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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Pasco Fair designates smoking areas

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This year’s Pasco County Fair figures to largely be a smoke-free environment.

The Pasco County Fair Association recently announced it has teamed up with Tobacco Free Florida, to establish three designated smoking areas on the outskirts of the Pasco County Fairgrounds.

The policy will apply to the use of pipes, cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes and vapes.

The 72nd annual Pasco County Fair will have three designated smoking areas across the fairgrounds, in an effort to make the weeklong event largely smoke-free. (File)

The three smoking areas are as follows: the east side of Dan Cannon Auditorium near the men’s restrooms; the west side of the restrooms located at Gate 8 near the Albert A. Barthle Livestock Pavilion; and, the east side of the Joe Herrmann Greenhouse.

Those areas will be labeled with “Designated Smoking” signs, while the rest of the fairgrounds will have numerous “No Smoking” signs.

The designated smoking areas were also implemented at last year’s fair, according to David Loyd, vice president of the Pasco Fair Association.

Loyd was instrumental in creating the designated smoking areas with Tobacco Free Florida, an anti-smoking organization administered by the Florida Department of Health.

“Mainly, what we’re trying to do is create a better environment for our patrons that don’t smoke, concerning secondhand smoke,” Loyd said.

“We’re definitely not trying to turn away our patrons to smoke. We’re just trying to create a healthier, better environment for the patrons that don’t smoke. And, all we ask, is if you do smoke, go to the areas where it’s designated, and be courteous of the people that don’t (smoke).”

The 72nd annual Pasco County Fair will be Feb. 18 through Feb. 24, at the Pasco County Fairgrounds, 36722 State Road 52 in Dade City.

The fair’s primary purpose is to promote youth in agriculture, as they show their steers, hogs, plants and more. Throughout the week, the fair will feature one-of-a-kind shows and musical performances, as well as an assortment of midway rides, food, games and other entertainment.

The fair is expected to draw as many as 50,000 patrons this year.

Tobacco Free Florida will have signage and brochures about the dangers of smoking at ticket and information booths throughout the weeklong event. Representatives from the organization will also be on hand to assist anyone who may be looking to quit smoking.

Loyd noted, while he wasn’t made aware of public feedback from the fair association regarding the recent non-smoking policy, “I did have people come up to me and say they liked the fact that it was smoke-free.”

According to a 2016 report from Tobacco Free Florida, approximately 23.3 percent of adults in Pasco County smoke, which is compared to the state rate of about 16.8 percent.

For information, visit PascoCountyFair.com and TobaccoFreeFlorida.com.

If you go
Pasco County Fair
When: Feb.18 through Feb. 24 (Hours vary)
What: Rides, food, games, entertainment, livestock and exhibits
Where: Pasco County Fairgrounds, 36722 State Road 52
Cost: Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 6 through 12; parking is free. Wristbands are available for purchase for unlimited rides. Parking is free. (On Feb. 24, one child is admitted free with each adult)
Info: PascoCountyFair.com

Published February 06, 2019

Political Agenda 02/06/2019

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Democratic Environmental Caucus
The Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida, Pasco Chapter, will meet on Feb 13 at the Heritage Park Community Center, 5401 Land O Lakes Blvd., in Land O Lakes. Networking starts at 6 p.m., with the meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend. The group will be discussing its goals for 2019. For more information, email , or visit the group’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/DECFPasco/.

Kelly Smith files for State House District 38
Kelly Smith has announced her candidacy for Florida House District 38. She is running to fill the vacant seat created when former Rep. Danny Burgess left to accept an offer from Gov. Ron DeSantis, to become the executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs. For more information about Smith, visit KellyForPasco.com.  

Trinity Democrats
The Trinity Democratic Club welcomes guest speakers Monica Rousseau and Chrissie Parris from the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention. The political club meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at Fox Hollow Golf Club, at 10050 Robert Trent Jones Parkway in Trinity.  Doors open at 5 p.m., for dinner and happy hour (self-pay) with food and beverages available for purchase throughout the meeting. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. 

