3 More Chimps Cuban By Birth, Join The Family American By Choice B1 A8 Herald-THE Advocate HARDEE COUNTY’S HOMETOWN COVERAGE 118th Year No. 20 2 Sections www.TheHeraldAdvocate.com 70¢ Plus 5¢ Sales Tax Thursday, April 12, 2018 Pioneer Park Days Crowds, Cash Up By MICHAEL KELLY Revenues totaled $85,585 area and staff the event. Last year the county racked ing revenue compared to that was formed to help im- Of The Herald-Advocate while operating costs were A total of $26,106 is pro- up $45,472 in the personnel $17,272 in 2017. prove Pioneer Park Days. The 50th anniversary of Pi- $26,128, showing a nearly posed to be transferred from services line item. A total of 28 county employ- Andrea Thompson said oneer Park Days saw and in- $60,000 profit before factoring the Pioneer Park Days fund to Labor for salaried workers ees were used to staff the event more than 850 volunteer hours crease in both attendance and in transfers to other county reimburse the general fund, was $8,730 compared to and assist with preparations were logged by Visit Hardee, revenue, but registered a slight funds utilized by the event. transportation trust and Hardee $10,910 the previous year. and cleanup afterward, down which handled the marketing loss after the county’s billing That, on paper, leaves the County Fire Rescue. Utilities at the park for the from 36 employees used the and promotions for the event. for the event’s use of its equip- event with a $1,269 loss for the Personnel services, which week are estimated at $3,400, previous year. She said the group targeted ment and employee time. year. include salaries for hourly nearly the same figures as the The county relied on more Lee County and the Fort Myers Attendance figures revealed Last year, Pioneer Park Days workers, overtime pay, previous year. local volunteers this year, area, and saw a good response 10,444 people visited the park posted a $46,025 loss after the Medicare, retirement and por- Volunteers, who receive a which included people from of visitors traveling to Hardee during the three-day festival, county was reimbursed for all tions of life and health insur- week of free camping at the Visit Hardee, the local Lions County to attend the event. up 621 from 2017 figures of its employee time and re- ance costs, were $14,205 for park for each day they work, Club, various community County commissioners 9,823. sources required to prepare the the three days. totaled a $8,284 loss in camp- members and the committee See PARK A2 BOSTON BOUND By TOM STAIK “Running the Boston Marathon has pretty much always age of 30,000 runners compete annually. Of The Herald-Advocate been a dream of mine, a bucket list item,” Davenport said. Davenport’s journey to the streets of the City on a Hill, Speedwork sessions on the track. A resident of Bowling Green, Davenport has been a run- began in earnest in January of 2017 as she entered the Cel- Strength and core exercises with a personal trainer. ner since her days in elementary school after being intro- ebration Marathon with hopes of turning in a run that could A combination of slow long distance and shorter runs. duced to the sport at Bowling Green Elementary by Coach qualify her for Boston. In total, Regan Davenport’s course has trekked across Cliff Lunn. She handily exceeded expectations. more than 1,000 miles in the past six months. “I fell in love, and have been doing it for most of my “I beat the qualifying time by 11 minutes for my age Davenport, 45, will put her work to the test on Monday life,” Davenport said. group,” Davenport said. when she competes in the 122nd running of the Boston The Boston Marathon was established in 1897 and today Then followed eight months of waiting until registration Marathon. draws crowds of more than 500,000 spectators as an aver- See BOSTON A3 IN FLIGHT WEATHER No One Hurt In DATE HIGH LOW RAIN 04/03 90 60 0.00 04/04 89 55 0.00 School Bus Crash 04/05 85 56 0.00 04/06 89 52 0.00 By CYNTHIA KRAHL School bus driver Charlene 04/07 85 59 0.21 Of The Herald-Advocate Rokosh, 54, of Zolfo Springs, 04/08 81 62 0.03 No one was injured in a two- had been on the east side of 04/09 90 68 0.00 Rainfall to 04/09/2018 - 3.74 vehicle crash involving a school U.S. 17 and had the green light Same period last year - 4.52 bus at one of Hardee County’s to cross the highway, the Ten Year Average - 49.17 most notorious intersections. deputy said. Source: Univ. of Fla. Ona Research Center The U.S. 17 and REA Road