and education programs that promote character and life-enhancing values through the game." The First Tee is a non-profit organization founded by The World Golf Foundation in November of 1997. Since the First Tee opened, it introduced the game of golf and its nine core values to more than two million students. The First Tee has over 30 offices, operates in 48 states and in five international locations including Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, Singapore and New Zealand.

The First Tee' Life Skills Education program is offered in two places in St. Johns County. The First Tee of St. Johns County is located in St. Augustine and The First Tee Home Office is located in the World Golf Village. Since the opening of the St. Johns County office in 2001, this organization has influenced the lives of many county residents including the employees, member, golfers and families.

Missy Rockafellow, 85, is one person who has been impacted. Rockafellow has worked as the executive assistant at the St. Johns County office for over six years. "What a great experience it is to work with a staff that is so genuinely committed to young people and their welfare. Golf is important but more so are the life skills that are taught which will be with them [young people] all life long," said Rockafellow. At the organization, through the game of golf, the golf instructors teach nine core values. Those nine values are honesty, integrity, perseverance, judgement, sportsmanship, courtesy, confidence, responsibility, and respect.

"It's been such a pleasure to watch the young people grow and learn how to handle themselves in different situations. They learn honesty, integrity, how to meet people and how important it is to give others. All of the work done at the First Tee is done with a sense of humor and fair play," said Rockafellow. Through the Life Skills program, participants have improved in the knowledge and understanding of the life skills by 47 percent.

Tommy Kayworth, 17, a junior at Pedro Menendez High school in south St. Augustine, is a regular participant of the First Tee. "They have helped me develop good quality life skills and has helped my golf game improve drastically," said Kayworth. Kayworth's older brother, Andrew, is a sophomore at Flagler and recognizes the improvement his brother has made. "It really is a great program to learn golf. My brother's communication skills, confidence, social skills, grades and golf game have really changed. For the better," said his older brother.

You do not necessarily have to be an employee or a member to appreciate the work of the First Tee. "The First Tee has given me the opportunity to work with volunteers that give their time and efforts to help make things run smoothly for all of the youngsters," said Rockafellow. "As a matter of fact, the volunteers are a great cheering section for all of the girls and boys to reach their goals. Being a volunteer has given me the chance to meet people from all over and to share with them the First Tee story, I feel privileged to have a small part in this organization," said Rockafellow.

To participate in the First Tee you can be an ambassador, make a donation, be a volunteer, help with teaching, be a sponsor, be a peer mentor and an employee. The options are endless. Chris Bray, 20, is a student at Flagler College and is on the golf team. "It is really great to see this organization expand and make so much more progress. The golf is great but learning the values of respect and responsibility is awesome. Being a member or a volunteer, it will give you the opportunities to learn to become a better person," said Bray.

Since the opening of the First Tee, the programs and the people impacted grow greatly every year. The First Tee plans on implanting the First Tee National School Program and it will be placed in more than 2,600 elementary schools within the next year.

More Dessert and Less Monkey Brains

From eating monkey brains to making sure that dessert always comes first, from the mellow sport of golf, to swimming in the Amazon River, there is nothing too dangerous or exciting to keep David Merrell from doing what he wants to do.

David Merrell, 57, is third generation West Palm Beach, Fla. He was raised by his father, A.W. Merrell, and has three siblings, an older brother Rick, a younger brother Dann, and an older sister, Linda-Gail. Merrell's mother passed away when he was only 22 and his father passed away when he was 38 years old, he has maintained a close relationship with his brothers, however he has lost touch with his sister over time.

Merrell did seem like a typical boy on the outside, "everyone loved him," said his older brother. He was a football player and a professional motor-cross racer for three to five years. He helped out at the family business, which was a camping company, and made good grades.

Merrell has made several accomplishment in his life. When Merrell was only 17-years-old, he saved a child from a burning Dumpster. Merrell came across a child sitting in a Dumpster that was playing with matches. It wasn't long after that the Dumpster caught on fire and Merrell dived in to save the little boy. In honor of his duties, he received West Palm Beach's Key to the City.

Merrell may have earned the Key to the City, however he also has also earned his night in jail. "One day my buddies and I were surfing on Palm Beach. The cops came and arrested us for surfing on the island [which was illegal]. The officers called my dad and informed him that bail was $200. My dad said that the bail was too much and told the cops to let me spend the night in jail, while I sat there, all of my friends parents were coming to pick them up and then they had to go to court. Since my dad didn't bail me out, the cops felt bad and let me go free, without having to go to court," said Merrell.

"David's mother passed away when he was only 22-years-old. None of the siblings will talk about it," said nephew Kodi Merrell. Apparently Merrell's mother had passed away after losing a long battle with cancer. The loss of his mother prompted Merrell's artistic side, where he eventually became a photographer and a musician.

