The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Mary Rathman

Feeding time!

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Lillian Cucuzza, of Land O’ Lakes, has been taking advantage of the pandemic to snap some photos in her neighborhood and surrounding areas — wherever possible. Cucuzza’s neighbors have had a blue bird nesting box for the past 10 years, and this is the first year there were blue birds and babies.

Health News 08/12/2020

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Hospice nursing aide Mavis Brown wears the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at the Gulfside Center for Hospice Care. (Courtesy of Kirsty Churchill)

Staff receives grant for PPE
A grant from the Pasco Aging Network (PAN) has enabled the team at Gulfside Hospice to provide additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff on the frontlines caring for patients.

The $750 grant was awarded to the nonprofit through PAN’s Annual Grant Program, which awards funds to organizations or projects that are focused on the needs or services for senior citizens in Pasco County.

At Gulfside Hospice, the funds were used to purchase PPE, including gloves, thermometers and disposable stethoscopes, in an effort to continue protecting its nursing staff during the current pandemic.

“Our team is on the frontlines caring for the most vulnerable during this pandemic,” said Tara Still, Fundraising Communications coordinator for Gulfside, in a news release.

“These funds will go a long way in purchasing much needed supplies to help protect them while they are bravely caring for patients,” Still said.

Gulfside Hospice, a division of Gulfside Healthcare Services, has been caring for patients and families in Pasco County for more than 30 years. The nonprofit offers patient care for those facing life-limiting illness, in addition to caregiver support and bereavement services, at no charge.

For information about Gulfside Hospice or to make a donation, visit Gulfside.org, or call the Philanthropy Department at (727) 845-5707.

 

(Courtesy of Patricia Serio)

Giving a ‘boost’ to patients in need
For years, the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club has provided comfort pillows for post-surgical patients at AdventHealth hospitals. Club member Barbara Booth recently delivered 40 pillows to Anthony Cappellini, director of volunteer services at AdventHealth North. Because the entire club cannot gather during the COVID-19 pandemic, Booth stuffed and finished the pillows herself, which were sewn by members Susan Corcoran, Barbara Booth and club booster husband Lonnie Lykins. For information about the woman’s club, visit GFWCLutzLandOLakesWomansClub.org.

 

 

 

 

 

BayCare resumes surgeries
BayCare Health System has resumed all non-urgent surgeries and procedures as of Aug. 10, at its six acute care hospitals in Hillsborough County, according to a BayCare news release.
The change comes roughly five weeks after BayCare voluntarily curtailed inpatient, non-urgent surgeries to provide more hospital bed capacity in the community for COVID-19 patients. BayCare is now able to resume those services after working to increase its staffing resources and after seeing a downward trend in COVID-related hospital stays in recent weeks.
The change impacts these hospitals: St. Joseph’s, St. Joseph’s Children’s and St. Joseph’s Women’s in Tampa; St. Joseph’s-North in Lutz; St. Joseph’s-South in Riverview; and, South Florida Baptist in Plant City.

BayCare’s acute hospitals in Pinellas, Polk and Pasco counties resumed all non-urgent surgeries and procedures on Aug. 3.

BayCare began voluntarily pausing some non-urgent surgeries at its acute care hospitals in early July, to ensure the community had adequate hospital beds to address the second peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospitals continued surgeries for all life-threatening situations. The hospitals also continued non-urgent surgeries that did not require overnight recovery in the hospital.

Donor awareness
During the month of August, LifeLink of Florida will celebrate National Minority Donor Awareness Month (NMDAM) to bring heightened awareness to organ and tissue donation, and transplantation in minority communities.

Minorities often experience higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, which can contribute to organ failure, especially kidney failure. African Americans are three times more likely than white Americans to suffer from kidney failure, and Hispanics are 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanics to have kidney failure.

During NMDAM, LifeLink of Florida will highlight the need for more organ, eye and tissue donors within multicultural communities, provide donation education, encourage donor registration, and promote healthy living and disease prevention to decrease the need for transplantation.

Individuals interested in celebrating this month are encouraged to follow LifeLink’s social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, to participate in the education programs offered. Anyone can be a potential donor, regardless of age or medical history; a single donor can save or improve the lives of up to 75 people.

