The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Mary Rathman

10/07/2023 – Fall Plant Show

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Kessler’s Cacti and Things, 14316 Lake Magdalene Blvd., in Tampa, at Bearss Groves (under the big tent) will host a Giant Fall Plant Show on Oct. 7 and Oct. 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. There will be many varieties, including a large assortment of specimen and collector plants. For information, email . For questions or directions, call 813-264-5614.

10/07/2023 – Children’s Garden Opens

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The Florida Botanical Gardens, 12520 Ulmerton Road in Largo, will host a Grand Opening of its children’s garden, the Majeed Discovery Garden (MDG), on Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be a ceremony from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., recognizing those who made the new garden, and afterwards, visitors can explore the grounds. Guests also can participate in activities with the children’s garden educator. For information, visit FLBGfoundation.org/MDGGrandOpening.

10/07/2023 – Solar Eclipse Seminar

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The Hugh Embry Library, 14215 Fourth St., in Dade City, will present NASA Eclipse Ambassadors on Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. Dr. Harsha Perera and her colleague will present information regarding the solar eclipse happening on Oct. 14. Free eclipse glasses will be available for participants. For information, call 352-567-3576.

Arts Center events

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The New Tampa Performing Arts Center, 8550 Hunters Village Road, in Tampa, will host these upcoming events:

  • Oct. 7 at 10 a.m.: Pixar’s “Coco,” as part of its Kids Film Series. Admission is $5.
  • Oct. 8 at 3 p.m.: O Som Do Jazz, a Brazilian jazz group, as part of New Tampa Unplugged. Tickets are $15 for a table seat and $13 for a theater seat.
  • Oct. 20 to Oct. 22 and Oct. 27 to Oct. 29: “Shrek the Musical” presented by the New Tampa Players

For more information and tickets, visit NewTampaArtsCenter.org/tickets.

Health News 09/27/2023

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A new Walmart Health center has opened in Lutz at 1563 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. (Courtesy of John Engleman for Walmart Health)

A total health care commitment
Continuing its commitment to making quality health care more convenient, accessible and affordable for customers, Walmart Health has expanded in the Lutz, Hudson and New Port Richey communities, according to a news release.

The Walmart Health centers, adjacent to their respective supercenters, will deliver primary care, labs, X-ray and EKG, behavioral health, dental, select specialty services, and community health all in one facility.

The health centers will offer care seven days a week with weekend and evening hours, as well as telehealth options on Sundays.

The new Lutz center is at 1563 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., adjacent to Store No. 988 Supercenter.

The other centers are at 12582 U.S. 19 in Hudson and 8901 State Road 54 in New Port Richey.

Senior centers tapped for vaccine
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is contracting with up to 150 senior centers to administer 15,000 updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines this fall, as part of its Vaccine Uptake Initiative, funded by the U.S. Administration for Community Living, according to a news release.

“New strains of COVID and flu are already circulating, and we know that older adults continue to be at higher risk of getting ill from these viruses,” said Ramsey Alwin, NCOA president and CEO, in the release.

“Seniors centers are trusted messengers in their communities, and they have what it takes to make sure older adults stay protected this respiratory season,” said Alwin.
Participating senior centers will receive $10,000 each and will be required to administer a minimum of 100 COVID-19 and/or flu shots to older adults and people with disabilities.

The centers will target diverse and hard-to-reach populations, including communities of color, rural individuals, and Spanish speakers.

The 150 senior centers will join the 180 community-based organizations that NCOA selected earlier this year as grantees for the Vaccine Uptake Initiative. The 180 grantees will administer a total of 317,000 COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

For more information, visit NCOA.org and click on the “Older Adults” tab.

Achievement Award
HCA Florida Trinity Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability, according to a news release.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts — part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die, the release said.

Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times. 

Get With The Guidelines – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.

HCA Florida Trinity Hospital also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Stroke Elite Plus award.

In addition, HCA Florida Trinity Hospital received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.

Published September 27, 2023

PINKnik Festival

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The Connector Club will host a PINKnik Health & Wellness Festival on Oct. 15 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., to promote breast cancer, domestic violence and mental health awareness. The event will include a community picnic (guests are encouraged to dress in pink or purple to show their support), health and wellness panels, self-defense demonstrations, live entertainment, information booths, and more. There also will be a tribute to survivors and fighters, and a mural will be created for lost loved ones. For more information, visit TheConnectorClub.org.

Chalk Talk 09/27/2023

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(Courtesy of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce)

Student Citizens recognized for achievements
The East Pasco Chamber Foundation in partnership with The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce recognized 11 students as Student Citizens of the Month. Students are chosen by the teachers and administration of their individual schools for exemplary effort, achievement, and contribution to their school, family and community. These students were honored: Allaster Spivey, Academy of Spectrum Diversity; Austin Dick, Children’s Educational Services Elementary Campus; Mikayla Washington, Children’s Educational Services Secondary Campus; Jackie Herrera, Chester W. Taylor Elementary School; Layla Decara, East Pasco Adventist Academy; Karissa Barrington, Heritage Academy; De’Najah Jackson, Raymond B. Stewart Middle School; Josiah Gomez, West Zephyrhills Elementary School; Audney LaPoint, Woodland Elementary; Cameron Sanford, Zephyrhills Christian Academy; and Yaxiel Nieves, Zephyrhills High School.

Donations to help local schools
Pasco Tax Collector Mike Fasano’s five offices collected donations for the Pasco County School District and select charter schools’ ABC (Assist, Believe & Care) Program, which was created to provide financial assistance to students and their families experiencing economic hardship.

“These uncertain economic times can provide extra stress upon families who have already had to deal with COVID and other challenges,” said Fasano, in a news release.

