A Boy Scout for Life Reins in Local Man Lauds Lessons Voting Learned from Law Organization Ruling Ends ERYN WORTHINGTON Staff Writer Federal Scrutiny
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Wimbledon: Williams, Djokovic win easily /B1 WEDNESDAY GET ‘EM WHILE THEY’RE HOT! TODAY CITRUS COUNTY SEE & next PAGE C10 morning FOR DETAILS HIGH Toyota Corolla 91 Partly cloudy; 50 $ 14,777 LOW percent chance of showers, storms. VILLAGE TOYOTA 72 PAGE A4 000FBXT www.chronicleonline.com JUNE 26, 2013 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOL. 118 ISSUE 323 Port Citrus project moves to next stage Consultant’s study says property has potential for shipping bulk materials by barge MIKE WRIGHT the Cross Florida Barge Canal. Hollinswood Harbor, an ap- out anything but barges for the Fred Ferrin, vice president of Staff writer Commissioners, sitting as the proved but-not-yet-built devel- port. It said the canal’s depth of TranSystems Corp., the consult- Citrus County Port Authority, opment owned by Dixie Hollins 12 feet cannot accommodate ant hired by the county to con- INVERNESS — Citrus County backed Tuesday the first of a on the northwest side of the container ships and there is no duct the feasibility study, said commissioners are keeping their two-part feasibility study that barge canal at U.S. 19. potential for a rail line to the sights on developing a port on targets a barge port at The study essentially ruled site. See PORT/ Page A5 Court A Boy Scout for life reins in Local man lauds lessons voting learned from law organization Ruling ends ERYN WORTHINGTON Staff writer federal scrutiny HERNANDO Associated Press he awards Cliff Hammer displays WASHINGTON — A Tin his living room, deeply divided Supreme the rope system he cre- Court threw out the most ated in his barn, the sto- powerful part of the land- ries he recalls — they mark Voting Rights Act on all chronicle the life he Tuesday, a decision de- was influenced to lead. plored by the White House Hammer, who grew but cheered by mostly up in South Florida Southern states now free and has lived in Her- from nearly 50 years of in- nando for 12 years, has tense federal oversight of led a Boy Scout’s life — their elections. literally. He has been Split along ideological active in the Boy Scouts and partisan lines, the on one side of the Mis- justices voted 5-4 to strip sissippi River or the the government of its most other for 67 years. potent tool to stop voting “I have enjoyed the bias — the requirement in camaraderie of being the Voting Rights Act that with other boys of the all or parts of 15 states same good moral char- with a history of discrimi- acter,” Hammer said. nation in voting, mainly in “My experience with the South, get Washing- being a Scout has ton’s approval before helped me with self- changing the way they reliance in life. I en- hold elections. joyed the ability to try Chief Justice John something and being Roberts, writing for a ma- able to stick with it jority of conservative, Re- until I achieved my publican-appointed goal. I follow the Scout justices, said the law’s law.” provision that determines At only 8 years old, which states are covered Hammer joined the is unconstitutional be- Cub Scouts and became cause it relies on 40-year- a member of Boy Scout old data and does not Troop 21 of Coconut account for racial Grove at the young age progress and other of 11. changes in U.S. society. “When I joined Boy The decision effectively Scouts, my scout master puts an end to the ad- was Al Dickert,” Ham- vance approval require- mer recalled. “Al had ment that has been used been in the Army prior MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle to open up polling places to World War II. His Scouting is in Cliff Hammer’s blood. He began his Boy Scout career 67 years ago at the age of 8. At 14, to minority voters in the Hammer earned his Eagle Scout badge and is presently an assistant scout master of the Gulf Ridge nearly half century since See SCOUT/ Page A2 Council Troop 452. it was first enacted in 1965, unless Congress can come up with a new for- mula that Roberts said meets “current condi- tions” in the United Grant knocks sheriff for ‘stonewalling’ States. That seems un- likely to happen any time soon. President Barack Appearing before commissioners, attorney says case could cost county millions Obama, the nation’s first black chief executive, is- sued a statement saying CHRIS VAN ORMER “This is doing nothing but Grant also said he would County Sheriff ’s Office, was he was “deeply disap- Staff writer costing the taxpayers money,” file a wrongful death lawsuit gunned down July 25, 2012, pointed” with the ruling Grant said after he described and warned the Citrus on a street in a neighbor- and calling