WEEKEND GLANCE YOUR FORECAST: Partly Sunday all from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, featuring Claire weekend, but you'll also have to endure Vandiver and pop duo Esh ‘n’ Sheif in afternoon thunderstorms, and highs in the Sunset Park. low 90s. LAKE EUSTIS SHORELINE CLEANUP: Help clean SUMMER CONCERT SERIES: Sunset Park in up the Lake Eustis shoreline at 9 a.m. Saturday Mount Dora hosts the Summer Concert Series at Ferran Park in Eustis. Friday, July 6, 2018 YOUR LOCAL SOURCE FOR LAKE & SUMTER COUNTIES @dailycommercial Facebook.com/daily.commercial 75¢ Scandal-plagued Pruitt resigns EPA administrator investigations of outsized congressional investigations. Environmental faced months of ethics security spending, first-class In a resignation letter Protection Agency investigations before flights and a sweetheart condo released to media outlets, Administrator stepping down lease. Pruitt expressed no regret for Scott Pruitt With Pruitt’s departure, any actions he had taken since appears before By Michael Biesecker, President Donald Trump loses being tapped by Trump to lead a Senate Zeke Miller and Ellen an administrator many con- EPA last year. Appropriations Knickmeyer servatives regarded as one of “It is extremely difficult for subcommittee, The Associated Press the more effective members of me to cease serving you in this May 16 on his Cabinet. But Pruitt had also role first because I count it a Capitol Hill in WASHINGTON — Envi- been dogged for months by a blessing to be serving you in Washington. ronmental Protection Agency seemingly unending string of any capacity, but also, because [ANDREW HARNIK/ Administrator Scott Pruitt scandals that spawned more ASSOCIATED PRESS resigned Thursday amid ethics than a dozen federal and See PRUITT, A5 FILE] Trump Small twister, big deal closes Weather Service classifi es July 4 tornado an EF-0, but in on it was still vicious By Frank Stanfield court frankstanfield@ dailycommercial.com TAVARES – Jim Jordan pick was a busy man Thursday, but not cooking seafood By Catherine Lucey or greeting diners to his res- and Lisa Mascaro taurant, Fish Camp of Lake The Associated Press Eustis. He was still surveying the WASHINGTON — damage caused by a tornado President Donald Trump Wednesday afternoon that is moving closer to tore a hole in his roof and sent deciding his next diners on the outside deck Supreme Court nominee scrambling for cover. amid intense jockeying “We’ve got your back,” a from various factions produce supplier told him on seeking to influence his her way out to her car. choice to replace retir- Roofers were getting ready ing Justice Anthony to cover his top, too. Kennedy. “We hope to be open again Trump’s current top by Tuesday,” he said. contenders are federal The National Weather Ser- appeals court judges vice estimates the twister that Amy Coney Barrett, Brett raced across the lake from the Kavanaugh and Raymond Leesburg area was an EF-0, Kethledge, said a person the lowest intensity tornado, familiar with Trump’s which has winds of 70 to 80 thinking who was not mph. The worst is EF-5, with authorized to speak winds of 200 mph. publicly. While it didn’t rival the intensity of the Groundhog Day tornado that tore through Lady Lake 10 years ago, See TWISTER, A5 the July 4 tornado was strong enough to cause damage in Tavares. [FACEBOOK] See COURT, A5 Deputies shoot Eustis man during standoff Man charged at gun pointed to believe he was not quite Wendy’s brother, Gary L. SWAT team following at his head, stable.” Babb, was trying to act as the 3-hour standoff yelling and Eustis police called Orange go-between been Tracy and the threatening the County law enforcement Sheriff’s Office, but Richards By Frank Stanfield deputies. officers when they learned he refused to talk. frankstanfield@ “They have was at Orlando International “He refused to comply, dailycommercial.com Richards been going Airport. That agency deter- refused to come out,” Herrell LOCAL through a mined he did not meet the said. & STATE | A3 EUSTIS – Alan Tracey Rich- separation, and apparently requirements for involuntary About 6:30, Richards ards, 55, broke into the home of he has been making threats commitment in a mental hos- emerged from the house with HEADING his estranged wife Thursday, in recent weeks,” sheriff’s Lt. pital, Herrell said. the gun to his head. He saw the threatened to kill her and her John Herrell said of Richards Eustis police, who responded deputies and the officers in the HOME brother, and said: “I’m going and his wife, Wendy. In June, to 406 N. Center St., at 3:41 area. SWAT team members to die tonight.” he showed up and trashed the a.m. Thursday, called the repeatedly ordered him to drop Deputy hit by Three hours later he was dead house. “…his wife said he was Sheriff’s Office for assistance, his weapon. car to be released after charging the Lake County suicidal and he