Hurricane Sally Threatens Gulf Citrus County COVID-19 Update for Only Second Time in History, Five Storms Briefly Active in Atlantic Basin
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Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 NFL: Bucs have a long way to go after opening loss/A6 TUESDAY TODAY CITRUSCOUNTY & next morning HIGH 85 Humid with LOW scattered storms. 72 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOL. 125 ISSUE 343 NEWS BRIEFS Hurricane Sally threatens Gulf Citrus County COVID-19 update For only second time in history, five storms briefly active in Atlantic basin Sixteen new positive cases STACEY PLAISANCE brush by the southeastern tip of “This is the real deal, and it people had to be evacuated by were reported in Citrus County AND JANET Louisiana and then blow ashore deserves your attention,” Mis- Humvee. since the latest FDOH update. MCCONNAUGHEY late Tuesday or early Wednes- sissippi Gov. Tate Reeves wrote To the west, in Mississippi, No new hospitalizations were re- Associated Press day near the Mississippi-Ala- on Twitter, shortly after the Jeremy Burke lifted things off ported; one new death was bama state line for what could storm was upgraded. He urged the floor in case of flooding in reported. WAVELAND, Miss. — Hurri- be a long, slow and ruinous people in low-lying areas to pre- his Bay Books bookstore in the To date in the county, cane Sally, one of four storms drenching. pare to evacuate. “Be smart. Old Town neighborhood of Bay 2,477 people have tested positive churning simultaneously in the Storm-weary Gulf Coast resi- Prepare for worst. Pray for the St. Louis, a popular weekend (including eight non-residents), Atlantic, closed in on the Gulf dents rushed to buy bottled best,” he said. getaway from New Orleans, 259 have been hospitalized and Coast on Monday with rapidly water and other supplies ahead Seawater and sand swept onto about 60 miles to the west. 73 have died. strengthening winds of at least of the hurricane, which pow- roads on one end of Dauphin Is- “It’s turning into a ghost 100 mph and the potential for up ered up to a Category 2 in the land off the coast of Alabama, town,” he said. Legendary ‘Murph to 2 feet of rain that could bring afternoon. Forecasters said sus- washing away several cars, Dau- Sally has lots of company severe flooding. tained winds could reach phin Island Mayor Jeff Collier the Surf’ dies The storm was on a track to 110 mph by landfall. said. He said about a dozen See STORMS/Page A2 Jack Roland Murphy, known in the surf community as “Murph the Surf” — and known later in the prison system for helping thousands of others despite his convictions as a murderer and jewel thief — died this weekend at age 83, according to the Flor- ida Surf Museum. Giving ‘liquid hope’ Murphy was living in Crystal River, on Florida’s west coast. No cause of death was given. A legendary surfer, Murphy was charged (with two accom- plices) in what was called “the biggest jewel heist of the 20th Century” at the American Mu- seum of Natural History in New York City, and pleaded guilty of stealing the famous Star of India sapphire among a reported $3 million in gems in 1964. Then, in December of 1967, Murphy was charged with an ac- complice for two murders. He was paroled in 1986. For more information, see Wednesday’s Chronicle. — From wire reports Voter registration drive set for Sept. 22 The Supervisor of Elections office will host a voter registra- tion drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, which is Na- tional Voter Registration Day, at the county library locations: I Lakes Region Library — NANCY KENNEDY/Staff writer 1511 Druid Road, Inverness. After Citrus County Fire Marshal Paul Gillam learned he had COVID-19 antibodies, he began donating his plasma to help treat critically I Central Ridge Library — ill patients who are hospitalized with COVID-19. He is shown here at LifeSouth Community Blood Center in Inverness with Laura Bailey, 425 W. Roosevelt Blvd., Beverly a LifeSouth phlebotomist, preparing Gillam for the plasma donation process. Hills. I Homosassa Public Library — 4100 S. Grandmarch Ave., Local fire marshal donates plasma to help people with COVID-19 Homosassa. NANCY KENNEDY “The thing is, I didn’t even around the county. aches, but that was all. I Coastal Region Library — Staff writer know I had COVID, although “I told him I would donate He also recalled one of his 8619 W. Crystal St., Crystal I suspected it,” Gillam said blood and take him with me grandchildren having a fever River. s Citrus County Fire from LifeSouth Community to see it,” Gillam said. “Then also around that time, but he Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, is