Foundation Votes for Cooperation Two Sides in Dispute Halfway to an Agreement to Pick Bidder for Citrus Memorial Sale Or Lease
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Preview: Area volleyball teams set to take the court /B1 TUESDAY TODAY CITRUS COUNTY & next morning HIGH 92 Less humid. 30 LOW percent chance of rain. 72 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com AUGUST 27, 2013 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOL. 119 ISSUE 20 Foundation votes for cooperation Two sides in dispute halfway to an agreement to pick bidder for Citrus Memorial sale or lease MIKE WRIGHT The Citrus Memorial Health tion sets a Sept. 26 deadline for Corp. of America (HCA), Heath would also consider a lease. Staff writer Foundation voted unanimously both the foundation and hospi- Management Associates (HMA), It’s uncertain whether all Monday night on a “resolution tal board to agree on a bidder RegionalCare Hospital Part- four are still in the running. INVERNESS — The two of cooperation” with the Citrus and transaction type. ners and Tampa General Hos- The hospital board, which owns sides in the Citrus Memorial County Hospital Board aimed The board of trustees meets pital — have bid to buy or lease Citrus Memorial and leases it to hospital dispute are halfway to at delaying the hospital’s de- at 5:15 p.m. Thursday and is ex- Citrus Memorial. Tampa Gen- the foundation, eliminated an agreement that sets a firm fault on a $5.6 million SunTrust pected to ratify the resolution, eral had suggested an affilia- Tampa General and hasn’t date for choosing a bidder for Bank loan. CCHB attorney Bill Grant said. tion but its chief executive the hospital’s sale or lease. At the same time, the resolu- Four companies — Hospital officer said last week that TGH See CMH/ Page A7 Angler enjoys a serene morning on Little Lake Henderson MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle Gospel Island resident Ricky Willis sits back and relaxes on a recent Tuesday morning on the shores of Little Lake Henderson in Inverness. The angler was attempting to catch a golden shiner to use as bass bait. He said some days the fish bite better than others, while reporting only minor success that day. INSIDE HEALTH & LIFE: Board abstains from Kerry: Chemical arms Step by step Once you have an teacher’s hearing use in Syria an ‘obscenity’ idea of how much ERYN WORTHINGTON is moving this to an administra- you walk Staff writer tive law of action that knows President Obama undecided on response without nothing about this,” Herdman realizing it, Citrus County School Board said. a moral obscenity. By any stan- making Associated Press dard, it is inexcusable and — de- ways to members have relinquished Attorney Bruce Carney, who walk can their role in the fate of a Crystal represented the school board in WASHINGTON — Secretary spite the excuses and be fun. River Primary School teacher’s the hearing, said he did not read of State John Kerry on Monday equivocations that some have /Page C1 employment. the published article; outlined the clearest justifica- manufactured — it is undeni- During an informa- however, the relinquish- tion yet for U.S. military able,” said Kerry, the tional hearing Monday, at- ing of the hearing was de- action in Syria, saying highest-ranking U.S. offi- INDEX torney Mark Herdman pendent on the board there was “undeniable” cial to confirm the attack Classifieds . .C9 requested the board to ab- members’ prior knowl- evidence of a large-scale in the Damascus suburbs Comics . .C8 stain from the hearing of edge of the case. chemical weapons at- that activists say killed Community . .C6 his client Beth Stone be- “His argument was tack, with intelligence hundreds of people. Crossword . .C7 cause of a story published more of a fundamental strongly signaling that “This international Editorial . .A10 in Sunday’s Chronicle. fairness,” Carney said to Bashar Assad’s regime norm cannot be violated Entertainment . .A4 Stone — a third-grade Sam the board members. “If was responsible. John Kerry without consequences,” Himmel Horoscope . .A4 teacher — was sus- you were to deny his mo- Kerry, speaking to re- “undeniable” he added. superintendent evidence” of Lottery Numbers . .B3 pended without pay in of schools. tion, you would go porters at the State De- chemical Officials said President Lottery Payouts . .B3 June as a member of the through the process of partment, said last weapons use. Barack Obama has not Movies . .C8 instructional staff for allegedly the hearing. You may have to go week’s attack “should decided how to respond Obituaries . .A6 providing misleading informa- back and redo it, if an appellant shock the conscience” of the to the use of deadly gases, a TV Listings . .C7 tion regarding Standardized court says because someone may world. move the White House said last Testing and Reporting (STAR) have