Logan Neill, Times Staff Writer
Logan Neill covers arts and entertainment in Hernando County for the Tampa Bay Times.
Phone: (352) 848-1435
Email: lneill@tampabay.com
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Fluoridation of Brooksville's water on tap for Tuesday workshop
05/17/13 Local GovernmentBROOKSVILLE — Call it fluoridation debate, redux.
The long-standing question of whether Brooksville should return to the practice of adding the tooth decay-fighting chemical to its water supply will return front and center before the City Council during a workshop at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The issue, which has strong advocates on both sides, last came up in March, when council member Frankie Burnett stated to council members that he welcomed bringing in dental health experts as early as possible to present their views before the five-member governing body. All agreed with Burnett, except Mayor Lara Bradburn, a staunch opponent of fluoridation, who thought it more appropriate to discuss the matter during the summer budget season....
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Glen Lakes residents want compensation for damage caused during prescribed burn
05/15/13FireWEEKI WACHEE — Two months ago, residents of the Glen Lakes community looked above the horizon and saw something that no homeowner ever wants to see: a wall of flames racing toward their property.
Within minutes, the normally quiet neighborhood that abuts the eastern edge of the 34,000-acre Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area was flooded by emergency responders from six agencies scrambling to control the blaze....
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Orange Blossom spreads the jam
05/14/13TourismSPRING LAKE — Four years ago, south Florida promoter Russ Bowers had a plan to bring together some of Florida's more noted improvisational rock bands that he hoped would appeal to the growing audience for jam bands.
Since then, the annual Orange Blossom Jamboree has, well, blossomed into one of the largest festivals of its kind in the Southeast.
"We always knew that Central Florida would support a festival like this," Bowers said. "Every year, it keeps getting better — the music, the audience, the vendors, everything."...
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Perennial foster mom has big home, big heart
05/10/13 Human InterestBROOKSVILLE
When asked what she was planning as a Mother's Day gift, 8-year-old Natallie giggled and explained that she had put together in school a "breakfast bag."
It would hold a muffin, a drawing, a poem she had written and a surprise that she refused to reveal, other than to say this:
"Linda will really like it."
Mother's Day is always a special occasion for Linda Hoins. Cards, letters and phone calls flood into her comfortable home south of Brooksville to remind her of the dozens of young people who have lived here over the past 21 years....
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Chinsegut Hill Manor House primed for turnaround
05/07/13 Economic DevelopmentBROOKSVILLE — Just a few months ago, supporters of the historic Chinsegut Hill Manor House almost felt like throwing in the towel.
Turned down by agency after agency in their quest to keep the 165-year-old landmark and its picturesque grounds from being "surplussed" — or sold to a private buyer — the nonprofit Friends of Chinsegut Hill made a last ditch pitch to the Hernando County Commission. It asked the commission to underwrite a plan to lease the facility from the state and keep it in public hands....
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Second Florida Blueberry Festival deemed a success
05/06/13 Economic DevelopmentBROOKSVILLE — This past weekend's second annual Florida Blueberry Festival in Brooksville had a lot riding on it. Not only was it a calling card to potential visitors from all over Central Florida, but also it had to make a profit to return in the future.
It turns out, the event was a winner on both counts, said Michael Heard, chairwoman of Florida Blueberry Festival Inc.
A preliminary tally of gate receipts showed that festival pulled in between 45,000 and 50,000 visitors during its two days, she said. That should ensure a profit that will be divided between chosen charities....
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Brooksville paints town blue for Florida Blueberry Festival
05/04/13 Human InterestBROOKSVILLE — Normally, not much happens in downtown Brooksville on a weekend afternoon. Only a handful of people walk the streets. Most businesses are closed.
But on Saturday, it was awash in blue as thousands of people descended upon the historic city for the second annual Florida Blueberry Festival.
"I just love blueberries,'' said Teri Schummer, dipping her spoon into a blueberry smoothie. "I always come to these things for the food.''...
