The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Wesley Chapel chamber honors businesses, leaders

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The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce honored its top businesses and leaders during its annual banquet last week at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

The awards, according to chamber officials, acknowledge the accomplishments of small businesses, large businesses, volunteers, civic organizations, and business leaders, for the contributions they make to the regional economy.

The business awards were reviewed and scored by a panel of peers based on their demonstrated commitment to the advancement of the business community.

Winners included:

• Business Leader of the Year — Stanley Giannet, Pasco-Hernando State College.
• Large Business of the Year — Parks Ford of Wesley Chapel
• Small Business of the Year — The New Tampa/Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News
• Civic Group of the Year — American Cancer Society
• Volunteer of the Year — Kelly Mothershead, A Focus on Fitness

In addition those awards, Wendy Bechtelheimer was presented the president’s award for her contribution to the organization, while Jeff Novotny of American Consulting Engineers was named the board member of the year.

The event was presented by Parks Ford of Wesley Chapel.

 

School district to meet with families about Sanders magnet school

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Pasco County Schools will host a community meeting on the new Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet Elementary School Sept. 23 at 6 p.m., in the Land O’ Lakes High School gymnasium, 20325 Gator Lane in Land O’ Lakes.

STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Scheduled to attend are school superintendent Kurt Browning, members of the school board, architects from Williamson Dacar Associates, and contractors from Ajax Building Corp. All are expected to share preliminary information with parents about the school, as well as the timelines and requirements for hiring the principal, teachers and staff members. There also will be discussion about magnet school application timelines, and options for transportation.

Sanders has been closed since 2010, and reconstruction began last month on the new school buildings at 5126 School Road in Land O’ Lakes. They will include what the district describes as state-of-the-art architecture and furnishings, labs, collaboration areas, traditional classrooms, and outdoor classrooms.

Sanders will be the district’s first magnet school, and will not have an attendance boundary.

For more information, call (813) 794-2717, or (813) 361-8349.

Another steep drop sends gas prices closer to $3

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It’s good news for travelers this week as the price of gas fell another 6 cents per gallon this past week, hitting its lowest point since February, and making that elusive sub-$3 mark look even more realistic.

Part of that continued decrease in price could come from what refineries have to do every year: switch from summer blend to winter blend fuel.

“Winter blend gas is cheaper to produce, because it does not require the additives necessary in summer blend,” said AAA spokesman Josh Carrasco, in a release. “Also, here in the U.S., we continue benefiting from historic domestic oil production. Both of these factors continue placing downward pressure on gas prices.”

But the price for a barrel of oil did go up this past week 14 cents, allowing it to close at $92.41. Part of that was caused by oil supply reductions from OPEC. At the same time, Libya shut down its largest oil field due to escalating tensions in the area there, AAA said, while Saudi Arabia announced its largest reduction in oil exports in 18 months.

OPEC, the group said, supplies about 40 percent of the world’s oil.

“Right now, domestic oil supply is outpacing demand,” Carrasco said, “Geopolitical tensions and supply cuts caused oil to increase this week, but looking ahead, it will be challenging for OPEC to cut production to the point that it has significant impact due to high crude production in the U.S.”

The price of gas in Florida was $3.29 a gallon, down 3 cents from last week, and 13 cents from the year before. It’s also a nickel cheaper than what it was a month ago.

Four gas stations in Land O’ Lakes reported gas at the area’s lowest rate of $3.17, according to GasBuddy. That includes a 7-Eleven, RaceTrac, Citgo and Marathon. The most expensive was reported at the Shell station on State Road 54 and State Road 56, where gas was selling for $3.29.

Sam’s Club continues to remain the cheapest in Wesley Chapel at $3.15, while the Shell station at Bruce B. Downs Boulevard near State Road 56 was the highest at $3.29.

In Lutz, gas prices ranged form $3.16 at two Citgo stations, to $3.39 at two Shell stations. Zephyrhills once again offered the cheapest gas in the area, with the Marathon station at Eiland Boulevard and Geiger Road offering gas at $3.13 per gallon, while the Cumberland Farms at State Road 54 and Morris Bridge Road was reported at $3.21.

 

The Laker/Lutz News wins national ad award

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An advertisement featuring some happy feet and encouraging readers to keep “a step ahead” was honored by a national contest featuring three newspaper industry groups.

The ad, from Family Foot & Ankle Care, won second in Small Space Ad-Black Ink Only, at the 2014 Advertising and Editorial Awards from the Southeastern Advertising Publishers Association, Community Papers of Florida, and Independent Free Papers of America.

