The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

CSX jumps into Kumquat Festival as sponsor

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Just weeks after angering local officials by twice blocking intersections for long periods of time, CSX Transportation is spending some money to help support Dade City’s annual Kumquat Festival.

“CSX Transportation is committed to working beyond our rails with the communities we serve,” said Bob O’Malley, resident vice president for CSX, in a release. “Our support of the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce and the annual Kumquat Festival demonstrates our recognition of the importance of local partnerships, corporate stewardship and the vibrant economic growth of Pasco County.”

Terms of the sponsorship deal were not disclosed, but CSX will join other business sponsors at the festival — including Florida Hospital Zephyrhills — the chamber said.

Last month, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis said he asked the Federal Railroad Administration to investigate CSX for a pair of road blockages that occurred inside Dade City in July and August, including one that lasted for hours and left only one intersection available to go into a neighborhood. CSX blamed the incidents on federally mandated limits on employee hours, where once train crews met those hours, they had to go off the clock.

In both instances, the trains were inside Dade City, and crews left the trains as they were before a relief crew could arrive. In response, CSX apologized for the incident, and said that if it happened in the future, workers would be instructed to separate cars on the train, so that they would leave the intersections open for vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

The Kumquat Festival, now in its 18th year, will be held Jan. 31. It features free admission, free public parking, free shuttle service from area parking lots, free entertainment, crafts, gifts, food and beverage vendors. Last year, more than 40,000 people attended the Kumquat Festival, which takes over downtown Dade City.

“We are thrilled that CSX has joined our many corporate partners and shown the support needed for the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce to market, manage and administer this event,” said John Moors, the chamber director, in a release.

The festival generates $1 million in economic activity, chamber officials said, and has been awarded the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 Events designation, as well as Pasco County’s Event of the Year.

Florida continues to add to open job listings

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A growing national economy continues to trickle down to the state level as the number of job openings in Florida grew nearly 5 percent in August.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity says 11,899 more job openings were reported in the state last month, up 4.6 percent from July. That brings the total number of seasonally adjusted job openings to a little more than 273,000, which includes a 4.3 percent boost in online job openings.

“August was another strong month for job demand in Florida — just one of the many indicators showing the positive turnaround in Florida’s economy over the last few years,” said Jesse Panuccio, executive director of the state’s economic opportunity department, in a release. “Job demand is growing, and Florida families are getting back to work.”

That growth was led by Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale. West Palm Beach had the largest growth year-over-year with 23.7 percent growth.

The most popular job openings in August were sales, office and administrative, support, health care practitioners, and management, the state department said.

Gas prices still recovering from Labor Day weekend

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Gas prices are still trying to come down after the expected bump during Labor Day weekend, but that hasn’t stopped gas prices from being the lowest still since 2010 as September gets under way.

And prices could get better, especially with federal employment levels lower than expected.

“Demand typically eases going into the fall, but a high jobless report causes speculation that demand for gasoline may be even lower,” said Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA-The Auto Club Group, in a release. “This report, combined with easing geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine, and refineries beginning to switch from summer to winter blend fuels, all continue to place downward pressure on what is already unseasonably low gas prices.”

That trend, as Jenkins has shared before, could mean gas cheaper than $3 a gallon before the end of the year.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported last week that 142,000 new jobs were created in August, lowering the national unemployment rate slightly to 6.1 percent. While that is a positive growth in jobs, it was lower than analysts had expected.

Oil prices took a hit this past week as well, with a barrel of oil selling for $93.29 on Friday, a drop of $2.67 from the previous week. That is a seven-month low for crude.

The average gallon of gas in Florida was $3.36 on Sunday, down a penny from $3.37 a week ago, and 3 cents from a month ago. It’s 19 cents lower than what it was a year ago, however, AAA reported.

“Some markets are seeing more expensive gasoline compared to last week,” Jenkins said. “Much of that has to do with demand jumping during the Labor Day weekend, causing lower supplies and higher prices. It is possible that prices could inch up toward the middle of the month as refineries prepare to switch to the cheaper-to-produce winter blend gasoline on Sept. 15, but prices usually fall through the remainder of the year.”

The cheapest gas in Land O’ Lakes on Sunday night was $3.19 at the Mobil station on State Road 52 near the Suncoast Parkway, according to GasBuddy. The Shell station at State Road 54 and State Road 56 was listed as the most expensive at $3.37.

