Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 MLB Playoffs: Rays take 2-0 series lead in ALCS /B1 TUESDAY TODAY CITRUSCOUNTY & next morning HIGH 87 Mostly sunny, LOW warm and nice. 67 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com OCTOBER 13, 2020 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOL. 126 ISSUE 5 NEWS BRIEFS Argument led to shooting Citrus County COVID-19 update Sheriff gives more details about deadly incident on Saturday in Hernando Three new positive cases were reported in Citrus BUSTER father-in-law Wil- shooting scene. homes, prompting street at deputies from inside County since the latest FDOH THOMPSON liam White at After allegedly closures and evacuations. the house, according to Staff writer around 4 p.m. Sat- shooting White Deputies did not return his arrest report, with update. No new hospitaliza- urday, Oct. 10, outside the house, fire at Poole during the rounds striking a car and tions were reported; no new Authorities released 2020, during an according to his stand-off, sheriff ’s office a SWAT team armored ve- deaths were reported. more information about argument at a arrest report, spokeswoman Jodi Sand- hicle with seven deputies To date in the county, what led up to a fatal home near U.S. 41 Poole pointed a ers confirmed Monday, inside. 2,950 people have tested shooting and an hours- and East Van Ness silver pistol at a adding no other injuries According to his arrest positive (including long standoff between the Road, according William pair of respond- were reported. report, Poole yelled at 12 non-residents), 306 have alleged gunman and po- to a Citrus County Poole ing deputies be- Members of the sher- deputies to shoot him. been hospitalized and lice in a Hernando-area Sheriff ’s Office update fore barricading himself iff ’s SWAT and negotia- A couple of hours into 118 have died. neighborhood. Monday. and four others inside the tion teams later the standoff, SWAT teams It’s alleged William Since the incident is do- house. responded, as well as the were able to rescue the Window closing Cecil Poole, 62, pulled a mestic in nature, the sher- Poole then fired gun- Sumter County Sheriff ’s four hostages from an M-CORES report gun from his pocket and iff ’s office would not shots through windows at Office SWAT team. comments shot his 80-year-old release the address of the deputies and neighboring Poole continued to fire See SHOOTING/Page A5 The public has until Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020, to submit comments on the draft M-CORES toll roads task force report for the Southwest-Central Florida Local Masonic lodges to merge Corridor, which includes the Suncoast Parkway. To com- ment on the report, visit tinyurl.com/y3o3twhs. Drive-thru only food giveaway Wednesday Beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, the public can receive boxes of assorted food items at the New Church Without Walls at 300 S. Kensington Ave., Lecanto, next to the Holiday Inn Express. Monetary donations are needed to continue feeding Citrus County residents. Please consider donating through Citrus United Way (www.citrusunitedway.org) or the New Church Without Walls (www.newchurch withoutwalls.com). Raise the Bar for Women fundraiser set KC Wine and Koffee Bar, in conjunction with CASA Citrus, will host “Raise the Bar for Women,” from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, at 564 N. Citrus Ave., Crys- tal River. Bring your business cards to enter to win merchandise and/or gift certificates from downtown Crystal River MARGO WILSON/For the Chronicle businesses and more. The Gary Cronau, worshipful master of the Floral City lodge, admires the mural by Floral City artist Ann Covington that’s in the lodge’s main cost is $10 and a business gathering room. The lodge will no longer meet in this building after voting to merge with the Spring Lodge in Homosassa Springs. card for one chance and $20 and two business cards for two chances. 127-year-old Floral City group to close, join Homosassa Springs lodge CASA staff will also be available to share informa- MARGO WILSON approximately 40-year-old, viable number of members for passing through the gates of the tion about the services they For the Chronicle 78-member Homosassa Springs the Floral City group, Cronau Citrus County Fair. They’ve offer survivors and their lodge should give both groups a said some members are elderly contributed to charitable From their headquarters in chance to prosper, said outgo- and/or have health problems causes, including Head Start. families, and answer any the heart of Floral City’s His- ing Floral City Worshipful Mas- and can’t attend evening meet- Perhaps one of their last acts of questions you might have. toric District, the members of ter Gary Cronau. ings. Others