The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

In Print: New Lowe’s adding traffic light to State Road 54

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When the new Lowe’s store opens next March, it not only will bring more jobs to State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes, but more traffic congestion as well.

To accommodate the new store, Pasco County will link the Lowe’s parking lot to the Village Lakes Shopping Center across the street, complete with the first traffic light between Collier Parkway and Land O’ Lakes Boulevard.

But that does mean some parking spaces at Village Lakes have to go, and traffic patterns through the parking lots there will be adjusted as well. In return, the area will get new crosswalks — one of the few places pedestrians can legally cross along the nearly two-mile stretch.

Want details of what this new intersection will entail? Check out reporter Michael Hinman’s story in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available on newsstands and in many home driveways right now. Or you can check out the complete paper online with our free e-edition by clicking here.

He may not look like Kris Kringle, but Bob Loring feels he might be a little like Old Saint Nick, considering how many toys he delivers each year.

Bob Loring will do whatever it takes to get the word out for his annual local Toys For Tots campaign. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Bob Loring will do whatever it takes to get the word out for his annual local Toys For Tots campaign. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

Loring leads the local Toys For Tots chapter, part of a national program that distributes toys to needy children, run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve for more than 65 years.

“I’m the head elf,” Loring recently told reporter Michael Murillo. “It’s a thrill. Personally, it’s so rewarding. I get to work with and be around the neatest people in Pasco County.”

Loring first took over in 1999, and that first year, delivered toys for nearly 400 children just in time for Christmas in the Dade City area. Since then, the program has been expanded across the county, aiming to help 4,000 children.

Find out more about the program, and how you can help, in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available now. You also can read all about it with our free online e-edition, which you can find right here.

And finally, Rushe Middle School is going the extra mile when it comes to reading. The school has started a We Be Book’n club, and is looking for new ways to introduce young people to books in today’s digital age.

That includes a recent trip to Barnes & Noble where students took part in a scavenger hunt to find out what they’ll be reading next.

“It’s just for fun,” one of the teachers, Kelli Rapaport told reporter B.C. Manion. “We just want to get kids excited about literacy.”

It’s not the last thing — or even the biggest thing — the We Be Book’n club has planned for the coming school year. Want to see what else is up the sleeves of teachers like Rapaport and Dawn Gilliland? Then check out this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or do some reading of your own in our free online e-edition by clicking here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.

Appius set to build new headquarters in Lutz

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It’s now official. Appius Wealth Management will begin construction soon on a new headquarters building at the Northpointe Business Park in Lutz.

The company, currently based in Trinity, is looking to build a 10,900-square-foot, two-story building. Appius will take over the second floor and lease out the 5,000-square-foot bottom floor, according to a release. It will be built by the Perry Co., of Tampa, at 16524 Pointe Village Drive.

Appius got some help with the permitting process from the Pasco Economic Development Council.

“For more than 30 years, our firm has been providing comprehensive financial planning services to individuals, families and businesses,” said Michael Addessi, the president and chief executive of Appius, in a release. “We are excited to move our headquarters to to this centrally located facility that will serve our clients both locally and throughout the United States.”

Appius, according to Addessi, is expected to have “above-average” business growth at 20 percent each year, and could result in a nearly twofold increase in the number of staff members over the next five years. The company was founded in 1983 as a tax and accounting practice, and later expanded into wealth management, according to its website. Appius has clients in more than 20 states.

It will be constructed on 1.3 acres of land Northpointe Group LLC bought a year ago for $400,000.

Senior drivers support tougher laws … for themselves

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Using cell phones and driving while intoxicated are major issues that senior citizen drivers care about. But what’s foremost on their minds? Greater scrutiny on the license-renewal process for themselves.

More than 70 percent of drivers 65 and older favor policies that require drivers to renew their license in person once they reach 75, according to a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Those same drivers also support added medical screenings for people wanting a license at that age in order to renew.

“Even though public perception tends to unfairly characterize seniors as a menace on the road, these findings indicate that older Americans tend to support policies to keep themselves safer behind the wheel, making them key allies in their mission to keep driving smarter and longer,” said AAA Foundation president and chief executive Peter Kissinger, in a release.

The foundation discovered that 86 percent of people 65 and older still drive, while the percentage was closer to 50 percent in the early 1970s. More than 68 percent of drivers older than 85 say they drive at least five days a week. That has prompted the group to begin a longer, five-year study on driving habits of senior citizens by monitoring the daily activities of 3,000 of them.

“As older adults spend an increasing amount of time behind the wheel, it’s important they take advantage of opportunities to stay driving safely,” AAA spokeswoman Michele Harris said, in a release. “Years of driving experience coupled with activities that help teach driving techniques to reduce crash risk can extend their safe-driving years.”

The new report finds that nearly 80 percent of drivers older than 75 favor medical screenings for drivers in their age range. And despite common belief otherwise, nearly 90 percent of drivers older than 65 reported no crashes in the last two years, or even receiving a moving violation like a speeding ticket.

Also, 65 percent of drivers older than 75 say they have never used a cell phone while driving, compared to just 48 percent of those between 65 and 69 who can say the same.

These findings were released as part of Older Driver Safety Awareness Week, which runs through Friday. Established by the American Occupational Therapy Association, the weeks aims to promote understanding of the importance of mobility and transportation to ensure older adults remain active in the community, and that transportation will not be the barrier stranding them at home.

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.