HNS REPORTS---MARCH 29, 2010


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DETECTIVES FIND GROW HOUSE ON SECOND TRY

1447Algood Rd. (Google StreetView)
Sheriff's detectives foiled on a first search for a marijuana grow house Friday tried again later and seized almost 50 marijuana plants from a residence on Algood Road.  Two people were arrested on marijuana cultivation charges.
Arrest affidavits say 43-year old Nguyen Antuna of 1447 Algood Road and 35-year old Isela Gonzlaez-Ruiz of 3523 Plaza Avenue in Spring Hill were jailed as a result of two separate searches.  Detectives first served a warrant at the Plaza Avenue address but found only one marijuana stem in two concealed rooms that apparently housed a grow operation that had been moved.  Antuna was found at that address, which led detectives to get another warrant for his Algood residence, located behind Nature Coast Commons, where they located the pot plants.  One room reportedly had 22 four-foot plus plants, and another had 25 seedlings up to a foot tall.

SAGER, BROWN-WAITE PETITION SIGNATURES CONFIRMED

Sager  Brown-Waite
The Florida Division of Elections candidate tracking web site says Republican Congressional candidate Jason Sager has qualified for the primary ballot.  Sager's 6,163 verified petition signatures make him an official challenger to incumbent Fifth District Representative Ginny Brown-Waite, who also qualified with petition signatures.  According to the state elections office, more than half of Sager's signatures came from Citrus County, while Brown-Waite divided her signatures nearly equally among Hernando, Citrus, Pasco and Sumter, with a scattering from the four other counties that have at least a part of her district.

WATER CONSERVATION GROUP TOURS BLUE SINK

Hernando County's Groundwater Guardians and guests were among some two dozen people who visited Blue Sink Friday.  It was the second field trip of the year for the Guardians committee, who toured the county's Peck Sink preserve in January. 
(Alys Brockway photo)
Friday's trip was led by land owner and local businessman Tommy Bronson, who showed the guests around the environmentally sensitive areas of his property.  Though Bronson has development interests in west Hernando, he's also a member of the committee and committed to preservation of most of the natural features on his land northeast of Brooksville. 
(Alys Brockway photo)
Blue Sink is at the bottom of a basin that drains the rolling land north of Brooksville, and the source of the name is easy is see. 
The Groundwater Guardians committee meets monthly to discuss water conservation and public educational efforts.  More information is available from Conservation Coordinator Alys Brockway at the county Utilities Department.



TOURIST DIRECTOR ANSWERS WEBSITE CRITIC

County Tourism Director Sue Rupe says a citizen who criticized the tourist development website in remarks to the County Board recently was looking at an old archived version of the site.  Rupe told the Tourist Development Council that Richard Ross used a search engine designed to locate old web pages, and the one he found was more than ten years old.  Ross told commissioners a link on the site went to a web page all in Chinese.  Rupe said she had talked with Ross and explained her findings and that he was satisfied.

COUNTY CREWS START WORK ON NEW JURY ROOM

Interim Public Works Department Director Susan Goebel says construction of the new Jury Assembly Room on the first floor of the Government Center (formerly the Code Enforcement Department) will begin  Monday.  She projected that  construction will be completed around May 17th, and the Jury Assembly Room will move from the third floor to its new area on the first floor.   On May 24th construction will begin on the new courtroom in the former Jury Assembly Room location, which should be complete around October 1st.



CENSUS, COUNTY PLAN "MARCH TO THE MAILBOX" EVENT

U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves has released the initial 2010 Census mail participation rates for the nation, showing that 16 percent of households have mailed back their census forms so far.  The announcement came a week after 120 million households received their 2010 Census forms in the mail.
“These first weeks are critical to the final census count,” Groves said.  “It's absolutely vital that everyone takes the 10 minutes to fill out and mail back their forms. If every household mailed back its 2010 Census form, taxpayers could reduce the cost of taking the census by $1.5 billion.”
Hernando County’s response rate is currently 15%. A community event is planned for Saturday, April 10th, to coincide with the nationwide “March to the Mailbox” campaign intended to encourage residents to return their census forms. The event will be held at Hernando Park in downtown Brooksville from noon to 2 p.m. There will be entertainment, free food, giveaways and fun activities for the kids.

MAN CHARGED WITH STEALING MONEY FROM YOUNGSTER

Sheriff's detectives arrested 24-year old Douglas Zuel Friday after a two-month investigation of a January incident.  An arrest affidavit says Zuel stole $34 from a 12-year old boy selling items at a Spring Hill shopping center to raise money for his group, Teens Against Drugs and Alcohol.  Zuel allegedly took the money out of the youngster's hands and fled the scene.  The affidavit says Zuel was arrested at the Hernando County Jail where he was incarcerated on prior grand theft and retail theft charges.


COUNTY DIGEST

Bid Awarded for Replacement of Jenkins Creek Boat Ramp

The Jenkins Creek boat ramp is slated for replacement soon. County commissioners have approved a staff recommendation to award the contract for the new boat ramp to Marine Products, Inc., at a cost of $26,994. The work will consist of removal and disposal of the existing concrete ramp and construction of a new ramp system.

100 Miles of Roadway to be Paved

In its thirteenth year of the Pavement Management Program, the Public Works Department has completed approximately 1,280 miles of roadway paving, reconstruction, microsurfacing, and crack sealing to date. The Board of County Commissioners authorized the 2009-2010 (Phase II of the program) which consists of an estimated additional 100 miles of roads. The total estimated cost for this Phase is $4,403,793. Determination of priorities is based on safety issues and roadways requiring rehabilitation and preventative maintenance.

Recycling Service Cut in Spring Hill Effective April 19

County officials have announced that the frequency of collection of curbside recyclable materials in Spring Hill will go from once per week to once every two weeks, effective April 19th.  The day of the week will remain the same. This change only affects recycling and not household garbage collection. The change was approved by the County Board on March 9th as a cost saving measure
along with the privatization of the recycling processing center
at the Northwest Solid Waste Collection Facility.




"EQUINE" STANDS TALLER AT CITY HALL

The metal horse sculpture that was removed earlier this year from the front of Brooksville City Hall is back and standing taller than ever.  The original work by local artist James Oleson was dedicated as part of Founders' Week last year but was removed when Oleson said he wanted to re-do it and reportedly sold the original piece.  The replacement appeared last week and is at least twice as high as the previous sculpture, which may also reduce the potential of tampering with the horse.

TRAIN SHOW COMES TO SPRING HILL

Regal Railways brought its traveling train show to Spring Hill Saturday, providing treats for train enthusiasts both young and old.  The show at the K of C Hall included several dozen vendors displaying trains and accessories for sale to collectors and model railroaders. 
The operating train layout was a project of SAFE, the Society of American Flyer Enthusiasts, and the owners of the trains and layout pieces came from throughout the Bay Area to the local event.

Posted by Hernando News Source at March 28, 2010
Categories: uncategorized
 

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