For more information, call (415) 298-9155, or email . You can follow the club on Facebook or at PascoDems.com.

Republican Club of Central Pasco
The Republican Club of Central Pasco meeting on Feb. 25 will feature Walter Andrusyszyn.  In 2009, Andrusyszyn served as the deputy permanent representative to NATO, while advising the President of the United States on his first visit to Europe. He is a recipient of several national and international awards, including the Secretary of State’s Award for Heroism in 1996 for helping to negotiate the release of an American journalist in Serbia. In September 2001, he was named the Director of the Task Force on Terrorism in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. Andrusyszyn’s distinguished appointments with the National Security Council, at the State Department and around the globe are too numerous to mention. 

The meeting is open to the public. The club meets at Copperstone Executive Suites, 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes. The social begins at 6:30 p.m., and business meeting starts at 7 p.m. For more information, call (813) 996-3011.

Health challenges don’t dim this boy’s optimism

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Eric Piburn’s cheerful demeanor and active nature are not what one would typically expect from someone who has lived the bulk of his life — in and out of hospitals.

Though he’s a lively 12-year-old who enjoys running, jumping and playing with toys — he was born with two congenital heart defects.

Physicians did not expect him to live beyond infancy.

Eric spent his first three years living at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg,  unable to walk or talk.

Eric Piburn loves to show off his race car track, one of his many toy collections. Despite health complications, the 12-year-old enjoys keeping active and having fun. (Brian Fernandes)

“When we first brought Eric home, my husband and I were terrified,” his mother, Randi Piburn, recalled.

Randi and her husband, Dave, already were caring for Eric’s older sister Alex — who also had congenital heart defects, although Eric’s were more severe.

He lived longer than expected, and his health complications have increased, over time.

His body could not properly break down sugars and starches, and he began to suffer from acute renal failure.

He has breathing difficulties, too, requiring the use of an oxygen mask and tank at all times.

He has survived four open heart surgeries.

His mother prepares his daily medication involving fluid and syringes. They both know the drill.

“This is his norm,” Randi said.

“Wearing oxygen is not an issue for him. Being on breathing treatments is not an issue for him,” she added.

Eric also must wear a backpack that pumps his medication into his chest through a tube, and his nutrition follows a daily regimen, too.

He drinks most of his water in the morning. He eats pureed food in the afternoon and evening.

He samples solid food, on rare occasions, but when he does, the portion is only about half the size of a grain of rice, Randi said.

Still, it’s  a long way from the days of a liquid-only diet passed through a feeding tube into Eric’s intestines.

Years of medical treatment have inspired Eric to desire a career as a cardiologist – like the one who looks after him.

“When I grow up, I want to be just like him so I can work on surgeries, do appointments and check-ups,” he said.

He has spent much of his life being treated at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, which has led to developing friendships with the hospital’s staff.

Birthday party will raise money for expenses
Randi, a former respiratory therapist, gave up her job to care for Alex.

Dave is a full-time nurse.

Finances are challenging for the Wesley Chapel family.

“When you don’t know if you can pay your bill, it’s really scary,” Randi said.

“It’s hard to just buy groceries half the time.”

On top of that are the costs of medications, medical equipment and medical supplies.

An oxygen tank, for example, lasts only a week.

Plus, Eric has been denied for certain health benefits and doesn’t qualify for government assistance.

Dave’s employer covers some expenses, but not others.

Throughout the trials, though, Randi said she’s learned valuable lessons.

“I am giving the best world I can to him (Eric). He is then, in turn, giving back to me love, joy, [and] compassion that he shows people,” she said.

For instance, Eric’s party on Feb. 3 exemplifies his caring spirit, she said.

His birthday was in December, but he wants to have a party so the community can join in.

Eric said the party is for other kids, as much as it is for him.

He empathizes with the challenges that other kids face with health issues.

Going to the hospital can be scary, he said, but he reassures other kids that the staff is there to help them get well.

“As soon as you feel better, the sooner you can go outside, run, play, swing, have fun and be a kid,” Eric said.

And, despite continuing challenges, Eric remains optimistic: “It’s a tough nut to crack, but I’m sure I can crack it in a snap.”

