Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Coast Guard retiree to run against incumbent for House District 61

By Steve Lee

Staff Writer

WESLEY CHAPEL — Democrat Elena McCullough scoffs at her underdog role and believes she has a legitimate chance to unseat State Rep. Will Weatherford in District 61.

“I’m not a career politician,” said McCullough, a 48-year-old housewife and mother who retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2004. “I’m a veteran and concerned citizen.”

McCullough announced her candidacy on Jan. 8. After canvassing for Democratic candidates in the past three presidential elections, she decided to run for public office and will challenge incumbent Weatherford (R-Wesley Chapel).

“He’s well-known and we’re very different people,” said McCullough, who was born in the Dominican Republic and became a U.S. citizen at the age of 21. “Of course, I believe that I’m the better candidate. It’s just that nobody knows me.

“He knows a lot about Tallahassee, I don’t. I’m a concerned citizen that wants to go to Tallahassee to represent the people.”

McCullough’s campaign kickoff is scheduled for Jan. 16 at Wesley Chapel District Park. The event, which will include free hot dogs, sodas and desserts, begins at 2 p.m. The park is located at 7727 Boyette Road.

In December of 2008, McCullough formed Wesley Chapel Community 4 Change, a grassroots group that numbers more than 50 people. Members have helped East Pasco Habitat for Humanity, Sunrise of Pasco and Helping Hands Food Pantry at Atonement Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel.

“I don’t have a campaign manager,” McCullough said. “I just have a group of friends who believe in me and that I’m doing the right thing.”

McCullough, who spent 24 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, said she plans to rely on her leadership as an officer in taking on Weatherford in the November election. Weatherford, who is in his second two-year term, ran unopposed in 2008.

“Just as many of my neighbors, I am mad about what our state legislature has been doing,” McCullough wrote in a press release announcing her candidacy. “Rather than focusing on keeping and creating jobs, state legislators have been catering to the wants of powerful special interests.”

A self-described “true fiscal conservative,” McCullough wrote that Weatherford voted to raise costs for auto tags, driver licenses and hunting and fishing licenses.

“These increases hurt the people in our area,” McCullough continued. “If elected to the state legislature, I will vote to repeal these unfair tax and fee hikes that representative Weatherford helped put in place.”

Weatherford, admittedly taken aback by McCullough’s references to him during her campaign announcement, nonetheless welcomes the challenge.

“The truth is, I’m very proud of my record and will continue to do a good job of representing the people,” Weatherford said. “I can’t prevent people from running against me. I think democracy is important and there’s nothing wrong with giving people a choice.”

The McCullough and Weatherford families are neighbors in Brookside, a community just east of Saddlebrook Resort. Asked about living so close to her opposition, McCullough responded, “It’s very ironic that we live in the same community.”

Weatherford recalled complying with McCullough’s request for two tickets to President Obama’s inauguration last January.

“I’m very grateful,” McCullough said. “He gave me and my daughter an experience of a lifetime.”

McCullough, who is married to Ray McCullough, has a son and a daughter. Carlos Sanchez, 22, is a 2006 Wesley Chapel High graduate who attends Florida International University in Miami. Corina McCullough, 12, is a seventh-grader at Weightman Middle.

New facility will help patients and the environment

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

LUTZ — It is not every decade that a new hospital opens in Hillsborough County.

In fact, when St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, 4211Van Dyke Road in Lutz, opens on Feb. 1, it will be the first new full-service hospital in the county in 30 years. That distinction would be enough to make the hospital unique, but the new facility will not just be giving a boost to the health of north Hillsborough and south Pasco county residents.

“Buildings are one of the largest consumers of resources and energy in the country,” said Paula McGuiness, chief operating officer of the hospital. “St. Joseph’s Hospitals and Bay Care Health System believe in being leaders of environmental stewardship, innovation and corporate responsibility.”

The 350,000-sqaure-foot, $225 million hospital was designed to both treat patients while reducing its effect on the environment.

The hospital’s Web site, www.stjosephsnorth.com, which launched on Dec. 31, states, “The environmentally friendly building is made of materials that support energy conservation and clean air with low chemical emissions and recycled content.”

