Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 World Series: Rays look to push Dodgers to a Game 7/B1 WEDNESDAY TODAY CITRUSCOUNTY & next morning HIGH 90 Hot and humid. LOW Few showers possible. 74 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com OCTOBER 28, 2020 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOL. 126 ISSUE 20 NEWS BRIEFS Local home sales soaring Citrus County COVID-19 update Local real estate agents see sellers’ market as pandemic shifts housing patterns Seventeen new posi- MICHAEL D. BATES the holiday season nears. Sellers, he said, “are in according to the latest sta- 21 J.W. Morton, said home tive cases were reported Staff writer The county’s year-over- the driver’s seat” with tistics from Florida Real- supply remains low and in Citrus County since the year existing home inven- higher sales prices and tors. The median is the demand high. latest FDOH update. No Realtor Kevin Cunning- tory hit a record low in faster sales. midpoint; half the homes “We’re seeing a strong new hospitalizations were ham said September was September and pushed The median sales price sold for more, half for less. sellers’ market (now) but reported; no new deaths an “unusually good month countywide home sales up for a single-family home in “Selling your house (now) that cycle, in time, will were reported. for residential real estate 25.1%, said Cunningham, Citrus County in Septem- is the right move,” he said. change,” Morton said. To date in the county, in Citrus County” because broker/owner of RE/MAX ber was $194,000, up 19.8% James “Jim” Morton, sales normally taper off as Realty One. from $162,000 a year ago, broker/owner of Century See HOMES/Page A8 3,195 people have tested positive (including 14 non-residents), 324 have been hospitalized and 130 have died. Chronicle office remains closed A veteran proud of her service through Friday The Chronicle office in Meadowcrest will remain closed to the public through Friday, Oct. 30 because of health concerns for em- ployees and the general public. Phone calls and emails are still being answered. The main switchboard for the newspaper is 352-563-6363. For assistance with late deliveries of the newspaper, call 352-563-5655. Fire drill to close courthouse A fire drill will close down the Citrus County Courthouse in Inverness for at most an hour on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, starting at 1:30 p.m. Citrus County Fire Rescue and the Inver- ness Fire Department will coordinate with Cit- rus County Sheriff’s Of- fice bailiffs and Citrus NANCY KENNEDY/Chronicle County Clerk of Court In this 2017 photo, Florence McCann, a World War II Navy veteran who died Oct. 14, 2020, at age 96, listens as Phyllis Smith, a World War II staff to evacuate the “Rosie the Riveter,” talks about her experience working in a factory in Elmira, New York, making manifolds at age 16. The women were among building off of North the guests at the annual Veterans Luncheon for Military Women, sponsored by the GFWC Crystal River Woman’s Club. Apopka Avenue. “The purpose of this drill is to familiarize and Florence McCann joined the WAVES to escape — and it changed her life reinforce proper evacua- NANCY KENNEDY Chronicle in 2014. over jobs so the men could go tion routes and prac- Staff writer There was one small catch: and fight. I thought, OK, I’ll tices,” a clerk’s office She wasn’t old enough. do that if I can,” Florence news release states. “It hen Florence McCann To join the WAVES, a woman said. is also an opportunity for was a teenager in 1942, Emergency Service — she de- had to be 20 with a parent or cided to join. Until the day Florence E. all who work in the Wthe U.S. Navy formed a guardian’s consent or 21 McCann died Oct. 14, 2020, at It was 1943, two years into courthouse to prepare division for women, designed without. age 96, she wore her identity as and respond.” to free up male personnel for World War II, and 19-year-old So, she found her baptismal Florence was eager to serve a Navy World War II veteran During this time, clerk sea duty. certificate, changed her birth- proudly. An orphan since she was 11, her country and get out of date and went down to the re- services at the annex in “Mom had a tough time grow- Inverness and the West raised by a stepmother she Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. cruiting office. “I saw the ad for ‘Join the ing up, and she always said Citrus Government Cen- didn’t get along with and “But I just needed to get Navy.’ It wasn’t to see the that joining the service was the ter in Crystal River will re- wanted to get away from, away from here and do some- when Florence heard about world, because (WAVES) thing with my life — just let start of her life,” her son, Brian main unaffected. To the WAVES — Women Ac- weren’t allowed out of the me see what I can do to help. McCann, said. review a list of services cepted for Volunteer country,” Florence told the We needed people to take See MCCANN/Page A7 offered at our locations, please visit www.citrus clerk.org. Updates of the drill will be shared on the clerk’s social media pages. Homosassa Council mulls future School board to driver’s semi overturns on I-10 ease some virus A 26-year-old Homo- of garbage service sassa man driving a tractor trailer west bound BUSTER process, and drive the way important we have an un- on Interstate 10 in the THOMPSON our solid-waste program is derstanding of the cost as- going to look.” sociated with it.” late morning hours of Staff writer restrictions Frink said he plans to Frink said progress was Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, Crystal River wants to bring council a draft made after meeting Oct. 16 BUSTER Hebert said he’ll send overturned on its right make sure it has the right agreement next month for with Florida Department THOMPSON the updated protocols side after the front left garbage hauler, and it’ll be the hiring of a consultant of Transportation officials Staff writer later in the day to school tire blew out at Mile looking to its citizens to to host a study and spear- to reach a compromise for administrators, who Marker 309 in Columbia share what they want. head a public input cam- the agency’s $2.15 million COVID-19 restrictions must approve the func- County, according to a City Manager Ken Frink paign to figure out Crystal resurfacing of State Road are being relaxed for tions and their Florida Highway Patrol told City Council at its River’s solid waste needs. 44 within the city. local public school locations. crash report. meeting the evening of This includes trash City leaders requested students hosting celebra- When it comes to stu- After overturning, the Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, the pickup days, street sweep- the sit-down with FDOT tory banquets, partici- dent banquets for clubs semi came to a final city’s five-year contract ing, yard waste removal after becoming upset over pating in parades and and athletics, food must stop on its right side in with Advanced Disposal is and recycling, which, the department’s latest playing in inside either be prepackaged or performances. catered in. Home-cooked the center median facing expiring Sept. 30, and the Frink said, has become a blueprints from earlier in costly product for haulers October to resurface Citrus County School meals and potlucks can’t a southwesterly direc- search for a successor is on. to transport. 0.6 miles of S.R. 44 between District Chief Academic happen, Hebert said. tion, the report stated, “I’ll tell you trash collec- Mayor Joe Meek said it’s U.S. 19 and Northeast 10th Officer Dr. Scott Hebert Venues must also be causing FHP troopers to tion is a very competitive necessary for the city to Avenue, by the RaceTrac. and Lindy Woythaler, the sizable enough to accom- close the inside lanes of market, and procurement act on what its people Frink told council FDOT district’s director of pro- modate social distancing I-10 in the west and of a trash collector is not a want, but it must also con- is easing its redesign of fessional development, and school district coro- eastbound lanes for ap- simple process,” he said sider if those services are S.R. 44 so it won’t further informed school board navirus policies. proximately seven about the variety of con- worth paying for. divide the Knights members of the changes “Many of them use hours. tract terms. “We need to “As we go through this during their workshop — From staff reports know early on in the process,” he said, “it’s See COUNCIL/Page A11 Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. See SCHOOLS/Page A11 Classifieds . .C7 Crossword . .C12 INDEX Education . A12 Obituaries . A6 Comics . .C6 Editorial. A9 Lottery Numbers . .B3 TV Listings. .C5 Horoscope . A4 Entertainment . A4 Lottery Payouts . .B3 A2 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020 CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE 000YWI6 N OTHING ABOVE PINK LINE Page A3 - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020 STATE &CITRUS L COUNTYOCAL CHRONICLE Around the COUNTY Dine with veteran Halloween in Citrus comrades Nov. 6 TRICK OR TREATING, FESTIVALS, SPECIAL EVENTS ON TAP Citrus veterans are invited to attend the Veterans Appre- GWEN BITTNER own treat bucket.