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Dear Friends,

Thanks for telling me all about the fun things you did during this school year. I hope you all have a great summer vacation, and I'll see you in the fall.

Your friend,

Matt

Dear Matt:

The most exciting thing we did this school year: We went on a field trip. We listened to music and then we ate lunch. They gave us surprises.

Your friend,

Courtney Morris

Second grade, Sparr Elementary School

Dear Matt:

The most exciting thing we did this year was the Bark Bus. First, the Bark Bus is exciting. We got to pet a cat and a dog. Next, we also got to watch a movie about a dog. Last, we also got to talk about our pets.

Your friend,

Ariel McFarlane

2nd Grade, Sparr Elementary School

Dear Matt,

The most exciting thing we did this school year was going to the sheriff's department. First we got to see a magic show and we got our face painted. Next we split up in groups with parents. Last we got to see a helicopter, listen to music and see Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.

Your friend,

Kaylynn Tyson

2nd Grade, Sparr Elementary School

Dear Matt:

The most epic things we did this school year: First, do math experiments. Do minus, adding and times.

Your friend,

Noah Sherby

2nd Grade, Sparr Elementary School

Dear Matt Manatee:

The most exciting thing I did this school year was the Bark Bus. First you can pet the dog. Next you watch a video. Last, you can pet a kitten and watch them sleep, too.

Your friend,

Sophia Conrad

2nd Grade, Sparr Elementary School

Dear Matt Manatee,

I loved a lot of stuff but my favorite was our business project. We would think of a business name and think of what we would do in the business.

Your friend,

Brynlee McElveen

Grade 2, South Ocala Elementary School

Dear Matt Manatee,

I think it was meeting my teacher. But when I saw her I bombarded her with questions!

Your friend,

Marcos Mayen

Grade 2, South Ocala Elementary School

Dear Matt,

Me and Bailee and Elle made the American flag. We made a Mary Had a Little Lamb hill out of cardboard. We went to SeaWorld and I found some friends at SeaWorld. When we found the friends we stayed in a group.

Your friend,

Benjamin Specht

Grade 1, St. John Lutheran School

Dear Matt,

My favorite part of school is banana splits. It helped me learn math. I have to do math to get more things on my bowl.

Your friend,

Caden Upton

Grade 1, St. John Lutheran School

Dear Matt,

My favorite thing in second grade was the square dance that we did for our parents. We got to dance with a partner, which was a boy! Then we had a feast! It was so much fun!

Your friend,

Taylynn Tidwell

Grade 2, Cornerstone School

NOW THAT'S FUNNY

Q: Ten cats were in a boat. One jumped out. How many were left?

A: None. All the rest were copycats.

Ruby Ochoa

Grade 1, St. John Lutheran School

Q: What did Clifford do to get rid of dog pounds?

A: He went on a diet

Preston Kuhn

Grade 1, St. John Lutheran School

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Public employee unions in Florida will be facing scrutiny from lawmakers when they return to the Capitol next week for their annual session.

For at least the last three years, lawmakers have been trying to take the state out of the business of collecting union dues, but the ban on collecting dues would not apply to every public employer union.

Under proposed legislation, the state would no longer collect dues for a long list of public employee unions. Sponsor state Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, argues the state shouldn’t be in the middle of a relationship between the employee and employer.

“Rather than having the school system collecting those dues and going through the legwork of working for the unions and making their collections for them, it would be much more appropriate if that were a direct relationship,” Baxley told us while traveling.

The legislation also requires employees to sign a membership authorization form that must include language telling the employee that Florida is a right to work state and joining a union is voluntary.

Florida Education Association President Andrew Sparr calls the legislation a distraction.

“So everything this Legislature should focus on right now is what are we doing to recruit people and keep people in the profession, working in our public schools so that every child gets the education they deserve,” says Sparr.

Rich Templin, of the Florida AFL-CIO, says passage would be a disruption for the staff who worked thru the pandemic.

“This bill makes it difficult for them to remain in their union,” says Templin, because they may lose benefits if they forget to mail a timely check.

But the legislation would not apply to every public sector union. Police officers, firefighters and correctional employees could still have their dues deducted from their state check.

Templin says that is just one of the bill’s inconsistencies.

“Some university personnel, for example, they have a paycheck deduction for their football tickets. That will still be allowed” says Templin.

Under the legislation, unions would also face decertification if their membership fell below at least 50% of those eligible to join.

