After Three Decades, a Storied Career Ends
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Not guilty: Feds whiff as Clemens acquitted of all charges /B1 TUESDAY CITRUS COUNTY TODAY & Wednesday morning HIGH Mostly sunny 92 and less humid. LOW 72 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com JUNE 19, 2012 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOLUME 117 ISSUE 317 NEWS BRIEFS County men to represent Citrus at DNC Controlled MIKE WRIGHT will represent Citrus delegate is a dream come vention for Gudis. He at- Staff Writer County as two of the 300 true. tended the 1996 Demo- burn conducted Florida delegates selected “This is my very first cratic National Convention in state forest CRYSTAL RIVER — At to the Democratic Na- time,” Davis said. “I’m in Chicago when President The Florida Forest 82 years old, Samuel Davis tional Convention on Sept. proud of it.” Bill Clinton was nominated Service conducted a has cast many a vote for 4 to 7 in Charlotte, N.C. Davis and Gudis, Citrus for his second term. president. For Davis, who was born County’s Democrat state “It’s a similar situation 640-acre prescribed This September, the Sug- in Crystal River, schooled committeeman, were cho- to this one,” he said. “We’re burn on the Citrus Mike armill Woods resident gets in Fort Pierce, worked in sen during congressional nominating an incumbent Samuel Tract of the Withla- Gudis to nominate one. New York and has called district caucuses June 2 in president. We have a bad Davis coochee State Forest Crystal River Davis and Crystal River Sugarmill Woods home Tampa. Sugarmill Monday morning. councilman. Councilman Mike Gudis since 1995, being chosen This is the second con- See DNC/ Page A2 Woods resident. The burn area was located east of the Holder Mine recre- ation area, south of the Hunters Estate and Buckskin Re- serve communities and west of County After three decades, Road 581. Nola The controlled burn started around 11 a.m. and was Gravius, completed by 5 p.m. a storied career ends These fire events are held as a hazardous fuel reduction burn in CUB’s support of the County Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Call mother 850-488-7471 with any questions. NANCY KENNEDY —From staff reports Staff Writer FLORAL CITY — When INSIDE former CUB director Nola Gravius retired in 2008 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: after more than 22 years of feeding and clothing the people of Citrus County, the late Jean Grant said, “She’s CUB. She’s just CUB.” Generous, giving, empa- thetic, a believer in mira- cles, Nola loved Cit- rus United Basket — Gators benched the role it Florida almost escapes played in elimination, but can’t the com- capitalize on ninth- munity, the inning gifts./Page B1 volunteers, Nola OPINION: the people Gravius it served. Nola Arlene Gravius, the woman who was the com- passionate face of CUB for We look many years, died at her Flo- ral City home June 10. She forward“ to was 74. “I would estimate she continuing a served over 1,000 children productive in Citrus County and kind of raised them in the 15 years relationship she was here,” said Deb “ Rossfeld, current CUB ex- with the new ecutive director. Duke Energy. “One of Nola’s strongest attributes was her love for children,” Rossfeld said. “She was gentle and went out of her way — above and EDITORIAL, PAGE A8 beyond to help people. But HEALTH & LIFE: she could be firm when she had to be.” In 2001, Nola told the Chronicle, “I get too in- volved.” If someone was cold, she would search until she found a warm coat or a heater for the house. She counseled young people who thought they had no hope, pointing them to Withlacoochee Technical Institute, where they could learn a skill or get an education. Never alone She taught young moth- Study counts just how ers how to stretch their many germs live on you RIC BUSH/Special to the Chronicle food, making a casserole — yes, you./Page C1 Capt. Charlie Simmons is counting down the days until he walks out of the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office substation out of a can of stew and a bag of noodles. COMING TOMORROW: in Crystal River for the last time. After more than three decades in law enforcement, Simmons is retiring July 27. “I’ve walked in these peo- Light on A.B. SIDIBE Simmons, who is set to grace- And though he is — on the eve of ple’s shoes,” Nola said. Staff Writer fully close a decades-old career his 55th birthday — young by many She had married at 17, di- the horizon with the Citrus County Sheriff ’s standards, Simmons, in his charac- vorced eight years later. She The traffic light at — CRYSTAL RIVER Office on July 27, is variously de- teristic understated manner, said it raised five sons and a Meadowcrest Boulevard