Local News

New elementary school gets a name

March 23, 2016 By B.C. Manion

The school formerly known as Elementary W now has a name.

Pasco County School Board members voted unanimously on March 15 to name the school Wiregrass Elementary.

The board chose the name after little discussion. They decided to go with a name that reflects the community where the school will open in August.

Board member Cynthia Armstrong made the motion for the school’s new name, saying she was recommending Wiregrass, rather than Wiregrass Ranch, to avoid potential confusion with the nearby Wiregrass Ranch High School.

Armstrong also noted that she prefers naming schools based on their location because it helps to build a sense of community.

She also noted that naming a school for a person can lead to problems later on. “Down the road, when we want to repurpose a building, we want to repurpose a program, it makes it very difficult to do so because people have very strong feelings, as well they should,” Armstrong said.

“I have always felt strongly that geographic names are the way to go,” agreed School Board Chairwoman Joanne Hurley.

The new school will be led by Principal Steve Williams and Assistant Principal Melissa Bidgood.

Williams joined Pasco County Schools in 2001, working as a literacy specialist, then assistant principal and then principal.

Most recently, he led the Office for Teaching and Learning, supporting K-12 learning in all Pasco County Schools.

Bidgood joined Pasco County Schools in 2004. She spent the first part of her career at Sunray Elementary School followed by Sand Pine Elementary as a classroom teacher.

She later became a literacy coach at Seven Springs Elementary School, interned at Sunray Elementary as assistant principal and, most recently, has served as an assistant principal at Seven Oaks Elementary School.

Published March 23, 2016

Seeking to stop illegal dumping

March 23, 2016 By Kathy Steele

The collection bins that people fill with donations of shoes and clothes are a familiar sight around the community.

For the most part, they help local charities that operate thrift stores or have giveaway programs to benefit low-income individuals and families.

In most cases, they’re clean, well marked and routinely emptied.

An unmarked donation bin in a parking lot near Sam’s Club on State Road 56 became a dumping ground for furniture and appliances. (Courtesy of Mike Moore) — An unmarked donation bin in a parking lot near Sam’s Club on State Road 56 became a dumping ground for furniture and appliances.
(Courtesy of Mike Moore)

But, not always. And now, the Pasco County Commission and the Zephyrhills City Council are ready to clamp down on those bins that quickly become illegal dumpsites, and eyesores for the community.

Many of the bins that become dump sites appear to be operated by organizations seeking clothing items to sell.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore came to a February commission meeting with photographic proof of the problem.

“What happens is a lot of organizations will collect items and sell them on the open market,” Moore said. “You’ll see people abandon the bins at times, and at times they don’t make regular collections.”

Pasco County staff members are reviewing ordinances from Deerfield Beach, Jacksonville, Tampa and Manatee County as models for a local draft ordinance to bring to county commissioners.

The city of Zephyrhills also is considering an ordinance to curb similar illegal dumping issues at bins within city limits. City Councilman Lance Smith put the topic on the council’s March 14 agenda.

Within the next month a draft ordinance should be ready for the city council’s review.

Smith’s first encounter with the issue came about two years ago when he spotted a rusty looking donation bin in the right of way by Woodland Elementary School. Code enforcement removed it.

Not every clothing bin is creating eyesores, but Smith said, “When someone leaves a mattress, the next thing it’s a television. It becomes a dumping ground.”

With Pasco County poised to adopt an ordinance, Smith said it makes sense for Zephyrhills to do the same.

Mike-Moore crop — Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore would like Pasco County to crack down on illegal dumping near donation bins. (File Photo)

Recently, code enforcement investigated a complaint about illegal dumping at a bin at the Winn-Dixie shopping center on County Road 54. The property owner was notified, said Bill Burgess, Zephyrhills’ building code administrator.

“They had it cleaned up and, I believe, thereafter removed,” Burgess said.

He recalled another bin that from a distance looked legitimate. On closer inspection, it was made of plywood and hand-painted. It had no contact or identifying information.

Draft ordinances for Pasco and Zephyrhills likely would require registration and set standards for maintenance and operation.

Moore said Pasco’s ordinance could require that the bins be clearly marked with a business name, a contact phone number and rules on keeping areas around the bins cleared. Written permission from property owners also should be required, he said.