Family Foot & Ankle Care is represented at the paper by Terri Williamson, and the ad was created by Stefanie Burlingame and Carolyn Bennett.

Winning first place was Reminder Publications of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and third place went to Camrose Booster in Camrose, Alberta.

The annual SAPA-IPF-CPF conference took place in Orlando this year. The competition received more than 1,400 entries, organizers said.

Florida adds more jobs in August

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Florida created 23,000 private sector jobs in August, once again exceeding the nation’s growth rate.

The statewide unemployment rate for August is 6.3 percent, down 0.8 percentage points from the August rate, according to a release from Gov. Rick Scott’s office. The state’s unemployment rate has dropped 4.8 percentage points since December 2010.

“The creation of 23,000 private sector jobs in Florida last month is another strong chapter in Florida’s economic turnaround story,” said Jesse Panuccio, executive director of the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity, in a release. “With measurable growth last month in the manufacturing and business and professional services industries, we can see that our efforts to foster the creation of high-skill, high-wage jobs are paying off for Florida families.”

Florida job postings compiled by the Help Wanted OnLine data service showed 273,281 openings in August. Florida’s 24 regional workforce boards reported more than 38,400 people were placed in jobs. Someone who received employment and training assistance through a CareerSource Center and finds a job within 180 days is deemed a placement, and may be reported by a regional workforce board. Of those, 8,134 had previously received unemployment benefits.

Florida is currently running a trade surplus of more than $18 billion, with $90.4 billion in exports and $71.8 billion in imports in 2012, compared to $86.8 billion in exports and $62.4 billion in imports in 2011.

It seemed like a whole new world, Part 1

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We left East Hartford, Connecticut, for our dream trip to South Dakota on Aug. 9. And for the first few days while traveling through several states, we experienced a change of scenery and weather.

It wasn’t until the end of the second day that we saw and experienced a big change. Yes, it was that obvious.

An overview of The Falls of the Big Sioux River in South Dakota. (Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)
An overview of The Falls of the Big Sioux River in South Dakota.
(Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)

At this time we saw many cornfields, wheat fields, flatlands, fog, windmills, drones to check out corn production, a utility worker repairing a high voltage transmission line about 100 feet off the ground while suspended by a helicopter, and more.

On Aug. 11, we left Austin, Minnesota, for a leisurely three-hour drive to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where we visited a five-story observation tower. We took an elevator to the top and saw the most fantastic scenery. It was so relaxing just looking.

Upon entering Sioux Falls Park, there were falls on your right and several buildings on your left. From here we went to view the Corn Palace that is located in Mitchell, South Dakota. Here we saw a short film on the history of the Corn Palace and then had a short guided tour before we went on our own.

There has been a Corn Palace since 1892. The building is decorated with corn showing life in the American West. As the Corn Palace grew, new ones were built while the others were demolished. Each year a new decorating theme is chosen, and the outside of the Corn Palace is stripped and redecorated with new corn and grains.

Another stop on this day was at the Ingalls Homestead. Do you remember “Little House on the Prairie”? We started off with a short film about the Ingalls family and homestead. We then took a walking tour through “Laura’s Living Prairie.” We saw the house where she grew up, in addition to a visit to the schoolhouse, the livestock barn, the church and so much more. It definitely brought back memories.

On Aug. 12, we went to the Minuteman Missile National Park Service, where we saw a short historic video about the possible launching of a nuclear missile during the Cold War era. This site was started in 1999 to illustrate the history and significance of the Cold War, the arms race, and the dedication of U.S. Air Force personnel. Upon leaving this site, we saw a Delta Flight Peacekeeper vehicle that was used by the security personnel to patrol surface facilities.

On to Badlands National Park. This drive was just fabulous. We saw the most spectacular and breathtaking scenery ever. We experienced the quiet and serene surroundings while viewing some of the outlooks.

The Badlands was established as a national monument in 1939. There are 244,000 acres in this park, and there are visitors from all over the world. There are peaks, gullies and wide prairies in the Badlands, and words cannot describe it.

We then went to Ben Reifel Visitor Center and saw a video plus many exhibits.

One more stop for the day and that is to Wall Drug store that has been in operation since 1931. It is known for its free ice water. Believe it or not, this is what made it so famous today.

Wall Drug survived the depression by offering free ice water to thirsty travelers and by building its reputation on friendly service. There are many gift shops, attractions, paintings and more, but no drugstore.

On Aug. 13, after a leisurely breakfast, we saw the South Dakota Air and Space Museum. There were so many exhibits we got to see, including the B-15 bomber, 28 vintage aircraft missiles, and helicopters.

