The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

A celebration of ‘top pops’

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With Father’s Day this past Sunday, The Laker/Lutz News wanted to help to celebrate all dads.

Readers were asked to send in a photo of their favorite “dad,” along with a short story on why he deserved to win.

Winning entries were chosen by People’s Choice and Publisher’s Choice.

Congratulations to these two ‘top’ dads in our #TheLakerTopPop photo contest.

Jackson Cannon, left, with one of his children sitting on the lap of Jackson’s father. (Courtesy of Keyllan Cannon)

Keyllan Cannon, of Lutz, nominated her husband, Jackson, who was the People’s Choice with the most votes.

Keyllan had this to say: “My husband, Jackson Cannon, became a father fairly young. He was only 20 when we married and 21 when our first child was born. Yet he has possessed a natural inclination toward fatherhood from the beginning. He is firm yet gentle, encouraging and protective. From the moment he learned we were having a baby, he has worked tirelessly to provide a loving, stable home for his family. We have grown to a family of five now, and I know he has looked to the example of his own father these last years, who is the epitome of hard work and perseverance.”

Jessica Valentin, of Wesley Chapel, nominated her husband, Anthony.

Anthony Valentin enjoying some family time at the beach with his girls. (Courtesy of Jessica Valentin)

Her story warmed the heart of The Laker/Lutz News publisher, Diane Kortus, who chose Jessica’s entry for the Publisher’s Choice award.

Jessica said: “I know a picture says a thousand words, but I will add a few more to this one. Anthony is the BEST dad because he is a GIRL-DAD. He is their provider and protector above all. He gives them most of what they want, but all of what they need. He guides them and supports their ideas and interests to the point of exhaustion. Then wakes up the next day to do it again. They may have their eyes set on their futures and their goals, but he always has his eyes set on them. He is the best father in the world.”

The staff at The Laker/Lutz News thanks everyone who entered the contest, as there were many wonderful photos and story submissions.

Published June 23, 2021

Cool foods to eat on hot days

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With 90-degree days well underway, perhaps your appetite has dipped a bit.

The decreased hunger pangs have nothing to do with your summer lifestyle or busy schedule, though. They can be explained by biology.

The hypothalamus has numerous responsibilities, including temperature regulation and appetite control.

When it is extremely hot, the hypothalamus works overtime to help keep us cool.

Cucumbers are hydrating and versatile. They can play the role of a bun, in a sandwich. Or, serve as a supporting player in a salad, or be the main ingredient in a meal, such as tuna boats.

Digestion, however, generates heat within the body —making it harder for the hypothalamus to keep us cool.

So, if the hypothalamus suppresses our appetite, we create less digestion, which improves the ability of the hypothalamus to keep us cool.

Of course, everyone’s metabolism is different.

Some people may have no problem eating soup when it’s 95 degrees.

And, summer and barbecues seem to go hand-in-hand, making steak and hamburgers a staple for many — regardless how hot it is, or how hungry they are.

With that being said, what’s on your pool party menu?

Foods that are cold and light are a popular option.

Also, don’t forget that being outdoors means we are sweating, so be sure to drink plenty of fluids.

When you’re planning an outdoor gathering, consider serving salads, fruit, and fruit-infused water to your guests.

It’s a good idea to offer cold food options, too — for a main dish or a side — if you’re having a barbecue.

Think anything ending in the word “salad.” Think pasta salad, tuna salad, egg salad, fruit salad, bean salad and so on.

Sandwiches also are a cool alternative for outdoor gatherings.

Cold cut sandwiches with sliced tomatoes and cheese on deli bread are great, but sandwiches don’t always need to include bread.

Think of lettuce wraps, tuna boats with cucumbers, slices of chilled hard-boiled eggs topped with salsa and slices of cucumber, or cucumber sandwiches —folded up pieces of turkey and cheese on cucumbers.

You can hydrate by eating fruits and vegetables containing high water content.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, cucumber, celery, watermelon, iceberg lettuce, spinach, zucchini, strawberries, and cauliflower are all 91% or more water by weight.

Oranges are close, at 86%.

You can make fruit and cheese skewers, or make flavored water, such as strawberry, lemon and mint; cucumber, lemon and celery; kiwi and orange; or cucumber, lime and thyme.

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.

TIPS:
Foodborne illnesses increase during the summer months, likely due to outdoor gatherings.
Don’t let food out of temperature control for more than one hour if it’s over 90 degrees.
If it’s under 90, it can go up to two hours without temperature control.
Be especially mindful of this for buffet-style events.
Have a cooler packed with ice and a thermometer to make sure cold food is not in the temperature danger zone, when bacteria grows the fastest (40⁰-140⁰).
Separate ready to eat food from uncooked food if you’re cooking with raw meat.

