NASCA"
Winning
never gets
old for Jeff
Gordon.
PAGE 1B


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C I T R U S-A" t,,C 0 U N T Y


HIGH
77
LOW
55


FORECAST: Partly
cloudy, with light
winds. Patches of fog
late tonight.
PAGE 2A


90*Copyrighted Matenal




Syndicated Content



Available from Commercial News Providers"


Group pays

tribute to

Purple Heart

recipients

AMY SHANNON
ashannon@
chronicleonline.com
Chronicle
Since its conception in 1782,
the honored Purple Heart
medal has evoked emotion for
all those who understand its
significance.
About 50 people gathered at
Fallen Heroes Memorial
Monday morning to pay trib-
ute to the medal's brave recip-
ients and celebrate the
anniversary of the birth of its
creator, George Washington.
Hosted by Aaron A. Weaver
Chapter 776. Military Order of
the Purple Heart, the ceremo-
ny also honored the local sol-
dier for which the chapter is
named, who died in combat
Jan. 8, 2004.
"Fully understanding that
our priceless freedoms are not
free, (Weaver) willingly made
service to our country his life's
work despite its inherent
hardships and risks," Chapter
776 Senior Vice Commander
Jim "Doc" Ralph said.
"Aaron's inspirational person-
al courage earned him the
well-deserved recognition as a
hero."
Ralph said Weaver's com-
mitment and devotion to his
country touched many within
the community and beyond.
"He must always be remem-
bered in our hearts and in our
community as an American
warrior, and American patriot
and an American hero,"
Ralph said.
Aaron Weaver's wife. Nancy,
held their 2-year-old daughter,
Savannah, as she and Aaron's
father, Mike Weaver, stood
next to Ralph during Aaron
Weaver's tribute.
"I think it's a wonderful
thing that (Aaron's) recognized

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Jimriv ehsoes
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Houg-8


DAVE SIGLER Chronicle
Jim "Doc" Ralph, senior vice commander of Aaron A. Weaver Chapter 776 Military Order of the Purple Heart, reads a trib-
ute to Chief Warrant Officer Aaron Weaver on Monday during a ceremony at the Fallen Heroes Memorial In Bicentennial
Park In Crystal River. Aaron's widow, Nancy Weaver, and father, Mike Weaver, Joined Ralph during the presentation.


and that everyone is remem-
bered," Nancy Weaver said. "I
would like everyone to
remember that there are still
thousands of soldiers still over
there."
The Presidents' Day cere-
mony ended with a 21-gun
salute fired by members of the
Marine Corps League Citrus
Detachment 819. Bugle player
Paul Maurer performed Taps.
"It's an honor to present
the Colors and anything that
pertains to the military," said
Ted Archambault. a Pearl
Harbor survivor, who partici-
pated in the salute. "We are
more than willing."
Lecanto High School Army
JROTC Color Guard members
presented and retired the
National Colors. Prior to the
tribute. Patriot Don Guard
presented a history of the
Purple Heart.


The oldest military decora-
tion in the world that is still in
use, the award was created by
George Washington, Am-
erica's first president, as a
military merit used to recog-
nize outstanding soldiers,
Guard said.
In 1932, it was revived and
became known as the Purple
Heart. It is awarded to mem-
bers of the U.S. Armed Forces
who are wounded by an instru-
ment of war in the hands of the
enemy. Guard said.
Purple Heart veterans gath-
ered at the Fallen Heroes
Memorial In Bicentennial Park
during a ceremony to honor
our fallen heroes. Florida
Commander of the Military
Order of the Purple Heart
Donald Washbish salutes the
flag during the Pledge of
Allegiance at the
ceremony.


County auditor's report prompts further questions


TERRY WITT
terrywitt@chronicleonline.com
Chronicle
The Citrus County Commission's
auditor released a report Monday
aimed at shedding light on whether the
board has millions of dollars in cash in
the budget it may not have known about
. But the 13-page report from Williams,
McCranie and Sutton provided no lay-
man's explanation about how $7.6 mil-
lion of "cash carry forward funds" came
to exist in the budget or how much of


N Annie's Mailbox ... 5C
W Movies .......... 6C
o Comics . 6C
Crossword ........ 5C
Editorial .... . 10A
Horoscope .... . 6C
Obituaries ....... 6A
Community ...... 7A
Three Sections


6 5 8 20025 5


the cash is unrestricted.
Commissioners wanted the report to
explain what the county staff meant by
cash carry forward, and how much
unrestricted cash they have to spend.
That issue may have some bearing on
whether the board decides at today's


Follow your heart


Cardiovascular disease is just as serious
for women as it is for men./1C


county commission meeting whether to
fund 27 paid firefighters with a
Municipal Services Benefit Unit tax. A
public hearing is set for 1:50 p.m. to dis-
cuss the MSBU.
Commissioners wondered out loud
two weeks ago if they had raised the


Clucky charm


Abigail the hen provides a diversion for
animal services employees./3A


tourism tax by a penny last year when
they may have unknowingly had
enough cash in reserve to pay the bills.
Likewise, some wonder now if they
have the cash to pay for the firefighters.
County Commissioner Gary Bartell,
who requested the audit report, said he
had scanned it and felt it was a step in
the right direction, but he wasn't ready
to comment on its contents.
"We're a lot further along than before,
but the question I have is why did it

Please see ;:;'. .T/Page 5A


Kids think manatees
tt P^tM


Elementary school students get a hands-
on lesson in manatees./Wednesday


Educators

learn

'hidden

rules' of

poverty

MIKE WRIGHT
wright@
chronicleonline.com
Chronicle

About 150 Citrus County
educators gathered Monday to
learn a new language.
This language is spoken
daily in their classrooms, but
may be so subtle that teachers
miss it
Or, the language is spoken at
home and never brought out
publicly.
It's the language of poverty.
Teachers, principals, social
workers and guidance coun-
selors participated in a day-
long seminar at Citrus Springs
Middle School designed to bet-
ter prepare them to educate
the thousands of Citrus County
children who live in poverty.
The seminar was headed by
Jim Littlejohn, a consultant
with' aha! Process Inc., a
Texas-based company founded
in 1994 by Ruby Payne, an
expert in understanding dif-
ferences between social class-
es in school settings.
Littlejohn focused much of
his talk on "generational
poverty," or those whose lives
in poverty span at least two
generations and poverty is the
only life they know.
IHe brought out a litany of
common-sense ideals that
arise from generational pover-
ty. For example, he noted that
the electric bill for middle-
class residents is a routine
monthly payment; for the poor,
it's a struggle.
"In generational poverty, if I
turn on the lights and the lights
go on, it's a good day," he said.
Children from poor families
come to school carrying bag-
gage that their middle-class
counterparts cannot imagine,
he said. Those barriers
include:
Television, and not books
or newspapers, may be the pri-
mary source of information at
home. Children who do not
learn to read at home have a
tougher time in school.
People who live in poverty
tend to move frequently as
bills pile up. Studies show that
mobility decreases academic
achievement because children
feel less secure.
Because they are poor,
families do not plan ahead and
instead live for the day or the
week. "In school, successful
students know how to plan,"
Littlejohn said. "To be success-
ful in school, they need to
learn a structure and how to
make good choices."
Many people in poverty
resolve conflict much differ-
ently than the middle- or
upper-class, often physically
Littlejohn said teachers must


Please see


/Page 5A


Amphibious
outlaw
MA man escaped
police by swim-
ming away
Monday./3A
SThe Parade of
Homes begins
this weekend./3A
* Lebanese turn out
to protest Syrian
domination./12A


COUNTY COMMISSION MEETING TODAY
N County commissioners will meet at 1 p.m. today in the courthouse in
Inverness. The public hearing on levying a Municipal Services Benefit Unit
begins at 1:50 p.m., while a workshop on impact fees starts at 2:30 p.m.


I --T,-U.ff*,OAY "


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CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE


ENTERTAINMENT


2 A 'TVQ..^ 1 R T U.). 9 .9 nnle


fl A k UESDAYl, rFEBRUARYt 22s, Aafls


Florida
LOTTERIES
a Here are the
winning numbers
selected Monday in
the Florida
Lottery:

CASH 3
4-3-3
PLAY 4
3-5-8-8
FANTASY 5
6 7 12 16 24


SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20
Cash 3:6 5 1
Play4:2-1-3-1
Fantasy 5:4 16 21 29 35
5-of-5 3 winners $63,284.64
4-of-5 224 $136.50
3-of-5 7,154 $11.50
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19
Cash 3:8 6 0
Play4: 5-8-3- 9
Fantasy 5:4 6 12 14 33
5-of-5 3 winners $93,715.68
4-of-5 410 $110.50
3-of-5 12,812 $9.50
Lotto: 7 13 26-28 34 43
6-of-6 1 winner $14 million
5-of-6 121 $4,171.50
4-of-6 6,506 $63
3-of-6 123,676 $4.50
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18
Cash 3:2-1 5
Play 4:4 0 9- 1
Fantasy 5:. 5 20-24-30-31
5-of-5 2 winners $132,638.30
4-of-5 320 $133.50
3-of-5 10,257 $11.50
Mega Money: 1-14- 18 938
Mega Ball: 1
4-of-4 MB No winner
4-of-4 10 $3,095.50
3-of-4MB 73 $927
3-of-4 1,747 $115.50
2-of-4 MB 2,422 $58.50
2-of-4 56,508. $4
1-of-4 MB 20,986 $7
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17
Cash 3:5-3-4
Play 4: 6-6- 1 -7
Fantasy 5: 14 16 18 23 28
5-of-5 4 winners $58,775.84
4-of-5 350 $108
3-of-5 10,596 $10
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16
CAsh 3:4- 1 -4
Play 4: 2-8-2-5
Fantasy 5: 5 6 -14 20 32
5-of-5 No winner $41.594.09
4-of-5 294 $986.50
3-of-5 10,009 $11
Lotto: 6 7 8 35 48 52

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
U To verify the accuracy of
winning lottery numbers,
players should double-check
the numbers printed above
with numbers officially posted
by the Florida Lottery. On the
Web, go to www.flalottery
cornr; by telephone, call (850)
487-7777.


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TUESDAY
FEBRUARY 22, 2005
www.chronlcleonline.com


is I !


Escaped man still at large


Man continues to evade police after fleeing

traffic stop and swimming to Levy County


AMY SHANNON
ashannon@chronicleonline.com
Chronicle


Recently released from jail, an
man wasn't interested in going
without a fight Monday morning
sheriff's deputy attempted to ste
for an expired tag.
Leroy Fred Barnes, 28, swam


Parade


of Homes


showcases


latest


trends


CHERI HARRIS
charris@chronicleonline.com
Chronicle

Check out the latest home
designs and find inspiring dec-
orating ideas during the Citrus
County Builders Association's
2005 Parade of Homes.
The event starts Saturday
and will continue through
March 13. Model hours are 10
a.m. to 5 p.m. during the
Parade.
Katie Lucas, who is chairing
this year's Parade committee,
said 19 builders have entered
a total of 27 models in the
event, which includes the 2005
Showcase Home built by
Sweetwater Homes of Citrus
Inc. The Showcase Home is at
11 Woodfield Circle in
Homosassa.
Lucas said the price tag for
the Showcase Home in
Southern Woods is $448,445.
Many participating CCBA con-
tractors donated material or
labor to build the house or pro-
vided supplies for the home at
a reduced cost Proceeds from
the sale of the home will bene-
fit the CCBA.
Builders participating in the
Parade. are: Artistic Homes,
Berger Construction Inc.,
Cardiff Construction,
Carrollwood Development,
Dream Custom Homes of
Citrus Inc., Fagan
Construction, Flynn Builders
Inc., Gold Crest Homes Inc.,
Lexington Homes, Lindhorst
Construction Inc., Richard A.
VanOrden, Royal Coachman
Homes Inc., Rusaw Home
Builders, SanderSon Bay Fine
Homes, Signature Homes,
Sweetwater Homes of Citrus
Inc., Tampa Bay Builders,
Valley Brook Fine Homes and
Wheeler Construction Inc.
Many of the models have
been professionally decorated,
including the Showcase Home,
so visiting them is a great way
to get decorating ideas.
Maps of all the parade
homes will be available in
some parade models. Maps
will also be available during
the Parade at CCBA headquar-
ters at 1196 S. Lecanto
Highway, Lecanto.
Model home prices range
from $135,400 to $546,900, a big
increase from the 2003 Parade
of Homes models, which
ranged from about $87,000 to
$342,000.
Lucas said the price jump is
due in part to materials
increases as well as new tech-
nology in the homes.
"There's a price range for
just about anybody," Lucas
said. "It's going to be a great
show."
Judges will evaluate the
models according to price cat-
egory for awards such as best
exterior, best kitchen, best
floor plan and most innovative
and creative design.
For more information about
the 2005 Parade of Homes, call
746-9028 or visit the Parade
Web site at www.citrusparade-
ofhomes.com/.


the Withlacoochee River, successfully
evading sheriff's deputies at the border
of Citrus and Levy counties.
The "habitual traffic offender" got
out of his vehicle and jumped into the
river just after 11 a.m., sheriff's spokes-
woman Gail Tierney said. Sheriff's avi-
ation and K-9 units got involved in the
search, though Barnes had not been
located by Monday evening.


