The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

County to discuss State Housing Initiatives Partnership program

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Pasco County officials will hold a housing workshop to discuss the State Housing Initiatives Partnership program Dec. 10 from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., in New Port Richey.

It will take place at the Elfers Senior Center, 4136 Barker Drive.

The county is set to receive more than $15 million from the program over the next three years from money funded through documentary stamp taxes. In order to receive funds, the county must have a plan in place by next May.

SHIP currently provides funding for down payment assistance, housing rehabilitation, tax payment and rental programs. Of the funds allocated, 65 percent must be used for home ownerships, 75 percent for construction, and 30 percent for very low-income households.

Among the topics that will be discussed include home ownership, housing preservation, homelessness, special needs housing, and rental housing. Officials all will look for the public to comment on the county’s performance in these areas, and recommend funding decisions for the future.

To RSVP For the meeting, call (727) 834-3445.

Pasco’s first magnet school now accepting applications

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Applications are being accepted now through Jan. 15 for Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School.

At a news conference this morning, Pasco County Schools officials announced the kickoff of the application period for the district’s first magnet school, which will specialize in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Sanders, located in Land O’ Lakes, is slated to open next August for the 2015-16 school year.

The magnet school represents an ongoing desire by the school district to expand educational options for its students, school superintendent Kurt Browning said.

Families throughout the county are welcome to apply to Sanders which, unlike traditional schools, has no geographic boundaries for its students. It’s being built on the grounds of the original Sanders school, and is expected to accommodate 762 students from kindergarten through fifth grade.

Because nearby Connerton and Oakstead elementary schools are overcrowded, the school district will give a higher priority to applicants currently attending those schools. Officials also will give a higher priority to children living within a mile of Sanders, and to siblings of children who have been accepted to Sanders, if space is available.

Those wishing to learn about Sanders, or who want to take a virtual tour, can visit PascoSchools.org, and click on the Sanders banner at the top of the screen.

Read more about Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School in the Dec. 10 print edition of The Laker/Lutz News.

Could gas fall to $2? Not here, but a few places might

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It wasn’t very long ago that there was hope gas would drop below $3 a gallon by the end of the year. But could the unimaginable be possible instead? Could gas actually drop below $2 a gallon?

For 58 consecutive days, gas prices have dropped in Florida. And it’s not stopping anytime soon, especially after OPEC decided against cutting oil production to help stabilize gasoline prices.

“Drivers in southeastern states, such as Tennessee, may see a select few stations selling gas at or below $2 in the coming weeks,” AAA spokesman Josh Carrasco said, in a release. “The chances of gasoline averaging $2 per gallon are highly unlikely. Oil process would have to drop another $25 to $30 a barrel before we reach the $2 threshold.”

OPEC, which controls about 40 percent of the world’s oil, decided to continue production 30 million barrels of oil per day at a meeting in Vienna last week. That decision caused oil prices to nosedive, but not as much that would bring widespread $2 gasoline for the country.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil, the benchmark for the United States, fell $7.54 on Friday to $66.15 per barrel, AAA said. That’s the lowest close in five years.

“Oil production is outpacing demand,” Carrasco said. “The (United States) is the difference maker. Domestically, oil companies are producing over 9 million barrels a day, which is placing downward pressure on gasoline prices. Motorists should expect gas prices to fall throughout the holiday season.”

Gas in Florida on Sunday was $2.77 per gallon, down a nickel from a week ago, and 22 cents from this time in October. It’s down 69 cents from this time last year.

Taking a look at local gas prices, the RaceTrac station at State Road 52 and Silver Palm Boulevard reported the lowest gas prices in Land O’ Lakes on Sunday at $2.62, according to GasBuddy, while three other stations were posting the community’s highest gas prices at $2.79.

In Wesley Chapel, Sam’s Club on State Road 56 near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard regained its crown of having that community’s cheapest gas at $2.63, while the BP station at Willow Oaks Drive nearby has the most expensive reported gas at $2.79.

The Citgo station in Lutz was the cheapest in that area with posted prices of $2.66 at the North Dale Mabry Highway and Land O’ Lakes Boulevard location. Three other stations, like its neighboring communities, topped out at $2.79.

