The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Helping one another

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Coronavirus disease 2019, otherwise known as COVID-19 has upended life as we know it.

It remains unclear how bad it’s going to get, or how long it’s going to last — and that’s causing stress and anxiety.

Still, in the midst of the illness and deaths, shutdowns, cancellations and lay-offs — we know that our communities are filled with good-hearted people.

We have witnessed, for years, how these kind and generous souls have helped others in myriad creative and wonderful ways. We know this is happening now.

Please help us tell those stories. Email us a synopsis of the particulars, along with contact information, to .

Published March 25, 2020

Coronavirus poses dangers, disrupts daily life

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This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. (Courtesy of the CDC)

The ever-evolving threat posed by coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has forced schools across Florida to shut down, blocked visitors from nursing homes, caused wide-ranging travel and event cancellations, and stripped grocery aisles — especially of toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

Locally, parents of students in the Pasco and Hillsborough county school districts are bracing to prepare for an extended state-ordered spring break.

The Diocese of St. Petersburg also closed schools and early childhood centers through March 20. The diocese already had scheduled March 16 and March 17 as days off for students. Virtual learning will be conducted March 16 through March 20, according to a Diocese news release.

The additional school closures have left thousands of families scrambling to arrange child care, although the impact may be lessened to some degree as many companies are asking workers to work at home, if possible.

The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic; President Donald Trump has declared a national state of emergency. Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state emergency, and Hillsborough and Pasco counties have declared local states of emergency.

As of the morning of March 16, there had been four deaths reported in Florida linked to COVID-19, according to the Florida Health Department, which is the lead agency responding to the threat.

The health department also reported 684 negative test results and 514 pending tests. Also, there were 442 people being monitored for the virus and 1,573 had been monitored.

Health officials are trying to limit the spread of the virus — to avoid overloading hospitals — by urging people to avoid large crowds and wash their hands frequently.

The virus can spread person to person, through small droplets from the nose or mouth, including when a person coughs or sneezes. The droplets may land on objects and surfaces.

Other people may contract COVID-19 by touching these objects or surface, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.

Symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough and shortness of breath — and may appear as early as two days or as many as 14 days after exposure.

Most people recover from COVID-19 without requiring special treatment, but people with underlying medical conditions are at greater risk.

Impacts from the virus are being felt from Wall Street to Main Street. The stock market has plunged repeatedly, and local businesses are losing revenues because of the uncertainty created by the pandemic.

Huge events have been cancelled or postponed.

On the local front, cancellations include:

  • The Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce’s Land O’ Lakes Music Festival, March 21
  • Dog Days in Dade City, March 21
  • The North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce/Pasco-Hernando State College Distinguished Women’s Leadership Breakfast, March 24
  • The fourth annual Family Friendly Summer Camp Expo (Pasco/New Tampa), March 28
  • The Taste of North Tampa Bay, March 29
  • The North Tampa Bay Chamber monthly membership breakfast, April 7
  • The North Tampa Bay Chamber membership luncheon, April 8
  • All SCORE chapters across the country have suspended in-person events, including mentoring sessions and workshops, until further notice.

Attractions also have temporarily ceased operations, including Disney World and a number of regional venues. They include:

  • ZooTampa, through March 29.
  • Tampa Museum of Art, through March 29
  • The Glazer Children’s Museum, through March 29
  • Henry B. Plant Museum, through March 29
  • The Florida Aquarium, through March 29
  • The Museum of Science and Industry, through March 29
  • Tampa Theatre, through March 31

The Knights of Columbus, at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, in Land O’ Lakes, have cancelled until further notice, their meetings, their Lenten Fish Frys, their doughnuts on Sunday and soccer, both games and concessions.

The Savage Race, which was set for March 14 and March 15, at Little Everglades Ranch in Dade City, was postponed.

And, a Spring Market Day, planned for March 21 at the Old Lutz School, was cancelled because vendors were concerned about setting up, because of the threat of COVID-19.

