Florida’S Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’S Best Community 50¢ VOL
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 NFL: Broncos beat Dolphins, give Tua first loss / B1 MONDAY TODAY CITRUSCOUNTY & next morning HIGH 80 Foggy in the LOW morning, then sunny. 52 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com NOVEMBER 23, 2020 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOL. 126 ISSUE 46 BRIEFLY Citrus County Vision still unclear for parkway zoning COVID update According to the County growth official imagines town centers in Cardinal Street area Florida Department of Health, 64 new posi- MIKE WRIGHT however, predict that will all He envisions a walking commu- Nov. 19. tive cases were re- Staff writer change in the years after the Sun- nity where shopping, parks and The PDC was conducting its coast Parkway’s interchange ported in Citrus homes are situated in small, tight second public hearing on adding That stretch of Cardinal Street opens sometime in early 2022. neighborhoods, served with cen- the Cardinal interchange manage- County since the lat- in Homosassa where the Suncoast The debate hinges on what ex- tral water and sewer. ment area to the comprehensive est update. Four new Parkway will intersect is Citrus actly that vision looks like. To anyone who looks at Cardi- plan. Rather than vote on whether hospitalizations were County’s picture of rural. Mike Sherman, the county’s nal today and has trouble seeing to recommend the plan to the reported; no new Five- and 10-acre tracts of small growth management director, is town centers, Sherman said it’s a county commission, PDC mem- deaths were reported. farms and homes sit on private proposing a mixed-use zoning 20-year process. bers instead postponed a vote to To date in the dirt roads. Commercial activity is concept that combines residential “It’s not going to happen over- have more discussion on the county, 4,330 people scarce and limited. There isn’t a with stores or offices that can be night,” Sherman told the county’s plan’s details. have tested positive stoplight anywhere until U.S. 19. developed on larger tracts, with planning and development com- (including 21 non- Citrus County planners, the minimum being 20 acres. mission, or PDC, on Thursday, See VISION/Page A7 residents), 398 have been hospitalized and 157 have died. Holiday home lights contest The Chronicle in- vites you to enter into its friendly Citrus County House Holiday CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY Light Contest for the most beautiful house thru Friday, Dec. 4. A first-, second- and third-place winner will be announced for the east and west sides of the county. Residents will submit a photo of the exterior of their home and receive a yard sign telling every- one to vote for their entry. Voting runs Sat- urday, Dec. 5, through Tuesday, Dec. 15. The Chronicle will publish a locator map in print and online. To enter the con- test, visit tinyurl.com/ y3532nos. Silent auction for trees The Women of Sugarmill Woods will host a Silent Auction of decorated Christ- mas trees Wednes- day, Dec. 2, thru Friday, Dec. 4. The trees will be on display at the Sugarmill Woods Country Club. The person with the highest bid will need MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle to pick up their tree on City of Inverness Mayor Bob Plaisted has been mayor for the past 17 years and has seen growth throughout the city, including the Depot Saturday, Dec. 5. Stop District, Liberty and Wallace Brooks Parks. “I would suggest that it has exceeded all expectations,” he said of the improvements to the by the club to submit a city. He also expressed the importance of a close working relationship with the city council, all who have had long-term seats on the bid. Call 630-212- council. He said without their “positive outlook,” the improvements would not have come to fruition. 7173 for information. — From staff reports Inverness mayor recognized for lengthy elected service POLL What do FRED HIERS that neither was a job he originally city is a far cry from the life he led in Staff writer wanted, but instead resulted in a series of Tampa and making Tampa real estate you think? happenstance. deals. But when he married his wife, For a man with initially no interest in Now, he said, “I enjoy it” and was hon- Cookie, 30 years ago and later adopted How do you feel about participating in local politics, the irony ored at the recognition that he served her two daughters, they moved to Inver- county commission was not lost on Inverness Mayor Bob 20 years to elected office. ness to raise a family. chairman Scott Plaisted when he recently was recognized But the greatest reward is being able to He was content and started a real es- Carnahan’s remark that by the