LifeLink encourages the public to register their donation decision at DonateLifeFlorida.org, or when obtaining or renewing a driver license.

Lighthouse is August charity
Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano’s five offices will be collecting donations in August for the Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired & Blind. The mission of the Lighthouse is to educate, empower and employ people who are visually impaired and blind.

The organization provides early intervention services for blind babies, programs for children, a teen school-to-work transition program, independent living skills training for adults and seniors, and other services to help people become as self-sufficient as possible.

Services are provided at no cost to program participants and all donations received will help provide more services to more people.

“The Lighthouse has a long history of serving visually impaired individuals in Pasco County,” said Fasano, in a news release.

“It is estimated that over a half million Floridians are sight impaired, with over 27,000 living within the Lighthouse’s service area….I encourage our community to support the Lighthouse either through making a cash donation or perhaps purchasing a specialty license tag, which will help the Lighthouse for years to come,” Fasano added.

Cash donations can be made at any of the five tax collector locations in Pasco County, and checks will be accepted by mail, too.

Individuals interested in switching their current tag for “A State of Vision” specialty tag may do so at any of the same locations.

For information about the tax collector’s charitable giving program, call Assistant Tax Collector Greg Giordano at (727) 847-8179, or visit PascoTaxes.com.

For more information about services provided at the Lighthouse, call Patricia Porter at (813) 713-2492.

Study volunteers needed
Researchers at the University of South Florida Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute are looking for participants age 50 and older with no memory loss to take part in an Alzheimer Prevention Trials (APT) Webstudy.

APT is a first-of-its-kind online study that detects if people experience memory loss over time and need early intervention, and matches them with the right Alzheimer’s study, as quickly as possible.

Twenty percent of Floridians, more than 4.3 million people, are 65 and older, making Florida one of the ‘grayest states’ in the nation. Consequently, it has one of the largest populations of people with Alzheimer’s disease — a projected 580,000. This number is expected to skyrocket by 24 percent to 720,000 people in the next five years, according to Message Partners PR news release.

Volunteers take no-cost memory tests online every three months to monitor memory changes over time. If changes are observed, volunteers may be invited to an in-person evaluation to determine eligibility for additional Alzheimer’s studies.

To learn more and enroll, visit APTWebstudy.org.

Chalk Talk 08/12/2020

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Meet the teacher
Pasco County Schools will host on-campus Meet the Teacher/Orientation events, specifically for students in transition years — prekindergarten, kindergarten, sixth grade and ninth grade.

The in-person events will take place as follows:

  • Aug. 13 and Aug. 19 for sixth grade and ninth grade
  • Aug. 20 for prekindergarten and kindergarten

Schools will communicate plans and schedules for students in all other grade levels.

Check your school’s website for more details.

New families should contact schools to virtually enroll or to arrange an on-site appointment.

Shoe & Sock Drive underway
The fifth annual Two Good Soles Shoe and Sock Drive is underway, as the Pasco County government and constitutional offices work together to collect footwear for kids in Pasco County schools, through Oct. 26.

Donations can be dropped off to the collection boxes at Pasco County Government locations, and the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller, Property Appraiser and Tax Collector offices countywide.

Last year’s record-setting drive resulted in 3,057 pairs of shoes and 13,285 pairs of socks.

Items collected will be donated to Pasco County Schools at the end of October, directly benefiting local students.

For information, visit PascoCountyFl.net/civicalerts.

Student achievements

  • Marlene Alvarez-Brewer, Lutz: Bachelor of Science-Nursing from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Ricardo Barboza, Odessa: Bachelor of Science-Information Technology from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Laura Hicks-Leck, Lutz: Master of Science-Nursing Leadership and Management from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Mamta Kinsel, Lutz: Master of Business Administration from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Jenine Kopet, Lutz: Master of Science in Counseling and Psychology from Troy University, Alabama
  • Leia Randall, Land O’ Lakes: spring Dean’s List at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

CareerSource info sessions
CareerSource Tampa Bay has more than $500,000 to assist recent high school graduates, ages 16 to 24, to begin post-secondary training, paid work experience, or entrepreneurial training, according to a news release.

In response to COVID-19, CareerSource Tampa Bay’s (CSTB) Young Talent of Tampa Bay program is hosting virtual information sessions, bi-weekly, to inform youth about the services and training opportunities available.