Now on to Rapid City to view the Call of the Wild Museum. This was a wildlife exhibit complete with deer, zebra, goats, giraffes, lions and more. It was a remarkable visit.

Did you ever want to see how pottery was made? This next visit gave us the opportunity as we went to a factory store where you took a self-guided tour. Each piece of Sioux pottery is handcrafted by a Lakota artist, decorated with designs and symbols important to their culture, and signed by the artist who created it.

Our next stop was Bear Country U.S.A., which is a unique three-mile drive through the wildlife park. The park is nestled on 250 acres of Black Hills beauty.

We saw black and grizzly bears in addition to mountain lions, wolves, elk, bobcats, buffalo and more, where they roam free and we are in a cage — our car. We then took a walk through a small animal zoo. This is where the younger animals frolic and play. It was lots of fun.

Then we went to Dinosaur Park, which offered a great opportunity to experience the size and appearance of dinosaurs that roamed Western South Dakota during the time that they existed.

By Helene Rubenstein

Published September 17, 2014

More federal help coming for HLB-plagued citrus growers

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Florida citrus growers facing the threat of HLB will now have some additional help from the federal government.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it has expanded its Tree Assistance Program that will allow Florida producers to remove and replace trees as they decline from Huanglongbing, a tree disease more commonly known as citrus greening.

“USDA is investing in research and a variety of strategies to combat citrus greening over the long term,” said USDA secretary Tom Vilsack, in a release. “In the meantime, though, this support will help ensure growers are not wiped out in the short term. We must ensure that Florida’s citrus industry can weather this storm while a more permanent solution to this problem is developed. They key to the citrus industry’s survival is getting new trees in the ground, and we’re doing everything we can to help with that.”

Through the program, citrus growers will be eligible for up to 50 percent of the cost of the diseased trees removal, as well as site preparation. They also can receive 65 percent of the cost of replanting and labor, and 65 percent of the cost for seedlings.

Losses have to have occurred on or after Oct. 1, 2011, and individual stands must have sustained a mortality loss of 15 percent after adjustment for normal mortality, according to a release.

Florida’s citrus industry contributes $9 billion per year to the state’s economy, and supports about 76,000 jobs, according to the USDA. Florida accounts for 63 percent of all U.S. citrus production.

HLB is a bacterial disease that spreads internally throughout the plant. The disease, which is transmitted from infected plants to healthy ones by the Asian citrus psyllid, causes fruit to ripen unevenly and become lopsided, visibly smaller, and bitter-tasting. The bacteria do not pose a health threat to humans, livestock or pets, officials said, but the effect on the fruit crops is devastating.

Earlier this year, the USDA announced $25 million in funding for research and cooperative extension service projects to combat HLB, which all comes from the 2014 Farm Bill. The USDA allocated another $6.5 million to several other projects throughout the Huanglongbing Multi-Agency Coordination Group.

For more information, growers can contact their local Farm Service Agency office at Go.USA.gov/pYV3.

Lightning strikes again in Florida Hospital partnership

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Florida Hospital and the Tampa Bay Lightning are extending their partnership agreement through the 2015-16 hockey season.

As a presenting sponsor, Florida Hospital will receive a logo and name inclusion on all Lightning advertising campaigns and materials throughout the next two seasons. This continues the partnership that started in 2011, and includes being the official healthcare provider of the Arena Football League Tampa Bay Storm.

“We are proud to partner with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a world-class organization that is dedicated to giving back to the Tampa Bay community,” said Mike Schultz, president and chief executive of Florida Hospital West Florida Region, in a release. “We are proud to be associated with this champion organization who shares our core values of integrity, compassion, excellence and teamwork. Together, we are committed to improving the health of our community.”

During six Lightning home games this season, the team will feature a series called “Celebrate Life” that highlights special members of the community who have been positively impacted by the care received at Florida Hospital. The chain also will be the presenting sponsor of the annual Tampa Bay Lightning Fan Fest, scheduled for Amalie Arena on Sept. 27. There, fans will be able to watch a scrimmage, sled hockey, get autographs, and participate in a hockey class.

Doors open for that event at 10 a.m., and it’s free to the public.

Florida Hospital also will host two health awareness nights during the year featuring Breast Cancer Awareness Night on Nov. 1. That will be the culmination of a month-long awareness campaign encouraging women to get screened and join the Pink Army.

The Heart Health Awareness Night will be featured when the Lightning take on the Los Angeles Kings Feb. 7. The hospital also will be the associate sponsor of the Lightning’s annual Bolt Run.

Florida Hospital West Region consists of nine hospitals and 1,257 beds, including Florida Hospital at Connerton Long Term Acute Care, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel.

