The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

In Print: There’s only one way, the Keppel Way

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Kris Keppel is the last person who feels he deserves all the accolades he’s received lately. While he had to retire as both a cross-country coach and a teacher for Land O’ Lakes High School earlier this year because of his battle with pancreatic cancer, Keppel still has to admit, what he’s done — and always has done — is inspire.

And that’s what he wants to keep on doing.

Kris Keppel — standing with his wife Dar and daughters Meredith and Morgan — thanks the fans and students during last week's Land O' Lakes-Sunlake football game for honoring him with a new award, and naming one of the school's streets after him. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Kris Keppel — standing with his wife Dar and daughters Meredith and Morgan — thanks the fans and students during last week’s Land O’ Lakes-Sunlake football game for honoring him with a new award, and naming one of the school’s streets after him. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

“It’s pretty easy to inspire,” Keppel told fans at the recent Land O’ Lakes-Sunlake football game, according to reporter Michael Hinman. “Inspiration is a two-way street. You all can inspire each other on a daily basis.”

Keppel not only received the honor of having his name put on an award that will be given regularly by the high school to those that inspire others, but also to have a street named in his honor on campus.

“What better way to have students in the future know how much he inspired us to do things the Keppel way than to actually rename the roadway that leads into the athletic facility,” school principal Ric Mellin said. “From this point forward, every time our athletes come down the road from the parking lot into the stadiums in the back here, they are going to be doing it the Keppel Way.”

What did Coach Keppel and others think of all this? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available now. Or if you’re someone who can’t leave their computer quite yet, check out the story in our free online e-edition by clicking here.

It was a different kind of inspiration that led Bryan and Darci D’Onofrio to start their own theater company. And the name says it all.

Dreamhouse Theatre opens its first full production, “Little Shop of Horrors,” this weekend at the Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel.

“Something we’ve always wanted to do was to have our own theater,” Bryan D’Onofrio told reporter B.C. Manion. “That’s been a dream of ours.”

So they pulled together their resources and made it happen. Bryan is the artistic director, while Darci is the executive director.

“We absolutely love the arts,” Darci D’Onofrio said. “We want to bring them here. We know that’s a need.”

Learn more about Dreamhouse Theatre and the people behind it in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available everywhere now. Or if you’d prefer, read it right now in our free online e-edition. Just click here.

There is a lot of focus on veterans at Saint Leo University, and not necessarily because a lot of them are traveling to Pasco County to take on classes. In fact, there are many veterans who are finding a way to get that post-high school education they’re looking for from Saint Leo — but they are doing it through the convenience of distance technology.

One man — U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant Tedd “Gunny” Weiser — is in charge of making sure veterans successfully make the transition from battlefield to classroom.

“When these veterans come off active duty, there’s a trust, a comfort level, in being able to speak to somebody who can not only talk the talk, but walk the walk,” Weiser told reporter Michael Murillo.

The support his department provides is more than just answering basic questions or even maintaining a campus presence. It also comes in the form of a free online course developed by Saint Leo to help veterans and their families transition from military to civilian life. And not just to go to school, but to make it in the world that isn’t always the most friendly to soldiers coming back from conflict.

To learn more about what Saint Leo is doing with veterans, check out this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News. Or read our free online edition by clicking here.

And finally, photojournalist Fred Bellet has some great pictures to share from the recent Fall Festival at The Grove at Wesley Chapel. It was some great costumes and more at the annual event — put on by the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce — which can be found on the front of this week’s B-Section. See it online 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.

Home sales, prices up in Tampa Bay region

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It’s nothing but positives in September for the Tampa Bay housing and condominium market, as both sales and median prices have gone up.

The latest report from Florida Realtors shows existing home sales are up 11 percent, and condo sales grew more than 4 percent compared to a year ago. Median sales for the area that also includes Pasco County also rose more than 3 percent for existing homes, and 10 percent for condos.

“When home prices increase, more Florida homeowners may be ready to list their homes for sale,” said Florida Realtors president Sherri Meadows, in a release. “So on the one hand, it is a positive factor for improving housing inventory in many markets, but on the other hand, rising prices also can make it more challenging for first-time buyers to enter the market, or even for move-up buyers to find their next home, especially when lending standards remain too restrictive.”

In September, the Tampa Bay region sold 3,441 single-family homes and 1,132 condos — second only to the greater Miami area. Statewide, existing home sales were up more than 13 percent to 20,792, while condo sales climbed 2 percent to 8,622.

The median price for those single-family homes was $159,900 locally, compared to $180,000 statewide. Condos in the Tampa Bay region were $105,500, compared to $142,700 around the state.