The party will help pay for his medical expenses, but the home-schooled boy sees other benefits, too.

“First of all, I want to be kind to the world and, second, I like presents,” he said.

Eric’s Birthday Party
Where: Old McMicky’s Farm, 9612 Crescent Drive in Odessa
When: Feb. 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: $10 per ticket for those ages 2 and up
Details: Eric Piburn is inviting the community to celebrate his most recent birthday. There will be pizza, drinks, activities and a visit from superhero characters.
Info: Email . Tickets can be purchased online at tinyurl.com/yarpcmna.

Published January 30, 2019

Pasco supports legalizing hemp as a crop

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The Pasco County Commission has unanimously approved a resolution backing the legal cultivation of hemp in Florida.

The issue came up for discussion at the board’s Jan. 8 meeting, but was delayed for two weeks to give Commission Chairman Ron Oakley the chance to learn more about the issue.

When Commissioner Jack Mariano brought up the issue again, commissioners quickly approved it.

Board members had discussed the issue extensively during their Jan. 8 meeting, when Mariano encouraged his colleagues to support the resolution, noting that it will give farmers another crop option.

The passage of the U.S. Farm Bill changed everything, Mariano said. “It’s now going to allow local people to actually grow it and do something with it, as opposed to large corporations. This is like a monumental step forward.”

Hemp can be used to make CBD oils for people’s pain, rope, plastics and other materials, Mariano said.

“Farmers struggle, losing their orange groves – this just creates a huge market for Florida, itself.

“It puts the state in a great position,” Mariano said.

Unlike medical marijuana, which must be cultivated indoors, in controlled conditions, hemp can be grown outdoors, Mariano said.

“With all of this open farmland that we have, you can actually grow the hemp. Florida, especially in our area, we can actually get three crops year out of it. That could be a huge boon for us, to go stimulate agricultural, stimulate maybe some manufacturing,” Mariano said.

Joseph Heinzman, representing the Florida Sustainable Agriculture Coop, explained the difference between hemp and marijuana during the Jan. 8 discussion.

“Because they did go ahead and pass it at the federal level, several of Florida’s laws are going to have to change over the next six months to a year,” Heinzman said.

“As it stands right now, medical marijuana dispensaries are the only companies that can grow hemp in Florida. That’s causing, for lack of a better word, a monopoly at the moment.”

Heinzman’s organization is working to change state laws so farmers can grow hemp without the fear of it being considered marijuana.

He explained that hemp can be used for fiber and other products.

Commissioner Mike Wells spoke in favor of the shift.

“I was in Georgia a couple of weeks ago and they’ve got hemp farms there. I know the freeze kills it. We need it. It’s coming,” he said.  “I think we need to lead this. It would be a cool thing for the east side of the county for those farmers who can’t have citrus anymore. They can harvest that.”

Commissioner Mike Moore noted that it’s possible today to go into retail stories to purchase clothing, handbags and other items made using hemp fibers.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey also talked about various uses of hemp, including for birdseed, bedding for animals, and the manufacture of oil-based paints, and creams, moisturizing agents, cooking and plastic.

“I don’t doubt that this going to get fixed by the Legislature,” Starkey said. “I think if our state waits a long time, it puts our state at a disadvantage.”

Published January 30, 2019

Commissioners spar over choosing rec center design firm

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The Pasco County Commission has selected Wannemacher Jensen Architects Inc., and Harvard Jolly Inc.,  as the top-ranked firms for design services for an indoor recreation center at the Wesley Chapel District Park.

It also authorized county staff to negotiate with Wannemacher Jensen, and if an agreement can’t be reach, to conduct negotiations with Harvard Jolly.

Mike Wells

Commissioners approved the action on a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Mike Wells dissenting, and following a clash between commissioners over whether to proceed with the process, or reject all of the proposals and start over.

Wells advocated starting the process over.

“I don’t know if any of you have looked at it. I do have some concerns,” Wells said. Specifically, he questioned why there was such a large discrepancy in points awarded to various proposals, and the lack of written comments to explain those differences.

