The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Second Citizens Academy class now forming

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Pasco County is now accepting applications from the public to attend the second Citizens Academy class.

Applications will be accepted throughout August for a class that will begin Sept. 24, and run through December.

The first class formed in January, and finished in spring.

“We had a wonderful selection of candidates to choose from for the first class, and I’m hopeful we’ll have another top list of candidates to choose from for the fall class,” said Randy TeBeest, assistant county administrator for public safety and administration, in a release. “We’ve had applicants from all walks of life, from those currently in the work force to retirees, citizens who want to learn how their county government works.”

Participants will learn about all aspects of county government as well as Pasco’s constitutional offices. Some of the classes include subjects in emergency management, fire rescue, elections, the property appraiser’s office, libraries, tax collector, sheriff, public service, and development services and utilities.

Those who would like more information can visit tinyurl.com/PascoCitizenAcademy.

For information, call Paula Baracaldo at (727) 834-8115, or email her at .

 

This is one newspaper that keeps growing

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Are newspapers turning into dinosaurs?

It may appear the Internet is forcing a lot of newspapers to cut back, but the exact opposite is happening at The Laker/Lutz News.

The Laker/Lutz News publisher Diane Kortus holds up a brand new paper, which launched Aug. 6. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
The Laker/Lutz News publisher Diane Kortus holds up a brand new paper, which launched Aug. 6. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

During a special celebration Tuesday night at the Porter Campus of Pasco-Hernando State College, The Laker/Lutz News unveiled its new size and design, entering the world of broadsheet papers. The change makes the paper the same size as daily newspapers in the area, and provides even more room for local stories and photos relevant to the communities of Land O’ Lakes, Lutz, Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Odessa, Zephyrhills and Dade City.

Wednesday morning, The Laker/Lutz News publisher Diane Kortus appeared on “Your Wake Up Call” on WWBA-AM 820 with Alex Hinojosa and Jenna Laine to talk about the new Laker newspapers, and where the industry is going.

“The daily newspapers have had lots of challenges, both on the local level and national level,” Kortus said. “On the weekly level, the community newspaper industry is stronger than ever. We give readers the kind of news they can’t get anywhere else.”

Delivering news in the 21st century may mean having an online presence, like right here at LakerLutzNews.com, but true success at the community level is still making sure that there is a newspaper readers can hold in their hands.

“People who read community newspapers, whether it be weekly community newspapers or daily newspapers, they only go to that paper’s website once a month,” Kortus said. “People want to get this news in the traditional newspaper format.

“The news is important to them, but it’s not earth-shattering. They don’t need to know it immediately. They like to sit down with a cup of coffee and read it.”

To hear the entire interview on News Talk Florida, click here. To see a video featuring the new size, visit tinyurl.com/LakerXLVideo. For pictures of the launch event at PHSC, visit tinyurl.com/LakerXLPics.

In Print: Is living in Pasco but working in Hillsborough all that bad?

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It’s something it seems people hear all the time. There are a lot of places to live in Pasco County, but not really a lot of places to work.

That’s why so many people head south on Interstate 75, U.S. 41 and the Suncoast Parkway every morning, and local leaders are working hard to try and reverse that trend and lower commute times.

But not everyone thinks the daily commute is all that bad. Ken Littlefield, a former state representative who is now in a primary race for a spot on the Pasco County Commission, told an audience during a recent candidate forum that he’s not losing any sleep over the fact that Pasco residents typically work outside the county.

“A lot of people see 60,000 to 80,000 people leaving Pasco to go to work in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties as a negative. But I’m not sure about that,” Littlefield said. “It’s like they are working in the mine. They are bringing the gold back to Pasco, and they are spending that money here. When that money is spent here, there is economic growth that is taking place.”

How did county government and business leaders respond to Littlefield’s position? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker, now available in your driveway, at various places around the area, or in our free online e-edition by clicking here.

If that morning traffic jam is too much for you, then maybe that morning commute can be done by air.

