Digest

Your news

By Times Staff Writer
Published September 9, 2007

High Fives

Tony and Anna Liisa Covell recently returned from a safari, arranged by Grant International, to the eastern province of South Africa, in an area known as the Karoo.

The area is an old farming region that was settled by sheep farmers in the 1700s. Most of the farms were converted for hunting and preservation purposes, after apartheid ended in South Africa, as a means of self-support for the landowners.

The area the Covells hunted encompassed about 1-million acres owned by Mike Murray of African Fields Sports. They were the only two hunters there during their eight-day stay.

The couple stayed in a converted farm house (with no heat) in the middle of the region. At night, they watched rhinos roam the property. The weather was cold, dropping to 35 degrees in the mornings and reaching a balmy 60 degrees by afternoon.

During Anna Liisa's hunt, she bagged a kudu, black wildebeest, white spring buck, gemsbok and an impala. Her most difficult hunt was the kudu, which required mountain climbing through rough terrain. The kudu was about 1,100 pounds and took four men to load into a transport vehicle.

Tony darted a white rhino while on a "green" hunt, where a sedative dart puts the rhino to sleep. A veterinarian was on hand to check the vital signs of the rhino. While it was down, photos were taken, then the rhino was given a drug to wake up. This hunt required Tony to get about 20 yards from the rhino to use the dart gun. He also bagged a zebra and a common spring buck.

The Covells said the country is magnificent, but it's like stepping back in time. The roughest part of the trip was the 22-plus hours of flying time to reach the destination. Following the flight, another three hours of driving was required to reach the Karoo region.

Clubs and Organizations

The Kiwanis Club of Spring Hill invited Matt Peters to speak at a recent lunch meeting at the Lake House in Spring Hill.

Peters is veteran services manager with the Hernando County Office of Veterans Services. His office is at 16110 Aviation Loop Drive in the Airport Industrial Park, south of Brooksville.

Peters provides assistance to veterans who inquire about help with health care, education and training benefits; vocational rehabilitation and employment; home loans; burial benefits; and other needs.

Veterans planning a visit to Peters' office should call to make an appointment and bring service records to verify and register military service at the office.

In addition to Peters' office, veterans can see a veterans service officer at Career Central, the main Lykes Memorial Library, the East Hernando Branch Library, the West Hernando/S.T. Foggia Branch Library and the Spring Hill Branch/Harold G. Zopp Memorial Library. For information, call Peters at 754-4033.

---

Members of the Preceptor Delta Iota Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi celebrated the arrival of summer with two summer socials.

The group had an old-fashioned barbecue at the home of Larry and Lydia Dodson in Masaryktown at the beginning of summer. Dozens of guests enjoyed the watermelon-themed outdoor party.

In July, Apollo's Greek Restaurant in Brooksville served as host for the second social, where members enjoyed a demonstration of belly dancing for entertainment, as well as a meal.

---

The Hernando County Health Department and Hernando County Emergency Management recently hosted their second pandemic influenza exercise.

Containment, control and management of a pandemic flu outbreak was the focus of this exercise, which involved first-response agencies, along with community-based organizations and environmental and animal-related agencies and groups.

Representatives from local law enforcement, fire departments, Emergency Management, Animal Services, Mosquito Control, the state Department of Children and Families, Aging & Elderly Services, Disability Services, Community Emergency Response Team, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Fish and Wildlife, hospitals, corrections, public health, the Red Cross and the Property Appraiser's Office were among those in attendance.

Notes of Thanks

To all the kind people of the Spring Hill community, the Spring Hill Dixie 13-year-old All Star team would like to thank everyone for being so generous in helping us get to the state tournament in Grand Ridge.

Special thanks to the local businesses for their support, including: Publix stores 220, 457 and 813; Hess gas stations on Mariner Boulevard and County Line Road; and 7-Eleven stores on Barclay Avenue and Berkeley Manor Boulevard.

Special thanks to those who gave us donations: Spring Hill Dixie Baseball, WDG Construction, Carpet Store of Pasco, Wexler Orthodontics, Luigi's Pizza, Kastrenakes Ice Cold Air; Guiding Lighting Rehab, Christ Lutheran Church Men's Club, St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church Men's Club, Chris Campbell, Pristine Liquors, O'Sullivan & DeLuca LLC, Waste Services of Florida, Trader Bay Sea Food, Massages by Kim, Beyond Hair, Bealls, Breakfast Club, Winn-Dixie stores at Mariner Boulevard and Commercial Way, Weeki Wachee Springs, Marsha and David Lindberg, Dino and Marie Fiocca, the Killion family, and Brooks Engebretson Miller Hanke and Associates.

Coaches Brett Sollazzo and Dave Miranda

Manager Mike Sollazzo

and the Dixie 13-year-old All Star team

We need your news!

[Last modified September 8, 2007, 20:56:21]