The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Sometimes the best gifts come in camouflage

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For three unsuspecting siblings attending Saint Anthony School in San Antonio, a student assembly marking an early start for Christmas break on Dec. 19 was more than it seemed.

It actually was cover for a carefully orchestrated holiday surprise: The return of their father, U.S. Army Col. Peter Quinn.

U.S. Army Col. Peter Quinn returns from deployment in Afghanistan just in time for the holidays, surprising his children on stage in front of 200 classmates at Saint Anthony School in San Antonio. The officer’s wife Kelly, left, joins him along with two of his children: Gabriel, 13, and Grace, 11. (Courtesy of Bryant L. Griffin)
U.S. Army Col. Peter Quinn returns from deployment in Afghanistan just in time for the holidays, surprising his children on stage in front of 200 classmates at Saint Anthony School in San Antonio. The officer’s wife Kelly, left, joins him along with two of his children: Gabriel, 13, and Grace, 11.
(Courtesy of Bryant L. Griffin)

Quinn, who just returned from Bagram, Afghanistan for a two-week leave, was determined to give his children a present they wouldn’t forget, especially since the deployment — his second to the region — resulted in nearly a year of separation from his Wesley Chapel family.

Working with the Army Intelligence and Security Command in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Quinn currently serves as a senior contracting officer’s representative providing linguistic support to U.S. forces in Afghanistan. His deployment ends next May, when he plans to return stateside and retire from the Army after 30 years of service.

His secretive homecoming came together with help from his wife Kelly, and the school.

“When I cooked up this idea several months ago and presented it to Kelly, she said, ‘You’re crazy,’” Peter Quinn said. “I said, ‘We could make this happen. We can make one of those special moments for Saint Anthony’s.

“I wanted to do something special for my kids. Every military dad wants to do that.”

However, meeting the surprise’s tight schedule after 20 hours of flying during two days of transit was tricky. His 10:30 a.m. Tampa arrival only allowed him a little more than an hour to reach the school.

The students assembled in the school’s parish center were set to head home at noon after prayers and announcements. Like Peter Quinn’s children, the students also were unaware of his imminent homecoming.

“I was a little bit worried because I almost missed my connecting flight,” Quinn said. “I was five minutes out from it taking off. I was running to my gate … because I wasn’t going to miss this.”

His children — Grace, 11; Faith, 11; and Gabriel 13 — were seated amongst their 200 classmates when Quinn, dressed in his camouflage duty uniform, suddenly emerged from the curtained stage. The reveal left them stunned.

Quinn, bearing the widest of grins, met their dash to the stage with a long-awaited embrace. The hugs were prolonged and repeated as cheers and applause quickly swept through the assembled students.

“It’s just really exciting,” said Fran Shiver, a Zephyrhills parent of a fourth-grade daughter at the school. “I think it’s something that just goes back to family. It’s so exciting to see the smiles on the kids’ faces. We really appreciate his service.”

For the school’s principal, Sister Alice Ottapurackal, the homecoming represents the very heart of Saint Anthony.

“We’re grateful that he is safe and coming back to us,” Ottapurackal said. “We do pray every day for him, and all the military people who are serving the country.

“We’re like a family, so we’re truly excited to see the children’s expressions.”

Indeed, as the hugs and tears continued before the school’s students, Quinn couldn’t have imagined a more poignant homecoming.

“This is the longest time we have been apart,” he said. “And they have been doing great helping mom out, and great in school. They have been a true blessing.”

Kelly Quinn couldn’t agree more.

“I just stood back there and I just wanted to see their reaction,” she said. “It was awesome.”

By Bryant L. Griffin

Published January 7, 2015

Bondi asks court to clarify same-sex marriage ruling

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Saying she’s trying to correct the exact situation she originally tried to avoid, state attorney general Pam Bondi is asking U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle to clarify his August ruling that some say would make Florida the 36th state to allow same-sex marriage.

