The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Sunlake, Zephyrhills headed to playoffs

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The Pasco Pirates wanted to play spoiler for the Zephyrhills Bulldogs once again, and earn a trip to the playoffs themselves. Instead, they were beat by a tough Nature Coast Tech team that almost outlasted the Bulldogs in a single-quarter playoff Monday night.

That means Zephyrhills (7-2) is going to the playoffs for the first time in eight years as the Bulldogs finish as the Class 5A-District 7 runner-up behind the undefeated South Sumter.

Also heading to the playoffs once again, but winning its first-ever Class 6A-District 6 title was Sunlake High School (8-1), outlasting Mitchell (6-3) in front of a home crowd in its one-quarter playoff. Mitchell will enter the Class 6A playoffs in two weeks as well, finishing as the district runner-up.

The Bulldogs almost didn’t make it into the playoffs once again. They took on their longtime rival, Pasco High School, last week with a 7-1 record in a game they were finally expected to win against a 5-3 team. But the Pirates stayed close the Bulldogs, and eked out a single-point victory in overtime.

That forced the playoff, involving not only Pasco, but Nature Coast Tech (5-4). However, the Pirates were not able to survive that challenge, and watched as the Sharks took on Zephyrhills in a chance to earn that last playoff berth.

Sunlake will host the first game of the Class 6A regional quarterfinals, taking on Ocala’s Vanguard High School. That team finished with a 4-4 record, but chalked up two of those wins against district opponents, according to MaxPreps. The Knights have not really dominated this season, virtually even between points scored and points allowed.

The Seahawks, on the other hand, have outscored their opponents 6-to-1.

Those teams match up Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Sunlake.

Zephyrhills will face Suwannee, out of Live Oak, a team also known as the Bulldogs. Suwannee powered its way to a 9-0 record, outscoring opponents 337-116. Zephyrhills is no pushover itself, also boasting a powerful offense that has outscored opponents 366-189.

If the local Bulldogs find a way to beat Suwannee, there’s a good chance their foe in the regional semifinals will be South Sumter, one of the two losses Zephyrhills posted this year. Few chunks have been found in the Raiders’ armor this season, and will be battling North Marion High School in the first round, a team that finished 7-2 on the season and looked almost as dominating as Suwannee in the same division.

Zephyrhills will travel to Live Oak Nov. 14 for its 7:30 p.m. contest at Paul Langford Stadium.

Pasco, Hillsborough offering free rides to polls

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Want to vote, but not sure how to get there?

Well, whether you live in Pasco County or Hillsborough, a chance to cast a ballot is just a free bus ride away.

Pasco County Public Transportation will offer free rides to any voters who present their voter identification card to a driver on Nov. 4. PCPT director Mike Carroll presented the idea to Pasco County commissioners in June before the August primary as a way to not only promote participation in the election process, but also introducing public transportation as a viable local option to travel, according to a release.

“I could be happier with this proposal or more grateful for the opportunity to partner with PCPT,” said Pasco County elections supervisor Brian Corley, in a release. “I think providing an opportunity for citizens to exercise their right to vote is a worthy cause, and serves as an exemplary example of good government.”

PCPT won’t be alone, however. Hillsborough Area Regional Transit will offer a similar service to those living south of Pasco where HART passengers can ride for free on Tuesday by just showing a voter identification card.

HART, in a flier, encouraged riders, however, to figure out in advance the best way to their polling place by bus, and they are free to ride any of the services except HARTPlus and Streetcar for the promotion.

For more information on the PCPT routes, call (813) 235-6073. For HART, call (813) 254-4278.

 

Sunlake, Zephyrhills, Pasco football teams in tiebreakers tonight

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The high school football season is coming to a close, but not every game takes place on a Friday.

In fact, the lights are coming on at both Sunlake and Zephyrhills high schools Monday, as teams from both schools take part in a rather unusual tiebreaker game that could mean a district championship for one team, and a runner-up status for others.

Football teams from Springstead and Mitchell high schools will travel to Sunlake in Land O’ Lakes tonight to participate in one of the two tiebreaker games. Both teams will play a single 12-minute quarter, with the leader at the end of that quarter going on to play another quarter against Sunlake for Class 6A-District 6.