He made a motion to reject all proposals and to begin the process again “and that the evaluation process be more thoroughly documented.”

Commissioner Jack Mariano seconded Well’s motion.

But, Commissioner Mike Moore told his colleagues: “I’ve got citizens waiting for this project to happen in that area. We’ve worked hard on this. I want to hear from staff.”

Stacey Ziegler, the county’s purchasing director, told the board: “We followed the process that we’ve been following the last six months, since we updated our purchasing manual.

“There were no actual comments that were written down specific to the evaluation committee members, but, if you listen to the tape, they did have full discussion.

“We feel like we’ve done our due diligence and that our recommendation should stand,” Ziegler said.

Moore said starting over would delay the project for months.

“They’re already scheduling for these new leagues to be inside. We need this to happen on the timeline we told them it was going to happen,” Moore said.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey asked: “Did we have anybody protest the selection?”

Mike Moore

Ziegler responded: “No.”

Then Mariano weighed in about the county’s evaluation process, in general.

“I don’t like the way that these committees are set up. I’d like to have a commissioner sit on it,” Mariano said. “A local firm didn’t even make the top nine, and I think the competency was there.”

That’s why he supported Wells’ motion, Mariano added.

Commissioner Starkey rejected Mariano’s suggestion. “I 100 percent disagree with putting a commissioner on an evaluation like that. There’s a lot of political pressure,” she said, adding she’s aware of commissioners who have wound up in prison because of improprieties.

“There is a reason why our county attorney has strongly recommended that commissioners stay off those kinds of committees,” Starkey said.

Wells said this is only the second time he’s pulled this type of recommendation.

“I’m not trying to disrespect our team,” he said.

“What’s concerning to me is the point spread. The way this process works is that each individual person scores it and then they go to the meeting and they discuss it.

“Sometimes it is hard for me to understand how they scored it, when there are no notes,” Wells said.

He reiterated his call for starting over.

“I think this is the fairest way to do it,” Wells said.

Starkey disagreed: “I feel we have competent staff who pick competent companies based on the criteria that are in front of them.

“At the end of the day, I trust our staff, and I feel time is of the essence and we should move forward,” she said.

Moore asked what the county would gain by going through the process again.

“If it goes out for bid again, and they write their comments down, and it ends up in the exact same order, what do we get out of it?” Moore asked.

Mariano noted that Spring Engineering was the only local company and it didn’t make the top four.

“We’re trying to push local companies, local jobs,” Mariano said, adding perhaps there was some bias relating to some other work done by the company in the past.

County Administrator Dan Biles responded:  “The evaluation committee can only evaluate the packet that is before them.”

County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder told the board: “You clearly do have the right to reject all bids.”

But, he noted: “You’ve got a series of qualified folks. You’ve got a short list before you. “Rejecting all proposals. You may not get the same group of people proposing.”

Starkey warned her colleagues: “I think we open the door for trouble, if we’re going to throw this out, because there weren’t any notes.”

Moore urged commissioners to act on staff’s recommendation.

“This facility was supposed to be part of the park many, many years ago.

The basketball leagues play outdoors.

“For one thing, it’s very hot to play on cement. There’s no covering out there,” Moore said. Plus, “they get rained out, constantly.”

He also noted that there’s no place for boys and girls to play volleyball.

“They’re literally going to New Tampa to play volleyball. Or, they travel over to Land O’ Lakes,” Moore said.

“You’re looking at almost a 1,000 kids that are going to be put off a season,” Moore said.

When it appeared the board was heading for a vote, Mariano pulled his second. He said he didn’t want to delay the project.

But, Wells maintained his opposition. “It’s about picking the most qualified person. I don’t feel we did that,” he said.

Mariano also asked county staff to find out whether other counties have a commissioner on their evaluation committees.

Starkey retorted: “Start with Broward County, you’ll have to go to the prison to interview some of them.”

Published January 30, 2019

State grant supports Pasco business park

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Pasco County has announced the receipt of a $3 million state grant to support the development of the Overpass Business Park.

The business park is intended to promote economic development in Pasco County.