In previous years, law enforcement officers were included in drafts of the legislation, but after complaining loudly, they were removed from the bill.

Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

With his grandfather Crystal River Councilman Robert Holmes holding him, Decker Brown reached his little hand down to a raised metal button in front of him and city officials.

Once the infant pressed down on the switch, with a little help from Holmes, water started to churn and flow beneath the surface of a large concrete pad behind him.

Suddenly, streams of chlorinated water erupted from roughly a dozen flattened fountains throughout the paved surface, reaching heights of up to seven feet before raining down on ecstatic and casually dressed City Council members standing nearby.

“This is the best thing in the whole world,” Crystal River Main Street’s Executive Director Meredith Linley said while watching her young son play among the columns of water shooting up in sequences.

After conceptualizing the idea around four years ago, Crystal River unveiled its Splash Pad Park the morning of Friday, Nov. 12, next to its water tower on the northeast corner of Northeast First Avenue and Northeast Fifth Street.

Nov. 23 is the first day the park opens to the public. City officials wanted the park to be operational in time for Saturday’s United Way fundraiser there.

Along with Crystal River's Town Square and Riverwalk, this park makes up another component of the city’s plans to better weave the business and amenities along Citrus Avenue.

“Today, it’s become a reality, and I’m just so excited to be here,” City Manager Ken Frink said, introducing observers of the park’s soft opening. “What you see now is the next phase in turning downtown Crystal River into a destination for all the state to come and enjoy.”

Frink, Councilman Ken Brown and Mayor Joe Meek on Friday thanked city staff, council, Crystal River Main Street, the Florida legislature and citizens for supporting the park.

“We have such a great group of folks to work with,” Meek said. “City council has just been so dedicated to investing in our city … and this is the latest project to do that.”

Frink also expressed his gratitude toward Hugh Tolle, Vice Mayor Pat Fitzpatrick and Laura Lou Fitzpatrick for their cooperation in selling Crystal River a strip of land to allow the city to move forward with building its park.

Pat Fitzpatrick abstained from voting in the purchase.

“We had a lot of people involved in this,” Frink said. “We could not have done this without you.”

Brown said the splash pad was the best choice to fill the once-vacant lot.

“This is something that’s going to be used for generations to come,” he said. “This is an investment in the community, this is why people want to live in this community because of things like this.”

Florida lawmakers appropriated a $450,000 grant in 2019 to help pay for the project. City Council members followed up with a $350,000 pledge from Crystal River.

Lecanto-based contractor Daly & Zilch Inc. started constructing the splash pad park in April with an allowance of $599,890. Frink said the project didn’t exceed its budget.

It was the city’s hope to open its splash pad park in October, but torrential downpours and slow supply lines delayed completion.

Surrounding the 1,000-square-foot splash pad, which is angled slightly so it can drain water back through filters, is a shaded area, shower, landscaping and sidewalks wrapping around new grass.

Children can enjoy the park’s daytime waterworks, but sunset opens up other opportunities.

Within each fountain is a ring of light, which colors the water as it jets from the ground, creating an enticing scene for people young and old to enjoy at night.

Workers also poured a slab of concrete underneath the water tower to provide space for either an event or outdoor seating for whatever business will rent out the historic pump house from the city.

“It’s going to be a place for parents and for grandparents to bring kids to play," Frink said, "and for residents just to come by ... and hopefully enjoy a focal point of downtown and relax."

A local 39-year-old man will face multiple charges after a string of thefts across the county, according to a Citrus County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit.

On March 20, deputies responded to a vehicle theft at the First Baptist Church in Homosassa.

Upon arrival, a woman told deputies she placed her laptop and keys on the table in the church foyer. After the woman noticed they were missing, she went to lunch. When she returned, her car was reportedly gone.

Deputies located the stolen vehicle on Fort Island Trail in Crystal River. When deputies tried to conduct a traffic stop, the stolen vehicle fled eastbound before heading north on Three Sister Springs Trail, according to the report.

The vehicle was reportedly passing other vehicles in an attempt to evade deputies. It then came to a stop on Northeast Fourth Avenue in Crystal River.

On scene, a witness provided a description of the man, advising he was the only one in the vehicle. They said the man exited the vehicle and fled on foot.

Deputies located the man on Northeast Second Street in Crystal River and he was identified as Richard Leon Canfield.

