Bike Group Highlights Local Trails
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Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 MLB: Rays beat Jays on Kiermaier walk-off triple /B1 MONDAY CITRUSCOUNTY TODAY & next morning HIGH 91 Partly sunny, LOW scattered storms. 72 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com JULY 27, 2020 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOL. 125 ISSUE 293 NEWS BRIEFS Testing restriction raises concerns Citrus COVID-19 Health department limits COVID-19 testing for preteens PRIVATE TESTERS update n Langley Health Services: BUSTER THOMPSON “Here we are trying to get County (DOH) began limiting 151 E. Highland Blvd., Twenty-seven new pos- Staff writer schools back up and going, and COVID-19 testing for people Inverness, Suite 151; itive cases were reported testing for kids is being re- 12 and younger. 352-419-5760. in Citrus County since the With schools about to reopen to stricted,” said Hobson, who’s Appointments are also no lon- latest FDOH update. Four students amid a pandemic, Citrus taught 34 years with the Citrus ger needed to be tested— with or n Quick Care Med: Schedule a new hospitalizations were Springs Middle School teacher County School District. “It just without symptoms — for free at telemedicine appointment at reported; no new deaths Randy Hobson became worried doesn’t make a whole lot of sense the DOH’s drive-thru site at quickcaremed.com/ were reported. when he heard state health offi- ... it’s just unfortunate.” 1570 W. Citrus Springs Blvd. in Cit- telemedicine; staff can be cials stopped testing preteens for On July 14, the Florida rus Springs. To date in the county, reached at 844-797-8425. COVID-19. Department of Health in Citrus See TESTING/Page A6 1,083 people have tested positive (including two non-residents), 99 have been hospitalized and 20 have died. We want to Bike group highlights local trails hear from you Thursday, July 16, 2020, marked the 75th anniversary of the world’s first atomic detonation as part of the United States’ secret Manhattan Project. The project was spurred on because of the “Dark Cube,” part of Adolf Hil- ter’s last attempt at a nu- clear reactor. Aug. 6, 2020, and Aug. 9, 2020, mark the 75th anniver- sary, respectively, of when the U.S. armed forces dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hi- roshima and Nagasaki. If you were a part of the Manhattan Project, we would like to hear from you. Email Managing Edi- tor Jeff Bryan at jeff. bryan@chronicleonline. com with information. Abuse shelter seeks donations The Citrus County Abuse Shelter Associa- tion (CASA) is in need of alfredo sauce, sliced and MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle file shredded cheese, cook- Bicyclists ride through a tunnel of trees along the Withlacoochee State Trail between Inverness and Floral City in this 2018 file photo. The ing spices, hair straight- Withlacoochee State Trail is part of the Florida Coast to Coast Trail, a continuous paved multi-use trail that will extend from the Gulf of Mexico eners and ethnic hair to the Atlantic Ocean. The trail will span approximately 250 miles and is the first state trail of its kind in the United States. As part of a recent care products, such as virtual challenge Max Schulman, Tom Craig, and several other cyclists road the would-be trail. Craig recommended the Withlacoochee Trail Cantu and shea moisture saying, it “has a lot of cover and even part of it is like you are in a little tunnel.” products. The next time you’re out shopping, pick up Virtual bike race challenge leads to mapping Florida’s coast-to-coast trail some extra supplies and AbbY EPSTEIN The Florida Coast to Coast Trail is a con- County looking across the canal where the drop them off at the Chronicle Intern tinuous paved multi-use trail that will ex- river is in Levy County right on the Gulf,” CASA Outreach office be- tend from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Schulman said. tween 9:30 a.m. and What started off as a virtual race chal- Ocean. The trail will span approximately The trail they decided to do next was the 4:30 p.m. Monday lenge between several cyclists, turned into 250 miles and is the first state trail of its Fort Island Trail which they believe will be through Friday, at 1100 E. discovering and mapping bike trails for lo- kind in the United States. the main route, but both of the trails feed Turner Camp Road, In- cals to explore. “They want to put Citrus County on the into a 47-mile long trail. verness. For information, Max Schulman, Tom Craig, and a few oth- map by ecotourism, part of ecotourism is “It is one of the most beautiful trails in call