Upcoming session dates are Aug. 19, Sept. 9 and Sept. 23, all at 10 a.m.

Eligible young adults need to be out of school, between the ages of 16 to 24, and be Hillsborough County residents.

The $5,000 scholarships are available to support eligible youth interested in starting a training program to kickstart their careers.

Services available include: Career Exploration; GED Assistance; Employability Skills Training, including Financial Literacy; National Certifications for Workplace Training; Career Coaching and Guidance; Tuition Assistance for local schools; Limited Supportive Services; Placement Assistance through on-the-job training or Paid Work Experience.

Some post-secondary training programs available include graphic design, pharmacy tech, HVAC, nail tech, welding, computer information technology, barbering, construction trades, surgical technology, dental assisting, or commercial vehicle driving, and more.

Several apprenticeships also will be available.

Registration for the sessions is online at CareerSourceTampaBay.com/job-seekers/youth.

For information and questions, email , or call (813) 930-7400.

New board designations
The Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) District Board of Trustees (DBOT) elected a new chair and vice chair for the 2020-2021 academic year at its July 21 board meeting, held via Zoom. Trustee Marilyn Pearson-Adams was elected to serve as chair, succeeding Alvaro Hernandez, and trustee Rao Musunuru M.D., was elected to serve as vice chair, a post previously held by new chair Pearson-Adams, according to a PHSC news release.

Pearson-Adams, of Brooksville, is the president of Century 21 Alliance Realty, a director with The Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce, and previously served as a board member of the Pasco-Hernando Workforce Board. Pearson-Adams has served on several professional committees and organizations, and holds relevant real estate industry certifications. She has served on the PHSC DBOT since 2014.

Musunuru, of New Port Richey, a practicing board-certified cardiologist in Pasco County since 1981, has served as chief of medicine, chief of staff, chairman of continuing medical education and chair of the board of trustees at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Hudson. He has been an active American Heart Association volunteer since 1979 and is a past recipient of the AHA National Chairman’s Award, National Physician of the Year, and National Volunteer Advocate of the Year Award. In 2012, he received the state of Florida Education Commissioners’ Business Recognition Award, and in 2013 he was honored with the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Southern Region Trustee Leadership Award. Dr. Musunuru has served on the PHSC DBOT since 1999.

“Chair Pearson-Adams and vice chair Musunuru are passionate about PHSC’s mission to provide accessible, affordable higher education and workforce training to the community,” said PHSC President Timothy L. Beard Ph.D.

“As prominent community leaders in, respectively, Hernando and Pasco County, we look forward to the wisdom and guidance that our new board leaders will provide through the year,” Beard said.

Hernandez, outgoing chair, was recognized for his exemplary leadership throughout his 2019-2020 term. Hernandez has served as a trustee since 2017.

Each July, the board elects new leaders and reviews meeting and event dates for the upcoming academic year.

Kumquat Festival changes date

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In this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce and other Dade City officials have decided to move the 24th annual Kumquat Festival to March 27, according to a chamber news release.

The Kumquat Festival is attended by tens of thousands of visitors each year. (Courtesy of The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce)

The festival, typically held the last Saturday in January, will be a spring event this year.

“We felt it prudent to exercise extreme caution and move the date of the festival to ensure the health and safety of our attendees, our vendors, our sponsors, and the hundreds of people it takes to make this annual signature event a success,” John Moors, executive director of the Dade City chamber, said in the release.

The March 27 festival will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., in Dade City, around the iconic Historic Pasco County Courthouse. Admission is free. Shuttles will be provided from two satellite parking areas.

As in previous years, historic Downtown Dade City will be transformed into an open-air marketplace, featuring local businesses, hundreds of specialty vendors, an interactive Kids’ Corral, a car and truck show, dozens of partner sponsors, and the friendly, authentic Old Florida experience that the annual Kumquat Festival has come to represent.

The chamber extends its thanks for past support and continued enthusiasm for the 2021 annual Kumquat Festival.

Published August 05, 2020

There is still time to help make Pasco count

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PLEASE NOTE: The U.S. Census Bureau has issued a statement updating its “plans to collect and process 2020 Census data…to accelerate the completion of data collection.” The new self-response deadline is now Sept. 30, and not Oct. 31 as originally published in the 08/05/2020 edition of The Laker/Lutz News.