Both the Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce and North Tampa Chamber have announced they would be holding off on varied activities, pending future decisions, in light of the evolving nature of the coronavirus threat.

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning has been keeping parents and staff informed about the district’s response to the ever-changing landscape of the COVID-19 threat through a series of videos posted on the district’s website.

“I know that everyone remains concerned about the possibility of an outbreak,” Browning said, and the district is taking steps to attempt to limit the spread.

It also has conducted a brief phone survey to evaluate its capacity to provide distance learning, the superintendent said, noting the district needs to be prepared.

The district also has announced a plan to provide meals to students at seven designated sites, beginning on March 23. The food will be offered on a drive-thru basis at specific sites. The pre-packaged meals are for children under 18 years old and will include lunch as well as breakfast for the next day. Information about the program can be obtained by going to the school district’s website, Pasco.k12.fl.us, and click on the coronavirus information link.

Impacts also are being felt by colleges.

Schools within the state’s university system were instructed to make plans to transition to remote instruction as soon as possible.

Saint Leo University suspended classes for its university campus students, in St. Leo, from March 16 to March 20, to allow its faculty to prepare to deliver all classes online beginning March 23, according to a university news release.

All residential students are being asked to return to their permanent residence following spring break, rather than returning to campus and to remain at home during this period of online instruction.

The university also has suspended all fall and winter sports, indefinitely. And, is canceling all large, group events.

The virus is affecting churches, too.

Concerns about potential spread of the virus also prompted the Diocese of St. Petersburg to take these steps, effective March 12, until further notice:

  • End the distribution of communal wine from a common cup
  • Remove Holy Water fonts, including the baptismal font
  • Avoid physical contact, including during the Sign of Peace

Bishop Gregory Parkes also granted dispensation from Sunday Mass in the Saint Petersburg Diocese through the end of March, to those wishing to avoid large gatherings.

Prevent the spread
To help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

  • Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.
  • Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects daily.

Source: Florida Department of Health

For the latest updates on COVID-19, visit:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19/

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Published March 18, 2020

Therapy dog helps address mental illness

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The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office has added a therapy dog to expand its efforts to better serve the needs of people facing significant mental health and substance abuse issues.

The therapy dog is the newest member of a Behavioral Health Intervention Team (BHIT) the law enforcement agency established last year.

The team’s primary task is to keep tabs on individuals who have been held involuntarily in a mental health treatment facility for up to 72 hours, through a state law known as the Baker Act.

Pasco Sheriff’s Office Det. Pedro Leos with new animal assisted therapy dog K9 Charlie. Charlie will be used with the agency’s Behavioral Health Intervention Team to provide a calming presence to those that may be experiencing a mental health crisis. (Courtesy of Pasco Sheriff’s Office)

They focus on approximately 500 people who are Baker Act repeats — through a proactive approach that includes frequent visitations, welfare checks, expedited behavioral health resources and criminal justice diversion programs.

Now, K9 Charlie, a 1-year-old pitbull-mix, has joined the team, to aid and comfort those who are struggling.

Charlie came to the local law enforcement agency by way of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office’s Paws and Stripes program.

That program trains dogs from local animal shelters, preparing them to become PTSD dogs,  therapy dogs, and child victim advocate dogs.

Charlie was rescued from the streets in October.

The new animal assisted therapy dog program strives to better “build a connection” between law enforcement and the mental health community, said Cpt. Toni Roach, who oversees the 15-member BHIT, which includes a captain, two sergeants and 12 detectives.

Charlie helps “to comfort and ease some anxiety and build that stress relief,” when the sheriff’s office comes knocking on the door for visitations and welfare checks, Roach explained.

“Law enforcement and people with mental illness, there’s that stigma that we’re there to take them into custody or arrest them for a crime,” Roach said.