Both sides of the controversial issue are battling over what appears to be ambiguity in Hinkle’s ruling, which ordered a Panhandle county clerk to issue a same-sex marriage certificate following one of several cases making their way through the court. Bondi and a vast majority of the county clerks — including Pasco County’s Paula O’Neil — have said they will not begin issuing licenses the day after the stay is lifted Jan. 5, claiming it’s unclear if the ruling affects them, or just Washington County, which was originally sued.

“Due to this legal uncertainty, our clerk … has been advised by the Florida Court Clerks & Comptroller’s association and its legal counsel to refrain from issuing same-sex marriage licenses without a binding order issued by a court of proper jurisdiction,” O’Neil spokeswoman Debbie Gay said in a statement last week.

However, same-sex marriage proponents claim county clerks like O’Neil could be in legal trouble if they refuse to start issuing marriage certificates next week.

“Any Florida clerk who refuses to follow the Constitution’s command, and who withholds marriage licenses from couples once the stay expires, is on the wrong side of history, and the wrong side of the law,” said Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, in a statement through the gay rights advocacy group Equality Florida. “There is one Constitution, Florida is one state, and all Floridians are entitled to equal treatment throughout the state.”

In a motion filed Monday with Hinkle’s court, Bondi looked for the judge to clarify the ruling.

“The widespread confusion that now exists, as evidenced by multiple media reports, is precisely what the attorney general’s office sought to avoid while seeking a stay pending final resolution in favor of either side of the issue,” Bondi spokeswoman Jenn Meale said in a statement. “As stated in the response filed (Monday), if the federal court intended the injunction to have effects beyond those that appear on its face, the court may wish to provide appropriate clarification.”

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to intervene in the Florida case last week, where Hinkle struck down laws banning same-sex marriage, saying the state’s ban violated the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which provides for equal protection under the law. Hinkle refused to keep a stay in place for further appeal, which would technically allow same-sex marriages beginning Jan. 6.

It’s not clear if or when Hinkle will respond to the motion with more clarification, or if it will come ahead of the Jan. 6 date the stay is expected to be lifted.

More mortgage-free homes for veterans coming in 2015

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Building Homes for Heroes is using a $2 million grant through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to help build or modify homes in the state for injured veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Florida is becoming the most military-friendly state in the nation, and our partnership with Building Homes for Heroes is a fantastic opportunity to thank our veterans,” Gov. Rick Scott said, in a release. “As a Navy veteran, I’m very proud of this partnership, and look forward to seeing many more veterans benefitting from this program.”

Building Homes for Heroes is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to making a difference in the lives of wounded American service members and their families, according to a release. This past year, the organization gifted 13 mortgage-free homes throughout the state.

With the new grant funds, Building Homes expects to build or modify another 20 houses in the coming year. Florida is home to nearly 1.5 million veterans, the third largest population of veterans in the nation. The state’s work force boards have helped 23,000 veterans find jobs, government officials said.

“The state’s support enables us to make a meaningful and memorable difference in the lives of our injured servicemen and women,” Building Homes president Andy Pujol said, in a release. “In addition, we’re seeing an extraordinary spirit of patriotism and community support all across Florida.”

Despite holiday, gas prices continue to fall

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The demand for gasoline was the biggest in years for travelers trying to take the road to their Christmas destinations. Yet, where the classic system of supply and demand would’ve typically meant higher gas prices — they were, instead, lower.

In fact, motorists saw the cheapest gasoline for Christmas since 2008, where Florida drivers saw an average price of $2.43. That broke lows set in 2009, AAA said, when gas was $2.63 in the state.

“Low gas prices are helping consumers save more than $21 for a tank of gasoline compared to the highs earlier this year, and that has a positive effect on holiday shopping and travel,” AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said, in a release. That high was $3.70.

“The new year will bring new expectations for even cheaper gasoline. Prices could drop another 3 to 6 cents by New Year’s Day.”

The national average dropped for a 94th consecutive day Sunday, the longest streak on record. The previous record of 86 days of drops came during the height of the Great Recession. Since that streak began, gas has fallen 92 cents in Florida.

“The world’s oil supply continues to outpace demand keeping downward pressure on oil and gas prices,” Jenkins said. “Speculators believe this trend will continue next year, so cheap gasoline should stick around for a while.”