Nationwide, single-family prices were up 5.2 percent to $220,600, according to the National Association of Realtors, while the national median existing condo price was $213,900.

“The stability that has characterized the housing market in Florida continued in September, but at a higher level of activity,” said Florida Realtors chief economist John Tuccillo, in a release. “Both single-family and townhouse and condo sales were up, but so were new listings and pending sales. Despite this, inventory — as measured in months — remained about the same in a range that indicates a balanced market. So, more houses are coming on the market, and more people are buying.”

The interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.16 percent in September, down from 4.49 percent a year ago, according to Freddie Mac.

Florida prepares for highly unlikely Ebola epidemic

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There have been just three diagnosed cases of Ebola in the United States, and less than 200 people actually exposed to the virus. Yet, the fear by many that Ebola can become an epidemic in this country — although federal officials have dismissed any real possibility of that happening — has Gov. Rick Scott pushing federal officials to help Florida prevent the virus from coming here.

In his latest move, Scott has directed the Florida National Guard to establish two rapid response teams — groups of 16 people that includes doctors, nurses and equipment personnel.

The teams are undergoing intensive training, and will be ready by the end of October to help health care workers — if they are ever needed — to supplement a hospital’s existing personnel in case Ebola does arrive in the Sunshine State. The move comes after Texas experienced a number of missteps that officials believe may have expanded the number of American-based Ebola cases from one to three.

“While our first responders and health care workers are the front line of care in the event of an Ebola case, our Florida National Guard is currently establishing two rapid response teams that can manage Ebola cases and provide support to hospitals, if needed,” Scott said, in a release.

Scott already has directed state officials to repurpose more than $7 million in federal funding Florida has received to buy equipment to help the state prepare for any Ebola response. On top of that, employees are 55 Florida hospitals have completed Ebola preparedness training, with a hope of expanding that to all 210 hospitals in the state.

The chances that Ebola will spread beyond the current containment of the virus in the United States is extremely minimal, and the chance for there being an outbreak in America is practically zero, officials said. At the current rate of infection in the United States, the odds of being diagnosed with Ebola in the United States are 1-in-105 million.

By comparison, the odds of dying from tuberculosis in the United States is 1-in-6,300, and the odds of dying from lung cancer is 1-in-23. And the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot is 1-in-175 million.

The first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, Thomas Eric Duncan, died Oct. 8. Two nurses who helped treat Dunan are now being treated themselves.

SBA looking to boost women-run businesses

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The U.S. Small Business Administration and the National Women’s Business Council have joined forces in an effort to increase the flow of money by and into small businesses run by women.

The overriding goal, according to a release, is to encourage greater participation by women on the financial and investing side of high-growth entrepreneurship.

“Developing a deeper pool of women investors and financiers is key toward expanding the marketplace of women-owned businesses,” said SBA administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet, in a release. “These roundtables, which will continue through 2015, are the first big steps we need to take together to make it possible for more women to invest in each other’s companies, while exponentially increasing the growth potential of these businesses.”

Both groups will hold a series of roundtable discussions around the country to develop policy recommendations. Over the past year, woman-owned businesses were approved for 341 loans totaling more than $163 million, according to Francisco Marrero of SBA’s South Florida district. That’s up over the previous year where 317 loans were approved for $133.8 million.

“While this is a good sign, we will try to do more to increase the flow of capital and resources to woman-owned businesses,” Marrero said, in a release. “This initiative is another example of SBA’s desire to help start and grow small business.”

During the next few months, the working groups of 20 will meet with investor and fund managers to discuss ways to increase the ranks of women investors, while developing strategies to encourage investment in companies run by women. The series will culminate with the unveiling of policy recommendations at an investor network meeting next May.

The National Women’s Business Council is a non-partisan federal advisory council serving as an independent source of advice and counsel to various national organizations and government agencies. For information on the group, visit NWBC.gov.

For more information about the Small Business Investment Companies initiative, visit SBA.gov/INV.

Like falling fuel prices? Thank shale

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Oil production in the United States is at its highest level since the release of the first “Back to the Future” movie in 1985, and a lot of that has to do with the new shale boom.

Crude oil settled at $82.75 on Friday after dropping below $80 for the first time in two years just the day before, as gas prices continue to drop both locally and nationwide.

“Motorists are paying $5 to $15 less to fill their tanks than they were around July 4,” said AAA spokesman Josh Carrasco, in a release. “This is extra money that consumers can use for the holidays, either to put presents under the tree, or dinner on the table.”

Prices in Florida dropped 9 cents in the past week to $3.15. It followed a drop of a dime nationally, creating the lowest average since February 2011. At the statewide level, gas is still not at $3 in Florida, but that’s not true in other southern states, like Tennessee, where gas averaged $2.89 — down 11 cents from the week before.