But, Charlie’s calming presence for someone facing a mental health crisis could break the ice, Roach said. And, that can help to open lines of communications, so responders can get to the root of problems and identify ways to resolve them.

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office Behavioral Health Intervention Team (BHIT) recently added animal assisted therapy dog Charlie to the team. Charlie is partnered with BHIT Det. Pedro Leos, and aims to provide a calming presence for those that may be experiencing a mental health crisis.

An individual struggling with addiction may be referred to outpatient substance abuse treatment, for instance. Or, someone undergoing financial struggles may be referred to Pasco County Human Services and the county’s homeless coalition.

Roach said the idea is to help bridge the gap for services and shorten the time it takes to receive them.

A therapy dog can help in that process, she said.

Charlie’s handler, Det. Pedro Leos, agrees.

Leos said the therapy dog was needed to “better help me make contact with those people in need, break down those barriers between law enforcement and the community, and open up conversation.”

Leos has been with the sheriff’s office in 2014. He said he joined the BHIT “because there’s a stigma with mental illness and I want to break that cycle.

“I want to be there to help people in need, and give them the resources they need to have a better quality of life in order to continue on with their daily activities,” the detective said.

When approached a few months ago to become a therapy dog handler, Leos, who loves pets, said he “was all for it.”

Leos noted there was an immediate connection between him and Charlie during the eight-week Paws and Stripes training program.

“When I met him, I absolutely loved him,” Leos said. “It was like we clicked. He listened to me. We started doing obedience training, and he was awesome. It was just one of those things where we both bonded very quickly.”

The detective said every time he puts on his uniform — a black polo and green spruce pants — Charlie knows it’s time to go to work “and help people in the community.”

Though still a young canine, Charlie has already settled into his role, Leos said.

The detective described Charlie’s demeanor this way: “He’s awesome with kids, awesome with people, awesome with the community. He loves hugs and he loves kisses. He loves to make people happy, and he knows that’s his main goal, to make people happy. He understands it, and he’s out there doing what he needs to do, to help fulfill this desire to help people in need.”

The sheriff’s office plans to add additional therapy dogs at some point, so that at least one can be available seven days a week, officials say.

Published March 11, 2020

Simulation teaches a real-life history lesson

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Second-graders at McKitrick Elementary School had a chance to gain a greater understanding of what life was like for immigrants arriving at Ellis Island during the early 1900s.

The school, at 5503 Lutz Lake Fern Road, created an event that allowed children the chance to walk through the paces that immigrants faced when they arrived in America.

Volunteer Deanna Okun, left, administers a medical exam inside the Medical Detainment room, to student Jyles Morales. Students were asked such questions as, ‘Have you been sick lately? And, ‘Do you have any allergies?’ The exam and questions asked were the same ones used at Ellis Island in the early 1900s. (Christine Holtzman)

The Feb. 27 simulation involved 180 second-graders and 68 volunteers, many dressed in period clothing.

Bilingual volunteers spoke to the students in Turkish, Russian, Greek and Arabic, to show students how it would feel to arrive in a new country without knowing its language.

Students prepared for the experience by taking virtual trips to Ellis Island, where they listened to audio recordings of interviews from people who actually came through Ellis Island.

They also had a chance to video chat with a museum curator, via Skype.

To prepare for their trip, students were asked to construct a cardboard suitcase and use it to hold five prized possessions, such as family photos, a favorite book or other treasured items.

Each student remained in character as they completed the activity, which took two hours to three hours to complete. They carried out the steps that were taken by actual immigrants: They waited in long lines for customs, upon departure and arrival. They were crammed into a boat. They were sprayed with ocean mist and doused with water, to simulate delousing measures taken when immigrants arrived.

They provided fingerprints at the registry, were subjected to searches at baggage claim, and forced to undergo medical and psychological exams.

