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Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 SEC: Title game QBs unlikely Heisman hopefuls /B1 FRIDAY TODAY CITRUSCOUNTY & next morning HIGH 60 Sunny and cool. LOW PAGE A4 37 www.chronicleonline.com DECEMBER 18, 2020 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOL. 126 ISSUE 71 NEWS BRIEFS FHP trooper receives top honors Citrus County Gene Spaulding said in a added Terry Rhodes, ex- Earns ‘Trooper of the Year’ title for news release. “I am hon- ecutive director of the COVID-19 ored to serve with dedi- Florida Department of update ending local tri-county vehicle chase cated and courageous Highway Safety and troopers like Trooper Motor Vehicles. “I thank According to the Flor- BUSTER THOMPSON Dec. 15, named Trooper Curtis Vaughn, who selflessly Gov. DeSantis and mem- ida Department of Health, Staff writer Vaughn as the FHP Trooper of the put their lives on the line bers of the Florida Cabi- 75 positive cases were Year via the passing of a every day to protect the net for providing this reported in Citrus County Gov. Ron DeSantis and his cabi- resolution. residents of our great Curtis well-deserved recogni- since the latest update. net recognized a Florida Highway Vaughn is assigned to FHP’s state.” Vaughn tion to Trooper Vaughn Five new hospitalizations Patrol trooper with a top award Troop C Brooksville District, spe- “The bravery demon- Florida and for their continuous were reported; no new for his efforts in ending a danger- cifically Citrus County. strated by Trooper Highway Patrol support of our troopers deaths were reported. ous vehicle chase that began in “Trooper Vaughn displayed out- Vaughn is commendable trooper. who faithfully serve the To date in the county, Citrus County. standing gallantry in the appre- and exemplifies the core values of citizens and visitors of Florida 5,774 people have tested State and Florida Highway Pa- hension of a suspect committing a the Florida Highway Patrol — each day.” positive (including 34 non- trol (FHP) leaders on Tuesday, criminal act,” FHP Director Col. courtesy, service, and protection,” See FHP/Page A7 residents), 472 have been hospitalized and 223 have died. CMH slated to receive vaccine Carrying on ‘Bluebird Man’ legacy next week Citrus Memorial Hospi- tal is among 173 Florida hospitals slated to receive Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, expected to be shipped next week. Gov. Ron DeSantis an- nounced Thursday Flori- da’s initial distribution plan for the vaccine. Flor- ida is expected to receive 367,000 doses, according to a Florida government media release Thursday. The vaccine still has to get U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. The hospitals on the list include those who did not receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine this week. The 173 hospitals span 43 counties. Bayfront Health Seven Rivers hospital in Crystal River is not on the list. Citrus Memorial Hospi- tal did not immediately re- spond when the Chronicle contacted the hospital for comment. The first Floridians to NANCY KENNEDY/Chronicle receive the vaccine are Cindy and Regis Hampton, volunteers with the Rails to Trails of the Withlacoochee citizen support organization, are part of a group who repair health care workers and and maintain the bluebird boxes along the 46-mile Withlacoochee State Trail. About 247 boxes are still on the trail, built and placed there by those living and working the late Louis Nipper. in long-term health care wheeler, Hampton said. facilities. Trail volunteers continue what Louis Nipper started “They were completely de- — Fred Hiers/Staff writer stroyed — the PVC posts were Toys, tents, NANCY KENNEDY in all. maintain the houses, as needed, shattered and a lot of the boxes Staff writer He also maintained them we’re replacing the wooden were damaged,” he said. camping himself. posts with PVC posts.” Once the bluebirds return for supplies sought When the late Louis Nipper After Nipper’s death in 2017, Regis Hampton, also a volun- the spring around the end of first moved to Citrus County, his the bluebird boxes — safe teer, said in addition to the PVC February, the volunteers also Each year, the New son gave him a bluebird box. homes for the birds to build being more weather-friendly, monitor the boxes for activity, Church Without Walls Shortly after that, he met nests and lay their eggs — sat it’s also “slick so snakes have a taking note of any nests, what helps homeless people Stead Lott, the late, original neglected. hard time getting into the kind of bird is using the box, with food, blankets, warm local “bluebird man” who had A few years ago, a group of boxes.” number of eggs, how many have clothing, tents and camp- built and given away more than volunteers from the Rails to Mary Vanderwerp