Besides using more environmentally friendly building materials, the hospital has:

–Installed lighting and heating systems that use about 12 percent less energy than standard ones.

–Selected refrigerants that minimize the impact on ozone layer depletion.

–Installed water fixtures that use 20 percent less water than standard ones.

–Uses only reclaimed water from retentions ponds to maintain its landscaping.

–Used only building materials produced within 500 miles of the hospital to reduce transportation.

–Will offer preferred parking to low-emission and fuel-efficient vehicles.

The hospital’s goal is to be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design facility.

“It’s the new direction of healthcare facilities because of how the industry can impact nature, said hospital spokeswoman Jacqueline Farruggio said of making the hospital more environmentally friendly. “St. Joseph’s Hospital-North will be a leader in both patient care and helping the environment.”

Farruggio, of New Tampa, has worked with various St. Joseph facilities for two years.

For complete details on the hospital’s environmental practices, visit the hospitals Web site, click on “The Hospital of The Future, Today” tab on the upper left of the screen and click the LEED®-registered link.

The hospital plans to mainly serve north Hillsborough and south Pasco residents, which includes: Lutz, Odessa, Keystone, New Tampa, Northdale, Carrollwood, Citrus Park, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel and Trinity.

“We’re bringing quality health care closer to home and building a hospital where patients want to heal,” McGuiness said.

The hospital will offer emergency care, surgical services, imaging and diagnostic facilities, intensive care, obstetrics and other medical treatments.

“Many people think we are already open because the diagnostic building has been there for a while,” Farruggio said. “We’ve worked on the new facility for a long time and it’s exciting to be opening very soon. These kinds of things don’t happen very often and it’s great that the time is almost here.”

The hospital will be allowing people to experience its facilities before it opens during its “sneak-peak” event Jan. 23 and 24 from 1 to 4 p.m. The event will include tours of the patient areas, the emergency department, pregnancy areas and intensive care units. There will also be health screenings at the event.

People can register for the various “sneak-peak” weekend events on the hospital’s Web site.

Teacher and student both honored during state conference

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

ZEPHYRHILLS — This is not the first time one of Scott Leahy’s students has made All-State Band, but it is still a special accomplishment.

“I was very pleased to hear that Zac (Winters) was chosen because he’s worked very hard,” said Leahy, Stewart Middle band director. “It takes a lot of practice and skill, and Zac has both.”

Winters, 13, is the second student to make the team since Leahy came to the school four years ago. Last year, Luke Messina made All-State as a tuba player.

“I was ecstatic,” Winters said of making All-State. “My band director called me out of class and my mom was there when he told me. My mom was crying next to me. I was pretty shocked.”

His mom, Pam, is the president of the band’s booster club.Winters has been a percussionist at the school since sixth-grade.

The eighth-grader is not the first in his family to be in a Zephyrhills band team. His father, Scott, was also a percussionist at Stewart Middle, and his grandfather and great-grandmother played in school bands in Zephyrhills as well.

Winters tried out for All-State last October and was told he made the band a month later. He and a student from Seven Spring Middle in New Port Richey were the only two middle school students from Pasco County named to All-State.

“I have no idea how Winters got so good because he is just incredible,” said Jackson Johnson, Stewart Middle principal. “He obvious has a lot of talent because you can’t get that good with just desire. To make the team is a great honor and we are all proud of him here.”

The All-State band played at the Florida Music Educators Association Clinic Conference at the Tampa Convention Center in early January. The band played Jan. 9, two days after Leahy received the Tom Bishop Award for District Five, which is given to the best band director in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties.

“I get goose bumps when I see the kids play,” Leahy said of watching the All-State band. “I like to attend rehearsals so I know what they’re going to play and how it should sound…Then I get to see it all come together.”

Winters said of playing at the conference, “It was truly special. I’ll remember it for a long time, especially because my band director got his award at the conference this year too.”

Winters said he started playing while in fifth-grade. “I can play anything from drums to the tambourine. My favorite instrument is the Xylophone.”