After arriving by boat, students are seen standing in the long line at the customs area of McKitrick Elementary School’s Ellis Island. The students had the chance to find out what it may have felt like for immigrants who experienced long waits just to gain entry into Ellis Island. From left: Wyatt Montgomery, Zion Karp, Eric Vargas and Ben Friedman.

They also participated in interviews and had to pass a citizenship test.

And, they faced real dilemmas, such as being separated from family members or having to pawn their possessions for money.

After each group finished, they were sworn in as American citizens — by a judge, portrayed by McKitrick Principal Allison Cline.

The event, now in its third year, is the brainchild of former second grade teacher Liisa DiTarando, who is now the school’s Social & Emotional Learning Resource teacher.

It takes about three months to organize the annual production.

In addition to great content, the activity teaches kids critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which allows them to rise to the occasion, DiTarando said.

Every year, she said, she receives emails from parents that tell her how their child could relate a connection in their own lives to the content that was taught in this program. Parents also share that it has given their child the ability to empathize with what their relatives may have gone through.

Published March 4, 2020

Volunteer Carine Pyree, left, administers a simulated medical exam to student Olivia Ebel. Using actual examples from Ellis Island, Pyree asked Ebel to walk in a circle with her eyes closed.
After waiting in a long line, second-grade students Gabriel Gonzalez, left, and Rosie Vona, arrive to the customs area, at McKitrick Elementary School’s simulated Ellis Island. The pair, along with all the other arrivals, had to present proper documents before being permitted inside the registry office.
Second-grade student Giulia Longo, left, comes to collect the baby (a doll) that is under her care, that was found unattended inside the Citizenship and Testing room, by Gary Camacho, the McKitrick Elementary School’s security officer. Longo played a young girl whose uncle forced her to come to America, so she could care for his child, because his wife died. The woman behind this event, Liisa DiTarando, is on the right.

Saint Leo University to lease 176-unit apartment complex

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Since welcoming its largest incoming class ever last fall — and anticipating continued growth —Saint Leo University will lease the Sweetwater apartment complex in Dade City, to serve as residential housing for upperclassman and graduate level students.

In August, Saint Leo will begin leasing all 176 units on the property owned by Beachwold Residential LLC, which sits about 2 miles northeast of the main university campus along State Road 52. The planned agreement was first reported by Bay News 9.

Facing growing enrollment, Saint Leo University this fall will begin leasing the nearby 176-unit Sweetwater apartment complex in Dade City. Leases will not be renewed for Sweetwater’s non-student residents. (Kevin Weiss)

The university’s decision means that residents living at the property now — except for Saint Leo students — will need to move, and that has sparked criticism of the university by some of the current tenants.

When Saint Leo takes over, Sweetwater will become more than just run-of-the mill residence halls.

In an interview with The Laker/Lutz News, Saint Leo vice president of student affairs Dr. Jen Shaw said the property will be transformed into a “career-focused learning community,” whereby its clubhouse/community center will regularly host job fairs, workshops, alumni panels and so on. In addition to hosting employers to recruit Saint Leo students, workshops will have themes on job interviewing skills, salary negotiation, social media branding and more.

Shaw added that Saint Leo student activities staff will organize events at Sweetwater so students there “feel like they’re getting the same residential experience as students (on campus).”

Saint Leo will make a number of upgrades to the property, such as installing more security cameras, 24/7 security, card-only gate access, daily bus shuttles to campus, new, fully furnished living quarters and more.

“It’s a real neat, living, learning experience for students. We’re excited about it,” Shaw said.

The decision to lease the property comes as Saint Leo enters a student housing crunch.

The university this past fall welcomed its largest incoming group of students in the university’s 130-year history (1,001 new students). The school now has about 2,100 students on campus, plus more than 700 faculty and staff.

The record-breaking incoming class filled all of the university’s available on-campus housing this year, Shaw said. Since then, officials have scrambled to find more housing opportunities for students, looking at nearby hotels and other properties. She noted it takes about two years to build new on-campus residence halls, something she said the university plans to move forward with this summer.

