Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 MLB: Rays battle Royals in quest for 12th win in a row /B1 WEDNESDAY TODAY C I T R U S C O U N T Y & next morning HIGH 88 Mostly sunny and LOW warm. 64 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com MAY 26, 2021 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community $1 VOL. 126 ISSUE 230 NEWS BRIEFS Murder case closer to trial Citrus County COVID cases Judge rules on motions in case of teen accused of killing adoptive mother According to the Flor- ida Department of BUSTER handful of motions to authorities. church, GED stud- in jail,” the judge replied, Health, 13 positive THOMPSON grant and prevent certain Howard also de- ies and family referencing the backlog of cases were reported in Staff writer pieces of evidence and nied Hallowell’s adopting him. criminal cases because of testimony from going to second motion to Hallowell said COVID-19, “but there isn’t Citrus County since the A judge set the stage for jurors at Hallowell’s trial be released from he recognized a change in latest update. how Inverness 19-year-old the week of July 6. pretrial custody, Howard’s deci- circumstance.” No new deaths were Carlos Antonio Hallowell June 21 is Hallowell’s keeping Hallowell sion from Febru- A Citrus County grand reported, for a total of will stand trial for the pre- final court hearing before at the county jail, ary 2020 to keep jury in October indicted 461. To date in the meditated murder of his his trial. where he’s been Carlos him behind bars, Hallowell as an adult on a county, 11,328 people adoptive mother in 2019. Howard’s most notable since his Septem- Hallowell but pleaded with charge of first-degree have tested positive (in- After hearing argu- order was allowing assis- ber 2019 arrest, without a the judge to change his murder, alleging he killed cluding 99 ments from attorneys tant state attorneys Blake bond. mind. Denise Hallowell July 13, nonresidents). Monday, May 24, Citrus Shore and Rich Buxman Hallowell told the judge “I’m asking under good 2019, inside their Inver- Three new hospital- County Circuit Court at trial to present Hallow- being outside of jail grounds,” he said. ness home. izations were reported, Judge Richard “Ric” ell’s statements to Citrus would allow him more “I understand the de- for a total of 733 Howard ruled on a County Sheriff ’s Office time with his lawyer, fendant isn’t happy being See MURDER/Page A5 hospitalized. Totals reflect prelimi- nary reports received by the state, and are subject to revision. Court sets Sept. A new season for Hurricanes reprimand for judge CHS class of The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday sched- 2021 marks uled a Sept. 2 public rep- rimand for a Citrus County circuit judge who end of a year improperly tried to dis- suade an attorney from running against a fellow like no other judge in last year’s HANNAH SACHEWICZ elections. Staff writer The Supreme Court scheduled the reprimand itrus High School’s after approving a settle- (CHS) Hurricanes ment last week that was Cmade landfall into a new chapter of their lives on reached by Judge Rich- Tuesday evening. ard Howard and the With COVID-19 restric- state Judicial Qualifica- tions lifting, the class of 2021 tions Commission. An in- was able to celebrate their vestigative panel of the send-off with a traditional commission alleged that graduation ceremony. Howard in 2019 tried to Prior to the ceremony, the dissuade attorney Pa- football field and bleachers mela Vergara from run- steadily filled with excited ning against then-Circuit friends and family, waiting Judge George Angeli- to cheer on their graduates. adis. Angeliadis was a Many came bearing flowers judge in Hernando and gifts. Soon enough, graduates County, which, like Cit- sporting black and gold rus County, is in the 5th made their way from the Judicial Circuit. Among cafetorium to the football other things, Howard field. Per tradition, the CHS tried to convince Ver- band played “Pomp and gara to run instead Circumstance.” against Circuit Judge As the students made their Mary Hatcher, who way down the aisle to their hears cases in Marion seats, guests stood to find, County, another part of wave to and cheer for their the circuit, the panel graduates. found. To kick off the ceremony, The panel said in a the AFJROTC did the pre- sentation of colors. As the document filed at the Su- preme Court that Vergara See CHS/Page A2 ultimately “did not switch Citrus High School class or abandon her candi- president Justin Bedford dacy; however, she re- finishes his speech Tuesday, mains concerned about May 25, as the Citrus High the potential repercus- School commencement sions of her decision to exercises begin. “We did it!,” disregard what she per- exclaimed Bedford. ceived as the clear MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle wishes” of Howard. Ver- gara