are snowbirds. charity as Lodge 133 is making For information, call CASA Floral City Masonic Lodge “We believe this will make us Rather than relying on a a $500 contribution to help a at 352-344-8111. No. 133 have voted to lock the stronger,” said Michael Touch- small core of members to do all Floral City special education Citrus County doors on one chapter of the ton, worshipful master of the the work, Floral City Lodge teacher buy supplies, accord- group’s history and open a win- Springs lodge. members feel that by joining ing to Cronau. Meals on Wheels dow to their future. The newly constituted lodge with the Homosassa Springs Their unique concrete-block taking new clients The members unanimously should have a “back bench” of lodge, both groups will be bet- building on East Orange Ave- voted, as of Sept. 30, to merge members who can share the ter equipped to attract new nue will be for sale. Occupied The Citrus County Meals their 127-year-old, 46-member workload and be able to con- members and explore ways to since 1962, its lodge room fea- on Wheels Program is cur- fraternal (all-male) organiza- tinue performing charitable be relevant and useful to their tures a black-and-white- rently accepting “new” eligible tion with Springs Lodge deeds in their communities, communities. checked tile floor, while its clients for Meals on Wheels. No. 378 of Homosassa Springs. Cronau said. For years, Floral City lodge Citrus County residents, aged Joining with the Although 46 might seem like a members have greeted visitors See MASONS/Page A2 60 or better, who are home- bound (unable to leave their home without assistance) can receive Meals on Wheels provided by a federal grant under the Older Americans COVID cases, Act (OAA). Clients receive one box of frozen meals delivered weekly or a hot meal deliv- Candidates collect, spend ered daily Monday through Oct. 5 to 11 Friday. The type of meal re- ceived is based on the area BUSTER Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, 2,950 people in Citrus where the client lives and cash as election approaches THOMPSON Staff writer County have tested posi- the delivery routes available. IKE RIGHT appraiser, who won a tive for the contagious Each meal provides a 1/3 of M W accounting for 15% of the Staff writer four-person Republican total registered voters in Citrus County’s total respiratory disease. the daily nutritional require- primary in August, has Citrus County, post- number of COVID-19 It’s an increase of 104 ments for adults. Narrowing the oppo- continued raising money primary candidates are cases neared closer to the since a week ago on Oct. 5, Please call 352-527-5975 nent field from three to even though his Nov. 3 op- doing what they can to 3,000 mark as another Oc- at an average of 14.85 cases to verify that you qualify and one didn’t slow Cregg Dal- ponent’s self-funded cam- make sure voters don’t tober week began. a day. There was an aver- get your meal delivery ton’s campaign down at paign has a tiny fraction forget about their races in According to the Flor- age of 14.57 cases a day started or for additional all. of Dalton’s. the general election. ida Department of during Sept. 28 to Oct. 5. information. The candidate for Cit- With returned vote-by- Health’s (FDOH’s) coro- — From staff reports rus County property mail ballots already See ELECTION/Page A5 navirus dashboard on See VIRUS/Page A7 Classifieds . .B6 Crossword . .B8 INDEX Health . A11, A12 Obituaries . A6 Comics . .B5 Editorial. A9 Lottery Numbers . .B3 TV Listings. .B4 Horoscope . A4 Entertainment . A4 Lottery Payouts . .B3 A2 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2020 LOCAL CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE For years, lodge members met on the second floor of the city’s two- story schoolhouse, built in 1880. MASONS Continued from Page A1 main gathering hall is adorned with a mural by local artist Ann Covington. Before the lodge moved into that building, members met on the second floor of the city’s two- story schoolhouse, built in 1880. They later bought the building and moved it to Orange Avenue and Everett Street. Cronau is philosophical about the next move to the Springs Lodge at 5030 S. Memorial Drive. He said Masonic lodges across the nation have experienced a membership drop to about 1 million from a high of about 4 million in the 1950s. The mem- bership is aging, and younger people don’t seem as interested in joining fraternal groups as in the past, according to Cronau. Information from the Encyclo- pedia Britannica and Wikipedia states the Masons — and free- MARGO WILSON/For the Chronicle masonry — derived from the Occupied since 1962, the lodge room on East Orange Avenue in Floral City features a black-and-white-checked tile floor.