The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Finding a deal on gasoline? It’s only going to get cheaper

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Since the end of September, the price of gas has plummeted in states across the country, including 41 cents per gallon in Florida alone.

And it’s not stopping anytime soon.

“Gas prices are plunging in-line with the falling price of oil, declining demand, and pumps selling winter blend fuel, which is cheaper to produce,” said AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins, in a release. “Gas prices should only get cheaper through the rest of the year.”

Even the national gas price is taking a hit, with the U.S. Energy Information Administration dropping its forecast from $3.38 per gallon in 2015, to $2.94 instead. The national average in 2013 was $3.49, and despite the current drop in price, has averaged $3.45 so far this year.

“The change in EIA’s forecast this month shows just how volatile gas prices can be,” Jenkins said. “Motorists can expect low gas prices to linger through early 2015, but they will likely climb above $3 a gallon in the spring.”

That’s because gas prices typically rise about 40 cents in the spring because of oil refinery maintenance, increased demand, and the switch to the more expensive summer blend fuel.

The shale boom continues to push the price of oil downward, with a barrel selling for $75.82 on Friday — down $2.83 from the week before.

A gallon of unleaded gasoline in Florida Sunday was down 3 cents from a week ago, and 32 cents from a month ago. The price is 35 cents cheaper per gallon than what it was a year ago.

Two gas stations just off State Road 52 reported the cheapest gas in Land O’ Lakes, according to GasBuddy.com, with a posted price of $2.73 per gallon on Sunday. The most expensive was found at the Sunoco station on Land O’ Lakes and Causeway boulevards, at $2.89.

The Sam’s Club on State Road 56 was slightly cheaper with prices at $2.72, while the cash price at a Citgo on State Road 54 and Boyette Road was the priciest in Wesley Chapel at $2.89.

Gas prices in Lutz ranged from $2.74 at three different stations, to $2.94 at a Shell station on North Dale Mabry Highway and Van Dyke Road.

The cheapest gas in Zephyrhills was reported at $2.72 at two different stations, while the most expensive was said to be $2.89 at a Citgo at Gall Boulevard and Chancey Road. Dade City prices ranged from $2.69 at D&D on U.S. 98 and U.S. 301, to $2.85 at the Citgo station at Lock and 21st streets.

Sheriff’s Office to help schools prepare for tragedy

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The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is offering a four-hour training program to administrators and staff members at area schools in December, with the hopes of curbing some of the violence and safety issues at other schools around the nation.

The Dec. 15 event will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School, 13651 Hays Road in Spring Hill. It will include discussion of topics like the emergency management cycle, multi-hazard planning for schools, threat and vulnerability assessments, crime prevention through environmental design, mass notification concepts, grant resources, and facilitating drills and exercises.

The first line of defense for schools is effective and purposeful planning, the sheriff’s office said in a release. The idea is to help schools develop their own emergency response plans, and identify vulnerabilities that school leaders can eliminate to help lessen the risk to students.

The cost of the training is free, and is open to “anyone involved in the safety and care of our students,” according to a sheriff’s office flier.

Those interested in taking part can register by sending an email with names of those attending, the institution name, and a contact phone number to Cpl. Donald Fly at .

 

 

Foreclosures falling in Florida

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For far too long, Florida led the nation when it came to residential foreclosures. But no more.

Maryland saw its foreclosure filings explode in October by 30 percent compared to the previous year, and its 5,943 properties in limbo made it the worst in the nation, pushing Florida to No. 2.

Yet, one in every 444 properties are in foreclosure, according to Florida Realtors and RealtyTrac. That is down 2 percent from September, and 25 percent from a year ago — and it did mark the 15th consecutive month Florida had a year-to-year decrease.

The Tampa area is down 23 percent from a year ago, but it was still the third highest metropolitan foreclosure rate in the country with one in every 395 properties facing a filing. Miami was the worst for cities with a population of 200,000 or more, jumping 11 percent from the previous month, but down 27 percent from a year ago.

