Prep tennis: Lecanto boys, girls best CR on hard courts /B1 WEDNESDAY CITRUS COUNTY F O G TODAY & Thursday morning HIGH Partly cloudy with a 84 chance of showers; LOW morning fog Thursday. 52 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com MARCH 28, 2012 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOLUME 117 ISSUE 234 INSIDE CITRUS COUNTY FAIR: City to draft letter about King’s Bay ruling to fruition. rules, the council decided federal government. Now that the agency has to draft another letter of in- He even suggested maybe Crystal River must notify federal unveiled its rules, albeit a tent of litigation and have it the panel could seek the scaled-back version, city of- for the next meeting. The counsel of another attorney agency of intent to oppose plan ficials are still opposed to panel, however, has not with more experience in the plan. made a decision to sue, but such matters. A.B. SIDIBE zone from 35 mph to 25 City Manager Andy Hous- are going to issue the letter But Kitchen said he Staff Writer mph. ton told council members, to maintain an option in the would be reluctant to go Monday, during the Crys- the panel’s window for a re- future. along with any litigation CRYSTAL RIVER — City tal River City Council meet- sponse was shutting and Council member Mau- that would end up costing officials tried to find their ing, officials grappled with they had to act by the next reen McNiff suggested the the city oodles of money in footing Monday in the wake the new rules and a unified meeting set for April 9. Offi- letter option after another an unsuccessful bid. of the still fluid decision by response to what Mayor Jim cials have 30 days from the panelist, Ron Kitchen, Mayor Farley added offi- the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Farley called “ridiculous” announcement of the final asked attorney Angeliadis a cials “are obligated to do it” Service to designate King’s rules. rules to give the agency a bottom-line question. because he fears the rules Bay a manatee refuge or City and county officials 60-day notice of their inten- “Will you spend your own as they stand would be a Fair today protection zone. have been against the rules tion for litigation, according money to do this (pursue a danger to people using the Wednesday is “Senior & The service also an- when they were proposed to City Attorney George suit against USFW)? sport zone. Military Day.”/Page A2 nounced on March 15 new in June 2011 and have pre- Angeliadis. Angeliadis was equally However, when USFWS LOCAL NEWS: rules of conduct for water- viously informed the After much deliberation blunt and thought a lawsuit announced their decision, borne activities, including a USFWS of their intent to during which every mem- will be an “uphill battle” Cindy Dohner, USFWS reduction of boat speeds in pursue legal avenues ber of the panel vented and “tough” to win the area called the sport should the rules come their opposition to the against the heft of the See LETTER/ Page A5 Board: We need to Knockout Hanging around Local inventors vie for their chance at financial convince fame./Page A3 WALL STREET: public of Stocks down need for tax Consumer con- MIKE WRIGHT fidence report Staff Writer leads to shaky day on Wall INVERNESS — Citrus Street. /Page A9 County School Board mem- bers are in a position of WILDFIRES: again going to voters asking to keep what they al- ready have. The school board in Pat April is ex- Deutschman Big blaze pected to At least 23 homes have approve final wording on a been destroyed by wild- November referendum to fire near suburbs of levy .25-mill for capital or Denver./Page A12 operating programs. Special to the Chronicle The millage is already on OPINION: New Hope Methodist Church members Ted Vonderhorst, Eugene Morris, Jimmie Smith, Fran Bissonnett and Ron the books for capital spend- Taylor recently installed a bell donated by Bay News 9 viewers after they heard the story of someone stealing the ing, approved by voters in The ... church’s bell from its steeple in December. 