Boost It Or Lose It
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Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 MLB: Rays square off with last-place Orioles /B1 THURSDAY TODAY C I T R U S C O U N T Y & next morning HIGH 92 Mostly sunny and LOW hot. A few storms possible. 73 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com AUGUST 19, 2021 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community $1 VOL. 126 ISSUE 320 NEWS BRIEFS Supplies sought Flooding issues for Haiti disaster relief First the island country of Haiti was hit by a dev- astating 7.2-magnitude earthquake on Aug. 14, next came torrential rains from Tropical Storm Grace. Associated Press “And it’s the rainy sea- U.S. health officials son over there,” said the Wednesday, Aug. 18, Rev. recommended all Doug Americans get COVID-19 Alex- booster shots to shore up ander, their protection. pastor of the New Church the Rev. With- Boost Doug out Alexander Walls in Lecanto, Wednesday morning. “I just got a call it or from the state attorney general’s office and Farm- Share about working with them to get disaster relief MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle Thomas Daugherty, a Citrus County Florida Department of Health environmental specialist, photographs a flooded lose it supplies over there.” pond at the Singing Forest Mobile Home Park in Floral City Tuesday, Aug. 17. The lake pictured above has He said one of the big- overflowed its banks. MATTHEW gest needs is shelters — PERRONE AND tents and tarps. But that’s MIKE STOBBE just one need for this Flooded Floral City mobile home park raises safety concerns Associated Press small country that has been ravaged by disaster. MICHAEL D. BATES WASHINGTON — Staff writer Beginning Thursday, U.S. health officials Aug. 19, donations will be Wednesday announced Penny Clymer hadn’t planned plans to dispense accepted from 8 a.m. to on having a lakefront home at the COVID-19 booster shots 2 p.m., Monday through Singing Forest Mobile Home Park to all Americans to Friday and ending Friday, in Floral City. shore up their protec- Sept. 3. The church is at But that’s exactly what she and tion amid the surging 300 N. Kensington Ave., her neighbors have right now. Re- delta variant and signs Lecanto, next to the Holi- cent heavy rains flooded the park/ that the vaccines’ effec- day Inn Express. Here’s a pond area in front of their homes tiveness is slipping. list of supplies needed: and now the water is roughly 8 feet The plan, as outlined I Air mattresses from her back porch. by the chief of the Cen- I Baby food/formula/ She’s one of the lucky ones. Her ters for Disease Con- diapers neighbors on the other side of the trol and Prevention I Batteries/flashlights park have water up to their homes and other top health and must use four-wheel drives to I Bleach authorities, calls for an I get out or rely on the generosity of extra dose eight Bug spray neighbors to bring them food and I months after people Candles other supplies. Thomas Daugherty photographs a pump that has become flooded Tuesday, get their second shot of I Cups/plates Making matters worse, the flood- I Aug. 17, at the Singing Forest Mobile Home Park in Floral City. the Pfizer or Moderna Garbage bags water is right up to the park’s waste- vaccine. The doses I Generators water lift station. If the water gets who’s lived in the quaint mobile neighbors at Singing Forest “look could begin the week I Hand sanitizer into the station, residents could home park for 15 years. out for each other” and if there’s of Sept. 20. I Medical supplies have untreated water in their back- an emergency where someone “Our plan is to pro- I Mosquito nets yards and it becomes a health issue. Never seen it this bad can’t get out due to the deep water, tect the American peo- I Non-perishable food To fortify the station, residents “Unfortunately, I think this is someone with a truck would be ple, to stay ahead of I Paper plates/towels have placed sandbags around it. going to get worse before it gets there in minutes to help them. this virus,” CDC Direc- I Personal hygiene But they worry that a few more better,” said Will Bryant, environ- “I don’t think anybody’s seen it tor Dr. Rochelle Walen- I Pumps heavy afternoon thunderstorms mental health director with the this bad,” said Kosares, who sur- sky said as the agency I Sunscreen will be too much for the flooded Department of Health in Citrus veyed the scene in a golf cart with cited a raft of studies his dog. “We dodged a bullet with I Tarps and tents water. This has been going on for County. “We need individuals