After vetting several other housing options for the near-term, Shaw said leasing Sweetwater was “the best one for our students.”

“We can keep them safe and engaged, and it’s super close-by,” she said.

Sweetwater residents forced to move
As a result of Saint Leo’s action, apartment management will not renew leases for non-student residents.

Sweetwater resident Kori Warriner received a notice in her door a few weeks ago that informed her of the impending arrangement.

Warriner said she hadn’t intended to renew her lease, but she said many of her friends who have lived at Sweetwater for a long time did not plan to move, and there are others who are just starting families with newborns on the way — including one that just moved into the complex less than two months ago.

Warriner described the entire situation as “really rotten and wrong” and added that “a huge injustice (is) being done.”

“I can deal with it, but all these other people are going to be really, really put out,” she said.

That’s how Blane and Bronwyn McCullough feel. They’ve lived at the apartment complex almost six years and planned to stay a couple more years until retirement.

Instead, they have to move when their lease ends in September.

Bronwyn called that “really heinously unfair.”

“Everybody feels like the rug has been pulled out from under them,” she said. “I’m more disappointed than anything.”

Bronwyn said there’s a lack of available housing in Dade City, where her husband Blane works and where her mother is on home hospice care.

“Are we supposed to move to Wesley Chapel, New Tampa?,” Bronwyn questioned. “We’re Dade City people. There’s no other places in Dade City for us to rent from.”

Sweetwater residents question why Saint Leo had to take on such an influx of students, knowing it didn’t have sufficient available on-campus housing.

They suggest the university should have planned better — building additional student dorms before increasing enrollment.

Warriner put it like this: “They’ve got acres and acres and acres of land. They can wait two years (to enroll more students) for new dorms to be built. They do not need to kick a whole bunch of people out, with very little notice, that have lived (at Sweetwater) for years and planned to probably stay there forever.”

It’s a sentiment Saint Leo University sophomore Jalyssa Grajales sides with.

The student doesn’t live at Sweetwater, but thinks her university should have leased a portion of the Sweetwater complex to begin with, instead of the entire property.

Grajales said she feels bad for the families who live at the apartment complex, noting that’s their home and they don’t want to be “kicked out” to make room “for a bunch of students.”

Shaw said she understands Sweetwater residents’ frustration, but emphasized Saint Leo would not deny the opportunity to increase its enrollment like it has this year — which included a diverse population of different races, out-of-state and international students, first generation college students and so on.

“As an institution of higher learning and in the Benedictine tradition, we want to educate everybody that we can educate,” Shaw said.

She also observed: “I don’t know if we’d ever not grow if we had the opportunity to grow.”

The university official also said the leasing arrangement makes sense from a financial standpoint, pointing out some of Saint Leo’s values are “just to be fiscally responsible and just be smart about our students’ time and their safety.”

Shaw also said that Saint Leo’s growth has a positive impact on the area, as students commit to “hundreds of thousands of hours” of community service. There’s a lot of community people that come and benefit from our campus,” she said.

The university also has asked a Realtor it works with to assist Sweetwater residents to find new apartments or homes to rent in the area. Sweetwater’s community manager also has begun to assist with housing opportunities in Zephyrhills and along State Road 54, Shaw said.

Published February 26, 2020

Edward Scissorhands’ screening coming soon

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If you’re a local and a fan of the movie, “Edward Scissorhands,” you may already know that much of the movie was filmed in the Carpenters Run neighborhood of Lutz.

Of course, Carpenters Run no longer boasts the bright pastel-colored homes or topiaries featured in the film, but Kenny Caperton, of On Set Cinema, plans to bring elements of the movie to life in a special event planned for the evening of April 25.

Caperton, who created On Set Cinema, describes himself as a “cinema dork.”

