LATEST NEWS

INVERNESS, Fla. - Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies have a warning for parents about several popular apps among teens. They say the apps are popular with child predators too to lure minors. The warning comes after deputies arrested 11 men in an undercover operation last week called Lucky Strike....

Fireworks are headed for Wildwood both for the city’s annual Fourth of July display and an added display for New Year’s night. At a special meeting Monday, commissioners approved a three-year $138,000 contract with Zambelli Fireworks to provide a 20-minute display on July 3 this year and a seven-minute display for New Year’s, possibly at midnight. The contract can be renewed for an additional two years.

Wildwood police said a woman is pretending to be an employee of Central Florida assisted living facilities and stealing from residents.

Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Arrests from March 16. Eduardo Munoz’banuelos, 31, Tampa, arrested March 16 for operating vehicle without valid driver’s license. Bond $500.

A recent speaker from the Sheriff’s department shared disturbing information with chamber members about the impact of Baker Act transports on deputies and on the county as a whole. Sgt. Rachael Montgomery, the behavioral health officer in the Sheriff’s department, said that every day, five to seven county residents...

Get unwanted prescriptions out of your home and prevent them from finding their way into the wrong hands by participating in National Drug Take Back Day. The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office has teamed up with local partners, the Anti-Drug Coalition of Citrus County and Bravera, along with others across the nation, to collect unwanted and unused medicines from community members.

If Allison Doty spots roadkill on her way from dropping off her son at school or picking up groceries, there’s a good chance she’ll bring her 2022 Kia Sorento to a hard stop. “I’m picking it up,” she said of whatever unfortunate animal met its end on the...

There is an amazing little niche of small family farms right on the border of Crystal River — it's true ! Not many little farms left, being eaten up by subdivisions, strip malls and freeways. The fact that the mini-farms even exists is an anomaly in itself; it would truly be sad to one more quaint thing taken away from why I and many others came here in the first place.

When residents of Citrus County feel strongly about something, they make their wishes known. A new animal shelter is one of those things. It has been made abundantly clear that the old shelter is both cramped and unsafe. Although a former county commissioner scoffed at the idea, people stepped up...

Hernando report details fatal gunfight between plastic surgeon, brother. Christopher and Reid Newman got into an argument in January that escalated to a shootout that killed both men, an investigation found.

Scott Yates doesn’t mince words about the condition of Sugarmill Woods Country Club when his company took ownership last July. “It was in rough shape (and) it was in danger of shutting down at one point,” he said.

Revitalization of Wildwood’s downtown is expected to start in a few months after commissioners approved final agreements with a Lake County firm at a special meeting Monday. Under the agreements, demolition will begin within 90 days to a prepare a site for a 126-space parking garage on the west side of U.S. 301 across from City Hall.

LECANTO — Will Linhart pitched a complete game and Cris Walley crushed a two-run home run to help lead the Citrus baseball team past county rival Lecanto 5-1 Tuesday night to win “The Plate Game.”. The trophy game, which began in 2021, has been won all three times...

A Summerfield man was arrested with drugs after a K-9 alerted on a truck at a local restaurant. Billy Gene Napier Rose, 35, was a passenger in a black 2007 Nissan Titan that was pulled over at 12:08 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot of Zaxby’s restaurant on State Road 44 in Wildwood, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.

There are more than 2 million women veterans living in the United States, and women have made major strides in the military since they first started serving their country in early wars disguised as men. March is Women’s History Month, and it celebrates the achievements of women in society, such...

Inverness pulled off a successful St. Patrick’s Day Parade with a little quick thinking from city officials and a little luck of the Irish Sunday. One of the many floats in the St. Patrick's Day parade on Sunday afternoon features a special appearance of the famous Sunny Cooter in downtown Inverness. The parade was originally scheduled for Saturday but city officials quickly changed the date to Sunday to accommodate the weather forecast. After the parade, there were more festivities, including live music in the city's entertainment district. The entertainment district will also remain active downtown. The entertainment district allows patrons to buy beer or wine in one business and carry their drinks with them as they walk through the downtown and visit other establishments.

A Florida county is under a 60-day rabies alert following a confirmed case of rabies, a press release issued by the Florida Health Department of Citrus County on March 14 confirmed.

Wildwood will move ahead with residential development after commissioners rejected a proposed moratorium at a special meeting Monday. But City Manager Jason McHugh warned that it won’t be business as usual. Commissioners voted 3-2 against the moratorium, which would have continued until the end of the year. The moratorium...

A drunk driving suspect with Corona beer bottles in his vehicle was arrested after speeding down U.S. Hwy. 27/441. A police officer was in the parking lot of Applebee’s restaurant on Bichara Boulevard in The Villages at 1:45 a.m. Sunday when he used radar to catch a vehicle traveling at 60 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. The vehicle accelerated to 70 mph and ran a red light in the vicinity of Fennell Boulevard. It went onto to swerve over a center divider in the highway as it passed other vehicles.

MARION COUNTY, Florida – A Florida man allegedly slapped his wife with a slice of pizza in Marion County. The Domino effect leading to the alleged altercation was purportedly over an argument about the wife slapping their son’s bottom area. When Marion County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the...