Ogerly disappointing? Shrek sequel tops at box office /B6 MONDAY CITRUS COUNTY TODAY & Tuesday morning HIGH Partly cloudy. A chance 92 of thunderstorms in the LOW afternoon. N.E. winds. PAGE A4 65 www.chronicleonline.com MAY 24, 2010 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOLUME 115 ISSUE 290 Bad cement jobs plague rigs troleum Institute, an industry trade group. An AP review of federal accident and in- Report: Federal regulators don’t regulate what Far more stringent federal and state stan- cident reports on offshore wells shows that dards and controls exist on cement work for the cementing process has been implicated roads, bridges and buildings. at least 34 times since 1978. Many of the re- type of cement to use; leave decision to companies While the chain of failures on Deepwater ports, available from the U.S. Minerals Man- Associated Press hand in this crucial safety step — another Horizon is under investigation, rig owner agement Service that regulates offshore example of lax regulation regarding events Transocean has singled out cement work as wells, identify the cause simply as “poor ce- The tricky process of sealing an offshore leading up to the April 20 explosion on the one likely fundamental cause of the blowout. ment job.” ■ oil well with cement — suspected as a major Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Even before Transocean pointed to ce- In a November 2005 accident where the contributor to the Gulf of Mexico disaster — Federal regulators don’t regulate what menting, independent experts suspected it Deepwater Horizon was positioned above has failed dozens of times in the past, ac- type of cement is used, leaving it up to oil partly because faulty cement work — either another well in the Gulf, faulty cement work cording to an Associated Press investigation. and gas companies. The drillers are urged to badly mixed or poorly placed against well allowed wall-supporting steel casing to come Yet federal regulators give drillers a free simply follow guidelines of the American Pe- walls — is so prevalent at offshore wells. See CEMENT/Page A5 BLACK HISTORY Who’s who of pageant winners gather Former Ms. Senior Citrus County’s meet for reunion NANCY KENNEDY Chronicle At 81, Helen Hill Olesen’s still got it — “it” being sass and a zeal for having a good time. On Wednesday, Olesen, the former director of the Ms. Senior Citrus County and the Ms. Florida Senior America pageants, played emcee and hostess to a reunion of past pageant contestants at Whis- pering Pines Park pavilion in Inverness. Olesen, of Beverly Hills, won the Ms. Senior Citrus County crown in 1992 and ran the local pageant from 1995 to 2000 before moving onto coor- dinating the state pageant. The group of 10 women (and a few male “significant oth- ers”) met to look at past news- paper clippings and photos, DAVE SIGLER/Chronicle Alan Henry Jr. reflects on his 56 years in Citrus County and recently shared his family story. Henry was a father and a schoolteacher, eat pizza and salad, reminisce who advocated with then-Gov. Claude Kirk about issues concerning black people in the county. He eventually appealed to the gover- and catch up with each other. nor to be re-instated as a teacher after an incident cost him his job in the school district. See PAGEANT/Page A2 Helen Olsen Former educator reflects on early days as teacher in Citrus County per- forms SHEMIR WILES gree in industrial education and later ON THE WEB recently Chronicle earned another degree in industrial arts during a ■ For more about Alan Henry Jr.’s education. reunion of lan Henry Jr. came to Inverness for story, view a video presenation at After graduating from Florida A&M, Ms. work, but soon discovered a new www.chronicleonline.com Henry said, a friend told him about a Senior A place to call home. job teaching at a newly built black Citrus Since living near downtown Inverness got along.” high school in a place called Inver- County for 56 years, he has had his share of seri- Henry was born Oct. 27, 1920, in Talla- ness. Henry knew little about In- and the ous life experiences. But as his 90th hassee to Alan and Ebbie (Colson) Henry verness, but in 1954, he Ms. birthday approaches, Henry said, he Sr. After finishing high school, Henry found himself on a bus Florida Sen- spends most of his time reflecting on the joined the Army and fought in World War heading to start his new ior America bittersweet memories of days gone by. II before returning to the United States career at Booker T. Washing- pageants. “There were a lot of good times and a to finish his education at Florida A&M ton High School. DAVE SIGLER/ lot of heartache,” Henry said. “But I University. He earned a