MNF: In early going, Griffin outguns Manning /B1 TUESDAY TODAY CITRUS COUNTY & next morning 000DF1W HIGH 80 Morning fog then partly LOW sunny. at VILLAGE PAGE A4 TOYOTA SEE IT 50 ON PG. D6 www.chronicleonline.com DECEMBER 4, 2012 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOLUME 118 ISSUE 119 Masked gunman robs Winn-Dixie the night manager and another Once inside, the suspect re- No shots were fired, and no in- Detectives suspect accomplice involved store employee visibly shaken by portedly made the manager re- juries were reported. However, the encounter. strain his employee with zip ties the shaken-up store employee A.B. SIDIBE According to the Citrus County The employee told investiga- and proceed to the cash room, was transported by Nature Coast Staff writer Sheriff ’s Office, deputies were tors he was collecting shopping where he handed over an undis- EMS to Citrus Memorial Health dispatched to the Winn-Dixie carts out in the parking lot when closed amount of money to the System to be evaluated. INVERNESS — Sheriff ’s offi- store following reports of an he was approached by a masked masked gunman. The manager and employee re- cials are looking for a masked armed robbery. man holding a handgun who di- The suspect next directed the portedly described the robber as gunman who robbed a local When deputies arrived at 333 rected him to the front door. The manager to the rear of the store, possibly a white male with a Winn-Dixie in the waning min- E. Highland Blvd. at 12:01 a.m. manager then opened the store where he exited on foot, accord- utes of Saturday. Sunday, they reportedly found and let them in. ing to CCSO. See ROBBERY/ Page A2 INSIDE LOCAL NEWS: Musical memories Women keep deceased friend’s harp music alive Firewise NANCY KENNEDY South Dunnellon is Staff writer named a Firewise Community./Page A3 HOMOSASSA — It’s the instrument of angels and not an easy one to play. OPINION: Elbow and thumb up, wrist and fin- gers bent, it’s physically draining but ... young immensely rewarding to produce the men and lyrical “glissando,” the distinctive sound a harp makes when played. women It’s the instrument Joanna Miller “ loved and played all her life, espe- knowingly cially at her church at Christmas. Before her death Nov. 10 at age 87, accepted the Miller’s friends Sally Moore and Jeannine Love promised to carry on risks and “ playing in her place. hardships “At one point I became her caretaker, and it was difficult for her to have of military someone taking care of her,” Moore said. “She kept asking me, ‘What can I service .... do for you?’ And I kept saying, ‘Noth- ing.’ One day she said, ‘Do you want to EDITORIAL, PAGE A10 learn how to play the harp?’ Well, I didn’t, but I realized for her that was a way she LOCAL EFFORTS: could pay me back. “I didn’t need any payback,” Moore Give blood said, “but she needed to be able to.” Find out where the Love became Miller’s student and LifeSouth duet partner several years ago after Bloodmobile she decided she wanted to play an in- will be strument besides the piano. The gui- parked for tar didn’t work out and Miller donations suggested Love come to her house during and play with her harp. upcoming “She was so encouraging,” Love weeks./Page A6 said. “About a month into my lessons she said, ‘We’re going to play at HEALTH & LIFE: church,’ just like that. So, we played. I played my simple little melody and she embroidered it.” When Miller knew she was dying, she asked her friends to play the harp at her memorial service and worked with them as best she could to get them “concert ready.” Moore said it would make a great story if they did actually play at the me- Healthy days morial service, scheduled for 4 p.m. See HARP/ Page A5 Cancer won’t take a break for the holidays, Jeannine Love, left, and Sally Moore so read tips to ease are carrying on their friend Joanna stress./Page C1 Miller’s legacy of music by playing the harp. ASK THE EXPERTS: MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle Forum gives caregivers CMHS boards update on state issues mull hospital sale tax because there is not enough Group supports revenue in the state. “We all know ON THE NET it hurts Florida businesses and the CHRIS VAN ORMER local small businesses when we Staff writer ■ Requests for proposals for the Health & Life Internet sales tax don’t collect Internet sales taxes,” valuation of the hospital have Doctors Bennett, PAT FAHERTY she said. “We are supportive of INVERNESS — Like a first date been posted on the trustees’ Gandhi and Grillo and Staff writer that.” without chaperones, the mood website — www.citruscounty Katie Lucas share their As another priority, she cited the gradually relaxed. hospitalboard.com. expertise./Page C1 Action by The Arc of Florida protection and monitoring of chil- No