Moore said he heard from one landowner who told him that over the past years he has had to remove bins and illegally dumped materials from his properties, at a cost of hundreds of dollars.

The ordinance isn’t meant to make money for the county or to hamper businesses, property owners and agencies that act responsibly, Moore said.

“The last thing we want to do is hurt legitimate charities,” Moore said. “We want them to keep doing what they’re doing.”

Published March 23, 2016

Easter season filled with spiritual celebrations

March 23, 2016 By B.C. Manion

As Easter approaches, churches across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area are preparing for a host of spiritual activities.

Some churches will be hosting Good Thursday, Holy Friday and Easter Vigil services, while others will be focusing primarily on Easter Sunday services.

There will be community events, as well, to celebrate the season.

David Huff, pastor at Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel, released the doves at the end of last year’s Easter service. A dove release is again planned for Sunday’s service. (Photos courtesy of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills) — David Huff, pastor at Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel, released the doves at the end of last year’s Easter service. A dove release is again planned for Sunday’s service.
(Photos courtesy of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills)

In Zephyrhills, the Zephyrhills-Wesley Chapel Ministerial Association will be leading the annual Good Friday Walk of the Cross.

Adults and families are invited to the walk, which takes participants on a 1 ½-mile pilgrimage with stops outside seven Zephyrhills churches.

Along the way, individuals take turns carrying the cross to different churches, and at each stop, a scriptural verse and reflection is shared.

The first stop on the walk will be on March 25 at 5:30 p.m., at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, at 5316 11th Street. The walk concludes about 6:45 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church, 38635 Fifth Ave., where there will be a Good Friday service.

“This is such an amazing event, to have people from all different faiths and all different styles and denominations of Christianity, coming together for something in unity,” said Dennis Harmeson, president of the ministerial association. Until he participated in the walk, he said, “I had never seen anything like it,” regarding people’s willingness to lay aside the things they disagree about, in a show of unity about the things they agree on.

On Easter Sunday, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills will partner with the ministerial association to present an annual Easter sunrise service, on March 27, beginning at 7 a.m. It will be on the front lawn of the hospital’s campus at 7050 Gall Blvd.

The service will feature a message from Dennis Harmeson, pastor at Zephyrhills Wesleyan Church, and music by Craig Garrison, a pharmacy regulatory specialist and volunteer spiritual ambassador at Florida Hospital Tampa, who is also a resident of Zephyrhills.

Pastor Nick Deford of First Church of the Nazarene, Zephyrhills, delivered the Easter message in 2015 before a crowd estimated at around 1,500.

An offering will be taken for The Good Samaritan Project of Zephyrhills and for the ministerial association, which both are nonprofit organizations, and the hospital will provide complimentary refreshments.

Because of limited seating, the hospital suggests that those attending bring a lawn chair. The event will be held, rain or shine.

The sunrise service at the hospital is a tradition that began around 1985, said Doug Higgins, chaplain at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills.

“It’s kind of a gift to the community from the hospital, to encourage this important celebration of the year,” he said.

One of the highlights is the release of a dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, Higgins said.

“That’s a great symbol of Christ’s resurrection, and new life within us, as well,” he explained.

The service typically draws about 1,500 people, he said.

Harmeson, who will be the main speaker at the sunrise service, said he will be focusing on the resurrection of Christ and “how we react, moving forward with the knowledge Christ died for us.”

Scores of churches of various Christian denominations also are planning special services leading up to Easter and on Easter Sunday, and we have some of those services in our What’s Happening section this week. Many churches also have information about the themes and times for their services posted on their websites.

Published March 23, 2016

Eighth-grader receives presidential honor

March 23, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

An eighth grade student at Torchbearers’ Christian Academy in Dade City has received a presidential honor for her volunteer work at a local hospital.

Fifteen-year-old Savannah Jones was awarded a President’s Volunteer Service Award for 2015 after she spent the summer doing all sorts of tasks at Bayfront Health Dade City.

The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes citizens who have achieved the required number of service hours for a particular age group during a year.

Savannah Jones, an eighth-grader at Torchbearers’ Christian Academy in Dade City, received a President’s Volunteer Service Award for her contributions to Bayfront Health Dade City. (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo) — Savannah Jones, an eighth-grader at Torchbearers’ Christian Academy in Dade City, received a President’s Volunteer Service Award for her contributions to Bayfront Health Dade City.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)

For youths between the ages of 11 and 15, those volunteering for 100 hours or more reach the “Gold Level” status, and receive presidential recognition, a personalized certificate and a congratulatory letter from the president of the United States.

