NewsBreak Original

Unseen and unknown by most in the region, from 1930 to 1965, Orange Park was home to one of the largest chimpanzee research operations in the world, the Yerkes Laboratories of Primate Biology. The mysterious “Monkey Farm” has given rise to one of the First Coast’s strangest legends: that a half-human, half-chimp “humanzee” was born within its walls. Could there be truth behind the story?

The Town of Orange Park Fall Festival is days away. Admission to the festival is free. The 41st annual event is set for this weekend, October 21 and 22. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Town of Orange Park is searching for a Human Resources Manager. This is the Town’s first Human Resources Manager position. Until now, the duties were shared and performed by other employees of the Town.

The BASCA Capeabilities 5K and 1-mile fun run/walk is on Saturday, September 23, 2023. Be aware this will have an impact on traffic. BASCABASCA is a non-profit organization that provides services to adults with developmental and intellectual differences.

The Town of Orange Park celebrates the opening of a new park. The Orange Park dog park is located at the corner of Gano Avenue and Fromhart Street. The rain last Friday didn’t put a damper on the scheduled “Yappy Hour” event.

The Town of Orange Park is hosting another adult event. Orange Park After Dark is Saturday, September 23, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The popular event is at Town Hall Park. Town Hall Park is located at 2042 Park Avenue.

Shawntae Jamell Clark, 44, of Clay County has pleaded guilty to possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced Wednesday.

The Dairy Queen, 348 Blanding Blvd. in Orange Park, was temporarily closed this month after roach activity was found during a state inspection. An inspection was conducted on Aug. 10 and nine violations were found, according to state inspection reports. The facility was temporarily closed.

Clay County could soon be the home of a new vet school. Lincoln Memorial University is in the process of adding a second College of Veterinary Medicine. LMU’s main campus in Harrogate, Tenn., is the home of the Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine. Harrogate is an hour and a half north of Knoxville.

The Town of Orange Park budget and finance committee met this week to discuss the proposed fiscal year 2023/2024 budget. Tuesday’s meeting focused on the budgets for the Orange Park fire and police departments.

The Town of Orange Park has started the budget process. This process includes holding workshops where the budget is discussed among budget and finance committee members. It’s also a forum that allows residents to voice their opinions.

The location for Clay County's long-awaited detox recovery center has been approved. NewsBreak reported in June that Clay County received $3 million in state funding for the substance abuse recovery center.

The Town of Orange Park is considering offering employees a new benefit, a paycheck withdrawal and repayment program. The loan would only apply to a rental deposit or down payment assistance for someone who wants to purchase a home.

There has been much discussion about golf carts in the Town of Orange Park, and Tuesday night’s council meeting was no different. The Public Safety/Public Works committee recently recommended that the council institute a moratorium on the use of golf carts on town streets.

Orange Park Police Department officer Scott Chalker was recognized at the Town of Orange Park council meeting for his heroic and quick response. Officer Chalker is a school resource officer. In May, the officer jumped into action when he saw a student choking on food at Orange Park Junior High School.

At this time, there will be no increase in the stormwater utility fee for the Town of Orange Park residents. Even though the town has a more significant deficit than initially expected, the council decided not to vote to increase the stormwater utility fee. The shortfall is due to an increase in personnel and operating costs.

An Orange Park woman was arrested Monday and faces charges of dealing in stolen property, deputies say. A female victim called the Clay County Sheriff’s Office on June 5 to report her 1985 Pontiac Firebird as stolen, according to the arrest report. An investigation into the case revealed that Mazie Casciani, 30, of Orange Park was likely responsible for the theft, deputies said.

An Orange Park man led Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies on a chase through the town before getting arrested on one charge of grand theft auto. On Saturday at approximately 10:28 p.m. deputies saw a red Hyundai Veloster fail to stop at a stop sign leaving the Circle K gas station located at 1091 Blanding Blvd. The vehicle turned south onto Jefferson Avenue.

Iona K Coates, 67, of Orange Park, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Coates faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and payment of restitution to the victims in the case, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced Tuesday.