The county received a grant for $3,088,580 from the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, according to a news release from the county.

The grant will support the creation of the Overpass Business Park project.

At its completion, the project will be home to 2.2 million square feet of industrial and office development, and will support between 4,000 and 5,000 jobs, the news release says.

“Overpass Business Park represents another realization of Pasco County’s ongoing commitment to strategic, robust economic growth, and we sincerely thank the State for its partnership in moving this critical initiative forward,” Pasco County Economic Growth Manager David Engel said, in the release.

The 100-acre, shovel-ready economic development site overlooks Interstate 75 and is 1.5 miles north of State Road 54. It is just south of the proposed new connection at Overpass Road and I-75.

The project design is in its final stages.

By 2022-2023, the site improvements will be completed and Overpass Business Park will be ready for development, the release says.

The Florida Job Growth Grant Fund was established in 2017 by Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature. It provides $85 million for improving public infrastructure and enhancing workforce training in Florida, the release says.

For more information about the Pasco County Office of Economic Growth, visit bit.ly/PascoEconomicGrowth.

To stay abreast of the Overpass Business Park Project progress, visit bit.ly/OverpassBusinessPark.

Published January 30, 2019

Danny Burgess bids farewell to House District 38

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Gov. Ron DeSantis’ selection of Danny Burgess to serve as the state’s executive director of Florida’s Department of Veterans Affairs has been confirmed, and Burgess has issued a letter of farewell to his constituents in House District 38.

The letter recounts Burgess’ love for Pasco County, the wonderful memories he has and his love for serving the community.

Danny Burgess

“I could not imagine a better place to grow up and, now, watch my children create their own lasting memories here,” Burgess wrote.

He also noted that the two fundamental questions that have guided his life and public service have been:

  • Is this the right decision for my family?
  • How can I best serve my community to achieve the greatest good?

Although he did not seek his new appointment, he decided to accept it, keeping those two questions in mind, he wrote.

When he was offered the appointment, he said, “ I felt it my duty to accept. We owe each and every service member a debt of gratitude, and if I can do my part to make the lives of our veterans healthy, prosperous and safe, I am humbled to be in a position do so.”

He also told the constituents of District 38 that’s not leaving the community.

“Pasco County and Zephyrhills are my home, and my wife Courtney and I could not think of raising our three children anywhere else. The headquarters for the FDVA is right here in the Tampa Bay Area. So, while I may no longer be your State Representative, I will continue to be your neighbor and friend.”

Burgess also noted, “It is only by the grace of God and the unconditional support of my friends and family that I have this opportunity to help make a positive difference in the lives of others by serving those who served us.”

He then specifically thanked his wife, Courtney, and their three children; his parents; Gov. DeSantis; and colleagues in the House of Representatives, especially Speaker Jose Oliva,

Chairman Chris Sprowls, Sen. Wilton Simpson and the entire Pasco County delegation; and his staff, Robin Ringeisen and Jonathan Till.

Finally, he thanked his family and friends in District 38.

“Sometimes it’s easy in times of political acrimony and gridlock to forget the amazing accomplishments we’ve made together for our District,” he wrote, including renewed economic development opportunities, securing record funding in state appropriations, transportation improvement projects, and consumer friendly legislation.

Burgess recently won a third term for District 38, so a special election will be held to fill the seat he is vacating.

Published January 30, 2019

Responders’ work praised in Dade City Business Center fire

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Pasco County Commission Chairman Ron Oakley praised the work of emergency responders who converged on the Dade City Business Center, in Dade City, to put out a two-alarm fire, which began in the early afternoon on Jan. 18.

Pasco County Fire Rescue was among numerous agencies responding to a two-alarm blaze at the Dade City Business Center. It took 19 hours to put the fire out. Pasco County Fire Rescue investigators attributed the cause of the fire to welding being done by an employee. (Courtesy of Pasco County Fire)

It took about 18 hours to bring the fire under control, according to a report from Pasco County Fire Rescue.

Pasco County Fire Rescue investigators attributed the cause of the fire to welding being done by an employee. The estimated damage to the business center was put at $3 million.