Recipe – Tuna Boats

Serving Size
Serves 4: 1/2 cucumber and 6 ounces filling per serving

Ingredients
2 large cucumbers
1 lemon
2 green onions
1 (6-ounce) can low-sodium tuna, packed in water
1 (15 ½-ounce) can white beans
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon or country mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Rinse cucumbers. Peel off skin every ¼ inch, all the way around. Cut lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a small spoon.
  2. Rinse lemon. Zest using the small holes of a box grater. Cut in half. In a small bowl, squeeze juice. Discard seeds.
  3. Rinse and chop green onions.
  4. Drain tuna. In a colander, drain and rinse beans.
  5. In a medium bowl, mash beans lightly with a fork.
  6. Add green onions, tuna, oil, mustard, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and 2 Tablespoons of the lemon juice to beans. Mix with a fork.
  7. Fill each cucumber half with ¼ tuna mixture. Serve.

Source: This recipe comes from Cooking Matters, one of Extension’s partners

Published June 23, 2021

Girl Scouts earn highest honor

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Forty Girl Scouts in west central Florida were honored for the dedication they put into earning their Girl Scout Gold Award — the highest and most prestigious achievement in Girl Scouting.

The award recognizes girls in grades nine to 12 who “demonstrate extraordinary leadership through the planning and execution of sustainable, measurable, difference-making projects,” according to a news release.

Each girl chose her own project — the subjects spanned a wide range of interests and needs, including social, environmental, educational, health, emotional and ecological.

Girl Scouts must spend a minimum of 80 hours planning and implementing their Gold Award projects, which often encompasses one year to two years from the project’s start to finish.

Those receiving the Girl Scout Gold Award reside in communities across west central Florida and represent Hernando, Hillsborough, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties.

Within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area, one Girl Scout is from Lutz and one is from Wesley Chapel.

Published June 23, 2021

Freedom of expression

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One graduate of Saint Leo University used her mortar board to express herself, during the Class of 2021’s commencement exercises. The university had three in-person events, conferring more than 1,250 degrees.

(Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

 

Volunteers needed for oversight board

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The Jobs and Economic Opportunities Committee (JEOC) is looking for new volunteers to participate in the committee that oversees the use of the Jobs and Economic Opportunities Trust Fund (JEOTF) portion of Penny for Pasco, according to a county news release.

The JEOC committee members are responsible for ensuring Penny for Pasco spending meets the requirements to promote projects creating new jobs and economic growth.

The committee consists of nine members, appointed by the Pasco County Commission, representing diverse knowledge and expertise from each of the following areas: finance/banking, agriculture, real estate, manufacturing and other private industries.

The committee meets at least once a quarter and presents annual updates to the Pasco County Commission. Selected members will serve a term of one year or two, depending on the industry.

The committee currently has openings for agriculture, real estate and industrial professionals, according to the news release.

Pasco County residents first passed the Penny for Pasco local government infrastructure surtax in 2004, to pay for county, city and Pasco County School Board improvements. The JEOTF portion, adopted in 2015, is estimated to generate more than $60 million in revenue to be used for target industry job creation and economic development projects designed to improve the local economy.

Anyone interested in serving on the JEOC is asked to submit a letter of interest and resume to Economic Growth Manager David Engel at .

Applications are being accepted through June 18.

Published June 16, 2021

WUSF named ‘Station of the Year’

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The Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists (FABJ) has named WUSF Public Media the “Station of the Year” in the radio division for 2020, citing exceptional work in broadcasting, digital news and podcasting by WUSF journalists, amid a year of pandemic upheaval and social unrest.

In all, WUSF won 17 awards – the most ever for the station – and the station’s first-ever “Radio Station of the Year” award for a wide range of news projects, public affairs shows and feature programming, according to a news release, sent on its behalf from the Tucker Hall agency.

The WUSF team collected six other first-place awards and 10 finalist recognitions in this year’s contest. The FABJ is a not-for-profit organization of professionals in commercial and public television, and radio stations, as well as those at college-level journalism operations, the release said.

The radio station won these awards on the heels of another recent award announcement: three Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. The honors were for digital projects and for coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 national election.

The regional Murrow award winners will vie for national awards, which will be announced later this year.

Published June 16, 2021

Celebrating their rites of passage

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Liliana Stephenson, Kids R Kids (Courtesy of Julianna Stephenson)

Their milestones sparked joy.

It didn’t matter whether they were wrapping up pre-kindergarten or picking up a master’s degree. They could have been moving up to middle school, or heading off to college.

Whatever they were celebrating, it was a moment of pride — and we thank their loved ones for submitting a photo to us, so we could share that part of their story with our readers.

Two of those pictured here — Roman Boukorras and Rylie Chisholm — are part of The Laker/Lutz News’ family. They are the nephew and niece of Katie Fernandez, an account manager for our newspaper.

Here, without further ado, we celebrate our “graduates.”

Check out all our readers’ submitted photos in the video on our website or at https://www.facebook.com/211702412202894/videos/495085661550698.

Nathan Reeves, Sunlake High School (Courtesy of Teresa Collins)
Evelyn Hernandez, Zephyrhills High School (Courtesy of Laura Barthle)
Roman Boukorras, Backyard Bears Day School
Rylie Chisholm, St. Joseph Catholic School

Homebound can get books delivered to them

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Pasco County Libraries has launched a new service called, “Front Door Books.”

The service is intended to help readers who can’t visit the library in person.

Those wanting to use the service can borrow up to three books at once.

