Robbery at Spanish Springs?
 

I don't know, maybe this was news already reported in the paper but I have been here since December 1 when the robbery actually happened. But in Section C, page 3 was a very small article about an armed robbery of several patrons at the Gators Dockside grill in Spanish Springs on December 1. Excuse me? Today is December 19th? Why wouldn't this be on the front page of the Daily Sun with the sketch of the bad guy? And why was this reported 19 days after the actual crime. This is some news I would want to be on the front page and fast. And even if it was a follow up story, why wouldn't important information like this be on the front page? No point here, just wondering. Reading this makes me wonder if the Villages press is hiding the fact that there is crime also here in Paradise.

Bad for sales!

The story was in the LOCAL section of the paper and in the spot that all the important LOCAL articles normally go.

Must be a reason. We have The Daily Sun and we have online The **************. Meta Minton catches ALL of the news and sends it on in The **************. if The Sun doesn't cover it.


I don't like people to say bad things about The Sun.


I LIKE The Sun.


The Sun is no longer owned by the developer. It was sold to the publisher more than a year ago.

Time for :popcorn::popcorn:

Just a comment
 

No one is saying anything bad about the Sun newspaper. Back home, we also have a section for LOCAL NEWS but news like this, in my opinion, is newsworthy of front page to alert the public of happenings like this and to be on the lookout for this guy. A gun pointed at me or any one else is front page news that I would want to know about to alert me. I was just surprised it did not make it to the front page of the newspaper, just a comment here folks. What this teaches me is that I need to read the entire newspaper to find out all happenings within this area.
Have a nice day everyone. I am not looking for hostility here folks. I like the Villages and one day hope to move here if all works out.

It says in the article below that Law Enforcement delayed this news.
 

Pending a sketch. Now all we have to do is locate the perp who has no ears.

There may be a new publisher but bad thinbgs aren't reporeted (golf cart accidents with injuries) either late or not at all. You must get the poa to get most news.

Happy paper
 

It is no secret that there are robberies everywhere, it's just a question of how many and to what degree. The Villages is one of the most safe areas, in my opinion, one can live. Unfortunately, we all have to look out for ourselves no matter where we are. I do agree this should have been posted on the front page of the paper, if it was not. If anyone is contemplating moving here, as for anywhere else on the world, I would expect they would do diligence and check out the crime rate. We knew crime was low here but also knew the crime rate
In Florida was high. It was our decision that The Villages was plenty safe for us to live. We still feel that way. People just have to except the fact that The Daily Sun is a happy paper and should look elsewhere for the not so good news. It is usually plastered all over the news stations. It works for me.

you are not in Kansas anymore!

One of the best bumper stickers I have seen here in FL:

If you like the way they did it back home so much you can go back....just trying to be light about it....no malice intended.

To set the record straight:
1. The Daily Sun is still owned by the Developer. See www.sunbiz.org - Department of State

2. The Daily Sun is a marketing arm of the Developer and will either not report or will downplay any news that reflects unfavorably on The Villages.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...un-sold-64189/
Villages Media Management, Inc. Company Profile - Located in The Villages, FL - Philip Markward

You Can't Please Anybody Anymore!
 

As long as I have been alive, a common rant has been that the media is ALL BAD NEWS! Why no GOOD NEWS? Now we have access to a newspaper that is primarily GOOD NEWS and people bitch!

There are still plenty of BAD NEWS newspapers. They just cost more, but they are out there and The Villages has no rules against taking the Sumter County paper or Orlando or Ocala, etc.
Chill!chilout

We have been in Illinois since just before Thansgiving and we admit that we miss the Daily Sun. The Newspaper we get claims to be the oldest in Illinois. Unbelievable amount of crime around here. Can't wait to get back to TV.

Don't know for sure who owns the Daily Sun but it almost has to be profitable. We have all been speculating that the Developer has started divesting ownership of various "things" but.......who knows for sure?

They renewed the name in Dec. of 2012 and nothing has been filed since.
[IMG]http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s...psaa6932a0.jpg[/IMG]

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps73a1046a.jpg

Don't see anything that states it is the Daily Sun.
Maybe it is the radio station.

People don't bitch about primarily good news. We bitch about distorted or no coverage of news that is even slightly bad with respect to the Developer or The Villages.

How did this go from a crime that took place to the Daily Sun?

Anyway, if you think you're safe in The Villages, You can keep thinking your safe in the Villages by reading the Daily Sun.