Tom Warren piloted a hot air balloon from American Balloons over New Tampa on a recent Thursday morning. In the distance, another balloon company is giving passengers a ride. Neither balloon traveled far that day because there was very little wind. (Photo by B.C. Manion)
Tom Warren piloted a hot air balloon from American Balloons over New Tampa on a recent Thursday morning. In the distance, another balloon company is giving passengers a ride. Neither balloon traveled far that day because there was very little wind. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

The Land O’ Lakes company American Balloons offers near-daily trips into the skies above Pasco and Hillsborough counties, providing a breathtaking view that, well, can only be seen by riding in a hot air balloon.

Reporter B.C. Manion was soaring on a recent trip, where she learned a lot about what motivates others to take to the skies.

“It was so calm,” said Kathy Rizzo of Wesley Chapel. “I’m afraid of heights, and I wasn’t afraid at all. It wasn’t at all frightening. It was a very smooth landing.”

Get the full story on a voyage through the skies in the print edition of this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, leading off our brand new B Section. That’s right, your community paper is not only bigger in physical size this week, but it now has two sections.

Go get that paper right now, or if you can’t wait to run to the driveway, read our free online e-edition right here.

Finally, it’s been three months since the golf course at Plantation Palms in Land O’ Lakes shut down. Golfers are missing out on acres and acres of links, but homeowners that live in Plantation Palms are feeling the pinch as the once popular spot now begins to rot.

No one involved with the property — the owners, the bank who financed it, not even the homeowners association — is talking. But neighbors are, and they’re not happy.

“If you’re a golfer, it affects your way of life,” resident Patty Stach told reporter Michael Hinman. “But even if you’re not a golfer, it affects the value of your home. Who would want to buy into a community where the golf course looks like this?”

What does the future hold for the Plantation Palms Golf Club? Find out in the print edition of this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, or read it right now in our online e-edition by clicking here.

Oh, and are you ready for some football? We continue our preview of all the local gridiron teams this week from reporter Michael Murillo with the Sunlake Seahawks and the Zephyrhills Bulldogs.

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.

And see The Laker XL with our brand-new video!

Spaghetti dinner to help Molina family

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A Wesley Chapel family is still grieving after a single-vehicle car crash over the weekend on Interstate 4 in Seffner killed a mother and her infant daughter. But now members of a youth sports team some of the injured brothers in the crash played on wants to help.

The Wesley Chapel Bulls, a Pasco Police Athletic League youth football team and cheerleading squad, is hosting a fundraising spaghetti dinner Aug. 8 beginning at 7 p.m., at Sam Pasco Park, 39835 Chancey Road in Zephyrhills.

Tickets for the event are $5, and all proceeds will be donated to the Molina family as they try to recover from the weekend accident.

Ruben Molina had his entire family in his Hyundai Entourage on I-4 just after 1 a.m., toward Tampa, according to published reports. He lost control of the vehicle, and rolled several times before finally stopping in the parking lot of a recreational vehicle retailer.

Amanda Lynn Osborn and daughter Madilyna Molina were killed. Osborn’s and Molina’s sons, Ruben Molina and Elijah Molina, were seriously injured and taken to Tampa General Hospital, while the father and his sister, Marialena Molinda, suffered minor injuries. The sons are members of the Wesley Chapel Bulls.

To get tickets, email .

Pasco schools to keep valedictorians, salutatorians

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A seemingly unpopular idea to remove valedictorians and salutatorians from graduating classes in Pasco County Schools is now gone.

Superintendent Kurt Browning issued a letter to the media Tuesday night, saying he is abandoning any further efforts at this time to explore the place singling out the top academic performers in each class has in education overall.

“After much reflection and discussion, I have made the decision to preserve the valedictorian and salutatorian titles while we look at the underlying issues with our grading and grade weighting processes,” Browning wrote. “The (student progression plan) the school board will consider at next Tuesday’s final public hearing will not include the original recommendation to remove the val/sal titles.”

Browning said his position on the matter was mischaracterized on a local television station, which generated a number of emails coming out against it. The interview took place after the school board’s first public hearing on revisions to the student progression plan, which at the time included removing valedictorian and salutatorian titles.

