The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Wesley Chapel native proudly serves country

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Kaelyn Cardona, a graduate of the Class of 2013 at Wiregrass Ranch High, is now known as Seaman Cardona and she works as a cryptologic technician in Pensacola.

The Wesley Chapel native is stationed with a command that’s responsible for teaching future information warriors the skills required to defend America around the world.

Seaman Kaelyn Cardona

She operates out of the Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Corry Station in Pensacola.

As a cryptologic technician, she’s responsible for analyzing electronic communications, jamming enemy radar signals, deciphering information in foreign languages, and maintaining equipment and networks used to generate top secret intelligence.

Cardona credits success in the Navy with lessons she learned during her years in Wesley Chapel.

“Growing up, I learned to never give up, which helps me so much in the Navy,” Cardona said, in a news release.

The IWTC Corry Station is just one component that makes up the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT) domain, headquartered at Naval Air Station Pensacola Corry Station.

The CIWT leads, manages and delivers Navy and joint force training to 22,000 students annually.

It also oversees about 200 courses at four information warfare training commands, two detachments, and additional learning sites located throughout the United States and Japan.

As a member of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Cardona and other sailors and staff know they are part of a legacy, serving as a key component of the information warfare community.

These sailors have a tremendous responsibility in creating options for fleet commanders and advising decision-makers at all levels, serving worldwide aboard ships, submarines and aircraft, and from the National Security Agency to the Pentagon.

Cardona said, “Serving in the Navy means giving back to my country that I love.”

Published August 15, 2018

Laker/Lutz News picks up seven statewide journalism awards

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The Laker/Lutz News received seven awards in the Florida Press Association’s Weekly Newspaper contest for work completed in 2017.

Hurricane Irma dumped quite a bit of rain, leaving behind flooded roads in Dade City. (Stefanie Burlingame)

The competition included a total of 1,439 entries from 64 newspapers. Judges for the contest were editors and publishers from Arizona, California, Colorado, Ohio, Missouri, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. The awards were announced on Aug. 10 in Orlando.

The Laker/Lutz News took home three first place awards, two second place awards and two third place awards. It competed among newspapers with circulations exceeding 13,000 — the largest circulation class in the contest.

“The awards we received this year from Florida Press are reflective of the good work our journalists do every week reporting on the issues in our communities,” said Publisher Diane Kortus. “This year, I am especially proud that every member of our news team was recognized, and that their work covered such a wide variety of topics.”

A dual-outboard motorboat tows the full water ballet team, which looks like a chorus line on water skis. (Fred Bellet)

Staff writer Kathy Steele took first place honors in the Education Reporting category for a story she wrote about the Spring Fling Buddy Ball at Wesley Chapel High School.

Steele also took third place in the State and Local Tax Reporting category for a story she did about the use of tourist taxes to help finance the Wiregrass sports complex in Wesley Chapel.

Stefanie Burlingame, the newspaper’s graphic designer, took first place in Spot News photography for her shot of a flooded River Road in Dade City, in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

The newspaper also captured the top two places in the category of Photo Series in One Issue.

This silver quarter-scale World War II Wildcat fighter plane is one of the 48 registered model planes that took flight on Nov. 18 at the Bay City Flyers meet in Land O’ Lakes. Scot Prossen owns the plan, which has more than 608 flight hours on it. (Randy Underhill)

Fred Bellet, a regular contributor, won first place in that category for a series of photos he shot to illustrate a story about The Tampa Bay Water Ski Show Team’s free performance at Tower Lake in Oldsmar.

Randy Underhill, also a regular contributor, won second place in that category for a series of photos he shot to showcase the activities of the Bay City Flyers, a radio-controlled flying club, which meets in Land O’ Lakes.

Editor B.C. Manion received second place in the Faith and Family category for her account of a Land O’ Lakes family grappling with the uncertainty of whether their son had survived Hurricane Maria. The hurricane ravaged the island of Dominica, where their son was in medical school.

Staff writer Kevin Weiss won third place in the Community History category for his story tracing the history of the Jewish community in Tampa, which dates back more than 170 years.

Published August 15, 2018

Wesley Chapel to get a new fire rescue station

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A new fire station in Wesley Chapel will replace an aging facility that has become inadequate to handle the needs of a growing population.