. Tierney said Levy County sheriff's
deputies also became involved in the
case because the man lives in neighbor-
ing Inglis.
"He's well-known to law enforcement
in Levy County," Tierney said.
Barnes is now out on parole for an
Aug. 9, 2003, arrest on charges of resist-
ing/obstructing an officer without vio-
lence and driving while license sus-
pended/revoked.
If caught, Barnes could face a charge
of resisting/obstructing an officer with-
out violence for his stunt, in addition to
traffic charges of an expired tag and
driving while license suspend-


ed/revoked, Tierney said.
A warrant for Barnes' arrest has not
been issued, she said.
Monday's chase isn't the first or the
only recent time someone's jumped
in the river with sheriff's deputies hot
on their trail.
On Jan. 5, sheriff's deputies arrested
James Blair Bailey, 24, Inglis, who
jumped in the Withlacoochee River
after a deputy attempted to make a traf-
fic stop. Sheriff 's deputies arrested
Bailey on charges of driving while
license is suspended/revoked and
resisting/obstructing an officer without
violence.


Chicken has eggcentric habit


DAVE SIGLER/Chronicle
Abigail the chicken has shown who is in charge of the chicken coop, or in this case one of the offices, in the kennels at the
Citrus County Animal Shelter. Abby has made a habit each morning of laying an egg on the desk of Marian Rogers since she
was picked up in an animal cruelty case. The shelter has kept the birds around for pest control.

Citrus County Animal Shelter staffpleased to be in 'fowl' temper


TERRY WITT
terrywitt@
chronicleonline.com
Chronicle
Abigail is a chicken on a
mission at Citrus County
Animal Services.
Each day, the determined
hen shows up at the office
door of staff member Marian
Rogers and makes noise
until the door opens and she
is allowed in.


The routine is always the
same' from there. Once
inside, she stands at the foot
of Rogers' desk and growls
until she is allowed on top of
the desk
Then she lays an egg amid
the office papers. And leaves.
"She's just made Marian's
desk her laying field of
choice," Rawls explained.
Abby was one of about a
dozen chickens picked up a
month ago in a cruelty case.


Rawls said she has found a
good use for the hens on
roach patrol. The chickens
feed on the roaches, reduc-
ing the amount of pesticide
needed, Rawls said. And the
rooster does his job, crowing
at sunrise.
Abby is not the first animal
to find a home at animal
services.
George, the official compa-
ny cat, has a regal demeanor
and sleeps much of the time.


But he is a calming influence
to all who come within his
orbit, asleep or awake.
Rawls considers George a
valuable asset to animal con-
trol. Like Abby, he brightens
the day in an office where
euthanasia occurs routinely.
The atmosphere is nearly
always high stress.
"It's nice to sit on the lawn
and watch the chickens peck-
ing and taking dust baths,"
Rawls said.


International festival to take place this weekend


Special to the Chronicle


If you like Polish sausage, barbecued
ribs, Spanish meat pies, Irish soda bread
and German sauerkraut, visit the In-
ternational Festival on Saturday in
Beverly Hills.
Throw in a few desserts, colorful cos-
tumes, entertainment, free parking and
free admission and it's sure to be a great
day at the annual international Festival on
the grounds of Beverly Park near the
Beverly Hills Recreation Association's
clubhouse.
On the stage at the park, expect to see a
Chinese Style Show, a Boomba Band, line
dancers, ballroom dancers and ethnic


songs. The entertainment will be continu-
ous throughout the day. Dennis Miller,
executive director of the Citrus Chamber
of Commerce, will serve as the master of
ceremonies.
Visitors to the event should bring their
own chairs.
"American Avenue" will feature busi-
nesses that support the festival and will be
there to show visitors a little bit of what
they are all about.
At The Visitor's booth, a Chinese
Auction will provide opportunities to
"bid" on a number of items, including golf
packages, certificates for canoe and Jon
boat rentals, T-shirts, stuffed animals and
more.


Ethnic groups that will be participating
are the German American Club, the Polish
American Social Club of Beverly Hills, the
Spanish American Club of Citrus County,
Wei Wei Ritzhaupt (Chinese), Afro-
American Club, Irish American Club and
Irish American Club of West Citrus County.
Flags of countries from around the
world will be on display at the entrance to
the park, which is at the foot of Beverly
Hills Boulevard, off County Road 491. The
site can also be reached from County Road
486, on Forest Ridge Boulevard., turning
into the Beverly Hills site at Beverly Park.
The event officially begins at 10 a.m. and
ends at 4 p.m. The rain date is Sunday.


R, ""1 "CopyrigIited Material


- m 40-G
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_-Syndicated Content -


CountyBRIEFS

Fund established
for Dollar children
A trust has been established
for the Dollar children, whose
parents are accused of torturing,
starving and abusing them.
All of the donated money will
benefit the children and cannot
be used for any purpose other
than for these children.
Checks should be made out
to the DOLLAR CHILDREN
TRUST and may be sent to any
branch of SuhTrust Bank or
mailed to the care of: Joanne
Bartell, Trustee, 8985 W. White
Dogwood Drive, Homosassa, FL
34448.
Any questions may be direct-
ed to Mrs. Bartell at (352) 212-
2339 or Gary Bartell, a Citrus
County commissioner, at 628-
9684.
Page program
taking applicants
U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite
is accepting applications for the
summer 2005 Republican Page
Program.
The first summer session will
last from June 13 to July 1, and
the second summer session will
begin July 11 and conclude on
July 29. Interested applicants
should contact Brown-Waite's
district office toll free at (866)
492-4835 to request an applica-
tion.
All applicants will be required
to complete an application form
with the following information:
Social Security number, official
high school transcript, resume of
extracurricular activities, three
letters bf recommendation and a
50-100 word essay on why they
want to be a Republican Page.
Each Republican member of
Congress may submit two appli-
cations for admission to the
summer page program. With
only 44 slots available for 232
members, the selection process
for the summer sessions is both
rigorous and challenging.
All application materials must
be returned by March 22.
Voter registration
honors black history
The Citrus County Supervisor
of Elections will have a voter
registration drive honoring Black
History Month from 11 a.m. to 4
p.m. Saturday at Whispering
Pines Park in Inverness.
Election office staff will regis-
ter new voters, take signature
updates and name, address or
party affiliation changes.
Call 341-6740.
From staff reports








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CITRus COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE


State Attorney officials dropped
a charge against Terrence Joseph
Dolan on Jan. 28 due to an uncoop-
erative victim. Dolan was arrested
on a charge of aggravated assault
with intent to commit a felony June
27, 2004.
Citrus County Sheriff
Arrests
Gordon Willis Wheeler, 41,
2506 N. Lakefront Drive, Hemando,
at 6:39 p.m. Sunday on a charge of
fleeing/attempting to elude a police
officer and possession of a con-
trolled substance.
His bond was set at $20,000.
Michele Farias, 38, 8110 E.
Bayberry Lane, Floral City, at 2:57
am. Monday on a charge of driving
while license suspended/revoked and
possession of drug paraphernalia.
Her bond was set at $1,000.
Paul Vincent Free, 20, 583 E.
Lasalle St., Hemando, at 2:50 p.m.
Monday on a charge of grand theft
of a firearm.
His bond was set $2,000.
Burglaries
A burglary was reported
Thursday, between 5:45 a.m. and
6:10 a.m. Thursday, at a residence
at the 4700 block of West Pine
Ridge Boulevard, Beverly Hills.
M A burglary was reported at 5:50
a.m. Friday, between 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 15, and 4 p.m.
Thursday, at a residence at the 4500
block of West Homosassa Trail,
Lecanto.
E A burglary to a storage shed was
reported at 11:48 a.m. Friday,
between 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11, and
10:30 a.m. Friday, at the 1700 block
of South Sioux Road, Homosassa.
E A burglary was reported at 1:15
p.m. Friday, between 5:30 p.m.
Thursday and 7 a.m. Friday, at a
residence at the 800 block of
South Gray Way, Inverness.
M A burglary was reported at 1:51
p.m. Friday, between 7 a.m.. and
9:30 a.m. Thursday, at South
Monroe Street, Beverly Hills.
N A burglary was reported at 3:54
p.m. Friday, between 7:15 a.m. and
3:49 p.m. Friday, at a residence at
the 3600 block of East Walker
Street, Inverness.
A burglary was reported at 6:33
p.m. Friday, between 12:45 p.m. and
3:20 p.m. Saturday, at a residence
at the 6600 block of North Tram
Road, Hernando.
A burglary was reported
Saturday at a residence at the 3700
block of West Ivy Street,
Dunnellon. The burglary occurred
at 9:47 p.m. Saturday.
A .representative of Larry's
Auto Sales, South Suncoast
Boulevard, Homosassa, reported at
11:42 a.m. Sunday a burglary and
vandalism, between 8:45 a.m.
Saturday and 11:30 a.m. Sunday, at
the business.
A burglary was reported at 1:19
p.m. Sunday, between 2:30 p.m.
Saturday and noon Sunday, at a
residence at the 7500 block of
West Dunklin Street, Dunnellon.
A burglary was reported at 8:12
p.m. Sunday, between 1 p.m. and
7:43 p.m. Sunday, at a residence at
the 4400 block of North Custer
Terrace, Hernando.
Thefts
A theft was reported at 11:31
a.m. Friday, at a residence at the
1200 block of North Carnevale
Terrace, Lecanto. The theft
occurred at 11:31 a.m. Friday.
A theft was reported at 12:30
p.m. Friday, between 7 a.m. and
3:30 p.m. Thursday, at the 3400
block of West Cherub Court,
Lecanto.
An employee at Circle K,
South Suncoast Boulevard,
Homosassa, reported at 6:33 p.m.
Friday, between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Friday, at the business.
An employee at the Outback,
State Road 44 West, Inverness,
reported at 10:05 p.m. Friday, at
theft, between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Friday, at the restaurant.
A theft was reported at 7:09
p.m. Saturday, between 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 10, and 6 p.m.
Saturday, at the 2900'block of East
George Street, Inverness.
EAtheft was reported at 8:50 a.m.
Sunday, between noon Tuesday,
Feb. 15, and 6 p.m. Friday, at a resi-
dence at the 8600 block of East
Keating Park Street, Floral City.
A representative of Lexington
Homes, reported at 1:30 p.m.
Sunday a theft to a construction site,
between 6 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m.
Saturday, at Torenia Verbenas
Court, Homosassa.
A representative of Gulfview
Jewelry, Marioner Boulevard,
Spring Hill, reported Sunday a theft
at a flea market at the 6300 block of
South Suncoast Boulevard,
Homosassa. The theft occurred at


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2:58 p.m. Sunday.
A theft was reported at 11:31
p.m. Sunday, between noon and 11
p.m. Sunday, at the 2900 block of
East Chaparral Lane, Hernando.
A theft was reported at 12:46
a.m. Monday, between 9 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 16, and 12:05 a.m.
Monday, at a residence at the 9800
block of WJL Court, Crystal River.
Vandalism
A representative of Citrus
County Animal Control, South
Airport Road, Inverness, reported at
11:27 a.m. Friday, vandalism to ani-
mal traps, between 5 p.m. Thursday


and 11:27 a.m. Friday, at the 2700
block of North Crede Avenue,
Crystal River.
A case of vandalism to mail-
boxes was reported at 11:57 p.m.
Friday at the 200 block of North
Fresno Avenue, Hernando.
A case of vandalism was
reported at 10:15 a.m. Saturday at a
business parking lot at the 200
block of U.S. 41 South, Inverness.
The vandalism occurred at 10 a.m.
Saturday.
A case of vandalism to a vehi-
cle was reported at 9:44 p.m.
Saturday, between 1 p.m. and 9:40
p.m. Saturday, at a business parking
lot at the 2400 block of North
Florida Avenue, Hernando.
An employee at Papa John's
Pizza, State Road 44 West,
Inverness, reported at 10:52 p.m.
Saturday at case of vandalism, at
10:52 p.m. Saturday, at the restaurant.
A representative of Flowers
Bakery, State Road 44 West,


