Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 Flair for Food: Have a heart-healthy grape day /B1 THURSDAY TODAY CITRUSCOUNTY & next morning HIGH 91 A few showers LOW and storms. 75 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com JULY 9, 2020 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOL. 125 ISSUE 275 NEWS BRIEFS Stressed ICUs raise alarm Citrus County COVID-19 update Hospitals scramble as rising median age seen among recent virus cases Thirty-eight new positive cases were reported in Citrus County JOHN HAUGHEY 325 hospitals Wednesday, with with 3,889 dead and 16,758 hospi- Administration (AHCA) this the Florida Department of talized by the disease. week. since the latest FDOH update. One The Center Square Health (DOH) reporting a state- It took 114 days for the state to Seminole County health offi- new hospitalization was reported; Hospitalizations are increas- wide ICU capacity of 16%. Many record its 100,000th positive cials fear local hospitals, oper- no new deaths were reported. To ing and the median age of Flo- hospitals have suspended elec- COVID-19 test and less than two ating at 13% bed capacity date in the county, 457 people ridians testing positive is rising, tive surgeries. weeks for the number of cases Tuesday, could be overwhelmed have tested positive, 47 have been both indicators of an accelerat- According to DOH’s COVID-19 to surpass 200,000. if COVID-19 further acceler- hospitalized and 13 have died. ing COVID-19 pandemic, public dashboard Wednesday, 9,989 pos- Several Orange, Broward and ates, as expected, within 10 days health officials warn. itive tests were reported Tuesday, Miami-Dade county hospitals of Fourth of July weekend. Deadline to register Intensive care unit (ICU) ca- boosting the number of cases in reported no ICU capacity to the vote or change pacity was full at 56 of Florida’s the state since March 1 to 223,783, Florida Agency for Health Care See VIRUS/Page A2 party approaching Voters have until Monday, July 20, 2020, to register to vote or change their political party to vote in the Aug. 18, 2020, Primary Elec- tion. To register online or find addi- Pool supporters change direction tional information about registering to vote, go to the website www. votecitrus.com. Voter registration applications in English and Spanish are available on the website to print and deliver in person to the elections office or to mail to PO Box 1870 Lecanto, FL 34460. Voter registration applications may also be obtained by calling 352-564-7120 or toll-free 800-655- 6645, or by or visiting the Supervi- sor of Elections Office, 1500 N. Meadowcrest Blvd., Crystal River. Additional locations for obtaining forms include the Citrus County pub- lic libraries and government offices. No appointment needed for drive-thru COVID-19 test The Florida Department of Health in Citrus County (DOH-Cit- rus) will no longer require appoint- ments for drive-thru COVID-19 testing at the Citrus Springs Com- munity Center, 1570 W. Citrus MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle Springs Blvd. Citrus Springs. Supporters of the Beverly Hills pool are abandoning efforts to renovate their pool, and are instead planning to present proposals for a new pool to the county commission later this year. Testing is offered at no cost to adults and children over 12, with or without symptoms; however, it will be Committee will approach county later this year with new proposals limited to the first 150 individuals. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. MICHAEL D. BATES pool in Central Ridge Community The first design would have roughly followed by testing at 8. Do not ar- Staff writer Park. the same surface area as the existing rive earlier than 7:30 a.m. If more Instead, Roger Carlson, past president one. It would be 25 yards long and 33 feet than one person is being tested, Supporters of reopening the Beverly and current director of the Rotary Club wide, with four lanes and an 8- or 9-foot they should sit in the back seat on Hills public pool are taking a new tack of Central Citrus, said the committee deep end for diving. the driver’s side. — one they hope will go more swim- will ask its current engineer to come up The other design would be for a larger DOH-Citrus’ viral tests check sam- mingly than past efforts. with two designs and potential costs for pool — 25 yards long and 50 feet wide Members of the Keep Beverly Hills a new pool, either at the current site or containing six lanes and the same 8- or ples from your respiratory system Pool Open Committee met June 18 and nearby at Beverly Hills Community Park 9-foot diving section. with an oral swab to tell you if you voted to scrap previous plans to get — the skateboard park — on Roosevelt currently