Crude prices settled at $54.73 at the close of trading on Friday, down $1.79 from the previous week. The average price for a barrel of oil is expected to be $63 this coming year, according to the Energy Information Administration, down $12 over the last three months of 2014.

Florida is down 8 cents from a week ago, and 39 cents from a month ago. It’s off by 98 cents from a year ago.

Cheapest prices locally, according to GasBuddy, include:

• $2.10 at the Citgo at U.S. 41 and Crenshaw Lake Road in Lutz
• $2.13 at Sam’s Club on State Road 56 in Wesley Chapel
• $2.21 at both the D&D station at U.S. 98 and U.S. 301, and Clark at U.S. 301 near Long Avenue in Dade City
• $2.27 at the RaceTrac on State Road 52 near Silver Palm Boulevard in Land O’ Lakes
• $2.29 at the Marathon on Eiland Boulevard and Geiger Road in Zephyrhills

Bayonet Point hospital CEO participates in Rose Bowl tradition

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The Rose Bowl football came on New Year’s Day will feature Florida State against Oregon, to see which college team will end up in the national championship game Jan. 12. But the Seminoles won’t be the only Florida representative showing up in Pasadena, California.

Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point’s chief executive Shayne George prepares his 2015 note to be placed in the Donate Life Rose Parade Float. (Courtesy of Kurt Connover)
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point’s chief executive Shayne George prepares his 2015 note to be placed in the Donate Life Rose Parade Float. (Courtesy of Kurt Connover)

Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point has received an invitation to participate in the 2015 Donate Life Rose Parade Float Hospital CEO Rose Dedications. The Hudson hospital is part of a select group of hospitals in the area that have been asked to have its chief executive prepare a handwritten message honoring the patients and families who, with the support of hospital staff members, have saved and healed lives through the gift of organ, eye and tissue donation.

Shayne George, the chief executive of Bayonet Point, has shared the following message:

“In honor of Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point and our life-saving staff, we are honored and grateful to those who chose to donate a gift that can change a life.”

This handwritten dedication will be placed in one of the rose vials in the “dedication garden,” which is filled with thousands of roses in the Donate Life Rose Parade float.

The American Hospital Association has joined with the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations and the Eye Bank Association of America to offer this inspirational tribute to the donors of tissues and organs, according to a release.

For more than 10 years, dozens of organizations nationwide have collaborated to enter the Donate Life float in the Rose Parade. Originally envisioned by a lunch recipient who wished to thank organ, eye and tissue donors for their gifts of life, the Donate Life Rose Parade float has grown into a national tradition featuring dozens of participants each year.

The dedication garden is one of the trademarks of the float, with each vial carrying a unique personal message from an individual, family or organization.

Staples closing leads searches on LakerLutzNews.com

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Thousands of Web travelers found their exit off the Information Superhighway to LakerLutzNews.com thanks to search engines this past year, but what exactly lead them here in the first place?

Apparently, it was all about the closing of Staples.

Not long after LakerLutzNews.com started publishing daily stories to complement the print stories found each week in our papers, reporter Michael Hinman published a story March 6 about the closing of 225 Staples stores by the end of 2015. That could include two stores locally — the Staples at 7910 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills, and another at 6260 Commerce Palms Blvd., in New Tampa.

It was a rather significant chunk of the Staples chain, which has 1,500 stores in the United States and employs more than 50,000 people.

But what else led the list of top search terms that led to the LakerLutzNews.com in 2014? Check out our list, just in time for us to start it all over again in 2015.

1. Staples closing stores
The good news, however, is that both the Zephyrhills and New Tampa stores continue to remain open by year’s end, with no public announcement of their fate made at this point.

2. Angela Madonia Tampa
Who is Angela Madonia you might ask? Well, she’s a co-owner — along with mother Josephine Argento — of what was then a new farmer’s market called The Family Farm on 41 that opened May 23.

Reporter B.C. Manion shared the news of this market for the first time on June 12, based on a story that appeared the day before in the Lutz News.

“The concept is providing the freshest and healthiest fruits and veggies to our customers,” Madonia said at the time. “We will be growing strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, carrots, corn, radishes, pumpkins and okra. We will start harvesting in late August or early September.”