Orlando was just behind with one in every 394 housing units in foreclosure. Other areas in Florida also made the national list including Jacksonville at fourth, Cape Coral-Fort Myers at sixth, Lakeland at eighth, and Pensacola at 10th.

Some of the drops in foreclosure came from a bump in auction activity, with Orlando up 23 percent in auctions, while other places like Cape Coral-Fort Myers were as high as 170 percent.

 

Medical information new target of cyber hackers

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The Hillsborough County Consumer Protection Agency is advising residents to be extra vigilant with their medical information.

Cyber attacks have been occurring for years, but attacks targeting health care information are expected to rise due to the value of medical information becoming 10 times more than credit card information on the black market, according to a release.

Cyber criminals reportedly receive $20 for health insurance information, compared to $1 or $2 for credit card numbers. Some experts have said the value of someone’s medical identity can even be as high as 50 times that of a person’s financial identity because it doesn’t perish like a credit card number that can be cancelled.

Security loopholes at hospitals, health care providers and pharmaceutical companies have made it much easier than in the past for these attackers to be successful, especially when the attackers are improving their methods, officials said. Some criminals use the information to impersonate patients with diseases in order to obtain prescriptions for controlled substances, in addition to financial fraud.

Victims often are unaware for months or years that their information has been compromised. Attackers will attempt to use someone’s identity for medical care or services, and the damage can generate changes to health records that can be difficult to correct.

The World Privacy Forum offers these preventive steps:

  • Closely monitor any “explanation of benefits” sent by a public or private health insurer. Be on the lookout for service charges, office visits, or medical equipment not received or purchased.
  • Each year, request a listing of benefits paid from health insurers. Watch for changes to billing addresses and phone numbers.
  • Request copies of current medical files from each health care provider. Consider making the request each time there is a doctor visit.
  • Correct erroneous and false information in a file.
  • If someone is a victim of medical identity theft, file a police report. It may be needed for health care providers and insurance companies.
  • Keep an eye on credit reports. Remove bad records from a credit file by filing a police report and sending it to the collection agency.

For more information, call (813) 903-3430, or visit WorldPrivacyForum.org.

Pasco starts replacing bus benches

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Pasco County Public Transportation has started the process of notifying bus riders that bus benches at stops throughout unincorporated Pasco County are being removed and replaced.

Metropolitan Systems Inc. will do the work, removing all the old benches by Nov. 30, according to a release. In their place, new benches will be installed that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. They also are expected to improve safety, security and accessibility for PCPT riders, officials said.

Bus shelters will not be impacted during this transition, and riders can call PCPT to determine where the closest shelter is to them.

“There may be some inconvenience from some of our riders,” said PCPT director Mike Carroll, in a release. “The new benches will be more accessible and convenient for those with disabilities. Unfortunately, in some cases, benches will have to be removed where the benches cannot comply with federal regulations.”

Once the benches are removed, it will take up to 90 days for the company to get necessary permits, and to start work. However, new benches should be in place by the end of spring.

For more information, visit RidePCPT.com, or call (813) 235-6073.

A Halloween to remember at Grand Horizons

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Now that autumn is upon us, many more residents are coming home to Grand Horizons.

We had our coffee and doughnuts on Oct. 29, and you could actually see the difference in attendance. The new people that came back to our park created a good size crowd.

This function has people mingling and catching up with news that happened during the summer. We also hear about the news that transpired at Grand Horizons — birthdays, get-well wishes and more.

John and Tita Mauk are Popeye and Olive Oyl at the Grand Horizons’ Halloween party. (Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)
John and Tita Mauk are Popeye and Olive Oyl at the Grand Horizons’ Halloween party.
(Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)

Twice a month we do get to have our blood pressure taken, which is important, and usually takes a back burner while we are away for the winter months.

There is one activity that differs from last year, and that is water aerobics. Last year, water aerobics was on the days that we had shuffleboard. I wanted to go to exercise class, but thoroughly enjoyed shuffleboard. A decision had to be made, and shuffleboard won.

This year, water aerobics continues on shuffleboard days, and the days we do not participate in this game. I am very happy with the change.