in suggesting that the I at least a week-and-a-half. the park to take practical steps to (Tropical Storm Fred). If that had vaccines are losing Toiletries “We just keep getting more gone through, we would be evacu- I protect themselves from this act of ground while the Towels water and more rain and there’s nature.” ating residents.” I highly contagious vari- Trash bags no place for it to go,” said Clymer, Resident Rod Kosares said See FLOOD/Page A2 I ant spreads. Wipes See BOOST/Page A7 I Water Air Force Association to meet Colon cancer survivors Hospital board Red Tail Memorial Chapter 136 of the Air Force Association (AFA) considers land sale will meet at 7 p.m. Aug. form support group 19 in the conference room of the Ocala Airport termi- Local ophthalmologist nal, 1770 SW 60th Ave. Meetings held every The meeting is open to hopes to expand business the public. Guests and anyone interested in join- Monday, Wednesday FRED HIERS property, along with Cit- ing the AFA are welcome Staff writer rus Memorial Hospital, to attend. Contact the FRED HIERS and leases the proper- chapter membership Staff writer The Citrus County ties to HCA, which oper- Hospital board could re- ates the hospital and its chairman, Howard Burke, Katie West doesn’t feel slighted. peat a land sale as it con- campus in Inverness. at 352-861-0886 for more “I’m glad it wasn’t my children, my siders a request by a Grant told the trustees information or to join. sons-in-law or my grandchildren,” West local retina specialist to that HCA reported the The Red Tail Chapter told the Chronicle. “That would have buy property near down- property ophthalmolo- has nearly 400 members made me feel cheated. I’m glad it was me town Inverness to ex- gist Kaushal wants is val- from Citrus, Alachua, and not them that got ... cancer.” pand his current ued at $440,000. Dixie, Levy, Marion and By the time the 62-year-old former business. The hospital agreed to Sumter Counties and middle school teacher was diagnosed Hospital Board lawyer a similar deal last year parts of Lake and Putnam. with colon cancer in 2019, she probably Bill Grant told his trustee with local physician and The chapter name me- already had the disease for a couple bosses Monday entrepreneur morializes the Red Tail years. She had been tested years before that Hospital Dr. Paresh Desai Squadron, African Ameri- but she wasn’t due for another exam for a Corporation of when he bought can airmen who forged a few more years. America ap- about two acres path into cockpits that The road for treatment was a long one proached him for a downtown were mainly for whites for West’s stage four cancer that had about selling hotel. That land spread to her liver. But she tries not to part of the prop- is now cleared. only during World War II. think about whether tumors persist and erty it now leases Grant said it The AFA promotes a hide after each round of chemotherapy MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle file from the hospital would be a simi- Bill Grant dominant United States treatment. In July 2020, Karen Fisher had surgery to board to Dr. lar arrangement. Air Force, United States “It’s not always in my head. This is just fight colon cancer. Today, she stays Shalesh Kaushal. Citrus County The hospital Space Force and strong physically active and has recovered from Hospital board how I live my life now. I try not to think The property in lawyer. board and HCA national defense; it hon- about it. It would consume me,” she said. the disease. question is about would carve out ors airmen and guardians But she remembers when she first what new treatments were available and 1.5 acres near the corner of the lease the property and fosters a strong mili- learned of her diagnosis; how little she which might help her. of South Pine Avenue in question and the tary heritage. knew of the disease that claims 53,000 She remembers feeling on her own and West Grace Street. hospital board would — From staff reports lives in the United States every year; See SUPPORT/Page A5 The hospital owns the See HOSPITAL/Page A2 Classifieds . .B6 Crossword . .B10 INDEX Lottery Numbers . .B3 Obituaries . A6 Comics . .B5 Editorial. A9 Lottery Payouts . .B3 TV Listings. .B4 Horoscope . A4 Entertainment . A4 Movies . .B5 A2 THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021 LOCAL CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE The water has come up in the last two days, said Dale FLOOD Bennett, vice president of Continued from Page A1 facilities with Bedrock. “We’re hoping it will Kosares said there’s an come down,” he said.