THE NEWSCASTER
THE NEWSCASTER
PRESORTED
PLEASE
RECYCLE
STANDARD
US Postage
Paid
Deborah Russell - Editor
A Publication of
Wednesday March 25, 2015
Inglis, FL 34449
Tom Russell - Publisher
Newscaster Publishing
Permit No. 14
Sally Price - Correspondent
Please visit our website: thenewscaster.com
Mike Moore - Photojournalist
Community
Earth Day
Egg-stravaganza
Learn about Florida's environ-
ment with exhibits by many area clubs
and organizations
Ellie
Schiller
Homosassa
Springs Wildlife State Park, and the
Friends of Homosassa Springs Wildlife
Park will be celebrating Florida's envi-
ronment with a special Earth Day event
for community children on Saturday,
April 4, 2015.
The event kicks off with a com-
plimentary Easter Egg Hunt starting at
9:00 a.m. on the green behind the Park's
Visitor Center parking area. Families
should arrive early to register their chil-
dren and to meet the Easter Bunny and
other costumed characters. Children will
redeem the Easter Eggs they collect for
candy. Those children in each group who
find the silver or gold egg will receive
special Easter baskets. There will be no
charge to participate in the Easter Egg
Hunt. The Friends of Homosassa Springs
Wildlife Park encourage participants to
bring canned goods for donation to the
We Care Food Pantry.
Nine year old "Zeus" sitting in his owner Lentz Henderson's lap, is being blessed with good health and a long life by Beth Jarrell, a prayer
The Wildlife Park opens for the
elder, at the 1st Annual Unity "PAWS" Pet Fest held at the Unity Church in Lecando last Saturday. The Springtime event, unlike the Oct. 4th
day at 9:00 a.m. and visitors can enjoy the
St. Francis ritual was created to promote the "Spirit of Pets". Barbara Newkirk, the event coordinator, hopes to bring awareness to the bond
park and many Earth Day exhibits in the
between pets and people, to foster pet care, and pet adoptions. TheNewscaster/Mike Moore
Garden of the Springs. The Earth Day ex-
Series of Traffic Plane crashes into home with
hibits will be set up from 10:00 a.m. until
4:00 p.m. in the Garden of the Springs.
Interpretive carts will be set up along the
minor injuries to pilot
Crashes Claims
Wildlife Walk. Learn about bears, pan-
thers, manatees, native plants, bees, and
Three Lives
much more. Exhibitors include Friends of
Pilot diverts to Inverness Airport
Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park, Nature
About 3:45 pm, Monday, March
World Wildlife Rescue, Homosassa River
From The Florida Hwy Patrol
23, the Citrus County 911 dispatch center re-
Garden Club, Save the Manatee Club,
Crystal River crash kills Inverness man
ceived a call that a plane had crashed into a
Southwest Florida Water Management
A traffic crash in Citrus County,
District, Homosassa Heritage Council,
house off Eden Drive in Inverness. Deputies
March 18, took the life of an Inverness
Melody's Bees, and more. The park will
and the Fire Rescue Division of the Citrus
man, 67 year-old Lehman Strickland. The
also be celebrating the first anniversary of
County Sheriff s Office responded to 743
crash occurred at 10:06 am on State Rd. 44
Yuma, the Florida Panther's arrival at the
Carnegie Drive and immediately came upon
at Shady Knoll Place in Crystal River. Ac-
park.
a small single engine Beechcraft plane that
cording to the Florida Highway Patrol, 70
The Beechcraft airplane that crashed into a
Bring the family out to enjoy the
had clipped a power line, skimmed some
year-old Wayne Eldridge of Inverness was
home off Eden Dr. also hit an in ground pool
park and learn about our natural resourc-
trees then struck the back porch of the home
driving a 2002 Mercury 4-door car, travel-
and caused it to empty. CCSO Photos
es. Admission to the Park is $13 for adult;
before landing in the back yard. The pilot,
ing east on State Rd. 44 in the outside lane,
$5 for children ages 6 through 12; admis-
75 year-old Joseph Roger Smith, was the
while Mr Strickland was driving a 2009 Ford
sion is free for children ages 5 and under.
only passenger onboard the aircraft. He was
Ranger pickup truck, also traveling east on
Admission includes an all-day visit to the
flown to a nearby hospital with minor inju-
Hwy. 44, in the inside lane. Mr. Eldridge
Park and includes all the Earth Day ex-
ries. The homeowners were inside the home
attempted to change from the outside lane to
hibits. For more information, please call
at the time of the crash, but were not injured.
the inside lane, and in doing so, the left front
(352) 628-5343.
Power crews fixed the downed power lines
of his Mercury collided with the right rear
Correction/Clarification: Last week's
and restored the power to the home. The
of Mr. Strickland's Ford Ranger. After the
Squawk Box, Low Income Housing Should
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and
impact, both vehicles rotated clockwise onto
have beeen attributed to The Newscaster
the National Transportation Safety Board
the south shoulder of Hwy. 44. Mr. Strick-
staff, not the CCM.
(NTSB) will be investigating the crash.
Continued on page 4 - Crashes