HNS REPORTS---OCTOBER 1, 2009
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GRAND JURY INDICTS MCBURNETT IN ABUSED BABY CASE
The State Attorney's Office announced Thursday that a Hernando County grand jury named David McBurnett, Jr., in an indictment for first degree murder and aggravated child abuse. McBurnett was charged in the death of one-year old Hunter Morris in September. The infant died after what sheriff's investigators desribed as a series of abusive actions by McBurnett. The baby's mother, 19-year old Breanna Underwood, who was living with McBurnett and his mother at the time, was reportedly among the witnesses at Thursday's grand jury session, which lasted a little over five hours.
HERNANDO DREDGE BARGE ON SCENE, BUT NOT WORKING YET
The barge that a contractor will use to dredge up rock from the Hernando Beach channel is now on the scene, but county officials say it's going to be a few more days before the barge will actually start removing the rock. The barge still needs some additional work before it's set to go, but officials were optimistic that the first dredging will begin by Saturday or Monday at the latest. While the rock is being removed, the contractor is planning to assemble a pipeline so that the second phase of dredging, sand removal, can start later in the year. The rocks are being removed to nearby spoil islands, but the sand will have to go to the old sewer plant site on Shoal Line Blvd. for dewatering and stockpiling.
SPRING HILL RABIES THREAT REVIEWED
Health department officials were in western Spring Hill Thursday investigating the raccoon attack that forced a Weeki Wachee Woodlands resident to begin undergoing the rabies treatment procedure. 33-year old Benjamin Smith was taking boxes from a shed Tuesday at 3345 Ballard Street when the raccoon bit him. The critter evaded capture by a deputy and an animal officer, so there is no way to know whether it was a rabies carrier. But Environmental Health chief Al Gray and a department staffer were in the area just east of US 19 looking for evidence of any infected animals. A rabies alert for the entire county has been in effect for quite some time, though most of the attacks have occurred on the east side of the county.
SOUTH BROOKSVILLE IMPROVEMENT TIME LINES SET
More than a dozen officials from the City of Brooksville and Hernando County, and another dozen concerned residents, heard consultants and government staff set out an ambitious schedule for improvements in the south Brooksville community Thursday. The large group met in the City Hall chambers and listened as the processes of engineering, applications for money, comprehensive plan changes and implementing improvements were outlined. The County has hired the Malcolm Pirnie firm to help find the money that is needed for stormwater drainage and water and sewer projects in the long-neglected neighborhood. Another firm is on board to design some improvements, and officials agreed on the need for city-county cooperation on timely comp plan changes to help pave the way for federal stimulus grants or low interest loans.
Former Brooksville mayor and community activist Frankie Burnett told the group that it was time to turn a Vision Plan into an actual plan, with a goal of beginning implementation of improvements in the spring of 2010.
'GIGANTIC' PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST SEEKS HALF-MILLION E-MAILS
County Information Technology chief Doug Chorvat said Thursday that the Ty Mullis public records request for six months of county e-mails would require production of 502,000 separate messages. Chorvat, who runs the Clerk's computer system and took over responsibility for the county system recently, is working with administrative staff and attorneys to resolve the request. Mullis' attorney, Robert Morris, says the problem is the format in which the e-mails were originally produced, as one large file rather than separate files. Morris said he believes the county has a legal duty to produce the e-mails in the format that Mullis has requested and said he expects to respond soon to a letter from an assistant county attorney asking that the request be narrowed. Jon Jouben's letter said the staff time to review the individual e-mails for exemptions or confidentiality exceptions would be "prohibitively expensive."
COUNTY BUDGET DIRECTOR SAYS HE WANTS TO STAY
Hernando County Budget Director George Zoettlein, who applied for the recent early leave program, now says he hopes to stay on as a county employee. Zoettlein applied for the leave program when County Administrator David Hamilton told him his position would be combined with the Deputy Administrator job in the wake of Larry Jennings' departure and that he would have an opportunity to apply. Now Zoettlien says his tenure as Budget Director is being extended to the end of the year, while Hamilton decides who will fill the new combined deputy job, and that he will apply. But he said he's also interested in at least one other vacant county management job that he thinks will fit his skills, and he's hoping that he's picked for either the deputy post or the other job so that he can stay on a few more years.
Hernando News Source has been told that 17 of the 56 early leave applicants have signed the paperwork to participate. The deadline to submit a signed early leave contract is Friday, but even those employees still have another seven days to reconsider and stay on.