read it and had an opinion “The indiscriminate slaughter year would cross a “red line.” results, according to a school in- about it.” of civilians, the killing of women But the U.S., along with allies in vestigation report. Three board members — and children and innocent by- “What I am comfortable with See HEARING/ Page A2 standers by chemical weapons is See SYRIA/ Page A2 000FQON A2 TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013 CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE additional intelligence confirming chemical SYRIA We continue to believe that weapons use and planned Internal probe Continued from Page A1 there’s no military solution here “ to make it public in the coming days. finds no fraud at Europe, appeared to be “that’s good for the Syrian people, Officials stopped short laying the groundwork for of unequivocally stating the most aggressive re- and that the best path forward is that Assad’s government sponse since Syria’s civil a political solution. was behind the attack. But BP claims center war began more than two they said there was “very years ago. little doubt” that it origi- Associated Press company’s renewed bid Marie Harf to suspend payments. Two administration offi- State Department spokeswoman. nated with the regime, not- NEW ORLEANS — The In a court filing Sunday, cials said the U.S. was ex- ing that Syria’s rebel head of security for the ad- two of the plaintiffs’ attor- pected to make public a forces do not appear to large-scale deployment of Syria collected evidence ministrator of BP’s multi- neys who brokered the more formal determination have access to the coun- forces in Syria and the lim- from last week’s attack. The billion-dollar settlement settlement with BP said of chemical weapons use on try’s chemical weapons ited number of other op- U.S. said Syria’s delay in with Gulf Coast residents the company hasn’t pre- Tuesday, with an announce- stockpile. tions that could giving the inspectors access and businesses said an in- sented any evidence that ment of Obama’s response Assad has denied significantly change the rendered their investiga- ternal probe of alleged any claim was improperly likely to follow quickly. The launching a chemical at- trajectory of the conflict. tion meaningless and misconduct by an em- calculated or paid. officials insisted on tack. The U.N. team came “We continue to believe officials said the adminis- ployee of a Mobile, Ala., “There is not even an anonymity because they under sniper fire Monday that there’s no military so- tration had its own intelli- claims center hasn’t turned argument, much less an were not authorized to pub- as it traveled to the site of lution here that’s good for gence confirming chemical up any evidence of fraud. evidentiary showing, to licly discuss the internal the Aug. 21 attack. the Syrian people, and that weapons use. BP said it received a tip support the injunction of deliberations. the best path forward is a “What is before us today It’s unclear whether in July that someone who the entire settlement pro- The international com- political solution,” State is real and it is com- Obama would seek author- worked at the Mobile of- gram,” wrote the lawyers, munity appeared to be Department spokeswoman pelling,” Kerry said. “Our ity from the U.N. or Con- fice helped people sub- Stephen Herman and considering action that Marie Harf said. “This is understanding of what has gress before using force. mit fraudulent claims in James Roy. would punish Assad for about the violation of an already happened in Syria The president has spoken exchange for some of the In his letter to a BP offi- deploying deadly gases, international norm against is grounded in facts.” frequently about his pref- settlement money. cial, Welker said the Mo- not sweeping measures the use of chemical The U.S. assessment is erence for taking military But David Welker, a for- bile employee accused of aimed at ousting the Syr- weapons and how we based in part on the num- action only with interna- mer FBI supervisor who misconduct has helped 124 ian leader or strengthen- should respond to that. “ ber of reported victims, tional backing, but it is now works for court-su- people. All of those claims ing rebel forces. The focus The Obama administra- the symptoms of those in- likely Russia and China pervised claims adminis- were placed on hold. of the internal debate un- tion was moving ahead even jured or killed and witness would block U.S. efforts to trator Patrick Juneau, The employee’s mother derscores the scant inter- as a United Nations team accounts. Administration authorize action through said in a letter dated Aug. filed a claim, but she de- national appetite for a already on the ground in officials said the U.S. had the U.N. Security Council. 22 that his investigation nied any wrongdoing and found no evidence of withdrew it, Welker said.