Clay king: Nadal wins record-setting seventh French Open/B1 TUESDAY CITRUS COUNTY TODAY & Wednesday morning HIGH Partly cloudy with a 92 50 percent chance of LOW showers and storms. 75 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com JUNE 12, 2012 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOLUME 117 ISSUE 310 NEWS BRIEFS Feds back merger of Duke, Progress Florida sues Workers repaired that DHS over purge Companies receive conditional approval; Carolinas still to weigh in crack, but another crack was discovered. of voter rolls MIKE WRIGHT lieves, will pump much- The Federal Energy Reg- the largest electric utility in Progress officials esti- needed capital for Progress’ ulatory Commission gave the United States, serving TALLAHASSEE — Staff Writer mate the cost of repairs is efforts to repair its ailing conditional approval on about 7 million customers Florida on Monday between $900 million and CRYSTAL RIVER — It nuclear plant near Crystal Friday after concerns the in North Carolina, South $1.3 billion. sued the U.S. De- was the news John Siefert River and build two new merger would reduce com- Carolina, Florida, Indiana, partment of Homeland Progress Energy wanted to hear. plants in Levy County. petition were assuaged. Kentucky and Ohio. spokesman Scott Sutton Security to gain ac- The Citrus County Eco- “Duke Power brings deep Regulatory approval And it could have a signif- cess to a federal said it’s too soon to say what nomic Development Coun- pockets,” Siefert said. must still come from North icant impact locally. effect the merger would database in the state’s cil director was all smiles “They’re a much larger com- Carolina and South Car- The Crystal River nu- have on making repairs to ongoing effort to after word that federal reg- pany than Progress Energy. olina. A joint statement is- clear plant has been offline the plant or moving forward purge ineligible vot- ulators have given condi- They have more resources sued by Duke and Progress since 2009. Workers cut a on plans for two new nu- ers from its statewide tional approval for the and more expertise in the on Monday said they have hole in the containment clear plants in Levy County voter registration rolls. mega-merger of Duke En- field. It’s a positive thing for targeted July 1 to close on wall to replace aged steam near Inglis. Florida Secretary ergy and Progress Energy. Citrus County and Florida the merger. generators, and in doing so of State Ken Detzner The merger, Siefert be- to have this merger occur.” The merger would create found a crack in the wall. See MERGER/ Page A4 filed the request for declaratory judgment in an effort to force the federal agency to share citizenship in- Board formation in what has been an ongoing feud between the Republi- members can-controlled state and the Obama ad- ministration over ef- encourage forts to remove those who are ineligible from the list of more parents to than 11 million regis- tered voters. Detzner said the talk tests state has been trying for MIKE WRIGHT months to gain access Staff Writer to DHS’s Systematic Alien Verification for INVERNESS — The Entitlements Program issue of standardized state database, which testing comes front and cen- tracks citizenship and ter Tuesday as Citrus alien status. County School Board mem- The suit, filed in bers are expected to discuss federal court in the whether to join a growing District of Columbia, segment of school districts says the state has wanting change. the statutory right to Board members Pat access the database. Deutschman and Thomas It is the latest turn in Kennedy are urging parents a dust-up over recent and students with concerns Republican-backed about the Florida Compre- hensive Assessment Test or efforts to review the other standardized tests to legal status of Florida attend the meeting for the voters in preparation public comment section at for the 2012 election 6 p.m. cycle. The Department Deutschman said last of Justice has warned week she would ask board Florida officials the DAVE SIGLER/Chronicle members to approve a reso- exercise may violate Citrus Park Mobile Home Park residents Kim Torkelson, Robert Lonergan, William Pyke, Glenn Bakkila and Deborah lution asking Gov. Rick federal election laws. Betts have been battling with the owners of what remains of the Homosassa mobile home park they have all called Scott and the Legislature to In the past few home. Citrus Park LLC has issued them eviction notices and the time is halfway up for the residents to move. The reconsider the testing residents are waiting for $1,375 checks to be able to find another place to live. days, the