Floods can literally sweep people off their feet

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Florida is known for its lightning and rain. And with that can come flooding — which many people dismiss as not being something to worry about.

Yet, 18 to 24 inches of moving water can wash an SUV off the road, according to the National Weather Service. And more than half of all flood-related deaths are people driving through flooded roads.

The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes is reminding residents that when roads are flooded, to turn around, and don’t drown.

It also offers these tips for both before and during floods. All it takes is a few inches of water to cause major damage to a home, the organization said.

• Clear yard of any debris, plant material or other items like garden décor, foliage, or garbage cans, that can block water flow and storm drains.

• Place important papers — like birth and marriage certificates, passports, bank, and insurance information — in a watertight container. Take photographs or videos to create an inventory of personal possessions, and keep the camera card handy in case of evacuation.

• Identify and move electronics and other expensive items like computers, televisions and area rugs, on lower levels of the home, and elevate if possible to keep dry.

• Avoid flooded areas or those with rapid water flow. Do not attempt to cross a flowing stream, as it takes just 6 inches of fast-flowing water to sweep someone off their feet.

• Don’t allow children to play near high water, storm drains, or ditches. Hidden dangers could lie beneath the water.

• Flooded roads could have significant damage hidden by floodwaters. Never drive through floodwaters, or on flooded roads.

• Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to see flooded roads.

To learn more about how much flooding can cost, visit Flash.org.

In Print: Duke turns neighbors into tree-huggers

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Trees are something we take for granted. There are millions of them out there, and we see them virtually everywhere.

But what happens when those trees go away? Debbie Lane Goodman has lived on 10 acres off 20 Mile Level Road in Land O’ Lakes long before she was joined by the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on one side, and the Plantation Palms community on the other. The family’s land was once orange groves, which were cleared out after a 1984 freeze.

Neighbors Debbie Lane Goodman and Eddie Midili survey tree trimming work Duke Energy has performed along a line route that crosses 20 Mile Level Road in Land O’ Lakes. The oak tree behind them is slated to come down next, which has riled up Goodman, Midili and other neighbors. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Neighbors Debbie Lane Goodman and Eddie Midili survey tree trimming work Duke Energy has performed along a line route that crosses 20 Mile Level Road in Land O’ Lakes. The oak tree behind them is slated to come down next, which has riled up Goodman, Midili and other neighbors. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

Recovering financially from such a loss was tough, but emotionally it was even harder. So when her family planted an oak tree a couple years later, it helped start the healing process.

Yet, that tree will soon be no more. It’s within 50 feet of power lines recently upgraded by Duke Energy, and they are set to take the majestic tree — along with more than two dozen others nearby — down.

“They just came out four years ago and shaved the trees, and told us that’s all they were going to do,” Goodman told reporter Michael Hinman. “They said they didn’t need to cut any trees, and that it’s not even on their line. But then they came back and said we’re going to cut them all down.”

Duke, however, says it has no choice. It’s required by law to protect lines from trees and other vegetation, especially during a storm. Fines for allowing trees and such to bring down power lines and cut power to residents are huge.

But what can Goodman and her neighbors do? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available now. Or, if you don’t want to go out in the rain, you can read our free online e-edition by clicking here.

God may take away one place, but it looks like he is giving in other places. The Benedictine Sisters of Florida opened the doors of their new monastery in St. Leo to reporter B.C. Manion recently, and what they had to show was impressive — at least as far as a monastery goes.

The new 28,000-square-foot structure replaces a larger 100,000-square-foot facility the nuns had across State Road 52. However, they sold that campus to Saint Leo University, and used those funds, plus a $500,000 capital campaign, to build their new home.

Want to learn more about it, and see what it looks like? It’s on the front page of our B Section this week in The Laker/Lutz News. Check out our print edition right now, or read all about it in our free online e-edition, which you can find right here.

And finally, Dean Patterson is making his fifth trip to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. And the 12-year-old can’t wait.

“I get kind of nervous and freaked out,” Patterson told reporter Michael Murillo. “But as the days (get closer), I normally just get all excited and happy.”

Patterson lives in Lutz and attends Martinez Middle School, but he also plays football for the South Pasco Predators Pop Warner team. Football has been his life for eight years, and he started getting attention on his skills when he was 7. And while he works hard on the gridiron, he’s had a great support network in his father and coach, Robert Patterson.

“I’ve been working with at-risk youth for 20 years, helping kids get back on track or stay out of trouble with the law,” the older Patterson said. “So to be able to do that with your kid, and see him flourish on the football field as well as the classroom, it’s a special deal.”

Read more about what both Pattersons have to look forward to in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or check out our 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.