2010. That health of miliar call to worship is sounding Clyde Edwards, one of several millage, once again. regular bell ringers, said he wasn’t which nets Donor offers bell a little more King’s Bay is On the Sunday before Christmas, there the day they discovered it “ than $2 mil- one of the church ushers tried to stolen. When he went to investigate lion and essential stored in garage ring the bell, but nothing hap- he walked around the church and costs the av- pened. At first he thought the rope saw all the slats were off on the ecologically erage home- to replace stolen had come off the bell. But as he north side of the belfry, toward the “ owner tugged on it, the rope fell to the church’s graveyard. and Bill about $25, floor. He climbed a ladder to get onto church chime Murray expires at economically Beverly Raynor, who handles the roof to take a look — no bell. the end of this year. NANCY KENNEDY church publicity, sent out an email The original church, one of the Unlike the county com- to our to the other church members. She oldest in Citrus County, began in Staff Writer mission, nearly the school wrote: “Two of our trustees went on 1830, and the first building was area. district’s entire tax rate is FLORAL CITY — For decades, the roof to try to reconnect the bell erected in 1884. The “new” church set by the state. Anything Sunday church services didn’t start rope, but to their amazement some- building was built in 1940. beyond a certain amount EDITORIAL, PAGE A10 at the historic New Hope one had climbed onto the roof, Nobody knows much about the requires voter approval. Methodist Church on Istachatta broke into the steeple and removed bell that was stolen, its size or even STATE NEWS: While board members Road without someone ringing the the bell.” what it was made out of. The last say the tax levy is not an in- steeple bell. man to climb up on the roof to re- She said they couldn’t under- crease — and could be a tax Until someone stole it, that is. stand why someone would steal a place the rope died a few years ago. When church members realized cut for people with smaller But thanks to a couple in St. Pe- church bell. “We are praying for taxable property values — tersburg who heard about the those responsible and looking for- the bell was missing, they called the sheriff ’s office to make a report. they say a united message is church’s plight and offered them a ward to our bell’s return,” she necessary to convince vot- bell they had in their garage, the fa- wrote. See CHIME/ Page A2 ers of the need. “This time is not going to be the same as last time,” board member Pat Hurricanes Deutschman said. Voters in 2010 approved Experts gather in Six firms to pitch for chance at Port Citrus study Orlando to discuss the quarter-mill by more hurricanes./Page A7 than 60 percent of the vote. CHRIS VAN ORMER lead us in the future as to proposals to be presented funds funded investigation Deutschman said the Staff Writer what direction we’re going to you,” Wesch said. into whether and how a county’s economy continues COMING UP to go as far as the port’s After discussion, the seaport within the area of to struggle and she isn’t Six firms will vie next concerned.” board decided unani- the former Cross Florida TOMORROW: sure voters will continue month for the job of con- Richard Wesch, port at- mously to hear proposals Barge Canal could be eco- that commitment. Launch failure? ducting a Port Citrus feasi- torney and county attorney, from six firms: Gulf Engi- nomically viable. The school board cannot A kayak landing at bility study. explained the method used neers & Consultants, Thorpe pointed out that place the measure on the Three Sisters might not The Citrus County Port to rank the applicants. The Martin Associates, he might not be able to ne- ballot without county com- be in future plans for Authority Board decided at nine responses to the RFQ TransSystems, Vickerman gotiate successfully with mission approval. While the property. /Thursday its Tuesday meeting to lis- were ranked by four peo- & Associates Inc., Hanson the No. 1-ranked firm and commissioners in 2010 ap- ten to proposals from six of ple: George Boyle, District Professional Services and would have to go with No. proved the ballot referen- the nine respondents to its 7 multi-modal systems ad- BEA Architects. These are 2. The negotiations would INDEX dum, they openly disagreed request for qualifications ministrator, Florida listed by score. Thorpe said be taken back to the board with it and some incorrectly Comics . .C7 (RFQ). All six will be heard Department of Transporta- Gulf Engineers scored high for approval. predicted its defeat. Community . .C5 in public sessions starting tion; Ken Frink, Citrus because of its experience In their deliberations Board member Bill Mur- Crossword . .C6 at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April County Public Works Di- with shallow draft canals, about the six firms, board ray said it’s up to board Editorial . .A10 17, at the Citrus County rector and assistant county for example. members would be given members and Superinten- Entertainment .