Water aerobics also is important, as it helps in many things, plus it cools you off on hot, humid days.

Did you ever want to see goblins, ghosts, witches and so much more together? On Oct. 31, we did. A Halloween party took place, and about 70 residents joined in on the fun.

Annmarie Shackewyc hosted this event, along with Carol Wilcox, Barb Livingston and Cheryl Leone. They did a fantastic job in planning the party, and they came to the community center a day before to set up the decorations. They really outdid themselves, and the work they put in to decorating showed through. Everything was done in style.

They had a contest for the best costume, and the judges really had their work cut out for them, as one costume was better than the other. There were four prizes in all.

We also had a disc jockey, Gary Wilcox, who did a great job. He has done this for our park before, and he is just a natural.

There was a variety of songs, loads of dancing, and one tune after another.

It was a night to remember.

By Helene Rubenstein

Published November 12, 2014

Ross pushing forward controversial Ebola bill

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The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is against it, but that’s not stopping U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross from introducing legislation that would curb flights from countries with outbreaks of the Ebola virus.

Ross introduced his bill Wednesday known as the Contain Ebola and Stop the Epidemic — or CEASE — Act of 2014, which would prohibit certain flights from landing in the United States, and to prohibit the country from issuing visas to those areas.

“Now that the United States is free of the Ebola virus disease, we must begin implementing a process that will keep our country safe from a potential future outbreak,” Ross, R-Lakeland, said in a release. “Craig Spencer, a doctor who helped treat Ebola patients in West Africa, returned home to New York to find he had become sick with the virus.”

Spencer was successfully treated for Ebola. However, Ross said he was concerned about a statement from Ron Klain, the Ebola czar appointed by President Obama, who said that the United States could see “occasional additional cases of Ebola in our country.”

“Klain’s statement does not provide my constituents and I comfort,” Ross said.

By banning flights and visas with countries where Ebola has become an epidemic, he added, it would reduce the threat of an outbreak in the United States. However, CDC officials have said that while people should always be vigilant against deadly diseases, Ebola is one that has almost no chance of ever becoming an epidemic in the United States.

To date, only one person has died from Ebola in the United States, creating a death rate in the country of 1-in-300 million.

Dr. Thomas Frieden, the head of the CDC, wrote in an opinion piece last month that turning back planes from countries with Ebola problems would only worsen the situation here at home.

“When a wildfire breaks out, we don’t fence it off,” Frieden wrote. “We go in to extinguish it before one of the random sparks sets off another outbreak somewhere else. We don’t want to isolate part of the world, or people who aren’t sick, because that’s going to drive patients with Ebola underground, making it infinitely more difficult to address the outbreak.”

Frieden also noted that all outbound passengers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are screened for Ebola symptoms before they board an airplane. Unlike other communicable diseases, Ebola can only be spread once someone is symptomatic, and even then it has to be through direct conflict, like body fluids. It’s can be spread through casual contact like the flu can, nor is it airborne in that way.

Ross’ bill would stop commercial flights that originated or stopped in Ebola-affected countries from landing in the United States. It would also prohibit federal officials from issuing immigrant or non-immigrant visas to anyone whose travel originates in or includes a foreign country where there is an Ebola problem.

The travel and visa ban would continue until a country is “no longer experiencing epidemic levels of the Ebola virus disease.”

“Ebola is still devastating areas of Africa, especially in both Guinea and Sierra Leone, which is why we must keep our guard up,” Ross said, in defense of his bill. “Until the CDC can ascertain that Ebola has been contained and eradicated overseas, we must be vigilant in keeping Americans safe by being proactive instead of reactive.”

Tampa Bay area becoming more gay-friendly

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When it comes to granting civil rights for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, Tampa and St. Petersburg are two of the state’s leaders, according to a new report by the Human Rights Campaign.

The 2014 Municipal Equality Index is produced by the gay rights advocacy group, and is the only nationwide rating system of LGBT inclusion in municipal law and policy, according to a release. Tampa scored a 97 in the index, while St. Petersburg is 100.

