Virus Forces a Downsizing Amidst Layoffs, Inverness’ B&W Rexall Drugs Relocating M D
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NASCAR: Race postponed to Thursday due to weather /A6 THURSDAY TODAY CITRUSCOUNTY & next morning HIGH 90 Partly sunny with LOW a few afternoon storms. PAGE A4 72 www.chronicleonline.com MAY 28, 2020 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOL. 125 ISSUE 233 Virus forces a downsizing Amidst layoffs, Inverness’ B&W Rexall Drugs relocating M D. B said he will shutter the entire place Rexall was popular with locals for its Staff writer the second or third week of June and 88-cent breakfast. But Heimann was relocate to a much smaller and more forced to close the restaurant in mid- The COVID-19 pandemic has manageable building about a block March when the state ordered all eat- claimed a long-time business that away, at 102 E. Highlands Blvd. and eries closed due to the coronavirus. just couldn’t survive the two-month, focus solely on the pharmacy and He didn’t even attempt to reopen state-mandated closure and the health care. when the governor allowed it be- changing times. Rexall’s closing follows on the cause at 25 or 50% capacity, it B&W Rexall Drugs, one of the orig- heels of another longtime Inverness wouldn’t have made sense. Also, most inal tenants of Citrus Plaza in Inver- business that announced it will be patrons are still afraid to venture out, ness when it opened in 1964, has shutting down: Little Italy Deli & he said. closed the restaurant part of its busi- Bakery, off North Apopka Avenue. “I cannot breathe life back into this ness and soon the gift shop will fol- That popular deli-bakery was there business,” said Heimann, who took MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle low. for almost 45 years. over B&W in 1989. “(With) this virus, The B&W Rexall Drug has been a longtime fixture The 50s-style deli inside B&W Owner/pharmacist Ken Heimann, See B&W/Page A5 in Inverness. It will soon have a new home. NEWS BRIEFS Citrus COVID-19 CR Pirates ship off to graduate information Crystal River High School Class of 2020 No new positive cases were reported in Citrus n Number of Graduates: Approximately 300. County since the latest n FDOH update. No new Class Song: “Five More Minutes” by Scotty McCreery. deaths ere reported. To n Class Flower: Forget-Me-Nots. date in the county, 119 n Class President: Makayla Jacques. people have tested posi- n Vice President: Taylor Kulas. tive and 12 have died. For more information, n Secretary/Treasurer: Korrin Tedrick. see Sunday's edition. n Senior Gift: The Class of 2020 plans to purchase “Friend Spotlight on Benches” for Crystal River High School's courtyard to help stu- dents create new relationships. local business The Chronicle is coor- dinating spotlights on Excerpts from graduation speeches local businesses that are “While our class in particular may have lost so much, we can't adapting to the coronavi- rus. To submit your own deny how much our eyes have been opened wide to the realities business spotlight, visit of the world we live in. Even though we are sad about the gradu- https://bit.ly/2LsNIhU. ation parties being cancelsed, our drama productions not making Visit Page A3 to see to- it to the stage, our sports games not being played, we can still day’s business spotlight. choose to remain thankful for the education we have received, the memories we have made, and all the love we share as the Drive-thru food class of 2020.” drive June 2 — Class President Makayla Jacques The Esther Chapter of the Daughters of the King “We may have had to keep our doors shut these past couple at Shepherd of the Hills months, but our hearts and our minds have remained open, and it Episcopal Church in Le- is time to take on the world. Today is the day our lives begin…Our canto is asking for food job is to show up for anything, for everything…Our class has pre- donations to benefit SOS vailed through the unimaginable, and we will keep prevailing and Support Center, which keep fighting.” feeds more than 7,000 families in Citrus County each month. — Reflection Speaker Sarah Monsalve They will be having a “We are starting our adventures, facing what goes wrong, but drive-thru food drop off above all else, we are shining like the stars we all are. Never for- from 9 a.m. to noon Tues- get, no matter what the circumstances are, even in the middle of day, June 2 at Shepherd a storm, stars are still shining. I hope we all continue to spread of the Hills Episcopal MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle our own light onto the world. We can all make the world glow with Church, 2540 West Nor- Makayla Jacques, a Summa Cum Laude 2020 graduate from Crystal