Pasco County’s Fire Rescue Station No. 13, off Old Pasco Road, is expected to open in January 2019. A groundbreaking was held in mid-March on the same day the Pasco County commissioners approved the construction contract of about $2.6 million.

Funding is partially from the Penny for Pasco program.

Construction is underway on a replacement fire station for Pasco County’s Fire Rescue Station No. 13, in Wesley Chapel. The station is expected to open in January. (Courtesy of Pasco County Fire Rescue)

In addition, Pasco purchased an adjacent property for about $467,000, according to county records.

The additional land was needed to accommodate a new fire station that, at about 9,400 square feet, will more than double the size of the old station at 27329 Dayflower Blvd.

The new station also will have space for a Pasco County Sheriff’s substation, where deputies will be able to write up reports, and conduct interviews.

The new station will have three drive-through bays and will be able to hold six fire vehicles. Currently, five firefighters and a battalion chief work each shift. But, the additional space means that eventually up to nine firefighters and one battalion chief could be accommodated.

Instead of dormitory-style sleeping quarters, individual bunkrooms will be provided.

There will be a larger kitchen, with individual pantries for each shift.

Firefighters will have an on-site fitness area, and a specialized washing system for their gear. Also, there will be customized gear lockers in a climate-controlled room.

For emergency calls at night, a “stumble light” system will automatically turn on lights at the fire station, as firefighters don their gear and board fire vehicles.

The station is modeled after Fire Rescue Station No. 30 at Little Road and Massachusetts Avenue, in western Pasco. In 2015, the station won Firehouse Magazine’s “Notable Architectural Design Award.”

Pasco County Fire Chief Scott Cassin said, “It’s essentially the same footprint and design.”

While the new station is under construction, the old station – built in the 1970s – remains operational, Cassin said. It will be torn down once its replacement is opened, he added.

“It’s really in a good location in the central part of the county,” said Cassin.

The area is also a high growth area for the county, with new residents arriving monthly.

Estimates show Pasco adds about 300 homes each month, Cassin said.

Pasco’s growth in all areas of the county is bringing challenges to county departments that deliver services to residents.

Fire rescue especially is called upon to respond to increasing numbers of emergency calls.

At budget workshops to prepare the 2019 draft budget, fire rescue officials noted that in 2017 firefighters responded to more than 71,000 such calls. Over the next eight years, those calls are expected to increase to 100,000 a year.

Much of that is due to overall population increases, but Cassin said other factors also add to the call volume, including Pasco’s aging population.

Lack of health insurance for some is also a factor, he said.

“A lot of people have dropped their health insurance and don’t get the medical care that they should,” Cassin said. They can wind up seeking medical attention when it becomes an emergency, he added.

“We’re seeing some of that,” he said.

As the county’s growth continues, Cassin said fire rescue is planning to expand its capabilities.

However, that comes at a cost to build new stations, increase personnel and add equipment.

In the general election on Nov. 6, voters will be asked to consider approval of four 30-year general bond referendums for the sheriff’s department, parks, libraries and fire rescue.

Over the life of the bond, if approved, fire rescue estimates collecting more than $70.2 million in revenues. About $2.2 million would cover costs of financing the bond, and leave fire rescue about $68 million for construction projects.

Funds would be used to build nine fire stations, including new ones and expanded or refurbished ones.

Four new stations would be located at Suncoast Parkway and State Road 52; State Road 52 and Majestic Parkway; Meadow Pointe, by State Road 56; and Bexley, off State Road 54.

In addition, five stations would be expanded and upgraded.

They would be at U.S. 41 and Central Boulevard; Seven Springs Boulevard; U.S. 19 and Cross Bayou Boulevard; Shady Hills; and, Crystal Springs.

Published August 8, 2018

Check out Pasco’s history at Fivay.org

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If you are curious about Pasco County’s history, perhaps the best way to become familiar with it would be to check out the website, Fivay.org.

Jeff Miller, a recently retired high school mathematics teacher, maintains the website and has invested countless hours piecing together Pasco County’s story.

Miller has gleaned information from newspaper articles, old deeds, post cards, photographs, public records and personal accounts to create a repository of information that provides visitors a chance to learn about the history of the county’s geography and its people.