He explained the first instrument he learned to play was the piano, which makes it easier to play the Xylophone because it looks like a piano and is similar to play.

While things do not always go perfectly, Winters said playing in front of people is a great experience.

“It’s fun because I think of all the times practicing that I’ve messed up, but it all comes together when we play,” Winters said. “Our band at the school is great and I’m very surprised that I’m the only one who made All-State. We could have had a bunch of us make it because the whole band is good.”

This is Winters’ last year of middle school, and it might be his last in band as well.

“I don’t even know what high school I’m going to next year, so I don’t know if I’ll tryout for band,” Winters said. “I’m weighing my options and want to see how much time I have to do things.”

At least one person thinks Winters should find time for his musical talents.

“I hope he keeps playing because he is very talented,” Leahy said. “He has worked so hard to make All-State and (Winters) would be great at the next level.”

Weekly support groups meets Mondays in Land O’ Lakes

LAND O’ LAKES – Katie Laughridge didn’t expect her 28-year-marriage to end in divorce. So when she wound up single and approaching 50, confusion set it in. Grief stricken, she turned to Break Thru Ministries in Land O’ Lakes for help.

“I had no idea how painful divorce could be,” Laughridge said. “I was overwhelmed. Break Thru helped me to heal.”

Break Thru is a non-profit ministry offering weekly support groups ranging in topic from relationships to addiction. The groups meet 7 p.m. Monday nights at Heritage Christian Center, 21418 Carson Dr. Participation is free and open to all adults.

Ministry founder Dr. Ouida Walsh uses a faith-based approach to help participants conquer life’s obstacles.

“Anyone who is hurting can benefit from a support group,” Walsh said. “We accept people right where they are and let them know there is no reason to feel ashamed. We show them that other people are going through the same thing.”

Walsh, a former nurse, received her masters in Christian counseling from Beacon Bible College in 1991. For years, she operated a private practice in Tampa and led support groups part-time. In 2003, she shifted her main focus to group counseling and Break Thru made its permanent home in Land O’ Lakes. Since then, Walsh and volunteers have helped an estimated 5,800 people.

The ministry relies heavily on Biblical teachings. Groups follow a 12-step program derived from scripture and all meetings begin with a reciting of the serenity prayer. Some groups utilize workbooks and DVDs, depending on the issue being addressed.

“It’s a process and it takes time, but I’ve seen it transform lives,” Walsh said.

Laughridge experienced the effects first hand.

“I learned there is no quick fix but God can walk you through the difficult steps,” she said. “Only with God can you truly heal. Then you become whole.”

David Bamberry, senior pastor at Heritage, refers members of his congregation to Break Thru.

“The ministry really helps people,” he said. “When I meet with someone who is hurting badly, I tell them about the groups. The groups change lives.”

Steve Eichhorn, also divorced, remembers the first time he attended group.

“It helped so much to be around people who understood what I was going through,” he said. “I was able to talk things out and learn to rely on God.”

Walsh reminds her clients that all people, regardless of their situation, are worthy of God’s love. She invites people of all backgrounds to visit Break Thru. Judgmental attitudes, on the other hand, are not welcome.

“People are not perfect,” Walsh said. “In the Bible, we learn David was a great man of God. Still, he wasn’t so good at being a dad. He fought with his children and had trouble protecting them. He needed God’s help. There is no shame in needing help.”

Walsh believes, in addition to giving one’s problems over to God, it is important to open up to peers, friends and loved ones. Whether a person is dealing with addiction or working to overcome an anger problem, she asks that they speak openly with at least one other person.

“When you hide your feelings, you can’t get better,” she said. “It’s important to get it out and discuss what’s wrong.”

At meetings, participants can talk as little or much as they wish.

“I was leery at first about opening up,” Laughridge said. “Then, I met everyone and it wasn’t long before I was spilling my guts.”

Eichhorn had a similar experience.

“I grew to trust the people in group,” he said. “I built lasting friendships.”

Both Eichhorn and Laughridge have moved on to the last step in the healing process: giving back to others. They now help lead groups at Break Thru. They are currently overseeing the Divorce Care ministry, which meets Monday nights for thirteen weeks and is currently in its second week. New faces are welcome.

