Citrus County’s downward trend in COVID-19 cases ended last week and is spiking again.

The increase from a record low of only 17 new cases during the week ending April 7 represented an almost 300 percent hike and 55 new cases during the week ending April 15. There were also two additional deaths due to the virus.

COVID deaths typically lag new cases by several weeks.

Before the increase, Citrus County had been seeing a downward trend despite Florida’s new cases, as a whole, rising.

During the week ending April 13, Florida saw 14,925 new cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That was a 39 percent increase from the previous week.

There have been a total of 29,693 cases in Citrus County since the pandemic began in 2020. In Florida there have been nearly 5.9 million.

In Citrus County the total number of deaths because of the virus now stands at 975.

There were six COVID-19 hospital admissions in Citrus County during the week ending April 13. That was slightly up from only four the previous week.

The increase locally in COVID-19 hospitalizations mirrors that which Florida has seen for the past few weeks.

Florida had 740 COVID-19 hospital admissions during the week ending April 13. That was a 10 percent increase compared to the previous week. The age group that had the largest increase in hospitalizations in Florida due to the virus were those Floridians ages 18-29, according to the CDC. That age group accounted for 25 percent of all COVID-19 hospital admissions.

The increases in Florida and Citrus County is also being seen nationally.

The average daily number of new cases in the United States as of April 17 was 37,619, according to the New York Times, which tracks COVID-19 data. That was a 39 percent increase over the 14-day average

That means that there have now been more than 80.5 million reported in the United States.

The average daily deaths nationally was 511. That was down 21 percent from the 14-day average, but deaths tend to lag new reported cases by several weeks.

According to the CDC, nearly all the new cases are caused by the Omicron subvariant BA.2.

The Omicron subvariant BA.2 caused 86 percent of new Covid-19 cases nationwide last week, according to the CDC.

Philadelphia is now requiring indoor masks again as well as several universities.

Health experts warn that the future of the subvariant will be predominantly determined by the level of immunity in our population and our behavior.

Fred Hiers is a reporter at the Citrus Chronicle. E-mail him at fred.hiers@chronicleonline.com

The $1 million price tag to design a new county animal shelter raised a few eyebrows when it was broached during a county commission meeting last month.

The Chronicle has received scores of letters from people calling it a waste of money.

County Commissioners Scott Carnahan and Ron Kitchen Jr. said the price tag – just for design – was excessive and voted against spending that much when the county could easily have saved money by modeling the new facility on existing designs from other sites – most notably in Collier County.

County Commissioner Ruthie Schlabach, the project’s leading proponent, has also heard the complaints. But she’s also heard from folks supportive of the design cost as a means to building a quality shelter.

Most people understand, she said, when they learn the extensive design scope. Most importantly, she said there’s no way to know what the design will entail because it isn’t complete yet.

“It’s not just for a blueprint,” she said. “It’s soup-to-nuts.”

The board in November selected Florida-based TOCOI Engineering Inc., to handle the design of the facility. TOCOI was deemed the most qualified out of the three companies interviewed.

Adding to the cost is TOCOI’s costs for engineers during each phase of the design. Schlabach said engineering costs account for 10-12 percent of a commercial building’s design.

People must realize, she said, that Citrus County cannot just lift plans from existing shelters and expect costs to be less.

“We’re not just building a shelter, we’re building a hospital,” Schlabach said.

County Administrator Randy Oliver said the “base” shelter design will be the same size as the existing facility with the same number of kennels.

However, the architect is including alternate plans that allow for expansion add-ons, such as additional catteries.

Oliver said there’s not a one-size-fits-all for animal shelters. What works in one county may not work here.

Collier County, for example, spent $6 million on design and construction. But that money came from a one-cent local option tax.

Citrus County doesn’t have that luxury.

What Citrus County does have is the recent sale of Betz Farm in Crystal River for $6.5 million. The proceeds will go toward the shelter construction.

TOCOI’s design costs are $986,737 and funding will come from unrestricted donations specifically earmarked for the shelter, totaling $2,478,294.

Oliver said a shelter design is more complicated than others. Architects must factor in costs similar to building hospitals. It’s not as simple as putting up a metal building.

Animal feces and urine wind up on floors and surfaces must be designed to stricter specifications against contamination. Special holding areas must be built to isolate sick animals and prevent the spread of disease.

Oliver said TOCOI Engineering has a track record in building shelters and can recommend ideas for what works.

“They know all the tricks to what you really need,” Oliver said.

Given the soaring price of building materials and supply shortages, residents may be in for a jolt once the shelter construction costs are bid out.

“The market right now is crazy,” Oliver said.

Citrus County deputies say the 48-year-old man mistreated dozens of dogs he was breeding and selling.

FLORAL CITY, Fla. — A Citrus County man is facing animal cruelty charges after deputies say dozens of dogs were found "living in deplorable conditions" on his property.

Jason Munn, 48, was arrested on May 3 in Colorado with assistance from the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force after an investigation began last month.

Deputies say they first made contact with Munn on April 1 after receiving information that he was not properly caring for a large number of dogs he was breeding and selling. Animal control officers found he was not in compliance with the size and capacity of the animals' kennels.

That's when Munn began relocating some of his animals, giving up 14 dogs to the Citrus County Animal Shelter. Deputies say three of the dogs were "in such deplorable conditions from long periods of neglect" that Munn was arrested on April 18 for three counts of aggravated animal cruelty.

Further investigation revealed that Munn had relocated 65 dogs to Iowa, where they were seized by an animal rescue due to their conditions, the sheriff's office wrote. One of the dogs had a leg that was improperly amputated, according to investigators. They said they believe that Munn performed the amputation himself without the assistance of a veterinarian or proper follow-up care.