Jones greatly surpassed the 100-hour qualifying figure by putting in nearly 175 volunteer hours between June 2015 and August 2015.

The middle school student typically volunteered eight hours a day, for three or four days a week, during the summer.

Jones said she was “excited” and “shocked” when she found out she was receiving the prestigious honor.

“I want to be a nurse or doctor when I grow up,” Jones said, so she thought volunteering at Bayfront Health would be a good experience.

According to Amy Fort, volunteer coordinator for Bayfront Health, Jones was willing to help in any area needed throughout the hospital and had a “can-do” attitude.

Jones’ duties included filing for the hospital’s accounting department, replenishing emergency supplies and greeting visitors at the facility’s front desk.

“I was like a floater,” Jones said.

“I really liked volunteering in the ER (Emergency Room), and before a patient comes in, I’d have to clean the beds and clean the rooms, and make sure that it was prepped for them,” she said.

Fort said that Jones “took great pride and initiative with her volunteer duties at the hospital. She was great at communicating and a bright spot in many of our patients’ days.”

Fort also noted that volunteers, such as Jones, serve as the “backbone” for the hospital.

“They are the first people to greet visitors, and they are our cheerleaders in the community,” the volunteer coordinator said. “Volunteers have played a critical role in our hospital for years, compassionately supplementing the services that (the) staff provides to patients, families and guests.”

Jones believes that more youth her age should volunteer in their spare time, especially at local hospitals, pointing out that many people need help.

In addition to her volunteer service, Jones is viewed as a model student by staff at Torchbearers’ Christian Academy, a school that has an enrollment of about 70 students, in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Principal Jan Yarbrough said, “everything stands out about her,” and added that the eighth-grader is “agreeable” and “works hard.”

When Yarbrough heard that Jones spent the summer volunteering at Bayfront Hospital, she said she wasn’t surprised.

Jones, according to the principal, ““seeks to please.”

“She has excelled and moved up tremendously, and is very much in charge of her life,” Yarbrough said.

Carolyn Babbitt, who is one of Jones’ teachers, describes the young woman as someone who is honest and wants to do well.

“Children grade their own work and the teachers re-grade it. She’s been very honest with that. If she’s not sure it’s right, she asks for some interpretation,” Babbitt explained.

Jones began attending the Christian school in 2014, after she and her parents realized that Pasco Middle School wasn’t an ideal fit.

“She has come a long way,” Babbitt said. “She’s gained all kinds of confidence,” she added.

She believes that Jones is thriving in the small-school setting, surrounded by people who accept her.

“It’s really helped her,” Babbitt said.

Jones admits she didn’t really start to enjoy school until she transferred to the academy.

“I started liking school, and I just wanted to come all the time,” she said. “I’m having good grades now, and I think it’s helped me more.”

Jones plans to continue volunteering for the hospital over the summer, and also plans to be a Habitat for Humanity volunteer.

Published March 23, 2016

Steinbrenner student organizes jazz concert

March 23, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

A junior at Steinbrenner High School is organizing a benefit jazz concert to help out a local food pantry.

Steinbrenner’s James Wall is hosting the Eagle Scout Jazz Benefit Concert on April 10 at 4 p.m., at the Messiah Lutheran Church, 14920 Hutchison Road in Tampa.

Admission is free, but attendees are asked to bring a food donation, which will be given to the Kaye Prox Food Bank in Tampa.

Steinbrenner High junior James Wall is organizing a jazz benefit concert as part of a service project in his quest to become an Eagle Scout. Wall will be playing the trombone, and will be accompanied by several other musicians, including longtime pianist Chuck Berlin and bassist John Lamb, a former member of the Duke Ellington Jazz Orchestra. (Courtesy of James Wall) — Steinbrenner High junior James Wall is organizing a jazz benefit concert as part of a service project in his quest to become an Eagle Scout. Wall will be playing the trombone, and will be accompanied by several other musicians, including longtime pianist Chuck Berlin and bassist John Lamb, a former member of the Duke Ellington Jazz Orchestra.
(Courtesy of James Wall)

Wall, who has been a Boy Scout since kindergarten, is hosting the traditional jazz concert as part of a service project in his quest to become an Eagle Scout.