apt. Charlie Simmons’ tenure scribed as the consummate law- was time to go. daughter mostly by herself. and State Road 44 is one with the sheriff ’s office man — steadfast, dedicated, In a wide-ranging interview with She came to Citrus step closer to becoming C could easily be a primer for patient, an inspiration, helpful County in 1979, moving to a reality, and officials up-and-coming deputies. and a man of integrity. See SIMMONS/ Page A4 say it could be ready for See GRAVIUS/ Page A2 service in a few months. /Wednesday INDEX Comics . .C8 Community . .C6 Study: With Alzheimer’s, hospital stays a hazard Crossword . .C7 Editorial . .A8 Associated Press Each year, about 4 percent of the patients who weren’t hospitalized entered Entertainment . .B6 Horoscope . .B6 WASHINGTON — For a nursing home and 2 percent died. Yet 29 percent of the hospitalized Lottery Numbers . .B4 people with Alzheimer’s Lottery Payouts . .B6 disease, a hospital stay may Alzheimer’s patients wound up in a nursing home, research found. ... Of those Movies . .C8 prove catastrophic. who survived the initial hospitalization, 9 percent died in the following year. Obituaries . .A5 People with dementia are Classifieds . .C9 far more likely to be hospi- be upsetting to anyone, but lights the lingering ill ef- within the next year, Har- agitation, during their stay. TV Listings . .C7 talized than other older consider the added fear fac- fects: Being hospitalized vard researchers reported It’s not clear exactly why, adults, often for preventa- tor if you can’t remember seems to increase the Monday. The risk is higher although specialists say ble reasons like an infec- where you are or why chances of Alzheimer’s pa- if those patients experience delirium is especially bad tion that wasn’t noticed strangers keep poking you. tients moving into a nursing what’s called delirium, a early enough. Hospitals can Now a new study high- home — or even dying — state of extra confusion and See HOSPITAL/ Page A2 A2 TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2012 CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE were selected.” said. “It’s very important at Delegate candidates this particular time he be DNC didn’t give speeches, but re-nominated and re- Voter purge spawns another lawsuit Continued from Page B1 both Davis and Gudis said elected. I wanted to be part Associated Press who are registered voters. A spokesman for they worked the room. of the democratic process.” This latest lawsuit con- Florida’s top election offi- economy, though it’s getting “That’s what I’ve been Of the 5,550 delegates at TALLAHASSEE — tends the push to remove cial sharply disputed the better, and I’m sure there doing most of my life — the national convention, Florida is again being sued voters violates federal law allegation that the state’s will be a lot of protestors out shaking hands and talking Florida has 300. Only Cali- over its contentious push to because it is within 90 days actions are discriminatory. there.” with people,” Gudis said. fornia at 611 and New York remove potentially ineligi- of an election. But those be- Scott in numerous radio Davis and Gudis were Davis, a member and for- at 384 have more delegates ble voters from the rolls. hind the lawsuit also contend and television interviews chosen partly by process of mer treasurer of the South- than the Sunshine State. Several groups that work the effort is discriminatory has also disputed that his elimination. west Citrus Democrat Club, Gudis said Citrus is fortu- with immigrants, Haitian- because Hispanics repre- effort is fueled by a parti- Counties nominated dele- said he let people know of nate to have representation Americans and Puerto Ri- sent a majority of those san desire to help Repub- gates in early May, and 58 his background. at the convention. cans will file a lawsuit whose names were on the licans in this year’s people in total were nomi- “I informed them of my “Citrus County is proba- Tuesday in a Miami federal list drawn up by state elec- election. Florida is viewed nated from the congres- life, what I stood for,” he bly one of the smallest coun- court. It now marks the tion officials. Two of those as a crucial swing state sional district. In Tampa, said. “I asked for their ties in the caucus,” he said. fourth lawsuit surrounding involved in the lawsuit are that could help determine potential delegates were re- votes.” “The chances of anyone the effort started last year registered voters who were whether or not President quired to receive a mini- A lifelong Democrat, Davis from Citrus County being by Gov. Rick Scott to try to on the list even though they Barack Obama wins mum number of votes or said he wanted to attend chosen was nil, but then two identify non-U.S.