Local historian Jeff Miller shared his knowledge about the origins of various Pasco County place names last week during a meeting of Pasco County Historical Society. (B.C. Manion)

Miller, who is a member of the West Pasco Historical Society, was the guest speaker last week at the Pasco County Historical Society meeting at Pioneer Florida Museum & Village in Dade City.

His talk focused on the origins of names for various places in Pasco County.

For instance, the name Fivay — for which his website is named — is a community in West Pasco that was established by five men whose last names each began with the letter A: Preston Arkwright, Martin F. Amorous, H. M. Atkinson, Gordon Abbott and Charles F. Ayer.

The town, famously, was put up for sale, Miller told the crowd of about 60 people who gathered for his talk. The 1912 advertisement offered 104 residences, bungalows, stores and hotels, electric lights and a water plant, noting it was willing to sell the property “whole or separately.”

A historic marker that helped share Fivay’s story sadly has been stolen, Miller said.

But, the marker isn’t entirely gone because there is a photo of it on Miller’s website.

The local historian traced Pasco County’s place names by sharing maps dating back to 1714, when Florida was still under Spanish rule.

The name Anclote, appears on that map and may have appeared on earlier maps, going back possibly to 1500s, Miller said. “Anclote is apparently the oldest place name in Florida,” he said.

He told the crowd that Fort Dade, the fort, was established in 1837, and was named after Francis Langhorne Dade, who was killed in the “Dade Massacre,” a battle with the Seminole Indians.

A look at the rail yard in Abbott, which later became Zephyrhills.

Other places named for Dade include Dade City; Miami-Dade County; Dade County, Georgia; Dade County, Missouri; and Dadeville, Alabama, according to Miller.

“We don’t know what he looked like,” he said, because no photographs were taken of him.

“On the Internet, there’s a web page about him that has a picture, but it turns out the picture is actually Zachary Taylor,” Miller said.

At one point, Fort Dade was in Mosquito County, a huge county that stretched to where Palm Beach County is now, Miller noted.

Hernando County was created in 1843, he said. The name was changed the following year to Benton County, after residents asked the Florida Legislature to rename the county to honor U.S. Sen. Thomas Hart Benton, for his role in passing the Armed Occupation Act. That legislation opened up South Florida for settlement by providing each settler 160 acres, if the settler lived on the land for five consecutive years, built a home on the land and defended the land against Seminole Indians.

But, the county’s name was reverted to Hernando County in 1849 after Benton came out against slavery.

Miller also noted that the name Tuckertown, which was named for a local family, was mentioned in a newspaper in 1870. It was later changed to Richland in 1886.

Wesley Chapel also known as Wesley on area maps
The name Wesley Chapel was known to be in use in 1877, Miller said. Records show a school at Wesley Chapel for the 1877-88 school year. The community was thought to be named for John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church.

A post office named Wesley operated from 1897 to 1902, and during that time, maps show Wesley, rather than Wesley Chapel, he said.

The longer name was probably unacceptable to officials naming post offices at the time, he said.

In East Pasco, the name Lake Jovita is said to have been named by Judge Edward F. Dunne and Capt. Hugh Dunne on Feb. 15, 1822, because it was the feast day for Saints Faustinus and Jovita, Miller said. The lake also is called Clear Lake.

In 1882, the Sumner Post Office was established. The initial request was to name the post office Clear Lake, but that was denied with the request to use a short name, Miller said. Three weeks later, the name was changed to San Antonio. The name was changed to Lake Jovita on Nov. 1, 1926, and then changed back to San Antonio on Aug. 31, 1931.

Neither St. Joseph nor St. Leo were part of the original Catholic Colonies, established by Judge Edward F. Dunne.

St. Leo was named after Saint Leo University, which was named for Pope Leo I, and St. Joseph was named by the Barthle family, who had lived near a town named St. Joseph, Minnesota.

The Hatton Post Office was established in 1882, but it was moved, and its name was changed to the Dade City Post Office on Dec. 18, 1884.

In 1885, the McLeod Post Office was established. It was sort of the original name for Trilby. The name was changed 23 days later to Macon, and then changed to Trilby in 1901.

Trilby’s name came from railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant, who wanted to name the area around Macon after the heroine in wife’s favorite book, “Trilby,” by George du Maurier.