At the beginning of the year, the site where the outdoor market would eventually open was just an empty field south of County Line Road on U.S. 41. But that changed quickly throughout the spring as what appeared to be a barn went up, and the Family Farm opened for business.

3. Sanders Elementary School
A lot has happened on the former campus of Sanders Memorial Elementary School in Land O’ Lakes in the past year, everything from the announcement of it becoming a magnet school to the opening of enrollment earlier this month.

Through reporter B.C. Manion, The Laker has stayed on top of all the developments regarding the school, including the November announcement that Lake Myrtle Elementary School principal Jason Petry would be the head administrator at the new Sanders school.

It is set to open in August, just in time for the 2015-16 school year.

4. Cypress Creek Town Center
With all the development taking place in Pasco County, it’s surprising to see one project get more attention than others. Yet that seems to be happening with the Cypress Creek Town Center area in Wesley Chapel, right where State Road 56 and Interstate 75 meet.

With everything from the construction start of Tampa Premium Outlets to plans to open a Costco on the site, there’s been plenty to talk about on the property. In fact, in the past year alone, LakerLutzNews.com has posted six stories about the project. It would be hard to find any other topic, outside of the failed elevated toll road project, the paper wrote about more.

5. Atlanta Braves
Believe it or not, the elevated toll road didn’t make our list of the top five search terms — probably because that project died last July.

However, people were interested in the Atlanta Braves, especially some teasing from former Major League Baseball star Gary Sheffield, who told Wesley Chapel business leaders in September that he wanted to convince his former team to set up spring training in Pasco County once a massive baseball complex he was involved in was built.

Except there’s one problem: At the moment, it doesn’t look like the baseball project is coming. Last week, the Pasco County Commission terminated the contract it had with Sheffield and business partner James Talton after they failed to secure funding for their 19-field project.

Could Sheffield and Talton come back with a revised plan? Talton thinks so. But they would likely have to compete with other would-be developers to turn that part of Wiregrass Ranch into a sports megaplex.

Are you curious to what the most-read online stories were on LakerLutzNews.com this past year? Find out in the Dec. 31 print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, and get a great recap of all the stories that moved readers over the past year as well.

And be sure to visit LakerLutzNews.com for daily stories every day — sometimes before you even have a chance to read it in print. Find out why more and more people are making sure The Laker/Lutz News online is a regular stop on their Web journeys.

Stuff your recycling cart for the holidays

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The morning celebration is over, but now there’s a lot of trash. So what do you do?

Hillsborough County officials are reminding residents that many traditional trash items created during the holidays can actually be recycled. That includes:

• Clean paperboard boxes, like cereal and food boxes
• Mail, magazines, newspapers and advertising
• Writing papers, pads and notes
• Flattened corrugated cardboard boxes
• Brown paper bags
• Aluminum cans and foil
• Steel and tin cans
• Glass bottles and jars
• Plastic bottles, jugs and containers, including foamed polystyrene and styrofoam
• Plastic film and packaging
• Grocery and shopping bags
• Liquid food containers and gable-top cartons, like milk and juice boxes

For those living in Hillsborough County, at least, recycling that can’t be collected by the typical recycling cart can be dropped off for free at community collection centers, including Hillsborough Heights on County Road 579 in Seffner, Northwest County on Linebaugh Avenue in Tampa, and South County on U.S. 41 in Gibsonton.

Those centers are open Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except for Christmas and New Year’s days.

For details on recycling, or where to find centers, visit HillsboroughCounty.org/SolidWaste, or call (813) 272-5680.

It’s Christmas, and roads will be packed

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Records might only date back to 2001, but AAA is projecting the holiday travel volume to be the highest it’s ever tracked, with 98.6 million Americans journeying at least 50 miles away.

That’s up 4 percent from the 94.8 million people leaving home last year between Dec. 23 and Jan. 4.

A vast majority of those drivers — 91 percent, actually — will take to the road, also up more than 4 percent from last year. Air travel is growing a little bit, too, up 1 percent to 5.7 million. Helping all of that is the fact that gas is at its lowest point since 2008, when regular unleaded ran just $1.65 per gallon.