Wesley Chapel had some cheaper gas, found once again at Sam’s Club on State Road 56 near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, where prices were reported at $3.17. Four locations — including a Shell station, 7-Eleven, Hess and Mobil — had gas prices at $3.37.

In Lutz, prices ranged from $3.21 at the Circle K on Van Dyke and Old Tobacco roads, to $3.39 at two Shell stations — one on Van Dyke near Lakeshore Drive, the other at North Dale Mabry Highway at Van Dyke.

Gas prices in Zephyrhills were found from $3.22 at a Mobil station on State Road 54 near Allen Road, to $3.34 at a Citgo on Gall Boulevard and Chancey Road. The cheapest gas in Dade City was $3.25 at three locations — Raceway, Marathon and Clark — while the most expensive, according to GasBuddy, was found at the Chevron station on Fort King Road and Clinton Avenue for $3.31.

 

License-free saltwater fishing day set for Sept. 6

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Visitors and residents are being given an opportunity this weekend to try out saltwater fishing for a day without the need for a license.

The event on Sept. 6 is part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s saltwater license-free fishing days, where the requirement to have a recreational saltwater fishing license is waived. However, all other regulations — such as seasons, size limits and bag limits — will still apply to all fishermen, whether they have a license or not.

“The license-free fishing day is a great opportunity for families to enjoy the incredible saltwater fishing opportunities that Florida has to offer,” Gov. Rick Scott said, in a release. “Florida is the fishing capital of the world, and a license-free days is the perfect opportunity to try fishing for the first time.”

The FWC offers eight license-free days each year, with the next one set for the Saturday after Thanksgiving, on Nov. 29. After that, licenses will be needed until the April 4-5 next year.

For information, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing.

Florida Hospital stirring up ‘Bucs Fever’ across bay area

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Florida Hospital and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are spreading “Bucs Fever” across the Tampa Bay region with a series of community health events and a new television commercial featuring Bucs head coach Lovie Smith.

“We believe that Florida Hospital has an important role to play in creating a healthier community,” said Mike Schultz, president and chief executive of Florida Hospital West Florida Region, in a release. “We are excited to build on this partnership with the Bucs, and add new initiatives that will benefit communities that we serve.”

Florida Hospital officially launched its Bucs Babies program during the NFL draft in May, giving new moms and dads a “training camp” health and wellness package for their new little rookies, the hospital said. That program will continue on through the regular season as well, with all babies born at Florida Hospital campuses receiving a Bucs Babies T-shirt.

Florida Hospital will give away free Bucs bandanas at four locations outside of Raymond James Stadium on Sept. 14 when the Bucs take on the St. Louis Rams. In October, Florida Hospital will be one of the sponsors for the Buccaneers Treasure Chests 5k Run/Walk, which helps raise awareness and support patient treatment and research for breast cancer. This will be the first year where the Florida Hospital Foundation is a beneficiary of the proceeds raised at this event, which is expected to attract several thousand participants.

Florida Hospital also will be the presenting sponsor of the fitness challenge prior to the Nov. 9 game between the Bucs and the Atlanta Falcons.

To see the new commercial with Smith, visit CatchBucsFever.com.

Florida Hospital West Florida Region includes nine hospitals and 1,257 beds. That includes Florida Hospital at Connerton Long Term Acute Care, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel. It’s part of the Adventist Health System, a network of 23 hospitals throughout Florida.

Fallen journalist moves flags to half staff Friday

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Gov. Rick Scott has ordered flags in Florida to fly a half staff Friday following the execution of an American journalist with state ties in Iraq earlier this week.

Steven Sotloff was a Time reporter who was once a journalism student at the University of Central Florida in Oviedo. He had been a prisoner of the militant group ISIS, which currently has control of parts of Syria and Iraq, and who have been the subject of air attacks by U.S. military forces in recent weeks.

“Ann and I join all Floridians, and Americans, in grieving with the Sotloff family today,” Scott said in a release. “Those who murdered Steven are evil, and evil must be confronted and destroyed.”

Flags will be flown at half staff at local and state government buildings, installations and grounds throughout the state. How all other flags are flown are up to the owners of those flags.

 

Beware of get-rich flipping money scam

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People who are desperate for cash may be easy prey for a get-rich quick scheme known as a “flipping money scam.”