Division of process that, in many cases, Elections released a determines whether a stu- list of the names of dent passes or fails a class 86 voters it said have Mobile-home owners based on one end-of-year been removed by exam. local supervisors immobilized; tenants At least eight school because they were districts have approved non-citizens between say they need upfront the resolution. One, the April 11 and June 8. Hernando County School About half of them are payment to move out Board, agreed with the listed as having voted. concept but wanted to draft CHRIS VAN ORMER its own resolution, That, backers of Staff Writer Deutschman said. the purge effort said, proves the need for esidents evicted from a Ho- See TESTS/ Page A2 the move, because it mosassa mobile home park are shows that some stuck: The park owner has of- WHAT: Citrus County non-citizens have in- R fered to pay them $1,375 each School Board meeting. deed registered and for their abandoned homes when they MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle WHEN: 3 p.m. today. cast votes. move out, but they can’t afford to move Workers remove trees and debris from Citrus Park Mobile Home Park WHERE: District Opponents of the anywhere until they receive the $1,375. in Homosassa where a Dollar General store is scheduled to be built. offices, corner of purge have criticized “There’s actually about seven of us still State Road 44 and it as too broad- here,” said Kim Torkelson, a resident of been trying to contact the own- their household water needs. Montgomery Avenue, brushed, and note 86 Citrus Mobile Home Park on U.S. 19, just ers and are not getting a reply.” What’s worse, residents said, is Inverness. voters would only be north of the RaceTrac filling station. The residents — Torkelson, the site clearance on half the OF NOTE: Board will about one-third of “None of us have gotten the money that Betts and his wife Deborah, park is exposing septic services. have an immediate one percent of all we have been promised.” Robert Lonergan, William Pyke According to Lonergan, a mo- closed attorney-client those on the list sent Resident John Betts said former resi- and Glenn Bakkila — met with bile home park has stood on the session from 3 p.m. to to supervisors. dents who lived in mobile homes in part the Chronicle last week. They site since 1938. Based on 2009 about 4 p.m.; public of the park where a Dollar General store live amid a mass of partially de- U.S. Census data, Citrus County comment is reserved —From wire reports will be built were dealt with quickly. molished mobile homes, over- has 17,212 mobile homes. for 6 p.m. “They got their check and within 30 grown landscaping and a maze ON THE WEB: days they were gone,” Betts said. “We’ve COMING UP: of garden hoses that service See RAZING/ Page A2 www.citrus.k12.fl.us. Big battles loom in C.R. Crystal River officials grapple with multiple weighty issues, including Shawn Kersh: Father, physician, mentor and friend development of Three Sisters and the fate of the NANCY KENNEDY played their best because they be- Academy of Environmental Staff Writer lieved in Shawn and wanted to please Science./Wednesday him. He inspired the players — and INVERNESS — Anyone who knew he inspired the other coaches. INDEX Shawn Kersh knew he loved two “We took a team that was 2 and 6 Comics . .C8 things: his family and football. Shawn Kersh died May 25 at his and turned them around to a 6-and-2 Community . .C6 As a coach for the Inverness Storm home in Inverness after a sudden ill- team to play in the Mighty Mite Bowl,” Crossword . .C7 Pop Warner football league, he was ness. The father of three was 41. Bergman said. “We tied, which was a Editorial . .A8 able to combine both teaching and At his memorial service, Corner- win to us, and it was due to Shawn. Entertainment . .B6 coaching his son Brycen and his stone Baptist Church was filled with “He took me under his wing and Horoscope . .B6 teammates, infusing them with the young boys in Inverness Storm jerseys, mentored me. He made me his defen- Lottery Numbers . .B4 love of the game and the values of lining up to pay tribute to their fallen sive coach and I became obsessed Lottery Payouts . .B6 teamwork and playing with honor and hero. with it,” he said. “He was everything Movies . .C8 fairness. “Coaching was the ultimate thing to you could want in a best friend.” Obituaries . .A5 In the other half of his life, Shawn Shawn; it was his relaxing time,” said Bergman said Shawn was the exam- Classifieds . .C9 was a dedicated family practice physi- fellow coach Bert Webber. “He taught ple of “the most loving father” he had TV Listings .