Springstead and Mitchell are tied overall at 6-3, including 3-1 marks in district play. Sunlake is 8-1 overall, but also is 3-1 in the district. So the winner of the second quarter will be named the district champion, and the loser of that quarter will become the runner-up.

It will be pretty much the same at Zephyrhills High School when Nature Coast Tech and Pasco show up to play a quarter against each other, with the winner taking on Zephyrhills in the second quarter in a Class 5A-District 6 showdown.

Zephyrhills is 7-2 overall, but 4-2 in the district after a loss to district champ South Sumter earlier in the season, and being edged by a single point in its game against Pasco last Friday. Nature Coast Tech and Pasco are 6-3, but also are 4-2 in district play. The team that comes out on top at the end of the second quarter will be the district runner-up, and will advance to the playoffs.

All teams are allowed a maximum of 60 players in uniform, and marching bands are not invited.

The games — which begin at 7 p.m. — are open to fans. Admission is $7.

All teams are scheduled to play their final regular season games next weekend, with district winners and runners-up then heading to the playoffs.

 

No bottom yet in sight for falling gas prices

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Cheaper gas is probably something everyone can get used to. But how long will gas hover around the $2.75 mark or lower? Only time will tell.

The national average for regular unleaded gasoline fell to its lowest point since December 2010, dropping below $3 per gallon. Right now, more than 60 percent of American gas stations are selling gas below that mark, according to AAA, and 23 states have averages also below that mark.

In fact, Florida — where the gas average price is $2.96 — is ranked 20th in the nation, and is part of a region of the country where gas is at its lowest.

“Gas prices are still falling,” said AAA spokesman Josh Carrasco, in a release. “There is still room for the price at the pump to drop in the short term. We could see prices side another 5 to 15 cents by the end of the year.”

Gas prices dropped 33 cents in October, the steepest single-month decline since 2008. A lot of that can be attributed to the cheapening of crude oil, according to the AAA, which accounts for a vast majority of gasoline’s cost. West Texas Intermediate, for example, has dropped more than $25 per barrel since this year’s peak price of $107.73 on June 20. The current price for WTI closed at $80.54 on Friday, down slightly from the previous week’s close of $81.27.

“Abundant oil supplies, winter-blend fuels and low demand continue to place downward pressure on gas prices,” Carrasco said. “Crude oil prices seem to be leveling out, which may put the brakes on significant drops in gasoline prices. But we haven’t hit the bottom yet.”

The price for gas in Florida dropped 8 cents from the previous week to $2.96. It’s down 37 cents from a month ago, and 29 cents from a year ago.

Taking a look at where gras prices are locally, the cheapest gas in Land O’ Lakes is at the RaceTrac on State Road 52 and Silver Palm Boulevard, where prices were reported Sunday at $2.76, according to GasBuddy. The priciest is at the Shell located on State Road 54 and State Road 56, where prices were set at $2.97 over the weekend.

In Lutz, prices ranged from $2.84 at the Circle K at Van Dyke and Old Tobacco roads, to $2.99 at two Shell stations on Dale Mabry Highway.

Motorists were finding the best gas prices in Wesley Chapel at the Sam’s Club at State Road 56 near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, where prices were set at $2.82. The most expensive there was at Shell just nearby at $2.93.

In Zephyrhills, the cheapest gas was reported at the Shell station at Paul S. Buchman Highway and Central Avenue at $2.84. The high was found at $2.95 at the Citgo, located at Gall Boulevard and Chancey Road.

Finally, drivers in Dade City looking for the best prices should look up either the Clark station on U.S. 301 and Long Avenue, or D&D at U.S. 98 and U.S. 301, where prices were set at $2.83. The most expensive in that area was found at the BP station on U.S. 98, where gas was priced at $2.99.

 

Don’t forget to set clocks back this weekend

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There couldn’t be a better time to get an extra hour to sleep (or an extra hour to party) than late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, when clocks fall back an hour.

Nov. 2 marks the end of Daylight Saving Time, which began March 9. That means while the sun will rise earlier in the morning — beginning at 6:42 a.m. on Sunday. It also will set sooner as well, getting dark that same day at 5:45 p.m.

One of the things many firefighters recommend during the time change is to also check smoke alarms in homes. According to research from the National Fire Protection Association, working smoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a fire in half. At the same time, almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes without working smoke alarms.

