Diane Kortus

My son becomes a husband

November 13, 2013 By Diane Kortus

It was just two months ago that I wrote about my son’s engagement over Labor Day weekend. I shared with you that Andy and Erin were planning to marry next November after Andy returned from his upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.

Well, a lot has happened since then. As you can see by the accompanying photo, Andy and Erin decided not to wait until 2014, and were wed earlier this month in a chapel on the base at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

It was a lovely wedding on a beautiful autumn day, with fallen leaves carpeting the walk from the church, and branches laden with red, orange and yellow foliage perfectly framing their photos.

The bride was gorgeous in a classic satin dress, and the groom stunning in his formal officer uniform. Andy proudly wore his white cover (as U.S. Marines call their hats) and playfully plopped it on his bride’s head after the ceremony — a bit like Richard Gere and Debra Winger in “An Officer and a Gentleman.”

Witnessing this joyous event was immediate family only — mothers, fathers, sisters, brother, sister-in-law and one first cousin. Between both families there were just nine of us — 11 including the bride and groom.

The wedding was intimate and deeply personal, with Andy and Erin focusing 100 percent on each other and their vows. There was none of the stress usually associated with getting married because there were no guests to greet and no reception to worry about.

Andy and Erin shared their commitment with their closest family members, those who have loved them since the day they were born, or younger siblings who never knew life without them.

Everyone else — grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends — will have to wait until Nov. 8, 2014. That’s when Andy and Erin will renew their vows in the church where Erin grew up in Appleton, Wis. Together we will celebrate their union with a traditional Midwestern reception in a spacious hall overlooking the Fox River.

I’m still not sure exactly how this accelerated wedding came to be. Shortly after becoming engaged, Andy left for a month of training in southern California. While still out West, he called to tell me that he and Erin had decided to get married before he deployed instead of waiting another year.

So with the blessings of their priest and their parents, Andy and Erin began planning their wedding, and were married four weeks later. It was surreal how the wedding details fell into place so easily and beautifully. Even the weather was perfect.

As I write this column, I’ve been back in Land O’ Lakes for three days and am still getting used to the idea of a married son and a new daughter-in-law. Of course I am thrilled, but it is an adjustment — one of those transitional times most parents experience as their child embarks on a new life path quite separate from their own.

And, of course, this is the way it is meant to be: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh,” Ephesians 5:31-33

I never gave much thought to this Biblical verse until Andy’s wedding. But now it resonates loudly, as it does undoubtedly for all parents who have witnessed their son become a husband, or their daughter become a wife.

The power of the printed word

October 23, 2013 By Diane Kortus

I first considered writing a column about the demise of Patch last August when AOL Inc. announced it was shutting down most of its community websites.

I mentioned this to a couple friends not in the newspaper business, and each gave me a puzzled look. “Patch?” they said. “Never heard of it.”

One thought it was a website for people who liked to quilt; another was sure it had something to do with rabbits.

Just in case you, too, never heard of Patch, it was a network of 900 or so websites around the country that posted local stories written by employees and viewers, including local Patch sites in Land O’ Lakes, Lutz and New Tampa.

The Patch concept piggy-backed what we do best at The Laker/Lutz News — giving readers stories about local people, events and issues that are only found in their weekly community newspaper. We call this hyperlocal news.

Patch offered this same hyperlocal formula, but in a digital format. And while Patch’s stories, photos and video clips were often very good, most of its websites never drew enough viewers to justify selling ads to local businesses.

Patch failed not because of poor content, but because not enough people went to its website. There was never enough traffic to create the momentum needed to generate advertising dollars to cover its expenses, much less make a profit.

So why was Patch unable to pull people like you to its websites when its content was much like the stories you’re reading in this week’s Laker or Lutz News?

We believe the answer is so simple that it has been overlooked.

The stories Patch covered and we write about are not urgent enough for you to search for them online. You’re just fine getting your community news in a weekly newspaper delivered to your home.

We know from several research studies in our industry that only 25 percent of regular readers of community newspapers go to their paper’s website. And when they do, it’s just once a month on average.

This means if you’re reading this column, you have probably never visited our website at www.LakerLutzNews.com. And my staff and I are OK with that because we never stopped believing in the power of the printed word.