“From Mississippi to Idaho, mid-size cities and small towns have become the single greatest engine of progress for LGBT equality — changing countless lives for the better,” said HRC president Chad Griffin, in a release. “In just three years, the number of municipalities earning top marks for their treatment of LGBT citizens has more than tripled. Simply put, in this country there is an ongoing race to the top to treat all people, including LGBT people, fairly under the law, and it’s time our state and federal laws caught up.”

Tampa earned top marks in areas like the passage of non-discrimination laws, relationship recognition, municipal services, law enforcement, and the city’s overall relationship with the LGBT community. However, Tampa did stumble a little when it came to the municipality as an employer, since the city does not have transgender-inclusive health care benefits, or requirements of equality policies from contractors working with the city.

The city received bonus points, however, for having openly elected or appointed LGBT municipal leaders, and for encouraging an inclusive workplace.

Florida scored 65 out of 100 points as a whole, above the national average of 59. Other areas scoring as high as Tampa and St. Pete were Orlando (100) and Wilton Manors (100). Finishing low, however, were Port St. Lucie (14) and Cape Coral (22).

“In many municipalities, local leaders are taking important steps to provide LGBT people with the protections and security not available at the state or federal level,” said Rebecca Issacs, executive director of Equality Federation, in a release. “And because of this leadership, many cities and countries are emerging as welcoming communities where LGBT people are treated with the dignity and respect they’ve always deserved.”

Cities researched for the index include 50 state capitals, the 200 most populous cities in the country, and the four largest cities in every state, the city home to each state’s largest public university, and an equal mix of 75 of the nation’s large, mid-size and small municipalities with the highest proportion of same-sex couples.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America’s largest civil rights organization, according to the organization’s description, working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.

Builders adding jobs, but struggling to find workers

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Construction employers added 12,000 jobs in October, and unemployment in that sector fell to its lowest levels since 2006, according to a new report from Associated General Contractors of America.

The construction employment gains, along with rising wages and weekly hours, are consistent with survey results from the group that more firms are having a tough time finding enough qualified workers to fill available positions.

“For the past several months, the construction industry has added jobs at double the all-industry rate of 1.9 percent,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, in a release. “Construction wages, which were already higher than the private-sector average, rose 2.6 percent in the last year — the fastest rate since early 2010 — as contractors ramped up their search for qualified workers.”

Construction employment totaled just under 6.1 million in October, the highest since May 2009, with a 12-month gain of 231,000 jobs, or 3.9 percent. Residential building and specialty trade contractors added a combined 8,000 employees since September, and 130,600 over 12 months — a jump of 6 percent.

Non-residential contractors — building, specialty trades, and heavy and civil engineering — experienced an overall gain of 3,600 employees for the month, and just under 100,000 over the past year.

“There were fewer unemployed, experienced constructions workers last month than at any time in the past eight years,” Simonson said. “These indicators — high weekly hours, low unemployment and accelerating wage gains — point to an industry that may be on the very of acute difficulty filling key positions.”

Nearly 1,100 construction firms were surveyed by the association in October, showing 83 percent reporting difficulty in finding craft workers, and 61 percent having trouble filling other professional positions. As a result, the association is pushing federal, state and local officials to enact a series of measures that would make it easier for school districts, local associations and private firms to establish career and technical education and training programs.

“The construction industry has made an impressive contribution to the nation’s employment gains this year,” said Stephen Sandherr, the association’s chief executive, in a release. “But those gains are in jeopardy unless schools, colleges and training programs can refill a pool of talent that is rapidly drying up.”

In Print: Playoffs kick off Friday for Sunlake, Zephyrhills

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Are you ready for the playoffs? Are the Sunlake Seahawks, or the Zephyrhills Bulldogs?

Well, someone needs to be, because the state football playoffs begin Friday, with Zephyrhills on the road to the Panhandle area, while Sunlake is hosting a tough team from Ocala.