wound up defeating Angeliadis in the election, according to the Florida Department of State website. Kinnard: County too rigid COVID-19 case Food giveaway at county fairgrounds interpreting CARES rules rate up to 5%, Beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 26, the MIKE WRIGHT govern CARES in a less conservative way than in Landfill rates public can receive food at Staff writer Citrus. approved vaccinations slow the Citrus County fair- Citrus County commis- The county received grounds at 3600 S Florida sioners decided not to op- $5.2 million in CARES re- Also Tuesday, county BUSTER transmissions a day. Ave, Inverness, FL 34450 pose their staff experts on a imbursement for fire res- commissioners unani- THOMPSON Citrus County’s — drive-thru only. matter of spending cue salaries. mously approved increas- Staff writer seven-day average posi- Monetary donations CARES Act dollars Kinnard suggested ing the annual residential tivity rate of COVID-19 are needed to continue meant to pay for fire- at an April meet- assessment for the county Citrus County’s aver- tests for its Florida resi- dents went up from the feeding Citrus County rescue salaries. ing that up to landfill from $25 to $27. age rate of positive residents. Please con- But Commis- $2 million of that COVID-19 tests crept 4.85% reported on May 17 to 5.24%. Health sider donating through sioner Jeff Kin- be used to pay for money in the fire budget above 5% over the week while the number of officials want to keep the New Church Without nard made it upgrades to the could only be used for fire local vaccine doses the positivity rate below Walls (www.newchurch known he wasn’t emergency rescue. The fire depart- Jeff Kinnard given fell. 10%. withoutwalls.com), Citrus happy, saying he computer-assisted ment’s share of a new believed the county dispatch, or CAD, CAD system should be A total 11,315 cases of Two more locals were United Way (www. county “grossly commissioner. system. $500,000, not the full the novel coronavirus hospitalized with citrusunitedway.org), over-restricted” the use of Both County Adminis- amount, they said. were documented for COVID-19 since May 17, Community Food Bank of CARES Act dollars to the trator Randy Oliver and Commissioner Ron county residents Mon- and 11 people died from Citrus County (www. point that county govern- Colleen Scott, director of Kitchen Jr. said Scott’s day, May 24, according the virus. As of Monday, communityfoodbankof ment was the program’s management and budget, opinion got his attention. to the Florida Depart- there’ve been 730 hospi- citrus county.org) or We biggest beneficiary. said fire department “When she speaks, I ment of Health (FDOH). tal admissions and 461 Care (www.wecarefood Other counties, he said, funds are set up as special want to listen,” he said. It’s an increase of 70 deaths from the pantry.org). are interpreting the fed- taxing or benefit districts infections since May 17, disease. — From staff reports eral and state rules that countywide, meaning See COUNTY/Page A7 at an average of 10 See VIRUS/Page A7 Classifieds . .C6 Crossword . .C14 INDEX Education . A11, A12 Obituaries . A6 Comics . .C5 Editorial. A9 Lottery Numbers . .B3 TV Listings. .C4 Horoscope . A4 Entertainment . A4 Lottery Payouts . .B3 A2 WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2021 LOCAL CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE Hospital board mulls county’s land giveaway proposal FRED HIERS the hospital board. Staff writer McLean compared the hospital board, whose members are ap- The Citrus County Commission pointed by the Florida governor, is asking the Citrus County Hos- as county governmental “cous- pital Board to donate nearly ins” to the commission. $400,000 worth of land along McLean said during his Power- North County Road 491 near a Point presentation that the inter- string of medical offices to help section and the road extension defray the cost of a proposed into the medical campus area intersection. was “good and worked for every- The intersection is part of the body” and left the hospital better county’s work to widen County off. Road 491 and the intersection is The project would also include slated for the area near Citrus construction trucks temporarily Cardiology Consultants, using existing roads and hospital MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle Brashear’s Pharmacy, and Rob- board property to build the inter- Hundreds of family and friends gather Tuesday evening, May 25, at Citrus High School for graduation. ert Boissoneault Oncology section and build up property Institute. near a retention pond to accom- In addition to the intersection modate the widening, McLean CHS and the four-lane widening of told the hospital board members Continued from Page A1 County Road 491, the project during their regularly scheduled would include adding a road into meeting this week.