We are very safe in The Villages. Compared to most communities our size, crime is almost non-existent here.

Problem SOLVED.
 

I called The Daily Sun, 352.753.1119




And I asked, Who OWNS The Daily Sun? I said I thought I heard that Phil Markward bought it some time ago.


They said that the developer still owns the building and the printing presses and all the real estate connected with it, but Phillip Markward purchased the business and the management of The Sun a while back.

If everyone bothered to read the article, it says that the Department (I think Police Department) delayed release of the information until a sketch of the subject was completed.

That is why I think the article was delayed until today.

I am not saying that I condone the delay. I am just saying what the delay was.

Z

"The Villages is one of the safest places to live." I guess it depends on what one uses as a comparison. there are substantially safer places all around the US. However safety is subjective and of course if you are victimized your more vulnerable and then you are not safe in your local community.
So I personally won't use I am safer in The Villages because it indicates denial on safety in my mind

Whenever someone mentions the Daily Sun sure to follow is discussion of the Developer. Frankly I don't care who owns or operates the paper but I do care if it does not carry pertinent and relevant news. I know that those terms mean different things to different people. However, given limited space in a newspaper one would believe that people robbed at a town square would take precedence over an announcement of a resident's long lived hobby.

So I guess it comes down to are you a reader who has now settled into a life that prefers to read about social events rather than hard hitting news economic and political goings on, etc.

The tone of your original post came accross as bad mouthing the DailySun,
thus the comments..
Things don't always happen as they did "back home"!

I would really be interested in knowing what other communities of similar resident size (around 100,000) are substantially safer than The Villages.

People know that the 3rd page of Local in the Sun is the place to find the lead stories about what is happening newsworthy in The Villages.

However, please tell me what communities of similar size are substantially safer than The Villages.

Good catch Gracie!

Reminds me of the saying "Friends Romans Countrymen lend me your ears!":024:

A further question would be; what would you have done differently if the robbery was reported on Dec 2.
Should we all not be aware of our surroundings, note unusual happenings, etc.?
If you are waiting for a newspaper, radio or TV to tell you to wake up and be ready................its probably too late.
For me, I get enough of the killings, shootings and robberies on the TV at 6 & 11.

A robber is going to go and rob people where they'll encounter the least or no resistance. Elder people are an example. Village people are prime targets. You can access just about any place here where people are congregated, have money in their pockets, and are pretty much defenseless.
I would expect to see more of this here in the Villages. If I were a crook this would be an area I'd work.
Question is, will the community sit back and do nothing and wait till things get really bad, before they do anything about it? Or will they act quickly to make it a not so friendly place for criminals?

robbery
 

The thing is, this robbery took place at midnight. Not saying there weren't any Villagers there, but the late night crowd at Spanish Springs is mostly younger folks from surrounding areas (or so I've been told). So I don't think he was necessarily looking for "elderly" targets. But when faced with a gun, it really doesn't matter how old the victims are.

Aside from that, I really don't think Villagers are easy targets. There are a lot of healthy and fit residents many with law enforcement and military backgrounds. We may be getting up in years, but in general, I don't think we are a group that necessarily offers the least resistance.

Right at the top it says DAILY SUN, Are you OK ????

What time of day did this crime occur? I was at Gator's for about six hours that day. I don't remember anything happening.

I believe it was close to midnight.

...and yet The Villages remains virtually crime-free for a community of around 100,000 people. What do you attribute that fact to?

What would YOU suggest for the community to do to act quickly to make The Villages a not so friendly place for criminals?

Another burglary today in Sanibel, I think this is the third one in the last month in that neighborhood. Perhaps the thugs are realizing that TV is an easy target???? https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...nne-way-98660/

Probably one perp!

Bogie is most likely right with saying there is probably one person doing these kick-in burglaries. Same pattern fits all. Chances are it is a worker in the area who knows when no one is home.

Was it reported what was taken? Sometimes, homeowners do stupid things like leave empty boxes for new televisions in the driveway. This tells thieves what is good to steal.

Still, in a community of 100,000 our crime rate is neglible.

I found that funny because I just put an empty “Black Cow” bag at the end of the driveway for the g’man.:1rotfl:

I have no idea of what a Black Cow is.

black kow manure fertilizer probably?

It’s cow manure, kind of like putting a lump of coal in the bad guys Christmas stocking.