The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Petters, Davidson to speak at Saint Leo commencement

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The newest graduates at Saint Leo University will get a sendoff from a native brother and sister duo who have a lot to share about their experiences.

C. Michael Petters and U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Susan Davidson will deliver the guest commencement address at Saint Leo May 3 for graduate and undergraduate students at the university.

Petters, chief executive officer at Huntington Ingalls Industries, will deliver the afternoon message, while his sister, Davidson, will speak in the morning. Both are from Dade City, and grew up in St. Joseph. Both also served in the military, just like their other siblings in what has become a Petters family tradition.

Petters earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982 and served aboard the nuclear-powered submarine USS George Bancroft. He is now on the board of directors for the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, and is on the board of trustees of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation.

Davidson received her commission in 1983, and began active duty in 1986. In the decades since, she has commanded at the company, battalion and brigade level in both peace and war. That includes the 870th Transportation Company in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in the 1990s, the 49th movement Control Battalion during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and both the 599th Transportation Group, and the 595th Terminal Transportation Group in Kuwait.

Although Davidson was committed to service and her country, she did delay her commitment to the U.S. Army for three months in 1986 so that she could help replant the family orange groves that had been damaged in a hard freeze.

She earned a chemistry degree from New Mexico State University, and holds master’s degrees in advanced military studies, and national security and strategic studies.

In June 2012, Davidson assumed command of Defense Logistics Agency Distribution, a leading provider of global distribution support to America’s military.

Saint Leo has 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students who attend either in St. Leo, from more than 40 teaching locations in seven states, or online from other locations.

Swiftmud hosting open houses to update floodplain maps

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The Southwest Florida Water Management District, commonly known as Swiftmud, is working to identify flood-prone areas in parts of Pasco County during two upcoming open houses.

The events will take place at River Ridge High School, 11646 Town Center Road in New Port Richey, on April 29 and May 1. Start time each day is 4 p.m.

The open houses are focused on residents who live within the Pithlachascotee River/Bear Creek watershed, which covers most of northern and western Pasco.

Courtesy of Southwest Florida Water Management District.
Courtesy of Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Swiftmud representatives will present preliminary flood information, explain the basis behind the findings, and gather additional information that may be used to identify areas that are prone to flooding. That information will then be finalized and presented to Swiftmud’s governing board, and could possibly be used for future updates to the Federal Emergency Management Agency digital flood insurance rate maps.

The information is typically used by local governments for land use and zoning decisions, to help manage development in and around floodplains and wetlands, to reduce flood risks, to preserve land and water resources, and for emergency planning. It also can be used by residents in decisions about purchasing and protecting property.

For information, or to find out which watershed you live in, visit WaterMatters.org/FloodRisk, or call Swiftmud at (352) 796-7211, ext. 4297.  

In Print: Journey’s hospital journey, along with Easter plans across the area

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There’s nothing faux pas about Journey’s faux paw.

The 5-year-old Golden Retriever was born without a left paw and uses a prosthetic to get around — especially to visit patients at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz.

Journey was born without a front left paw, and his prosthetic is a conversation piece when he visits patients with his owner, Ron Graff. (Photo courtesy of St. Joseph's Hospital-North)
Journey was born without a front left paw, and his prosthetic is a conversation piece when he visits patients with his owner, Ron Graff. (Photo courtesy of St. Joseph’s Hospital-North)

“Everybody enjoys a visit from a therapy dog,” Ron Graff told reporter Michael Murillo. “I get comments from patients all the time that many of them are missing the pets that they have at home, and it was just great to be able to spend a little bit of time talking to the dog or petting the dog.”

St. Joseph’s-North began its program just last July, and has since reaped dividends in the form of happier patients and genuine anticipation of the pet visits.

“It cheers them up and boosts their morale,” said Karen Telfer, volunteer resources auxiliary coordinator at the hospital. “We’ve actually had one patient say they hoped they were still here the next week to see that dog again.”

Another morale booster, this time coming to shoppers around the region, is a new Premium Outlets mall planned for State Road 56 and Wesley Chapel Boulevard, just off Interstate 75. The developers behind the project moved another big step forward last week when they filed revised site plans, meaning the project is just months — if not weeks — from getting underway.

But one question remains: Will the new outlet mall have the name “Wesley Chapel”?