Gas in Florida is down 14 cents from a month ago, and 18 cents from a year ago.

“Gas prices should continue to fall through the end of the year,” Carrasco said. “$3 a gallon and cheaper should become a common sight for motorists. The state averages of Florida and Georgia could be at or even below the $3 a gallon mark as early as Thanksgiving.”

Gas in Land O’ Lakes was at $3.07 at four different stations on Sunday, according to GasBuddy.com, including Citgo at State Road 52 and U.S. 41, the Hess in the same location, the Marathon station at Land O’ Lakes Boulevard and Ehren Cutoff, and the RaceTrac at State Road 52 and Silver Palm Boulevard.

In Lutz, the best prices were mostly the same with $3.07 at Chevron and the Sunoco both at State Road 54 and Collier Parkway. The most expensive was $3.19 at two Shell stations.

Seven stations in Wesley Chapel are below $3, with five as low as $2.95. That includes two Marathon stations, a Hess, a Mobil and a Shell. The highest prices in that area were really not above $3.09.

Gas was a little more expensive in Zephyrhills with $3.05 at the Marathon on Eiland Boulevard and Geiger Road, as well as Murphy USA at Gall Boulevard near Ginger Avenue. The cheapest in Dade City was reported at Clark on U.S. 301 near Long Avenue, where gas was $2.95. The most expensive there was $3.12 at the Shell located at Cortez Boulevard and U.S. 301.

Halloween season starts with Zombie Apocalypse

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The scariest ghouls and prettiest princesses, with a few vampires and Frankensteins dropped in, is what everyone expects as the end of October rolls nearer.

But Lutz can add zombies to that mix on Oct. 19 when the Zombie Apocalypse comes to Xtreme Adventures.

Running form 8 p.m. to midnight, the event is designed for kids between 13 and 18. It includes music by D.J. C. Lo, as well as laser tag. Those attending as encouraged to wear their best zombie costume, creating a battle on the laser tag court that “Night of the Living Dead” could never dream of.

Cost for the event starts at $15, and will take place at Xtreme Adventures, 24810 State Road 54 in Lutz.

For more information on the event, visit XtremeAdventures4Fun.com.

For other Halloween and seasonal events, be sure to pick up the print edition of The Laker/Lutz News on Oct. 22.

 

 

Florida’s unemployment rate slips, but still mostly flat

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Florida’s unemployment rate has slipped a bit in September, bringing it to its lowest point since June 2008, but still remaining mostly flat since last December.

The rate, according to Gov. Rick Scott’s office, was 6.1 percent in September, down from 6.3 percent in August. That was the result of 12,800 new private-sector jobs in the month, but the percentage of unemployed people is still larger than the rest of the nation.

The rate peaked at 11.4 percent in late 2009 and early 2010, while Gov. Charlie Crist was still in office. It was during the same time as a national economic crisis, which Florida was particularly hit hard because of its dependence on homebuilding and tourism — which suffered during the economic downturn.

However, that rate started to drop in April 2010, and was down to 10.9 percent when Scott took office in 2011. The rate would then not drop below 7 percent until September 2013, and has essentially remained flat at around 6.3 percent since last December.

The rate is still significantly higher than what it was in 2006, where the rate hovered around 3.3 percent.

In August, Florida’s unemployment rate was ranked 26th in the nation, tied with Arkansas and Missouri, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Georgia that month had the worst rate at 8.1 percent, while North Dakota could be statistically labeled as “fully employed” with a 2.8 percent rate.

Of the top five most populous states, with Florida ranked fourth with 19.6 million people, California was ranked 44th nationally in August with a 7.4 percent rate, New York was ranked 29th at 6.4 percent, Texas ranked 16th at 5.3 percent, and Illinois ranked 36th at 6.7 percent.

The governor’s office did point out other positive trends in the economy, including a 33.7 percent backlog reduction in existing homes on the market since December 2011, as well as a 2.9-percent increase in home prices in August compared to the previous year.

In September, Florida’s 24 regional work force boards reported more than 43,800 people were placed in jobs. This number is based on those who seek employment and training assistance through the center and finds a job with 180 days. Of that number, nearly 9,400 of them had been receiving unemployment benefits.

Saint Leo opens BB&T Center for Innovation & Technology

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Saint Leo University has opened the BB&T Center for Innovation & Technology at the Donald R. Tapia School of Business.

The center was made possible by a donation from BB&T Bank, and encompasses the fourth floor of the business school building. The highlights include a cybersecurity laboratory, which supports the teaching of the university’s new master’s degree in the field, as well as a collaboration zone, where business students work on real-world projects for area companies and nonprofits.