The United States Census has extended the 2020 Census self-response deadline to Sept. 30, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Census is a nationwide population count taken every 10 years, and an accurate count allows states to be fairly represented congressionally, and allows local jurisdictions a fair share of funding for programs and services that residents rely on.

As of the beginning of July, Pasco County had counted about 60% percent of its households, according to a Pasco County news release.

Pasco County’s goal is 100% participation, as it has seen exceptional growth over the past decade, and needs the funding to support the communities and citizens it serves, the release says.

An undercount can result in millions of dollars of lost federal funding Pasco County services, including libraries; schools and school meal programs; hospitals and health programs; housing assistance; fire departments; roads and highways; community centers; and public transportation.

The Census survey collects basic statistical information. It does not ask for Social Security numbers, citizenship status, or any other sensitive personal information.

Census responses are secure, confidential and protected by law – no personal information can be shared with anyone, including other government agencies.

For additional security information, visit tinyurl.com/y74uu2ym.

It takes about 10 minutes to answer the survey.

The Census is available online at My2020Census.gov, over the phone and by mail, making participation easy.

Published August 05, 2020

A cross-country trip for Coco

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Coco is a Yorkie that loves to travel. She spent three months on a cross-country adventure that included 22 states, 11 national parks, six national monuments, countless roadside attractions, hotels and campgrounds. Coco rides in between the front seats of her owner’s motorhome, in her bed. She is always ready for a road trip (and is probably planning another one) and loves the car rides. Coco lives with her proud owner, George Capaz, in Wesley Chapel.

An unusual visitor

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Sharon Thompson noticed this moth on the outside of her lanai screen, at her home in Country Walk, in Wesley Chapel. Its common name is rustic sphinx, a moth in the Sphingidae family. These moths are called hawkmoths and the caterpillars are often referred to as hornworms, due to the horn-shaped protuberance found on the insect’s posterior end.

Health News 08/05/2020

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Non-urgent surgeries reduced
BayCare Health Systems has begun to reduce the number of non-urgent surgeries performed at its hospitals in Hillsborough and Polk counties, due to the rising number of severely ill COVID-19 patients, according to a BayCare news release.

The temporary change in policy went into effect on July 16 and impacts all six of BayCare’s Hillsborough locations: St. Joseph’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital and St. Joseph’s Women’s in Tampa; St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz; St. Joseph’s Hospitals-South in Riverview; and, South Florida Baptist in Plant City.

Under the plan, all surgeries for life-threatening situations will continue to be performed. And, unlike the state-mandated ban on elective surgeries earlier this year, BayCare’s effort will still allow many non-urgent surgeries and procedures to continue. Generally, surgeries that could be deferred are those that are not medically urgent and require overnight recovery in the hospital.
BayCare’s Ambulatory Surgery Centers, which specialize in outpatient surgery and were closed under the earlier government ban on electives, will continue to operate.
In the past month, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk and Pasco counties have seen available hospital bed capacity decline significantly due to rising COVID-19 cases.

Lighthouse is August charity
Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano’s five offices will be collecting donations in August for the Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired & Blind. The mission of the Lighthouse is to educate, empower and employ people who are visually impaired and blind.

The organization provides early intervention services for blind babies, programs for children, a teen school-to-work transition program, independent living skills training for adults and seniors, and other services to help people become as self-sufficient as possible.

Services are provided at no cost to program participants and all donations received will help provide more services to more people.

“The Lighthouse has a long history of serving visually impaired individuals in Pasco County,” said Fasano, in a news release.

“It is estimated that over a half million Floridians are sight impaired, with over 27,000 living within the Lighthouse’s service area….I encourage our community to support the Lighthouse either through making a cash donation or perhaps purchasing a specialty license tag, which will help the Lighthouse for years to come,” Fasano added.

Cash donations can be made at any of the five tax collector locations in Pasco County, and checks will be accepted by mail, too.

Individuals interested in switching their current tag for “A State of Vision” specialty tag may do so at any of the same locations.

For information about the tax collector’s charitable giving program, call Assistant Tax Collector Greg Giordano at (727) 847-8179, or visit PascoTaxes.com.

