The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Women’s Hall of Fame finalists named

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Susan A. MacManus, of Land O’ Lakes, is among the list of 10 finalists for the 2021 Florida Women’s Hall of Fame. (File)

Susan A. MacManus, of Land O’ Lakes, is among the list of 10 finalists selected by the Florida Commission on the Status of Women for the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame, according to a news release.

The list has been sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who soon will select up to three women to be the 2021 inductees.

The distinction recognizes and honors women “who, through their works and lives, have made significant contributions to the improvement of life for women and for all citizens of the state of Florida,” the news release says.

The nominees “exemplify the great diversity of women’s contributions to Florida life,” the release says.

MacManus is a political scientist and distinguished professor emeritus from the University of South Florida.

Other nominees are:

  • Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, of Tampa
  • Mayor Jane Castor, of Tampa
  • Judge Virginia Covington, of Tampa
  • May Mann Jennings, formerly of Brooksville
  • Sen. Arthenia Joyner, of Tampa
  • Barbara Nicklaus, of Palm Beach
  • Senator Kathleen Passidomo, of Naples
  • Lilly Pulitzer, of Palm Beach
  • Beverly White Yeager, of Palm Beach

“Each year it is more difficult to choose 10 finalists to send to the governor because of the many superb nominations we receive,” Commission Chair Karin Hoffman said, in the release.

This year’s inductees will be honored at a ceremony on Oct. 19.

Published September 15, 2021

Attention gardeners: Pasco Extension has a plot for you

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The UF/IFAS Pasco County Extension is offering free garden plots and opportunities to grow your skills at community gardens in Dade City, Land O’ Lakes, San Antonio, Zephyrhills and Shady Hills.

You can create your own garden bounty, with a free community garden plot offered through the UF/IFAS Pasco County Extension. (Courtesy of UF/IFAS Pasco County Extension)

Pasco Extension pairs applicants for the free plots with the appropriate garden locations.

A new Wesley Chapel location also will be opening soon.

A community garden plot offers the opportunity to:

  • Grow and harvest your own food
  • Work with compost
  • Gain gardening experience in classes and seminars that are offered on site
  • Learn from experts

Plots are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

For East Side Community Gardens, call 352-521-1255, or email .

For West Side Community Gardens, call 813-996-2411, ext. 2458,  or email .

The Pasco County Cooperative Extension Service provides practical, educational programs in environmental horticulture; sustainable agriculture; 4-H and youth development; and, family and consumer sciences.

To find out more, including how to volunteer, call 352-518-0156, or visit bit.ly/2I7gTs5.

Published September 15, 2021

Hitting the links for a few friendly rounds

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Idlewild Pastor Tim Hurlesss, left, was pleased with his drive off the first tee, a Par 5. Frank Mutz, director of recreation, is nearby. (Fred Bellet)

Idlewild Baptist Church ministers to both the body and soul, as seen through its recreation ministry, which wrapped up a coed summer golf league at Plantation Palms, in Land O’ Lakes, last month.

The league ran through Aug. 25.

Tee times at the golf course, at 23253 Plantation Palms Blvd., began at 5:30 p.m.

Rounds involved a two-player scramble, consisting of nine holes.

There also was an optional free golf clinic, and a $15 buffet, available.

For more information about Idlewild’s recreation programs, visit Idlewild.org/recreation/, or contact Griffin Shollenberger at 813-264-8737 or .

Published September 15, 2021

Jim Willis, of Land O’ Lakes, watches as his ball comes up short while putting on the third green.
Jim Willis, of Land O’ Lakes, reacts to his putt on the third green. Tim Hoelle, Jeff Ennis and Wade Griffin played along with Willis.
Allison McCoy, of Tampa, reacts with a laugh after over-shooting the cup outside the practice green at the Plantation Palms Golf Course. Allison’s husband, Brad McCoy, a seasoned golfer, was lending tips to his wife, a newcomer to the game. The couple was practicing before the tournament began.
Tristan Kennedy of Land O’ Lakes works on getting more distance using a sand wedge during the Idlewild Baptist Church coed golf clinic and weekly golf match, at Plantation Palms Golf Course.

Specialty plate ‘cleared for takeoff’

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Purchases of the new Blue Angels specialty license plate will benefit the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. (Courtesy of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles)

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has announced that the new Blue Angels specialty license plate is available now at tax collector offices and license plate agencies statewide.