The passing of Merrell's mother "never kept him from accomplishing anything in his life, if anything it made him want to do more," said Merrell's best friend, Danny Erneston. When Merrell was 20, he experienced one of many life changing moments. He and his youngest brother went to Brazil to do mission work. From building houses, to swimming in Amazon River, to being included in a trial ritual and offering, and having to drink goats blood, their experience was a memorable and fun story.

Trips of travelling the world did not just stop at Brazil. Merrell has travelled all over the world, to Thailand, Australia, China, United Arab Emirates, and the Dominican Republic, just to name a few. "One of my most interesting experience while travelling was eating monkey brains in China," said Merrell. Merrell has a reputation for loving food, especially dessert, and nothing will keep him away from a potentially good meal. His older brother said, that because of Merrell, that the family motto is "hit the dessert section of a buffet, first."

Merrell was a firefighter for Palm Beach County for 23 years, he has finally decided to stick closer to home. Merrell was once married but is divorced now and has two daughters, Tara and Tamera. Merrell works with his younger brother for Merrell Company Inc., which involves wood work and furniture building. On the side, he now teaches Systema, a form of Russian Martial Arts. Ever since he was 30, Merrell was interested in Taekwondo and Jujitsu, but he finally settled on Systema.

For the past eight years, Merrell has gone to Russia to practice Systema. Every year he goes back to Russia, he stays on military bases with the Special Forces, he trains with ex K.G.B., which was the Russian secret service. He is one of the few civilians to do so. Three years ago, "I participated in a tank obstacle course where I beat everyone in the Special Forces," said Merrell.

Most days Merrell likes to go to work with his brother, teach Systema on Monday and Wednesday nights and play golf. Merrell enjoys the time he spends with his daughters and grandchildren. He continues to eat large quantities of food a day, with just a little less monkey brains.

Woman Seeks Mental Help After Faking Own Kidnapping

After faking her own abduction, to extort $50,000 from her husband, Quinn Gray may possibly have a psychological disorder, causing family to seek help at rehabilitation center.

Why? Why is one of the questions that still goes unanswered in the Quinn Gray case. Why did she do it? On Sept. 4, Quinn Hanna Gray, 37, a Ponte Vedra Beach resident, went missing. Around five p.m. Gray's husband, Reid Gray, became concerned when she did not return home that evening. Sgt. Chuck Mulligan, St. Johns County Spokesperson said that St. Johns County hasn't seen anything quite like this. "It's a very interesting case," said Mulligan.

Her husband proceeded to contact the police and reported her missing. When the Jacksonville's Sheriff's Office SWAT team arrived at the home, they secured and entered the residence, where they found a letter stating that Gray was kidnapped and that the kidnappers wanted $50,000 in cash. Then on Sept. 16, Gray was charged with felony extortion in an attempt to get $50,000 from her husband by staging her own kidnapping. Sgt. Mulligan said, "this is not your stereotypical kidnapping. This is a rare issue in this country."

"Her behavior was odd. What she did is illegal but with a mental illness, you cannot use a MRI to see it," said Dr. Emily Splane, a professor at Flagler College. Splane works in the Social Behavioral Science Department at Flagler and has found the Quinn Gray case rather interesting and has been following it.

Splane has a degree in psychology and explained that there could be several reasons for Gray's behavior. "You cannot diagnose people you do not know. Without knowing them, their medical history, family history, etcetera I cannot make a diagnosis, but she is definitely showing signs of abnormal behavior and possibly bipolar behavior," said Splane.

Splane explained how bipolar behavior works. Bipolar is a mood disorder, it has a strong genetic link and several different levels of bipolar; mild, moderate, and severe bipolar. When someone is experiencing bipolar behavior they are experiencing a high, positive feeling and a low negative, feeling.

Splane also explained what someone can look for to determine abnormal behavior. This is known as the four D's. The four D's are, distress, dysfunction, dangerous and deviant. Splane said that if more than one of these are present, then it is time to seek help. "She [Gray] was most definitely bothered, and you almost always have to assume someone is in danger, and she was most certainly deviant. She tried to get money from her husband," said Splane. However, Sgt. Mulligan disagrees, "I do not know if we are in the position to categorize someone as normal or abnormal. We see a lot of behavioral issues. Normal today is defined to the person. It is a lot more wide open."

Splane reiterated that without knowing Gray's history, it is impossible to make a diagnosis. She said there are a variety of behavioral problems that Gray could have. She could be experiencing the psychological disorders of depression or mania. "Depression is a low, sad state in which life seems dark and overwhelming," explained Splane. If she was having marital problems, it could lead to substance abuse such as alcohol and medicines, which could eventually only make depression worse. "Mania is a state of breathless euphoria and frenzied energy, also known as hypomania," said Splane.

Another one of Splane's possible explanations to Gray's bizarre behavior was that she may have been Histronic. Histronic is a personality disorder where one acts in dramatic ways and is attention seeking. However it could be one or many of these problems.