SPRING HILL MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT BY VAN
A 41-year old Spring Hill man was charged with aggravated assault Wednesday after he allegedly drove his van at a young boy on a bicycle and swerved at the last minute. The unidentified youth said the van missed him by about five feet and caused him to fall off the bike while riding on Drysdale Street. He was not seriously injured, but his mother reportedly called the sheriff's office, and a report says Michael Paul Raderman of 3130 Cloudcroft Drive was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault. The report says Raderman's van drove past his street and continued toward the bike, then circled the block back to his home. Raderman reportedly told deputies that the youngster had made rude gestures and used vulgar language directed toward him on several prior occasions.
FORECLOSURE FILINGS DOWN FOR SEPTEMBER
It may be just a brief respite, it could reflect higher filing fees, or it could be a good sign for the local housing market, but in any case, the number of foreclosures filed in September was down from August, and dramatically lower than the same month last year. Clerk's records show 247 foreclosure cases were started in September, compared with 281 filed in August. But this year's September number is way down from September of last year, when 333 cases were filed.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT OPENS SPRING HILL WALK-IN CLINIC
The Hernando County Health Department will provide walk-in primary care services at its Spring Hill office on Friday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Department officials say this week's clinic will be the debut of a weekly service every Friday from now on. They say the clinic is being established to provide an alternative for patients with non-emergency type health issues who might otherwise seek care from hospital emergency rooms. Services will be provided on a first come, first served basis, and no appointments will be taken. Payment will be accepted in cash, or by credit card, Medicaid or Medicare. Insured patients will get a receipt and will need to seek reimbursement on their own. The Spring Hill Health Department office is at 7465 Forest Oaks Boulevard.
SHERIFF'S OFFICE SEEKS HELP IN CATCHING RETAIL THEFT SUSPECT
GRAND JURY INDICTS MCBURNETT IN ABUSED BABY CASE
The State Attorney's Office announced Thursday that a Hernando County grand jury named David McBurnett, Jr., in an indictment for first degree murder and aggravated child abuse. McBurnett was charged in the death of one-year old Hunter Morris in September. The infant died after what sheriff's investigators desribed as a series of abusive actions by McBurnett. The baby's mother, 19-year old Breanna Underwood, who was living with McBurnett and his mother at the time, was reportedly among the witnesses at Thursday's grand jury session, which lasted a little over five hours.
HERNANDO DREDGE BARGE ON SCENE, BUT NOT WORKING YET
SPRING HILL RABIES THREAT REVIEWED
Health department officials were in western Spring Hill Thursday investigating the raccoon attack that forced a Weeki Wachee Woodlands resident to begin undergoing the rabies treatment procedure. 33-year old Benjamin Smith was taking boxes from a shed Tuesday at 3345 Ballard Street when the raccoon bit him. The critter evaded capture by a deputy and an animal officer, so there is no way to know whether it was a rabies carrier. But Environmental Health chief Al Gray and a department staffer were in the area just east of US 19 looking for evidence of any infected animals. A rabies alert for the entire county has been in effect for quite some time, though most of the attacks have occurred on the east side of the county.
SOUTH BROOKSVILLE IMPROVEMENT TIME LINES SET
'GIGANTIC' PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST SEEKS HALF-MILLION E-MAILS
County Information Technology chief Doug Chorvat said Thursday that the Ty Mullis public records request for six months of county e-mails would require production of 502,000 separate messages. Chorvat, who runs the Clerk's computer system and took over responsibility for the county system recently, is working with administrative staff and attorneys to resolve the request. Mullis' attorney, Robert Morris, says the problem is the format in which the e-mails were originally produced, as one large file rather than separate files. Morris said he believes the county has a legal duty to produce the e-mails in the format that Mullis has requested and said he expects to respond soon to a letter from an assistant county attorney asking that the request be narrowed. Jon Jouben's letter said the staff time to review the individual e-mails for exemptions or confidentiality exceptions would be "prohibitively expensive."
COUNTY BUDGET DIRECTOR SAYS HE WANTS TO STAY
Hernando News Source has been told that 17 of the 56 early leave applicants have signed the paperwork to participate. The deadline to submit a signed early leave contract is Friday, but even those employees still have another seven days to reconsider and stay on.
SPRING HILL MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT BY VAN
FORECLOSURE FILINGS DOWN FOR SEPTEMBER
The Hernando County Health Department will provide walk-in primary care services at its Spring Hill office on Friday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Department officials say this week's clinic will be the debut of a weekly service every Friday from now on. They say the clinic is being established to provide an alternative for patients with non-emergency type health issues who might otherwise seek care from hospital emergency rooms. Services will be provided on a first come, first served basis, and no appointments will be taken. Payment will be accepted in cash, or by credit card, Medicaid or Medicare. Insured patients will get a receipt and will need to seek reimbursement on their own. The Spring Hill Health Department office is at 7465 Forest Oaks Boulevard.
SHERIFF'S OFFICE SEEKS HELP IN CATCHING RETAIL THEFT SUSPECT
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