The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Job fair kicks off Wednesday

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Looking for work? Then Land O’ Lakes High School is exactly where you need to be Wednesday for a job fair.

Pasco County Schools is partnering with county agencies and local chambers of commerce for a fair July 9 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the high school, 20324 Gator Lane, in Land O’ Lakes.

The fair will include the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, county government offices, the clerk of court and tax collector, as well as some other businesses to talk to people looking to return to the job market, or step up from their current jobs.

Some of the positions the agencies are looking for at the fair include clerical and administrative support, accounting and finance, bus drivers and assistants, information services, food services, law enforcement and corrections, maintenance and skilled trades, and instructional and child care.

For more information, click here.

Main Street Zephyrhills earns national accreditation

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Main Street Zephyrhills Inc. has received accreditation from the National Main Street program after meeting commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Main Street Center.

To become accredited, Main Street Zephyrhills had to meet 10 standards of performance. They include:

• Have broad-based community support for the commercial district revitalization process, with strong support from both the public and private sectors.
• Has a comprehensive Main Street work plan.
• Possesses an historic preservation ethic.
• Has a paid, professional executive director.
• Reports key statistics.
• Be a current member of the National Trust Main Street Network.

The National Main Street Center is a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The National Main Street Center launched last year, using principles they say have been used in 2,000 communities, producing $59.6 billion in investment, creating nearly 503,000 jobs, according to the organization’s website.

Main Street Zephyrhills’ performance will be evaluated each year by Florida Main Street. In the past seven years alone, there have been 444 public and private, new or rehabilitation projects completed within the Main Street Zephyrhills district, totaling more than $2.6 million, officials said. The district also has seen a net gain of 308 jobs as well as more than 15,000 hours of volunteer service.

Main Street Zephyrhills also has worked with city officials on its Facade Beautification Grant Program.

“Downtown Zephyrhills is the focal point and heart of the community and its economic health, whether perceived or actual, plays a large part in the impression people have the area,” said Gina Granger, executive director of Main Street Zephyrhills, in a release.

Eastern equine encephalitis found in Pasco horses

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Two horses in Pasco County have tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis, posing a risk to humans, according to the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County.

The encephalitis is rare, and is caused by a virus spread by infected mosquitoes that can cause brain inflammation.

While disease transmission does not occur directly from person to person, it can be transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. Those at highest risk are people who live in or visit woodland areas, people who work or participate in outdoor recreational activities where there is greater exposure to potentially infected mosquitoes.

Mosquito-borne infections in people can cause headache, fever, dizziness, confusion, movement disorders and coma, health department officials said, in a release.

Protecting from mosquito bites means following the “Five Ds,” officials said.

• Dusk and Dawn — Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are seeking blood.
• Dress — Wear clothing that covers most of the skin.
• DEET — When the potential exists for exposure to mosquitoes, repellents containing up to 30 percent DEET are recommended. Other effective repellents include picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, and IR3535.
• Drainage — Check around the home to rid the area of standing water, where mosquitoes lay eggs.

Elimination of breeding sites also is key to prevention, officials said. That means it’s best to:

• Clean out eaves, troughs and gutters.
• Remove old tires or drill holes in those used in playgrounds to allow drainage.
• Turn over or remove plastic pots, and pick up all beverage containers and cups.
• Check tarps on boats or other equipment that may collect water.
• Pump out bilges on boats.
• Replace water in birdbaths, animal dishes and plant trays at least once a week.
• Change water in plant trays, including hanging plants, at least once a week.
• Remove vegetation or obstructions in drainage ditches that prevent the flow of water.

There is no vaccine to protect humans from this form of encephalitis, but horse owners can contact their veterinarian for information on vacations of horses against mosquito-borne diseases.

For more information, call (352) 521-1450 and select Option 6, or click here.

Check out charities before making a donation

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The Better Business Bureau is using July 4 as an opportunity to shine some light on the various charities the organization supports.

“The freedom of choice, to support causes we care about, reminds us of the spirit of the July 4 holiday,” said H. Art Taylor, president and chief executive of BBB Wise Giving Alliance, in a release. “But whether the charity advocates for issues related to civil rights, immigration, the environment, animal welfare, health care, veterans, military service members or other issues, verify if the charity meets the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability by visiting Give.org.”

