1105 Chronicle Week in Review: Tornado Damage on Golf Course, Home Inspector Falls from Roof, Tragic Shooting Death of CRHS Graduate and Good News Too | Local News
Sean McCabe, director of golf operations at Plantation Resort on Crystal River, surveys damage to the resort’s golf course Wednesday afternoon. An October morning tornado left a path of destruction across much of the course, toppling more than 250 trees, destroying the golf pro shop and restaurant as well as the tennis court area, before leaving the property where it continued to sow destruction. This pine next to McCabe is estimated to be 60 feet long.
Sean McCabe received a text message from an employee at the Plantation Resort on Crystal River at 2:45 a.m. on Oct. 12, urging the facility’s director of golf operations to get to the clubhouse as quickly as possible.
It took him almost an hour and a half.
An F2-class tornado packing winds of 125 mph had cut a path directly through the golf course, uprooting huge oak and pine trees and tearing apart the clubhouse.
“I’ve been through hurricanes, but nothing like this,” said McCabe, who accepted the director of golf job three months earlier. Just two months earlier, the Plantation Hotel suffered water damage – since repaired – from Hurricane Idalia.
Ground zero of the tornado, he said, was on the Lagoon Course, near the fourth hole. From there, it’s easy to see the straight path the tornado took as it swept across the landscaped path, dislodging trees in its wake as if they were paper.
As bad as it has been and remains, McCabe is already working on the future, with immediate plans for a temporary clubhouse and a new clubhouse and a return to normal sometime in August 2024.
Former county building inspector John Ruppert falls from roof
Former Citrus County building inspector John Ruppert suffered a severe brain injury when he fell from a roof on October 12.
He was hospitalized at the HCA Florida Ocala Hospital Trauma Center and will be transferred on Tuesday, October 31 to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which specializes in spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation.
He is shown here with his grandson Gabriel.
Special to the Chronicle
John Ruppert was at work early on the morning of October 12, inspecting the roof of a home in Sumter County.
He retired about a year and a half ago after more than 20 years as a Citrus County building inspector, where he was liked and respected by local builders and contractors, and worked for a private company in Sumter County.
The day was rainy and windy, and he fell off the roof and landed on his head in the driveway. No one saw the accident, but neighbors saw him on the sidewalk and called for help.
He suffered a head injury and was transferred on Tuesday, October 31, to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which specializes in spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation.
“It’s an amazing institute,” said his wife, Heather. “They offered me accommodation for 30 days and while John is undergoing treatment, they will also train me to care for him when he comes home,” she said. “It could take five months – they don’t know how long it could take.
“It’s a brain injury and they can’t guarantee anything,” she said. “All they can say is, ‘It will happen if it has to happen.'”
CRHS graduate shot dead in Montana
Stalcup
A family’s worst nightmare: Chandler Stalcup, 18, a 2023 Crystal River High School graduate and freshman at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana, was shot and killed Saturday in Montana.
The Yellowstone County Coroner’s Office said Stalcup officially died Monday morning after his organs were harvested for donation. An autopsy has not yet been performed, so the cause of death has not been officially determined, but the circumstances of death have been ruled a homicide.
“Chandler is an outstanding young adult and a coach could not ask for a better representative of our program,” CHRS head football coach Cliff Lohrey said Monday. “Old school, old soul who could be coached hard and responded by keeping his head down and working to improve. Immense pride in his family, CRHS and love his teammates. I am grateful to have coached him and will always carry in my heart the admiration and love I have for him and his family.
Two down, one to go for US 19 drivers
Parts of the road widening project along U.S. 19 are complete, but portions of the busy highway are still affected by the work.
It’s taken a very, very, very long time, but the completion of the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) three U.S. Route 19 widening projects is within reach. The remaining section, which encompasses most of Crystal River, is expected to be completed in spring 2024.
Traffic is now in final alignment with a median separating the northbound and southbound lanes of US 19 from Jump Court to Fort Island Trail. Both directions remain two lanes in each direction, with the third lane expected to open in early 2024.
Once completed, the final segment of US 19 will be widened from four to six lanes between Jump Court and Fort Island Trail. The scope of work includes a shared-use trail, sidewalks and new stormwater ponds.
At 75, this local man has run marathons and half marathons in all 50 states
Don Wilkinson, 75, has been running half and full marathons for over 10 years. He has an extensive collection of completion medals in his office, pictured above. To date, he has completed 82 full marathons and 100 half marathons. This involves running full marathons and half marathons in all 50 states.
What started as a way to improve his health after a cardiac episode that resulted in a stent being placed in one of his arteries, Don Wilkinson took his passion for running to the ultimate level.
At 75, he recently completed marathons and half-marathons in all 50 states – and he’s still running.
To date, he has run 100 half marathons and 82 full marathons.
He checked off his 50th state for half marathons on October 21 when he ran the Yippee-Ki-Yay Half Marathon on October 21 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
“In that race, my daughter Ann and my son Al ran with me, and my grandchildren, my wife Ann and my daughter-in-law cheered me on,” he said.
He wants to run 18 more full marathons to reach 100 total and in two weeks he will attempt to run six half marathons in six states in a row: New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California.
Next year he will attempt the Mainly Marathons series – 75 marathons in a year.
He said he would keep going until he stopped.
Hot topic of the week: Last week, there wasn’t a single local news story. However, here are some things that concern people who wrote letters to the editor:
“As I live in a rural area where there is no recycling collection, I take mine to the tip and also take the small amount of rubbish I have, usually just one bag a week. When I first moved here, it only cost about $60 a year with my senior discount. Last year it was $80. BUT this year there is no senior discount and the price is $160! … This represents a real burden for citizens and retirees.” – Coldness
“…It is easier to point out the faults of a politician than to find a solution. Recently, many have complained about the higher tax rate, but has the complainant looked at the county budget or all the reasons behind the commissioners’ decision. There have been many complaints about how the sheriff handled a certain situation, but does the complainant know all the details and have a solution to do things better? … The next time you criticize a politician or someone, try to find a solution too.” -Jake Buck
“In 2023, there have been 101 mass shootings in the United States… Regardless of your stance on weapons, including assault rifles, the numbers are staggering and no one has been able to develop a solution.
“Our mass shooting numbers are an embarrassment to other countries. While I agree with the problems on both sides of the gun stance, it really isn’t important. The conflict needs a resolution. If we keep doing what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we’ve always had. We are better than this America. We just need the courage to go for it. -Don Slough
Quote of the week: “I believe that it is not dementia that takes away someone’s dignity; it’s the way we treat people with dementia that strips them of their dignity. And often we do it without even realizing it. — Debbie Selsavage, Certified Dementia Practitioner
Good news of the week: That prayer was answered and a dream came true for Daystar Life Center Executive Director AnnMarie Brierchek and her staff: a portable shower trailer from the Citrus County Department of Health for homeless people to take showers hot.
For now, showers are available Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and include soap, shampoo, a towel and a new chance of clothes. Daystar is located at 6751 W. Gulf To Lake Highway, Crystal River. Telephone: 352-795-8668.
