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E-VERIFY COMES WITH COST TO COUNTY, BIDDERS AND VENDORS

County commissioners have been warned in the agenda package for next Tuesday's workshop that the E-Verify program will come with added cost for the county and its contractors and vendors.  Purchasing chief Jim Gantt tells board members in a memo that "there will be a cost to the public" to adopt the program.  Gantt says a program compliance monitor will need to be hired to receive and verify the employment information from all entities that contract with the county and to ensure that information remains current.  For contractors and vendors that don't already use the E-Verify program, the added cost of doing so will likely be reflected in prices offered or bid.
Commissioners have talked about E-Verify for several years, but Tuesday's workshop is the first major step to embracing the program locally.  It's administered by the federal Homeland Security Department.  Although several states require E-Verify use by employers, a chart included in the agenda package notes that some states have pending legislation to prohibit E-Verify use.  Anecdotal reports indicate the program still has some bugs.  The Homeland Security presentation notes that mismatches occur, although it says the accuracy rate is improving.

COMMISSIONERS CONSIDER RADIO SYSTEM, JAIL WORK PROGRAM

Tuesday's County Board workshop also features presentations on the status of the county's radio communications system and saving money at the jail with a work program for weekend inmates. 
Officials say the county radio system is showing its age and could use upgrading.  The system was recently switched to a new bandwidth spectrum as part of a national deal funded mainly by a wireless provider who wanted more room among the radio frequencies used by public entities.  Though some replacement equipment was part of the deal, the presentation indicates that it's time to seek funding for replacing older radios and dispatch equipment.
Commissioners will also hear about programs in other counties that put weekend inmates to work for community agencies and governments.  The weekend inmates are sentenced to serve brief county jail terms on weekends only.  Officials estimated more than $55,000 in yearly savings from implementing the program, though neighboring counties have reported high rates of violation of the rules of their programs.

LANDFILL FOES TAKE FIGHT TO COUNTY, SEEK TRUCK BAN ON ACCESS ROAD

The big hole in the ground behind the "No Trespassing, Construction Site" sign is causing big concerns for residents in the rural east county neighborhood near the hole.  It's the proposed construction and demolition debris landfill that state regulators have tentatively approved.  Worried neighbors say they may have a strategy that could make it difficult on the landfill operator.  They want the county to ban truck traffic on High Corner Road, a narrow ribbon of pavement that provides access to Wildlife Lane.
A 1998 settlement between the County and a previous owner of the landfill property says trucks will be allowed to access the site only by Wildlife Lane, but it doesn't say anything about High Corner Road, which goes north from Cortez Blvd. to the west end of Wildlife Lane.  The residents say they met with a county lawyer who agreed to look into the possibility of a High Corner Road truck ban.  They also passed along the new strategy to a lawyer they have hired to look into an appeal of the state permit notice.
A community meeting has been called for Monday night at the nearby Hillside Baptist Church to consider the next move in the fight against the landfill. 

NEW MONEY PAVES WAY FOR ENRICHMENT CENTER

McDONALDS SUIT BY BROOKSVILLE MAN REINSTATED (from ABC News.com)

It's been nearly five years since carnival operator Frank Sutton of Brooksville bit into a chicken sandwich at a McDonald's at a truck stop in the far corner of southwest Virginia. The legal world is still dealing with the ramifications.  Earlier this month, a federal appeals court in Virginia reinstated Sutton's $2 million lawsuit against McDonald's. In the lawsuit, Sutton claims his fried chicken sandwich exploded with scalding grease when he bit into it, burning his lips and face.  The case went to trial in 2008 in U.S. District Court in Alexandria,but before the jury could deliberate, U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton dismissed it.  Sutton assembles and repairs carnival rides and testified that he was with family and friends when he stopped at a McDonald's in Duffield, Va  When he bit into the sandwich, "grease flew all over his mouth," according to friend Bill Giffon.  Sutton testified that his lips were blistered and bleeding the next morning. His wife testified that the burns made it difficult, if not impossible, for her to kiss her husband. Several months after the incident, a doctor treated Sutton with lip balm.  The judge barred Sutton's lawyer from presenting evidence that one of the employees saw the burns and said something to the effect of, "This is what happens to the sandwiches when they aren't drained completely."The appeals court, though, said the jury should have been allowed to hear it.Sutton said he sued only after McDonald's refused to pay his medical bills plus about $22,000 for a job he lost recovering from his injuries.

HERNANDO COUNTY UTILITIES  WINS WATER COMPETITION (from NewsChannel 8)

TOURIST REVENUES STILL DECLINING, ECONOMY BLAMED

Tourist tax revenues are still dropping, according to a report to the Hernando County Tourist Development Council Thursday.  TDC Director Sue Rupe told members that the bed tax revenues were down nine percent in the first quarter of the fiscal year.  She said January figures were not complete yet, but board members noted that the big motor coach rally that usually attracts a lot of local spending seemed to be well short of numbers seen in previous years, and they shared other anecdotal evidence that tourist volume continues to fall as the recession hangs on.  The revenue decline continues a year-long trend, according to TDC figures.
Rupe also said she was going to begin putting various revenue and tourism statistics on the TDC web site to help local residents understand what money was coming in and where it was going.

JOURNEY FEST OPENS FRIDAY

Journey Fest begins Friday and runs through Sunday, bringing to Hernando County a three-day musical event showcasing over thirty-five bands on multiple stages throughout the grounds of the Sertoma Youth Ranch in Brooksville. 

Event headliner is the Charlie Daniels Band.
According to information from the Hernando tourism office, a collection of Country, Southern Rock, Gospel and Christian artists will perform a full lineup of music for Journey Fest.  Saturday features a complete day of family-oriented entertainment, including a Kids’ Play Zone. A full array of food and craft vendors will be on hand, and other children’s and family activities are slated throughout the weekend.
Closing out the festival on Sunday will be the performance by The Charlie Daniels Band.
The Sertoma Youth Ranch at 85 Myers Road is accessible from State Road 50 via Lockhart Road or Spring Lake Highway.  One-day tickets for Friday’s shows are $10.00 per person. On Saturday, all performances are $15.00 per person, and Sunday's ticket price for all shows is $20.00 per person. A full weekend ticket is $40.00.

WEEKEND EVENTS FROM NATURALLY HERNANDO.ORG