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THE NEWSCASTER
THE NEWSCASTER
PRESORTED
PLEASE
RECYCLE
STANDARD
US Postage
Paid
Deborah Russell - Editor/Publisher
Yankeetown, FL
Wednesday August 15, 2007
Tom Russell - Consulting Editor
A Publication of
Permit No. 4
Mike Moore - Photojournalist
Newscaster Publishing
Sally Price Correspondent
Squawk Box Inglis PD
Busts Three
With Mike Moore
Road Rage
In Undercover
I am oft reminded how bru-
tal people are to themselves and
to each other. Not even a day
Drug
can go by without being bom-
barded by news of harm coming
to or being bestowed upon other
Operation
people. Reading about it in a journal of one
kind or another is fine if not distant enough
During the last month, Sgt. Brandon Rob-
to be semi surreal; but being victimized in the
erts and Police Chief Tim Bible of the Inglis
streets is when reality strikes.
Police Department have conducted several
According to SMA (a company spe-
undercover drug operations that resulted in
cializing in driving psychology issues); "Ag-
the arrest of three alledged drug dealers.
gressive driving and road rage are epidemic
Deteriorating Inglis Lock poses potential flooding risk to downstream Withlacoochee
Wallace Fisher of Beverly Hills and Mark Dav-
on the world's highways and result in billions
River area-Newscaster Photo by Tom Russell
enport and David Harvey, both of Inglis, were
of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives
Inglis Lock Part of
arrested and charged with sale of crack co-
lost annually. Addressing this issue will be
caine. "Crack cocaine was purchased and two
the driver training challenge of the 21st cen-
firearms were seized and taken off the streets,"
tury in both the developed and developing
said Sgt. Roberts. "We are taking a stand
world." Case in point: The other day I was
Failing Infrastructure
against all illegal drug activities and don't plan
puttering up N. Apopka St. in Inverness,
on stopping anytime soon. They can consider
which incidentally is a block or two away from
this as their only warning."
bridges are unsafe; it means they may have
the Citrus County Sheriff headquarters (oh,
By Deborah Russell
According to arrest reports, while police
cracks in the concrete of the deck, the sub-
but I digress). Anyway, one afternoon as I
Newscaster Editor
Continued on page 4 - Undercover
structure or the culverts. Once the bridge is
was coming up Apopka doing exactly the
labeled structurally deficient, it is scheduled
25mph posted speed limit I was startled to
Depositions
Deteriorating Inglis Lock poses poten-
for repairs or replacement within six years.
find a car passing me "on the right" (because
tial flooding risk to downstream With-
Meanwhile, the structure is inspected more
Apopka is very wide and the lanes unmarked,
lacoochee River area
Begin In
frequently, about every two years.
this is possible). My knee-jerk reaction was
With the federal budget deficit now
The last deadly incident on a central
to slam on my brakes and the offender went
in excess of $8 trillion and the government
Florida bridge was in May of 1993, when the
on past and then flipped me off in response
Yankeetown
spending in excess of $10 billion each month
span to the Daytona Beach Broadway Bridge
to my up-stretched arms in a wondering why
on the Iraqi war, the federal government has
popped up to a 90 degree angle, throwing 12
gesture.
set aside insufficient funding for improve-
workers into the air, killing 2 and injuring 3
I was wondering why the need to
Lawsuit
ments to infrastructure. Many state govern-
others. The deadliest bridge collapse in Florida
break at least two traffic laws and in the pro-
ments are also also placing infrastructure im-
occured on a foggy morning in 1980, when a
cess endangering our collective lives was
Depositions began this week for the
provements as a low priority, as well. The
freighter making its way from Tampa to St.
Continued on page 3 - Squawk Box
month of August 2007 for the lawsuit filed by
potential danger of downplaying infrastruc-
Petersburg hit Tampa's Sunshine Skyway
Izaak Walton Investors, LLC (plaintiff) against
ture deficiencies was made abundantly clear,
Bridge and killed 35 people; the majority of
Adopt A Pet
Yankeetown Marina (defendant). This action
a couple weeks ago, with the collapse of the
those killed were riding a Greyhound bus
is in two counts, i.e., one for specific perfor-
Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis, Min-
bound for Miami.
see page 2
mance and the second for breach of contract,
nesota that killed 9 and injured many others,
Of greatest concern to the north cen-
with respect to a Commercial Purchase Agree-
with recovery efforts still being made.
tral Florida area is the Inglis Lock at the west
ment, under which the Defendants failed to
In Florida alone, there are 276 bridges
end of the Cross Florida Greenway. The Ing-
fulfill their obligations. The agreement was
deemed structurally deficient (six of those in
lis Lock, Dam, and Bypass facilities were part
executed between the Oesterles and Isaac
central Florida). This is the same designation
of the Cross Florida Barge Canal project that
Walton Investors, for whom Sherwood Part-
that had been given to the Minnesota bridge
was partially constructed in the 1960's and
ners, LLC was substituted. The Agreement
that collapsed during heavy rush hour traffic.
abandoned in the early 1970's. The 600 foot
was executed on May 16, 2005 and contained
According to the Florida Department of
long, 84 foot wide Inglis Lock was designed
the terms and conditions for the purchase of
Transportation, the structurally deficient des-
Continued on page 4 - Depositions
Continued on page 8 - Inglis Lock
ignation does not necessarily mean the