Carol Brown at ers, decided to bike the Coast to Coast trail trying to make people proud,” Schulman the country,” Schulman said. 352-344-8111. from Crystal River to Merritt Island. said. “This is done through highlighting the The first goal Schulman and Craig have — From staff reports Six days and 350 miles later, the chal- culture and history and capitalizing on is to let the locals know of all these bike lenge was complete. what Citrus County has to offer.” trails in Citrus County and then expand POLL The trip took six days because they went One part of history is the Cross Florida and let people in the state know. back home after every day of cycling due to Barge Canal, which began in the 1930s with One trail both would recommend for any- ONLINE POLL: COVID-19 and to save money. most of the work being done in the 1960s one who is looking for a nice trail to ride is “Over this month, I pedaled 350 miles,” before being abandoned in the 1970s. Shul- the Withlacoochee Trail. Your choice? Schulman said. “Over 220 of it was on the man intentionally started his biking trip “The Withlacoochee trail is great, As schools begin to set State Coast to Coast Trail. The rest was from there. the trail has a lot of cover and even part of rules and dates for about finding the best Nature Coast and “It’s an amazing thing,” Schulman said. it is like you are in a little tunnel,” Craig reopening, what should Citrus County Centric way from the Gulf of “There is a 7-mile trail that ends right at a said. they do about school Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean.” very beautiful spot and you are in Citrus See TRAILS/Page A6 sports? A. Use similar rules: wear masks and practice social distancing. B. Don’t play them. It is Study: Florida social Commissioners to not worth the risk. C. Some sports, like golf, could work, but not interactions returned contact sports. look at EOC oversight D. Play all school sports without restrictions. to ‘near-normal’ in June MIKE WRIGHT said he thinks the county should To vote, visit www. Staff writer oversee emergency operations. chronicleonline.com. JOHN HAUGHEY not appear to help, either.” “You’ve got one elected politi- Scroll down the home The Center Square Preliminary results of the study Citrus County commissioners cian that controls it,” he said. “I page and look for the were released Wednesday. It has meet Tuesday when they are ex- don’t think they’re doing a bad poll box in the right- A University of West Florida not been peer-reviewed and pub- pected to vote on the new emer- job. I would say very good things hand column. study confirms what anecdotal ob- lished in its entirety and is built gency operations center director about DeCarlo. It should not be servations suggest about the gene- from data collected from the and then decide that agency’s a politicized department. Every- Results will appear sis of the state’s sustained tracked cellphone location of direction. body should be on equal ground next Monday. Find last COVID-19 surge: a significant num- about 5 percent of adults nation- Sheriff ’s Capt. David DeCarlo there and feel comfortable.” week’s online poll ber of people in June apparently wide who have agreed to have announced his retirement as Tuesday’s county commission results./Page A3 believed the pandemic was over. that information recorded. EOC director effective Aug 7. meeting begins at 1 p.m. at the An analysis of cellphone move- The study documented Floridi- The sheriff ’s office is recom- Courthouse, 110 N. Apopka Ave., INDEX ment data indicated Floridians ans had scaled back social inter- mending his deputy director, Inverness. The agenda Classifieds . .B6 increasingly moved about more in actions by two-thirds between Chris Evan, be named interim includes: Comics . B5 June with the rate of social inter- early March, when the state’s first director. n 2 p.m. public hearing on a Crossword . B8 actions returning to near normal, coronavirus cases were reported, State law requires county Citrus Springs water line exten- Editorial . .A7 according to the study. and March 21, the day after commissioners to confirm the sion assessment area. Entertainment . .A4 “Our results show Floridians Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered bars appointment, which is why it’s n 2:10 p.m. public hearing on Horoscope . .A4 decreased social contacts before closed and prohibited indoor din- on the July 28 agenda. the limerock road paving assess- Lottery Numbers . .B3 the lockdown, which supports the ing at restaurants. The agenda item also asks ment area. commonsense school,” UWF com- According to the study, interac- commissioners to “discuss fu- n 2:15 p.m.