On top of that, roughly half of home fire deaths result from fires reported between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., according to the Hillsborough County Fire Marshal’s Office, when most people are asleep. Home smoke alarms can alert people to a fire before it spreads, attempting to give everyone enough time to get out.

Some tips about smoke alarms include:

• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement.

• Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. This way, when one sounds, they all do.

• Test alarms at least monthly by pushing the test button.

• Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old, or sooner if they do not respond properly.

• Make sure everyone in the home knows the sound of the smoke alarm, and understands what to do when they hear it.

To learn more about smoke alarms, visit FirePreventionWeek.org.

Doctor to talk in Hudson about Ebola scare

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What’s more scary than a witch or a haunted house right now for many people? It’s the threat of Ebola, which has now hit the United States in both Texas and New York.

But should it be that scary?

Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point is offering a lecture “Ebola: Facts & Fiction” Nov. 17 at 3 p.m., at the Rao Musunuru Conference Center, 14100 Yosemite Drive, in Hudson.

Dr. K.V. Sundaresh will conduct the seminar. He is a board-certified doctor in infection disease and internal medicine. He completed his internship in general surgery at New York Hospital Medical Center, followed by a residency in internal medicine at Bergen Pines Co. Hospital and Jersey Shore Medical Center, both in New Jersey.

He completed a fellowship in infectious disease at Finch University Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School in Illinois.

Admission is free, but reservations are required, with seating offered on a first-come basis.

To date, just four people have been diagnosed with the Ebola virus in the United States, two of them health workers in Texas who treated the first diagnosed case. Although there is a virus outbreak in parts of Africa, the ability to spread Ebola is still difficult, because it requires an infected person to show signs of the illness — like fever — and it requires direct contact with bodily fluids.

For more information on the lecture, call (727) 869-5498, or (888) 741-5119.

Drink too much this weekend? Get towed for free

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When people plan ahead for that Halloween party, they figure they won’t drink very much, so why not drive? That is, until they do drink too much, and now they have to worry about getting home.

AAA and Bud Light once again are taking away the fears of driving home drunk this weekend with its Tow to Go service, which will get both a driver and a car home for free, whether they are a AAA member or not.

“We we kick off the holiday season, it is extremely important that everyone celebrates safely if they are away from home and drinking,” said Gerry Gutowski, senior vice presidency of automotive services for AAA, in a release. “Halloween presents an even greater danger than normal with all of the children out on the streets trick-or-treating.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, on Halloween night in 2012, nearly half of all crash fatalities involved an impaired driver.

The Tow to Go service will be available anytime Friday and Saturday night this weekend, taking people home or somewhere safe within 10 miles. It’s a confidential and local ride that’s also being offered in Georgia and Tennessee.

Since its inception in 1998, Tow to Go has safely removed more than 23,000 impaired drivers from the road, according to a release. The service is designed to be used as a last resort, and is offered based on availability of AAA drivers and tow trucks during times of high call volume.

Anheuser-Busch Wholesalers have been a sponsor of the program since its inception. It’s provided funding for the service, as well as worked with local bars and restaurants throughout the south to help educate severs on the importance of not over-serving their customers.

To use the Tow to Go program, call (855) 286-9246.

Volunteers keep things moving at Grand Horizons

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October finds many snowbirds back and activities increasing at Grand Horizons.

While they still have the everyday or every week activities such as mahjong, dominoes, shuffleboard, Wednesday coffee and doughnuts, and more, they also had a luncheon Oct. 7 hosted by Lynne-Rae Dyson.

Many helping hands went into hosting the annual Holiday Bazaar and Bake Sale at Grand Horizons. (Courtesy of Annmarie Shackewyc)
Many helping hands went into hosting the annual Holiday Bazaar and Bake Sale at Grand Horizons.
(Courtesy of Annmarie Shackewyc)

The luncheon was at T.G.I. Friday’s, and several women attended and had a great time. I spoke to Joyce Bell about this luncheon, and she told me that a number of women came here to dine and most of them stayed later to do some shopping as there was a mall nearby. In other words, they created an afternoon that they thoroughly enjoyed. Joyce went on to say that while some women went shopping, others went straight back to Grand Horizons.

There was a taco dinner Oct. 15 and from what Andy Castonguay mentioned, 99 residents attended this function.