River greatness.” vell Bryant Highway High School, celebrates Wednesday as she exits the stage during — Vision Speaker Korrin Tedrick (County Road 486), Le- commencement exercises. See more photos at www.chronicleonline.com. canto. The food collected on North Turkey Oak Drive. Principal Janet Tuggle and Superinten- Tuesday will be taken to Crystal River holds Air-conditioning was blasting to keep dent of Schools Sandra “Sam” Himmel to SOS on Wednesday in them cool during the drive-thru cere- pose for photographs and fix the occa- time for distribution on drive-thru ceremony mony in the hot afternoon while blue- sional flowing gown and tassel. and-gold balloons, streamers and signs Relatives and friends poked their bodies Thursday. B T attached to vehicles waved in the gentle out of car windows and sunroofs to shoot “We’ll have coolers on Staff writer breeze. videos and photos while sounding air- hand to store refrigerated School staff directed vehicles and horns, car horns, sirens and revving en- or even frozen items,” undreds of Crystal River High passed out water along a coned route gines. said Cathy Allen. “We School Pirates boarded their fami- within the student parking lot underneath With huge cheers, Citrus County School hope to do more than one Hlies four-wheeled vessels Wednes- a large U.S. flag unfurled by Citrus County Board member Thomas Kennedy helped of these drive-thru drop day to set sail for graduation. Fire Rescue firefighters. hand out diploma covers to graduates be- Escorted by Citrus County Sheriff ’s Of- As their cars, trucks, jeeps, vans, party fore they returned to their families to pick offs, because food pan- fice motorcycle deputies, many of school’s buses and limos docked up to the main up diplomas down Northeast Eighth Ave- tries are really hurting try- roughly 300 graduating seniors from the sidewalk, graduates exited to get in line, nue. ing to feed so many class of 2020 and their loved ones piled in- spaced apart before a popup stage. Other spectators lined the local streets people.” side decorated vehicles and rode as a mo- When their names were called, the to wave the former high schoolers off on — From wire reports torcade toward the campus’ entrance from young men and woman walked up to their maiden voyage into adulthood. Classifieds .........B4 Crossword .........B6 INDEX Lottery Numbers.....A6 Obituaries ..........A5 Comics ............B3 Editorial............A8 Lottery Payouts......A6 TV Listings .........B2 Horoscope .........A4 Entertainment .......A4 Movies ............B3 000YHB6 A2 T, M 28, 2020 L C C (FL) C Crystal River Council nixes July Fourth festival and let our constituents aren’t permitted to better Law Enforcement. get on with their lives and enforce rules already in If awarded the funds, City considers keeping fireworks show businesses as usual." place. the city would purchase B taking similar social-dis- Fitzpatrick and Vice City staff seeks council’s Dumas said it’s hard for upgraded audio and video T tancing measures to reduce Mayor Robert Holmes said input for kayak business park rangers to regulate equipment to better facili- Staff writer risk of infections. he’s worried about motor- meeting the many kayak groups tate virtual meetings if city City officials also ists overflowing into pri- Council gave city staff that launch in and out of hall was ever closed be- Crystal River City Coun- seemed ready to give the vate lots, and suggested some input to share with the parks, and are priori- cause of an emergency. If cil agreed to cancel the city’s fireworks vendor, city staff get a hold on area kayak businesses to tizing if people paid to more money is given, the city’s July 4 festivities but Dragonworks, the OK to where spectators can go. address issues with kayak park. city would also buy sig- were in favor of keeping light up the night sky on “We just figure out ex- overcrowding in and On his first day as city at- nage to help reduce the the fireworks show on Independence Day. actly how to advertise this around Kings Bay and torney, Robert “Rob” Batsel spread of COVID-19. schedule. “They should go on,” along with the parks,” he Hunter Springs parks. Jr. said council should con- n Voted 5-0 for city staff Council members said Councilman Ken Brown said. “With the crowding ... Dumas said he and sider adopting a franchise to apply for money from Tuesday evening the deci- said. if they’re worried, they Frink plan to meet with ordinance, which would the Florida Department of sion made sense to hold However, council agreed stay home, if they’re not paddlecraft vendors in regulate kayak vendor li- Economic Opportunity off on this year’s to wait until its next meet- worried they’re out and early June.