Sumter
Express
“Sumter County’s Local News Source” F R E E TA K E O N E
Vol. 5 No. 21
Sumter News Bits Hospice Volunteer Training dates set Could you make some time to help a neighbor? Run some errands? Stay with a patient while the caregiver takes a break? Read a book or magazine, or simply keep a patient company? Non-profit Cornerstone Hospice has announced their next volunteer training for the Sumter county region taking place Wednesday, January 12 and 19 (applicants must attend both Wednesdays), 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Lane Purcell Hospice House Annex (facing Hospice House building on left) 2452 CR526 E. in Sumterville. Lunch and snacks will be provided. Hospice needs volunteers who want to help patients and their loved ones. Please pre-register by calling volunteer specialist Kim Carter at Lane Purcell Hospice House (352)455-6081 or (352)569-5305. Or, you may call volunteer manager Lisa Gray at (352)742-6806 or TollFree (888)728-6234.
Friends of the Panasoffkee Community Library membership drive Friends of the Panasoffkee Community Library, Inc. are having their annual membership drive during the month of January. Dues are $5 per year per adult. Make check payable to FOL PCL, Inc and give to service desk at library or mail to P O Box 4, Lake Panasoffkee FL 33538. If you have questions, call Patricia at 793-2007.
Help Celebrate Rev. Coker’s 50 years of ministry Rev. Chet Coker, former minister at 1st Baptist of Bushnell (19661971) will celebrate 50 years in the ministry on Jan. 16 at his current church, Christian Ministries Worship Center located 1.5 miles west of Leesburg on Hwy 44, turn on Whitney Road. His former members are invited at 10:30 a.m. Call 787-8831 for details.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Divers used in search for missing miner ROSE DAVIS EXECUTIVE EDITOR Two weeks after a worker disappeared in a lime rock pit following a blasting job at the Mid-Coast Aggregate-Mazak Mine rescue workers were still trying to recover his body, according to Amy Louviere, spokesperson from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Following the accident that happened Thursday, December 23, 2010 rescue workers have continued efforts to locate Kenneth James Stephens Jr. after he disappeared in a lime rock pit after the ground around him collapsed following a blasting job at the mine located east of Linden, according to Louviere. “Divers began exploration of the site late yesterday afternoon (Jan. 5.) The recovery efforts will continue until recovery of the victim,
or until the recovery team determines we do not have the capability to do so,” said Louviere on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011. The divers are privately hired contractors, according to Louviere. “Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) was planned for Jan. 6 from the surface at the mine site to determine/ confirm cavities identified by divers as well as through resistivity testing ran last Wednesday. Additional holes will be drilled close to the caved area as well to confirm the cavity’s extent. A cadaver dog will continue to be utilized as well. A survey and mapping of this area will also be ongoing,” said Louviere. The purpose of the Mine Safety and Health Administration is to prevent death, disease, and injury from mining and to promote safe and healthful workplaces for the Nation's miners. Stephens, 35, of Beverly Hills
Search for missing man at mine continued two weeks after blast was employed by Austin Powder Company, a subcontractor for MidCoast. Stephens worked on the blast crew for 11 years and had been on over 1000 blasts during that time, according to Sumter Sheriff’s Lt. Bobby Caruthers. The call for help to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office came around noon on Dec. 23, 2010, according to Caruthers. Stephens disappeared after the mining company had performed a routine blast at a lime pit. As the blasting supervisor approached the
area to inspect it the ground gave away around him causing the ground to collapse causing Stephens to fall in the pit, Caruthers said. Caruthers said Stephens was approximately 30 feet from the blast area when the ground gave in. Emergency crews arrived at 12:20 pm that day where they found no visible sign of Stephens from the surface, Caruthers said. Representatives from the Mine Safety and Health Administration, Sumter and Osceola County Sheriff’s Department and persons from the office of Florida Geological Survey are at the mine site during the recovery process, according to Louviere. “Portions of the mine are operational. The area around the accident site remains closed with the exception of work necessary for recovery activity,” Louviere said on Jan. 6.
Looking for Sumter’s Pet Sweetheart Photo STAFF REPORT With such great popularity during the 2010 “Sumter’s Sweetheart” Online Pet Photo Contest, the Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County has kicked off the 2011 “Sumter’s Sweetheart” that will run January 5 through February 11, 2011. If you have the most wonderful, heroic, coolest, best pet there ever was it’s time for the world to know it, Post your pet’s photo (online only) at the HS/SPCA’s website contest link, www.hsspca.org starting on Wednesday, January 5 then spread the word to all your friends and family to send in their online votes.
Entries are only $5/photo and votes are only $1 each. Claudia Labbe’, Fundraising Chairperson, says the really big news is that the top three prize packages are double in value of what they were for the inaugural year, exceeding $700 in great prizes. “Support from our participants entering their pets, casting their votes and businesses donating prizes and they were ready to be a part of it this year.” Said Labbe’ “The new twist to the contest will also allow the top three vote-getters to select which prize package they prefer. All three prize pack-
See PET pg. 4
Farm tours, trade show for farmers large & small STAFF REPORT Sumter County will be hosting AGRItunity 2011 at the West Central Florida Agricultural Center located at 7620 State Road 471 at the Sumter fairgrounds on Saturday, January 29. The fifth annual conference and trade show is designed to meet the needs of farmers large and small. AGRItunity Farm Tours to feature local crops and livestock will be held January 28, 2011 prior to the tradeshow. Registration is open for two farm tours that are pre-conference activities for the annual AGRItunity
Conference and Trade Show that takes place January 29. AGRItunity is a project of Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Pasco and Sumter County extension offices and is in the 5th year of bringing a day of workshops and tradeshow with the most current information to farmers and ranchers. Both tours will leave the Sumter County Agricultural Education Center at 9:30 AM and return at approximately 4:00PM pm Friday, January 28. The crops tour will travel to neighboring Citrus County and will visit an organic blueberry farm, a farm that grows strawberries, citrus and blueber-
Daniel Salatin of Polyface Farms ries, and a tree and ornamental farm. The livestock tour will travel throughout Sumter County and
will visit a beef operation, a dairy, the famous Sumter County Livestock market, a goat farm, a farm supply and a pastured poultry operation. The cost of both tours is $15 and includes bus transportation and lunch. This is a unique opportunity to see how food is produced right here in central Florida and meet the farmers too. Space is limited – register now at http://sumter.ifas.ufl.edu or call Susan Kelly at (352) 793-2728 x 236.
See AG pg. 2