R News is Your News
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CITRUS COUNTY – Sad news to report out of Citrus County today, after a 4th of July boating accident claimed the life of a beloved Citrus County Fire Captain. Citrus County Fire Rescue released the following statement: It is with profound sadness that Citrus County Fire Rescue announces the passing of one of our esteemed training captains, Michael Fletcher, due to an off-duty boating incident that occurred in Crystal River on the night of Thursday, July 4, 2024. 42-year-old M...
FLORIDA – A heat advisory has been issued for portions of southwest and west central Florida, effective Friday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT. The National Weather Service (NWS) warns of dangerous heat conditions, with heat indexes expected to reach 112 degrees in some areas. High temperatures can lead to heatstroke, a serious medical condition that can be fatal if left untreated. Symptoms of heatstroke include high body temperature (above 103°F), confusion, disorientation, ra...
LECANTO – A New York City man died early this morning after crashing into a light pole on South Lecanto Highway. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the 19-year-old driver was traveling southbound, when just west of Black Diamond Circle, he lost control of his Nissan Altima, veered off the roadway, and struck a concrete light pole. The driver was transported to a nearby hospital, where he later died....
BROOKSVILLE – On Sunday, R News reported the arrest of 43-year-old Jerry Dean Glisson, who deputies say fought with them while attempting to place him into custody. Recently acquired dash cam video may paint a different picture than what deputies say led up to the violent confrontation, which left Glisson with lacerations to the head and a swollen face. (ORIGINAL STORY) After reviewing the reports of every deputy on the scene and watching dash cam video from three patrol cars,...
HERNANDO – Cameras are everywhere and there is no expectation of privacy when you are outside and in a public area, but when the government uses spy cameras to track your every move, that's when people say it violates their right to privacy. That's exactly what Hernando County Commissioner Steve Champion said during a recent Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting regarding the use of surveillance cameras by the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. The issue first came to l...
SPRING HILL – The Florida Highway Patrol is reporting the arrest of a Spring Hill woman after she crashed her vehicle into a home on Autumn Road Sunday evening. According to reports, 29-year-old Ann Marie Estevez was traveling eastbound on Spring Hill Drive when she lost control of her car and crashed into a home located at 1370 Autumn Road. Two people were inside the home at the time of the crash, but officials say no one was injured. Estevez told Troopers that someone p...
BROOKSVILLE – Cellphone video has emerged that has some residents wondering if two Hernando County Sheriff's Deputies went too far in arresting a bicyclist over an equipment violation. Full Video The incident took place around 10:30 p.m. on June 19th while Deputy Dennis Castillo was on patrol in the area US-41 and John Garry Grubbs Blvd. According to an arrest affidavit, Deputy Castillo conducted a traffic stop on a male subject riding a bicycle at the 7-Eleven located at 7...
BROOKSVILLE – Earlier this month the Hernando Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) opened debate over what should be done with the historic Spring Hill Waterfall located at the intersection of Spring Hill Drive and Commercial Way. During the June 11th meeting, commissioners weighed the option of demolishing the waterfall and replacing it with a more modern structure but that didn't sit well with local residents. Following the meeting, grumblings over the BOCC considering t...
RIDGE MANOR – The Florida Highway Patrol is reporting the death of motorcyclist who was killed Saturday on Cortez Blvd. According to officials, a GMC pickup truck driven by a 67-year-old Webster man was pulling out of the solid waste station on Cortez Blvd and failed to yield to a motorcycle traveling eastbound. As a result, the motorcycle collided with the truck, critically injuring a 56-year-old Dade City man. The driver was pronounced deceased after being transported to a...
CITRUS COUNTY – The Citrus County Sheriff's Office has announced the conviction of a woman who shot and killed her ex-boyfriend, a Marion County Detention Deputy. On August 19, 2022, deputies responded to a residence on Pine Ridge Estates due to reports of a suicide. Prior to their arrival deputies were advised 31-year-old Cory Schweitzer had an apparent gunshot wound and was not breathing. Once first responders arrived at the residence, they pronounced the victim to be d...
SPRING HILL – A Spring Hill woman was arrested on Wednesday after officials say she set several fires inside Bridgewater Club Loop Apartments. According to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, on June 10th a male victim contacted the agency after discovering the windshield of his vehicle was damaged and that it appeared to have been set fire. On June 17th, the same victim reported that his driver-side window had been smashed and the rear seat had burn marks. During the i...
NEWS PROVIDED BY The Free Press June 27, 2024, 13:16 GMT Tampa Free Press, R News TAMPA, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES, June 27, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In an exciting move to bolster local journalism and expand national reach, the Tampa Free Press and R News today announced a strategic partnership. This collaboration will combine the strengths of both organizations to deliver in-depth, high-quality news coverage to audiences across the Tampa Bay region and beyond. "This...