BBB offers the following tips when giving to charities:

• More than a charity name. Don’t assume the nature of the advocacy charity’s programs based solely on its name. Review the organization’s website to better understand its position and activities.

• Be wary of overly emotional appeals. Watch out for charity appeals that seek to stir your passions for an advocacy issue, but don’t tell you what the charity is specifically doing to address the matter.

• Many voices for each cause. For any advocacy issue, there are a variety of charities seeking to address the matter in their own way. The charity soliciting is not the only option to consider. Many charities that carry out program services such as health care research, education, veterans assistance and the like also are engaged in advocacy activities related to their mission.

• Accountability is more than finances. It would be a mistake to overemphasize charity finances when assessing a charity. BBB Wise Giving Alliance reminds donors that its broad standards address many other aspects of accountability, such as governance, effectiveness reporting, appeal accuracy, website disclosures, donor privacy and other matters.

• Deductibility verification. Don’t assume that all advocacy organizations are tax exempt as charities. If deductibility is important, see the advocacy appeal references whether the organization is tax exempt as a charity.

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance produces reports on more than 1,300 nationally soliciting charitable organizations, and local BBBs report on another 10,000 local and regional charities. The alliance does not rank charities, but rather seeks to assist donors in making informed judgments by providing objective evaluations of national charities based on 20 standards that address charity governance, finances, fundraising, appeal accuracy and other issues.

For more information, visit Give.org.

Stay safe in the water this holiday weekend

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The Pasco County Department of Health is reminding residents the potential dangers of water activities during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, and is suggesting tips to keep people safe.

“When you make plans for this patriotic holiday, be sure to discuss water safety,” said county health officer Mike Napier, in a release. “Water activities are a great way to stay active, but they can come with hazards. Planning ahead and taking precautions can help keep our families safe.”

Napier says the first thing families should do is designate a water watcher when children are around water.

• Assign an adult to watch the children at all times.
• If the assigned adult needs to leave, assign the responsibility of watching the children to another adult.
• Never leave children alone in or near water, even for a moment.
• Use barriers to block children from the water area like four-sided fencing that’s at least 5 feet high, self-closing and self-latching gates, doors and window alarms.
• Be prepared by learning CPR, keeping rescue equipment and a phony in the pool or water area.

Additional steps when around open water include:

• Set specific swimming rules for each individual or group based on swimming ability. For example, those who cannot swim 200 yard on the water’s surface should wear a properly fitted life jacket.
• Read and follow all rules and posted signs.
• Never swim alone.
• Designate a water watcher.
• Swim only in designated areas.
• Never combine alcohol and water recreation.
• Take frequent rest breaks on land.

To precent recreational water illnesses, which can result from swallowing or being exposed to contaminated water:

• Don’t swim when you have diarrhea.
• Don’t swallow the water you swim in.
• Parents of young children should take children on bathroom breaks every 60 minutes. Check diapers every 30 to 60 minutes.
• Avoid water-related activities in warm freshwaters, hot springs and around power plants. Particularly during periods of high water temperature and low water levels.
• Hold your nose shut or use nose clips when you swim in bodies of warm freshwater, such as lakes, rivers and hot springs.
• Avoid digging in or stirring up the sediment in shallow, warm freshwater.

For more information on water safety and the water watcher program, click here.

Free admission July 4 for military personnel

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The Museum of Science & Industry, 4801 E. Fowler Ave., in Tampa, is offering free admission for all military personnel on July 4.

It’s open to active duty, veteran and retired military personnel for them and up to five family members.

Open exhibits on Independence Day include Disasterville, The Amazing You, as well as the BioWorks Butterfly Garden. Visitors also have a chance to check out MOSI’s newest exhibit, 3-D Printing the Future.

Those eligible include branches like the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps.

The offer excludes Imax films and Sky Trail Ropes Course & Zip Line.

For more information, call (813) 987-6000, or visit MOSI.org.

Lutz cake and pie contest features new twists

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The annual Fourth of July cake and pie contest in Lutz this year will have a few new ingredients.

One change attempts to level the playing field.

Sarah Robison gave her cake a festive feel, attracting the highest bid from Mark Carnes, who posed with her after the auction. (File Photo)
Sarah Robison gave her cake a festive feel, attracting the highest bid from Mark Carnes, who posed with her after the auction.
(File Photo)

From past experiences, contest coordinator Marilyn Wannamaker said she has observed that it was not fair to have a 4-year-old compete against a 20-year-old. That inspired the addition of a new category.