“I want to be a musician. I want to major in music. I wanted to do an Eagle Scout project that would pertain to what my career would be like,” said Wall, who is currently in the final rank of Boy Scouts before advancing to an Eagle Scout.

“I felt like this would be a good idea, to help prepare a concert. It’s what I may be doing a lot of times when I go into my career,” the high school junior explained.

For the service project, Wall was able to secure some of Tampa Bay’s top musicians, including longtime pianist Chuck Berlin and bassist John Lamb, a former member of the Duke Ellington Jazz Orchestra.

In booking the longtime musicians, Wall said he met Berlin through a mutual friend, and noted that Berlin and Lamb are also “really good friends.”

“A lot of my family is from New Orleans, and (Berlin) is from New Orleans, so that got us talking a lot,” Wall said.

One of Wall’s classmates, Christian Bianchet, a senior, will be on drums during the concert.

As event organizer, Wall won’t be standing idle during the concert, either. The Steinbrenner student, who has practiced music for more than 10 years, will join in on the jazz session by playing the trombone.

“The trombone is my main instrument,” Wall said, adding that he also doubles on the euphonium. “I like its very mellow tone, and I like its dark sound.”

This won’t be the first time Wall has performed on stage.

He’s currently a member of the Steinbrenner Jazz Band and also plays lead trombone in the Ruth Eckerd Hall Jazz Youth Ensemble.

Wall is still mulling where he wants to study music after he graduates high school.

He’s currently considering the University of California-Berkeley, Florida State University and the University of South Florida.

For more information on the concert, email .

Eagle Scout Jazz Benefit Concert
What: A traditional jazz music concert benefitting the Kaye Prox Food Bank in Tampa
Who: James Wall, trombone; Chuck Berlin, piano; John Lamb, Bass; and Christian Bianchet, drums
Where: Messiah Lutheran Church, 14920 Hutchison Road in Tampa
When: April 10 at 4 p.m.
Other information: Admission is free, but attendees are asked to bring a food item to donation.

Published March 23, 2016

Bradley Massacre makes history in Pasco

March 23, 2016 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

A Seminole war party led the attack
Various accounts, published on the historic website Fivay.org, tell the story of the Bradley Massacre, reportedly the last Seminole war party attack on a settler’s homestead east of the Mississippi River.

Capt. Robert Duke Bradley was one of the first white settlers to live south of the Withlacoochee River, according to those reports.

He wasn’t feeling well on May 14, 1856, and was awaiting supper with his wife and children that evening.

Barracks and tents at Fort Brooke in Tampa Bay, around 1840. In 1824 Fort Brooke was a military post established at the mouth of the Hillsborough River in present-day Tampa. It had as many as 3,000 soldiers and would take part in all three Seminole Indian Wars. The fort was decommissioned by the U.S. Army in 1883. (Courtesy of South Florida Library) — Barracks and tents at Fort Brooke in Tampa Bay, around 1840.
In 1824 Fort Brooke was a military post established at the mouth of the Hillsborough River in present-day Tampa. It had as many as 3,000 soldiers and would take part in all three Seminole Indian Wars. The fort was decommissioned by the U.S. Army in 1883.
(Courtesy of South Florida Library)

The captain, who was bedridden on his farm, was a veteran who had fought against the Seminole Indians as far north as the Suwannee River.

He had resigned his commission, because he was no longer a healthy man.

The skirmishes he’d been involved in had damaged his lungs, and for the rest of his life, he would require medical services from the army doctor stationed at Fort Brooke.

Bradley had personally surveyed a homestead in a remote area that would be later known as Darby, a community in Pasco County.

It was frontier country with its share of moccasin tracks, but the good news was that no Indian sightings had been reported for many years.

But, the evening of May 14, 1856, would forever change the 53-year-old’s life.

Bradley — who had always been willing to defend his land granted under the Armed Occupation Act — suddenly heard sounds of a war whoop and gunfire of a Seminole war party.

The attack would be recorded as the last attack on a settler’s homestead east of the Mississippi River.

