Storm Recovery Still Slow in Panhandle
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WEEKEND GLANCE YOUR FORECAST: Scattered musical, to the Historic GRAPE STOMP: Harvest season storms are possible each day State Theatre in Eustis with has arrived and it’s time for as temperatures start near 80 performances at 8 p.m. today smashing good grape stomping on today and warm to 90 on and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday. competitions from 10 a.m. to Sunday. An orchestra will perform the 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. music, along with a staged to 5 p.m. Sunday at Lakeridge ONSTAGE: The Bay Street reading by actors. Winery and Vineyards, Players welcome “My Dear 19239 U.S. Highway 27 in Watson,” a Sherlock Holmes 25TH ANNUAL HARVEST Clermont. Friday, August 16, 2019 YOUR LOCAL SOURCE FOR LAKE & SUMTER COUNTIES @dailycommercial Facebook.com/daily.commercial $1 Storm recovery still slow in Panhandle Housing, workforce Also slowing recovery initiative that is encouraging issues hinder efforts, estimated at about investment in the region after reconstruction eff orts 50 percent complete, have the hurricane. following Hurricane been delays in insurance claim Bense, who was able to Michael settlements and bureaucratic return to his storm-damaged hurdles that some small Panama City home just over a By Jim Turner business owners faced when month ago, said businesses in News Service of Florida seeking government assis- the region, such as McDonald’s tance, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, restaurants, are struggling to PANAMA CITY - Hurri- R-Fla., was told Wednesday find workers. cane Michael recovery efforts as he held a hearing at Gulf “It’s very difficult because continue to plod along in the Coast State College in Panama of housing for employees to Florida Panhandle, as a high City. move and live in Bay County demand for labor is butting “It clearly is better now and other counties impacted up against limited housing than it was 10 months ago, by the hurricane,” said Bense, for workers in areas ravaged but we’ve got a long way to who estimated it could take by the storm 10 months ago, go,” said Allan Bense, a former three to five years for the A battered home stands amid a fi eld of debris in Mexico Beach according to business owners Florida House Speaker and co- on Oct. 16, 2018, after Hurricane Michael hit north Florida. [LANNIS and officials. chairman of the Rebuild 850 See RECOVERY, A5 WATERS/GATEHOUSE FLORIDA] Overfl owing with animals Israel bars entry to Tlaib, Omar By Ilan Ben Zion Minister Benjamin Netan- The Associated Press yahu said Israel is “open to critics and criticism,” JERUSALEM — Israel said except for those who advo- Thursday that it will bar cate boycotts against it. two Democratic congress- “Congresswomen Tlaib women from entering the and Omar are leading country ahead of a planned activists in promoting the visit over their support legislation of boycotts for a Palestinian-led boy- against Israel in the Ameri- cott movement, a decision can Congress,” Netanyahu announced shortly after charged. He said their itin- President Donald Trump erary “revealed that they tweeted that it would planned a visit whose sole “show great weakness” to objective is to strengthen allow them in. the boycott against us and The move to bar Reps. deny Israel’s legitimacy.” Rashida Tlaib of Michigan The two newly-elected and Ilhan Omar of Minne- Muslim members of Con- sota from visiting the close gress are outspoken critics American ally appeared of Israel’s treatment of the to be unprecedented, and Palestinians. Tlaib’s family marked a deep foray by immigrated to the United Dogs wait to be adopted at the Lake County Animal Shelter in Tavares. [PHOTOS BY CINDY SHARP/ Israel into America’s bit- States from the West Bank. CORRESPONDENT] terly polarized politics. It Israel said it would consider is also a sharp escalation of any request from Tlaib to Israel’s campaign against visit relatives on humani- Lake County Animal the international boycott tarian grounds. Shelter beyond capacity movement. with around 170 dogs In a statement, Prime See ISRAEL, A7 By Katie Sartoris [email protected] TAVARES — The Lake County Animal Shelter is beyond capacity. As of Wednesday afternoon, the no-kill shelter had 322 ani- mals: 169 dogs and 148 cats, two pigs, a horse, five fish and a crawfish. With the number of dogs, shelter staff is getting creative and setting up kennels wherever Kittens gather as they wait to be adopted at the Lake County Animal they can. Shelter in Tavares. “We are committed to finding a safe and appropriate outcome Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., left, joined at right by Rep. Rashida See ANIMALS, A7 Tlaib, D-Mich., listens to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech Feb. 5 at the Capitol in Washington. [J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS] Clear the Shelters at the Lake County Animal Shelter SPORTS | B1 When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Satur- day and Sunday MDCA Where: 28123 County Rd 561, Tavares HOPES HARD Details: Adoptions are free and include sterilization, vaccina- SCHEDULE tions, basic vetting, a microchip and a goody bag. Hot dogs will BRINGS be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. More information: facebook. A dog waits to be adopted at the Lake County Animal Shelter in POSTSEASON com/events/365133607508914/ Tavares. SUCCESS Volume 143, Issue 228 Local & State ................ A3 Diversions .....................B5 © 2019 GateHouse Media Opinion .......................A9 Comics ........................ B6 Home delivery: 352-787-0600 Sports...........................B1 Classifieds ................... B7 A2 Friday, August 16, 2019 | DailyCommercial.com NATION&WORLD IN BRIEF TOKYO 6 police shot in standoff that Japan’s emperor remorseful in 1st war anniversary speech Emperor Naruhito expressed ‘could have been far worse’ “deep remorse” over Japan’s role in World War II in his first By Kristen De Groot appearance at the annual cer- The Associated Press emony marking the end of the hostilities. PHILADELPHIA — A The 59-year-old Naruhito is gunman barricaded himself Japan’s first emperor born after inside a Philadelphia rowhouse the war, and his remarks Thurs- for 7½ hours, firing on police day closely followed the stance and wounding six in a dramatic of his father, Akihito, who abdi- standoff that trapped two offi- cated in May. cers all while the commissioner “Reflecting on our past and and the shooter’s attorney bearing in mind the feelings of tried to negotiate a surrender. deep remorse, I earnestly hope Philadelphia Police Com- that the ravages of war will missioner Richard Ross never be repeated,” Naruhito expressed amazement that said in a short speech at an event the standoff, which began in Tokyo marking the 74th anni- Wednesday when officers versary of Japan’s surrender. attempted to serve a drug Looking nervous and his voice warrant, ended with no one slightly trembling, Naruhito dead and no life-threatening pledged to reflect on the war- injuries. time past and expressed hope It “could have been far that the tragedy should never worse,” Ross said Thursday be repeated. Empress Masako, outside the Philadelphia Police in a gray suit and a hat, qui- Department. “This was a very etly stood by his side, her head dynamic situation, one that I Police take shooting suspect Maurice Hill into custody after an hourslong standoff with police that slightly lowered. hope we never see again.” wounded several police offi cers Thursday in Philadelphia. [ELIZABETH ROBERTSON/THE PHILADELPHIA The gunman came out of INQUIRER VIA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS] BETHEL, N.Y. the home after police used tear Woodstock fans fl ock to concert gas. He was taken to a hospital are not uncommon, the situ- reporters at a news conference then called Krasner, and the site for anniversary for evaluation and then placed ation in Philadelphia drew Thursday. two men patched in both Hill into custody. particular attention because Pennsylvania prison officials and the police commissioner, Woodstock fans are expected As officers flooded the scene, of how long gunfire was said a man with the same name according to Krasner. to get back to the garden to mark the situation grew chaotic at exchanged and the fact that and date of birth served about Hill told Johnson he wanted the 50th anniversary of the gen- times. Police took to Twit- the commissioner made the 2½ years on drug charges to make it out alive to see his eration-defining festival. ter to ask media helicopters unusual decision to speak to and was paroled in 2006 and newborn daughter and teenage Bethel Woods Center for the to pull back at the beginning the shooter directly. served more than a year for son again. Arts is hosting a series of events of the standoff, saying they The suspect was identified aggravated assault and before President Donald Trump Thursday through Sunday at feared the gunman might be by Philadelphia District Attor- being released in 2013. weighed in on the shootout the bucolic 1969 concert site, able to see police positions in ney Larry Krasner as Maurice State court online court Thursday morning, saying 80 miles northwest of New the footage. Some residents Hill, 36. Krasner said Hill had records indicate that man had the gunman “should never York City. shouted and threw things at an extensive criminal history, multiple arrests in Philadel- have been allowed to be on the Woodstock veteran Arlo officers. including drug, gun and rob- phia and adjacent Delaware streets.” Guthrie is set to perform A nearby day care center bery charges. Krasner said Hill County between 2001 and “He had a long and very Thursday evening before was locked down for hours and should not have been on the 2012, producing convictions dangerous criminal record,” an outdoor screening of the later evacuated, with police streets but stopped short of that include perjury, fleeing he wrote in the tweet.