I believe egos get in the way of many publishers and journalists who incorrectly assume their stories are so important that they must be posted on their websites as soon as they are edited. They believe readers are as consumed as they are with getting news 24/7.

Here at The Laker/Lutz News, we accept what the research verifies — that you like getting your community news the traditional way — in a newspaper delivered to your driveway that you can read when you choose.

Those of you who do visit our website mostly go there to get digital links to stories you’ve already read in print. Or, you may be a seasonal resident wanting to keep up with the news here when you’re back north. Or, you may want to share it with relatives who live elsewhere.

We think of our website as a service to readers who want to link our stories to their websites or Facebook pages. We’ve made it easy to navigate with a searchable archive of local stories going back to 2009.

Our stories are posted Thursday morning, the day after you get The Laker or Lutz News at your home. I’ve never understood why most newspapers do the opposite —post stories to their websites before their readers have a chance to read them in their printed product. From my perspective, it’s like competing against yourself and cannibalizing your primary product.

Which takes me full circle back to Patch. I believe Patch faced a daunting challenge from its beginning because AOL ignored what research has told us for years — that people seldom go online to seek hyperlocal news.

It’s not that news websites are never viable. Certainly national websites for newspapers like USA Today and the Washington Post attract readers because they break important national and international stories. Even daily newspapers can have a strong Web following, especially for sports coverage where fans demand the immediacy of game results.

But the kinds of stories Patch posted and we write about are not crucial to your daily routine. Most of our stories are not things you need to know about immediately. Rather they are stories you enjoy reading about when you have the time.

Much has been written about newspapers being dinosaurs — that our industry is on its way to extinction because of the Internet. The Patch experiment proves that prediction false.

The Laker/Lutz News has never been as well read as they are today. People have an innate yearning to know what’s happening in their community, and will forever get a thrill when they see the name or photo of someone they know in the newspaper.

And there’s a good chance when they do, they will likely cut the story out, stick it on their refrigerator and mail a copy to friends and relatives.

Try doing that with a digital version.

Saying goodbye to Zeke

October 16, 2013 By Diane Kortus

I purposely didn’t write a column about saying goodbye to Zeke, my family’s yellow lab who was almost 14 when it was time for us to let him go last March.

I didn’t want to be just one more self-absorbed writer spewing about the punch to the gut I felt every time I walked in the door because my dog was not there to greet me. I didn’t want you to read my sad story about losing Zeke, only to have it churn up the pain you felt when you lost your own pet.

But here I am, six months later, telling you about Zeke.

Zeke loved boating and just about everything else in life.

Maybe I waited until now because it has taken me this long to accept that Zeke is really gone. Or, maybe I needed to be sure that life was going to be OK without Zeke as my companion.

There have been many first-person accounts written about the anguish of losing a pet. The heartache my children and I felt is no different, no less painful, than what other families feel when they too make the difficult decision to euthanize their pet.

The difference for me in this case, of course, was that our pain was acutely personal. Zeke was a member of our family for 13 years. And unlike my kids, who grew up and moved away, Zeke never left home.

Parents often talk about the unconditional love they have for their children. But Zeke taught me that the most unconditional love of all is the love a pet has for his family.

Pets only remember the good times and quickly forget the bad. If only we humans could focus on life’s joys and forgive and forget unkind actions we experience as quickly as our four-legged friends.

When Zeke died, he left behind Sammy, our ginger cat that my daughter, Rachel, rescued from the neighborhood dumpster when she was 14 years old. Now, Rachel is 21 and a senior at Stetson University, living in Deland.

Until she left for college, Rachel had slept with Zeke every night since she was 9 years old. Losing Zeke was wrenching for her, and I suggested she take Sammy back to Deland to comfort her through her sorrow.

That left me alone in Land O’ Lakes with just Jonas, our 8-year-old Airedale Terrier that we had adopted five years earlier.

Unlike me, Jonas never seemed to miss Zeke or Sam. He has flourished as the family’s new alpha dog, and with no other pets to compete with, has become more calm, loving and attentive.

The vet who came to our house to euthanize Zeke told us that other pets in a household are remarkably accepting of another animal’s passing, that pets understand better than people the ebb and flow of mother nature. She told us not to expect Jonas or Sam to mourn Zeke, but to learn from them that Zeke’s death was natural and even good.