He went on to say that there were six workers, and this consisted of Andy and Margaret Castonguay, Joyce and Ron Bell, and Annmarie and Chick Shackewyc. They have done several dinners together and work very well with each other.

According to the newsletter that we received, the taco dinner consisted of diced tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream, olives and onions, which were all put in little bowls and could be added to the ground beef that is put in a taco shell.

All had a good time, and Andy mentioned that a few new neighbors attended which is something that we like to see.

On Oct. 16, Jeanne Bloomfield hosted another luncheon for the ladies at ABC Pizza House in Dade City. There were only a few in attendance because of previous engagements, but everyone who did attend had a nice time. The group all sat together, enjoyed themselves and had a delicious lunch.

I spoke with Jeanne, and she told me that she did things a little differently, as she had the ladies draw a piece of paper from a bag to determine who got a free lunch on her. This was a different and very clever idea.

Jeanne also told me that after lunch they went to a new gift shop where they had some lovely gifts, and they all enjoyed window shopping and browsing.

It was a special day at Grand Horizons Oct. 18, because there was the Holiday Bazaar and Bake Sale. It is on this day that Grand Horizons gets volunteers to bake a cake, cookies or any other treat to donate to the bakery sale.

I am sure there were a variety of goodies being sold. When I am there, I usually bake a little something, and we usually buy some goodies. Everything is so good.

The sale was hosted by Cheryl and Ken Leone, Annmarie and Chick Shackewyc, and other helpers.

That is one thing about Grand Horizons — there are always several volunteers. Many people chip in so the bazaar and bake sale can run smoothly.

By Helene Rubenstein

Published October 29, 2014

Everyday tips to stay away from flu, other illnesses

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Local efforts are under way to encourage healthy habits to avoid illness.

Everyday preventive actions can help slow the spread of germs that can cause many different illnesses, and may offer some protection against the flu.

“While a flu shot is the most effective measure against getting the flu, good prevention habits help reduce more than just the spread of flu,” said Kathleen Yeater, executive director of nursing at the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County, in a release.

The school district, government and health department in Pasco are pushing out reminders to practice healthy habits for prevention. Even Pasco County Parks and Libraries have teamed up with characters they developed named Nate and Wendy to get the message out about flu prevention. Thousands of people have watched the “Nate & Wendy” shows that address a variety of topics from the county government, according to a release.

The latest episode focuses on school children washing their hands and covering their mouths when they cough. That video can be found at Youtu.be/nPHV5mesjMY.

The messages, however, are the same for adults.

“If you do catch the flu, it’s important that you stay home and fight the illness,” said Randy TeBeest, assistant county administrator covering public safety. “We encourage our county employees not to spread the illness around by coming back to work. Stay home, get better, then come back.”

Some steps to help with everyday preventive actions include:

  • Stay home when sick. If possible, stay away from work, school and errands. This will help prevent others from catching it. Also, avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Cover nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Throw the tissue away after use, and wash hands. If a tissue is not available, cover mouths and noses with sleeves, not hands.
  • Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
  • Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth. Germs can spread this way.
  • Clean and disinfect surfaces or objects. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill.

Steinbrenner/Gaither game gets lesson in texting, driving

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It’s a rare time to have football and Halloween on the same night, but AAA is going to make the best of it by sharing a true fright: texting and driving.

AAA and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office will attend Friday’s football game between Steinbrenner and Gaither high schools, where they hope to talk about the dangers teens face when they get behind the wheel. Of course, that becomes much more complicated when they decide to pull out their phone and text as well, according to a release.

The number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes by a distracted driver was 3,328, with another 421,000 people injured in 2012, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

During the Steinbrenner/Gaither game, both AAA and the sheriff’s office will hand out “Don’t Txt n Drive” T-shirts, show a public service announcement about teen driver safety, and ask teens in attendance to make a voluntary pledge to not text and drive.

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at Steinbrenner, 5575 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road, in Lutz, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.

Steinbrenner (3-4-1) is looking to play spoiler in the game as Gaither (5-3-0) is looking for a way to break the three-way tie at the top of the Class 7A-District 7 standings it shares with Sickles and Tampa Bay Tech. Steinbrenner edged Freedom last week 7-6 to take them out of the district championship race, and dropping them to 4-4-0.