Now there will be three categories instead of two. It will break up adults 18 and older in their own group, with teens between 12 and 17 competing against each other, and children from 4 through 11 in their own category.

Also new this year, the contest will be move to the Lutz Senior Center. Previously, it was at the Lutz Fire Department building, but the volunteer fire department has since been replaced with a county crew and the building sold.

This year will be Wannamaker’s “last hurrah,” as the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club member plans to turn over the task of organizing the event to someone new next year. At age 83 and after running the contest for 12 years, Wannamaker said it’s time to give someone else a turn.

The Lutz woman said she originally found herself interested in the annual contest because she enjoys the opportunity to meet people in the community. Some competitors are new to the contest every year, while others enter each year.

Wilma Lewis typically enters four or five decorated cakes each year and is expected to do the same this year, Wannamaker said. The Gaschlers like to make it a family affair. Last year, Ron baked a hummingbird cake, Rebecca entered a chocolate chip confection, and Tracy made her famous five-pound apple pie.

The pie fetched $85, the highest price in the cake and pie auction, which follows the parade each year.

Adults and children entered about five-dozen pies and cakes last year. This year, Wannamaker hopes to attract more entries, as the theme of the Independence Day celebration is a salute to the volunteer firefighters who served the community for decades.

Those wishing to enter the contest should remember to think about the type of icing they use because there is no refrigeration in the judging areas, Wannamaker said.

“We had one little boy who baked a large cake that was a house and a village, and he used blueberry Jell-O for the lake,” Wannamaker said. “Well, his lake became an ocean.”

Winners in each category will receive a blue ribbon.

Size matters, too, according to the contest organizer. The entries must be no larger than 9-by-13 inches.

Once the contest is over, all pies and cakes will be carried over to the front of the train station for the auction.  The money raised by the sales go to different charities in the Lutz area.

Besides generating money for good causes, the cake and pie auction can be entertaining. Auctioneer Bob Moore will encourage bidders, while Cheryl Benton carries the sweets around to give the crowd a good look at them.

Sometimes, Wannamaker said, the best bidding wars involve parents and grandparents.

Fourth of July cake and pie contest
There are now three age groups for the Lutz Fourth of July cake and pie contest. They are adults, ages 18 and older; teens, between 12 and 17; and children, from 4 through 11.

The contest categories are the same for each group, with the exception of an additional category for men in the adult age group, and for boys in the other two age groups. The idea is to get the boys and men into the kitchen, said Marilyn Wannamaker, contest coordinator.

Categories include best-decorated, most patriotic, best cake tasting, best pie tasting, judge’s favorite, and Guv’na’s favorite.

Those wishing to enter the contest must deliver their entries to the Lutz Senior Center, 112 First Ave. N.W., between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., on July 3, or between 6 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., on July 4.

– Ashley Schrader

Published July 2, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Award winning air conditioning, heating and plumbing in Land O’ Lakes

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James and Dana Spears, owners of Cornerstone Pros, are fully prepared to handle all of your air conditioning, heating and plumbing needs.They offer same-day service, 24-hour emergency service, free estimates for installation and free second opinions.

Cornerstone won the Angie’s List Super Service Award for 2012 and 2013 and currently has over 415 glowing reviews on Angie’s List. They also have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

“Our goal as a company is customer service first,” says Dana. “We strive to provide exceptional service at a fair price. We want to go above and beyond customer’s expectations.”

James and Dean Spears have made Cornerstone Pros a premiere air-conditioning company.
James and Dean Spears have made Cornerstone Pros a premiere air-conditioning company.

They started the business in 2006. Before that, Dana worked in commercial insurance for 15 years; while James worked in air conditioning and plumbing for 25 years. In their previous jobs, Dana learned about the value of customer service, and James saw first-hand the benefits of exceptional professional trade knowledge.

One of their goals is to employ local people and serve local customers. They rented their first building just down the road, moved to another as their business grew, and recently got an opportunity to purchase their current building.

They have 27 employees, some of whom have been there since they opened. “We have a wonderful staff and dedicated people who enjoy working here,” says Dana. “We added plumbing this year and hired two plumbers. Our goal is to have six plumbers on staff within a year.”

Their services include the service and maintenance of all air conditioning and heating units. They also provide water treatment and testing services, whole home re-pipes, stoppages, and fixture installations.