Sunlake High School head football coach Bill Browning looks on with concern as his team trails Zephyrhills, 22-7, last Friday. The Seahawks lost to the Bulldogs in the final game of the season, pitting together the two area teams heading to the playoffs. (Fred Bellet/Photo)
Sunlake High School head football coach Bill Browning looks on with concern as his team trails Zephyrhills, 22-7, last Friday. The Seahawks lost to the Bulldogs in the final game of the season, pitting together the two area teams heading to the playoffs. (Fred Bellet/Photo)

“The farthest we’ve gotten is the second round in the playoffs,” Seahawks coach Bill Browning told reporter Michael Murillo. “That our goal now, to go farther than any Sunlake team has.”

Sunlake will face Vanguard High School, which finished 4-5 on the season, but was able to claim a playoff spot as the runner-up in Class 6A-District 5. Yet, the Knights were 1-4 on the road, and gave up an average of nearly 47 points in their five losses.

Zephyrhills will have a bit of a tougher time. The Class 5A-District 6 runner-up has a long drive ahead of them Friday to Live Oak, just south of Interstate 10. If that wasn’t enough to worry about, the team from Suwannee High School also is known as the Bulldogs — and they have an impressive 9-1 record, losing only the final game of the season.

“You feel really good for a short time, but you know you’ve got to get back to work and start over,” Zephyrhills head coach Reggie Roberts said. “Our objective is not just to get there. It’s to perform once we get to the playoffs.”

How are both teams preparing? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available on newsstands now. Or read it for free in our online e-edition. Get the Zephyrhills version of the story here, with more details on Sunlake here.

Also, check out LakerLutzNews.com Friday night for results from both games, and find complete coverage in the Nov. 19 print edition of The Laker/Lutz News.

It’s great having a chance to celebrate football and other sports. But when we do, we should stop to thank a veteran.

Tuesday was Veterans Day, and just ahead of a day filled with events, one group of veterans do what they do for every holiday honoring those who served — they remembered those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for those freedoms.

Last weekend, four members of American Legion Post 108 visited the Lutz Cemetery to place flags on the gravestones of soldiers.

“There’s a lot of sacrifice here,” Bill Garrison, a former code breaker with the U.S. Air Force, told reporter B.C. Manion.

“Unfortunately, they don’t get the honor and respect that they deserve,” said Richard Fernandez, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard.

The men and others visit the cemetery every Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Veterans Day. The come bearing small American flags, which they will then collect the day after the holidays, honoring veterans from all the major wars.

To learn more about this solemn service provided by these American Legion members, check out this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or read our free online e-edition by clicking here.

The elections are finally over after months and months and months of campaigning. While Pasco County had a turnout of more than 50 percent, turnout for the mid-term elections overall across the country were at the lowest levels since World War II.

Many local candidates — including those running for county commission and for an office in Tallahassee — touted local jobs and local money to help grow Pasco’s economy. Yet, none of the candidates really spent a lot of time trying to provide their own influx of cash to local businesses.

In fact, in just three races — two county commission races, and the election battle between Danny Burgess and Beverly Ledbetter for Will Weatherford’s state House seat — more than $324,000 was sent out of the county. That’s 71 percent of the total money raised by all six candidates involved.

What do the candidates have to say about it? We’re not sure. Many wouldn’t address it, but Ledbetter — who lost to Burgess in the House race — did talk about where money in her campaign was spent.

“Our campaign bought local services when available, such as some printing supplies and materials,” Ledbetter told reporter Michael Hinman in an email. “I used a local Dade City printer for some work, and a local company for the T-shirts.”

Yet, despite those efforts, Ledbetter spent just $3,000 in Pasco — less than 10 percent of the total amount she raised. Burgess wasn’t much better, however, spending $35,000 — less than 27 percent — of the money he raised locally.

Find out what all this outside spending means to local businesses in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or read it online right now for free in our e-edition by clicking here.

And finally, photojournalist Fred Bellet has some great pictures to share from a recent work day at the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce in Land O’ Lakes, turning the headquarters a vibrant tropical blue. 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.