“I want Pasco principals, school leaders and teachers to know that I still think changing how we honor our best and brightest is the right thing to do,” Browning said, “I believe there is a better way to recognize the highest achievers, encourage more students to strive for excellence, and eliminate the practice of recognizing only two students per school … year.”

Browning, however, wanted to make it clear that he did not advocate “giving a trophy to every student.”

The issue might be dead for now, but Browning said he plans to resurrect it next year when it comes time to talk about the 2015-16 school year. By then, he is hoping that a panel of academic experts will have weighed in with recommendations for improvement.

In the meantime, principals at Pasco schools have the flexibility to determine how valedictorians and salutatorians will be recognized and who will speak at graduation, Browning said. He also encouraged those principals to consider using titles similar to what colleges use like cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude, which he had advocated in his student progression plan.

The board will meet once again on the student progression plan Aug. 12 at 9:30 a.m., in Land O’ Lakes.

Extended school days lead to parent information nights

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Pasco County Schools will host information nights for parents at Lacoochee, Cox and Gulfside elementary schools over the next few days, to share details on how the extended school day is going to work.

The sessions are scheduled for Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. at Lacoochee Elementary School, 38815 Cummer Road, in Dade City, and at Cox Elementary School Aug. 11 at 6 p.m., at 37615 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., in Dade City.

The Gulfside Elementary School session is scheduled for Aug. 7 and Aug. 7 at 6 p.m., first at the school at 2329 Anclote Blvd., in Holiday, and then at Weston Oaks Apartments the second night at 1251 Weston Oaks Drive in Holiday.

The schools are required by the state to add an hour of reading instruction to their school day for fourth- and fifth-graders after it finished among the lowest 300 performing schools in the state when it comes to reading. Among those students, only those who scored lower than Level 5 on the FCAT reading exam will need to stay later.

Students in kindergarten through third grade already exceed the required 900 hours of instruction per year, so they will not need to be extended. However, the reaming students require a minimum of 1,080 hours of instruction annually.

All students will start at the time they started school last year, and most of the school will end at the same time as last year. However, those affected by the changes will see their school day extend by approximately 50 minutes.

Now accepting credit cards: Your local school

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Pasco County Schools will begin accepting credit and debit card payments during registration and orientation days this year through the SchoolPay company.

Parents will be able to purchase school merchandise and yearbooks, and pay for fees, field trips, and other school items at the school or online through links on the school websites, according to a release. The district human resources department also will accept credit card payments to pay for fingerprinting fees.

An undisclosed transaction fee will be charged on each transaction.

The secure online site will accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover cards. Parents also can search their full history of payments by date and child.

“It’s important to me as superintendent to offer parents convenience and to increase our use of technology in our daily operations,” superintendent Kurt Browning said, in a release.

The district piloted the program at Wiregrass Ranch High School as well as Connerton Elementary School last school year. Both schools reported increased collections and positive feedback from parents about the ease and convenience of paying school fees online with credit and debit cards, officials said.

The district’s food and nutrition services department also accepts online credit and debit card meal payments at MyLunchMoney. School vending machines will accept credit and debit cards, and each school will have a dining room credit card readers for meals at point of sale stations.

MOSI wins national award from Noyce Foundation

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The Museum of Science & Industry in Tampa has been selected as one of just seven museums in the country to receive the Bright Lights Community Engagement Award from the Noyce Foundation.

The award recognizes science centers, children’s museums and natural history museums that have done what it considers to be an outstanding job of engaging with their local communities, especially in areas like science, technology, engineering, art and math. It comes with an undisclosed monetary prize said only to be above $100,000.

“For decades, MOSI has been engaged in the issues of Tampa and the region, with particular emphasis on underserved and at-risk populations, and those who work with them,” said Ann Bowers, chair of the Noyce board of directors, in a release. “Outreach and community engagement are not a separate department at MOSI, but embedded in its organization culture and actions. Commitment to community and improving lives permeates everything this institution does.”

The goal of the award, according to the foundation, is to discover and shine a light on those willing to embrace their communities in new and profound ways. A panel of 15 judges helped select the winners.

MOSI provides more than $3 million annually in free passes, scholarships and memberships to those who cannot afford them. In addition, MOSI works with educators, Head Start teachers, families and children to increase science interest and improve science inquiry, according to a release.

