Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Compiled by Kyle LoJacono

The deadline for candidates to file for the upcoming primary election has expired, and area voters will have many options this voting cycle.

The Laker/Lutz News will be printing profiles submitted by those vying for the offices starting July 18 and ending Aug. 8, the week before the primary on Aug. 14.

All those who want to vote in the primary election must be registered by July 16. For Pasco, visit www.pascovotes.com or call (800) 851-8754. For Hillsborough, visit votehillsborough.org or call (813) 744-5900.

The races The Laker/Lutz News will be covering include:

U.S. House of Representatives

District 12

Gus Bilirakis, Republican

Paul Sidney Elliott, no party

John Russell, no party

Jonathan Michael Snow, Democrat

 

District 15

Dennis Ross, Republican

 

Florida Senate

District 17

Wes Johnson, Democrat

John Korsak, Republican

John Legg, Republican

Rob Wallace, Republican

 

District 18

Katherine Rebecca Barnette, write-in

Wilton Simpson, Republican

Joshua Smith, Democrat

 

District 24

Elizabeth Belcher, Democrat

Rachel Burgin, Republican

Tom Lee, Republican

Randolph Link, write-in

 

Florida House of Representatives

District 37

Richard Corcoran, Republican

Strother Hammond, Republican

Timothy Harris, write-in

 

District 38

Will Weatherford, Republican

 

District 63

Mark Danish, Democrat

Z.J. Hafeez, Democrat

Shawn Harrison, Republican

 

District 64

James Grant, Republican

 

Pasco County Commission

District 1

Ron Oakley, Republican

Rachel O’Connor, Republican

Ted Schrader, Republican

 

District 3

Randy Evans, Republican

Christopher Gregg, Republican

Joshua Griffin, Republican

Karen King, Republican

Matthew Murphy, Democrat

Kathryn Starkey, Republican

 

District 5

William Jesse Gunter, Republican

Jack Mariano, Republican

 

Hillsborough County Commission

District 1

Sandra Murman, Republican

 

District 2

Sharon Calvert, Republican

Victor Crist, Republican

 

District 6

Kevin Beckner, Democrat

Margaret Iuculano, Republican

Don Kruse, Republican

 

Pasco County superintendent**

Kenneth Benson, Republican

Kurt Browning, Republican

Edward Collins, write-in

Heather Fiorentino, Republican

Kat Lambert, write-in

 

Pasco County School Board*

District 2

Joanne Hurley

Don Stephenson

 

District 4

Alison Crumbley

 

Hillsborough County School Board*

District 1

Eddy Calcines

Susan Valdes

 

District 3

Jack Lamb

Cindy Stuart

 

District 5

Henry Ballard Jr.

Doretha Edgecomb

 

District 7

Joseph Jordan-Robinson Jr.

Terry Kemple

Carl Francis Kosierowski

Carol Kurdell

Robert McElheny

Michael Weston

Bryan Vincent Williams

 

Pasco County sheriff

Kim Sterling Bogart, Democrat

Roger Joseph Fortney, Republican

Chris Nocco, Republican

Maurice Radford, Republican

 

Hillsborough County sheriff

David Gee, Republican

Robert Wirengard, write-in

 

Pasco supervisor of elections

Brian Corley, Republican

 

Hillsborough supervisor of elections

Rich Glorioso, Republican

Craig Latimer, Democrat

Thomas Scott, Democrat

 

Pasco clerk of the circuit court

Roberta Cutting, no party

Paula O’Neil, Republican

 

Hillsborough clerk of the circuit court

Pat Frank, Democrat

 

Pasco property appraiser

Allison Newlon, Democrat

Walter Price, Republican

Mike Wells, Republican

 

Hillsborough property appraiser

James DeMio, no party

Bob Henriquez, Democrat

Ronda Storms, Republican

Rob Townsend, no party

Rob Turner, Republican

 

Pasco tax collector

Edward Blommel, Republican

Mike Olson, Democrat

 

Hillsborough tax collector

Doug Belden, Republican

 

*School board members do not give a party affiliation

**Hillsborough County’s superintendent is appointment

By Meaghan O’Neal

The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

Allie and Amber Malott, twins from Wesley Chapel, saw their dreams come true on June 29 when they opened their own consignment store.

The 16-year-old teens have a passion for fashion design and are hoping to launch their careers with their store A & A Boutique, 2653 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Suite 108 in Wesley Chapel.

They have attended several fashion shows and enjoy blogging about their trend endeavors. While many teens would stop there in their hobbies, these sisters have the entrepreneurial spirit to go farther.

“It’s going to be so fantastic because we love fashion,” said Allie, the younger of the twins, “and we’re going to be living in it every day.”

The twins spent a month collecting clothing and fashion accessories from consigners in the expectation of opening the boutique. These items aren’t just any old shirt or skirt; they’re high end and quality clothing, shoes, handbags and everything else needed to spruce up an outfit.