Purchased presale vouchers for the plate can be redeemed now, as well as the purchase of a plate.

The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation is the second organization from the 2020 Legislative Session to have its newly authorized specialty plate meet all design, development, manufacturing and presale requirements established to begin the distribution process.

The revenue collected annually from the sale of the Blue Angels plate will be distributed to Florida’s nonprofit, Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. The money will fund the maintenance, programs, marketing and projects of the foundation, including the Naval Aviation Museum and the National Flight Academy in Pensacola.

To purchase a license plate and to see a complete list of specialty plates offered, visit FLhsmv.gov, and click on the “Motor Vehicles, Tags & Titles” header.

Published September 15, 2021

Avalon Applauds Celebrate Birthdays

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Congratulations to Celebrate Birthdays, a nonprofit based in Tampa, for being applauded by Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.

Celebrate Birthdays’ mission is to ensure that every foster child and all children, ages 1 through 18, regardless of personal or financial circumstances, has the opportunity to celebrate their birthday. The nonprofit services Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Celebrate Birthdays’ Co-founders Celina Saunders and Belinda Leto

Co-founders Belinda Leto and Celina Saunders are full-time nurses by trade who met 18 years ago. They discovered in 2017 a need to help children celebrate their birthdays when they delivered Christmas presents to children of incarcerated individuals.

A recipient’s grandmother asked Leto and Saunders if they knew anyone who could help her celebrate her grandson’s birthday, as she did not even have the means for a cake.

Heartbroken and eager to help, Leto and Saunders immediately started calling local places and couldn’t find any reliable resources.

“In our area there’s over 6,000 children in foster care and over half of them have never celebrated a birthday,” says Leto. “We realized we had plenty of room right here in our own backyard to make an impact.”

Leto and Saunders officially founded Celebrate Birthdays in 2019.

“We didn’t go into this intending that it was going to be a nonprofit, but we just realized a need that was out there in our community and we wanted to make sure that we could help fill that void,” says Leto.

Due to the COVID pandemic, Celebrate Birthdays now hosts a limited number of in-person parties a month, as well as offers a ‘Birthday in a Box,’ which it created out of necessity.

“It’s a 10×10 box filled with 16 different items that includes everything a child would need to celebrate their birthday, wherever they’re at,” says Leto.

Leto and her team try to cater the boxes to what that particular child likes, and has about 19 different themes to choose from such as sports, movies, etc.

Items include streamers, candles, cake mix, etc. The nonprofit also sends a gift valued at $25 and a free book to help promote literacy.

Celebrate Birthdays delivers up to 100 boxes a month, and each box costs about $50.

“When you see the joy on a child’s face when somebody remembers them on their special day, I almost feel like this should be a basic necessity,” says Leto. She hopes these small moments will give them long-lasting memories.

Celebrate Birthdays also launched a program in August called Classroom Birthday Bins, for title one and low income schools, that include items like stickers, a birthday crown, notebooks, pencil, wristband, and more.

“We want to make sure that the child is celebrated…and it helps the teachers who don’t have a lot of resources,” says Leto.

Leto says there are numerous ways to volunteer, whether it’s packing birthday boxes, hosting a gift drive, or donating monetarily.

Stay up to date with Celebrate Birthdays at CelebrateBirthdays.org or follow them on Facebook (@celebrateBirthdays19) or Instagram (@celebratebirthdays). Donations can be dropped off at 611 N. New Jersey Ave., Tampa, FL 33609.

Published September 22, 2021

Remembering a day in history

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(Courtesy of Patricia Serio)

Members of the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club gathered and formed an assembly line to put together gift baskets filled with snacks, fruit and other treats, for first responders. Doris Ramaglia handcrafted thank-you notes to be included, too. The baskets will be delivered to stations in the Lutz and Land O’ Lakes area, in advance of the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The club itself will have flag-wavers along U.S. 41, in front of the Old Lutz School, on Sept. 11, which is something the group has done every year since 2001. Members Joan Young and Darlene Choe are shown here with some of the filled baskets.

 

Who says sharks have to be scary? They can be fun, too.

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Shaina Smith, right, a youth services assistant at New River Library, welcomes those attending Story Time. Smith joined library associates Steven Rosen and Laura Covillon in reading fun shark stories to the children. (Fred Bellet)

Whether they were riding in strollers, amped up with excitement or just ambling along — those gathered at New River Library, 34043 State Road 54, were asked to turn on their imaginations and to listen to some stories about sharks.