At this point, the “Front Door Books” mail program is scheduled to run through Sept. 30, 2021, according to a county news release.

You can apply to take advantage of the service at bit.ly/bookbymail. A member of the county’s library team will set you up with a virtual library card that you can use by phone or online at: pascolibraries.org.  Books are shipped via UPS.

To return, ask UPS to pick-up the books or drop them off at any Pasco County Library or UPS drop-off location.

“Front Door Books” is a pilot program funded by a CARES Act grant administered by the Florida Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).  The program is funded through Sept. 30.

For more information about Pasco County Libraries, including the library catalog, e-content, programs, events and links to all Pasco County Library branches, visit:  pascolibraries.org.

Published June 16, 2021

Demand Rises For Home Health Services

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It’s been two years since Gulfside Hospice added home health to its medical services and updated its name to Gulfside Healthcare Services. And what an amazing two years it has been.

The need in Pasco and Pinellas counties for home health has been explosive, especially this past year during COVID, when so many people have been restricted to their homes.

“Because of COVID, some of the requirements for home health services have been relaxed, and more people than ever have qualified for help,” said Michael Griffiths, manager of business development for Gulfside Home Health.

Griffiths explains that his team’s number one goal is provide patients with in-home skilled nursing and therapies to help them recover as quickly and safely as possible, while keeping them out of the hospital.

“There are many advantages of taking care of someone in their home,” said Griffiths. “Patients are more comfortable at home, family is there for support, and no transportation is needed because our health care providers come to them.”

Griffiths adds that home care especially helps with patients who easily get confused in unfamiliar places, which is common toward the end of day when people with memory problems suffer from sun-downing effects.

“We plan our visits around a client’s schedule. Families choose a time that is best for them,” said Griffiths, who added that most appointments are between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Gulfside’s nursing staff provides wound care, injections, IV infusions, pain management and medication oversight. Other licensed professionals offer physical, occupational and speech therapies. At Gulfside Home Health, therapists are employees and not contract workers, which means patients typically see the same nurses and therapists throughout their care.

“It’s this continuity of care that sets us apart,” said Griffiths.

Most patients receive home health services for three to eight weeks, and typically are referred by physicians and assisted living facilities. Referrals also are accepted directly from patients and their families by completing a quick form on Gulfside’s website.

“If you complete our online questionnaire, which takes just a few minutes, we get back to you within 24 hours,” Griffiths says. “Our staff is cross-trained to assess whether the need is home health, palliative care or hospice, which means only one appointment is needed to get things started.”

Gulfside Home Health began accepting patients in the spring of 2019, and its caseload expanded quickly because of the outstanding reputation of Gulfside Hospice. It has doubled the number of home health patients in the past year, and anticipates seeing its census grow to 200 patients by the end of the year.

“Gulfside is the gold standard provider of choice for hospice care in Pasco County, and this high standard absolutely extends to its Home Health division,” said Griffiths.

Gulfside has outstanding results for its clients, much better than the national average. Most impressive is it 30-Day Re-Hospitalization Rate of 0%, compared to almost 13% nationally. An Info Box included with this story give more impressive comparisons.

Most costs are covered by Medicare or private insurance. Major insurance companies that Gulfside accepts, in addition to Medicare, are United, Humana and WellCare insurance programs. If cost or coverage is a concern, the Gulfside team also is available to work with patients on coverage options to ensure everyone who needs care, gets it.

When To Call Home Health
– Recent discharge from hospital or rehab center
– Multiple diagnoses, such as diabetes, cardiac and pulmonary
– Changes in medication that require management/education
– Patients who frequently call their doctors
Go to Gulfside.org/submit-a-referral.

Gulfside Home Health Compared to Nat Avg

30-Day Re-Hospitalization Rate

  • Gulfside: 0%
  • National Average: 12.9%

60-Day Re-Hospitalization Rate

  • Gulfside: 13%
  • National Average: 18%

Wound Healing Rate

  • Gulfside: 99.4%
  • National Average: 93%

Average Number of Weekly Visits the Patient Receives

  • Gulfside: 3
  • National Average: 1.5

Average Length of Time on Service

  • Gulfside: 37 days
  • National Average: 54 days

Published June 16, 2021

Hillsborough offers text 911 option

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Hillsborough County Fire Rescue has added a Text to 911 option to its emergency dispatch services, according to a Hillsborough County news release.

The feature allows residents to access 911 services when they cannot communicate by a telephone call.

Text to 911 could help residents who:

  • Can’t talk because they fear for their physical safety
  • Are deaf or hard of hearing
  • Are experiencing an emergency where they do not have adequate mobile phone service for a phone call to connect, but a text may still go through.

Text to 911 is as easy as texting friends and family, the release said.

The text message will be handled by a dispatcher who will have an open text dialog with the resident until the situation is resolved.

Calling 911 is still the preferred method, but the new Text to 911 option could be a lifesaver for residents who are unable to communicate over the phone with the emergency dispatch center.

Put simply, Hillsborough County’s emergency dispatch ask people to call in emergencies if they can and use a text, if they can’t call.

Published June 16, 2021