Even though the name wasn’t formally changed until 1901, there were references to Trilby in the late 1800s, Miller said.

“They platted out street maps showing streets named for characters in the story,” he added, and newspapers around the country reported that a small town in Florida was being named Trilby.

The city of Zephyrhills, originally was known as Abbott, got its name in 1888. It was changed in 1910 by Capt. Howard B. Jeffries, who founded a retirement colony for Civil War veterans. The word zephyr means gentle breeze, and Zephyrhills is known for its hills, Miller said.

The Pasco Post Office, established in 1889, was named after the county.

Pasco County got its name in 1887 when Jefferson Alexis Hendley and Dr. Richard Bankston traveled to Tallahassee to lobby the Legislature for a new county to be called Banner County.

The name did not go over well with legislators, who said “my county is just as much a banner county as yours,” Miller said.

Bankston then proposed the name Pasco County, in honor of Samuel Pasco, the newly elected U.S. Senator. On the same day, in 1887, Pasco and Citrus counties were created, with Pasco coming from the southern third of Hernando County and Citrus coming from the northern third.

The community of Land O’ Lakes got its name in 1949 and was the result of giving the Drexel-Denham area a new name. The following year, the Ehren Post Office was moved and renamed Land O’ Lakes.

Revised on August 9, 2018

Students ring in the 2018-2019 school year

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As a new academic year begins, students heading to Florida public schools will be welcomed to campuses that are now protected by armed security.

The Florida Legislature mandated the armed guards at public school campuses across the state in response to the Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that left 17 students and staff members dead, and 17 others injured.

But, the additional security is just one of many changes awaiting students at schools across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

Some students will be heading to entirely new campuses.

The North Tampa Christian Academy, is opening at 5619 E. County Line Road in Wesley Chapel. It will serve students from age 2 through 12th grade.

Union Park Charter Academy, a charter public school, is another new school. It is opening, at 32775 Oldwoods Ave., in Wesley Chapel. It is a kindergarten through eighth grade school, but this year will be serving only students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

Meanwhile, in Land O’ Lakes, students and faculty arriving at Land O’ Lakes High School will continue to see a campus in the midst of a major makeover. There’s still a considerable amount of work left to do, but the project involves a substantial upgrade of the facility.

Students and staff at Woodland Elementary School in Zephyrhills will find a campus that has already undergone a massive makeover.

And, while it’s not noticeable yet, Zephyrhills High School is gearing up to begin a renovation that also will breathe new life into the facility.

There are changes on the academic front, too.

Cypress Creek Middle High School, in Wesley Chapel, for instance, will have its first senior class.

And, Pine View Middle School, at 5334 Parkway Blvd., is starting the new school year as Pasco County’s first authorized IB Middle Years Programme World School.

The middle school has worked long and hard to achieve the distinction, dating back to May of 2015 when it became an IB candidate school.

In addition to that new distinction, Pine View also has been named a magnet school, which means that students who live outside of the school’s attendance zone can apply to attend the school.

On another front, Pasco County Schools offers a variety of enrichment programs before and after school for elementary-age children.

The district’s afterschool enrichment department also manages five other programs.

Two of those programs are funded through 21st Century Community Learning Centers federal grants. Those programs are the STAR Academy, for elementary students; and DELTA Academy, for middle school students, according to the district’s website. Both are free and are aimed at academic enrichment.
The STAR Academy programs are located at Gulf Highlands, Quail Hollow, and Rodney B. Cox elementary schools. The DELTA Academy programs are located at Gulf, Hudson, and Raymond B. Stewart middle schools.

Two afterschool fee-based programs also are being offered at some district schools.

Beyond the Bell is an afterschool program for middle school students that incorporates homework assistance, sports, music, dance, leadership development and community service activities, the district’s website says. It will be offered at Charles S. Rushe Middle School, in Land O’ Lakes and River Ridge Middle School in New Port Richey.

Explorations will be offered at Wiregrass Elementary School, in Wesley Chapel. The program operates Monday through Thursday, from 4:10 p.m. to 5:10 p.m. The program includes a variety of enrichment activities for children, such as coding and robotics, dance, Spanish, and sports drills and skills.

School’s back in session: Drive safely
As school bells ring in another academic year, motorists and pedestrians are reminded to be cautious to help keep everyone safe.