I have tried to accept that advice and to let go of my grief of losing my friend.

I will always miss Zeke’s presence, but also know that the love that we had endures beyond the boundaries of death.

Recognition motivates and inspires, no matter the age

October 2, 2013 By Diane Kortus

The fall blitz of annual dinners sponsored by local business organizations is just about over. The chambers in Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills recently hosted their membership galas, and Dade City’s takes place in a few weeks.

There was the massive annual banquet in early September for the Pasco Economic Development Council that was attended by more than 600 people to honor Industry of The Year award winners.

Even the Central Pasco Chamber in Land O’ Lakes, which has its annual dinner in July, didn’t escape the fall hoopla. Its Dancing With Our Stars event brought together close to 500 members and friends to cheer on its volunteer dancers and raise money for the chamber.

My staff and I attend these events to support these organizations and to share in the joy of recognizing dedicated business people in our communities. These civic-minded leaders give their time, talent and money to help other members grow their businesses through networking, and by sharing their knowledge and experiences.

The finale of these dinners is always recognition of the hardest working and most successful members. The programs are heavy on awards, with dozens of individuals and business receiving accolades from their peers for their leadership and willingness to serve on the board and numerous committees.

When you’re in the audience waiting for one of these dinners to be over so you can get home, one tends to get a bit impatient, as one award seems to roll into the next.

When that happens, however, it’s a good time to close your eyes and think back to a time when you were personally recognized and remember how good it felt.

A teacher, coach, employer or organization has recognized most of us at least once in our lives. No matter how insignificant that award may seem today, you still remember how proud you felt when your name was called and you walked to the front of the group to get your plaque and perhaps your photo taken.

I find it interesting that no matter our age, we’re never too old to be recognized for a job well done. Hearing your name ring out above the buzz of the crowd is like being a violin virtuoso. You’re suddenly playing the part that everyone is tuned in to.

And so I give accolades to our many chambers, the EDC, the Rotary and Lions’ clubs and all the other organizations that make it a priority to recognize their members.

Recognition is motivational to the recipient and perhaps more importantly, inspirational to those applauding. And some of those clapping will undoubtedly be moved to step it up a notch and work a bit harder so it will be their name that rings out at next year’s banquet.

Passing the baton to my future daughter-in-law

September 18, 2013 By Diane Kortus

When my son Andy announced his engagement recently, I had flashbacks to his childhood at the same time I was offering congratulations and best wishes.

Andy Mathes, son of Publisher Diane Kortus, and Erin Morgan became engaged in Savannah, Ga., over Labor Day weekend.

When Andy was born 25 years ago, I believed no one could ever love him as much as I did. From the time he was an adorable tow-headed baby to a defiant teenager to an honorable man, I have loved Andy unconditionally. In good times and bad, no matter how angry I got when he tormented his little sister or did not call to tell me when he’d be home, and I’d stay up worrying.

But now another woman loves my son in a way I never can — as his future wife. And I find that a bit humbling, knowing there is someone else with whom Andy shares his deepest thoughts and emotions.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me first tell you the love story of Andy Mathes and Erin Morgan.

A Lake Wobegon reference stopped Andy last October as he passed by a table full of teachers in a bar in Yuma, Ariz. A first lieutenant in the U.S. Marines, Andy was out west conducting training. Erin was in Yuma as a second-year middle school teacher. The two met when Andy overheard Erin and her friends talking about Garrison Keillor and the “Prairie Home Companion” radio show.

I’m from Minnesota and my children grew up listening to Garrison most Saturday evenings. By the time they were in kindergarten they knew all about Lake Wobegon, the town where “all the women are strong, all the men are good looking and all the children are above average.”

Growing up, Andy spent summers with his Minnesota relatives, and although a Florida native, I’ve always thought he was a Midwesterner at heart. As it turned out, Erin is from Appleton, Wis., and is a graduate of St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minn. With that Minnesota connection, Andy and Erin had enough in common to begin dating.

Andy called me after meeting Erin and told me he had that instinctive feeling that “she was the one.” While I loved that Erin had good Midwestern values and was of the same Catholic faith, I was not as sure as my idealistic son that he had truly met his future wife.