on Congress to Representing the family of how he is prepared to take County Board of County hood near Crystal River. update the law. a young mother who was the action because “they are Commissioners (BOCC) it Grant, who represents But in the South, Ala- killed last year, attorney Bill again stonewalling me in the could be responsible for as Seeger’s family, said he cur- bama Gov. Robert Bentley Grant told county commis- acquisition of information much as $6 million that rently is in litigation with the said that, while the re- sioners Tuesday he intends to I’m seeking regarding the could be awarded to sheriff ’s office about a pub- quirement was necessary file another public records murder of Jaimie Seeger and Seeger’s family. lic records request. Bill Grant in the 1960s, that was no lawsuit against the Citrus the public records that re- Seeger, a former confiden- attorney for County Sheriff ’s Office. lates to that.” tial informant for the Citrus See GRANT/ Page A5 Seeger family. See LAW/ Page A5 INDEX Classifieds . .C6 Hospital foundation: No talks without settlement Comics . .C5 Crossword . .C4 Editorial . .A8 Entertainment . .A4 Officials were scheduled to hear presentation about bids for sale of facility Horoscope . .A4 Lottery Numbers . .B3 MIKE WRIGHT The Citrus Memorial Health Monday to hear a presentation foundation is refusing to partici- Lottery Payouts . .B3 Staff writer Foundation, which leases the hos- from Josh Nemzoff, the CCHB’s pate in the transaction until it re- Movies . .C5 pital from the Citrus County Hos- transaction consultant, regarding ceives more than $6.2 million in Obituaries . .A6 INVERNESS — The two sides pital Board of Trustees, reiterated bids that were opened last week payments from the CCHB and sev- TV Listings . .C4 in the Citrus Memorial hospital its position Monday that it will not for the sale or lease of the eral lawsuits are dismissed. dispute remain divided even as participate in any transaction hospital. The foundation met behind they march toward a potential without settlement of pending Instead, hospital CEO Ryan closed doors later Monday to sale or lease of the county’s only disputes. Beaty said he cancelled Nem- publicly owned hospital. The foundation was scheduled zoff ’s appearance because the See HOSPITAL/ Page A2 A2 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 LOCAL CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE “Tying knots is just a useful thing ects at once. to know,” Hammer said. “There are He continued diverse construc- SCOUT a whole lot of things that you can do tion projects throughout his life School board Continued from Page A1 with rope. Rope is a wonderful ma- until he retired at the age of 62 in chine. You can do anything with North Carolina. He and his wife, experiences from the Army were rope that is done with tension, but Wallie, decided to return to his reasoning for us concentrating you can’t push with it.” Florida. seeks bids for on survival skills. We practiced Hammer went on to receive his “It was two Floridians coming going out into the Everglades and degree in construction from the home,” Wallie said. “We came to Cit- existing off of the land. We would University of Florida. He has been rus County because it was afford- build primitive shelters instead of a involved with, or in charge of, con- able. I took a map and a compass gym floor tent.” struction projects in various cities and drew a circle. We figured that Hammer said Dickert influenced — with some structures 50 stories we could go to Tampa, Orlando or tall — throughout the United States. Gainesville.” ERYN WORTHINGTON personnel would paint his life even more by ensuring that He attributes his successful career Hammer became involved with Staff writer during that period, as well. Scouts studied and advanced as his current Scout troop two years In other business, dur- often and rapidly as possible. to knowledge gained in the Boy Scouts. ago — Troop 452 — and is now one Citrus County School ing a special meeting Therefore, Hammer became an “I paid attention and studied my of six assistant scout masters. Board members are wait- board members approved Eagle Scout in the minimum merit badges,” Hammer recalled. “He got to know the boys when ing to hear from bidders instructional support rec- amount of time — age 14. “Every merit badge has require- they were serving a dinner at the about replacing the Crys- ommendations for hire Impact is a two-way street. There ments to get the badge. The more Masonic Lodge in Brooksville,” tal River High School along with the following is little in Hammer’s life that was you learn, the more you know. You Wallie Hammer said. “He has been (CRHS) gymnasium floor. assistant principals: not influenced by the Boy Scouts.