“I think on one hand, we would love to have our local identity,” John Hagen, president and chief executive of Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., told reporter Michael Hinman. “We would love to see that be more prominent, but we also benefit from our association with Tampa and Tampa Bay. It’s a mixed bag, but I see both things.”

The mall calls for nine buildings with 482,000 square feet of retail. Overall, the project is calling for 1.1 million square feet of retail space.

Finally, this Sunday is Easter, and there is plenty of ways Christians can celebrate the holiday, according to reporter B.C. Manion. And it’s important they do, said Mike Holm, a minister who lives in Zephyrhills, but leads Calvary Chapel of Tampa in Lutz.

“It’s because the Resurrection of Jesus is the central event of all humanity,” he said. The death and Resurrection of Jesus means “that death has been defeated,” allowing for “complete reconciliation” with God.

All of these complete stories and more are 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.

Area under strong thunderstorm, lake wind alert

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The National Weather Service has issued a strong thunderstorm alert for Southwestern Pasco, Northwestern Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Meteorologists for the weather service detected thunderstorms three miles southwest of Indian Shores, six miles west of Seminole, moving northeast at 30 mph.

Officials say to expect gusty winds 35 to 45 mph, and to slow down when driving through heavy rain. They also suggest to leave a safe distance between vehicles.

The weather service also has issued a lake wind advisory through 8 p.m. for several counties, including Pasco and Hillsborough.

Winds will increase to around 20 mph, with higher gusts as a cold front approaches the area, officials said. This could create hazardous conditions on area lakes.

Such an advisory is issued when sustained winds are forecast to be between 20 and 29 mph, with frequent gusts to near or above gale force for at least three hours. These winds can create rough conditions on larger lakes, which could produce damage to or flip small boats.

Officials say outdoor enthusiasts may wish to postpone lake-related activities until conditions improve.

Union helps Pasco County employees ratify first contract

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The Teamsters Local 79 union in Tampa is celebrating its first Teamster contract with Pasco County public employees the group says will represent 1,100 public sector jobs across the county.

A one-year contract was ratified by those employees late last week, according to the Teamsters, and covers workers ranging from road and bridge maintenance, to librarians.

“We fought to win a strong first contract for these hardworking public employees, and we won,” said Ken Wood, president of Teamsters Local 79, in a release. “The battle took almost four years, but our negotiators knew that they must bring the employees a contract that honored their job seniority, had just-cause provisions, and included wage increases. And that is just what they delivered.”

Pasco’s public employees are the newest ones represented by the local Teamsters group, who already work with similar employees in Hernando, Citrus and Collier counties.

Teamsters Local 79 is affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents 1.4 million workers throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Coldwater Creek closing doors at Shops at Wiregrass, nationwide

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Coldwater Creek is closing its doors, not only at The Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel, but everywhere.

The women’s apparel retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Friday, and announced to its investors that it would wind down operations and close more than 350 stores in May, including five in the Tampa Bay area.

It was founded in 1984 in Idaho, and quickly opened retail outlets across the country. Just a year ago, the company employed 2,500 full-time employes and 4,100 part-time employees nationwide.

The company did not release how many employees it had in its Shops at Wiregrass location.

Coldwater Creek executives told investors they looked at all other alternatives to closing over the last six months, including finding someone who might want to buy the company. However, finding a suitor was unsuccessful, as were attempts to find a loan or an investor willing to bankroll an effort to turn the company around.

Coldwater Creek says it will hold “going out of business” sales in the coming months, beginning as early as May.

“First and foremost, we are extremely grateful to all of our associates for 30 years of dedicated service to Coldwater Creek and to the millions of loyal customers who have enjoyed our award-winning customer service and beautiful and unique products,” said Jill Dean, president and chief executive of Coldwater Creek, in a release. “Our talented associates continue to impress, performing their duties with professionalism and grace during this period of uncertainty.

“We we begin preparing to wind down our operations, customers should know that our stores and website remain open for business, and we will be providing information about the tremendous values that will be available at our inventory clearance sales in the coming weeks.”

FDOT warns against fake toll collection letters

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Some letters may be arriving in mailboxes seeking to collect unpaid tolls from various roadways like the Suncoast Parkway and Veterans Expressway, but not all are as they seem.

Florida Department of Transportation officials are asking travelers to be wary of any attempt to collect unpaid tolls by a company calling itself Toll Enforcement LLC.