Kenneth Coppedge, West Florida regional president for BB&T, heads a nine-county region stretching from Hernando to Collier counties, and noted in a release that if he “were a young person, this is the area of opportunity that I would want to be a part of.”

The cybersecurity program now offered on the main campus will be offered online in the near future.

Saint Leo is a regionally accredited, liberal arts-based institution located in St. Leo. It was chartered in 1889 by Catholic Benedictine monks, and over the past 125 years, has provided education to people of all faiths.

The school has 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students at both the main campus in Pasco County, as well as 40 teaching locations in seven states.

TaxWatch: Reduce prison population, release the elderly

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With Florida’s prison population continuing to rise despite the decline in crime rates, a statewide tax advocacy group is making a suggestion on how to make more room: Release elderly prisoners.

Florida TaxWatch has released a report in aging prisoners, warning that the steadily growing elderly prison population in state facilities will require more costly medical care, resulting in additional budget concerns for an already struggling state Department of Corrections.

“Community safety is the first thing to consider when addressing criminal justice reform, but Florida has options to reduce costs and actually improve public safety,” said Dominic Calabro, president and chief executive of Florida TaxWatch, in a release. “Florida taxpayers and policymakers must understand the rapidly incurring costs that accompany aging prisoners so that smart policies can be pursued that prevent either ballooning costs or quick fixes to jeopardize the safety and security of Florida citizens.”

The group’s analysis estimates that by the end of next year, nearly 4,100 additional prisoners will join the ranks of the elderly, bringing the total to nearly 25,000. The average health care costs for each of these prisoners are estimated to be $11,000.

The report suggests the state consider clemency or early release for elderly non-violent offenders who are nearing release dates, or are requiring end-of-life care.

“Understanding the future obligations Florida taxpayers will have for the criminal justice system will ensure our policymakers are prepared to budget for corrections costs,” Calabro said.

The group also is recommending reporting requirements for elderly prisoners’ health care costs, and the projections of elderly prison growth.

All about the food at Grand Horizons

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Grand Horizons hosted a potluck Sept. 1 with 86 residents celebrating Labor Day.

Chris Fulton told me there was so much food that if you walked away hungry, it was your own fault.

Hosting this event were Mim and Terry Gardner, along with Chris and Rich Fulton. Terry and Rich were working on the hamburgers, while Clayton George was preparing the hot dogs. If this potluck was anything like we had previously, I am sure there was enough food for seconds.

Chris then went on to say that after the potluck, several people stayed for a stimulating game of Mexican train, which is always fun. Some people watched the new television set that the community center recently acquired.

They sure made the most of it and had a good time. Our thanks go out to all who helped.

On Sept. 9, nine women attended a luncheon at ABC Pizza. This was the time for the Ladies Lunch Bunch, hosted by Joyce Bell.

Joyce had only good things to say. ABC Pizza has a buffet from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., that consisted of salad, soup and several kinds of pizza. She also mentioned that the restaurant was clean and very inviting.

Joyce was glad to see some new people there, and she can’t wait to see it grow more when all come back from being in other places during the summer months. Joyce went on to say that she hopes to do some exciting things in the future months.

Our thanks go to Joyce and her helpers on this Ladies Lunch Bunch.

There was a lunch connoisseurs at Hellas Bakery and Restaurant in Tarpon Springs on Sept. 12. About 25 people were there to enjoy the food, the company and the shopping that they did after the meal.

Sam Sage said it was quite warm that day so not too many shoppers. She also mentioned that Hellas is known for its flaming cheese that is delivered to the table, and when this cheese is placed in front of the person, alcohol is poured over it so they can create a flame. It is a show in itself.

This is a Greek restaurant, and while I have never been there, it sounds charming. The people who attended were in a tremendous room, but on a platform, several steps up. Therefore, they could watch the entire restaurant below.

Adjoining this room is a bakery where you can take home some goodies or have it delivered to your table.

The hosts for this outing were Fred and Sam Sage.

There was a farewell luncheon on Sept. 26 at Texas Roadhouse for Bill and Judy Ellsworth from Grand Horizons, according to Jenny Molinek. There were 54 of their friends from Grand Horizons attending to wish them luck, enjoy the delicious food, and thank them for all their hard work volunteering for the community.

Bill and Judy are moving back to Tennessee to be closer to their family, and they will be missed by all of us. Everyone wishes them the best.

Carol George and Jenny Molinek hosted this lunch. Again, our thanks go out to the hosts.

They did a great job, and I am sure it was appreciated by all.

By Helene Rubenstein

Published October 15, 2014