made some including the special weapons from hospital Sheriff’s SWAT team with a comments that led his wife team and its crisis negotiator. See STANDOFF, A4 Volume 142, Issue 187 Local and State ............. A3 Drive ........................... C1 ©2018 GateHouse Media Opinion ....................... A7 Comics ........................C4 Home delivery: 352-787-0600 Sports...........................B1 Diversions .................... C5 A2 Friday, July 6, 2018 | DailyCommercial.com NATION&WORLD IN BRIEF Another nerve agent poisoning in UK HARRISBURG, PA. AG argues church abuse grand jury report should be public By Gregory Katz, Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless Pennsylvania’s attorney The Associated Press general told the state Supreme Court on Thursday he supports AMESBURY, England — In a request by news organizations this normally pleasant town that the court order the release of 10,000 residents a stone’s of an extensive report into child throw from the mysterious sexual abuse and attempts to Stonehenge monument, cover it up in several of the the new reality is sinking in: state’s Roman Catholic dioceses. Novichok, again. Attorney General Josh Shapiro Four months had passed also said in the court filing that since the nerve agent attack his office opposes requests by on a former Russian spy and unnamed parties to present their his daughter, and the col- own evidence, question wit- lective nightmare seemed nesses and rewrite the grand jury to be fading. No longer were report “in accordance with their forensics experts in oversize preferred view of the facts.” hazmat suits combing the He argued the report should area for an invisible killer not be delayed, calling it a matter developed by the Soviet of exceptional public interest. Union in Cold War times. Eager tourists, drawn by an JERUSALEM unusually long spell of glori- Police are seen at the scene where counter-terrorism offi cers are investigating after a couple were Israel lays down red lines for ous summer weather, were left in a critical condition, Thursday in Amesbury, England. For the second time in four months, two postwar relations with Syria back at Stonehenge, and people lie critically ill in England’s Salisbury District Hospital after being exposed to a military-grade England’s World Cup team nerve agent developed in the Soviet Union, British police confi rmed late Wednesday. [STEVE PARSONS/PA As Syrian government was surging, buoying spirits. VIA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS] forces press on with a furious Then a local couple with no offensive against rebel-held obvious connection to Russia it crossed their paths.” precautions if they were at Rick Bird, 65, a retired Brit- areas in the country’s or to espionage fell desper- The bizarre case, com- the locations believed to ish army veteran who was south, Israel is quietly ately ill and the government bining elements of a murder have been frequented by the trained in the handling of acknowledging that Presi- said Novichok was to blame. mystery and a spy thriller, is latest victims. nerve agents during his mili- dent Bashar Assad’s forces Some are embracing the stoking international ten- Some were staying inside tary career. He said he never will soon be on its doorstep, “keep calm and carry on” sions ahead of next week’s to avoid any risk of con- dreamed nerve agents would laying down red lines for ethos that helped England NATO summit, which will tamination, but most were be deployed in Britain. postwar relations with the through two world wars, deal in part with worsening going about their busi- “The latest case seems to Syrian leader. but others were frightened relations between Russia and ness. A few parts of town be an odd one,” Bird said. Israel’s main concern is to by the seemingly random the West. remained cordoned off by “The first one in Salisbury, keep archrival Iran, an Assad poisoning of two innocents Britain’s interior min- police, including the Baptist we thought we were all over ally, as far away from its who now lie critically ill in a ister demanded Thursday Church, but activity in the it. This came totally out of border as possible — along local hospital. that Russia explain how two easygoing town center con- the blue. It’s the fear factor, with its proxy, the Lebanese “It’s shocking, and it’s people were inadvertently tinued unabated. for everybody.” militia Hezbollah. scary,” said Elaine Read, a poisoned with the same “I’m not so easily scared, The last few days have It is a turnaround from a few worker at The Kings Arms military-grade nerve agent but there has to be more to been traumatic for some years ago, when Israeli lead- pub who used to occasion- used to attack ex-Russian it,” said Justin Pritchard, residents, particularly ers were publicly predicting ally share a pint with Dawn spy Sergei Skripal and his enjoying a beer with a friend.