Solid start: Bucs snap 10-game skid in debut under Schiano /B1 MONDAY TODAY CITRUS COUNTY & next morning HIGH 88 Partly cloudy, with a LOW 40 percent chance of thunderstorms. 72 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com SEPTEMBER 10, 2012 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOLUME 118 ISSUE 34 NEWS BRIEFS Inverness man Pregnant woman stabbed dies in crash ical disturbance in and had been in- Crystal River for about two Travis John Daniels, Man faces aggravated battery Crystal River early volved in a physical weeks. On Sunday, she said, 23, of Inverness, died Sunday. A person altercation with her she and Helfer argued Sunday as the result of an called 911 dispatch boyfriend, Helfer. about her going back to her accident, according to the charges in Sunday incident to advise that an un- Deputies said they previous boyfriend. Florida Highway Patrol. known white male observed an obvious During the argument, the FHP reported that CHRIS VAN ORMER according to the Citrus with a knife had laceration to the woman said, she had to use Daniels was driving a Staff Writer County Sheriff ’s Office. tried to enter his woman’s shoulder the bathroom. As she sat on 2003 Ford Taurus at 5:43 Christopher Allen Helfer, residence, accord- Christopher that was about three the toilet, she advised, a.m. He was traveling A Crystal River man faces 46, has been charged with ing to the CCSO re- Helfer inches in length and Helfer asked her to have felony charges after an inci- aggravated battery on a sex with him, but she re- north on South Great port. facing multiple two inches deep Oaks Drive approaching dent Sunday that allegedly pregnant victim and aggra- Responding charges. with the shoulder fused. As she left the bath- East Orange Avenue. resulted in a pregnant vated battery using a deadly deputies said they bone exposed. room, the woman said she The FHP report stated woman suffering a lacera- weapon. No bond was set. made contact with a According to deputies, observed Helfer standing in the car was traveling tion to the shoulder deep The charges stem from woman, who advised she the woman said she had above the posted speed enough to expose the bone, deputies reported to a phys- was four months pregnant been living with Helfer in See STABBED/ Page A5 limit and failed to negoti- ate a left curve in the road. The car left the road and traveled onto the east shoulder, where the Walks front right corner struck an oak tree. Homosassa hypothesis The car continued north on the east shoulder mark and rotated counter clock- wise when the right side of the car hit another large oak tree. That im- 9/11 pact rotated the car clock- wise. It traveled northwest across Great Oaks Drive onto the west shoulder of events the road. Then, the left side of the car crashed Special to the Chronicle into a wood rail fence. Daniels died at the On the anniversary of the scene, the report said. Sept. 11 attacks against the The crash remains under United States, the city of In- verness will host a Freedom investigation and details Walk. The short walk are subject to change. through historic downtown Names released Inverness will begin at 5:30 in shooting p.m. Tuesday outside the In- verness Government Center. The names of two Bev- The first “America Sup- erly Hills residents injured ports You Freedom Walk,” Saturday afternoon in a conducted Sept. 11, 2005, in shooting incident have the nation’s capital, brought been released. together more than 15,000 They are Janice Ames walkers — including family Genco, 60, and her de- members of the victims of pendent son, Michael 9/11, members of Congress, John Genco, 28, accord- administration officials, ing to Heather Yates, DAVE SIGLER/Chronicle federal workers, corporate spokeswoman for the Cit- Troubled that the Homosassa River is largely devoid of vegetation and fish, members of the Homosassa River Al- employees, civic organiza- rus County Sheriff’s Office. liance are coordinating efforts with the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Citrus Task Force tions and citizens from of the Citrus-Hernando Waterways Restoration Council in hopes of launching a project intended to re-vegetate the around the country. All Another person, the river and, in turn, entice fish to return. walked to pay tribute to suspect in the incident, a those who lost their lives on white male in his 60s, has in the attacks and to thank not yet been positively Proposal to see if native plants can be re-established in river veterans, past and present, identified, according to a for protecting the nation’s news release. JIM HUNTER freedom. The CCSO said an on- Chronicle Correspondent This year marks the 11- going domestic dispute year anniversary of the apparently led to the Homosassa River environmental