Inverness, reported at 11:19 p.m.
Saturday a case of vandalism, at
10:52 p.m. Saturday, at the busi-
ness.
A case of vandalism was
reported at 12:16 a.m. Sunday,
between 9:30 p.m. Saturday and
12:01 a.m. Sunday, at the 100 block
of East Dampier Street,
Inverness.
A case of vandalism was
reported at 7:40 a.m. Sunday,
between 6:15 p.m. Friday and 4
p.m. Saturday, at a residence at the
5500 block of East Tenison Street,
Inverness.
A case of vandalism to a vehi-
cle was reported at 8:27 a.m.
Sunday, between 6:30 p.m.
Saturday and 8:25 a.m. Sunday, at
the 200 block of North Apopka
Avenue, Inverness.
A case of vandalism was
reported at 8:30 a.m. Sunday,
between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.'
Saturday, at a residence at the 6700


block of West HIIger Court,
Homosassa.
A case of vandalism to a vehi-
cle was reported at 10:06 a.m.
Sunday, between 11:50 p.m.
Saturday and 10:05 a.m. Sunday, at
the 2800 block of East North
Street, Inverness.
A case of vandalism was
reported at 11:47 a.m. Sunday,
between 7 p.m. Saturday and 11
a.m. Sunday, at a business parking
lot at the 2600 block of South
Suncoast Boulevard,
Homosassa.
A representative of Tropical
Window Tinting, South Suncoast
Boulevard, Homosassa, reported at
12:38 p.m. Sunday a case of van-
dalism, between noon Saturday and
Sunday, at the business.
N A case of vandalism to a vehicle
was reported at 1:05 a.m. Monday at
the 2300 block of North Lakefront
Drive, Hernando. The vandalism
occurred at 1 a.m. Monday.


w. *.- -
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-- Syndicated Content


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Available from Commercial News Providers"


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CITRUS CouNTY (FL) CHRONICLE


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AUDIT
Continued from Page 1A

take so long?" Bartell said.
Bartell began digging for
information on Dec. 4 when he
learned the Tourism Devel-
opment Council, which he
chairs, had a cash reserve esti-
mated at about $250,000 that he
knew nothing about The money


was listed as cash carry forward.
As more questions were
asked, commissioners found a
budget item showing $7.6 mil-
lion in cash carry forward
funds.
Staff had difficulty explain-
ing what cash carry forward
meant Bartell asked the audi-
tors to write a report he hoped
would clear up the questions.
The Chronicle was unable to
speak with accountant Robert


Wardlow of Williams,
McCranie and Sutton to ask
how much unrestricted cash is
available in the budget. A sec-
retary for the company said
this is tax time for accountants
and their time is limited.
Assistant County Admin-
istrator Ken Saunders said
county staff would not be able
to comment on the cash carry
forward issue because two
county commissioners had not


received their pre-meeting
briefings. Saunders said they
have a policy of not talking
about issues before all five
board members are briefed.
Commission Chairwoman
Vicki Phillips said Cathy Taylor,
the county's director of manage-
ment and budget, has briefed
her about the cash, and Phillips
said she is satisfied there is no
huge sum of unrestricted
money available to the board.


Phillips believes, however,
that the board could tap into
about $1.9 million of unrestrict-
ed money in the general oper-
ating budget and $435,000 in the
occupational license fund, plus
a few other funds scattered
around the budget, based on
what she learned from Taylor.
Phillips said she wants the
county commission budget to
be written in a more user-
friendly way in the future. She


suggested writing the budget,
the way it was when she first o
became commissioner. She
said the budget format was
changed at the request of
County Commissioner Jim T
Fowler.
Phillips has asked Taylor to
prepare two examples how the
budget can be written, one
illustrating the current format
and one showing how it was
written a decade ago.
u-


POVERTY
Continued from Page 1A

tell children they live under
two sets of rules: home rule
and school rule.
Littlejohn called these traits
"hidden rules" of poverty that
those outside of poverty may
not understand or compre-
hend. It's an educator's job to
expect that behavior from poor
children.
To conquer it, he said, teach-
ers must be specific and direct.
They should not allow children
to use their economic status as


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a crutch; rather they should
feed a child's personal strength
to encourage learning.


Stephany L. Brower
Mortgage Loan
Originator 433950


Participants on
afternoon said the
broke a complex


Monday
seminar
problem


down into easy pieces.
'All of us can now speak the
same language," said Linda
Powers, a Citrus County School
Board member and former mid-
dle school guidance counselor.
"The first thing is understanding
the people you're dealing with.
Now all of us will be in the same
taxi, going to the same place."
Social worker John Yule said
educators must understand a
child's life outside of school for
that child to find success in
school.
"It's very important to real-
ize that kids are coming to
school from different situa-
tions," he said. "Their basic


needs have to be met first"
Bruce Bellamy, an Inverness
resident who has grandchil-
dren in the school district,
attended at the invitation of the
district's strategic aims com-
mittee.
"They're trying to find ways
to close the gap of student
achievement between people
in poverty and the others," he


C Il I FT U S


said. "Hopefully, teachers will
be able to take this information ,
back to the classroom and rec-
ognize it in students."
As a youth coach, Bellamy z
said understanding that home
life is key. -
"Until you know what kinds T
of things are going on at home," :
he said, "you don't know why '
there's a problem."


C 0 U f T N


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tal River, FL 34429
orly Hills office: Visitor
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TI.wr. BOW6rlid

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;rly Hills, FL


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I | ..s. ... ..i
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Homosassa office: Beacon

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3852 S. Suncoast Blvd.,
Homosassa, FL 34446


. Who's In charge:


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*Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is effective as of date of publication and may change thereafter. Penalty for early withdrawal. $10,000 minimum '. ;usit; $250,000 maximum
per household. Personal accounts only. **APY comparisons based on independent shopping survey of other institutions' term accounts' APYs as oi 02/15/05. ttMost gifts shown
are available through the Inverness branch. All gifts available by ordering through the Inverness branch. $10,000 minimum deposit to receive gift; funds must come from a financial
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POVERTY STRIKES
* 11 million children 1 in 6 live in poverty. Of those, 4 mil-
lion are younger than age 6.
* In 2003, the poverty threshold for a family of two breadwin-
ners was $11,752 a year.
* Many parents in poverty do not want their children to attend
college because children are their most prized possession.
* Children in homes with non-biological parents have a higher
chance of being victims of child abuse than those in homes
with biological parents.
* Children in poverty gain respect through personal strength.
Source: aha! Process Inc. For more, go to wwiv.asaprocess.com.


m ----I


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Gerry Mulligan ................... ................. Publisher, 563-3222
Charlie Brennan ................... ................... Editor, 563-3225
Tim Hess .............................. Director of Operations, 563-3227
John Provost ............................. Advertising Director, 563-3240
Neale Brennan ...... Promotions/Community Affairs Manager, 563-6363
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A TUESDAY, FERlIIUARY 5 UJ)


Alice Armes, 88
HERNANDO
Alice L. Armes, 88, Her-
nando, died Friday, Feb. 18,
2005, in Inverness.
Born March 19, 1916, to
Edgar and Hallie Watson, she
moved here 24 years ago from
her native Louisville, Ky.
Mrs. Armes formerly worked
as a grocery cashier.
She was a member of Dover
Chapel in Kentucky, Hernando
Baptist Church and First
Cumberland Church of
Hernando.
Her husband, Verrion Armes,
preceded her in death Oct 2,
1990.
Survivors include a son,
John Armes of Hernando;
daughter, Norma Vibert of
Taylorsville, Ky.; brother,
Leonard Tucker of Kentucky;
14 grandchildren; and two
great-grandchildren.
Hooper Funeral Home,
Inverness.

Robert Binney, 80
CRYSTAL RIVER
Robert Murray Binney, 80,
Crystal River, died Sunday,
Feb. 20, 2005, at Seven Rivers
Regional Medical Center in
Crystal River.
Born Jan. 29, 1925, in
Cambridge, Mass., to Ralph M.
and Mildred J.
(Roberts) Bin-
ney, he moved
to this area
nine years ago
from Chatham,
Mass.
Mr. Binney retired after 41
years of service as vice presi-
dent of the trust department of
the Bay Bank, Dedham, Mass.
He was a World War II U.S.
Navy veteran.
He was a member of the
Neholden Masonic Lodge in
Needham, Mass., and the
Scottish Rite, Boston, Mass.
He was a member of the St
Christopher Episcopalian
Church in Chatham, Mass., and
attended the St. Timothy
Lutheran Church in Crystal
River
Mr. Binney was preceded in
death by his first wife, Corinne
MacPherson Binney, in 1990.
Survivors include his wife,
Dorothea Binney of Crystal
River; one son, Bruce Binney
and wife, Karen, of Worchester,
Mass.; two stepsons, John
Maloney of Livermore, Colo;,
and David Maloney of Hyannis,
Mass.; two daughters, Eliza-
beth A. Binney of 'Bangor,
Maine, and Karen R. Holleran
of Vancouver, Wash.; a brother,
Ralph E. Binney and wife,
Barbara, of Brockton, Mass.;
two sisters, Elizabeth B. Lewis
of Winston Salem, N.C., and
Janet B. Cofran of Sandwich,
Mass.; five grandchildren; two
step. grandchildren; and one
great-granddaughter.
Strickland Funeral Home,
Crystal River.

William Diehl, 90
HOMOSASSA
William Charles Diehl, 90,
Homosassa, died Saturday,
Feb. 19, 2005, at Cypress Cove
Care Center in Crystal River.
Born. July 4, 1914, in Bronx,
N.Y, to Henry and Eleanor
(Goodenough) Diehl, he came
here 18 years
ago from West
Hampton
Beach, N.Y.
Mr. Diehl
was a comput-
er programmer for The
Guardian Life Insurance. Co.
with 48 years of service.
He was a World War II U.S.
Navy veteran.
He was preceded in death by
two sons, Richard and William.
Survivors include his wife of


21 years, Leonora B. (Gruen-
feld) Diehl of Homosassa;
daughter, Geraldine Diehl of
Yonkers, N.Y; stepsons, Gary V
Raymond of Eton, Ga.; step-
daughter, Barbara E. Capperell
of Tucson, Ariz.; five grandchil-
dren, Laureen, Cynthia, John,
Richard and Denise; several
great-grandchildren; and sev-
eral great-great-grandchildren.
Wilder Funeral Home,
Homosassa Springs.

Richard Gatto, 59
BEVERLY HILLS
Richard Joseph Gatto, 59,
Beverly Hills, died, Saturday,
Feb. 19, 2005, in Gainesville.
Born Sept 8,
1945, in
Brooklyn, N.Y,
to Frank and
Rose Gatto, he
moved to
Beverly Hills in 1996 from
Farmingville, Long Island, N.Y.
Mr. Gatto was a carpenter
and a U.S. Army veteran.
Survivors include his wife,
Marjorie Gatto of Beverly
Hills; two daughters, Jennifer
Rose Richard and husband,
Aaron, of Beverly Hills and
Laura Ann Gatto of Beverly
Hills; sister, Victoria Suhr of
Beverly Hills; and several
nieces and nephews.
Heinz Funeral Home and
Cremation, Inverness.