Cornerstone did a rebranding earlier this year. They hired a firm to create an old-school image that portrayed their core values, ethics, honesty and quality work. “The feedback from our customers and the community has been excellent,”says Dana.

This is truly a family-owned and operated business. They currently have five family members working for the company. “Our children have to work for one year for someone else before they can work here,” says Dana. “We want them to know what it’s like to work in the real world. That outside experience will help them see the importance of happy employees and customers.”

“We recently had an outside company do an anonymous employee survey,” says Dana. “The employee feedback was outstanding. The survey company was astounded at how satisfied our employees were. We work hard to give our employees a good work environment and keep them long-term.”

Dana was born and raised in Lutz. She graduated from Land O’ Lakes High School and is a mother of five. Two have graduated from Land O’ Lakes High School, two are still in high school, and they now have a 2- year-old son. James was born and raised in Tampa. They are both very active in community support and want to give back more as they continue to grow.

To learn more, visit CornerstonePros.com, or call (813) 949-4445.

– Mike Matthew

This story is a feature of the advertising department.

In Print: Big news coming from a bigger Laker, Lutz News

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The new century has not been the kindest to newspapers, with many cutting staff, coverage and pages. But that’s not the same at The Laker/Lutz News, where we aren’t getting smaller.

Instead, we’re getting bigger. Six inches bigger to be exact.

“It’s because of your continued belief and support that we’re able to announce today a milestone that is one of the most significant improvements ever to our papers,” Publisher Diane Kortus said. “Beginning Aug. 6, we are increasing our size to that of a daily newspaper.”

That extra six inches will make the paper 25 percent larger. And it will come with a refreshed look at the top as well, with what we like to call “Laker Blue” dominating the landscape.

The new design will allow for bigger and more photos, two sections for most editions with easy-to-find classifieds, bigger ads, more advertising circulars from retailers like Beall’s Outlet, and a renewed commitment to what we’ve been doing all along: serious local news, from the people who make the area great, to what will affect your way of living.

See everything Diane has to say about the changes in this week’s edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or read the online e-edition for free by clicking here.

During the school year, tens of thousands of breakfasts and lunches are served every day to students in cafeterias across Pasco County. But what happens when the school year ends, especially for students who might not have had a good meal otherwise?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture hasn’t forgotten, and works locally with Pasco County Schools to bring lunches to thousands of kids, whether it’s at one of more than 60 food distribution stations, or on one of five retrofitted school buses that travel around the county, bringing lunches to those who might not be able to get out.

“There are kids who can’t get to those sites,” Cindy Norvell, a food and nutrition specialist for Pasco County Schools, told reporter Michael Hinman. “Many of them don’t have transportation. So instead of expecting them to come to us, we took meals to them out into the communities that needed them most.”

The effort requires a lot of organization and dedication, including on the buses which have had seats replaced with food counters.

Find out how this program is working, and how more people can participate by reading this week’s print edition of The Laker. Or you can read the print edition online by clicking here.

When Gulfside Hospice & Palliative Care started in 1989, a lot of people weren’t familiar with what hospice services were.

But even today, as Gulfside celebrates its 25th anniversary, hospice is much more well-known, but there are details that still get a little lost in translation.

“A lot of people think that hospice is a place,” Linda Ward, president and chief executive of Gulfside, told reporter B.C. Manion. “Hospice is a concept. The concept is really comfort and quality, peace, dignity.”

Gulfside now has 14 locations, including a corporate resource office in Land O’ Lakes. And it’s one of two major groups bringing hospice to Pasco County.

To read more about the anniversary and what Gulfside has planned, check out this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News. Or read 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.

Pinchers Crab Shack opens at The Shops at Wiregrass

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Pinchers Crab Shack, a seafood restaurant chain based out of Bonita Springs, has opened its 10th location at The Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel.

The restaurant, located at 28330 Paseo Drive, Suite 185, is offering dinner service beginning at 4 p.m., and will expand to include lunch beginning July 7 at 11 a.m. It will be managed by Dacie Broshears, who also managed what was the closest Pinchers to the area before in Lakewood Ranch near Bradenton.

Pinchers started in 1997 at a six-table restaurant in 1,500 square feet of space in Bonita Springs. It has grown to 10 locations and more than 500 employees, stretching from Wesley Chapel in the north to Key West.

For more information on the location, visit PinchersCrabShack.com.