The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Mary Rathman

Meet Tank

By

Tank is a 5-year-old English bulldog that loves to sleep, eat, play, and repeat. His favorite food is whatever is for dinner. Tank likes to go for rides and to visit stores. He is always excited to meet new people and hates it when anybody is afraid of him. His favorite thing to do is to roughhouse with his human brother. Tank lives with his proud owner, Vondes Burnett, in Wesley Chapel.

Just chillin’

By

Kelli Carmack caught this brown anole just poised and chilling out on a plant near her front porch in Land O’ Lakes.

Donate a teddy bear, offer comfort

By

Saint Leo University is lending a helping hand to the Tampa Police Department (TPD) this holiday season, through the Teddy Bears for TPD campaign.

The campaign provides cuddly critters for officers to carry in their vehicles, so they can provide comfort to children in stressful situations, according to a news release.

Saint Leo’s Tampa Education Center will partner with the TPD to put together a “comfort squad” of stuffed animals. Officers will provide these furry friends to children at crime scenes, in times of crisis, trauma, and other scary situations.

“When police arrive on scene, they’re the first people to see children in a traumatic situation,” Ruben Delgado, TPD’s interim chief, said in a release.

“Giving them a teddy bear or a stuffed animal helps calm them. It really makes a difference,” said Delgado.

The Saint Leo education center will accept donations through Dec. 13 of new and gently used teddy bears and other stuffed animals, which can be dropped off Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., at 1403 N. Howard Ave., in Tampa.

In addition, Saint Leo also will collect teddy bears and other “stuffies” at its residential campus in St. Leo, 33701 State Road 52, and all items will be donated to the police department.

The teddy bears will provide another tool for the TPD to use to diffuse an often anxious and scary time.

For information, contact Rod Kirkwood at or 813-743-3228.

Published December 01, 2021

Online shopping is convenient, but can attract hackers

By

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office (PSO) wants to help citizens prevent identity theft, and not just during the holiday season.

Online shopping offers convenience, but it can be an invitation to hackers when transactions are conducted.

Once a hacker collects your data, it can be sold or used to make unauthorized purchases.

To safely make purchases online be sure to shop on private networks, check to see if the website is secure, and utilize credit card safety features such as online statements, spending alerts and new account notices.

The PSO offers these five tips to help you protect yourself from identity theft:

  • Read your credit card and bank statements carefully and often.
  • Know your payment due dates. If a bill doesn’t show up when you expect it to, look into it.
  • Read the statements from your health insurance plan. Make sure claims match the care you received.
  • File a police report if you feel you have been a victim of identity theft.
  • Create an Identity Theft Report and get a personal recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov.

Published December 01, 2021

Introducing Clover Chanel Wilson

By

Clover was born on June 26, and after a lot of prayers, the Wilsons were able to introduce her into their family on Aug 28. Clover is a lovable, smart and super-friendly puppy that fits right in with the Wilson household. Every member of this Land O’ Lakes family — Charlie, Billie Jo, Isabella, and 16-year-old family dog Sadie — is grateful for her and loves her dearly.

What a catch!

By

This blue heron caught a large fish in the pond behind Steve Vinik’s house, in Lexington Oaks, in Wesley Chapel. To prepare the meal, the bird carried the fish in its mouth into the pond and moistened it in the water, then brought the fish up the bank and placed it in the grass. The heron would scissor it in its beak and attempt to toss it down its throat. This took several tries, Vinik said, but, in the end, the heron managed to get its lunch.

Health News 12/01/2021

By

The Medical Center of Trinity Behavioral Health Program team was awarded the Office of the Year from Pasco NAMI. (Courtesy of HCA Healthcare)

Hospital garners Pasco NAMI award
NAMI Pasco, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), announced its 2021 Heroes of Hope Awards recipients.

The awards celebrate community members and organizations that are making an impact on mental health support in Pasco County, in the midst of the ever-increasing demand for mental health services, according to a news release.

Now in its second year, the awards program “honors those in the community who have gone above and beyond to help community members get the care and support that they need for their or a loved one’s mental health,” in 12 different categories, the release says.

The Medical Center of Trinity Behavioral Health Program was honored as the Office of the Year.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our team of caregivers and the strong programs and therapy they provide to our patients,” said Kevin Sullivan, director of behavioral health sciences, in the release.

“Their compassion and expertise working with the mental health community make a difference.”

Students & mental health
A recent Intelligent.com survey found that eight in 10 Americans support giving college students with mental health issues accommodations such as extra absences, extended deadlines, and more time to take exams, according to a news release.

Additional findings include:

  • 86% of Americans who support these accommodations say mental health challenges can make it more difficult to perform to the best of one’s ability
  • The plurality of Americans say depression is the No. 1 mental health condition that should qualify students for accommodations
  • 54% of Americans who don’t think students with mental health issues should get special accommodations say it’s because students must learn to cope

To read the full article, visit tinyurl.com/ywn7248n.

Chalk Talk 12/01/2021

By

(Courtesy of Patricia Serio)

Provisions for a hearty meal
Members of the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club delivered shopping carts filled with Thanksgiving dinner ingredients to Lutz Elementary School’s ‘The Den.’ The food donations were sufficient to help 15 families in need. Club members Barbara Booth, Mary Anne Lykins and Linda Mitchell stand alongside a Lutz Elementary staff member with the donations. For more information on this community service organization, visit the group’s Facebook page or GFWCLutzLandOLakesWomansClub.org.

Wesley Chapel student receives top senior award
Lana Guzman, a student at Wesley Chapel High School has been named the 2021-2022 Outstanding Senior in Pasco County Schools.