Florence
Marzloff, 88
INVERNESS
Florence R. Marzloff, 88,
Inverness, died Sunday, Feb.
20, 2005, at Citrus Memorial
Hospital.
Born Aug. 5, 1916, in Newark,
N.J., she came here 35 years
ago from Point Pleasant, N.J.
Mrs. Marzloff was a retired'
secretary for the State of
Florida Game & Wildlife
Department
She was a member of the
VFW Post 4337 Ladies. Auxil-
iary and the DAV Post 70
Ladies Auxiliary both of In-
verness.
She was Catholic.
Survivors include her hus-
band of 58 years, John S.
Marzloff; her sister, Gertrude
McGary of Florida; four grand-
children; and several great-
grandchildren.
Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home
with Crematory, Inverness.
Audrey
Palmiter, 85
BEVERLY HILLS
Audrey Palmiter, 85, Beverly
Hills, died Saturday, Feb. 19,
2005, in Hernando.
Mrs. Palmiter was born Feb.
18, 1920, in New York
She was a homemaker and
she was Lutheran.
She is survived by her niece,
Clara Posey, of Destin.
Heinz Funeral Home &
Cremation, Inverness.

Freda Patten, 87
INVERNESS
Freda M. Patten, 87,
In-verness, died Sunday, Feb.
20, 2005, in Brentwood Health
Care of Lecanto.
A native of Hibbertsburg,
Tenn., she was born Nov. 12,
1917, to Joseph and Myrtle
Brown and came to this area in
1982 from Fort Myers.
Mrs. Patten was employed as
a secretary for the Fairfax
Christian Church of Indian-
apolis, Ind., for many years and
was a member of the
Cornerstone Baptist Church in
Inverness.
Survivors include her hus-
band of 67 years, Robert Patten
of Inverness; two sisters, Mona
Loutt and Doloris King both of
Indianapolis, Ind.; and several


& CREMATORY


nieces and nephews.
Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home
with Crematory, Inverness.

James Ryan, 92
HOMOSASSA
James B. Ryan, 92, Hom-
osassa, died Friday, Feb. 18,
2005, in Crystal River.
Born Oct. 28, 1912, in New
York City, N.Y, to James and
Mary Ellen Ryan, he moved
here from Lake Carmel, N.Y.,
23 years ago.
Mr. Ryan was a graduate of
Columbia University, a retired
teacher and a member of St
Benedict Catholic Church,
Crystal River.
He was preceded in death by
his wife, Mary B. Ryan.
. Survivors include one son,
James B. Ryan of Lyman, Wyo.;
two stepsons, John Murphy of
Haden Lake, Idaho and
Raymond Murphy of Las Vegas,
Nev.; one stepdaughter, Mar-
garet Kemmerer of Princeton,
N.J.; and 12 grandchildren.

Bruce
Schroeder, 61
INVERNESS
Bruce Allan Schroeder, 61,
Inverness, died Saturday, Feb.
19, 2005, at Citrus Memorial
Hospital.
A native of Staten Island,
N.Y, he was born June 14, 1943,
to Mildred (Hansen) Schroeder
and Harry A.
Schroeder Jr.,
he came to this
area 35 years
ago.
Mr. Schroe-
der was a veteran of the U.S.
Army, having served in Ger-
many in the Signal Corps., and
he was a land surveyor.
He was Moravian.
His enjoyment of life includ-
ed the arts and literature.
He was preceded in death by
his father, Harry A. Schroeder
Jr., in 1979.
Survivors include his moth-
er, Mildred Hansen Schroeder
of Inverness; and sister,
Marlene Schroeder of Ocala.
Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home
with Crematory, Inverness.

Martha
Shafer, 89
CRYSTAL RIVER
Martha T Shafer, 89, Crystal
River, died Sunday, Feb. 20,
2005, at Cypress Cove Care
Center of Crystal River.
A native of New Haven,
Conn., she was born May 1,
1915, to Robert and Augusta
Townley and came to Citrus
County in 1974 from Long
Island, N.Y.
She was a retired secretary,
having been a hospital ward
clerk and office secretary for a
medical practice.
She was Episcopalian.
Her husband, Charles B.
Shafer, preceded her in death
June 13,2004; and her son, Tom
Shafer, preceded her on April
23, 2003.
Survivors include one son,
Ralph D. Shafer of Reno, Nev.;
one daughter, Sandra Balken
of Sayville, N.Y; daughter-in-
law, Donna Shafer of Wesley


Chapel; two grandchildren,
Lauren and David; and four
great-grandchildren, James,
Shannon, Kayley and Nicole.
Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home
with Crematory, Inverness.

Rocky Smith, 38
CITRUS SPRINGS
Rocky L. Smith, 38, Citrus
Springs, died Sunday, Feb. 20,
2005, in Citrus Springs.
Born in Homestead to Louie
and Ruth (Krause) Smith, he
moved here in 1994.
Mr. Smith worked as a
mechanic for 15 years in the
family business in Homestead.
He was a loving husband and
father and loved spending time
with his boys. He enjoyed fish-
ing and camping.
He was Methodist.
He was preceded in death by
his father, Louie Smith.
Survivors include his wife of
15 years, Connie-Anne Smith of
Citrus Springs; sons, Eric
Smith and Koury Smith both of
Citrus Springs; brothers,
Calvin Krause and wife, Carol,
of Ocala, and Scott Smith of
Belleview; sisters, Cindy
Munsell and husband, Richard,
of Homosassa, Linda Dingle of
Homestead and Georgia Smith
of Homosassa; mother, Ruth
Smith of Homosassa; mother
and father-in-law, Deborah and
Steve Cannon of Citrus
Springs; and many nephews
and nieces.
Fero Funeral Home with
Crematory, Beverly Hills.
Click on http://www.chroni-
cleonline.com to view archived
local obituaries.
Funeral NOTICES
Robert Murray Binney. A
funeral service for Robert M.
Binney, 80, Crystal River, will
be conducted at 2 p.m. Friday,
Feb.' 25, 2005, from the
Strickland Funeral Home
Chapel in Crystal River with
Pastor David Bradford of St
Timothy Lutheran Church of
Crystal River officiating. In
lieu of flowers, the family sug-
gests that those who wish may
make a memorial contribution
to the American Heart Associ-
ation, PO. Box 21475, St.
Petersburg, FL 33742. Crema-
tion arrangements under the
direction of Strickland Funeral
Home, Crystal River.
Keith Ronald Dye. Memorial
services for Keith Ronald Dye,
35, Leesburg, will be conducted
at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, 2005,
from the Ronald Dye resi-
dence, 968 County Road 478-A,
Webster. Friends are cordially
invited to attend. Private cre-
mation arrangements are
planned. Chas. E. Davis
Funeral Home with Crematory,
Inverness.
Richard Joseph Gatto.
Funeral services for Mr.
Richard Joseph Gatto, 59,
Beverly Hills, will be conduct-
ed at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb.
23, 2005, at the Heinz Funeral
Home, 2507 State Road 44 W,
Inverness. Fr. Jorge Bonitla
will preside. Visitation will be
from 9 a.m. until the hour of
service Wednesday. Interment
will follow services at the


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Florida National Cemetery in
Bushnell with full military
honors.
William R. Lambert. Funeral
services for Colonel William R.
Lambert, 80, of Sugarmill
Woods, Homosassa, will be at 2
p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2005,
at Wilder Funeral Home,
Homosassa Springs. Family
will receive friends at 1 p.m.
until the service hour.
Interment with full military
honors will follow at Fountains
Memorial Park, Homosassa.
Freda M. Patten. Funeral
services for Freda M. Patten,
87, Inverness, will be conduct-
ed at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 24,
2005, from the Chas. E. Davis
Funeral Home of Inverness
with the Rev. Greg Kell, pastor
of Cornerstone Baptist Church,
officiating. Burial will follow in
Florida National Cemetery,
Bushnell. Viewing hours will
be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday
at the funeral home. In lieu of
.flowers, memorials may be
sent to the Cornerstone Baptist
Church by those friends caring
to do so.
Martha T. Shafer. Funeral
services for Martha T Shafer,
89, Crystal River, will be con-
ducted at 3 p,m. Wednesday,
Feb. 23, 2005, from the Chas. E.
Davis Funeral Home of
Inverness with the Rev. Leary
Willis Jr. officiating. Burial will
follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery
of Inverness. The family will
receive friends at the funeral
home from 2 p.m. until the
hour of service on Wednesday.
Deaths
ELSEWHERE

John Raitt, 88
ACTOR, SINGER
LOS ANGELES John
Raitt, the robust baritone who
livened musicals such as
"Carousel" and "The Pajama
Game," and who also was the
father of singer Bonnie Raitt,
died Sunday of complications
from pneumonia at his Pacific
Palisades home, said his man-


ager, James Fitzgerald. Raitt
was 88.
He had become well known
on the West Coast for his hand-
some presence and ringing
voice when in 1944 he won the
role of Curly in the road com-
pany of "Oklahoma!" That led
to the role of the doomed hero
Billy Bigelow in "Carousel."
Raitt's star status on
Broadway was assured, and
after the long run in
"Carousel" he appeared in
"Magdalena," "Three Wishes
for Jamie" and "Carnival in
Flanders." He lacked a big ;
crossover to film until "The
Pajama Game" in 1954.
"The Pajama Game" became
a successful movie with Raitt ,
and Doris Day. The numbers
"Hey, There," "Steam Heat"'
and "Once a Year Day," choreo- '
graphed by Bob Fosse, helped
make the 1957 film a delight .r
Despite his good notices, it was
Raitt's only starring movie.
In his later years, Raitt was
overshadowed by the fame of
his blues-singing daughter. He
delighted in her success and
approved of her campaigning
for civil rights, peace and other '^
causes. "She used to be known .;
as John Raitt's daughter; now
I'm known as Bonnie Raitt's
father," he observed.

Harald
Szeemann, 71 .
ART CRITIC
ROME Harald Szeemann,
a Swiss art critic and exhibit
organizer renowned for his
works at such shows as the
Biennale in Venice and
Documenta in Germany, died p
Thursday in Switzerland, the
Biennale press office
announced. He was 71.
Born in Bern, Szeemann
made his name in the 1960s, ;
when he served as director of -
the Kunsthalle in Bern. He ,
organized scores of exhibits,
turning the Swiss institution
into an obligatory stopping-off ,
place for new generations of
European and American
artists.


'Funeral diome 'Wth, Cremarory
Bertha McPeek Keith R. Dye
Private cremation arrangements Memorial Service: Sun 3pm-
Shirley M. Grabarczyk Family residence
Viewing: Thurs 6-8pm Florence Marzloff
Mass-Fri 10 am Our Lady of Fatima Private cremation arrangements
Thelma Goetz Freda Patten
Private arrangements Viewing: Wed 68pm
John Shees Viewing: Wed 6-8pm
John Sheets Service: Thurs 10am-Chapel
Viewing: Tuesday 1-2 pm
Service: Tuesday 2 pm Chapel Martha Shafer
Burial: FL Natl Cem. Wed 10 am Viewing: Wed 2pm
John Malarney Service: Wed 3pm-Chapel
Private cremation arrangements Daniel Lindell
Bruce A. Schroeder Arrangements pending
Private cremation arrangements
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CITRus CouNTY (FL) CHRoNicLE


OBITUARIES


aA 90n"


I








"7


A


S | [. .1 TUESDAY
'. L L.. . \ ..FEBRUARY 22, 2005

___________ *, M Er ,


News NOTES

Doll club meeting
set for Wednesday
The Sugar Babes Doll and
Teddy Bear Club will have its next
meeting at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday
at Crystal Paradise Restaurant on
East Citrus Avenue (County Road
495) in Crystal River.
Linda Mundy is the hostess for
February.
For the program, we will be
making Paper Doll pictures.
This is in keeping with previous
programs' on Paper Dolls through
the ages.
At the next meeting, the club will
have an in-house auction of doll
related items, so members should
decide which items they might
bring for this event, also their nick-
els and pennies.
Sugar Babes Doll Club is a long
established doll club in this area,
with membership in the national
AFDC and is open to guests, new-
comers and new members.
For club information, call Ruthe
Smith, president, at 382-1826 or
Betty Heam, treasurer, at 382-
2513. Meetings are on the fourth
Wednesday monthly except for the
Thanksgiving and Christmas holi-
day time.
Floral City Masons
host charity dinner
Freemasons Charity Dinner,
hosted by Floral'City Masonic
Lodge, will be from 4 to 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 26, at 8350 Orange
Ave. The purpose of the dinner is
to support Thanksgiving and
Christmas food baskets.
All funds from the dinner will go
to this community project.
The menu is Cajun deep-fried
turkey, pulled barbecued pork,
baked beans, coleslaw, toasted
bread for sandwich, tea ahd cof-
fee.
Take out will be available.
Donation of $5 is requested.
Garden club to have
annual fashion show
The Garden Club of Crystal
River will have its annual fashion
show and luncheon Wednesday at
St. Annes Parish Hall in Crystal
River. The show's theme is -
"Fashions in Bloom" and will fea-
ture clothing from Fashions by La
Te Da of Crystal River.
Doors open at 11:45 a.m., lunch
is served at 12:30 p.m., and the
show will follow.
Tickets are available in advance
for a donation of $15.
Proceeds will go to local chari-
ties.
The public is invited to join the
garden club for its annual fund-
raiser.
Call Elvia at 564-7956.
Michigan Club invites
all to meeting
The Michigan Club and friends
invites folks from other states to
attend their monthly meeting at
12:30 p.m. Wednesday at the
Community Building, 1 Civic
Circle, Beverly Hills.
There will be a potluck dinner,
so bring a dish to pass and your
table service.
Call Elaine at 637-1139 or
Shiriey at 746-0472.