After meeting with U.S. President Millard Fillmore at the White House, Seminole Chief Billy Bowlegs initially agreed to surrender. The U.S. government later offered Bowlegs $10,000 to relocate to the Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Bowlegs had led his warriors on sporadic attacks, which may have included the Bradley Massacre. (Credit: Harper’s Weekly, June 12, 1858) — After meeting with U.S. President Millard Fillmore at the White House, Seminole Chief Billy Bowlegs initially agreed to surrender. The U.S. government later offered Bowlegs $10,000 to relocate to the Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Bowlegs had led his warriors on sporadic attacks, which may have included the Bradley Massacre.
(Credit: Harper’s Weekly, June 12, 1858)

Bradley’s 11-year-old daughter, Mary Jane, was quickly shot through the shoulder and heart. The captain saw her come into his bedroom, where she collapsed and died.

Fifteen-year-old William Brown Bradley was shot on the porch of the log house.

An Aug. 4, 1922 Dade City Banner story recounting the raid, reported that Nancy Bradley, the captain’s wife, “…rushed out on the porch, picked up the wounded boy, and carried him into the room and laid him on the bed. He (William) got up, grabbed a rifle, and fired through a crack between the logs, handed the gun to one of his brothers, saying, ‘fight till you die’ and fell to the floor dead.”

News of the 15-year-old’s injuries reached as far north as the Macon Weekly Telegraph, which on June 24, 1856 reported: ‘His body had been pierced by two balls.”

When Bradley realized the Indians had reached the steps of his front porch, he heard his wife yell: “They are coming in!”

What happened next was reported as far east as the Palatka Democrat, which published a May 22, 1856 account:

“Captain Bradley, who was prostrated on his bed with sickness, arose and returned a fire on the Indians with two or three guns which he had in his house, which caused them to withdraw,” according to the Palatka Democrat report.

The Banner’s 1922 article indicated that “one of the boys shot at two Indians who were trying to hide behind a tree and afterwards more blood was found there than anywhere else.”

Bradley counted at least 15 Indians attacking his log cabin.

The Palatka Democrat reported: “Captain Bradley was of the opinion that the Indians were about his house all night.”

Because he was a known Indian fighter, there are several historical sources that describe the Bradley attack as an act of revenge.

During the Second Seminole War (1835-1842), a major strategist and leader for the Indians was Thlocko Tustenuggee– or better known as “Tiger Tail” to the white man.

And, it was Captain Bradley who had tracked down and killed Nethlockemathlar, the older brother of Tiger Tail.

At the time of the Seminole raid, the Bradley residence was approximately a mile north of the location of this historic marker off Bellamy Brothers Boulevard. (Doug Sanders/Photo) — At the time of the Seminole raid, the Bradley residence was approximately a mile north of the location of this historic marker off Bellamy Brothers Boulevard.
(Doug Sanders/Photo)

Reaching the Bradley homestead the next day from Fort Brooke, Capt. Thomas C. Ellis and a group of men went into the surrounding woods to hunt for the Seminoles. “The camp of the redskins was found in the big cypress swamp and nearby the grave of the Indian killed by Captain Bradley,” according to the Dade City Banner.

As the Bradley attack produced more sightings and fears of the Indians, Gen. Jesse Carter at Fort Brooke received a letter from a citizen’s committee dated May 31, 1856. It said, in part:

“… we therefore most respectfully ask that you will, at the earliest practicable moment, send to our relief a force sufficient to protect us from the cruel barbarities of this insidious foe…”

With the frontier on alert, Bradley and his wife laid to rest their son and daughter in unmarked graves. This was done to prevent the Indians from returning and desecrating the burials.

The family would learn later that the Indian war party was pursued as far south as Fort Mead “and the entire band either killed or captured,” according to one newspaper account.

Called “The Bradley Massacre” by a historical maker erected by Pasco County in 1979, the killings that night 160 years ago was one of several events that ultimately forced Chief Billy Bowlegs and the last of some 100 Seminole warriors to leave Florida at the end of the Third Seminole War in 1858.

Armed Occupation Act
Granting 160 acres to any head of a family, the Florida Armed Occupation Act of 1842 required a settler’s house to be built in one year, the clearing and growing crops for five years, and defending the homestead.

By Doug Sanders

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at .

Published March 23, 2016

Students have a field day at Sanders

March 23, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Sanders Memorial Elementary School started spring break early with a day of fun in the sun.