Here are some tips for drivers from AAA, North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization:

  • Observe the speed limit. School zone speed limits are purposefully set low. Children are unpredictable, and may have difficulty gauging the distance and speed of an approaching car.
  • Look for AAA School Safety Patrollers. They’re a sign you are approaching a school zone.
  • Stop completely at intersections with stop signs.
  • Always stop for school buses that are loading or unloading. Going around a stopped school bus is not only dangerous, it’s against the law.
  • Eliminate driver distraction. Keep your eyes on the road. Put your phone down, and keep an eye out for other drivers and pedestrians.
  • Plan Ahead. Build in extra time for congestion.

Published August 8, 2018

Former radio programmer launches new musical venture

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In his former days as a music radio program director, Rick Schmidt helped launched the careers of such hit bands as Sister Hazel, Creed, and Shinedown.

His next venture: A music school in Lutz.

Schmidt is the new franchise owner of Bach to Rock, which offers a progressive music education for all ages.

The school, slated to open in October, will be located in the Van Dyke Commons shopping plaza, at 17463 N. Dale Mabry Highway.

Former 98 Rock program director Rick Schmidt is the new franchise owner of Bach to Rock Tampa music school, in Lutz. The school, scheduled to open in October, will be located in the Van Dyke Commons shopping plaza, at 17463 N. Dale Mabry Highway. (Courtesy of Bach to Rock)

The Bach to Rock franchise calls itself “the music school kids would have designed for themselves.”

Schmidt describes it as “a music school on steroids.”

Before taking on the franchise, the Odessa resident said he’d been searching for music lessons for his four children for the past few years.

Uninspired by local offerings, he caught wind of Bach to Rock — and figured he’d open his own.

“As a parent, it sort of worked that I just got the most expensive music lessons ever,” Schmidt jokes about opening a music school.

It marks the Tampa area’s first Bach to Rock franchise. Nationally, there are more than 30 locations of the franchise that first opened in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2007.

Bach to Rock Tampa will offer individual and group lessons in piano, voice, guitar, drum and DJ/EDM production. It also offers music programs for preschoolers and toddlers, and beginning piano for children in kindergarten through second grade.

Students at the school will quickly be able to form bands once they learn the basics of music theory and how to read music. The school will have between six and eight music instructors to start.

Weekly ensemble instruction and band formations will lead to public concerts, Battle of the Bands and recording sessions in the school’s professional recording studios.

Schmidt explained: “The goal is to get you into a band and get you playing out on a stage within a couple of months, and get you comfortable being out and getting practice on your songs.”

Students will be free to learn various instruments and play music of all genres, whether it be alternative, country, pop, classic rock or jazz.

They also will be encouraged to play current hits — everything from Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, to Imagine Dragons, Twenty One Pilots, and so on.

“There’s so many kids nowadays that go from (listening to) a country song to a hip-hop song,” Schmidt said, “so I really like the idea that there’s multiple music genres.”

In addition to music instruction and performances, Bach to Rock Tampa also will host summer camps, birthday parties and corporate events inside its 2,100-square- foot space.

Not everyone has to be a rock star
Schmidt said the goal of the new school isn’t necessarily “to find the next rock star.”

Instead, he wants kids to learn to play music — and have a blast doing it.

“You don’t have to be a rock star to play a song,” Schmidt said. “The goal is to try to get them to play, to get them to have fun and enjoy it.”

For students who exhibit exceptional musical abilities, Schmidt believes he will be able to leverage his music industry experience and connections.

“I have radio ears,” said Schmidt, who spent 20-plus years in the industry before stepping away in 2007. “I can hear a single and go, ‘Hey, let’s tighten this up, let’s do this, let’s move this bridge over here.’”

As a music radio program director, Schmidt ran Tampa’s 98 Rock and DC101, a heritage rock station in Washington D.C., that famously housed Howard Stern’s radio show in the early 1980s.

He also programmed stations in other locations, including Gainesville, Tallahassee and Jacksonville.

With an ability to spot talent, Schmidt gave airplay to rock bands like Sister Hazel, Creed, and Shinedown — well before they were famous and sold millions of records.

One of Schmidt’s favorite tales comes from doing radio in Tallahassee in the 1990s.