“Thanks to the ABC Program or its equivalent in many charter schools, funds can be designated to students and their families who are experiencing hardship or crisis. …our five offices collected monetary donations of $22,500 to help children and their families in their time of need,” Fasano said.

Ten Pasco elementary schools each received $2,000 to be used by its respective ABC Program. Additionally, five Pasco charter schools received $500 each.

  • Cox Elementary School, Dade City
  • Lacoochee Elementary School, Lacoochee
  • West Zephyrhills Elementary School, Zephyrhills
  • Woodland Elementary School, Zephyrhills
  • Lake Myrtle Elementary School, Land O’ Lakes
  • Mary Giella Elementary School, Spring Hill
  • Gulfside Elementary School, Holiday
  • Hudson Primary School, Hudson
  • Sunray Elementary School, Holiday
  • Calusa Elementary School, New Port Richey
  • Dayspring Academy, Port Richey
  • Athenian Academy, New Port Richey
  • Pepin Academy of Pasco, New Port Richey
  • Learning Lodge Academy, New Port Richey
  • Academy at the Farm, Dade City

For more information about the tax collector’s charitable giving programs, contact Assistant Tax Collector Greg Giordano at 727-847-8179, or visit PascoTaxes.com.

Donations may also be mailed to the tax collector’s office at: Tax Collector Mike Fasano, P.O. Box 276, Dade City, FL 33526.

Online donations are accepted, too, at GovHub.com/fl-pasco/tc-gives/donate.

Forensic education
National Forensic Sciences Week (Sept. 17 to Sept. 23) recognizes the value forensic investigations provide to law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office celebrates its diverse Forensic Science entities within its agency, including its Forensic Services Section, F1RST (Florida’s Institute for Research, Security and Tactics), and Explorer Post 916 Forensic Branch.

Forensic investigators collect, catalog and identify evidence from every scene and achieve this through an array of techniques from evidence collection in traditional settings to finding ways to adapt to Pasco County’s landscape.

Many PSO forensic investigators also take part in specialty teams: Underwater Recovery, Critical Incident Stress Management, Missing & Abducted Children Team, and more.

The PSO Forensic Services Section uses skills and specialties such as crime scene documentation and reconstruction; specialized photography; latent print processing, comparison and identification; DNA collection; and blood pattern analysis. Visit PascoSheriff.com for more information.

The F1RST program provides a more research-focused approach to the forensics field, and includes an in-house forensic anthropologist, who often joins PSO investigators on cases, working to identify those whose remains were discovered in a variety of cases. For more, visit FloridaFirstTraining.org.

Explore Post 916 offers an innovative forensics branch that introduces younger members (ages 14 to 21) to forensics sciences. The program is a science-based look at forensic roles, outside of what is traditionally thought of as a responsibility of a law enforcement officer. Visit https://pascoexplorers.pascosheriff.com/ for information.

International Conference
Saint Leo University’s Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies is one of the organizers of the upcoming international conference, “New Documents from the Pontificate of Pope Pius XII and their Meaning for Jewish-Christian Relations: A Dialogue between Historians and Theologians,” from Oct. 9 to Oct. 11, in Rome.

The conference also will be livestreamed, in Italian and English, online at YouTube.com/unigregoriana.

The conference goal is to shed new light on the historical and theological controversies concerning Pope Pious XII and the Vatican during the Holocaust period and on Jewish-Christian relations at multiple levels.

Structured in seven sessions, the conference will address the most complex issues, both in the historical-diplomatic implications and in the social, religious and cultural ones, which led to an irrevocable reformulation of the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people in the following decades.

Registration is open to the public and due by noon on Oct. 2, online at tinyurl.com/2s35d4fu

Published September 27, 2023

Woody adds something special to family

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Woody is a working dog that always patrols the property for lizards and squirrels. He loves to run the fence line when delivery trucks drive by. Sometimes the trucks race him to see how fast he can go. Woody lives with Yvette and Rick Dubaj in Dade City. They aren’t sure what breed he is — maybe a Rhodesian mix. 

A glorious reflection

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June Robinson snapped this photo shortly after she and her husband moved to Lakeshore Ranch in Land O’ Lakes. Robinson said she loves the wildlife and they have always lived on the water or conservation areas. She spotted this heron in one of the retention ponds on one of her morning walks.

NHTSA cautions on teen drivers’ immaturity

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While summer is a popular time for teens to get driver’s licenses, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warns that teen drivers have a higher rate of fatal crashes — mainly because of their immaturity, lack of skills and lack of experience.

On average, eight teens die each day from motor vehicle injuries, according to WalletHub’s recently released report, 2023’s Best & Worst States for Teen Drivers (for the complete report, see WalletHub.com/edu/best-worst-states-for-teen-drivers/4598). 

The NHTSA encourages parents to learn about the state’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws and to not rely solely on a driver’s education class to teach a teen to drive.

A driver’s education class can teach road rules and safe driving practices, but those are only part of a GDL approach, which is designed to ease teens onto the roadway by controlling their exposure to progressively more difficult driving experiences.

The GDL has provisions and restrictions for three stages: Stage 1-Learner’s Permit; Stage 2-Intermediate (Provisional) License; and Stage 3-Full Licensure. 

Parents also are advised to talk to their teen drivers about the dangers of drug and alcohol use; distracted driving (texting, talking, eating, applying makeup, etc.); and other potentially dangerous behaviors, such as not wearing a seatbelt, speeding and having too many passengers in a vehicle.

The NHTSA also recommends parents set driving ground rules and consequences for distracted driving.

For more information and tips, visit NHTSA.gov/road-safety/teen-driving. 

Published September 20, 2023