Presley Knouse, 9, has the school’s initials painted on her cheek by school art teacher, Kellie Silvey, during the Field Day activities at Sanders Memorial Elementary School. (Fred Bellet/Photos) — Presley Knouse, 9, has the school’s initials painted on her cheek by school art teacher, Kellie Silvey, during the Field Day activities at Sanders Memorial Elementary School.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

More than 700 students spent their day at school playing games, dancing, relay racing, getting their faces painted and slurping down snow cones.

The annual Field Day on March 18 was the last school day before the weeklong spring break started for public schools in Pasco County.

Presley Knouse, 9, got her cheek painted with the letters of her school, SMES. Then, she headed off for a round of tinikling, a dance originated in the Philippines.

Classmates tapped and moved two poles in and out, as Knouse stepped over or in between the poles.

On the basketball court, students tested their skills with an outsized jenga game or zoomed handmade paper planes through the air.

A boom box energized dancers with familiar tunes, old and new. From “Hey Macarena” to “Do the Hokey Pokey,” students got into the rhythm.

Chloe Choo, 7, gets the jump on the tinikling event, as she goes airborne above plastic poles moving from side to side.

On the school’s field, students tested their strength and skills at tug o’ war, relay races, soccer kicks, or football and baseball tosses.

About 70 volunteers, and another dozen or so teachers and staff members, participated. Most volunteers were parents, but about eight employees from the Nike store at Tampa Premium Outlets also helped.

Standing in line, students hopped with excitement as they waited a turn at kicking the soccer ball into a net.

Riya Mendenhall, 5, joined in a tug o’ war.

“You lose sometimes. You win sometimes,” she said.

Sanders Memorial Principal Jason Petry joined in the fun, too. He gave some tips on baseball pitching to 5-year-old Patrick Mize, as the youngster got ready for his wind-up.

“It kind of kicks off their spring break,” Petry said. “They’ve worked hard since the beginning of the year. You kind of need a day like this to celebrate.”

Published March 23, 2016

Trevor Lucas, 6, and Jordan Richardson, 5, pour on the steam, as they face off with another kindergarten class during the tug o’ war Field Day event.

Srinav Nekkanti, 8, carries empty water bottles to the recycle bin after teams finished the tug o’ war during Field Day activities. More than 700 students participated.

Patrick Mize, 5, works on his pitching form during Field Day activities, with the help of Jason Petry, principal of Sanders Memorial Elementary School.

School shootings: What are we doing wrong?

March 16, 2016 By B.C. Manion

When it comes to mass shootings at school, there is one thing that most have in common, said Lisa Rapp-McCall, a professor in the graduate social work program at Saint Leo University.

“The vast majority end in the shooter’s suicide,” the professor told a crowd at a conference for social workers at Saint Leo University on March 11.

Rapp-McCall’s presentation, “Mass Shootings: What are we doing wrong? Where to we go from here,” provided conference-goers a deep look at the issue, using information the professor gleaned from FBI reports, Secret Service reports, other researchers’ information and studies.

Lisa Rapp-McCall discusses the seriousness of mass shootings at schools, and ways that schools, families and care providers can work to reduce potential incidents. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo) — Lisa Rapp-McCall discusses the seriousness of mass shootings at schools, and ways that schools, families and care providers can work to reduce potential incidents.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The professor also drew on knowledge attained through her own experience when she worked with juvenile offenders and youth with mental health issues while she was a practicing social worker in Buffalo, N.Y.

The truth is that it’s difficult to research mass shooting cases that occur at school because they are rare events, and because the shooter is typically dead, Rapp-McCall said, beginning her presentation with the FBI’s definition of a mass shooting at school.

“The FBI defines a school mass shooting as a first-degree multiple homicide involving four or more victims,” she said. By that definition, there have been nine school mass shootings in the past 20 years.

But, that doesn’t count the events where multiple people are shot, but fewer than four die, she said. By that broader definition, the number of mass shooting incidents would double.

Rapp-McCall also went over some myths about mass shootings at schools:

School violence is an epidemic
All school shooters are loners and alike
These are impulsive acts
Easy access to guns is the No. 1 contributor
School shooters are easy to identify

While not an epidemic, the incidents are serious and work needs to be done to reduce the potential for these occurrences, Rapp-McCall said. And, while some may think they’re impulsive acts, they tend to be carefully planned and scripted, she added.