said hatched, etc. ing supplies and families 10,000 bluebird boxes, placing Trails of the Withlacoochee cit- snakes aren’t the only critters “We use the information to in need with food, cloth- them all across the county. izen support organization de- they find, but also frogs, spiders, determine if a house is produc- ing and toys. This year’s Nipper bought 150 of Lott’s cided to pick up where Nipper wasps and bats. tive or not, and if it’s not we event, sponsored by the bluebird boxes as a donation to left off, maintaining and repair- “We clear them all out, except might move it somewhere else,” church, Metropolitan Min- the local Boys & Girls Clubs and ing the weather-worn bluebird the bats,” she said. Jim Vanderwerp said. “We try to istries of Citrus County, then started building them him- boxes on the trail. They clean the boxes with a think like a bluebird, but you Grace Pointe Church, self after Lott “retired” from his “They were all originally bleach spray, then rub soap on never know exactly what they hobby. The Path of Citrus County built with lumber posts, and a the surface to keep the wasps will like. Some like a lot of In 2010, Nipper, who also lot of those have started to get away. human activity and some might and Dr. Ralph Massullo, bore the title of “bluebird man,” rotted out,” said trail volunteer About 10 of the boxes on the not.” is at noon Saturday, Dec. began placing his bluebird Jim Vanderwerp. “Carpenter trail were vandalized recently, To learn more about the Rails 19, at the field on U.S. 41 boxes along the 46-mile Withla- ants get into them and the posts apparently mowed down by to Trails of the Withlacoochee, between Parsons Point coochee State Trail, about 250 are disintegrating. So, as we someone in a truck or four- visit online at www.rttwst.org. Road and Orange Drive in Hernando, behind Brannen Bank. Donations of toys, tents, camping supplies are in need and can be brought to the Duke customers will see Florida gets wider authority church at 300 S. Kens- ington Ave., Lecanto over wetland development (next to the Holiday Inn lower bills starting 2021 Express) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday. MICHAEL D. BATES make grid improvements ex- Environmentalists oppose ruling Financial donations Staff writer pected to improve “reliability, can be made by texting security and resilience” in 2021 BOBBY CAINA CALVAN owners seek to develop NCWOW to 77977, Cash Many of Duke Energy’s 47,500 and beyond, according to a com- Associated Press wetlands. App $NewCWOW or Citrus County customers will see pany news release. During a news conference in mailed to P.O. Box 367, lower electric bills starting Janu- The Florida Public Service TALLAHASSEE — The fed- Washington, Wheeler said the Hernando, FL 34441. ary 2021 because the company Commission on Dec. 15 approved eral government granted Flori- state had met the high bar neces- — From staff reports experienced lower-than- Duke Energy Florida’s 2021 pro- da’s request for wider authority sary to assume the role of han- expected storm cost recovery posed fuel and capacity clause over wetland development, a dling the permitting process. INDEX and fuel charges. rates. move announced Thursday that “This action allows Florida to Classifieds . .C6 Residential bills will be re- Duke also acknowledged in a came under immediate fire by effectively evaluate and issue duced by $3.63 a month (2.8%) news release it’s commitment to environmentalist who worry that permits under the Clean Water Comics . .C5 based on 1,000 kilowatts-per- help customers struggling finan- the country’s largest network of Act to support the health of Flor- Crossword . .C9 hour usage. cially during the pandemic by wetlands could be at risk of being ida’s waters, residents and econ- Editorial. A10 However, that decrease could offering assistance and extended further degraded. omy,” he said. Entertainment . A4 be offset because Duke plans to payment plans. The announcement by U.S. En- “By taking over this permit Horoscope . A4 adjust rates to include invest- Customers can download the vironmental Protection Agency program, Florida will be able to Lottery Numbers . .B3 ments in two solar plants when company’s mobile app or visit Administrator Andrew Wheeler integrate its dredging and fill Lottery Payouts . .B3 they come online in 2021. Those duke-energy.com for more infor- was long sought by developers permitting with their traditional Obituaries . A6 plants are located in Hamilton mation. They can also call 800-700- and Republican allies, who ar- water quality and monitoring TV Listings. .C4 and Columbia counties. 8744. Customer service specialists gued that the layers of regulatory programs,” he said. Duke said commercial and in- are available from 7 a.m.

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