Oakley said local firefighters were joined by crews from other counties and received support from various agencies, in the quest to put out the raging fire.

“At the height of the fire, there were approximately 114 personnel on the scene working to mitigate the incident,” Oakley told his fellow Pasco County commissioners, during the board’s Jan. 22 meeting.

“There were no injuries. That’s the best part of the whole thing,” Oakley said.

“The fire started about 12:30 or 1 o’clock on Friday. You could see it from downtown Dade City. Just black smoke. It was hard to figure what was going on at the time.

“It started in one warehouse and it moved from one to three warehouses, and it affected five out of seven businesses right in that area in the business center,” Oakley said.

Combating the fire involved having to shut down the railway, which is no easy feat, he said.

Fortunately, there was sufficient water at the business center site to battle the blaze, Oakley said. Otherwise, crews would have had to close U.S. 301 to get to the closest water, Oakley said.

The commission chairman said he plans to send a letter thanking everyone who helped, including various agencies and the businesses that provided food to feed those working the incident.

Published January 30, 2019

PHSC lecture analyzes Dr. King’s national acclaim

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Dr. Derrick White analyzed the evolution of Dr. Martin King Jr.’s rising popularity during a lecture series at Pasco-Hernando State College, to honor the contributions made by the slain civil rights leader.

White gave presentations at the college’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, and also spoke at its campuses in New Port Richey and Brooksville.

His talk was entitled “Making a King: The Contested Legacies of a Civil Rights Icon.”

White, a history professor from Dartmouth College, told the audience at the Jan. 23 event at Porter Campus about the gradual acceptance of King, which occurred over decades and resulted in a national holiday every year in King’s honor.

“It’s hard to imagine that Martin Luther King’s legacy was at one point contested,” White said.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his stirring ‘I Have a Dream’ speech during the Aug. 28, 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. (File)

Then, he asked rhetorically: “How did King become more popular in death?”

Before delving into this gradual shift, White shared facts on America’s perception of King prior to and immediately after his assassination.

In a 1966 Gallup poll, for instance, King had a 63 percent unfavorable rating across the nation.

Then, he showed the audience two images from King’s funeral procession in Atlanta.

In one image, dots were used to denote the minority of whites in the crowd; in the other, they denoted the overwhelming number of blacks in attendance.

“It visually gives you a sense of how unpopular King was in the broader community,” White said. “What we’ve witnessed in the 50 years since his assassination, has been the acceptance and admiration of King by all political stripes, races, creeds and colors.”

However, getting to that point was an uphill battle, as King tackled social issues, the professor said.

King called for a Marshall Plan to be implemented in the U.S. – similar to the one for rebuilding a post-World War II Europe. He proposed an initiative to advance economically stricken black communities.

This, along with King’s vocal opposition to the Vietnam War, only made him more unpopular, White said.

President Lyndon B. Johnson and the U.S. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act in 1965.

While this was seen as progress, the Watts Riots in Los Angeles followed soon after, raging for six days and resulting in more than $40 million of property damage, according to the Civil Rights Digital Library.

An investigation, prompted by California Gov. Pat Brown, found that the riot was a result of the Watts community’s longstanding grievances and growing discontentment with high unemployment rates, substandard housing and inadequate schools, according to the library’s website.

Dr. Derrick White was the presenter for the PHSC 34th annual Martin Luther King lecture series. At the Jan. 23 event at the Porter Campus, White analyzed the evolution of Dr. King’s rising popularity. (Brian Fernandes)

White argued that Malcolm X was seen as a more effective leader at that time because he was able to convey the anger of African-Americans in a way King did not.

What’s more, the backlash toward King and the civil rights movement was not only confined to the Jim Crow South, but throughout the Midwest and North.

“The racism and vitriol he faced in Chicago was worse than any place he had ever stayed in Alabama or Mississippi,” White stated.

The historian then circled back to his original question on King’s rising popularity after death. He attributed it to two incidents.

First, there was the creation of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center and its conflict with the Institute of the Black World.

Second, there was the debate in the 1970s and 1980s over having a Dr. King holiday.

