Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 Rays: Snell sharp as Tampa Bay wins playoff opener/B1 WEDNESDAY TODAY CITRUSCOUNTY & next morning HIGH 79 Mostly sunny, LOW breezy, cooler. 58 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOL. 125 ISSUE 358 INSIDE SPECIAL SECTION: Distinctive of the Nature City frowns on tobacco Homes Coast Crystal River council moves to further discourage smoking, vaping at facilities BUSTER olution establishing “It’s a wonderful, won- Copeland and Jim Legrone “Cigarette smoke contains THOMPSON tobacco-free zones for city derful thing that we’re going Memorial parks. more than 7,000 chemicals, Coldwell Banker Next Generation Realty – Edward Johnston – See Page 7 000Z31O Staff writer parks and recreational to do this,” Councilman Pat Inverness City Council 69 of which have been facilities. Fitzpatrick told attending passed a similar measure known to cause cancer.” Distinctive A little less cigarette Officials with the Citrus partnership members be- in June 2020. She went on to say cur- smoke and butts could be County Tobacco Free Part- fore calling the resolution “There’s no safe level rent research on Homes rising and falling at Crys- nership, a part of the Flor- to a vote. “Thank you for for secondhand smoke,” electronic-cigarette also Get a glimpse of tal River’s public venues. ida Health Department in this and I support it 100%.” Citrus County Tobacco shows aerosols emitted fabulous residences. City Council members Citrus County, proposed Signage will be posted Free Partnership Presi- from those devices contain voted 5-0 at their meeting the action to help discour- by the partnership at Yeo- dent Lorrie Van Voorthui- lead, nickel and tin. the evening of Monday, age smoking and vaping in man, Little Springs, Kings jsen told the Crystal River NEWS Sept. 28, 2020, to pass a res- community environments. Bay, Hunter Springs, Council on Monday. See CITY/Page A6 BRIEFS Citrus COVID-19 update Twenty new positive cases were reported in No pulling punches at debate Citrus County since the latest FDOH update. Six new hospitalizations were reported; no new deaths were reported. To date in the county, 2,763 people have tested positive (including eight non-residents), 291 have been hospitalized and 103 have died. Food giveaway at fairgrounds Thursday Beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, the public can receive food at the Citrus County fair- grounds at 3600 S Florida Ave, Inverness, FL 34450 — drive-thru only. Monetary donations are needed to continue feeding Citrus County residents. Please con- sider donating through Citrus United Way (www. citrusunitedway.org), Community Food Bank of Citrus County (www. communityfoodbankof citruscounty.org) or the Associated Press New Church Without President Donald Trump responds to Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden during the first presidential debate Walls (www.newchurch Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio. without walls.com). Memorial Exchanges grow heated as Trump, Biden meet on stage for first time flyover for pilot JONATHAN LEMIRE, presidential debate in recent voters who could decide the elec- The president drew a lecture killed in crash DARLENE SUPERVILLE, years, somehow fitting for what tion. It has been generations from Wallace, who pleaded with The public is invited to WILL WEISSERT AND has been an extraordinarily since two men asked to lead a na- both men to stop interrupting. a flyover Saturday morn- MICHELLE L. PRICE ugly campaign, the two men fre- tion facing such tumult, with Biden tried to push back against quently talked over each other Americans both fearful and im- Trump, sometimes looking right ing at the Inverness Air- Associated Press with Trump interrupting, patient about the coronavirus at the camera to directly address port as a memorial to pilot CLEVELAND — Marked by nearly shouting, so often that pandemic that has killed more viewers rather than the presi- Randy Berry, who died a angry interruptions and bitter Biden eventually snapped at than 200,000 of their fellow citi- dent and snapping, “It’s hard to week ago in a plane accusations, the first debate be- him, “Will you shut up, man?” zens and cost millions of jobs. get a word in with this clown.” crash while he was crop tween President Donald Trump “The fact is that everything Over and over, Trump tried to But despite his efforts to dom- dusting. and Democratic challenger Joe he’s said so far is simply a lie,” control the conversation, inter- inate the discussion, Trump Beverly Berry, who with Biden erupted in contentious Biden said. “I’m not here to call rupting Biden and repeatedly was frequently put on the de- her late husband owns exchanges Tuesday night over out his lies. Everybody knows talking over the moderator, fensive and tried to sidestep Eagle Vistas LLC, said the coronavirus pandemic, city he’s a liar.” Chris Wallace