For more information about services provided at the Lighthouse, call Patricia Porter at (813) 713-2492.

Study volunteers needed
Researchers at the University of South Florida Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute are looking for participants age 50 and older with no memory loss to take part in an Alzheimer Prevention Trials (APT) Webstudy.

The Webstudy is a first-of-its-kind online study that detects if people experience memory loss over time and need early intervention, and matches them with the right Alzheimer’s study, as quickly as possible.

Twenty percent of Floridians, more than 4.3 million people, are 65 and older, making Florida one of the ‘grayest states’ in the nation. Consequently, it has one of the largest populations of people with Alzheimer’s disease — a projected 580,000. This number is expected to skyrocket by 24% to 720,000 people in the next five years, according to a Message Partners PR news release.

Volunteers take no-cost memory tests online every three months to monitor memory changes over time. If changes are observed, volunteers may be invited to an in-person evaluation to determine eligibility for additional Alzheimer’s studies.

To learn more and enroll, visit APTWebstudy.org.

New health degrees offered
Saint Leo University has announced the start of a new four-year degree — a bachelor’s in health education and health promotion — that will prepare graduates for a growing number of health education positions at community organizations, health care agencies, and workplaces.

Health education specialists play an important role in organizations by developing new education programs for various groups and improving programs that may already exist.

The instruction of Saint Leo graduates will be to promote a “culture of health” wherever they work, through effective teaching, through the examples they set as individuals who prioritize their own well-being, and through the cooperative working relationships they maintain with clinicians and other health professionals.

Saint Leo will launch the Bachelor of Science program in the fall semester at its residential campus. Faculty anticipate that students most attracted to the program will be those with a desire to learn about health and to engage with others, and those who enjoy working with groups of people.

The program will prepare students with a contemporary curriculum that draws from courses in anatomy, professional speaking, statistics, psychology, ethics, and nutrition, and layers in courses in education and health promotion.

Education courses, such as teaching diverse populations, brain-based learning and assessing health learning, will ensure that students not only understand health material, but are able to make it understandable to future clients.

At the end of this program of study, students can choose to take a national competency exam for the Certified Health Education Specialist credential. Some employers require the credential. In general, it is considered an asset for those in the field.

Visit SaintLeo.edu for information.

 

Chalk Talk 08/05/2020

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Scholar-athletes recognized
Hillsborough County Public Schools recently announced its 2020 High Schools Scholar-Athletes of the Year awards. Each public school in the county selected a senior male and female recipient for the honor. Winners received a plaque and $1,000.  These are the recipients from county schools in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area:

Freedom High
Female: Bethany Booth
Sports: Cheerleading, flag football
GPA: 6.1
SAT: 1390
College: University of Florida

Male: Owen Barno
Sports: Golf, lacrosse
GPA: 5.97
SAT: 1240
College: University of Florida

Gaither High
Female: Kateri Espinosa
Sports: Swimming
GPA: 8.4
SAT: 1380
College: Princeton University

Male: Tyler Wilkes
Sports: Golf
GPA: 5.5
SAT: 1180
College: University of Florida

Steinbrenner High
Female: Ava Lucke
Sports: Flag football, soccer, track
GPA: 7.1
SAT: 1290
College: Undecided

Male: Paul Foreman Jr.
Sports: Cross-country, track
GPA: 6.9
SAT: 1470
College: University of Florida

Wharton High
Female: Vanessa Lopez
Sports: Cross-country, soccer, track
GPA: 6.7
SAT: 1480
College: University of Florida

Male: Zachary Godbold
Sports: Football, soccer, track
GPA: 6.1
SAT: 1270
College: University of Florida

CareerSource info sessions
CareerSource Tampa Bay has more than $500,000 to assist recent high school graduates, ages 16 to 24, to begin post-secondary training, paid work experience, or entrepreneurial training, according to a news release.

In response to COVID-19, CareerSource Tampa Bay’s (CSTB) Young Talent of Tampa Bay program is hosting virtual information sessions, bi-weekly, to inform youth about the services and training opportunities available.

Upcoming session dates are Aug. 5, Aug. 19, Sept. 9 and Sept. 23, all at 10 a.m.

Eligible young adults need to be out of school, between the ages of 16 to 24, and be Hillsborough County residents.