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Easton Corbin to play Florida Blueberry Festival in Brooksville
05/02/13 Human InterestBROOKSVILLE — If you're hosting a big-time public event such as the Florida Blueberry Festival, its organizers say, you need a big-time attraction.
And the people running this weekend's festival in Brooksville think they have found that draw in 31-year-old country music upstart Easton Corbin.
"We brought him in to bring a bigger audience to the festival," said Sue Rupe, entertainment chair of Florida Blueberry Festival Inc....
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Florida Blueberry Festival ready for second go-round in Brooksville
04/30/13 Human InterestBROOKSVILLE — Organizers of the Florida Blueberry Festival stepped into their new venture last year hoping that the investment of thousands of advertising dollars and many hours of planning would pay off by bringing hordes of visitors to downtown.
In one way, the event — which returns this weekend — was a success, drawing a crowd of about 40,000 over the course of the weekend....
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Hernando deputy cleared in shooting of high school football player
04/29/13CrimeBROOKSVILLE — The State Attorney's office on Monday cleared a Hernando County sheriff's deputy of any criminal wrongdoing in the February shooting of an 18-year-old student at Nature Coast Technical High School.
The student, Joseph "Joey" Berrios, attacked the deputy, Ramona Fuhs, after she ordered him to stop, according to the statement from the State Attorney's office, which summarized the findings of an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement....
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Hernando deputy cleared in shooting of high school football player
04/29/13CrimeBROOKSVILLE — Prosecutors on Monday cleared a Hernando County sheriff's deputy of criminal wrongdoing in the February shooting of a Nature Coast Technical High School student.
The decision from Brad King, state attorney for the 5th Judicial Circuit, was based on his office's review of the investigation into the shooting by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The student, Joseph "Joey" Berrios, 18, attacked the deputy, Ramona Fuhs, as she tried to leave her patrol car, the prosecutors' report said....
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For 20 years, Habitat Hernando has built homes for low-income residents
04/26/13NewsBROOKSVILLE
Tracy Taylor still swells with pride when she looks around the three-bedroom home on Peach Street that she and her family have called home for 18 years.
Though modest in appearance, the dwelling is a dream castle in her eyes, filled with loving memories that began before the foundation was poured.
Back in 1994, Taylor found herself in impossible living conditions. A single mother with three small children, she no longer felt that the cramped rented mobile home on Easy Street was the proper place to raise her family. Although she had a good job as a certified nursing assistant, she was convinced she would never qualify for a home loan because she thought no one believed in her....
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Art league thinks big with special exhibit at Brooksville City Hall
04/26/13 Visual ArtsBROOKSVILLE — For nearly 40 years, the Spring Hill Art League has endeavored to promote the county's visual arts community by putting members' works in small exhibits in as many public places as possible.
Until now, however, the organization has never had the opportunity to showcase multiple artists in a single-venue exhibit as large as the one that kicks off Monday at the Brooksville City Hall Art Gallery....
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Brooksville looks at ways to pay to fix deteriorating roads
04/24/13 Local GovernmentBROOKSVILLE — Brooksville City Council members agree that after years of neglect, the buck stops with them when it comes to bringing the city's streets up to acceptable standards.
However, doing so will cost a lot more than the city currently has budgeted for street and sidewalk maintenance, says the engineering company the city hired last year to assess the 39 miles of streets within Brooksville's boundaries....
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Family who lost possessions, pets in fire tries to regroup
04/19/13FireSPRING HILL — Nearly a month after the fire that reduced her home to a charred skeleton, Aurika Ashcroft shook her head with tear-filled eyes last week as she surveyed what was left.
Her family's blackened belongings, clothes, dishes, books and furniture were still piled outside as reminders of a March day gone horribly wrong.
Although her family resides just a few hundred yards away, Ashcroft doesn't often visit the house at 9069 Orchard Way alone. She prefers to wait until her husband, Ron, and 9-year-old son, Ruslan, can be there to ease the sorrow....