have an infection. If you county commissioners to renovate the Boulevard. See POOL/Page A2 test positive, you will be contacted by DOH-Citrus and provided instruc- tions. Antibody tests are not avail- able at DOH-Citrus at this time. Test results are not immediate. It Political Forum coming up generally takes approximately 7 to Two women with 10 days to receive laboratory results. Digital Hound Media owner The health department will call with Krystal Williams sets up a results regardless of the result. Per- camera Tuesday, July 7, sons who were ill at the time they local ties to appear 2020, to videotape the took the test should self-isolate until Citrus County Chronicle’s the diagnosis is known. All residents, Political Forum at the Citrus including those who are asymptom- County Art League theater atic, are reminded to wear face cov- on reality show in Citrus Hills. Due to the erings while around other people in coronavirus outbreak, the Chronicle hosted a virtual public. AbbY EPSTEIN real world job sites. forum following CDC safety Additional testing sites in Citrus Chronicle intern Linnett Key, Lecanto, guidelines. The videos of County include: works as a welder and n A welder and a former fabricator. the debates for seven of the Langley Health Services at teacher are two contestants “I have been a welder eight races will be 151 E. Highland Blvd. Suite 151. with Citrus County ties on and fabricator for three broadcast Friday, July 10 Staff can be contacted at the new CBS show “Tough years and I do MIG, TIG, through Monday, July 13 on 352-419-5760. as Nails.” and stick welding,” Key the Chronicle website and n Quick Care Med: Schedule a The contestants of said. Facebook. Stories about telemedicine appointment by visit- “Tough as Nails” are every- She works 50 hours a those debates will be ing https://www.quickcaremed. day people who work week and lives about an published in print the same com/telemedicine. Staff can be blue-collar jobs. They will hour and a half away from day as their release online. be competing against each contacted at 844-797-8425. MATTHEW BECK/ — From staff reports other by performing jobs at See SHOW/Page A2 Chronicle Classifieds . .B4 Crossword . .B6 INDEX Sports . A6 Obituaries . .A5 Comics . B3. Editorial . A8 Lottery Numbers . .A6 TV Listings . .B2 Horoscope . A4 Entertainment . .A4 Lottery Payouts . .A6 BEST OF THE BEST SPOTLIGHT 2020 AUTO CLINIC 6617 W. GULF TO LAKE HWY • CRYSTAL RIVER, FL 34429 2020 PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE • COMPUTER SYSTEM DIAGNOSTICS AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR & OIL CHANGE SPECIAL AIR CONDITIONING • OIL CHANGES • GUARANTEES TUNE UPS • BRAKES • NITRO-FILL TIRES WHEEL ALIGNMENT • NEW TIRES CALL TODAY (352) 795-3681 2020 DirksAutoClinic.com | [email protected] FOREIGN AUTO REPAIR 000YQ6O A2 Thursday, July 9, 2020 LocaL/State Citrus County (FL) ChroniCLe questions about into DOH’s up- why DOH’s dates but did not For the RECORD VIRUS COVID-19 dash- say when. As of Continued from Page A1 board is not re- Wednesday, it had Citrus County misdemeanor charge of drug paraphernalia. porting daily not done so. Sheriff’s Office Her bond was set at $3,000. Jackson Memorial Hos- State Sen. José n Christine Adams, 38, of Hernando, at hospital admis- Arrests pital, Miami-Dade’s larg- sions for all Javier Rodríguez, 10:05 a.m. July 5 on a felony charge of pos- n est public hospital, 67 counties. D-Miami, said if Jonothan Ridge, 37, of South Sun- session of a controlled substance and a misde- reported 9% ICU capacity DOH does not Gov. Ron DOH released coast Boulevard, Homosassa, at 7:22 a.m. meanor charge of drug paraphernalia. Her July 3 on a felony charge of battery on a law Tuesday. publicly reveal DeSantis daily hospitaliza- bond was set at $3,000. enforcement officer According to his arrest n Gov. Ron DeSantis, after how many hospital beds tion data, it would show an Henley Corne, 37, of Hernando, at affidavit Ridge was distraught following a announcing DOH would are occupied by COVID-19 undercount discrepancy 10:05 a.m. July 5 on a felony charge of pos- verbal dispute and ran out into the middle of session of a controlled substance and a misde- send 100 nurses to Jackson patients in its updates, re- with those already reported the road. He reportedly resisting his arrested meanor charge of drug paraphernalia. His Health to alleviate man- porting only hospital ad- by Miami-Dade County. and was tasered but continued to resist and bond was set at $3,000. power shortages, said missions since March. Miami-Dade County kicked one of the officers. His bond was set n David McGill, 60, of Homosassa, at Tuesday that Florida hos- AHCA reports daily hospi- Mayor Carlos Giménez or- at $5,000.