the Marshal, it’s Paul Gil- Blood Center in Inverness, the second time I donated never had a fever himself, last day to register to vote in the Alam’s job to help save where he was donating his blood they had started doing nor any other symptom. Nov. 3, 2020, general election. lives from fire dangers. plasma. “I found out for sure the antibody testing and I “After the last time I do- You may also register online or Now, as someone who has after I donated blood and showed positive, so here I am nated blood, I was actually find additional information about recovered from COVID-19, learned I was positive for the donating plasma.” hoping I would be positive for registering to vote at www. he’s helping to save lives by COVID antibodies.” As he relaxed in the Life- antibodies so I could donate votecitrus.com. donating his blood plasma. He said he had just started South chair, the 61-year-old my plasma to help people in Voter registration applications Currently, convalescent regularly donating blood in said he recalled taking his the hospital who are suffer- in English and Spanish are plasma is being used to treat March after his 10-year-old grandsons on a fishing vaca- ing with this,” he said. critically ill patients who are grandson asked about the tion in March and not feeling available on the website to print hospitalized with COVID-19. bloodmobiles he had seen well for two days with muscle See PLASMA/Page A11 and deliver in person to the elections office or mail to P.O. Box 1870 Lecanto, FL 34460. Voter registration applications may also be obtained by calling 352-564-7120 or toll-free 800- Citrus COVID-19 655-6645, or by visiting the Su- Shooting results in pervisor of Elections Office at 1500 N. Meadowcrest Blvd., Crystal River 34429. Inverness man’s arrest numbers steady Drive-thru food drive on Sept. 15 Charges include attempted murder Some case clusters seen in The Esther Chapter of the Daughters of the King at Shep- BUSTER THOMPSON He was jailed at the Citrus County herd of the Hills Episcopal Staff writer Detention Facility without a bond. local assisted living facilities Church in Lecanto is asking for However, at Jordan’s first court ap- An Inverness man accused of firing pearance Sept. 6, a judge reset his MIKE WRIGHT total of 178 COVID-19 food donations to benefit SOS a shotgun in a neighborhood total bond to $76,000. Staff writer cases among residents, Support Center, which feeds and at a person escaping Jordan’s arraignment hear- employees or both. That more than 7,000 families in Citrus from him faces several felony ing, when he’ll issue a formal The number of Citrus number jumped from 88 County each month. charges, including attempted plea, was scheduled for County’s COVID-19 cases that were recorded on They will be having a drive-thru first-degree murder. Sept. 21, court records show. continues to level off Sept. 8. food drop off from 9 a.m. to noon Citrus County Sheriff ’s Of- According to Jordan’s ar- after a one-day spike As of Sunday, Citrus on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at Shep- fice (CCSO) authorities ap- rest report, CCSO deputies earlier this month. Health and Rehabilita- herd of the Hills Episcopal prehended 56-year-old Todd responded to a shooting in an As of Monday, Sept. 14, tion Center in Inverness Church, 2540 W. Norvell Bryant Wayne Jordan Jr. after the al- Todd Inverness community near Citrus had 2,477 cases, had 60 residents and 24 leged shooting on Saturday up 145 from the Sept.8 employees currently Highway (County Road 486), Jordan Jr. East Jasmine Lane, where Lecanto. Sept. 5, 2020, according to witnesses named Jordan as update. Deaths rose from testing positive for Jordan’s arrest report, obtained Mon- 64 to 73. COVID-19, according to The food collected on Tuesday the shooter. day, Sept. 14. About 10% of Citrus Monday’s FDOH report. will be taken to SOS on Wednes- Deputies later detained Jordan at Jordan was later arrested on his 40-year-old business in Inverness, County tests are positive The report states 28 resi- day in time for distribution on charges of attempted premeditated Todd’s Tropicaire Plants Inc. for COVID-19, data dents who tested positive Thursday. murder, discharging a firearm in a During a search of Jordan’s person, shows. were transferred to other “We have done four food drives public area, shooting into a dwelling, deputies discovered a knife, a live Data from the Florida facilities. like this beginning in June,” said possessing a controlled substance shotgun shell and 0.4 grams of bagged Department of Health Lecanto-based Life Cathy Allen of Shepherd of the and two counts of possessing a fire- methamphetamine.