British


group


to meet

Special to the Chronicle

The British American Club
of Citrus County meets at 7
p.m. the fourth Monday month-
ly at the Beverly Hills
Recreation Association at 77
Civic Circle, Beverly Hills,
which is off of Forest Ridge
Boulevard.
Each month, the meeting
presents a speaker on a topic
of local or British interest.
As always, visitors, are wel-
comed to the meetings, and


anyone with an interest in
things British is encouraged to
become a member of the club.
The group is proud to
announce that club members
have donated more than $600
toward tsunami assistance.
Call Barry Meyer, president,
at 637-6479


Recognizing


world


religions


MAOVE World Religion Day was celebrated Jan. 16 at
the Unity Church of Citrus County in Lecanto. Pictured
are the presenters, back row from left: Eunice
Weatherford, accompanist; Laura Gist of Unity; Dr.
Scott Olsen, professor of Philosophy and Comparative
Religions at CFCC; and Donovan P. German, student of
zoology at University of Florida, advocate of Victory
over Violence and an SGI Buddhist. Front row, from
left: Vrinda Estela Pujals, Hindu community: Andrew
Colson, St. Scholastica Catholic School student; Becky
Wilson of Unity; and Lisa Crummett, Buddhist.
L Kate Hart sang "The Miracle of Friends," which
she wrote and accompanied herself on guitar at the
World Religion Day held Jan. 16 at the Unity Church of
Citrus County in Lecanto. With her is Dillon Wilson, a
Unity member who was a presenter.
RUTH LEVINS, .Sp.:,il c.T t-,e Cr.r-n.cle


Bravo! goes out to Citrus center


Bravissimo 20Q5 was a
milestone achievement'
for the Citrus County
Art Center Theatre Feb. 12 and
13. A concert of Italian Opera
Classics was presented by
artists direct from Italy: pianist
Enrico Lancia, tenor
Francesco La Spada and sopra-
no Silvia Di Falco. Joining
them were two Citrus County
opera sopranos Anna Sandoval
and Stephanie Leigh Reiss. A
champagne reception followed
the gala performance. Patrons
flocked to the performance,
dressed to the nines in evening
attire and approving bursts of
Bravo! Bravo! rang out
throughout the evening's con-
cert.
Sponsored by Dr. Julio and
Anna Sandoval, the Seven


Rivers Hospital
Foundation, Dr.
Perry and Debbie
Ekstrand, Champs
Software, Dr. Brad
and Pamela Ruben,
Dr. Craig and
Norris Englund,
Peter Monteleone,
Regions Bank, The
Tamposi family, Dr. Ruth I
Wexler, Dr. Dennis AROUN
and Silvia Grillo, COMM,
and Dr. Michael
anid Cecilia
Mueller, the concert included
"long hair" favorites and famil-
iar classics.
The first half of the concert
included selections from
Tosca by Giacomo Puccini,
from La Wally by Alfredo
Catalani, from Un Ballo in
Maschera by Giuseppe Verdi,
from Barbiere di Siviglia by


II
I


Gioacchino Rossini,
from Werther by Jules
Massenet, and La
figlia del regimento
by Gaetano Donizetti.
The second half
featured the classical
selections of "La
danza" by Rossini,
"Mattinata" by
evins Ruggero Leoncavallo,
D THE "Summertime" by
JNITY George Gershwin,
"Mama" by Carlo
Alberto Bixio, "La
vedova allegra" (Romanza
della Vilja, my favorite) by
Franz Lehar, "Tace ce il
Labbro" (a Waltz), "I'te vurria
vasa" by Eduardo Di Capua,
"Wishing You Were Here" from
the Phantom of the Opera by
Andrew Lloyd Webber and
"Fox della luna" by Virgilio
Ranzato.


It was a long-awaited
evening of enchantment for
Citrus County, the concert of
the season ... world renowned
artists performing a sampling
of beloved operatic favorites
and award-winning classics we
would have otherwise traveled
to faraway concert halls to
enjoy.
Standing ovations brought
the artists back to the stage for
an all-time favorite "0 Sol 0
Mio."
Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!
Bravissimo 2005.

Ruth Levins participates in
a variety of projects around
the community. Let her know
about your group's upcoming
activities by writing to P.O.
Box 803, Crystal River
FL 34423.


News NOTES

RPEA planning
luncheon meeting
If you receive a pension from
the New York State Retirement
Pension System, you are eligi-
ble to join the Retired Public
Employees Association of New
York. The association works to
protect retirement and medical
benefits.
The Central Florida Chapter
of RPEA will have its semiannu-
al luncheon meeting
Wednesday, March 2, at Quality
Inn, 3612 W. Silver Springs
Blvd. (U.S. 40) in Ocala.
Registration, coffee, tea and
danish will be available at 9:30
a.m.
A guest speaker from the
Employee Benefit Division of the
New York State Department of
Civil Service will speak on the
"Empire Plan Benefit Changes."
Kevin Murray, RPEA execu-
tive director, will provide a
"Legislative Update" about the
current thinking in Albany.
This is an important meeting
for all members to attend, as
proposed changes will affect
everyone.
Chapter officers will be elect-
ed at this meeting.
Luncheon reservations must
be received Wednesday to June
Beard. No refunds or cancella-
tions will be made after that
date, and menu selection can-
not be changed.
Call membership chairperson,
Louise Sidock at 342-2635.
Have a fling
in February
The Citrus County Craft
Council will host its 15th Annual
Spring Fling Craft Show from 9
a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the
National Guard Armory in
Crystal River on Venable Street
(off U.S. 19, south of the Crystal
River airport) across from Home
Depot in Crystal River.
Admission is free.
The show will benefit Citrus
County Head Start.
There will be many crafters
on hand with a wide variety of
items at reasonable prices.
Each crafter will donate an item
from their work to be raffled.
There will be raffles drawn every
half hour for the craft items start-
ing at 9:30 a.m. Refreshments
will be available for purchase
throughout the day.
Volunteers from the Head
Start staff will be on hand to
answer questions about the
services they offer.
They will also be accepting
donations of children's socks,
undergarments, diapers and
books for children age 5 and
younger.
All new items will be accepted
with great appreciation.
This is an inside and outside
show with lots of free parking.
You will have a great time and
find some unique crafts, gifts
and decorating ideas for the
spring and upcoming spring and
summer holidays.
Sponsored by the Citrus
County Chronicle.
For more information, call
Gene or Maria at 621-3608.


,,.> -~~~=>


/

(,'


Sertoma Village


RUTH LEVINS/Special to the Chronicle
Al Sukut, far left, president of the Citrus County Retired Educators, is shown with Sertoma
Mentoring Village speakers at the Jan. 10 meeting of the membership, Molly Norman, men-
tor manager, and Robert Murray, director of Sertoma Mentoring Village.


Sylvan Learning


RUTH LEVINS/Special to the Chronicle
Al Sukut, president of the Citrus County Retired Educators,
Is shown with Jan Peterson, director of the Citrus County
Sylvan Learning Center, who spoke to the membership at
its Jan. 10 meeting at the Withlacoochee Technical
Institute In Inverness.


I


- -- ----------- --








R A ,~T rF~T~A~' )~I~T~RI TA1~V 22 2OO~ ()PINIcN Qmus COUNTY (Tb CHRONICLE


Sound OFF


Tax exodus
Taxes that seems to be
the only one-word vocabulary
that the city knows. Almost
every day in the paper, we are
reading about needing new
taxes. Where does the city
think the majority of the resi-
dents will get these monies?
Most of us have to live on fixed
incomes and can hardly get by
with prescription drugs for our
own needs. Not all of us live in
Citrus Hills with big bucks, but
it is very evident that most of
the tax money is going there.
When you ride around the
county, you see junk all over
the place and where things
need to be taken care of, they
are not. You may have a mass
exodus if you continue to keep
taxing the people that try to
make this city a nice one and
who are spending all their
money here and moving to
become permanent residents
and are spending all of the
money that they have in this
nice state of Florida.
Topping road
I live on the very north end of
Citrus County where the citi-
zens of Citrus County won't
see them repaving a perfectly
good road. There's nothing
wrong with River Road in Inglis,
but they're repaving River Road
and not repaving crushed-up
roads that run off River Road
that need paving. Why waste
money on something that has
perfectly good pavement on it?
There's nothing wrong with
River Road and they're putting
two layers on top of River
Road.
Seeking radar
I'd like Sheriff Dawsy to get
this note. I wonder if he could
set up radar on the corner of
(State Road) 200 and Millwood
Lane in the Tanglewood settle-
ment off (S.R.) 200. I mean,
these pickup trucks from in the
back of the settlement come
out of here early in the morn-
ing (going) 70, 80 mph. The
school buses are exceeding the
speed limits. I mean some-
thing's going to happen there
one of these days and every-
body's going to be sorry. If
there's a possibility of putting
a radar down there from 7 to 8
in the morning during the
week, you'll get a couple of
these people and then maybe
they'll start to slow down.
Handicapped parking
I'm calling today in response
to an incident that happened
on the evening of Jan. 31 at
the Winn-Dixie parking lot in
Homosassa Springs. While
returning from the pharmacy
to pick up my wife's medica-
tion, my wife and I were accost-
ed by an individual because we
were parking in the handi-
capped parking space. I tried
in vain to explain to this indi-
vidual that my wife was very
severely handicapped, that she
was just recovering from blad-
der cancer and had her blad-
der removed, plus she has
fibromyalgia and she had
breast cancer. He said, "Well,
she can walk, can't she?" Yes,
she can walk, but very slowly
and (it's) very hard. I tried to
explain to this gentleman ... He
kept yelling and screaming and
making a fool out of himself. I
don't think this gentleman
knew what he was talking
about ...
Get in lane
To all those people driving
through Beverly Hills: The cen-
ter lane is for turning left or
right. Don't hold up your lane
of traffic. Get into the center
lane and wait for your turn to
turn. If you can't drive correct-
ly and follow what the lanes tell
you to do, get off the streets,
for your safety and mine.
Skate park cost
This is in reference to the
caller about the skate park
going in Inverness. It is the
best thing that ever happened.
People don't even know all
these kids are skating around
town, that have nowhere to go.
Who cares what it costs the
taxpayers? These are children
and they need somewhere to
go.
Don't vote, don't pay


I called three times. The
paper is for Sheriff Dawsy; I
am against him. I have a sim-
ple plan to the tax issue: All the
people that voted for Dawsy
should have to pay for his new
building. Those who didn't,
don't have to pay.
Clear the trees
Steve Arthur: In Sunday's
(Feb. 6) paper, I just read your
article about Citrus Hills and
trees and so forth. I totally dis-
agree with you. There'd be no