The teens love to shop at quality stores, such as Neiman Marcus, but most locations are far away from their East Pasco County community.

When discussing the inspiration behind the shop, Amber and Allie expressed their frustration at the distance Wesley Chapel was from such high-class clothing stores. Allie recalled a time when they were thinking out loud after one of these long drives south.

“We realized that somebody needed to come up with a high fashion designer store that sold only authentic things in the Wesley Chapel area,” Allie said. “Then we thought we could.”

The girls created the store with the goal of authenticity in mind as they meticulously check all items for their quality and condition.

With this goal also comes the desire to create fashion affordability. All of the items are 50 to 70 percent off of the original store prices so consumers can more easily purchase luxurious brands, such as Prada, Gucci, and Tori Burch that they adore so much. Consigners can also expect to make 50 to 80 percent profit from the items sold.

While they both love to shop, the inspiration for their boutique doesn’t only come from that passion. It also stems from their plans to become fashion designers.

When getting advice from an experienced designer, the sisters were told to either start interning or get experience in business and marketing. They didn’t want to be split up by learning from different stylists, so the twins decided to get the needed experience by opening their boutique.

But they’re not stopping there. They also have big plans for next year.

“We want to be fashion designers,” Amber said. “We’re going to launch our own line next year.”

For the past few years, Amber and Allie have been drawing, designing and sewing with the plan of starting their own fashion line. They hope the fall of 2013 will see the realization of that dream and that the experience they gain from co-owning the store will help in that endeavor and future career.

For more information on A & A Boutique, visit www.aa-boutique.com.

Construction costs estimated at $45.9 million

By B.C. Manion

Officials from Pasco-Hernando Community College (PHCC) anticipate that the construction of Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch will be completed in 2014.

Of course, that’s barring any unforeseen factors, including major storms that could set back the timetable, said Lucy Miller, executive director of marketing and public relations for the college.

The new campus, with an estimated construction price tag of $45.9 million, is being built on Mansfield Boulevard, next to Wiregrass Ranch High.

The location is situated in an area that’s among the fastest growing regions in Florida.  It is directly across the road from a site that Raymond James, an international financial services company, has under contract with the Porter family — who donated the land for the new PHCC satellite campus.

PHCC officials expect the new campus to attract a large student population, but it is too soon to tell if it will become the busiest location,  Miller said.

The college is estimating an opening enrollment of about 1,200 students, which is similar to the student population at PHCC’s Spring Hill Campus when it opened in August 2010, Miller said.

She also noted that statewide and national trends show many students attend college part-time while working to pay for college expenses. PHCC is experiencing that, as well, but it is difficult to anticipate future enrollment trends, Miller said.

Miller said the college anticipates partnerships to develop that will benefit area employers as well as the college’s students, but those details are not yet available.

She noted that Randy Stovall, the provost of the college system’s East Campus in Dade City, is vice president of the Wesley Chapel Chamber’s board of directors, and PHCC already has participated in some programs with the chamber including its health and wellness fair.

When designing Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, Florida Architects, Inc. incorporated suggestions from a 20-member design team made up of PHCC administrators, faculty, staff and a student representative. The team provided guidance on the overall design of the campus and contributed to the development of space for classrooms, labs, the library and space where students can gather to study and socialize, Miller said.

The college expects to have approximately 30 to 35 employees at the new campus.

It also plans to seek certification for the project from Green Global, an internationally respected environmental certification organization, Miller said.

By Jeff Odom

With her hand on Dr. Seuss’ famous Green Eggs and Ham, Karin D’Amico was sworn in as the Guv’na of Lutz during the 65th annual Lutz Independence Day celebration July 4 at Bullard Park.

D’Amico, a Nebraska native, squeaked past runner-up Connie Dorton for the crown.

D’Amico said she raised more than $5,000 with some fundraising help from the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club.

“It was a lot of work,” D’Amico said. “The Woman’s Club really worked their behinds off to make this possible. They came behind me with barbecues and bunko and all kinds of fun stuff. … I’m amazed at how this went.”

All money collected by the four candidates will go back into the community. In total, $9,529 was raised.

D’Amico said while competition was stiff from her opponents, she was always working to get ahead with weekly fundraisers in support of her candidacy.

“Every weekend in June, I had at least two things to go to, and some of them I wasn’t even here for,” D’Amico said. “They were so great and they just did it without me.”

As part of the tradition, D’Amico promised to protect the town by agreeing to principles from outgoing Guv’na Kevin Wright. She was presented with a key to the town along with a hat from the children’s book The Cat in the Hat.

Elsewhere at the event, festivities included a 5K race (see page 13 for results), cake bake contest and a parade featuring floats from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s and fire departments, youth sports teams, local candidates for political office and organizations from around the community.