bachelor’s de- See MEMORIES/Page A2 Chronicle INSIGHT GIVES GROUP VISION the area where Aisha lived, the LHS club spotlights ‘Invisible Children’ idea that the fighting was going on in an area only a few hours CHERI HARRIS learned about a war in Uganda away from her home town struck Chronicle and Joseph Kony, the rebel a chord with Peets and she de- leader abducting Ugandan boys cided to get involved with Invisi- A Lecanto High School senior’s to be soldiers and girls to sell into ble Children, starting a chapter of 2006 mission trip experience has the sex trade. She also learned the Invisible Children club at turned into a mission that will about Invisible Children, an in- LHS at the end of her freshman continue long after she graduates ternational organization aimed at year. Thursday. helping the Ugandan people A few months after Peets met After a church mission trip to whose lives had been devastated Aisha for the first time Peets’ Uganda, Corrissa Peets met by the war. According to informa- family adopted the Ugandan Aisha, a girl who lived in Fort tion on the website www.invisible teen, who is 5 weeks older than Portal, Uganda, whom she had children.com, in 2001 the U.S. Pa- she is. been corresponding with since triot Act designated Kony’s Lord’s She said she wanted a little sis- Corrissa Peets, left, started the Invisible Children ClubBRIAN at LaPETERLecanto/Chronicle High she was 9 years old. Resistance Army (LRA) as a ter- ter, but since Aisha was unfamil- School to raise awareness of child kidnapping in a part of Uganda that Soon after Peets returned from rorist organization. iar with American life when she is involved in a war. Her adopted sister Aisha, right, is from Uganda. her trip to Africa, Peets said, she Though war hadn’t threatened See VISION/Page A4 INDEX Online poll School’s out Comics ..........................B8 Are you optimistic that today’s high school graduates will find equal or greater opportunities to Cash-strapped districts Crossword ......................B7 succeed than those of recent generations? cancel summer classes, Editorial ........................A10 A. Yes. People are too critical of our education system; it does a great job of preparing programs./Page A12 Horoscope ......................B6 young adults. Lottery Numbers ............B4 B. No. The political and economic climate in the country stacks the odds against them. Lottery Payouts ..............B6 C. Yes. Anyone willing to work hard can achieve success. Movies ............................B8 Thirst for cash D. No. The quality of education has eroded and today’s youngsters lack initiative. Obituaries ......................A6 Some lawmakers push to tax To vote, visit the website at www.chronicleonline.com.Results will appear next Monday. TV Listings......................B7 sweet drinks./Page A7 Find last week’s online poll results./Page A4 A2 MONDAY, MAY 24, 2010 CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE The level of rudeness MEMORIES toward him rose to a point State BRIEFS where Henry said he Continued from Page A1 couldn’t take it anymore. Woman sues state Curcio filed suit this week in and burned with a homemade Authorities search He took off his belt again, for not paying prize Leon County asking the state to flame-thrower after turning for panther cubs There really wasn’t but this time he said he honor the ticket and accusing down a prostitute. much in Inverness in didn’t hit anyone. The OCALA — An Ocala woman the lottery of unfair and decep- Though Weisman was a vic- NAPLES — Authorities are those times, Henry said. school board fired him. is suing the Florida Lottery over tive practices. tim, he could also be in trouble searching for two Florida pan- He recalled there might He went to then-Gov. its refusal to pay a $500,000 Lottery officials say the for violating parole. Police say ther cubs whose mother was have been one stoplight in Claude Kirk’s office to prize on an allegedly misprinted ticket’s bar code proves it’s not Weisman was lured to the killed after being hit by a vehicle. the whole town and it was fight for his job, but the ticket. a winner, and the Curcios house “with promises of prosti- The 5-year-old panther was by the courthouse. governor’s office sided Ann Marie Curcio received haven’t followed the procedure tution” and attacked after his as- struck Saturday on a highway To prepare for the high with the school board, so the $20 ticket from her husband to dispute a claim. sailant offered “a younger girl.” near Gulf Coast state parks after school’s first year, Henry Henry said he finished out for Mother’s Day in 2007. But Sex offender beaten, Albert Brooks allegedly apparently leaping into traffic.