Orlando, there'd be no big
cities, there'd be no Crystal
River if we left the trees up.
People have to live. Someone
has to bend. Trees have to die,
turtles have to die, but people
have to live. And in order to
live, we need housing. In order
to have housing, we have to
clear the land to put the hous-
es on and trees have to be
removed. I don't agree with
your article at all.
Eyesore sign
This is for Joyce Valentino,
the county commissioner.
Please 'use some influence
toward the removal of that
"Eternity" sign on (County
Road) 486, or at least have the
grammar corrected for our
schoolchildren. That and road-
side trash are Citrus County
eyesores.
Rash of rats
I live off Cardinal Street on
South Rainbow Point and I just
want to say that we have noth-
ing but rats here ever since this
neighbor moved in and has
chickens and he don't care how
he takes care of his place. We
are loaded with rats. I called
the board of health up and
they tell me that there's noth-
ing they can do about it.
Baloney. I wonder if the rest of
you neighbors are finding a lot
of rats around and they're
not little, tiny rats.
Good job, Marines
This is to the Young Marines,
for some volunteer work that
nobody else wants to do. They
were cleaning up the (State
Road) 44 between (County
Road) 490 and I believe, back
as far as the Crystal Oaks
development, of the debris that
was left and thrown on the
roads by unappreciative peo-
ple. Thanks again. They did a
great job at the Manatee
Festival and the seafood festi-
val. Thanks again to the Young
Marines.
Sudden millions
In reading the Chronicle the
other day, the county officials
finding $7.6 million say it was-
n't hidden. If they knew about
it, it would have been spent
years ago. What kind of inept
officials are. running this coun-
ty? And why not put this money
to road building and repair?
Public humiliation
Any restaurant owner certain-
ly has the right to ask patrons
who do not participate in his
rules to leave his restaurant.
But by publicly humiliating
those patrons for not following
his policy, the restaurant owner
certainly shows he has a lot
more to learn about what it
means to be a true American.
Trying to help
This is for Brian Broussard's
mother: I sent Brian a
Christmas card, as requested
by you. And in it I asked him if
he knew someone who didn't
have anyone writing him so I
could and send him, you know,
things that he might need. I
haven't heard anything. Can
you help? Please respond:
Clean up trash
When I moved to Citrus
County a couple of years ago, I
was really impressed with this
area and that was the main
reason we chose to settle down
here, to call this our home. It
was beautiful before all the
increased housing occurred,
more influx of people coming
into this area, and the growth
is almost phenomenal. But
what bothers me more than
anything is, after a couple
years this area is starting, a
good part of Citrus County is
starting to look like Appalachia,
Ky. Just garbage, trash, pic-
tures in the paper of. this and
reading articles of people who
write in and talk about the lit-
ter and the trash. Aren't you
people proud of your commu-
nity? Don't you want to keep it
clean? I don't understand how
we can let this get into the
shape it's in now.
Clear*cutting land
I'm reading Sunday's (Feb. 6)
paper, in the Commentary and
it's about "Keeping it green"
and it said ... removing trees


should be questioned. And I
say yes, it should be ques-
tioned. The fact is that the
developer does not replace
trees when they cut them all
down, which they do. They
make a mess when they're
preparing a site for a home.
They do not replace trees. They
make it easier on themselves
and they just mow everything
in sight, and it's wrong. Trees
are beautiful. Trees have birds'
nests in it, etc. They do not
take anything into considera-
tion. They just mow everything


46%


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down.
No ax to tax
I am so glad that the Bush-
Cheney administration isn't
taking the ax to my big tax
cuts; that they're cutting the
benefits to all the veterans to
$250-a-year co-pay, doubling
their prescriptions. I'm glad
they're finally getting veterans
to pay their share. I need my
tax cut for my green fees.
Rag flap
My family eats at Margarita
Grill often because of the great
food, low cost and especially
because of the patriotic atmos-
phere and loving care of
Tommy and Sammy Piliouras.
Whenever guests arrive in town,
Margarita Grill is our destina-
tion. The recent articles in the
Chronicle seem to be missing
the essence of the issue. The
owners of Margarita Grill wave
the flag because they believe in
freedom. We have watched
people sit and eat while the
flag ceremony is going on. It is
everyone's right to join in or
not; that's the freedom the
Piliourases are celebrating. But
when a customer becomes bel-
ligerent, confronting the owners
with loud voices and swearing,
they have no choice but to ask
them to leave this family
restaurant. Such was the case
in the recent incident that has
received so much press. Maybe
the Chronicle writers should
check out their facts before
downgrading a wonderful tradi-
tion and a wonderful restau-
rant. We were there.
Missing records
What happened to the sher-
iff's report, "For the Record"? It
hasn't been in the paper the
last couple of days. When are
you people going to start print-
ing news again?
Editor's note: Occasionally, the
law enforcement report is not
-published because the page
space is needed for other news .
that is of more urgent interest.
The law enforcement report is
published at the earliest opportu-
nity. Thank you for following "For
the Record."
Boost for Bush
I approve of President Bush.
I think he's doing everything
right. I approve of his budget
and I think that the media is
the one trying to scare the sen-
iors. If you listen to what the
man says, they're not going to
cut the people who are getting
Social Security now.'The people
like me who are 54 and 53 and
40 we're the ones that want
the opportunity to invest the
money and have it do better for
us. It's not for the people who
are getting Social Security now.
They're not going to be
touched, he says, right away.
It's going to be phased in over
several years. Also, this budget
is going to expand community
health centers and reach out to
people who aren't covered with
health insurance.
Water wasters
As far as water usage for
sprinkling lawns goes, how
many people have.driven past
houses and seen the sprinklers
going during a rainstorm or at
times when it's wintertime and
it's nature's way of saying it's
time to stop? And the people
who don't live here all year
round, but leave their watering
machines on.
Sefish parking
Three times this past week
I've been to the Winn-Dixie
shopping mall. All three times,
I've parked in a disabled space
and put my tag in the window,.
Upon returning to my car, all
three times someone has been
parked in the yellow marked
area, the "no parking" area on
the passenger side. I have had
to leave my walker and get to
my spot in the car unassisted. I
noticed two of the three times
there was something on the
cars that pertained to religion,


Jesus. Don't these people real-
ize that it's a sin to break the
law and take advantage of the
disabled? Don't the police
patrol those areas and help
senior citizens who are dis-
abled to be able to reach their
seats without getting hurt?
Lower Slobovia
I'm calling about the inability
of drivers to understand what
"stop" means. The most dan-
gerous place is at the mall. I
pointed to a stop sign because
a car was going through when
there were elderly people trying
to cross, and got a finger shak-
en at me from the driver and
the passenger. "Stop," I always
thought meant to stop. Maybe
they have to start giving fines
for the ones who go through
these stop signs. Also, we live
in a land of litterers. We've
traveled all over the United
States, and Citrus County is
not the only trash-laden proper-
ty around. We're a nation of
slobs. Everyone should carry a
litterbag, use it and then dis-
pose of it properly.
Gasping pooch
This is for the people (with
the out-of-state license plate):
How can you, in good con-
science, leave your little dog in
your car with almost no air
while you walked around the
Cowboy Junction Flea Market?
You're lucky I didn't have a cell
phone to call the police. In
Florida, this is against the law.
Vote for change
Sunday's (Feb. 6) Sound Off
contained a very timely ques-
tion: "How do we stop the
shenanigans at the City Hall in
Crystal River?" I can tell you
how the voters handled a simi-
lar set of actions by their city
council just a very few years
ago. By popular vote, the very
first time it was on the ballot,
the city commission was
replaced by a mayoral form of
government with a job descrip-
tion and pay to attract some-
one qualified to administer the
city's business. And it's work-
ing beautifully. Perhaps we
should try this approach to the
problem-solving.
Hurricane recovery
I'd like to know why we who
pay federal taxes are still less
important than those abroad. I
agree that the tsunami was
tragic, but what about those in
Florida who are still homeless
because of our numerous hur-
ricanes in 2004? They deserve
help first. They contributed, but
they are being denied recovery.
Egging them on
As a resident in Inverness
Highlands, I'd like to thank the
person that egged our house
and all the houses in the area.
It would be nice if they realized
they could have donated that
money to a family relief fund,
or they could have been shot
like the people in Iraq that
throw bombs at Americans. I
hope their parents are well
aware they're missing a dozen
eggs. I hope they get satisfac-
tion out of this because eventu-
ally they will be the ones who'll
raise their kids up to do the
same thing throw eggs at
houses and think it's fun.
Use headlights
Use auto headlights for what
they were intended and
required by law: illuminate the
roadway and alert other drivers
to your presence and location.
Parking lights are what their
name indicates stationary or
parked. It's dangerous on
Citrus County roads during fog,
dawn, raining and dusk,
because the laws are not
enforced.
Child safety
This is to whomever called
about putting up skate parks in
Citrus County. If you think it's
such a bad idea, why don't you
ask the children that are on the
streets skateboarding and


causing a danger to the drivers
that are someday going to hit
them? So maybe we should
think about that before we
start thinking about where our
money goes to because we
. always have to pay taxes, but
do you really want these kids
out on the roads?
Tower threat
I'm a resident of
Meadowcrest; in fact, I live in
Fairmont Village. My cell phone
will not work here, I have prob-
lems with my television and
there's only one radio station
that I can receive in this neigh-
borhood and that's WOW
104.3. I have checked into this
and I understand they've put a
tower up in our neighborhood. I
wonder if the residents here,
as well as the Chronicle, under-
stand that this is a health haz-
ard. This can cause cancer,
blindness, as well as many
other problems, health issues. I
would like this printed in the
paper. I don't know why anyone
hasn't checked into this. From
what I understand there are
radiation problems with a
tower this close to someone's
neighborhood. It's like opening
up a microwave and standing
in front of it.
Slow response
I'd just like to report that on
Sunday (Feb. 6), about 7:15, I
was coming home on Jasmine
Road onto Twin Lakes. And
when I got to the corner at.
Twin Lakes, there was a lady in
the dark lying on the ground,
waving her hands for help. And
because it was dark, I didn't
stop. I went to the nearest tele-
phone at the K&K Carryout,
phoned in the situation and
called 911. They called it and
told the police what happened.
I went back to the scene so
that I could see what was going
on, kept my lights on the situa-
tion, but by that time the
woman had got up and started
walking, still waving her hands.
Fifteen minutes went by as I
sat there, and no sheriff's
(office). I went back to the car-
ryout, told them the sheriff did
not show up yet. I went home
and I called and they said it
just got there and they were
looking it up. So at least 20
minutes had passed before the
sheriff's (office) responded to a
911 call. That's ridiculous. We
need some shaking up in this
county.
Eviscerating workers,
We've been reading a good
bit and hearing on the news a
good bit both about Social
Security and the abortion
issue. How do those two tie
together? Take this for example
... Since 1972, we've killed
(more than) 40 million babies.
If those 40 million babies had
been allowed to live, grow up,
have families,- use services and
above all, go to work and pay
Social Security taxes, there
would not be the fallen-off-the-
end-of-the-world shortage that
seems to come. Why? Because
at a time sometime around
2032, 2040, there's going to
be more of us drawing Social
Security than there are paying
into the system. Let's go back
again. If those 40 million were
in the system, there'd be more
of them paying and working
than there are of us not paying
still and not working. -
Take care of own
This is in regards to the
Social Security. I sure would
like to know how come people
from other countries move into
our country, the United States
of America, and they start
receiving Social Security
because they're old and every-
thing. How about these people
that are old and young and
everything, that never even con-
tributed to the Social Security
in this country and yet they
receive it. If they'd stop giving
to these other foreign nations
and everything all the money
that we have, and start taking


care of our own, we would have
a good country that could take
care of its citizens. But yet
whenever the president wants
to start a war, he turns around
and puts our troops into a
country and we don't need to
be there.
Getting what you buy
If you purchase a home near
the water, you have to expect
all the circumstances. Water is
for fun. Fun is fishing, airboats
and speedboats, too. If you
purchase a home near the rail-
road tracks, you hear bells,
horns and the usual train nois-
es. If you purchase a home
near a racetrack or an airport,
you have different noises. If
you purchase a home near chil-
dren or even someone who
enjoys music, you will still have
noise.
Alcohol laws
Regarding the notice in
today's paper, Feb. 9, about the
Sunday observance of the
liquor law: It states that in New
York City you can get alcoholic
beverages before 12 or 1
o'clock. This is incorrect. The
state law in New York is no
alcohol may be sold on
Sunday before noon.
Home school works
I'm reading in Wednesday,
Feb. 9's paper the Sound Off
about "Check home-schooling."
Home schooling does work. I
home schooled my son for two
years and then put him back in
high school because his grade
level was so high. I wanted him
to be eligible for not just
grants, but scholarships. He
now has a 3.958 grade (point)
average. So home schooling
does work. Unless you know
the home school system, you
shouldn't be judgmental.
Repay surplus
The only fix we need for
Social Security is to pay back,
with interest, the surplus funds
taken from it. This is money
deducted from our wages set
for in trust for our old age. To
have spent the money on any-
thing else and then tell us the
system needs fixing is an out-
rage. What we do not need is to
hold money back to gamble in
the stock market. If the govern-
ment wants people to gamble,
then put slot machines in the
post office.
24/7 protection
I come up from up north and
been a flip-time resident of
Citrus County for seven years
now and still have trouble
believing, understanding how
the sheriff, police station, offi-
cers can be closed on Saturday
and Sundays, to the public.
CVS. Pharmacy and Walgreens
are open 24 hours. But if a
person needs to go to the
police station if somebody's
following you, your car, you still
drive in looking for a police car.
And everything's got to be on
telephones now. I don't under-
stand how you cannot have a
police station open 24 hours.
this. But that's why I moved
to Sugarmill so we could avoid
that. It's tough, but that hap-
pens.