When he was helping to record some commercials for a local bar, he was handed a 6 ½-minute song on a cassette.

Schmidt liked the song, but urged the bar owner to tell the band to cut the song’s length for radio play.

That band happened to be Creed, which went on to sell more than 50 million albums worldwide.

Before their massive popularity, Schmidt remembers Creed playing “all these tiny little gigs” such as Tallahassee’s The Mill Bakery, Eatery and Brewery.

While working at 98 Rock a few years later, Schmidt gave early airplay to another band, based out of Jacksonville.

That band was Shinedown. It has since sold more than 10 million records worldwide and produced a dozen No. 1 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts. That is second of all time, behind Van Halen and Three Days Grace, which each have 13.

“It’s neat to see them become that,” said Schmidt, who now works in marketing.

Schmidt hopes to enlighten future Bach to Rock students about the history of Florida’s deep-rooted music scene.

Lesson and performance rooms will be named after those Florida-based artists and groups, as well as others such as Tom Petty and Casting Crowns.

A wide assortment of memorabilia will permeate the school’s hallways and walls, including references to Matchbox 20, NSync, and Lynyrd Skynyrd — who each broke ground in Florida.

“Having that Florida theme is really important for people to just sort of recognize, ‘Wow, there’s so much talent here in this area,’” Schmidt said.

To learn more about Bach to Rock, visit BachToRock.com.

Published August 8, 2018

Nurturing quilts uplift spirits in the courtroom

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When children enter Judge Lynn Tepper’s family courtroom in Dade City, they’re often welcomed with healthy snacks, stuffed animals, and lots and lots of books.

Another staple in Tepper’s courtroom of late: Dozens of homemade quilts, stitched with an assortment of bright colors, shapes and other unique designs.

The quilts are given to adoptive parents and caregivers of infants and young children, to help form a nurturing bond for families navigating custody cases.

Members of the Rotary Club of San Antonio donated a batch of handmade quilts to Judge Tepper’s courtroom. The quilts are given to adoptive parents and caregivers of infants and young children, to help form a nurturing bond for families navigating custody cases. (Kevin Weiss)

They’re made and donated by members of the Rotary Club of San Antonio, as part of one of its many community service projects.

Creations range from small baby quilts to full-size bed quilts. Handbags have even been designed for older children.

“The quilts have been amazing,” said Tepper, who oversees dependency, delinquency and domestic violence cases for the 6th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida.

“It’s a positive thing for (parents) to wrap around the baby or when the baby is now starting to come home with them. It’s just such a positive — the expression is so positive that they’re coming here, giving them something.”

For Tepper, the quilts are part of a broader theme of facilitating positive, impactful relationships for youth in her courtroom, many of which have experienced adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse and neglect.

“It is a buffering relationship that makes the difference,” said Tepper, who’s served on the bench for 34 years. “You should see the look on the parents’ faces. …They just get such a kick out of them. My bailiff loves to give them away.”

Rotary club members last week handed off another batch of quilts to Tepper, who was the featured guest speaker at the organization’s monthly dinner meeting at the Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club.

Her talk centered on trauma-informed care and the importance of getting to the root of societal problems through rehabilitation, as opposed to outright punishment.

“She likes to take care of the children,” San Antonio rotary club member and past president Winnie Burke says of Tepper. “It’s good when they come in, for them to have something to be happy…”

Fellow Rotarian Betty Burke earlier this year came up with the idea of donating quilts to Tepper, after she picked up the craft.

“I have a great time (quilting),” Burke said. “I just started doing it, but I’m having a wonderful time, enjoying it.”

Burke enjoys it even more knowing the creations are being put to good use — uplifting the spirits of children going through challenging circumstances.

She explained: “You know, these kids come to court, sometimes they have nothing. If they’re abused and taken out of the homes in the middle of the night, they might not have any clothes but what’s on their backs, so we thought, ‘Well, if they get a quilt, this is theirs (and) something that belongs to them.”

Burke has also enlisted the help of a few quilting friends, like Darlene Kirkpatrick, who work together on producing creative, thematic patterns.

“I just love creating things,” said Kirkpatrick, who’s been quilting for over 20 years using scraps of materials from yard sales. “And then when you get a quilt, (it’s fun) trying to decide what kind of pattern to put on. Some have flowers, others have Xs. You just kind of look at the quilt for awhile and try to decide what you’re going to do.”