Florida will have a good chunk of those travelers — nearly 5 percent of the national total — with 4.6 million taking cars, 270,000 traveling by air, and a little less than 200,000 finding another way to travel. Although hotel and car rental rates are up nearly 5 percent, airfares have fallen 7 percent.

“This year, more Americans will join friends and family to celebrate the holidays and ring in the New Year than ever before,” AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said, in a release. “Continued growth in consumer confidence and disposable income, an extended holiday period, and low gas prices should drive expected travel volumes to the highest level we have ever seen during the year-end holidays.”

Gas prices have dropped significantly in the past year. On New Year’s Day in 2014, for example, gas averaged $3.32 nationally. Today, it’s $2.55 — down 68 cents.

“Gas prices should continue falling through the rest of the year,” Jenkins said. “Prices are dropping at around 1 to 2 cents a day.”

With so many people on the road this holiday, AAA is asking drivers to be extra diligent looking for and avoiding impaired drivers. In fact, 1-in-8 drivers who drink at least occasionally reported having driven when they thought their alcohol level was at or above the legal limit, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

That same survey also revealed that 91 percent of drivers consider impaired driving to be unacceptable, with 42 percent reporting that drunk drivers are a bigger problem today compared to three years ago.

“Despite the ubiquitous warnings about drinking and driving, especially during the holiday season, an average of one alcohol-impaired driving death occurs every 45 minutes,” Jenkins said.

Pasco sets up Christmas tree recycling locations

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In what might be the biggest holiday recycling effort of the year, Pasco County officials are asking residents to recycle Christmas trees by bringing home to one of several locations between Dec. 26 and Jan. 7.

“I have copies of old news articles going back to Dec. 28, 1995, that indicate this was a recycling tradition for at least five years before that date,” said Jennifer Seney, Pasco’s recycling coordinator, in a release. “We recycled 1,330 Christmas trees in 2013.”

Trees brought to the drop-off points will be chipped and made into mulch for landscaping purposes, officials said. It’s asked that those bringing trees remove all tinsel, metal hooks and decorations before bringing them to a station.

Locations east of the Suncoast Parkway include:

• John S. Burks Memorial Park, 1322 Gene Nelson Blvd., in Dade City
• Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes
• Sam W. Pasco Recreational Complex, 9835 Chancey Road in Zephyrhills
• Wesley Chapel District Park, 7727 Boyette Road in Wesley Chapel

“Trees are chipped and made into mulch for many different uses, like covering hiking paths, weed control and landscaping accents,” Seney said.

Also, decaying trees can make a strong wildlife habitat if used in a brush pile, she said. “Of course, this only works where the homeowner has the space and time to let nature take its course.”

Questions or requests for information can be directed to Pasco County Recycling at (727) 856-4539, or by visiting PascoCountyUtilities.com.

A shy boy’s singing debut made Christmas memorable

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When my son was a little older than 3, the blond-headed, blue-eyed tyke was extremely shy. Whenever someone he didn’t know well would drop over, Michael would try to hide behind me.

That is until one Christmas when we had a house full of visitors.

Michael always was pretty shy … until you asked him to sing a song.
Michael always was pretty shy … until you asked him to sing a song.

My brothers were there, and my grandfather and step-grandmother were too. So were my uncle and his pregnant wife, my parents, my husband and our three kids.

I had mentioned to my brother, Tom, Michael’s tendency to shy away from people. So during our gathering, Tom asked Michael, “What’s your favorite song?”

Without missing a beat, Michael said, “Sunshine on My Shoulders.”

“Can you sing it?” Tom asked.

And, much to the surprise of both my husband and me, Michael began singing — and he knew nearly every word.

When he finished, we all applauded, and Michael blushed and raced out of the room. Michael’s performance of that John Denver song made that Christmas one that I’ll never forget.

– Kathy Welton

Kathy Welton joined The Laker/Lutz News in 2007. She handles a wide array of administrative and circulation duties, including dealing with delivery issues, mailing published advertisements to those who placed them, and keeping track of office supplies.

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