Zephyrhills had four stations selling gas at $2.64 per gallon, while the Citgo on County Road 54 and 20th Street had the most expensive at $2.71. In Dade City, gas prices ranged from $2.63 at two separate stations, to $2.69 at a Chevron at Fort King Road and Clinton Avenue.

New trends in holiday shopping this year

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Whether it’s a husband buying yoga pants for his wife, a daughter looking for fly fishing supplies for her dad, or a childless uncle looking for gifts for nieces and nephews, consumers tend to stray from their retail comfort zones during the holiday season in pursuit of the perfect gift for loved ones.

In fact, nearly two-thirds of consumers will shop at national retailers during the holiday season they don’t normally visit, and the behavior increases the higher the income bracket, according to recent data from Placeable, a company that helps national brands compete locally by building improved local digital presences.

So how do retailers make sure one-time shoppers find their local outlet during the holidays, and retain them as customers into 2015 and beyond?

“In the information age, many retailers are wisely relying on digital marketing strategies to better catch a shopper’s eye,” said Ari Kaufman, chief executive of Placeable.

Luckily, such strategies are beneficial to customers and retailers alike, and there are some key trends to watch out for this shopping season.

Many consumers, particularly millennials, turn to a retailer’s website first before going to a physical store to make a purchase, and they’re expecting that the location and hours — as well as current discounts and promotions — will be readily accessible information.

Savvy brands will make sure this information is locally accurate and precise, as research shows that more than two-thirds of people will lose trust in a brand if they get lost walking or driving to a location because of an incorrect address listing. In fact, 71 percent of customers will go to a competitor while en route to their intended location, according to Placeable data.

No shopper wants to be lost at the mall, which is more likely to happen when he or she is searching for a store they wouldn’t normally visit, or shopping while out of town — another seasonal trend. As more brands catch onto the importance of their crucial information being up-to-date at the local level, one can expect to be a better-informed and more efficient consumer, especially during the busy holiday shopping season.

These days, online research drives many consumers purchasing decisions. As more brands catch onto the importance of this trend, consumers can expect that their online searches for a particular retailer will trend less toward an online directory listing (with potentially obsolete information), and more directly toward a retailer’s locally tailored website. This will mean more useful, real-time information at the fingertips of consumers — such as in-store promotions, extended hours, and other local marketing efforts.

Brands that keep up with the digital trends and adopt data crunching tools, such as marketing information, will be better prepared to handle the increasing demands of consumers looking for more targeted information in the years to come.

The holiday season is a great time to notice how these changes affects people’s shopping experience.

– StatePoint

Don’t let kids’ brains go on vacation over holidays

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You may have heard of “summer slide” when those summer months cause kids to lose all that information and knowledge they acquired during the school year. But even shorter breaks can cause education rifts for students, too.

Not to worry. Parents can dampen this effect by making sure kids use their brains over the holidays. The only requirement? Make it fun.

Here are a few ideas to help keep children’s brains busy during holiday breaks:

Study buddies
Whether children pair up with just one friend or an entire crowd, consider making studying a social event. Add some festivity to the affair by serving snacks and desserts.

Around the holidays, parents might even include a themed gift exchange for added appeal.

For kids who are between semesters, there may not be any official studying to do, but kids can keep their minds moving with supplemental learning. For example, if children studied “As I Lay Dying” in school, it could be turned into a movie night, inviting friends over for some drama and popcorn.

Fun learning tools
Consider online learning tools that use creative techniques to engage students.

“Even if it’s not 100 percent related to what your child is studying, fun tools and content can spark new interests,” said David Siminoff, founder and chief creative officer of Shmoop, an online education company.

That could include something like Shmoop’s “Shakespearean Translator” that translates anything someone types into “super authentic Shakespearean English.”

Educational videos
It’s no surprise that kids love television and movies. So why not mimic the experience with educational videos?

Whether it’s a historical documentary or a math-oriented instruction video, the audiovisual format is a great vessel for many learners, especially those on vacation.

Incentivize
For students who need motivation beyond the pursuit of knowledge or the satisfaction of better grades, consider a rewards system.

Offering prizes for books read or lessons completed could be just the encouragement needed to get kids focused on academics over the holidays.

The holiday season is not necessarily a time to be bored by schoolwork. But it’s also no excuse to shut down all brain function.