These scams are showing up on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, according to the Hillsborough County Consumer Protection Agency, in the form of messages from people promising to flip money from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars.

Often, these people post pictures of themselves or others holding stacks of money, and stating how easy it was to make thousands of dollars in minutes, officials said.

One of the more common scams encourages people to purchase a refillable cash card, load that card with money, and send that card information — including the personal identification number or code on the back of the card — to them.

Users are then promised that once they complete their part, the card balance will increase and cash will be available in a few minutes or hours. However, many of these people go back and find nothing on the card, since the money is transferred off the cards into someone else’s personal account, officials said.

Once the money is received, the scammer blocks them from being able to contact them.

The National Consumer League offers the following tips to try and avoid such a scam:

• Before contacting someone making such claims, do a Web search for their username or phone number, to see if other consumers have posted warnings about that person.

• If asked to give out a control number or PIN for a card, do not respond. Instead, contact law enforcement.

• Anyone who claims they can turn small amounts of upfront money into a large amount in minutes is likely trying to scam.

• Those who suspect they are a victim of the flipping money scam should contact law enforcement and file a complaint with the NCL at Fraud.org.

To reach the Hillsborough County Consumer Protection Agency, call (813) 903-3430, or visit HillsboroughCounty.org/ConsumerProtection.

 

 

Heat doesn’t deter those returning to Gem Estates

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Some of you may remember when I wrote about the alligator we had in the park. Well now we see coyotes roaming through the park, as well.

Several people have seen evidence of the coyotes, and some even took pictures of them during the day. We’re warning our residents to keep their pets indoors or to be close at hand when they go outside.

What’s next? One of our residents recently returned from a fantastic two-fold trip to Anchorage, Alaska. Caroline Wagoner left from Tampa to Bakersfield, California, where she spent a week visiting her daughter, Yvonne.

From there, Caroline and Yvonne flew to Anchorage. There they were met by Caroline’s brother in an authentic 1968 Volkswagen bus restored by her brother, Charles Bates and wife Liz, who lived in Anchorage for many years since his stint in Vietnam.

Caroline was reminiscing about the wonderful time she had sightseeing in that VW bus.

The weather was wonderful with temperatures in the mid 60s, even though it can go as low as in the 20s in winter days, which makes it perfect for skiing, skating or dog mushing.  She explained how Anchorage is more affordable than a lot of U.S. cities because they have no sales tax.

Hundreds of bird species call Anchorage home, such as loons, pintail ducks and terns. Potter Marsh also is a good spot for beavers and moose, which can be seen along the Tony Knowles coastal trail that stretches 11 miles along Cook Inlet from downtown to Kincaid Park.

She also saw terrific views along Mount McKinley and Mount Susitna, also known as Sleeping Lady.

The day cruise she took was exciting when she heard a sharp crack followed by a long rumble and suddenly there was a massive piece of ice falling from the face of a glacier into the water below.

Among many of her highlights was the Alaska Native Heritage Center where you can hear storytelling, authentic song and dance routines, and see finely made crafts by skilled natives.

There are so many terrific places to fish in the area, and the drive north to Talkeetna will take you by several good salmon spots. The largest salmon caught in Alaska weighed in at 97 pounds, and the largest halibut was 459 pounds.

There are five kinds of salmon — chub, sockeye, king, silver and pink. I knew of only two, the king or red and the pink, because of the cans they come in.

They took a train ride to Talkeetna where they met the honorary mayor, a cat named Mr. Stubbs.

They went through the Whittier tunnel on the way to Kenai Fjords National Park, and took a 6.5-hour cruise and saw otters, five humpback whales, a pod of beluga whales, and lots of bird life. Caroline has told me she already is planning to go back in two years and stay a little longer, but no matter how long you stay, you can’t see it all. It’s just a beautiful state.

Now that September is here, we’re already learning of several of our residents planning to return. It’s still mighty hot and August “dog” days were brutal, but you just can’t stay away from Zephyrhills.

Loretta Green has returned from visiting family and friends in New York, and our president, Al Bennett, and wife Deanie are returning from Massachusetts in time to oversee  construction of the addition to our clubhouse.

I missed a couple of August birthdays for Vicki Bluhm and Brent Slipp. Sorry about that.  September birthday wishes go out to Madeline Macomber, Carol Farnsworth and Ron Plummer. Please let me know if I missed anyone.