Kenny Caperton stands in front of his home in Hillsborough, North Carolina. The house is a life-size replica of the house used in the movie, ‘Halloween.’ He’s the guy in the T-shirt and the other guy is a friend of his who dressed up as Michael Myers, the star of ‘Halloween.’ (Courtesy of Kenny Caperton)

He’s been visiting filming locations for about 20 years, and a couple of years ago, he said: “I got this fun, crazy idea: Wouldn’t it be cool to show movies where they were actually filmed?“

He knows that’s not an original idea, but he said, “as far as I know, there’s never been a film series that exclusively does this.”

So, over the past two years, he’s arranged a couple of dozen screening events at filming locations for movies.

“I’ve had the opportunity to do some absolutely incredible screenings,” Caperton said, noting he’s had events for “The Shining,” “Halloween,” “Beetlejuice” and others.

To hold a screening, Caperton must secure rights to screen the film, make arrangements with the property owners and organize the event.

Most of the movies he’s screened are from the horror genre, and they attract fans from all over, he said.

“I’m used to getting a lot of out-of-towners and not so many locals.

“I do about one a month, and I do them in different states.”

“I did “Twilight” in Oregon, and I had people that came from five different countries,” he said.

“The Shining — that one made national news,” he added.

Some screenings take on a life of their own, he said.

For instance, at the screening of the remake of “The Blob,” in Abbeville, Louisiana, people approached him and said, “Oh, I have pieces of the Blob.”

“When that movie came in there and they filmed, it was very big deal for that town, and it did a lot for that town,” Caperton explained.

“People brought out pieces of the actual Blob. They gave me pieces,” he said.

The movie, “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” had some incredible scenes shot at a department store, he said.

A guy at the department store went up in the attic and unearthed some big signs that had been used in the movie.

The signs hadn’t seen the light of day for 20 years but the guy put them back on the building, so the fans could enjoy them, Caperton said.

“Really cool stuff like that, happens,” said Caperton, who’s such a die-hard horror film lover that he lives in a house he had built that’s a life-size replica of Michael Myers’ house from “Halloween.”

Caperton, who lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina, is excited about the upcoming screening of “Edward Scissorhands.”

He loves the Tim Burton film that stars Johnny Depp, Dianne Wiest and Winona Ryder.

Caperton has long wanted to visit the house where scenes were filmed in Lutz, but just never made it into the area.

Now, that he’s secured permission to have a screening at the house, he plans to make the most of it.

This will be the first time that fans are officially sanctioned to visit the house, take an interior tour of the home and hang out in the backyard for a barbecue.

Other highlights will include a limited number of haircuts being done by a stylist in the backyard, and a walking tour of the neighborhood, where Caperton will describe scenes shot in those locations for the movie.

Caperton surmises the neighborhood must have been fairly new when the movie was filmed because that would explain how Burton “was able to get ahold of all of these houses and paint them.”

Tickets for the “Edward Scissorhands” event are $60, which includes neighborhood and home tours, as well as the screening.  There will be an additional charge for food and beverages from the barbecue.

Only 50 tickets will be sold, because of the size of the backyard.

He’s not expecting to rake in substantial revenue from the event.

“At the end of the day, I’ll probably just break even,” Caperton said.

That doesn’t bother him.

“It’s going to be really fun,” he said. “I love movies. I kind of create events that I would want to go to.”

“Edward Scissorhands” screening event at filming location in Lutz
When: April 25
What: Event includes neighborhood walking tour, interior tour of home, backyard barbecue, haircuts in the backyard and outdoor movie screening.
Cost: Tickets are $60 (only 50 will be sold); additional charges for food and drink from barbecue and haircuts.
To order tickets and for more specifics, visit https://www.myershousenc.com/.

Published February 19, 2020

When Alice saw Earl, ‘It was love at first sight’

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Alice and Earl Angel were only teenagers when they met, but Alice knew instantly that he was the one for her.

The couple — celebrating their 77th anniversary on Feb. 20 — recalled that first meeting.