– StatePoint

Good cybersecurity habits are essential during holidays

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With so many new methods for cybertheft, it’s important to remember to take extra steps to protect bank accounts and money this holiday season, as criminals look to take advantage of the increased spending activity.

There are steps people can take to protect their identity and wallet. Some tips for more secure holiday spending are:

• Create unique PINs for debit cards, as well as complex usernames and passwords for bank accounts and online retailers. Never share this information with anyone, and be sure to log out of accounts when transactions are completed.

Conduct personal business on home computers or personal devices, as opposed to public Wi-Fi, and always use a secure Internet connection.

• Manage privacy settings on mobile devices and apps. Review the privacy disclosures for retailers and websites to ensure feeling comfortable with the way they use personal information.

Set mobile devices and computers to lock when not in use to prevent someone from getting access to personal data.

• Before responding to any requests for personal or financial data, ensure that whoever is asking it is required to have it, and why they need it. Be extra careful of requests made with an urgent or threatening tone, or an offer that sounds too good to be true.

Criminals use this trick to get personal information to access accounts or commit identity theft.

• Monitor accounts and spending activity frequently. Take advantage of banking features, such as alerts that trigger when someone has a low balance or unusual spending activity.

“Many banks provide mobile banking apps that allow you to keep tabs on your account activity on the go,” said Diane Morais, an executive with Ally bank. “In addition to their convenience, mobile apps are an excellent resource to spot unusual transactions in a timely manner.”

• Online shopping is an easy way to beat the crowds at the mall. But before providing credit or debit card information, ensure that computer protection software and operating systems are up-to-date.

Look for “https” in the Web address field of browsers to ensure a website is secure. The site should be verified by a data security service.

• Check credit reports periodically. Getting a free credit report is easy. During the holiday season, it might be worth the extra precaution to put a fraud alert on credit reports before any new accounts can be opened.

Don’t let cybercriminals ruin seasonal holiday cheer. Take steps to protect yourself for a happier holiday season.

– StatePoint

Don’t flush that used oil down your drain

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Thanksgiving is now almost over, and you impressed your family with that deep-fried turkey.

But as everyone enjoys every bite of that bird you prepared, you’re looking at the oil left over in the kitchen and trying to figure out what to do?

Well, don’t dump it down the drain. Instead, Hillsborough County’s Public Utilities Department is offering is cooking oil recycling effort, or CORE, to residents in what they say is a convenient way to recycle their used cooking oil.

Used, cooled cooking oil can be stores in free cooking oil jugs provided by the county, or in an other sturdy, spill-proof, non-breakable containers that are capped securely, and taken to a CORE collection site. Those sites are at:

• Northwest Customer Service Center, 15610 Premiere Drive in Tampa
• Northlakes Recreation Center, 2640 Lakeview Drive in Tampa
• Woodlake Park, 9207 Woodlake Blvd., in Town n’ Country
• Town n’ Country Pump Station, 5505 Town n’ Country Blvd., in Tampa
• Brandon Support and Operations Complex, 332 N. Falkenburg Road in Tampa
• Covington Gardens Pump Station, 6505 Covington Gardens Drive in Apollo Beach

Used cooking oil is a serious problem for residential plumbing and the county’s wastewater collection system, officials said. When cooking oil is poured down the drain, it gels and solidifies into thick layers inside drainpipes, sewage pipelines, and sewage lift stations. The congealed oil can constrict water flow and cause plumbing backups.

Running hot water down the sink does not help, because the water eventually cools.

The CORE program is for residential cooking oil disposal only. For more information on the program, visit HillsboroughCounty.org/CORE.

Black Friday is coming, and so are more shoppers

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Black Friday might be the busiest day of the shopping year, but more and more people are deciding to stay home for the retail holiday and shop online.

The AAA Consumer Pulse Holiday Shopping survey found that 46 percent of holiday shoppers will take part in Black Friday sales events the day after Thanksgiving, staying steady from last year. However, 1-in-3 — or 33 percent — will do the majority of that shopping online.

That means Cyber Monday, as it has become, will be bigger than it’s ever been before. The online shopping day has seen the number of customers taking part rise 14 percent since 2010, with 63 percent of holiday shoppers expected to take part in Cyber Monday sales.

However, there are many traditional shoppers as well, with 28 percent of all holiday shoppers telling the survey they usually wait until the final two weeks of November to purchase their gifts.