By Lee Heffelfinger

Published September 3, 2014

Activities picking up as residents head back to Grand Horizons

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The summer months continue and activities are starting to pick up. They are still going strong with the many card games, bingo, dominoes, mahjong and much more.

In a short time, art, pinochle and other activities also will be on the agenda.

Annmarie Shackewyc painted doorstops to look like little girls in a recent craft class. (Courtesy of Annmarie Shackewyc)
Annmarie Shackewyc painted doorstops to look like little girls in a recent craft class.
(Courtesy of Annmarie Shackewyc)

The summer months bring so many of the people from Grand Horizons to the pool to cool off and refresh themselves. We had a pool party a little while ago, and that was a huge success. From what I heard, they had Wii Bowling in the community center after the party.

They also are continuing taking the photos of the residents to put in the new directory that will be coming out shortly. They took several photos during the summer months, and from what I understand, they will be taking more in the following months. So, for the people who have gone elsewhere during the summer, your chance is coming. Do not despair, as you will also get an opportunity to have your picture taken and put in the brand new telephone directory.

They still have the lunch connoisseurs once a month, and for the month of August they went to the Olive Garden. Bill and Pidge Elliott were the host and hostess for this gathering, and they did a superb job.

I spoke to Bill and he mentioned that while they were there previously, they knew what to ask for in the seating so people could be comfortable and, therefore, get to mingle with everyone else. So, they ended up having several booths with about 26 people altogether.

Everyone had a good time. I have gone to the Olive Garden before and they have delicious dinners.

On Aug. 10, there was an ice cream social. We have those several times in the winter months, but it seems like it is always on the calendar for the summer months. And I am so glad, as I understand the weather is so hot, humid and sticky they need something like this to cool off and look forward to.

I spoke to Judy Ellsworth, and she mentioned that it was a very rainy day, so not as many attended as had originally signed up. But they still had a nice turnout of 37 residents. I think that sounds like a good number to me.

There was lots of ice cream and homemade hot fudge for all. Just writing this, I can taste the ice cream and the toppings. Yum.

Bill and Judy Ellsworth, and Steve and Nancy Lay hosted the social with Mim and Terry Gardner helping out. So, our thanks go out to everyone who pitched in. It definitely was appreciated.

As previously mentioned, Grand Horizons has a craft class, hosted by Cheryl Leone, once a week. Recently Annmarie Shackewyc stated that in the class, they painted back paver doorstops and most everyone did them as animals. Annmarie created them as cute girls. Two girls were in pink while a third was in blue. The three girls standing together created a nice contrast.

By Helene Rubenstein

Published September 3, 2014

Free breakfast for all at nearly 50 schools

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Free breakfast is now available to all students in nearly 50 schools in Pasco County for the 2014-15 school year.

Reduced and free meals are typically available to lower income families. However, these schools have 60 percent or more of their students eligible for free or reduced price meals and also are part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Provision 2, according to Julie Hedine, director of food and nutrition services.

The schools now offering free breakfast for all students include:

• Anclote Elementary School
• Anclote High School
• Athenian Academy
• Baycare Behavioral Health
• Bayonet Point Middle School
• Calusa Elementary School
• Centennial Elementary School
• Centennial Middle School
• Chasco Middle School
• Cotee River Elementary School
• Crews Lake Middle School
• Fivay High School
• Fox Hollow Elementary School
• Giella Elementary School
• Gulf Highlands Elementary School
• Gulf High School
• Gulf Middle School
• Gulf Trace Elementary School
• Gulfside Elementary School
• Hudson Elementary School
• Hudson Middle School
• Hudson High School
• Irvin Education Center
• Lacoochee Elementary School
• Locke Elementary School
• Marchman Technical Education Center
• Marlowe Elementary School
• Moon Lake Elementary School
• Moore Mickens Education Center
• Northwest Elementary School
• Pasco Middle School
• Pasco High School
• Richey Elementary School
• Ridgewood High School
• San Antonio Elementary School
• Schrader Elementary School
• Schwettman Education Center
• Seven Springs Elementary School
• Smith Middle School
• Stewart Middle School
• Sunray Elementary School
• Taylor Elementary School
• West Zephyrhills Elementary School
• Woodland Elementary School
• Zephyrhills High School

For more information on the program, call Julie Hedine at (813) 794-2439, or email her at .