After King’s assassination, his family opened an Atlanta institution in his honor in 1970.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Center consisted of a monument, library, park, museum and two academic institutions – one being the Institute of the Black World (IBW).

According to White, the King Center and its IBW faction had different agendas in mind.

The center wanted to solely memorialize King and mark the civil rights movement as a success.

The IBW, however, wanted to move beyond honoring the fallen hero and focus on liberating blacks, said the professor.

In the IBW’s quest to collect historical records for its archive, it found itself in mounting debt.

Financial issues resulted in staff workers being laid off and the institute eventually disbanding from the King Center.

White stated that the King Center’s overall vision would help set the stage for a national holiday.

Fifteen years of debate in Washington D.C., also played a factor in the inception of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Congressman John Conyers would first introduce legislation for a holiday in 1968, but it didn’t get the votes needed to pass.

In 1979, Sen. Ted Kennedy also implored a day of memorial, stating that King’s movement had been successful.

It wasn’t until 1983 that President Reagan signed the legislation declaring a Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, and it was first celebrated three years later.

Forty-four states initially recognized the holiday, but expanded as King’s signature speech became the centerpiece of his legacy, said White.

White argued: “Conservatives between 1979 and 1983 showed acceptance of the King holiday when they could not stop its passage – in part because King was now being defined by his ‘I Have A Dream Speech’.”

The professor tied it to today’s political atmosphere, stating that certain rhetoric and actions show a misunderstanding of King’s vision – citing the partial overturning of the Civil Rights Act in 2013.

When asked if America would have made progress had Dr. King not existed, White answered yes.

“We treat King as the entire Civil Rights Movement,” he said. “At some point someone would have emerged to push these issues forward.”

He added that the movement was bigger than King and that when Rose Parks came to prominence, King was an unknown pastor at the time.

Published January 30, 2019

East Pasco honors Martin Luther King legacy

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In ceremonies large and small across the country, the nation paused to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a slain civil rights leader whose birthday is commemorated each year through a federal holiday.

An event to honor the birthday of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., attracted a large crowd at the Lewis Abraham Boys and Girls Club on Jan. 21. (Courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

Locally, there were various events to observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, including one at the Lewis Abraham Boys and Girls Club in Lacoochee.

Speakers lined up to offer remembrances of King, who would have turned 90 this year.

Cassie D. Coleman, president of the Martin Luther King Committee, organized “The Dream that Changed the World” event.

She read from Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech.

As a pianist played a quiet ballad, punctuated by responses of “amen” from the crowd, Coleman recited these words: “With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”

Coleman extended a warm welcome, to all those present, and the audience joined in singing, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

“Today is an awesome celebration,” Coleman said, reverently.

Pastor Philip Williams of the Glorious Church of God offered opening prayer to a congregation. The Jan. 21 event was in honor of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“We just don’t celebrate a man, but we celebrate a prophet that was sent by God to change the world as we know it,” she said.

Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez was among those attending.

“Dr. Martin Luther King devoted his life to advance equality, social justice, opportunity for all and challenged all Americans to participate in the never-ending work of building a more perfect union,” Hernandez said.

She emphasized the important role that citizens have in creating a safer and unified community.

“It’s Dade City’s desire to educate our residents to remember the dream that changed the world,” the mayor said.

The Pasco County Community Choir took the stage and amplified the gymnasium with their voices — accompanied by piano, tambourine and rhythmic hand claps from the audience.

Then, the Rev. Dr. Willie Roberts delivered his message: “I challenge all of us here today to dare to dream,” the minister said.

He noted that Dr. King’s vision was bigger than himself and compared him to such pivotal figures as Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.

He emphasized that making a dream come to fruition involves risk, and he asked the audience what they were willing to give up, in the quest for a better tomorrow.

He asked the audience to ask themselves: “Are you here to hinder, to help or to hurt?”

The program concluded with several pre-collegiate high school students taking the stage to read the biographies of female civil rights advocates, including Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Ella Baker and Ida B. Wells – who were instrumental in advancing Dr. King’s cause.

Published January 30, 2019