While much more research is needed, there are some clues, including the risk factors for school shooters. Those include:

Seventy-five percent have attempted suicide
They have been rejected by peers; or, if they have friends, they’re engaged in unhealthy behaviors
They are disconnected from school and are withdrawn
They have been bullied, humiliated, gay-baited
They collect injustices, feel victimized, may be paranoid
They have access to weapons
They’re fascinated by weapons

There are also risk factors in families, Rapp-McCall said. There tends to be a lack of intimacy and cohesion in the home. The youth is allowed to be withdrawn. There’s access to weapons. And, the family often appears to be afraid of the youth.

There is no easy fix for the problem, Rapp-McCall said, noting it will take concerted and sustained efforts to address this complex issue.

Better coordination of services and more communication between providers would help, she said. In some cases, a problem could be spotted and addressed much earlier, if people were talking to each other, she said.

She’d like to see more social workers hired to coordinate multiple services.

“Parents shouldn’t be case managers. They don’t know how to be case managers,” she said.

“All of these families, at one point or another, sought help,” Rapp-McCall said. “They weren’t really given a lot of help.”

She also thinks parents need more guidance about what to do when their child is withdrawn.

“It is OK to get them out of their room?

“Yes. Please do.

“Is it OK to go looking in their room, when they’re not there?

“Yes. Please do,” she said.

She also said schools must do more to reduce the potential for incidents.

There are also risk factors at schools, she said. Those include a pecking order, where certain groups of students are favored; a code of silence, where kids know what’s going on but won’t tell anyone; and, a culture that allows bullying to occur.

To address those issues, schools must ensure that activities are inclusive, she said. The pecking order must be abolished. And, codes of silence must be broken.

Schools need ongoing teams to maintain a healthy climate and culture, she said. That team should meet regularly, and it should include students, teachers, staff, coaches, parents, guidance counselors, school nurses and social workers, she said.

Students must be taught that they can’t be bystanders when bullying occurs.

“With our technology, there certainly could be an anonymous number that you could text to say, ‘Someone is getting bullied behind the cafeteria right now’,” she said.

More research is needed, Rapp-McCall said, particularly in the arena of young male depression.

“Where is the data? Where is the research? Who’s studying this? Who’s talking about this?

“Little, very little, has been written or researched about male depression and male suicide,” Rapp-McCall said.

Published March 16, 2016

Pasco looks to TIA for tourism boost

March 16, 2016 By Kathy Steele

Traffic is increasing at Tampa International Airport, and that has piqued the interest of Pasco County officials.

More than 18 million passengers passed through Tampa International Airport in 2015, nearly 7 percent more than the year before.

Tampa International Airport is in the midst of a three-phase $2.5 billion project to make the airport a ‘people mover’ for the 21st century. In the first phase, the airport will expand the main terminal by 55,000 square feet, build a new rental car center, and add 65 shops and restaurants including Hard Rock Café and P.F. Chang’s. (Images courtesy of Tampa International Airport) — Tampa International Airport is in the midst of a three-phase $2.5 billion project to make the airport a ‘people mover’ for the 21st century. In the first phase, the airport will expand the main terminal by 55,000 square feet, build a new rental car center, and add 65 shops and restaurants including Hard Rock Café and P.F. Chang’s.
(Images courtesy of Tampa International Airport)

Of those travelers, about 8 percent, or 1.6 million, were from Pasco County.

Pasco County commissioners are interested in finding out how to tap into the stream of visitors who arrive in Tampa Bay every year.

On March 8, commissioners heard an update from Joe Lopano, TIA’s chief executive officer, on the master plan to upgrade and expand TIA.

The first phase of a three-phase plan is slated for completion in fall of 2017.

That phase, estimated at $980 million, includes a new rental car center, a new 1.4-mile automated people mover that will connect the rental car facility to the main terminal, and construction of a runway bridge over the George J. Bean Parkway. In addition, the main terminal is being expanded by 55,000 square feet, and 65 shops and restaurants, including Hard Rock Café and P.F. Chang’s, will be upgraded or added to the airport’s amenities.

The total cost of TIA’s upgrades are estimated at about $2.5 billion, with a completion date of 2028.

Ducky’s is among the newest restaurants to be added to Tampa International Airport’s lineup of eating establishments.