Upon searching the vehicle, deputies located a cellphone that was unlocked and contained the Facebook of the woman with the stolen phone.

They also found a hypodermic needle in Canfield’s back pocket, which field tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the report.

Canfield was arrested and transported to the Citrus County Detention Facility. He was charged with petit theft ($100 or more but less than $750), grand theft, fleeing/eluding law enforcement and drug paraphernalia.

On March 18, two days before Canfield’s first arrest, deputies responded to Adam’s Towing and Recovery in Lecanto in reference to a past commercial burglary.

According to the owner, someone had cut the chain on the business’s gate and stole multiple items. He reportedly believed it to be Canfield.

Canfield’s vehicle was previously impounded and parked in the tow yard. He attempted to take his impounded truck, but it was blocked by a dump trailer and another vehicle.

Instead, Canfield reportedly entered the business and stole $4,175 worth of miscellaneous tools and items, including items with “Adam’s” written on them. He was discovered after dropping the tools off with someone who recognized the stolen items.

Canfield, who was already incarcerated for the previous theft, was charged with grand theft ($750 or more but less than $5,000).

On March 21, deputies were made aware of the whereabouts of a stolen golf cart on North Candle Point in Crystal River.

Deputies reportedly found the golf cart on a property of a witness in the case. There was an adhesive outline in the shape of a manatee, which appeared to be from the removal of a Plantation Inn Golf Report sticker.

According to the witness, Canfield walked up to the Plantation Inn Golf Resort where the carts were lined up and took one. Employees at the plantation verified the numbers on the side of the cart, which is worth approximately $8,000.

Canfield was charged with grand theft ($5,000 or more but less than $10,000).

Bayfront Health Seven Rivers in Crystal River is ending obstetrical and newborn services and will close its labor and delivery unit, effective 11:59 pm on February 11, 2022.

After this date, the 128-bed hospital will no longer provide inpatient labor and delivery services, according to a hospital news release.

“This has been a very difficult decision. However, fewer births are occurring at Bayfront Health Seven Rivers and this coincides with the increasing average age of our population,” said hospital CEO, Linda Stockton.

In 2009, there were 1,091 births to women who were Citrus County residents, according to Florida HealthCharts, which tracks Florida health trends for the Florida Department of Health.

About 80% of those babies were born in Citrus County and 20% of expectant Citrus County mothers went elsewhere to deliver.

In 2019, that number fell to 1,029, and reflected a years-long trend of fewer births here.

Stockton said Seven Rivers experienced an even steeper decline.

From 2015-2020 Bayfront Health Seven Rivers experienced a 27% decrease in births and even fewer are projected this year, she said.

In 2019, Seven Rivers delivered about 300 babies annually. Citrus Memorial delivered about 500.

Crystal River Mayor Joe Meek said he is saddened by the closure but understands the reasoning behind it.

“While I’m disappointed, obviously it has been a very important service in Crystal River, I understand it’s a business decision and I respect that,” Meek told the Chronicle.

Meek said that with the declining births and another hospital in the county that can provide more delivery services, closing that service line at Seven Rivers was understandable.

That will leave county residents with only one Citrus County hospital remaining to deliver babies: Citrus Memorial Hospital in Inverness, which has invested heavily in its delivery services.

In 2019 Citrus memorial invested $1.8 million in its maternity ward and its hire of four additional OB/GYN physicians.

Citrus Memorial spokeswoman Katie Myers said her hospital can increase its maternity capacity.

“In 2020 our Women and Baby Center saw 481 births. There is absolutely room to grow and we’re more than happy to continue providing both labor and delivery care and childbirth education for our community,” she said.

Stockton said expectant mothers still have Bayfront Health options.

She said expectant mothers can still receive childbirth services at Bayfront Health Spring Hill located in Spring Hill.

She said that the hospital staff will work with local obstetricians on the medical staff to support an orderly transition of their patients’ nonemergent deliveries to another hospital.

Gynecological services and surgery will continue to be provided at Bayfront Health Seven Rivers, Stockton said.

She said the hospital will continue to focus on the services most needed here.

“We will continue applying our resources to enhance and expand the clinical services that are increasingly needed by our aging population such as orthopedic surgery, spine surgery, vascular surgery, general surgery and cardiac services,” Stockton said.

Nurses and personnel who staff the OB unit will have the opportunity to transfer into other open positions at Bayfront Health Seven Rivers, she said.