Citrus slices

Restless audience ready to rebel

Talk about a tough crowd. The more than 600 people who attended the County Commission meeting at the Citrus County Auditorium last week were restless to begin with, then turned surly when commission Chairman Jim Fowler started speaking. "Recall!" one man shouted.

NEXT TIME, TRY MEGAPHONES: During that meeting, which addressed the issue of mandatory trash collection, microphones were set up so commissioners, county staffers, the clerk and speakers could be heard. Fowler asked whether people could hear him in the back. "No!" shouted many people standing against the back wall.

OUCH: Members of the Citrus teachers union bargaining team were shivering outside the meeting room last week at the Withlacoochee Technical Institute when a custodian arrived to unlock the door. His breakfast had apparently been interrupted by the call from union officials; he was balancing a pastry in one hand and the keys in the other.

"Oh, look, and he even brought cake," commented union team member Pam Pate.

But the custodian noted that it was just one small piece.

"That's okay," countered union official Sandra LaGarde. "We're used to sharing a small piece of the pie."

BUCS HUMOR: "Did you know 38-million people watched the Super Bowl? If the Raiders had been paying attention, they could have counted 50 more." -- Ted Ondler, assistant manager, Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge.

"Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon stormed into the locker room after the Super Bowl and angrily threw his helmet to the ground. It was intercepted." -- author unknown, from an Internet discussion group.

-- Times staff writers Jim Ross, Barbara Behrendt and Alex Leary contributed to this report.

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