of Fox News. The when he was asked if he was planes will fly over the air- violence, job losses and how the Trump and Biden arrived in president tried to deflect tough willing to condemn white su- port area as a tribute to Supreme Court will shape the Cleveland hoping the debate lines of questioning — whether premacists and paramilitary Randy. It is scheduled for future of the nation’s health would energize their bases of on his taxes or the pandemic — groups. support, even as they competed 11 a.m. care. to deliver broadsides against In what was the most chaotic for the slim slice of undecided Biden. See DEBATE/Page A2 Randy Berry died when the plane he was piloting crashed Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020 in a wooded area on private property Founding leader at about three miles south Hospital board wants of the airport. Berry, who had over 30,000 hours of flying across Pace Center for Girls millions in lawsuit several decades, was the lone occupant of the FRED HIERS Corp., which is the remains of the or- plane. Staff writer ganization that operated Citrus Me- For information, call morial Hospital before it was leased Eagle Vistas at leaving for new role The Citrus County Hospital Board is to Hospital Corporation of America 772-285-5506. getting closer to recouping potentially The hospital board owns the hospi- — From staff reports BUSTER THOMPSON communities,” Pace Na- more than $12 million in pension fund tal on behalf of the public. The hospital Staff writer tional Chief Operating Offi- losses that the board’s lawyers claim board had to loan the FRC $17.5 mil- INDEX cer Yessica Cancel said. was due to bad financial advice from lion to wind down the pension to en- Classifieds . .C7 Growing a nonprofit’s next “Looking back, we absolutely Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting. sure all the hospital’s employees were Comics . .C6 endeavor to heal feel we have the The hospital board’s consulting paid after the loss. Hospital board at- Crossword . .C14 area children is right person with lawyer Taylor Ford told the hospital torney Bill Grant said the hospital Editorial. A9 nothing new to Sheila because she board that his expert witness esti- board has oversight of the issues in- Entertainment . A4 Sheila A. Jordan. has been able to mated that Aon caused a loss of as volved, but not control, but does have So when the Pace build, in such a short much as $12 million to the fund when final approval to any settlements. Horoscope . A4 Center for Girls Cit- time, very strong Aon failed to monitor its own propri- Fallows said he wanted at least the Lottery Numbers . .B3 rus planned to open relationships.” etary investments for the Citrus Me- full $12 million FRC’s expert Kent Lottery Payouts . .B3 Jan. 7, 2019, within Since her almost morial Hospital pension fund and Smetters says is due. He also wants Education . A11, A12 the Roger Weaver Sheila A. two-year tenure as failed to liquidate the investments Aon to pay attorney’s fees. Obituaries . A5 Lecanto Educa- the founding execu- when the cash was needed for the “I want Aon Hewitt to get a mes- Jordan TV Listings. .C5 tional Complex, tive director of lease of the facility. sage from this,” Fallows said. leaders of the alternative Pace’s local location — its “I’m not interested in getting 50 Smetters is the Boettner chair pro- schooling program called 21st in Florida — Jordan cents on the dollar,” said an angry fessor at the University of Pennsylva- on her. helped take the campus be- hospital board member Dr. Mark Fal- nia’s Wharton School and a faculty “We knew it took some- yond its enrollment and fi- lows during the hospital board’s research fellow at the National Bu- body who understood the nancial expectations. monthly meeting this week. reau of Economic Research. girls we work with but also At the head of the year-old federal had the ability to engage See LEADER/Page A5 lawsuit is the Foundation Resolution See LAWSUIT/Page A6 A2 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 NATION CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE DEBATE Continued from Page A1 “What do you want to call them? Give me a name. Give me a name,” Trump said, before Wal- lace mentioned the far right, violent group known as the Proud Boys. Trump then pointedly did not condemn the group, in- stead saying, “Proud Boys, stand back, stand by, but I’ll tell you what, some- body’s got to do something about Antifa and the left because this is not right- wing problem. This is a left wing problem.” The vitriol exploded into the open when Biden at- tacked Trump’s handling of the pandemic, saying that the president “waited and waited” to act when the virus reached America’s shores and “still doesn’t have a plan.” Biden told Trump to “get out of your bunker and get out of the sand trap” and go in his golf cart to the Oval Office to come up with a bipartisan plan to save people.