tragic events at the Penta- shooting incident. The activists and the Citrus Task Force gon, the twin towers in New suspect was in the of the Citrus-Hernando Waterways York City and Shanksville, process of moving out of Restoration Council are teaming Pa. The purpose of the the residence because of up with the regional water man- America Supports You continued arguments with agement district in a pilot project Freedom Walk is to estab- Genco about her son. to see if they can begin to replace lish a national tradition to The CCSO said the natural vegetation in the Ho- reflect on the lives lost on suspect shot the pair, mosassa River. Sept. 11, 2001, to renew a then turned the gun on Research this spring by the commitment to freedom himself and died at the Southwest Florida Water Manage- and the values of the coun- scene. The Gencos re- ment District showed the Ho- try and to honor veterans. main at Shand’s Hospital mosassa to be “essentially void of In addition to the Free- dom Walk, a World Trade in Gainesville. vegetation and fish due to many un- —From staff reports known factors.” Center Memorial Exhibit Greatly dismayed, the Ho- and Tribute will take place in the Inverness Govern- ONLINE POLL: mosassa River Alliance is propos- The Southwest Florida Management District showed the Homosassa River ing a restoration to see if the river’s to be devoid of vegetation and fish due to many undetermined factors. The ment Center Council Cham- Your choice? native plant and fish population test will take place in a sheltered area of the Homosassa Springs Wildlife bers beginning at noon. What priority do you can be brought back under current State Park. Articles from the World give to water quality conditions. The task force would Trade Center, memorabilia, and restoration issues? take the project to the bi-county the Old Homosassa side of the river already been degraded “well be- photographs, portraits, sto- A. It is the most critical council and then to the state Legis- has yet to have a sewer collection yond” the Outstanding Florida Wa- ries and flags will be on dis- issue to the existence of lature for funding. system built and connected to the terway designation criteria. play throughout the day and our state. The alliance notes there are county sewer line that was brought For restoration, the alliance pro- evening, ending at approxi- B. Until the economy some important conditions that to Homosassa and Chassahowitzka poses to temporarily block off three mately 6:30 p.m. improves, it’s barely on need to be understood: First, in recent years. small plots in the river at Ho- The exhibit is being dis- the radar screen. known pollution sources have been Second, the proposal stipulates mosassa Springs State Wildlife Park played by Andrew Tarpey, a C. Environmentalists brought under control with one ex- that no additional water should be to keep manatee and boat traffic out. retired Port Authority po- overreact to claims of ception and that should be a prior- lice officer and member of ongoing degradation. allowed to be taken from the ity for all agencies and interests; the local chapter of the D. A slightly greater spring’s flows because the river has See PLANTS/ Page A5 percentage of tax See WALKS/ Page A5 dollars should be allocated to improvement projects. Inverness To vote, visit www. chronicleonline.com. Issues-packed night for CR officials ■ WHAT: America Click on the word Supports You Freedom “Opinion” in the menu Walk. A.B. SIDIBE Officials and some resi- to see the poll. ■ WHAT: Crystal River City Council. ■ WHEN: 5:30 p.m. Results will appear Staff Writer dents of the area are per- ■ Tuesday. next Monday. Find last WHEN: 7 p.m. today for council; 6:30 p.m. for CRA. plexed by SWFWMD’s CRYSTAL RIVER — City week’s online poll ■ WHERE: City Hall, 123 N.W. U.S. 19. decision to OK the permit ■ WHERE: outside the officials will tackle several in light of low-watershed Inverness Government results./Page A4 ■ big-ticket items Monday CONTACT: 352-795-4216 or crystalriverfl.org. issues and spring-flow Center. INDEX leading off with an issue issues. According to Editorial....................A8 that has more than a few to withdraw up to 76,700 inch drawdown and will be SWFWMD, the companies Crystal River eyebrows raised in the gallons per day (gpd). Aver- confined to the area of the intend to transport and sell Entertainment ..........B5 ■ WHAT: Remembrance area — the well permit ap- age daily use during the proposed well. The site of the water to an Ocala bot- Lottery Numbers ......B4 walk. Lottery Payouts ........B5 proved by the Southwest highest water use month, the well is on an old lum- tling company, Consoli- Obituaries ................A6 Florida Water Manage- or peak month, cannot ex- ber yard at 142 N.E.