SOUND OFF
Call the anonymous
Sound Off line at 563-
0579.
Be prepared to leave a
brief message write it
out before calling to
make sure you remember
everything you want to
say.
After the beep, speak
loudly, slowly and clearly.
Or try the online Sound
Off forum available at
www.6hronicleOnline.com.
The Chronicle reserves
the right to edit Sound
Off messages,


4



d


SA TUEsDAY. FEBRuARY 22, 2005


4


OPINsrTONsr


CiTRus CouNTY (FL) CHRONICLE )








OPINION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2005 9A


Letters to the EDITOR


Thanks, Sertomans
Editor's note: The following
letter to Sertoma members is
published at the writer's
request
Crystal River Primary
School thanks you for your
many years of assistance in
providing food to our needy
families. You provided Christ-
mas dinner to many of our
families, which certainly
helped to make their holiday
much brighter. This was a
most generous gesture, and we
know that you also helped
many other families from
other schools. Wow!
"It takes a whole village to
raise a child." Again, we say,
"Thanks!"
Mark McCoy
principal guidance counselor
Crystal River Primary School

Letter to president
Editor's note: The following
letter was sent to President
Bush and is printed on the
writer's behalf.
My wife, Unni K Norbom, is
a 70-year-old epileptic and
coronary patient, who for the
past 12 years has been under
heavy medication to prevent
seizures, a condition resulting
from a brain hemorrhage.
On Oct 15, 2004, Unni suf-
fered what her doctors de-
scribed as a "massive" heart
attack She was rushed to
emergency where angioplasty
was performed and a stent
placed in her right coronary
artery, which was completely
blocked. The doctors also
advised that the left side of
her heart had multiple block-
ages that will require coro-
nary by-pass surgery, but that
the second surgery needed to
await an improvement in
Unni's strength to bear the
operation.
Since Oct 15, there have
been four frantic rides to
emergency, angioplasty, stent
implantation, complications,
and then pneumonia. Unni is
currently in a rehabilitation
facility awaiting her next coro-
nary operation. She is too
weak and unstable to walk
without assistance and contin-
ues to suffer daily breathing
problems and regurgitation of
the food she desperately ,..
requires to nourish her gener-
al health.
We are very fortunate that
during this torturous time she
has not suffered a grand mal
seizure, which would be
another level of threat to her
life. We have not been fortu-
nate, however, in getting her a
flu shot, the lack of which
could result in the final
assault that kills her.
We have tried for two
months, from multiple doctors
and facilities, to get the life-
preserving flu shot We are
told that she is on several
"lists."
My request, sir, is this: I
urgently need to be advised
how in the world's richest
and most powerful nation -
can critically ill Unni get the
flu shot that can save her life?
Rolf Norbom
Crystal River

Next 'crisis' looms
M.B. Gregory's recent letter
titled "Faux Crisis" reminds
me of one more "Faux Crisis"
that will be upcoming from the
present administration, the
phony tort reform crisis.
We all thought that it was
hilarious that a woman sued
McDonald's for hot coffee
spilled in her lap. Upon read-
ing the record, however, you


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find that McDonald's keeps
their coffee at between 180
and 190 degrees, far hotter
than the usual temperature of
140 by most restaurateurs. A
full skin thickness burn results
from liquid at 180 degrees in
two to seven seconds. McDon-
ald's had more than 700
claims against it between 1990
and 1992 for the too-hot coffee.
The woman burned originally
asked only $20,000 cover her
extensive medical expenses.
The company refused. Her
"outrageous" award was re-
duced by the courts, as are
most of the huge amounts
awarded in malpractice and
class-action cases.
The truth is that medical
malpractice awards amount to
less than 2 percent of Amer-
ica's skyrocketing health-care
expenses, according to the
,Congressional Budget Office.
Who would knowingly put
their lives in jeopardy for a
jury award? Those companies
that continue to manufacture
poor or dangerous products
and those companies that hide
side effects of drugs are usual-
ly stopped only by a lawsuit.
Their victims deserve recom-
pense.
A recent study by Public
Citizen found that corpora-
tions filed four times as many
lawsuits as everyday citizens.
In addition, the study found
that judges sanctioned busi-
nesses and their attorneys 69
percent more than individuals
for filing frivolous law suits.
Many years ago, I saw an
original memo written in the
1930s by the Asbestos
Manufacturing Association
that stated that while they
knew asbestos was harmful,
they were not going to inform
employees of that fact
Asbestos manufacturers are
on President Bush's list of cor-
porations to be protected by
tort reform.
The truth is that the so-
called tort reform efforts will
benefit only one class busi-
ness, as in corporations and
insurance companies; certain-
ly not consumers.
Another day another cri-
sis. First Iraq, then Social
Security, then tort reform.
Truth is a moral value.
Marilyn J. Day
Beverly Hills

Double standard?
"Every gun that is made,
every warship launched, every
rocket fired, signifies in the
final sense a theft from those
who hunger and are not fed,
those who are cold and not
clothed." President Dwight
D. Eisenhower April 16, 1953
U.S. deaths in Iraq have
passed 1,300 soldiers.
Estimated U.S. wounded now
number from 15,000 to 20,000.
Iraqi civilian deaths, includ-
ing pregnant women, children
and adults, the old and the
middle aged are now estimat-
ed to be from 15,000 to 50,000.
To understand this, we lost
between 2,000 and 2,500 in the
Trade Center attack, which
was horrible. Using the low
number, Iraq has lost five
times more civilians in the
Iraq war.
Observers believe the 50,000
Iraqi civilians deaths is too
low. But their low figure is still
25 times the 9/11 death toll.
Cost in dollars, just for the
military operation, $146.7 bil-
lion and is expected to rise to
$152 billion by the end of the
year.
The Iraq war is costing us
$122,820 per minute, $7.4 mil-
lion per hour and $177 million


per day President Bush's war
has cost Florida about $5 bil-
lion tax money that could
have been used for unem-
ployed, schools, to balance the
state budget or to build local
infrastructure.
Walter Cronkite said the
Iraq war will eventually make
public revulsion to war in
Vietnam look "like peanuts."
"The country's biggest prob-
lem," he said, "is the Bush
administration's deficit spend-
ing, which has created a debt
that will have to be paid by our
great-grandchildren, and may-
be beyond that In the mean-
time, we do not have the mon-
ey to do things we ought to do,
and must do, here at home."
Do you really think God
placed his hands on the
United States and blessed our
invasion of Iraq that's killed
50,000 of his loved ones and
more than 1,300 of our sol-
diers? The Ten Command-
ments tell us killing is wrong.
Does that just apply to people
who don't speak, dress, believe
or look as we do?
If God was telling us how to
vote in the last election,
maybe we weren't listening.
Dan Groner
Lecanto

On the same side
A few weeks ago, a woman
wrote that she was a liberal. I
looked up the term liberal in
my dictionary It was: "willing
to respect and accept behavior
or opinions different from
one's own." This person was
not even close in her ratings.
I doubt if she ever had to
make crucial decisions as
Donald Rumsfeld has. Her
ignorance is appalling. She
makes claims about unprotect-
ed vehicles. I guess she never
heard of a Jeep? She must be
old enough to remember the
Second World War She decid-
ed that the secretary of de-.
fense was incompetent Well,
why isn't she secretary of de-
fense if she is so much smarter
than he is? What are her cre-
dentials compared to the sec-
retary's? Has she ever served
in the military? Rumsfeld flew
planes and was a flight instruc-
tor in the U.S. Navy.
Has she ever been a CEO for
a fortune 500 company? Rums-
feld was a CEO of two. Has she
ever served in Congress?
Rumsfeld has. Has she ever
had to make life-or-death deci-
sions, including her own?
Rumsfeld did, every time he
flew a mission or put soldiers
in harm's way.
In her letter, she mentions
incompetent military leaders.
Was she talking about the in-
competent Harry Truman who
bombed Hiroshima and Naga-
saki against the advice of ad-
mirals and generals, or John
Kennedy who got us into the
Vietnam War? Or the incom-
petent Lyndon Johnson who
continued the slaughter of
thousands of American sol-
diers with the aid of Robert
McNamara? Then there is
another incompetent military
leader called John E Kerry. He
got so scared when he heard
an explosion, he stepped on
the gas and lost one of his men
overboard. Luckily, other
patrol boats were in the area
and alerted him that he had
lost a sailor in his haste to get
out of harm's way.
I'm sorry, Ms. Day, but you
should get your priorities and
information straight before
you attack people. We are all
on the same side, you know.
Don Canham
Citrus Springs


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Sound OFF


What Phillips said
Chairwoman Vicki Phillips
did not say that an MSTU or an
MSBU is the best way to fund
public safety. She voted against
that issue. She also stated that
the county should live within its
means and not raise any addi-
tional taxes. Please-check the
record and see that Commis-
sioner Phillips does not sup-
port an, MSTU or an MSBU to
fund public safety at this time.
Enforce codes
A lot of talk lately about lit-
ter on the highways. You know,
there's a lot of litter in our
neighbors' yards also. Not only
litter, but junk cars. Especially
in Hernando off Parsons Point
Road, if any of the county offi-
cials would like to see a Whole
lot of junk and litter ... Code
enforcement has done nothing.
Shouldn't they change their
name to the "County Code
Unenforcment Board"? Just a
shame that tax dollars are
going for nothing.
Getting it right
As a Crystal River resident
since 1995, I have to vent my
frustration with what is known
as our'city administration gov-
erning system. Whatever hap-
pened to the system that
always worked, with a mayor
and subordinates and coun-
cilpersons elected by the peo-
ple, called a good old democra-
cy in action? Crystal River has
proven to the state of Florida
and other states in the U.S.A.,
we ain't got it right. Sooner or
later we will use up all of our
options. In 20 years from now,
we might get it right. But don't
bet on it.
Cycle destruction
On Monday of this week
(Jan. 31), you have an ad
about the motorcycles and the
four-wheelers tearing up all the
roads out here. I would like to
know what's going to be done
about it. I've lived out here 15
years and weekends these 12-
and-younger children are being
babysat by four-wheelers and
cycles. I'd like to know why
there's nothing being done and
I'd like to know why there's no
respect for your neighbors or
anybody else.
Writing to Annie
This is to the Chronicle edi-
tor: Annie's Mailbox never has
an address in which to write to
them. Can you tell me why? Or,
if not, give us the address.
Editor's note: The Sunday edi-
tion carries the full contact infor-


mation for Annie's Mailbox. Un-
fortunately, to fit it in on a daily
basis would force us to cut some
of the advice. E-mail questions to
anniesmailbox@comcast.net, or
write to P.O. Box 118190,
Chicago, IL 60611.
Don't take sides
If you have an acquaintance
who constantly complains
about their spouse, don't take
sides. Run, don't walk, to the
nearest exit or they'll turn on
you. Been there, done that.
Take warning.
Reading plans
I know a person who's had
plans in the building depart-
ment now for three months. I
read in the paper the county's
looking to hire new plan read-
ers. Why? An engineer or archi-
tect has stamped the drawings
and has taken full responsibili-
ty for the integrity of the de-
sign. Why would the county
want to check the stamped-
and-sealed drawings of a lic-
ensed and insured engineer or
architect who is a college grad-
uate, by someone off the
street? That is the great reason
things are bogged down in the
building department. Forget
the plan (readers) and hire
more inspectors. Don't be sec-
ond-guessing or trying to cor-
rect a man's drawings who has
gone to college and learned
how to do these things.
Too much tax
Thursday morning's paper
(Feb. 3) was about the county
commissioners and the tax; the
county ,tax commissioners get-
ting ready to raise our taxes
again next year. I'm telling you,
Levy County's looking better all
the time. For a small county,
it's getting hard to afford to live
here with all the taxes. I'm fed
up to my eyebrows.
Balance of justice
This is in reference to Judge
Ric Howard and his sentencing.
Where does he get off sentenc-
ing these two Cavaco brothers,
one a two-year prison sentence
and one an eight-year prison
sentence for robbery, multiple
robberies? And in the mean-
time, there's that kid that stole
some beer from somebody's
refrigerator. Even though he's a
multiple offender, supposedly,
he's just a teenager. He never
didn't do any severe robberies
or anything of that nature (and
he was sentenced) 10 years in
jail. I think Ric Howard needs
to be looked at very closely
and perhaps something should
be done about him.