One of the crowd favorites was the display of antique fire engines from around the country, including one truck used locally at the first Lutz Fire Station.

The Lutz Patriots took home the award for most patriotic float, and the best overall from the judges went to the First United Methodist Church. The event’s grand marshal favored the vehicles from World War II provided by the Gunn Highway Flea Market.

In the concluding cake bake contest, April Cales won over the judges in the adult category. As for the children’s category, Adam Lewis took first place in best tasting from the judges, while Carol Bartlett won the same honor given out by Guv’na Damico.

A total of $779 was raised at the auction for the 40 cakes and pies, which will go to fund local charities like the Boys and Girls Scouts and scholarships for area children.

 

By Jeff Odom

The morning sun appeared from behind the clouds, and outside the sounds of children playing filled the air as John Naperkowski walked to the fields at Chester Taylor Elementary in Zephyrhills.

For the physical education teacher, who woke hours before the crack of dawn to make the hour-long drive from his home in Holiday, it was just a routine day.

The grade book was checked and the newspaper crossword puzzle had long been completed.

Around him, a couple teachers were tending to his students. The extra helping hands were a rare but welcomed asset.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Susan Draves, a roaming staffer who helped with students from time to time. As Naperkowski continued, the man motioned to her and opened his mouth to say hello.

Nothing came out except for the panicked gasp of her name — “Susan.”

The tall, broad figure grabbed his chest and collapsed onto the ground as his heart shut down.

He was clinically dead.

***

In 1998, then-43-year-old Naperkowski was beginning his first year as a football assistant at Hudson High as well as a physical education instructor at the adjacent Hudson Elementary.

Known as coach Ski to those around him, Naperkowski had just retired from a 20-year career with the U.S. Marine Corps and was enjoying the time spent with his new jobs.

He looked on at the mass of students, getting ready for his class with warm-up exercises, when he noticed one was lying on the ground. As he walked over, he called out to the boy.

No response.

The children were immediately herded away from where the boy haplessly laid, and Naperkowski picked the boy up into in his arms.

It was 9-year-old Thomas Foley.

The child known for his smiles to teachers and good spirit to classmates was unresponsive. Naperkowski tried everything he could to somehow, someway, give Foley life.

Moments ticked by. The help that was coming seemed to take hours before the sound of a medical helicopter roared overhead. The air began to swirl around as it landed in the middle of the school’s field.

Paramedics removed his lifeless body from the arms of the coach who had stayed with him, holding on to hope that he could be saved.

But it was too late. His heart gave out a short time later.

There was no lifesaving equipment on the school’s campus. Naperkowski, who was hailed as a hero by his peers after rushing to Foley’s side and calling for help, said he could have prevented the student’s passing had there have been a defibulator available.

“They just didn’t have them in the schools at that time,” Naperkowski said.

Soon after the investigation concluded, the Pasco County School Board voted to install defibulators at all of its schools, which would be added during the next 14 years in order to prevent such tragedy from happening again.

Hudson Elementary was the first to get one.

***

Draves began to perform chest compressions on her friend, praying it would bring Naperkowski back to life. The physical education teacher Jackie Campbell ran to his side with a defibulator, which the school had installed just one year earlier.

The women, anxiously waiting for the ambulance to arrive, did everything in their power to keep the coach with them.

A faint beat began to pulsate throughout Naperkowski’s body as sirens announced the arrival of help.

On board, the man awoke to a haze of beeps and sounds coming from every direction. Naperkowski listened as an unrecognizable figure called out. He snapped, not understanding what was going on.

“I had no out of body experience; all I saw was black,” Naperkowski said. “I remember waking up on the way to the hospital, and they had some sort of resuscitator on me, and I felt like I was being smothered, and I was fighting the paramedics trying to get that off, and they assured me to calm down. I guess I just laid back and rested, letting them do their thing.”

Once at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Naperkowski began to regain his senses and joked with his doctor about going back home. The weight of what had occurred hours earlier still hadn’t hit him.

The doctors went to work on his heart the next morning. Inside, they found his aorta completely blocked with plaque buildup, which doctors concluded was the source of the attack.

Six days later, Naperkowski was released from the hospital. Michael Shaheen, a former student, pushed his wheelchair to the waiting car to take him home.

It was a reminder of how many lives he touched along the way.

“I’m just eternally thankful,” Naperkowski said. “I love my school, I love the kids and quite frankly that’s why I’ve been in the profession.”

Today, nearly two months after his heart attack, the only visible reminder is a large scar on his chest and thigh from where blood vessels were removed, but Naperkowski also carries the memory of just how fragile life can be.

For some, he’s a defender of American freedom whose story shines the light on the need for life-saving machines in schools.

To himself, he’s just coach Ski, forever thankful for those that saved him, for those that never gave up trying to keep him alive, much like he never gave up on young Thomas Foley.

Just as fate would have it.