“This ministry helped me sort out my issues,” Eichhorn said. “Now it’s my chance to lend a sympathetic ear.”

Walsh hopes to focus more on giving back in 2010. She is asking groups to take on community service projects and become more active outside church walls. In December, Break Thru participants helped distribute food to the hungry.

“There are so many people in need and if they aren’t coming to us, I want to go to them,” she said. “Hopefully we can reach people who are hurting and bring them into the groups. We want the community to know we are a refuge for the broken. We are here to help.”

Info box.

WHAT: Break Thru Ministries Divorce Care and Support Groups

WHEN: 7 p.m. Mondays

WHERE: Heritage Christian Center, 21418 Carson Dr. in Land O’ Lakes

HOW MUCH: Free

CONTACT: (813) 948-8860

National organization has big plans for its centennial year

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

ZEPHYRHILLS (Change to Wesley Chapel) — While it might seem like Boys Scouts of America has been around forever, it is only celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

“Boy Scouts is a pretty amazing group,” said Gregg Hilferding, Scout Master of Troop 72 in Zephyrhills. “It’s very special that scouts is turning 100 this year.”

Hilferding, 29, has lived in Zephyrhills since he was less than 1-year-old. He and his father and brother, Robert and Eric respectively, each earned their Eagle Scout awards. He now owns a T-shirt company, Class B, which makes the shirts that scouts wear when not in full uniform, known as their “class B.”

Zephyrhills (Change to Wesley Chapel here) and all BSA troops in Pasco County east of the Suncoast Parkway are part of the Allohak District of the Gulf Ridge Council, which serves all Boys Scout troops in Pasco, Hillsborough, Hernando, Sumter, Citrus, Polk Highlands and Hardee counties.

“It’s very symbolic, especially for my old troop,” said Steven Kubasek, Allohak District Executive. “My troop is also 100-years-old this year, so I’ve been anticipating this for 10 to 15 years.

“Scouting has been around so long because of the timelessness of the program. The main goals are the same as they were 100 years ago.”

Kubasek’s troop was Troop 4 in Younkers, N.Y., were he earned his Eagle award.

William Boyce, of Chicago, founded BSA on Feb. 8, 1910. Before then, there were several groups that were based on getting teenage boys outside and tied only through the name Boy Scouts, which was founded in Britain by Gen. Robert Baden-Powell in 1907.

The group was officially incorporated in this country in Washington D.C. with the financial backing of Boyce. The young BSA used the structure of other existing youth groups, such the YMCA, to create its program.

Boys can become a boy scout when enter fifth-grade. Boys are grouped into troops of 10 to 30 boys based on their location.

“Scouting is just a fantastic organization that teaches leadership development, citizenship, physical fitness and many other important lessons to young men,” said John Russell, committee member of Troop 33 in Land O’ Lakes. “I thought I was loaded with everything as a kid, but kids today are completely overloaded with school and electronics.”

Russell was the Scout Master of Troop 33 for four years. His oldest son, Chris, earned his Eagle Award in 2006, and his second son, Tim, is a Life scout in the troop.

Gulf Ridge and Allohak have planned several events to celebrate the year, with one of the biggest coming at the Strawberry Festival in Dade City on March 13 and 14. That is when Adventure Base 100 makes one of its two stops in Florida.

The base is a “full sensory experience,” where people will be able to see what scouts do, hear a crackling fire and smell roasting marshmallows. It will also include a BSA museum.

Troop 33 meets each Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, 2348 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes, and has scouts from Land O’ Lakes, Lutz, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and Dade City. Russell said the troop has no individual plans for celebrating the centennial, but will be participating in several district events.

Troop 72, which has kids from Zephyrhills and Dade City, has more ambitious planes for the anniversary.

“On the troop level, we are planning an alumina dinner for all past troop members to come to,” Hilferding said. “The troop has been around since 1936, so we have plenty of former members. We will also have an open house so the public can come and see what we do at our meetings, and we’ll have a display at Founder’s Day in March during Zephyrhills’ 100th birthday celebration.”