Investigators executed a search warrant on two of Munn's Floral City properties where they say they found 56 dogs living in deplorable conditions. A release from the sheriff's office describes multiple dogs in small kennels, dogs without access to food and water, the remains of two dogs under a tarp and a puppy found dead in its own urine and feces.

Deputies say 28 reptiles, including snakes, skinks, geckos, and monitor lizards were also found living in "terrible conditions."

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Munn, who had bonded out from his previous arrest. He was arrested with help from the USMS and the Saguache County Sheriff's Office in Colorado and will be extradited back to Citrus County.

Charges are pending as the investigation continues.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, when suggesting President Joe Biden’s economic policies will “plunge the United States into a recession,” says Florida will be prepared.

At a news conference last week announcing funding for flood control and water management projects in Lee County, he said that while inflation continues to worsen, Florida’s economy is strong, with revenue exceeding expectations.

“For the month of April, it’s our current estimate that the state of Florida brought in about $760 million above estimate,” he said. “We consistently have been over-performing that. That means that the fiscal surplus for fiscal 21-22 is going to be by far the biggest surplus in the state. By the time the fiscal year ends June 30th, we’ll have well over $20 billion in surplus between the unallocated general revenue fund balances and our budget stabilization fund.”

“That’s what you call being a good steward of people’s money,” he added. “We’re built for the long haul. We have no income tax, very low tax burden. There’s nothing in the foreseeable future that would change that trajectory. It’s important that we govern that way because I think it’s very likely that Biden is going to plunge this country into a recession.”

He pointed to several indicators like inflation, the Fed raising interest rates and market fluctuations, saying, “there’s a lot of concern about the overall economy.”

“Florida’s been doing well, and we’re happy about that, but when you have the inflation headwinds, when you have the Fed raising interest rates, when you have some of the other things happening in the markets, there is a possibility of a downturn and unfortunately that downturn will have been precipitated by a lot of really bad policies coming out of Washington, D.C.,” DeSantis said.

While he hopes that doesn’t happen, he said, “prudent statesmanship is to be prepared in case something like that does happen.”

“We are happy with our fiscal situation,” he added. If a national economic downturn does occur, he said, “We have the reserves ready. We would not miss a beat in terms of meeting our priorities for education, infrastructure, water resources, all these things that are part of our mission to make Florida a great state to live.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ March Consumer Price Index reported an 8.5 percent increase in inflation from the previous year, the highest in 40 years.

Last month, state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said in a statement the inflation report was “alarming.”

“Unfortunately, with food costs up nearly 9 percent and energy costs up over 30 percent, there is no end in sight and still no plan from Washington and the Biden Administration,” Patronis said.

However, “With gas tax cuts and our home hardening initiative,” he said the governor and legislature “have done more to fight increasing costs on households than anything Washington has done.”

One way Florida can weather an economic downturn, he said, is for DeSantis to veto expenditures in the budget. “His veto pen will be an important tool in protecting critical services for hard times – and I hope he uses it,” he said.

DeSantis has already announced that he was going through the budget line by line to exercise his line-item veto authority. The funding for projects he’s been announcing are those he’s already approved in the budget, he said.

He hasn’t yet announced any line-item vetoes and hasn’t yet signed the budget.

Singer Jason Petty has made a living impersonating and performing the songs of country music legend Hank Williams throughout his adult life. But it was a chance encounter with a different country music icon that made him realize, as never before, the significance of what he was doing.

"It was the second or third week of a show at the Ryman Auditorium, where Hank had performed," Petty said. "I was down on the steps, a few feet from the audience, and there was a man sobbing in the front row. It was George Jones. He came up to me after the show, still in tears, and said my performance was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. At that moment, it hit me, the impact of what I was doing. It sent my head spinning."

Petty's show at the Ryman was a full-blown theatrical depiction of Hank Williams' life titled "Lost Highway." Nowadays, he is performing a solo show called "Hank Williams: The Lonesome Tour," which he will bring to The Valerie Theatre in Inverness, Florida on Saturday, May 7.

Petty, who grew up on a farm in Tennessee, has loved Hank Williams' music since the age of 3, when his father first cajoled him to sing along with a recording of "Hey Good Lookin'."

"As I got older, I started to become wiser as to who wrote the songs, who sang them, what they meant to music history," Petty said. "I was into all genres of music, but because I was raised on a farm, listening to country and gospel, I realized that's the kind of music that people listened to, who barely got by. Hank sang about the same kinds of things that my people went through. It wasn't just some guy singing some other dude's song. He wrote it because he lived it."

Despite his physical resemblance to Williams, Petty does not consider himself an impersonator, but he understands why others might.

"I'm trying to capture the nuance of Hank's vocal style, his movements, his facial expressions," Petty said. "I try to emulate his voice and personality as much as possible."

Petty's portrayal of Hank Williams was convincing enough to win him an Obie award, the Off-Broadway equivalent of Broadway's Tony award, for his performance in the New York production of "Lost Highway." Petty liked acting, but did not want to stay in New York, so he returned to Tennessee and began writing his own country music-themed shows, including "Hank Williams: The Lonesome Tour."

"People who knew Hank started coming backstage and telling me stories, and I started writing them down," he said. "All the stories you are going to hear in my show came straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak."

Jason Petty will perform "Hank Williams: The Lonesome Tour" on Saturday, May 7, at The Valerie Theatre, 207 Courthouse Square, Inverness, FL 34450, at 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. General admission tickets are $30 for the 6:00 p.m. show and $20 for the 8:00 p.m. show. V.I.P. tickets are $99 and include seats in the first two rows, meal and drinks from Oscar Penn's in the fine dining tent, and an autographed photo. For more information, call 352-341-7850 or visit valerietheatre.org. To learn more about Jason Petty, visit JasonPetty.com.