Ovalles said Csuk described wreck occurred on Monday at driving northbound and INDEX about 3:42 in the afternoon, the “not paying much attention” Classifieds . .B3 Hardee County Sheriff’s Office before colliding with the Courthouse Report . .B7 said. school bus. Crime Blotter . .B7 One child was inside the A witness to the crash, who Entertainment . .B10 school bus at the time. She was also was northbound but was Hardee Living . .A9 not hurt. stopped in the left-turn lane, Information Roundup .B13 Further, neither driver re- confirmed the statements made Obituaries . .A5 ported any injuries, the Sher- by both drivers. Puzzles . .B11 iff’s Office said. Ovalles said the front of Save The Date . .A2 According to a report filed by Csuk’s Jeep struck the left side School Lunch Menus . .B13 sheriff’s Dep. Bryant Ovalles, of the bus behind the front Solunar Forecast . .A7 Krystyna Csuk, 65, of wheel. Wauchula, was traveling north- The Jeep sustained about PHOTO BY TOM STAIK bound on U.S. 17 when she al- $4,000 in damages, he esti- The pilot of this gyrocopter looks toward the aircraft carrying the photographer as legedly failed to stop for a red mated, while the bus damage this picture was snapped over the rural Hardee County landscape on Thursday. It traffic light and struck a west- was placed at about $3,000. was all part of the 45th annual Bensen Days Fly-In at the Wauchula Municipal Air- bound Hardee District Schools Both vehicles were able to port. The event, named after father of gyrocopters” Igor Bensen, was open to the bus. See CRASH A2 public and offered plenty thrill-seeking rides. For more on the action, see B6. A2 The Herald-Advocate, April 12, 2018 THE PARK Continued From A1 HSHS Auditorium Herald-Advocate seemed pleased with the im- HARDEE COUNTY’S HOMETOWN COVERAGE provements that have been Remains Unusable SAVE MICHAEL R. KELLY made, and the consensus Co-Publisher and Editor seemed to be the event will By TOM STAIK Krahl is requesting authori- continue in the future. Of The Herald-Advocate zation to put the repair project THE JAMES R. KELLY Seven months after Hurri- out to bid. Co-Publisher “I think it deserves another shot,” Commissioner Mike cane Irma lashed the region According to Superintend- CYNTHIA M. KRAHL Thompson said. with wind and rain, the ent of Schools Bob Shayman, DATE Managing Editor Thompson said the county auditorium at Hardee Senior the cost is likely to be substan- JOAN M. SEAMAN NOEY DeSANTIAGO has to get out of handling the High School remains “unus- tial. “It is easily going to cost able.” upwards of six figures,” Shay- Sports Editor Emeritus Production Manager money and get the human re- APRIL sources department out of op- “(The damage) was severe man said. enough that it made the audi- Funding, according to 12 – HC School Board TOM STAIK DARLENE WILLIAMS erating it, but does not mind the county staff assisting with torium unusable,” said Rob Krahl, will be allocated from Meeting/230 S. Sports Editor Assistant Florida Ave., Production Manager mapping out the park and set- Krahl, director of education fa- reserve funds in the capital cilities. outlay account. Wauchula/5 pm 115 S. Seventh Ave. P.O. Box 338 ting it up. Chairman Russell Melendy Plagued by years of water The project now faces a time 12 – Fitness in the Park/ Wauchula, FL 33873 called it a “step in the right di- intrusion, the auditorium – crunch if crews are going to be Strong/Heritage Phone: (863) 773-3255 Fax: (863) 773-0657 rection,” and felt there was a built below ground level – suf- able to complete the project by Park/5:30 pm the start of the new school year [email protected] buzz back in the community. fered “major damage in the below-ground area in front of in August. Hosting a community-wide [email protected] Commissioner Colon Lam- the stage.” If approved for bid, Krahl non-profit event? List it here! [email protected] bert questioned about $20,000 It’s free and it’s easy. See in- in “subjective costs” charged Krahl has been working plans to return to the School structions below. since October to develop a Board on May 24 for contract Published weekly on Thursday at Wauchula, Florida, by the to the event by the county, but felt overall the event was back plan to address flooding con- approval. Herald- Advocate Publishing Co. Inc. Periodical Postage paid at “We need to get this done, 13 – Story of Jesus/HC U.S. Post Office, Wauchula, FL 33873 and additional entry office on the right track.