About 40 quilts have been donated to Tepper already this year.

Many feature squares with vibrant colors. Others have more unique patterns much like the American Flag or Christmas designs. Some are designed with characters, like Snoopy.

The rotary club plans to continue donating quilts “as long as somebody can use ‘em,” Burke said.

“We try to make different ones that appeal to different kids,” Burke said. “I call mine ‘happy quilts’ because they’re bright colors and they make me happy, and they can make somebody happy.”

The Rotary Club of San Antonio was founded in 2005, and is one of eight clubs in east Pasco County.

Rotarians are governed by Rotary International, which has about 1.2 million members in 32,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographic areas, according to the international organization’s website.

Published August 8, 2018

Summer volunteer job helps teen chase bigger dreams

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At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much remotely related between a teenager’s ambition to work in forensic nursing and her volunteer role in the Mom/Baby Unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North.

But, Sherika Edwards has a plan, and her volunteer stint at the hospital in Lutz figures into it.

The 17-year-old, from Lutz, said she’s always been interested in criminal justice and that other members of her family work in medical careers.

Sherika Edwards spent part of her summer vacation working as a volunteer at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North. She aspires to become a forensic nurse and said having the opportunity to work at a medical facility while she is still in high school was a valuable experience.
(B.C. Manion)

So, the idea of becoming a forensic nurse and tracing evidence to help bring justice to the victims of crime makes perfect sense to Edwards, entering her senior year at Steinbrenner High School.

She said she eagerly signed on when she had the chance to become a volunteer at the hospital, which enabled her to get some exposure to the life that goes on inside of a medical facility.

She wrapped up her summer commitment last week.

During her volunteer stint, she handled a variety of chores.

She answered call lights to find out what patients needed. Sometimes, they just wanted a snack, or a cup of juice or ice, which Edwards would get for them.

She also helped to organize file cabinets and to assemble information folders for patients at the hospital to deliver babies, or to have surgical procedures, Edwards said.

The types of information the patient receives depends on their needs, she explained.

Edwards also helped put together kits containing supplies that a patient might need.

One of the highpoints during her volunteer time at the hospital was having the opportunity to witness a live birth, she said.

Edwards said she was happy to pitch in.

“I like being able to help out the nurses with simple tasks,” she said.

Over the course of the summer Edwards earned 72 volunteer hours toward the community service hours she needs for the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.

In addition to getting exposure to the variety of jobs that are done within the hospital, the volunteer work gives the youths a chance to be mentored by adults, said Tiffany Scalone, Media Relations Coordinator for St. Joseph’s Hospitals BayCare Health System.

“They’re learning about responsibility, commitment, things like that, as well,” Scalone said.

Edwards was among 21 participants at the hospital’s Volunteen program at St. Joseph’s Hospital–North over the summer. The program on that campus is open only to children of hospital employees at this point, but is expected to be expanded in the future, Scalone said.

Edwards’ mom, Dian Creighton, is a patient care technician in the medical/surgical unit at the hospital in Lutz.

The teen volunteers are well-received by patients and staff, Scalone said.

“All of the team members and the patients just love the Volunteens. They love the energy that they bring, and just the unique perspective that they have. Being fresh and go-getters,” Scalone said.

Edwards said she’s glad she did the volunteer work.

“I think it’s a good opportunity, especially if you want to be in the medical field,” said the young woman, who has not yet decided where she will study nursing.

Published August 8, 2018

Finalists named for annual industry awards

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Pasco Economic Development Council announced its selection of 15 finalists for the 32nd Annual Awards and Trade Show, according to a news release from the Pasco EDC.

Bill Cronin

The event will be on Sept. 6 at Saddlebrook Resort and Spa, 5700 Saddlebrook Way in Wesley Chapel.

Festivities will begin with a reception at 5 p.m., followed by the award announcements from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. A dinner and trade show, with about 50 exhibitors from Pasco County businesses, will be featured, too.

Six businesses, selected from the finalists, will be honored as award winners at the annual celebration.

All nominees were scored based on company growth, leadership in current business issues, and corporate citizenship.

According to the news release, the finalists “excelled in all of those categories.”