Zephyrhills was founded on March 10, 1910, so BSA is one month and two days older than the city.

Details about Troop 72 events were not yet confirmed, but for more information, e-mail Hilferding at .

“Scouting is making an effort across the board to diversify itself,” Kubasek said. “It’s using nontraditional scouting activities to make new groups of kids interested in scouting. One of those ways is the ‘Scouts and Soccer’ program, which allows kids to play soccer for half a meeting and do scout activities the other half.”

There have tended to be few Hispanic and other minority children in BSA, according to Kubasek. He also said a soccer program is starting in the Zephyrhills and Dade City area.

“BSA is really trying to get people to recognize that scouting is still here,” Kubasek continued. “Some people think scouting is something from the past. We want to be more visible for the next 100 years.”

Further Information about Boy Scouts of America

• For general information about BSA, visit www.scouting.org.
• For information about the Gulf Ridge Council, visit www.boyscouting.com.
• For information about the Allohak District, e-mail Steven Kubasek at .
• For information about Troop 72 in Zephyrhills, e-mail Gregg Hilferding at .

Holly is a 1 1/2 year-old mini Poodle. She goes to work each day at Hearing Care Center of Land O’ Lakes, where she eagerly greets anyone who comes through the door! Having been spoiled with treats from certain delivery company drivers, Holly thinks everyone has a treat for her, but she’s just as happy to receive lots of attention. She will soon be taking on a new responsibility as she will be featured in the office advertising. When not greeting patients, Holly can usually be found napping under the desk of her best friend and owner, Susan Newhall, of Land O’ Lakes.

Finnegan is five-years old and knows how to celebrate the holiday season. His favorite holiday activity is to see how many ornaments he can bat off the tree. Finnegan is loved by his owners, Dawn and Danny Khalil, of Wesley Chapel.

12-year-old combines love of photography and outdoors

By Ashley Reams

News Editor

LUTZ — Rikianne O’Byrne will never forget the first time she saw a baby seal.

O’Byrne, a sixth-grader at Learning Gate Community School in Lutz, was visiting Oregon with her mother, Molly Miller, stopping at parks along the coast.

As they were driving across a bridge, O’Byrne looked out at the drift logs in the water.

“All of a sudden, one of them moved,” she said.

She made her mom stop the car, and the pair walked to the middle of the bridge where they realized they were observing seals.

“They were splashing around,” O’Byrne said, “and it was so cute!”

O’Byrne and Miller were able to get closer to another group of seals the same day, and O’Byrne took several photos of them. Now, one of those pictures is part of a 2010 Wild Child Pics calendar that she and her mom have created.

The 13-month calendar combines 12-year-old O’Byrne’s love of photography and nature. It features animal photographs that she has captured over the last two years.

“I’ve always thought that a lot of people … don’t really get to see a lot of what is going on in nature,” O’Byrne said, “and I’ve always wanted to capture the moment.”

O’Byrne began taking pictures two years ago, and she has taught herself most of what she knows. She started out using her mom’s camera, a Sony point-and-shoot. That was fine for a while, but O’Byrne said she wanted something better.

So, she organized a garage sale and earned $180 selling old books and baby items. She combined that with $400 she had saved up from allowance money for six years and bought a Canon Rebel Xti 40D.

Then, she went outside and snapped photos as much as she could. Deer, alligators, herons, cranes, ospreys and other animals became her subjects. John B. Sargeant Park, the Hillsborough River and Lettuce Lake Park became her backdrops.

“Riki’s always been artistic,” Miller said. “When she was little, she would draw and paint all the time on anything and everything.”

She is also fond of animals and has lots of patience.

“She’ll stand in front of her camera for a half an hour,” Miller said, waiting to get the perfect shot.

“I do usually have to wait for the pictures to come,” O’Byrne said. “You do have to be very patient… When I’m still, (the animal) just kind of sees me as an object.”

O’Byrne and Miller set up a business, Wild Child Pics, and began selling the calendar in September. They’ve sold a total of 51 calendars via the Lutz Shop and Stroll, Café Kili in Temple Terrace, the Tampa Street Market, and their Web site, www.wildchildpics.com. O’Byrne donates 10 percent of all sales to Metropolitan Ministries, and she has a $70 check ready to give the organization.