The $5,000 scholarships are available to support eligible youth interested in starting a training program to kickstart their careers.

Services available include: Career Exploration; GED Assistance; Employability Skills Training, including Financial Literacy; National Certifications for Workplace Training; Career Coaching and Guidance; Tuition Assistance for local schools; Limited Supportive Services; Placement Assistance through on-the-job training or Paid Work Experience.

Some post-secondary training programs available include graphic design, pharmacy tech, HVAC, nail tech, welding, computer information technology, barbering, construction trades, surgical technology, dental assisting, or commercial vehicle driving, and more.

Several apprenticeships also will be available.

Registration for the sessions is online at CareerSourceTampaBay.com/job-seekers/youth.

For information and questions, email , or call (813) 930-7400.

Meet the teacher
Pasco County Schools will host on-campus Meet the Teacher/Orientation events, specifically for students in transition years — prekindergarten, kindergarten, sixth grade and ninth grade.

The in-person events will take place as follows:

  • Aug. 13 and Aug. 19 for sixth grade and ninth grade
  • Aug. 20 for prekindergarten and kindergarten

Schools will communicate plans and schedules for students in all other grade levels.

Check your school’s website for more details and any updated information.

New families should contact schools to virtually enroll or to arrange an on-site appointment.

PHSC president scores high marks
Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) president Timothy Beard, Ph.D., earned near-perfect scores on his annual review, for a third year in a row, by the college’s District Board of Trustees (DBOT), according to a PHSC news release. Beard’s review was discussed at the July DBOT meeting.

The nine-member College Board of Trustees gave him an overall average score of 4.90 out of 5, noting his excellent communications with the District Board of Trustees, community stakeholders, and administrators on the college’s administrative leadership team.

Trustees board chair Alvaro Hernandez summarized the review comments in a letter to the trustees, noting that “Dr. Beard’s personal and professional demeanor have positively impacted his performance as president and consequently facilitated the college being one of the premier institutions in the Florida College System. He exceeded performance standards in all areas of this evaluation.”

The review is consistent with last year’s review that showed Beard’s strong marks in all categories. Beard’s average scores were close to perfect in all five categories included in the evaluation. He earned a 4.90 for board relations; a 4.89 for community, state and national relations; a 4.89 on fiscal accountability; a 4.89 for leadership; and, a 4.90 for accountability. The president’s overall average score of those categories in 2019 was 4.8, significantly up from an average score of 3.4 out of 5 in 2017. Beard’s equivalent scores on a percentage scale have been 94% in 2018, 96% in 2019, and 98% this year.

Beard recently completed the second year of a two-year contract awarded in 2018 by the college trustees after demonstrating his ability to grow as a leader, embracing a style of leadership that promotes transparency, collaboration and clear communication.

Hernandez recommended and the board approved a three-year contract for Beard to run through June 30, 2023.

Exam prep course
Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC), through the Continuing Workforce Education department, is offering new hybrid exam prep classes designed to prepare students to sit for testing to become industry-certified in a variety of fields.

These online courses include:

  • Certified CompTIA A+ Professional: Sept 1. To Nov. 19, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays
  • AIPB Certified Bookkeeper Professional: Sept. 3 to Nov. 19, 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Thursdays
  • Certified AutoCAD User: Sept. 10 to Nov. 9, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Mondays and Thursdays

The hybrid courses offer a combination of online and face-to-face instruction, and were developed to provide technical training that directly responds to current industry demands.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act tuition funding is available through CareerSource Pasco-Hernando to qualified students.

Classes will take place on the PHSC West Campus, 10230 Ridge Road in New Port Richey, and on the East Campus, 36727 Blanton Road in Dade City, with most course content available online.

For information, contact Karen Strouthopoulos at (727) 816-3123 or .

To register and pay online, visit PHSC.edu/academics/continuing-education, and select “Campus-based Continuing Professional Education courses.”

Jersey loves to please

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Jersey is an 8-year-old golden chow mix. He will sit for his treats and food. Jersey is a great walker and loves to stroll around the community, and then lay in front of the garage when he gets back, to relax. His favorite thing is to go for a ride in the car with his head out the window. Jersey was rescued from the kennel and he is the best fur baby ever, according to Phyllis Ferretti and family, with whom Jersey lives, in Land O’ Lakes.