Bubbles bobbed about them, in the library staff’s attempt to create the sense of an underwater adventure.

And, library staffers gave lively readings of stories featuring sharks as the main character.

Unlike the common stereotype, these sharks weren’t frightening. They were fun.

The people who came to Story Time seemed to be having fun, too.

Library staff has been looking forward to having in-person events, after a long hiatus, due to a massive makeover of the branch library, as well as shifting to virtual programming because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In keeping with safety protocols, registration was taken for these programs, too, to avoid crowding.

For information about library programs, visit PascoLibraries.org, or call 813-788-6375.

Four-year-old Jesse Snyder, of Wesley Chapel, makes a big entrance into the bubble-filled, special events room at the New River Library. The bubbles were intended to create the effect of being in the ocean — just the right mood for hearing stories about sharks.
With words displayed on the screen behind him, Steven Rosen, a youth services associate at New River Library, reads to toddlers and preschoolers in two sessions of Story Time.
Two-year-old Sunny Rae takes a closer look at the shark books that will be featured during the second session of Story Time for preschoolers, at the New River Library. She was there with her mom, Dayna Jenkins, of Dade City.
One-year-old Hadley Kiefer, of Zephyrhills, makes a move toward other toddlers during Story Time at the New River Library. Hadley didn’t get very far from her mom, Heather Kiefer, and 2-year-old sister, Carly.
Seven-month-old Joyelle Schultz catches a few winks in the special events room, at the New River Library, in Wesley Chapel, before Story Time festivities begin. Joyelle was there with her mom, Sarah Schultz, of Wesley Chapel. The little girl’s great-aunt, Nancy Hoskins, and her grandmother, Nancy Dunlop, were there, too. They were both visiting from Michigan.
Evan Snyder, 1, clings to his mom, Haruka Snyder, of Wesley Chapel, while his 4-year-old brother, Jesse, heads into the bubble-filled room for Story Time at New River Library.

County office building in Land O’ Lakes to get upgrades

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The Pasco County Commission has awarded a task order for slightly more than $1.78 million to Bandes Construction Company LLC., to complete interior renovations at the David “Hap” Clark Jr. Building in Land O’ Lakes.

The work will be performed in two phases, on the first and second floor of the building referred to as the Hap Clark building, at 4111 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

Details of the project were included in the county board’s agenda materials for its Aug. 24 meeting.

Phase one will be done on the northern side of the building on the first floor, and will accommodate building construction services, veteran services, human services and conference suits.

The general scope of work shall be approximately 6,027 square feet of existing space,

including the surrounding restrooms and corridor.

Phase two of the renovation will be on the southern side of the building on the second floor, and will consolidate the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources team into one suite of approximately 6,250 square feet.

Published September 08, 2021

Pasco and Hernando work out joint funding for road improvement

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Pasco and Hernando counties have approved an interlocal agreement relating to improvements on County Line Road and the intersection of Waterfall Drive/Winding Oaks Boulevard.

The total estimated cost of the project is $645,198.00.

The intersection improvements are programmed and funded for construction in Pasco County’s fiscal year 2021 capital improvements program, according to materials in the Pasco County Commission’s Aug. 24 agenda materials.

“Since these improvements also benefited Hernando County, they shared the cost of preparing the design plans, which were completed by Coastal Design Consultants Inc., and will be sharing in the cost of construction of the project,” the agenda materials say.

“The scope of work for the project will include the construction and construction engineering inspection for a new traffic signal on County Line Road and Waterfall Drive/Winding Oaks Boulevard, signal interconnection conduit and fiber along County Line Road from East Road/Cobblestone Road to the Waterfall Drive/Winding Oaks Boulevard intersection, street lighting along County Line Road within the project limits and a new right-turn lane on Waterfall Drive at County Line Road (CR 578).

“The request for this new right-turn lane on Waterfall Drive at County Line Road is being made by Hernando County and will be fully funded by them, the agenda materials say.

The project costs will be split 50/50 between Pasco and Hernando, except for the cost of the right-turn lane being paid for by Hernando.

Hernando will pay Pasco its share of the costs at the commencement of the work.