Of course, Andy proved me wrong. After three weeks in Yuma, Andy went back to his platoon in Camp Lejeune, N.C., and he and Erin continued to talk every day. They met next in the Twin Cities over New Year’s, when Andy conjured up a plan to visit his grandparents after spending Christmas in Land O’ Lakes with me and his sister, Rachel.

Andy rendezvoused with Erin in St. Paul, who got away from her family in Appleton to meet up with Andy in the snow.

And that’s how it came to be that my father and stepmother met Erin before I did, along with my many sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews.

Two months later, Rachel and I finally met Erin. We planned a weekend where we could all meet, and Andy could show Erin the Naval Academy in Annapolis where he had graduated. Not only was Erin charming, but she and Rachel also seemed to have an instant, sisterly connection. I began to think that maybe Andy’s premonition was right.

I wasn’t surprised this spring when Erin decided to apply for teaching positions in school districts close to Camp Lejeune, and was proud when she quickly got a job teaching fourth grade. She joined Andy in North Carolina this summer.

Andy and Erin’s engagement is clouded with both joy and uncertainty. Andy leaves this week for training in southern California before he deploys to Afghanistan this fall. There he will be part of a team of Marines advising the Afghan National Army.

When Andy returns next July, he and Erin will finalize their wedding plans, a celebration that will likely be in Appleton in November, in the church where Erin grew up.

While of course I worry about my son’s deployment, I am comforted knowing he is loved by a wonderful young woman who shares his dreams, and will be waiting for him when he returns home.

And that is truly all any mother wants. To pass the baton on to another woman who will embrace her son in love and share a future of happiness with him.

Giving readers what they want to read

September 11, 2013 By Diane Kortus

Running a newspaper is not much different than running any other small business.

All successful businesses work to give customers what they want at a fair price so they continue to be their customer and tell friends and family about their products and services.

If you are a restaurant, you offer a menu filled with dishes customers have asked for and prepared by the best chef in town. If you are a retail store, you sell products people want so they come back and shop again.

At The Laker/Lutz News, our customers are both readers and advertisers. We know that if we give you stories and information about people and issues that are important to you, you will read your paper cover to cover, week after week, and share what you’ve read with family and friends.

And we know that your readership has a direct impact on the bottom line of our other customer — businesses that advertise in our papers. The better and more completely you read your paper, the more you will take note of the adjacent ads.

Which brings me to why we’re making some changes to the kinds of stories we write in The Laker/Lutz News.

Last spring we hired an independent research company to ask readers what type of news they want in their community paper. This was done in conjunction with our annual circulation audit that verifies the number of papers we print and deliver.

This study revealed the No. 1 reason people like you read The Laker/Lutz News is to learn about things to do in their community. Our best-read section is What’s Happening with its news briefs about upcoming activities and events.

Because readers put What’s Happening at the top of their list, we’re expanding this section and increasing our coverage of community events before they take place. B.C. Manion, our community editor for the past three years, is taking on this charge and welcomes suggestions on events you’d like to see covered.

The second topic most requested is business news.

You want to know what’s coming when you see a new commercial building underway. You want to know about local road improvements and how they will impact your drive to work. You are curious about local businesses, big and small, and are looking for new places to shop and professional services in your neighborhood.

To increase our business coverage, in late July we hired Michael Hinman as our news editor because of his community and business journalism background. In addition to working for several area weekly newspapers, Michael spent five years as a reporter at the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Like B.C., Michael also welcomes your story ideas. Both journalists can be reached at (813) 909-2800 or by email at or .

You may have already noticed that there’s more business news in your paper. Last week, for example, we were the first to report on the expansion of Florida Medical Clinic’s new facilities in Zephyrhills and Carrollwood. This week we have a story on the elevated expressway for SR 54 that’s being proposed by a private developer.

I began this column talking about the importance of giving customers what they want. That’s why we’re committing more of our resources to stories you want to read. And why you’re seeing more stories about upcoming events, local businesses and growth and development.

With more than 60,000 readers, it’s impossible to give every single person everything they want in their community paper. But know that we’re acting on the best information we have to give you the kinds of stories you tell us you’re most interested in reading in The Laker/Lutz News.