She has also been able to use the money from sales to pay for half of a new $500 camera.

O’Byrne said she sees photography as a hobby just like gymnastics, another activity in which she excels. She said she thinks she’ll continue taking pictures as she gets older.

“Probably not as a job,” she said, “but a hobby that pays for itself.”

Instead, O’Byrne said she wants to be a mechanical engineer. She said she’s always enjoyed being inventive. Her cousin is a mechanical engineer and works for a company that creates solar panels.

“I wanted to be a mechanical engineer before I knew he was a mechanical engineer, but he’s probably inspired me more,” she said.

In the meantime, O’Byrne said she plans to sell more calendars and take more pictures. She said she’s hoping to buy about $250 worth of equipment that will enable her to use her newest camera underwater. She and Miller are tentatively planning a trip to the Florida Keys during spring break, and she said she would like to take some underwater pictures then.

She said those pictures will probably end up in her next calendar.

What: Wild Child Pics 2010 Calendar

Created by: Rikianne O’Byrne, 12, a sixth-grader at Learning Gate Community School in Lutz

Cost: $14.95

Available at:

• Café Kili, 5731 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa
• Tampa Street Market, 4715 N. Florida Ave., Tampa
• www.wildchildpics.com

More information: www.wildchildpics.com or www.facebook.com/pages/Tampa-FL/Wild-Child-Pics/131072257917

By Diane Kortus

Staff writer

LAND O’ LAKES — Happy Tails Pet Lodge has added a water lagoon designed especially for dogs to romp in.

“The lagoon sloops in like a beach so dogs can enter and exit at their own comfort level,” said owner Leigh Anderson.” There’s even a real rock water fall for them to play in!”

At its deepest, the doggy lagoon is 2.5 feet. The large lagoon narrows to become a another lagoon designed just for smaller dogs. Waterspouts leap up from the ground and an old-fashion pump pours water into the smaller lagoon.

“The spouts and water pump generate streams of water that dogs try to catch and love to play in,” said Lorraine Ceglia, a pet counselor at Happy Tails.

Happy Tails groups together dogs of similar size, energy level and demeanor. These segregated groups of pets then play, exercise and relax within the Lodge’s three fenced acres that encompass large oak trees in a rural setting.

“My dog plays outside for hours and comes home just as tired as we are after a full day at work,” said Denise Drudy, who brings her dogs Mona and Crystal to Happy Tails for doggy daycare.

Pam Hardy of Lutz also brings her yellow lab, Bella, to daycare. Bella spends most of her day trying to catch the spray and rolling around in the shallow waters. Lisa and Jim Patterson of Land O’ Lakes bring their boxer, Chelsea, who often is found relaxing under a 25-foot oak tree watching other dogs play.

Customers tell Anderson that when they pull into Happy Tails Pet Lodge, their dogs become excited and run to the Lodge’s front door in anticipation of a fun day. “That makes me feel good because I wanted to create a place where dogs get the play time and exercise they need and miss out on when left alone at home all day,” said Anderson.

Happy Tails Pet Lodge offers pet boarding, doggie daycare, grooming and long-term care. Large boarding suites are available for big dogs and multi-dog families who want to house their pets together.

The lodge has a relaxing, home-style feel, perhaps because Anderson lives in a small house connected to the facility.

“Clients tell me that having me on site gives them comfort, knowing their furry family members are not left alone at night,” she said.

The Lodge also welcomes cats. Felines are housed inside, apart from dogs, in an open 10-by-10 foot suite with individual housing. A cat-sized, three-level tree fort takes up much of the feline house and offers cats lots of things to play with and perches to watch over.

Happy Tails Pet Lodge is located north of Land O’ Lakes on Ehren Cutoff, about a mile south of SR 52. Overnight dog boarding fees begin at $18. Daycare fees are between $7 and $18, depending on the number of hours a pet stays.

For additional information, call (813) 995-221 or visit HappyTailsPetLodge.net