The company, according to Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise spokesman Chad Huff, is sending “Final Warning Notice” letters to people, and asking them to immediately pay outstanding toll amounts, plus a fee of $50. However, FDOT is not working with any company by that name, and is posting a fraud alert on websites that serve its turnpikes, SunPass and Toll-By-Plate programs.

Any toll violations or warnings issued by FDOT would be printed in official document form, and will prominently feature the date, time and location of the alleged infraction, officials said, as well as a photo of the vehicle passing through a toll plaza.

The company is being investigated by law enforcement officials. Anyone who receives one of these documents are asked to contact SunPass at (888) 865-5352, so that it can be turned over to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

Shelter dogs desperately seeking adoptive, foster homes

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Pasco County Animal Services say their shelter is now bursting at the seams with adoptable dogs, and they need some caring individuals and families to help find them a home.

“The shelter is currently over capacity for dogs, and we need help right now,” said Mike Shumate, the county’s animal services manager, in a release.

The dogs, he said, have been spayed or neutered, microchipped, and have all their vaccinations.

The shelter is looking both for adoptive families and foster homes for dogs. Although not as widely known as adopting, fostering can help save the lives of two animals — the one with the temporary home, and the new dog that would take his place at the shelter.

The county continues to work toward saving 90 percent of its population, a far cry from the 46 percent euthanizing rate in 2012 before the program was implemented.

Since the program started, more than 2,300 animals have been saved from being put down, county officials said.

The adoption center is located at 19640 Dogpatch Lane in Land O’ Lakes. It is open from noon to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and on Thursday from noon until 6:30 p.m.

For information, visit PascoCountyFl.net/PAS, or call (813) 929-1212.

Missing plane search expands into Brooksville area

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As the search for a Zephyrhills pilot and his plane concluded its fourth day, members of Civil Air Patrol’s Florida Wing and local officials have pushed their search further south into the Brooksville area.

Theodore Weiss was last seen taking off from a social pilot gathering in Dunellon Saturday in his two-seat, single-engine Sonex homebuilt plane, but never made it to the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.

Radar, however, showed Weiss’ plane heading not to Zephyrhills, but toward the Hernando County Airport in Brooksville instead. That created questions among some observers on why he would stray off-course.

But officials with Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary to the U.S. Air Force, said such a flight path would be common for cautious pilots like Weiss flying in experimental planes.

“Mr. Weiss and the members of the Florida Sonex Association are cautious pilots,” said Maj. Willard Garman, CAP incident commander for the search, said in a release. “They routinely flew this particular route not only so that a nearby airport was always within each reach, but so that they nearby Suncoast Parkway was both a landmark and a potential emergency landing site.”

CAP officials said they were expanding their search area along the Brooksville route to see if Weiss may have flown further than his radar track indicated. That now expands the search area from Citrus to Hernando counties.

Weiss was first reported missing Monday when relatives and friends realized he never returned, and found his car still parked at the Zephyrhills airport with both Weiss and his plane missing.

Weiss’ plane is white with green and black stripes. Anyone with information is asked to contact their local sheriff’s office. The non-emergency number for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is (727) 844-7711. They also can email the Florida Wing at .

Family Dollar to close stores

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With financial results not meeting the expectations of executives, Family Dollar says it will trim its work force and close 370 of its stores nationwide, or 5 percent of its stores.

It’s unclear if any of the local stores are threatened. Family Dollar has a location at 34200 State Road 54 in Zephyrhills, and at 32644 State Road 52 in San Antonio.

Howard R. Levin, the chairman and chief executive of Family Dollar, blamed sever winter weather conditions that kept many shoppers away in the north over the past few month. It also disrupted merchandise deliveries, and higher-than-expected costs to maintain those stores. All of that contributed to net sales dropping by $200 million — or 7 percent — from the previous year.

There are more than 50 Family Dollar stores in the Tampa Bay region, and is one of several chains with stores locally that caters to the low-cost merchandise market.

The store closings along with the job cuts and lower prices on nearly 1,000 items would save the chain between $40 million and $45 million in the coming year, executives said. Family Dollar also will slow its national growth this year, giving time for some new stores to become profitable.

Family Dollar averages a little more than six employees per store, with closings alone expected to affect 2,300 jobs.