“Our impact on students in the Tampa Bay community and beyond through outreach programs, scholarships and trainings, allow us to bring fun, interactive STEAM education to those who might not otherwise make it to our science center,” said Molly Demeulenaere, MOSI’s vice president of growth, in a release. “This award will allow MOSI to continue its mission of being an educational resource with an emphasis on underserved communities.”

Other museums winning the Bright Lights award include Explora in Albuquerque, New Mexico; the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul; the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California; the Hands On Children’s Museum in Olympia, Washington; The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia; and The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California.

The Noyce Foundation was created in 1990 to honor the memory and legacy of Robert N. Noyce, co-founder of Intel and inventor of the integrated circuit, which fueled the personal computer revolution and gave Silicon Valley its name.

The Bright Lights award and donation will allow MOSI to continue reaching underserved populations with initiatives like scholarships, outreach programs, teacher trainings, and science assemblies to help meet the needs of families and schools with limited resources.

For more information on the Museum of Science & Industry, visit MOSI.org.

Gas prices hit 4-year low

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Does the cost of gas seem cheaper than usual? It should, because drivers haven’t experienced prices like these since 2010.

Back then, gas was $2.74 per gallon, according to AAA. Within a year, it would jump nearly 80 cents, and climb even higher in 2011.

Yet, the national average of $3.50 set over the weekend not only is 3 cents cheaper than last week, but the lowest it’s been since those prices started to climb in August 2010.

“Typically, gasoline prices fluctuate in July and August, but for the most part, prices have steadily declined,” said AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins, in a release. “Oil prices decreased dramatically this week, so there’s no reason gas prices should go up any time soon. In fact, if these conditions continue, prices could eventually slip below $3 a gallon by the end of the year.”

Of course, there are always events that can get in the way of such an occurrence, like refinery outages, spikes in oil prices, and merely the threat of a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, Jenkins said.

The price of a barrel of oil dropped $4.21 in just a week to $97.88 — the biggest weekly decline in seven months, and the lowest since February. Refineries are running at record levels, and there is more than enough gasoline in the market, which has helped bring down prices despite multiple overseas conflicts, AAA said.

Florida’s gas is at $3.41, down a nickel from last week, and at its lowest point since February. Just a month ago, gas in the state was at $3.61. Last year at this time, drivers were paying $3.58 at the pump on average.

As of last Sunday, gas prices in the Land O’ Lakes and Lutz area ranged from $3.21 to $3.49, according to GasBuddy.com, with the cheapest found at Lutz Petroleum on U.S. 41. The cheapest gas in the Wesley Chapel and New Tampa area was $3.22 at Sam’s Club on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, with high prices around $3.47.

In the Zephyrhills area, gas cost between $3.37 and $3.42, the cheapest found at the Marathon station on Eiland Boulevard. However, drivers willing to go a little further for cheaper gas could find it at $3.31 at the Shell station on the corner of Cortez Boulevard and U.S. 301.

 

Legislature cuts revenue, but misses goal

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Florida TaxWatch is praising the state Legislature for working to be more efficient with taxpayer dollars after an evaluation of bills passed in the most recent term showed revenue to the state would decline by more than $550 million.

That reduction would still leave $1.65 billion in general revenue reserves for the fiscal year.

Fiscal stewards in the Legislature wisely did not spend all of their available revenue,” said Dominic Calabro, president and chief executive of Florida TaxWatch, in a release. “Rather, they left a considerable amount in reserves, which strengthens Florida’s fiscal future. However, TaxWatch encourages the Legislature to improve the integrity and transparency of the appropriations process to ensure accountability in budgeting.”

The Legislature did, however, fall short of its $500 million tax cut goal. The package reduces state and local revenue by $398.8 million this year, and $469.4 million next year.

In addition to bills reducing revenue, a few measures were passed by the 2014 Legislature to slightly increase revenues, including possible sales tax revenue from medical cannabis and an increase in collection of E911 fees.

The cuts will provide only $128 million more in general revenue available for the next budget, Florida TaxWatch said.