attorneys were present Mon- pushing legislation to change the dren with developmental disabili- day when the Citrus County Hospi- county residents. They have posted INDEX term “mental retardation” to “in- ties in their local school systems, tal Board and the Citrus Memorial requests for proposals — RFPs — tellectual disability” in state especially regarding isolation and Health Foundation conducted a Comics . .C8 or bids from certified public ac- statutes was one of many topics restraint. joint workshop to consider future counting firms for the valuation. Community . .C6 Linton was part of a morning options for Citrus Memorial Crossword . .C7 covered during a legislative forum The directors, who operate the panel that included state Sen. hospital. Editorial . .A10 Monday at the Key Training Center hospital, already have explored fu- Entertainment . .B4 in Lecanto. Charlie Dean, state Rep. Jimmie T. The hospital board of trustees ture scenarios for the hospital Horoscope . .B4 “This is important, especially to Smith and several state leaders in and the foundation directors com- through Navigant consulting firm Lottery Numbers . .B3 younger advocates, so we’re push- services for the developmentally pared notes on the work both and one of its managing directors, Lottery Payouts . .B4 ing it on their behalf,” said Debo- disabled. groups already have undertaken. Casey Nolan, a specialist in health Movies . .C8 rah Linton, executive director of The event was called “Looking at The trustees, who are the taxing care strategic planning. They have Obituaries . .A6 The Arcof Florida. “Over 40 other Florida’s Future, A Legislative authority for the public hospital, posted requests for information — Classifieds . .C9 states have already changed it and Forum on Developmentally Dis- now have a statutory duty to obtain RFIs — to ask other health care fa- TV Listings . .C7 the federal law has changed.” abled Children and Adults,” spon- a valuation of the hospital and to cilities if they had considered pur- Linton expressed a need for sored by the Key Training Center consider whether selling the hos- chasing or partnering with Citrus “regulatory” relief to community Family Connection and the Family pital, leasing it or partnering it Memorial. An RFI can be a providers” and said The Arc of with another healthcare facility Florida supports an Internet sales See FORUM/ Page A2 would be in the best interest of See HOSPITAL/ Page A5 A2 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012 LOCAL CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE Fire destroys mobile home FORUM Continued from Page A1 the rear of the residence caused extensive damage to Family escapes and successfully stopped the 586-square-foot garage the fire from extending fur- and the 2,000-square-foot Care Council Area 13. ther into the home, accord- mobile home. Damages “We need more feet on unharmed ing to a report by Battalion were estimated at $105,000 the ground,” said Betty Kay Chief Ken Clamer. for the home and garage Clements, secretary/trea- A.B. SIDIBE surer of Area 13 Family Staff writer Other units concentrated and $60,000 for the contents on the small woods fire and of the two structures.. Care Council. “We really the 500-square-foot garage, Additional units from the are recruiting; we need to A passerby reportedly become more involved with helped a family escape a the report said. Crystal River Volunteer The family told officials Fire Department and other our legislative process. mobile home fire Friday Only families with mem- night, according to the Cit- the passerby knocked on fire stations in the county their front door and yelled arrived on scene to provide bers who are developmen- rus County Sheriff ’s Office tally disabled can really tell Fire Rescue Division. their house was on fire. The staffing, water supply, and man reportedly helped the additional assistance. Na- them how it is.” Area 13 in- Crews from the Homosassa cludes Citrus, Hernando, Fire Station responded to the family members escape ture Coast EMS and sher- PAT FAHERTY/Chronicle without injury. As they ex- iff ’s deputies also arrived to Lake, Marion and Sumter blaze at 7627 W. Autumn St., counties. About 100 people turned out at Monday’s legislative forum ited the home, the family assist. The Rehabilitation at the Key Center to hear from a panel of lawmakers, state Homosassa, at 9:02 p.m., ac- Clements said their leg- also noticed the garage was Unit and the Mobile Air officials and agency leaders on issues affecting develop- cording to the report. islative platform includes ablaze and the main resi- Unit responded for addi- mentally disabled residents and caregivers. Firefighters reported the serving clients whose care- home to be 50 percent in dence was beginning to ig- tional support.