“Retailers are trying to grab customers’ attention earlier every year,” said Belinda Dabrowski, managing director of AAA Partnership Development, in a release. “That can only help consumers who, according to our research, may spend slightly more this year, but are still looking for a good deal.

“Economic factors like lower gas prices leave customers with extra money in their pockets, which helps raise consumer confidence and spending.”

Consumer confidence is at its highest level since July 2007, according to a Thomson-Reuters/University of Michigan survey. This season, 14 percent of shoppers will spend more on gifts than they did last year thanks to an increase in disposable income, a stable labor market, and gas prices at a four-year low.

Apparel and accessories remain the most popular items for holiday shoppers, with gift cards close behind at 65 percent. Books and toys are just under 40 percent of popularity, while jewelry is 36 percent.

The Consumer Pulse Survey was conducted online among 1,210 residents living in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee between Oct. 20 and Nov. 3. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.0 percentage points, and were weighted by gender and age within each state to ensure what AAA said was a reliable and accurate representation of the adult population in those three states.

First time cooking that turkey? This might help

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It’s Thanksgiving, and if you’re the one who ends up in the kitchen to help prepare, this could be the largest meal you’ll make all year.

Getting it right — especially the turkey — brings a fair amount of pressure, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has some tips to make sure that turkeys are not only tasty, but safe as well.

“Unsafe handling and undercooking of your turkey can lead to serious food borne illness,” said Maria Malagon, director of food safety education for the USDA, in a release. “Turkeys may contain salmonella and campylobacter, harmful pathogens that are only destroyed by properly preparing and cooking a turkey.”

So how do you avoid all that, and ending your Thanksgiving day in the hospital? The USDA offers these steps the holiday cook should take before cooking a turkey:

• Read labels carefully. Temperature labels show if the bird is fresh or frozen. If you plan to serve a fresh turkey, purchase it no more than two days before Thanksgiving.

• Purchase two thermometers: A refrigerator thermometer to ensure the turkey is stored at 40 degrees or slightly below, and a food thermometer to make sure the cooked turkey reaches a safe 165 degrees.

• Thaw the turkey by using the microwave, the cold water method, or as the USDA recommends, the refrigerator.

When you start cooking the turkey, you will want to:

• Wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before touching any food to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness.

• Not wash the turkey. This would only spread pathogens onto kitchen surfaces. The only way to kill bacteria that causes food borne illness is to fully cook the turkey.

• Keep raw turkey separated from all other foods at all times.

• Use separate cutting boards, plates and utensils when handling raw turkey, and avoid cross-contamination. Wash items that have touched raw meat with warm soap and water, or place them in a dishwasher.

• Cook the turkey until it reaches 165 degrees, as measured by a food thermometer. Check the turkey’s temperatures by inserting the thermometer in three places: The thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the thigh, and the innermost part of the wing.

And if there weren’t enough lists for you to follow through on Thanksgiving, there is just one more here: What to do after the meal is over.

• Refrigerate leftovers within two hours to prevent bacteria from growing on the food.

• Store leftovers in shallow pans or containers to decrease cooling time. This prevents the food from spending too much time at unsafe temperatures between 40 degrees and 140 degrees.

• Do not store stuffing inside a leftover turkey. Remove the stuffing from the turkey and refrigerate both separately.

• Avoid consuming leftovers that have been left in the refrigerator for longer than three or four days — next Tuesday to be exact. Use the freezer to store leftovers for longer periods of time.

• Keep leftovers in a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs if the food is traveling home with a guest who lives more than two hours away.

Have more food safety questions? Visit FoodSafety.gov, or call (888) 674-6854 — which will be open between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving day as well.

Flooding closes Lake Dan Preserves

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The heavy rains has claimed a local victim, meaning at least one park will be closed for at least part of the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department has closed Lake Dan Preserves in Odessa because of flooding. It’s located at 19136 B Tyler Road.

Access to the preserves is prohibited, and will remain closed until water levels recede, county officials said.

More than 3 inches of rain fell in the Odessa area Tuesday, according to Weather Underground.

Also closing was Lake Frances Preserve at 10225 Woodstock Road and 11009 Tarpon Springs Road.

For information on the closing, visit HillsboroughCounty.org/Parks, or call (813) 672-7876.