HERNANDO - A Spring Hill man becomes the first Hernando County resident to be inducted into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame, going from a hero to his family to an inspiring role model in the community. This is his story... Jose "Chelo" Alonzo's journey into the world of boxing began with a poignant move from Newark, New Jersey, to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, at the age of 7 to live with his uncle and great-grandfather. Driven by familial ties, he soon found himself immersed in a...
CITRUS - An Inverness woman was found guilty of Grand Theft in a Citrus County Courtroom Thursday after forging documents in her divorce to Illegally obtain retirement funds. Back in July of 2021, the victim reported to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) that their ex-wife, 58-year-old Robin Joanna Bell, had committed fraud by filing forged documents to obtain retirement benefits against a court order. In 2015, when the victim and Bell were finalizing their divorce,...
FLORIDA – The Sarah Desert is headed to Florida over the next week. In an event that meteorologists say is nothing new, westerly winds carry over 180 tons of dust across the Atlantic Ocean and into the Gulf of Mexico each year. Experts say most of the dust remains aloft between 5,000 and 15,000 feet and has both positive and negative effects on Florida. Positives: • Can weaken tropical systems and lower activity because the dry Saharan air layer contains 50% lower hum...
HERNANDO – A glitch in the system is what sources say allowed the Hernando County School District's student enrollment website to show multiple gender options. A parent complained and the problem went away. On Friday, R News received a screenshot of the Winding Waters K-8 Skyward Information System showing a drop-down list that allowed students to choose between Agender (no gender at all), Cis gender, Female, Male, Non-Binary, Pan gender, or unreported. The parent who sent the...
HERNANDO – Politicians use various tactics to earn the trust of voters during an election year. A Republican candidate might make promises to their base that reflect traditional conservative values, like lowering taxes and reducing the size of government. A Democrat might build their platform on important liberal issues, like protecting abortion rights and stiffening laws on gun control. Whether or not they keep their promises is irrelevant because it's the vote that c...
UPDATE: The following is a statement from the Pasco Sheriff's Office: Update: Pasco Sheriff’s Office is providing an update on the shooting into an occupied dwelling that occurred in the Pioneer Trl. area of Port Richey on June 21 around 3:35 a.m. Preliminary information indicates that Kenneth Ohmann, 49, and Thomas Philpot, 33, attempted to break into an occupied home and fired multiple shots into the residence. At the time of the incident, there were numerous victims i...
SPRING HILL - Two people survived a small plane crash this afternoon when the aircraft they were flying suddenly lost power. According to sources, an instructor and student were flying a small single-engine aircraft along the coast when they lost power to the engine and attempted to land on Pine Island Drive. The plane struck a tree when it touched down, causing catastrophic damage to the aircraft. Both the instructor and student pilot were uninjured in the crash. American...
SPRING HILL – A former member of the Republican Executive Committee (REC) resigned last week, stating he can no longer tolerate the level of corruption among its members. Combat veteran and former candidate for Hernando County Commissioner Mike Fulford says he's been a registered Republican for 44 years and considers himself to be a patriot and true conservative. Fulford also serves as a commissioner for the Hernando County Planning and Zoning Committee and was an active m...
SPRING HILL – An early morning altercation between two brothers left one shot and the other charged with attempted murder. According to officials, deputies responded to an address on Stillwater Ave around 5:00 a.m. this morning, after receiving reports of a shooting. No other details were released until this afternoon when reporters confronted Sheriff Nienhuis about the incident during a press conference. Nienhuis says the two brothers were arguing about one of them leaving t...
BROOKSVILLE – On Saturday, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office reported the death of an inmate at the Hernando County Detention Center. Today, Sheriff Al Nienhuis provided more details into what happened and identified the suspect and victim. According to Nienhuis, the suspect, 35-year-old William Gillespie was being held in the medical unit after suffering injuries from an earlier altercation with an inmate. While being removed from the cell for an interview regarding the ea...
HERNANDO – It's not the "October Surprise" but R News stumbled upon a technicality regarding the campaigns of two local candidates who could face disqualification due to filing the wrong form. While reviewing candidate documents on the Hernandovotes.gov website, R News discovered that Sheriff Al Nienhuis filed a form DS-DE 9 (Appointment of Campaign Treasurer and Designations of Campaign Depository for Candidates), that is not the current state-approved revised version. The l...
CYRSTAL RIVER – Residents along the coast reported seeing several waterspouts and tornados yesterday afternoon that officials say damaged homes, trees, and powerlines in west Citrus County. Tailor Burbank happened to be on his boat when he captured incredible video of a waterspout that eventually crossed over land and destroyed two waterfront homes. Burbank says he was as close as 100 yards from the waterspout that eventually flattened two wooden structures in front of his e...
HERNANDO – Residents in Hernando County have had enough with "liberal" politicians approving outrageous tax increases and massive budgets, and they demand a refund on votes they cast in the last two elections. But wait, Hernando County is a "Red County" where all five Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and the Sheriff are registered Republicans, so why are their policies not aligning with fiscal conservative values or the taxpayers who elected them? While most residents are...
