At precisely 8:46 a.m. this past Saturday, a ceremony commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 began at VFW Post 10209 in Spring Hill. This time coincided with the time that the first jet crashed into the World Trade Center, commencing the worst attacks on American soil since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Like that fateful day twenty years ago, the weather was warm and the skies were clear.
When teachers welcome students back to school next week, two beloved instructors will not be there to greet them. Michael Cooper, a Civics teacher at Winding Waters K-8 School, and Colleen Fail, a third grade teacher at Spring Hill Elementary, passed away suddenly this summer. Parents, students and fellow teachers expressed not only shock and sadness, but also praised the two educators for their dedication, their skill and their love for their students.
What did more than 2 million young men in the 1930’s have in common with actors Raymond Burr, Walter Matthau and Robert Mitchum; baseball legend Stan Musial; and aviation pioneer Chuck Yeager? All were members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a New Deal program started by Franklin Roosevelt.
On Thursday, July 8, the Hernando County Fine Arts Council held a meeting to initiate plans for their 37th Annual Art in The Park to be held at Tom Varn Park March 12 and 13 next year. Everyone will be looking forward to the event because this year it was canceled due to Covid-19.
The building situated at 307 Howell Avenue in Brooksville dates back to 1925. It first served as a lodging known as the Tangerine Hotel. After the hotel closed it was converted into an Assisted Living Facility (ALF). Now, in its most recent reincarnation it’s a totally remodeled ALF known as Noble Senior Living at Brooksville under the auspices of Noble Senior Services, a company that operates several similar facilities.
On Friday, June 18, Springstead High School bid farewell to Deputy Tommy Harris who had spent twenty-eight years as a School Resource Officer (SRO) there. Students, faculty, school administrators and Hernando County Sheriff’s Office personnel participated in the rousing send-off. Everyone greeted the thirty-five year veteran of the HCSO with cheers, while he bumped fists with members of the crowd.
Soldier, soldier, what’s your name?
What’s your problem? Who’s to blame?
Charlie Miller is my name.
I’m not myself and I’m to blame.
On Thursday, May 20, the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber Education Training Association (CETA) honored a select group of graduates for special recognition in the areas of the Arts, Leadership, Community Service, Career and Technical, Entrepreneurial, and Academics. CETA has an unbroken forty-seven-year record of sponsoring this event, even holding it virtually last year in the middle of a pandemic.
Central High School graduate, Kelsey Barats-Shumate, grew up in a military family, so it’s not surprising that she decided to pursue a career in the Armed Forces. What may be surprising is that she chose the Air Force rather than the Coast Guard, since her father spent twenty-seven years in that branch of the military.
On Saturday, May 8, the Veterans’ HEAT Factory (VHF) held an event at VFW Post 10209 to raise money for their mission – helping Veterans and First Responders who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress.