Phase one is on budget and on schedule, Lopano said.

Construction isn’t all that is driving TIA’s makeover.

A more personal touch also is highlighting the airport’s progress, and its amenities.

About 160 volunteers – some retired airline employees – serve as airport ambassadors who greet and assist passengers.

Pasco officials want to educate those volunteers on what the county can offer tourists. Lopano and Pasco County Tourist Manager Ed Caum briefly discussed a bus tour of Pasco to give the airport ambassadors a first-hand view of Pasco’s current and future destinations.

Tampa International Airport is the first airport in the country that will have a Hard Rock Café on-site.

Among the tour stops could be SunWest Park, the Florida Hospital Center Ice complex under construction at Interstate 75 and State Road 56, Tampa Premium Outlets and The Shops at Wiregrass.

The county’s tourism website also touts restaurants and historical sites throughout the county, as well as the 10 birding stops on the Great Florida Birding Trail, Treehoppers Aerial Adventure Park and the Anclote Key State Park.

Advertising at the airport tends to be expensive and out of the county’s reach, Caum said. But, he plans to explore potential for sharing costs with other partners.

Pasco is coming off a record year for tourism, posting $968,263 in Tourist Tax collections between October 2014 and the end of September 2015. That was a 17 percent increase over the previous year.

According to the U.S. Travel Association, more than 500,000 visitors to Pasco spent about $466 million. Local sales taxes from those visitors totaled more than $14.9 million. And, tourism created nearly 6,000 full-time employees, with an annual payroll in Pasco of $106.2 million.

The increase in passengers at TIA is in part due to more international flights.

The master plan for Tampa International Airport includes construction of a 1.4-mile automated people mover to transport passengers between the main terminal and a new rental car center.

In 2015, Lufthansa German Airlines began flights from Frankfurt to Tampa. Other international destinations are London, Zurich, and Panama City, Panama. Airport officials also are hoping to add commercial flights to Cuba.

“We are an international region,” said Lopano.

And, an economic engine for the region.

The airport employees about 7,500 people, supports another 81,000 jobs indirectly and generates about $7.8 billion in annual economic activity.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells said he appreciated the collaborative way in which TIA officials and the region’s counties are working together on growth and economic issues.

That hasn’t always been the case, he said.

“We’ve never really been together as a region,” Wells said, but he added, “I can see it now.”

Published March 16, 2016

Traffic jams likely with U.S. 41 closure

March 16, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

Thousands of motorists who normally travel along U.S. 41 through Lutz can expect longer drive times, as the highway is closed until March 27 for a railroad crossing project.

CSX will be replacing the rails and the railroad crossing north of Crenshaw Lake Road.

Since U.S. 41 will be closed, thousands of motorists who travel through Lutz will be forced to detour.

To get around the U.S. 41 closure in Lutz, motorists heading from Pasco County can go south on North Dale Mabry Highway to Bearss Avenue and then east on Bearss Avenue to U.S. 41. Motorists who want to go north past the detour need to go west on Bearss Avenue and then north on North Dale Mabry Highway. Some internal roads will be open during the closure. (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo) — To get around the U.S. 41 closure in Lutz, motorists heading from Pasco County can go south on North Dale Mabry Highway to Bearss Avenue and then east on Bearss Avenue to U.S. 41. Motorists who want to go north past the detour need to go west on Bearss Avenue and then north on North Dale Mabry Highway. Some internal roads will be open during the closure.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)

For motorists heading south, primarily from Pasco County, the detour route will be to travel North Dale Mabry Highway south to Bearss Avenue, then head east to U.S. 41.

For those heading north, the detour would be to take Bearss Avenue west to North Dale Mabry Highway and then continue north.

While motorists will not be able to cross the tracks during the closure, there will be access to local businesses, including Lutz Preparatory School.

Access to Lakeside Drive also will be maintained, from the north side of the tracks.

Electronic message boards and detour signs are being used to assist motorists traveling through the detour.

Officials said traffic will be congested on various roads throughout the area, adding most of the routes will experience heavier than normal congestion.

The Florida Department of Transportation worked with CSX to choose the March 14 to March 27 timeframe, so most of the work could be scheduled during the Hillsborough County Public Schools’ spring break, officials said.

Published March 16, 2016