The award is based on academic record, service, leadership, citizenship and commitment to school and community, according to a news release.

Each Pasco County high school selects an Outstanding Senior, who is then interviewed by a panel which selects a senior to represent the school district.

Guzman has been involved in Future Farmers of America and has volunteered at the Glazer’s Children’s Museum, the local library, and at her church.

Here are the other students, within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area that were selected as the Outstanding Senior at their school:

  • Cypress Creek: Camila Amaya
  • Land O’ Lakes: Ella Knouse
  • Pasco eSchool (virtual school): Iman Bhyat
  • Pasco High: Ashlee Cummings
  • Sunlake High: Emma Cohen
  • Wendell Krinn Technical High (magnet): Liliana Gonzalez
  • Wiregrass Ranch High: Aisia Walden
  • Zephyrhills High: Kamil Mehrab

These are the outstanding seniors in Pasco high schools outside the newspaper’s coverage area:

Joselyn Pena (Anclote); Sadie Campbell (Fivay); Louis Carr (Gulf High); Morgan Casel (Hudson) Isabela Viera (J.W. Mitchell); and, Aimee Sullivan (River Ridge)

Great American Teach-In
Employees across the City of Tampa connected with students and faculty, both online and in person, during the Great American Teach-In, which took place on Nov. 18.

The City of Tampa has more than 4,000 employees with diverse skill sets, backgrounds and interests, and it received more than 400 requests to speak with students and educators for the teach-in.

Teachers from more than 60 schools throughout Hillsborough’s school district, as well as Pasco County, registered to join live virtual presentations, which included:

  • Tampa Police Department Mounted Unit
  • Tampa Police Department K9 Units
  • “A Walk Through the Park” with Parks & Recreation Director Sherisha Hills
  • “Discovering Robots and Drones” presented by senior applications programmer Jonathan Girwar-Nath
  • Careers in Tampa City Government featuring employment manager Mike Swain and the city HR team
  • “Hospitality and Venue Management” presented by Tampa Convention Center sales and marketing manager Juan Lopez

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor also hosted two virtual sessions, one geared toward elementary school students who were able to learn facts about the city, and another designed for middle and high school students that focused on Mayor Castor’s “Transforming Tampa’s Tomorrow” vision.

The mayor also made an in-person visit to Gorrie Elementary to speak to the students about the importance of staying in school and doing what they can to help others in the community.

Odessa native named to leadership society
Elizabeth Szabo, a native of Odessa, was recently initiated into the High Point University Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society. The Society welcomed 350 new initiates from 17 universities during October 2021, according to a news release.

Fewer than 5% of the students on campus are invited to join each year.

The society’s mission is to honor and develop leaders; encourage collaboration among students, faculty, staff, and alumni; and promote collaboration, inclusivity, integrity, scholarship, and service on college and university campuses throughout North America.

Fish art contest
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), in partnership with Wildlife Forever, again will host the Florida State Fish Art Contest.

The program is to inspire creativity while developing the next generation of anglers and conservationists.

Students in kindergarten through 12th grade can compete in this free contest for a chance to win state and national honors, and prizes.

Florida winners will be selected by the FWC in four grade categories: kindergarten through third grade; fourth through sixth grade; seventh through ninth grade; and 10th through 12th grade.

State winners will advance to the national competition, to be judged for top prizes including Best of Show.

Entries should be submitted online at tinyurl.com/yaw9afj5. The deadline to enter is March 31.

Submissions must include:

  • An original horizontal 9-inch by 12-inch piece of artwork featuring any fish from the official fish list (found at tinyurl.com/5bujmn32)
  • A piece of creative writing, no longer than one page, about the chosen species (required for grades four to 12)
  • A Florida State Fish Art Contest entry form

Early release days
Pasco County Schools again will utilize a monthly, early release time to allow for staff to engage in professional development aligned with student needs, and district and school priorities.

Upcoming early release dates are: Dec. 8, Jan. 12, Feb. 2, March 9 and April 13.

On each of these days, students will be released two hours early.

The bell times, including the early release times for each school, can be found online at Pasco.k12.fl.us/site/pcs_bell_schedule.

Honor Society hosts fundraiser
The Martinez Middle School National Junior Honor Society will host a donation drive to benefit Hope Children’s Home, on Dec. 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Stonebrier basketball gazebo, 3741 W. County Line Road in Lutz.

Guests can bring a blanket or lawn chair, and eat, relax and listen to live music with local metal band, Actual Purgatory. The Bacon Boss food truck will be on site from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Kona Ice will be on site from noon to 2 p.m.

Accepted donations include: Nonperishable items (such as canned veggies, box/bag cereal, canned soup); household items (such as paper plates/bowls, aluminum foil, dryer sheets); school supplies (such as white board cleaner, binders, post-its); and, gently used clothes/shoes for boys and girls ages newborn to 18 years old.

For questions and a more detailed list of acceptable donations, email Annie Hayman at .

‘Shea’ has a loving disposition

By

Shealina is 3 years old and was adopted from Pasco County Animal Shelter two years ago. ‘Shea’ loves to lay on the footstool in the screen porch, and look at the birds and ducks in the backyard. This lovely lady resides in Land O’ Lakes with her proud owners, Frank and Nicole Magazu.

A bold bird

By

Male red-winged blackbirds are hard to mistake — as they are glossy black with red-and-yellow shoulder badges. The males do everything they can to get noticed, sitting on high perches and belting out their ‘conk-la-ree’ song all day long. Females stay lower, skulking through vegetation for food and quietly weaving together their nests. Scott MacKay caught this red-winged blackbird taking off at his home in Concord Station in Land O’ Lakes.