Reporting violation
Need help. Can someone
please tell us how to report a
serious code violation that gets
worse weekly, without us hav-
ing to give our name, address
and phone number? This is a
serious situation that's getting '1-
out of control. Please, some-
one help us.
Bright choices
I would like to thank Bright
House Network for having
Samantha Brown on the Travel
Channel and Martha Stewart,
eventually. They are my two *'-
favorite people.
Refreshing view
Did you hear Commissioner
(Joyce) Valentino when she
asked the other commission-
ers, "What if we can't get the
law?" Or when she says
$100,000, understanding the '-'
magnitude of that amount.
Contrast that to Commissioner
(Jim) Fowler, who said "2.8 mil
here, 1.5 mil there." Commis- ''
sioner Valentino's innocence is
refreshing. And if the other
commissioners keep viewing
the budget through Jim
Fowler's rose-colored monocle
and they raise taxes, they may
all go-the way of Josh Wooten. '
Exempting elderly
Mike Wright's article Jan. 30
about the elderly tax exemption '1
excellent. I pay $1,000 a
year in Citrus County taxes, do
not qualify and I would like to.
I would not mind paying $1 a
month more to help poor sen-
iors. I would like to know who
the cheap, cheap, greedy,
greedy people are who do
mind. The county commission
should do the right thing and
put this back on the agenda for
at least a day. Also, when is the
next election? Some of us
won't forget this non-vote.
Slides vs. salads
According to your front-page
article, a local Homosassa
restaurant holds a slide show on
Friday and Saturday evenings -
a patriotic nine-minute slide
show. And according to your
article, everyone is required to
wave their flag for the entire
show. You said in your article
that a group of patrons raised '
their flags for a while and waved
them. However, when their sal-
ads came, they started to eat '
and were thrown out of the
establishment. This has to be a
joke. That's ludicrous. What is
that restaurant thinking?
Something has to be done
about that ... kind of behavior. '.


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10A
TUESDAY
FEBRUARY 22, 2005
www.chronlileonllne.com


"The law is not an end in itself,
nor does it provide ends. It is
pre-eminently a means to serve
what we think is right."
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.


MAKES SENSE


Helmet law for


youngsters



puts safety first


After bucking a statewide
trend, the County Com-
mission has become the
66th of 67 Florida counties to opt
in on the state's bicycle helmet
law.
While it seems odd to require
helmets of bicyclists younger
than age 16 when
adult motorcyclists
can traverse our THE I
highways helmet-
less, the commis- Requirini
sion's decision helm
makes sense when
it boils down to the OUR 0O
question of safe- Safety
guarding children. sen
Two Hernando
Elementary fifth-
graders Mitch Kilpatrick and
Rylee Lucas are applauded
for coming before commission-
ers to stress their belief that hel-
mets save lives and lessen
injuries.
Also applauded is the enforce-
ment approach outlined by
Sheriff's Deputy Phil Royal.
There are no plans to issue cita-
tions for the first nine months
the law is in place. In place of

Soy source
This is for the person
looking for soy bread. You
can purchase that at
Rutabagas in Inverness, I
believe. It is right by the I
new Wal-Mart. Have a
good day.
Adoption policy CALL
We went to the Citrus 563.
County shelter to adopt a
poodle with another couple
on the first day they were available,
only to be told they were already
being adopted. That was great, until
the "Humanitarians" handed us a
card telling us if we were interested
in adopting them, to give them a
call. Why do you think we were at
the shelter? To adopt them. Why as
taxpayers, and the first day these
dogs were available, were they given
to this "rescue" group? A "rescue
group" saves the animals after the
taxpayers have had a chance to
adopt them. They rescue them, not
take only the ones they want on the
first day. To make money on them?
Why? This needs looking into.
Spirited ticketing
Bah humbug to the city of
Inverness Finance Department. They
should be ashamed of themselves.
During Christmas and New Year's,
they were putting tickets on cars in
the parking lots of the hospital.
Some of these cars belong to peo-
ple who were admitted and couldn't
get out to see these tickets or even
know they were there. Where was
their Christmas spirit? Guess they
lost it on Dec. 26.
Comic relief
After reading all the articles in the
paper about the Crystal River City
Council, I think I'm going to go over
and sit in on a meeting. Apparently,
it's more comical than anything I
cah find on the Comedy Channel.
Special months
I'm just wondering if maybe you
can answer a question for me. We're
in Black History Month now and I've
been looking all over trying to find
out when the Caucasian History
Month is and when the American
Indian History Month is, when the
Italian History Month is, where the


citations, warnings will be hand-
ed out in conjunction with an
overall bike helmet education
blitz.
Even plans for citations and
fines are approached with safety
in mind. Citations would bring a
$17 fine, which would be up to


ISSUE:
g bicycle
nets.

PINION:
makes
nse.


parents to pay.
There would be an
option for children
to take a bicycle
safety class, in
which attending
youths would
receive a free hel-
met, or one could
just pay the fine and
a helmet would be
given to the offend-


er and a second would be pur-
chased and be donated to anoth-
er youth in need.
Two of five commissioners
argued against opting in to the
state law, with the contention
being that child safety should be
left to parents. While that's an
understandable position, the
approach to implementation and
enforcement of the law will, in
the end, prove to be the safest bet.

l German History Month is
and the French History
Month. Why isn't there one
for everybody?
End time change
This is concerning day-
light-saving time. Has any-
one out there thought
about no time change?
5W79 Arizona has no time
change. I'd love to see
Florida try it for a year at
least. It really makes no
sense. If it was left alone, we'd have
7a.m. to 7 p.m. daylight, which to
me is perfect. No change in time
will make our winter days brighter
longer, which in turn would save our
electricity, and you won't have those
long nights because it doesn't get
dark at 5:30. Also, on winter morn-
ings our children have to go to
school at the bus stop in the dark. '
When you work to 4:30 or 5, bythe
time you get home it's either dark
or going on dark. Then in the sum-
mer it will get dark before 9 o'clock.
Mangled mail.
I was just reading "Mail security"
in the Sound Off section of the
Chronicle. I actually work in a local
Citrus County'post office and when
the mail comes in, a lot of times it
rolls through machines ... A lot of
things are pulled open just from
getting moved around. We don't
open people's mail ... Things hap-
pen. A package will get dropped
into a box with other boxes on top
of it and get holes poked in it. And
we always stamp them that it was
received unsealed. So rest easy; we
don't open your mail and look
through it.
Slipping standards
The No Child Left Behind pro-
gram has now been in effect for
three years in Texas. Today, Texas
has slipped from 45th in education
to 50th, passing up traditional
Mississippi for the honor. Perhaps
we should change No Child Left
Behind to "No Millionaire Left
Behind."
State of mind
Medicare's going to pay $500 bil-
lion during the next decade for
Viagra. Viagra isn't a medical neces-
sity; it's a state of mind.


I


CITRUS COUNTY CHRONICLE
EDITORIAL BOARD
Gerry Mulligan ...........................publisher
Charlie Brennan ............................ editor
Neale Brennan .....promotions/community affairs
Kathle Stewart ....... advertising services director
Steve Arthur ................ Chronicle columnist
Mike Arnold ...................... managing editor
Jim Hunter .......................... senior reporter
Founded in 1891
by Albert M Curt Ebltz .......................... citizen member
Williamson Mike Moberley ................ guest member
'You may differ with my choice, but not my rht to choose."
David S Arthurs publisher emeritus .


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LETTERS to


Setting water policy'
The Feb. 4 editorial, "State needs
sound, equitable water policy" is right
on the money.
The Local Sources First Legislation
should be used by any board formed
on a state level as the foundation of a
sound and equitable policy Florida
has had more than its share of so-
called water wars. Just as we (envi-
ronmentalists, water boards, advisory
committees and organizations such as
Homosassa River Alliance and TOO-
FAR) have reiterated: "Water is the
most precious of natural resources
controlled by man."
Citrus County was called water
rich, while facing muck and mud
where beautiful lakes once
thrived.The counties to the south
were pulling strings to tap into the
Citrus springs and ground water.
Local citizens, politicians and organi-
zations rallied to thwart those efforts.
To stop repeated attempts to make
our resources available as a mar-
ketable product, we must insist that
the Local Sources First rule be
strengthened.This should be by con-
stitutional legislation, and serve as a
mandate for any working group look-
ing at the state's water as a funding
source for finding alternative water
enrichment and/or replenishing
efforts.
In the future, Citrus County, along
with all coastal counties, will, by
necessity, find funding for desal oper-
ations and strengthening of water
conservation rules. The creation of
our own water renourishment, con-
servation of, and stricter run-off/pol-
lution rules should be in work now,
not tomorrow. Our commissioners
should take the lead in creating those
regulations along with strong enforce-


OPINiONS INVITED
n The opinions expressed in Chronicle edi-
torials are the opinions of the editorial
board of the newspaper.
N Viewpoints depicted in political car-
toons, columns or letters do not neces-
sarily represent the opinion of the edito-
rial board,
Groups or individuals are invited to
express their opinions in a letter to the
editor,
Persons Wishing to address the editorial
board, which meets weekly, should call
Linda Johnson at (352) 563-5660,
All letters must be signed and include a
phone number and hometown, including
letters sent via e-mail. Names and
hometowns will be printed; phone num-
bers will not be published or given out.
We reserve the right to edit letters for
length, libel, fairness and good taste.
Letters must be no longer than 350
words, and writers will be limited to
three letters per month.'
0 SEND LETTERS TO: The Editor, 1624 N.
Meadowcrest Blvd., Crystal River, FL
34429. Or, fax to (352) 563-3280; or e-
mail to letters@chreoncleonlMe.com.


ment The use of septic tanks along
any county waterway or body of water
should be scheduled for elimination.
I live on the water. I utilize a well
and septic tank, but would gladly pay
an additional tax to help fund the
eradication of those sources of pollu-
tion to the ground water. At the same
time, we should watch closely the
rapid growth and expansion of the
demands on our water sources.
Growth will come, make no mistake
about that At this point, we hopefully
have the commissioners on board
who have the intestinal fortitude to
step up to the plate and swing away
for Citrus County residents and the
very life of our water supplies. .
Jim Adkins
Inverness


the Editor


Link expired


Re: My letter published Feb. 13.
When I wrote the letter and includ-
ed reference to a Web site, the site
was active. The letter appeared as it
was written. Since it took so long to
publish the letter, the site is no longer
viable. I apologize for the seemingly
wrong information. However, I feel it
was in part the Chronicle's fault At
that time, I did not check the Drudge
Report.com address as it seemed
unnecessary.
At this time, I checked the Drudge
site, and it appears to have a totally
different philosophy. I apologize for
what appears to be wrong informa-
tion.
Jerry McKillop
Crystal River

Thanks for support
I would like to thank Citrus County
residents for their support
The youth of Crystal River United
Methodist Church decided to do
something to help victims of the
tsunami in Southeast Asia. Since trav-
eling there to help "hands on" is not
possible, they decided to raise money.
On Feb. 5, a handful of youths and
supportive adults set out to wash cars
at Walgreens in Crystal River for
donations. $545 was collected and 100
percent went to Tsunami Relief.
Not only do I feel this shows great
compassion and conviction in our
teens of today, but also the compas-
sion of our community toward our
global neighborhood.
Thanks Citrus County!
Jo Jefferson
Crystal River


THE CHRONICLE invites you to call "Sound Off' with your opinions on any subject. You do not need to leave your name and have up to 30 seconds to record.
COMMENTS will be edited for length, personal attacks and good taste. This does not prohibit criticism of public figures. Editors will cut libelous material. OPINIONS expressed are purely those of the callers.


"2m0Pemcntof Nothing'


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TUESDAY
FEBRUARY 22, 2005
www.chronicleonline.com


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