The finalists are:

  • A.L. Saland Insurance Solutions
  • Academy at the Lakes Inc.
  • DC Johnson & Associates
  • Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco County
  • Hernandez Accounting Solutions Inc.
  • Medical Center of Trinity
  • Merrell Bros., Inc.
  • Mettler Toledo
  • Millian-Aire Enterprises Corp.
  • Morton Plant North Bay Hospital
  • Pharmaworks Inc.
  • San Antonio Lumber Co.
  • Spark Technology Solutions
  • Tampa Premium Outlets LLC
  • Ultimate 3D Printing Store

“This event honors the accomplishments and growth of our business community, while providing a rare networking opportunity with over 600 of Pasco’s business leaders and government officials at the biggest event of the year,” Bill Cronin, the Pasco EDC’s president and chief executive officer, said in the release.

Published August 8, 2018

Lego builds community and a family business at Wiregrass

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Adam Smyk liked the sense of community he found in his 20-year career in the Navy. But, he often had to leave his family for six-month tours of duty at sea.

When he came home, he had to re-introduce himself to his young sons. One lasting bond between them was Lego. They could spend hours together snapping Lego bricks into space ships or create their own special projects.

Adam Smyk owns Bricks and Minifigs at The Shops at Wiregrass. The shop buys, sells and trades Lego pieces and box sets. (Kathy Steele)

“It was something for us to go out and get, and then, do it together,” said Smyk, who retired from the Navy about two years ago.

The family was living in Hawaii then, but New Tampa is home now.

And, Lego remains a bond between Smyk and his youngest sons, James, 10, and Andrew, 7. It also is the family business.

Smyk opened Bricks and Minifigs at The Shops at Wiregrass in March, at 28210 Paseo Drive.

The shop is the first, and to-date only, franchise of the Utah-based company to open in Florida. It’s sort of a Lego consignment shop with new items for purchase, but also opportunities to trade for store credit or cash.

Bricks and Minifigs sells older box sets that were never opened; missing pieces from retired Lego series that can be bought in bulk; and, of course, the minifigs (miniature figures) that are sometimes hard to find or, over the years, those that owners might have lost, like their favorite Star Wars figure.

Batman in the guises of a pink fairy or a mermaid or Marge and Homer Simpson fill display cases with their plastic tininess. One special minifig is a Lego mistake – Princess Leia with smooth, not wavy hair.

“It’s one of the rare Lego mistakes,” said Smyk.

Wesley Chapel residents Karen and Jacob Raffoul look at mini-fig pieces at Bricks & Minifigs at The Shops at Wiregrass.

Bins are filled with hundreds of Lego pieces that customers can dig through, find what they want, and pay for a bag full. One section allows customers to select pieces to build their own minifig.

“We have people who spend hours looking for that one piece,” Smyk said. “Some people come in for an hour or so and build, and just walk out.”

Wesley Chapel residents Karen Raffoul and her 13-year-old son, Jacob, looked through the minifig pieces on a recent Friday afternoon.

“This is really cool,” said Jacob Raffoul. “I never thought that you could customize your own (Lego) people.”

The store hosts birthday parties. Partygoers can build complimentary minifigs to take home or design small cars for derby races on the store’s racetrack. The birthday child also gets a complimentary “It’s My Birthday” minifig.

It’s truly a family operation that has connected with the Lego community.

Smyk’s son, Daniel, is product manager; his daughter-in-law, Jenny, is general manager; and his wife, Sonya, handles social media.

“I was looking to be part of a community when I got out of the Navy,” he said. “The Lego community is very passionate about what they’re about.”

Lego famously is almost a rite of passage for children.

The company began in the early 1920s as a store selling handmade wooden toys. The name Lego comes from abbreviations of two Danish words, “leg godt,” meaning “play well,” according to the Lego website.

But, Smyk said customers also can be young at heart or Lego collectors who love the creativity and imagination that the bricks represent.

One of his best customers is a 71-year-old woman whose doctor approves of her hobby.

“She loves Lego, but her doctor thinks it’s a good way to keep dexterity in her fingers,” Smyk said. “We really appeal to everyone.”

The shop is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

For information, visit BricksAndMinifigs.com or Facebook.com/BAMtampa/.

Published August 8, 2018