It has been admitted by Chad Smith of the St. Augustine Record, that Gray is now attending St. Simons By-The-Sea rehabilitation hospital on the southern coast of Georgia. She was released on many conditions including that she makes her $200,000 bond. Other conditions included that she to be placed on GPS monitoring, have no contact with Jasmin Osmanovic, have no violent contact with her husband and to surrender her passport. Sgt. Mulligan said, "she claims her passport is missing and doesn't know where, she claims her passport is stolen."

Sept. 4 was when Gray was first reported missing to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office by her husband after she did not come home Friday evening. Her husband received a phone call from Gray stating that she had been kidnapped by three men. When the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office SWAT team arrived at the residence, they secured the home and entered. Once inside they found a letter stating that Gray had been kidnapped and there was a ransom for $50,000 and that the kidnappers were watching her husband's every move and not to call the police.

Sept. 5 Gray received his first phone call from his wife, in which he told her that he had the money. She said they [her and the kidnappers] would call back. Several phone calls were made after the first one, Gray exclaimed she was going to get killed if her husband didn't do what the kidnappers told him to do, including calling the police. There were many attempts to make a money drop, but all failed.

On Sept 6. Gray's mother, Gail Sikes, arrived in town and made several attempts to communicate with her daughter to inform her that she was in town. The kidnappers then turned their attention from Gray's husband, to her mother. Sikes made contact with her daughter several times before attempting to make a money drop near Joe's Crab Shack and Jacksonville beach. Sikes dropped the bag as planned, however, four college students found the bag full of money and called the police. The money was then returned to Gray's husband.

On Sept 7. Gray was found walking around the Orange Park Mall where she walked up to Clay County Sheriff's Deputy and told him she was Quinn Gray and that she had been kidnapped. She was then transported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to be interviewed about her abduction. Gray said she was abducted by three men, who took her at gun point from home, she was then tied up and taken to an unknown warehouse. She said in the interview that the men wanted $50,000 cash from their boss, Gray's husband, because he claimed a $75,000 loan from a "loan shark" but they would settle for $50,000.

Gray then described how the kidnapper, Jasminc Osmanovic, forced her to stay in a hotel with him. Witnesses at the hotel remember Gray and Osmanovic appearing as though they were boyfriend and girlfriend. She did not look like she was in a kidnapping situation. Gray was then freed by her alleged kidnappers, notes had been found stating that they had decided to let Gray go, but they still wanted money from her husband and threatened his life. Gray proceeded to fail a FBI polygraph test but her excuse was that she just wanted to get it over with, so she could go see her husband.

On Sept. 15, evidence was discovered against Gray. A digital recorder was found in a dresser drawer inside of Osmanovic's home. The audio recording contained a conversation about a fake kidnapping and an in-depth rehearsal of how it would happen. It was upon further investigation that in the interviews with Gray, she was not telling the truth. Gray had actually known one of the kidnappers, Jasmic Osmanovic, 25, from a "chance encounter" that took place in August. Osmanovic claimed he never kidnapped Gray and that they spent the whole Labor Day weekend together.

Then on Sept. 16, Gray was arrested and charged with second degree extortion, her bond which was initially set at $1,000,000 was then lowered to $200,000.

Photo credit goes to the St. Augustine Record

NAME CALLING CAUSES CONCERNS AMONG STUDENTS

“A girl at golf practice started calling me ‘swine flu boy swine flu boy,’ I didn’t even have swine flu, I just had the flu” said Erik Downs, a junior at Flagler College.

Downs, 21, was one of the first few students that became ill at Flagler when the Influenza virus broke out. He first began to feel ill around September 6th, while playing a golf tournament for Flagler’s golf team up in Kiawah Island, S.C. After returning from the tournament on September 8th, the next day he went to see Flagler’s nurse, who told him he just had the flu not the swine flu.

“Being sick for a week was awful, but I got to catch up on my movies, and all the teachers really understood so that was great,” said Downs. Downs’ girlfriend, Alexis Smith said, “I think that Erik got sick from sharing cups during beer pong, one of other friends was sick and didn’t know it. I was just sad that I had to work and couldn’t take care of him as much.” Under Smith’s watch Downs’ started to feel better.

When Downs’ returned to golf practice the following week he became concerned with the name calling that occurred by a fellow teammate at practice. A member of the girl’s golf team proceeded to call Downs’ ‘Swine Flu Boy’ despite the fact that he never had the virus. Downs’ grew worried that the name calling would be the start of rumors around the campus.

“People who start the name calling are idiots. If someone at golf practice overheard the name calling, they might think Erik really did have the swine flu and then people would be avoiding him and spreading gossip,” said Kodi Merrell, Downs’ roommate. The following day a friend came up and asked Downs’ if he had the swine flu, to which he replied no. The name-calling that was just meant to be a joke, has already started some concerns among the students.