THE NEWSCASTER
THE NEWSCASTER
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Deborah Russell - Editor
A Publication of
Wednesday March 2, 2016
Inglis, FL 34449
Tom Russell - Publisher
Newscaster Publishing
Permit No. 14
Sally Price - Correspondent
Please visit our website: thenewscaster.com
Mike Moore - Photojournalist
Community
Nesting sea turtles, flashing
cell phone photos a bad mix
Sea turtles digging their nests to
lay eggs on Florida s beaches face a new
21st century hazard: someone snapping a
flash photo with a cell phone.
March 1 is the official start of
the sea turtle nesting season. The Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commis-
sion (FWC) reminds people not to take
cell phone flash photos of sea turtles on
the beach at night, because that can inter-
fere with nesting.
"It s great that people are enjoy-
ing Florida s beaches and are enthusias-
tic about our sea turtles," said Dr. Robbin
Trindell, who leads the FWC s sea turtle
management program. "However, most
visitors to the beach don t realize that
any light on the beach at night poses a
threat to these threatened and endangered
animals. A nesting female may become
frightened or disoriented by lights or a
flash photo and return to the ocean with-
out laying eggs. Lights on the beach at
night also could interfere with adult or
hatchling sea turtles trying to find the
ocean after nesting or hatching."
Remembering The Past - Bruce Norris, Norris Development Company and Norris Cattle Company owned Homosassa Springs attraction and in the
Sea turtles have been on Earth
1960's Bruce invested in stock in Ivan Tors Film Company of Miami Beach. Norris had a special arrangement with Ivan Tors Animal Actors to
for about 110 million years, and eager
locate animals used in the movies at his attraction in Homosassa. Tors was noted for Daktari, the 1965 movie that featured Clarence The Cross
photographers are hardly a new phenom-
Eyed Lion from the movie of the same name and Judy The Chimpanzee. Continued on page 4.
Busted Times Two
enon. However, today s widespread use
Ex-beau, jealous of
of cell phones and flash photos on the
beach creates a risk for Florida s nesting
new beau, shoots
narcotic), which he claimed belonged to his
From The Citrus County Sheriff Dept.
and hatchling sea turtles.
girlfriend. However, he had no prescription
From now through the end of
A traffic stop by deputies with the
pellet into woman's
for the pills.
October, three different species of sea
Citrus County Sheriff s Office, Feb. 26, re-
The report stated, that a 9 milim-
turtle will land on Florida s Atlantic and
sulted in the arrest of two of the vehicle s
eter black handgun and several rounds of
Gulf coast beaches to lay their eggs.
home
three occupants. A deputy no-
ammunition were found in a backpack that
In 2015, a record number of green tur-
ticed that the vehicle was travel-
belonged to Shirley, a convicted felon, along
tle nests were documented in Florida:
ing at 58 mph in a 50 mph area,
From The Citrus County Sheriff Dept.
with cotton swabs, a spoon and several sy-
27,975 on the 26 beaches that the FWC
and then in a 45 mph area of W.
ringes. Under the backpack was several
has monitored since 1989.
On Feb. 24, a woman at a S. Glen
Gulf to Lake Hwy. in Crystal
large bags of marijuana, a scale and several
How can people help conserve
Acres Ter., Homosassa residence contacted
River before turning south onto Shirley
baggies. Directly behind the driver s seat
Florida s sea turtles? Just remember
the Citrus County Sheriff s Office when she
Rock Crusher Rd., where the
was a safe, that when opened, contained two
these turtle-friendly practices:
awakened to find damage to a window that
traffic stop was made.
additional large bags of marijuana, along
·
Remain at a distance
appeared to have been caused by a small
Deputies learned that
Continued on page 4 - Drug Bust
from nesting sea turtles and hatchlings.
projectile.
the driver, 43 year-old Kevin
·
Remove chairs, cano-
A deputy arrived at the home and
Robert Shirley, 4450 E. 171st
pies, boats and other items from the
noticed the damage and also looked at
Terrace, Silver Springs, FL, had
beach at night, because they block the
numberous text messages the woman had
a suspended driver s license; it
Carrol
movement of turtles and hatchlings.
received from 31 year-old Justin Anthony
has been suspended in 2013 for
·
Turn off or shield
Bladl, 5514 S. Shalimar Pt. Homosassa, stat-
refusing to submit to a breath alcohol test.
lights along the beach, in order to prevent
ing he was sorry; stupid, and hadn t meant to
A K-9 alerted to the presence
nesting females or hatchlings from get-
hurt anyone, other that her fiance.
of drugs in the vehicle. Richard Anthony
ting confused and going toward lights on
While the deputy collecting infor-
Carrol, 47, 2834 N. Reynolds Ave., Crys-
land instead of the salt water, where they
mation from the female victim, Badl called
tal River, was found to be in possession of
belong.
her phone, several times. Under the direc-
three morphine sulfate tablets (a Schedule II
Photo Courtesy CCSO
Continued on page 4 - Pellet Shot