Florida League of Cities for 20 years represent a city that he loves and be in a tate business here. But in 1995 an Inver- taxpayers “don’t have of service to elected public office. position whereby he can help its resi- ness city councilman asked him to the stomach” to support Plaisted has been Inverness’ mayor for dents and give voice during council meet- volunteer on the city’s code enforcement the past 17 years and served four years as ings to issues people care about, he told board. spending millions of one of the city’s councilmen from the Chronicle. He agreed. dollars on a new animal 1999-2003. He recalled for the Chronicle The commitment to a relatively small See MAYOR/Page A8 shelter in Lecanto? A. He has his finger on the county’s pulse. B. A new shelter would make me sick to my stomach. C. Would be a shame to Commissioner: Distance learning will continue lose Rep. Massullo’s generous $500,000 DARA KARN districts to offer in-person in- donation to build a new News Service of Florida struction five days a week or be penalized financially. shelter. TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and D. Commissioner students will be able to continue Corcoran have maintained that Carnahan’s remark to learn remotely through the families need to have the option makes me howling mad. second half of the school year as of choosing face-to-face instruc- E. Commissioner the state grapples with the tion or distance learning for Carnahan’s remark is COVID-19 pandemic, Education children, arguing that keeping barking up the wrong Commissioner Richard Corcoran students away from school can tree. said Wednesday. have damaging impacts on stu- To vote, visit www. “From the top down in this dents’ physical safety, mental chronicleonline.com. state, that will absolutely hap- health and educational Scroll down the home pen. There is no flexibility for progress. anything but that,” Corcoran told The Florida Education Associ- page and look for the the State Board of Education. ation teachers union sued the poll box in the right- The reopening of brick-and- state in July after Corcoran or- hand column. mortar classrooms, which were dered school districts to offer Results will appear shuttered during the early stages in-person instruction when the News Service of Florida next Monday. Find last of the pandemic this spring, be- 2020-21 school year began. Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran told the state education week’s online poll came a political flashpoint after board Wednesday that he expects to release another order addressing the results./Page A3 Corcoran ordered school See LEARNING/Page A7 pandemic by the end of this month. Classifieds . .B7 Crossword . .B10 Horoscope . A4 Movies . .B6 Comics . .B6 Editorial. A6 INDEX Lottery Numbers . .B3 TV Listings. .B5 Entertainment . A4 Lottery Payouts . .B3 A2 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2020 LOCAL CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE Black Diamond Foundation helps feed families NANCY KENNEDY/Chronicle At this year's Thanksgiving Feeding Alliance (TGFA) annual food giveaway Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, the TGFA received a $5,000 check from the Black Diamond Foundation. Pictured from left are Paul Viggiano, CCSO; Barbara Sprague, Community Food Bank of Citrus County; Rachelle Garrett, Brannen Bank; Jay Joines, Black Diamond Foundation; Foster Lamm, Black Diamond Foundation; Doug Lobel, Thanksgiving Feeding Alliance; Major Ken Fagen; Salvation Army; Bishop Edward Nixon, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lecanto; Janet Kohlas, Inverness Publix store manager and Mike Prendergast, Citrus County Sheriff. On the RECORD DUI arrest field sobriety tasks and did City, at 3:42 p.m. Nov. 17 on an 40, of Beverly Hills, at 2:47 misdemeanor charge of retail I Starr Hunter, 25, of West I Katie Martin, 32, of North poorly. Breathalyzer testing of active warrant for felony viola- p.m. Nov. 17 on a misde- petit theft. According to his ar- Pasco Place, Homosassa, at Sunshine Path, Crystal River, her blood alcohol level regis- tion of probation stemming meanor charge of retail petit rest affidavit, Bertels is ac- 2:16 p.m. Nov. 17 on an active at 7:04 p.m. Nov. 17 on a mis- tered 0.147 and 0.150. The from an original charge of fail- theft. cused of shoplifting a jacket Marion County warrant for a demeanor charge of driving legal limit is 0.08. Her bond ure to comply with sex offender I Joshua Bertels, 33, of and watch valued at $89.90 felony charge of murder while under the influence. According was set at $1,000. reporting. South Canal Road, Inverness, from the Inverness Walmart. engaged in a felony. Her bond I Elizabeth Handelsman, at 2:18 p.m. Nov. 17 on a His bond was set at $500. was denied.