The Hernando County Commission had already approved the interlocal agreement, subject to approval by the Pasco County Commission.

Published September 01, 2021

Just in time for Labor Day, labor-saving tools for the kitchen

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Labor Day — a holiday devoted to workers — celebrates strides that have been made to reduce harsh working conditions.

Remember, the 8-hour workday and 40-hour workweek weren’t always standards.

Breaks during the workday weren’t required, either.

While workplace requirements have eased, there’s still a fair amount of work that goes into preparing, serving and cleaning up after meals.

It’s not just a matter of the work you do at home to prepare meals, there’s also menu planning, a shopping list and putting away your groceries — before you even start to prepare your meals.

The electric pressure cooker is versatile and also can act as a rice cooker, slow cooker, yogurt maker, and more, plus has lots of programmable and automatic features that make it easier to use. However, stovetop pressure cookers cook faster. (Shari Bresin)

A U.S. Department of Agriculture study, done through the Economic Research Service, revealed that in 2014 it took 51 minutes for the average American adult to prep and serve a meal, then clean up after it.

That varies, too, based on the demographics. Those without children spend 50 minutes on average, and those who are employed, spend 45 minutes.

Those with children spend 74 minutes, and those who are unemployed or retired spend 72 minutes, on average.

Men tend to spend less time, 37 minutes a day, while women spend 66 minutes a day, prepping meals.

Those surveyed who said they purchased carry-out, delivery, prepared foods, and so on, said they saved about 30 minutes a day in meal preparation.

Of course, there’s a price for that convenience.

There are tools you can use that can reduce the work you do in the kitchen — while stretching your food budget, too.

Here’s a look at some of those tools:

  • Pressure cookers: These trap the steam, creating pressure, and increase the temperature beyond the boiling point (212°F). This higher temperature shortens the cooking time.

Electric pressure cookers (think Instant Pot), are widely popular. However, stovetop pressure cookers, another option, cook faster because they reach even higher temperatures and pressure.

The electric ones automate many of the steps and, for that, many find them easier to use.

  • Slow cookers: These can be used to make meals that are assembled into the cooker, then cooked slowly over a period. (I will usually make a slow cooker dish early in the week so I can prep for it on a Sunday and then make it Monday or Tuesday. I add in extra food to get a second dinner out of it later in the week.)
  • Electric vegetable chopper: Chopping foods to prep them for dishes, to cook in the pressure cooker or in a slow cooker, takes a considerable amount of time. The electric vegetable chopper is much smaller and less complex than a food processor and chops foods much faster than doing it by hand.

If you don’t want an electrical vegetable chopper, you can use veggie dicers, which work manually, as another option.

Another way to save time is to use a meal-planning calendar.

That will help you to know what you need to prep in advance and you can do prep work in batches.

When planning meals, always start with taking inventory of what’s currently in your fridge and pantry. Also, check the weekly grocery ads to  help in planning.

You can get the kids involved, too, so they have a say in the meals. They also can remind you of events, such as a baseball game, that can help you in your planning.

A weekly template for meal planning can be found online from Iowa State University Extension: https://spendsmart.extension.iastate.edu/plan/menu-planning/.

By Shari Bresin

Shari Bresin is the Family & Consumer Science agent for the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Cooperative Extension Pasco County.

Recipe
Here’s a recipe for honey garlic chicken you can try, using your electric pressure cooker. It’s from the Mississippi State University Extension Service:

Honey Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:
⅓ cup honey
1 teaspoon onion powder
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
½ cup no-salt ketchup
½ teaspoon oregano, dried
2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons sesame seed oil (or vegetable oil)
4–6 chicken thighs, bone-in and skinless
Salt and pepper to taste
½ Tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted (for garnish)
Green onions (optional, for garnish)

Directions:
Wash your hands with soap and water.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the honey, onion powder, minced garlic, soy sauce, ketchup, oregano, and parsley. Mix until well-combined and set aside.
Heat your pressure cooker in sauté mode. Add the sesame oil to the pot.
Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and arrange so they are close but not touching in the cooker.
Wash your hands.
Cook the chicken thighs for 2 minutes to 3 minutes per side.
Add the prepared honey garlic sauce to the pot; cover and lock the lid.
Cook in poultry mode for 20 minutes.
Turn off the pot and allow it to release the pressure about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken thighs to a serving plate and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions.

Published September 01, 2021