“In our little town, we had what you call a square,” Earl said.

People would come to people watch there, or meet up with friends.

Earl Angel and his wife, Alice, hold hands as they sit on the couch in the living room of their Zephyrhills home. The couple will be celebrating their 77th anniversary on Feb. 20. (Christine Holtzman)

“I come around the corner one evening, and I see this car sitting there, and I knew the driver and the girl he was with, so I went over to talk with them,” Earl said.

Alice and her blind date were in the back seat.

Earl said he and the couple he knew “got to talkin’ and talkin’,’ and when he left, they went on their way.

The next day, Alice’s girlfriend asked if she had liked her blind date.

Earl said Alice told her friend: “I didn’t think much of it, but what about that fellow that came up to the car?”

Alice recalls the moment she first saw Earl: “It was love at first sight because I can still see him coming around the corner of the building, his overcoat flopping out, and I thought: ‘He is the cutest thing I ever saw.’”

Alice’s friend offered to try to set up Earl with Alice, and Alice agreed.

When her friend asked Earl, he replied: “I don’t know. I don’t even know her.”

But, he agreed anyway.

“We went out — and that was it,” Earl said, noting about a year later, they married.

Five days later, Earl left for the U.S. Army.

“Back in 1942 and ’43, everybody got married young because of, you know, the war (World War II),” Alice said.

Earl went to Fort Meade, Maryland, and from there to Camp Mackall, North Carolina.

Alice lived with her parents while Earl was in the Army. She visited him twice at Camp Mackall, and she became pregnant.

“I had a daughter while he was in the service, and she was 18 months old when he came home,” Alice said.

A framed photo of a 19-year-old Earl Angel is displayed among other family photos inside the Angel’s Zephyrhills home. Earl was a U.S. Army paratrooper, who was wounded in World War II. His service earned him a Purple Heart. No photos of the Angels together during their early years are displayed in the home because they have given those pictures to their daughters.

The war years were a time of uncertainty.

“It was terrifying,” Alice said. “I had two brothers in, and Earl, and a brother-in-law. Of course, each one of them, we worried about.”

Earl, one of 11 children, said: “I had six brothers in (the war).”

He served from February of 1943 to November of 1945, and as a paratrooper in the Philippines, he took enemy fire — and was wounded in the head.

“I laid in a foxhole for three days and nights before they got me to a hospital,” Earl said.

But, once he was out of the hospital, he went back to the battlefront.

His service earned him a Purple Heart.

After Earl returned from the war, the couple continued building their family — which over the years has grown to include three daughters, six grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.

Adventures in travel
Earl, now 96, held a wide assortment of jobs.

At an early age, he worked at area farms for room and board.

Later, he worked at a spinning mill that made fiber for automobile carpets, at a shoe factory, at a paper mill and a service station.

He spent 28 years as a bricklayer.

Mostly, he worked on high-rises, Alice said.

“I was up 27 stories,” said Earl, who traveled an hour-and-a-half each way for jobs in Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington D.C.

Alice worried about Earl working at such heights, and finally, she put an end to it.

“He came home and he said he was going to have to start a new project on Monday. I said, ‘Is it another high-rise?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Well, then, you’re not going to do it.’

“I just had the feeling.

“He never used a belt or anything. He just walked on girders, or whatever you call them, and I just had the feeling he was going to fall. Several men did, you know, on jobs.

“I told him, ‘You just go down and tell your boss you quit.’

“So, for once, he listened to me,” she said, with a laugh.

Alice was still working at the time, so Earl took over the household chores.

“When I came home from work at night, he had supper ready to put on the table,” she said.

Alice managed a hat shop for 11 years, taking that job after their youngest daughter went to school.

She also worked at a bank for 21 years, first as a teller, then later as a bookkeeper, in the computer room and as a keypuncher, before retiring from the bank, as a bookkeeper.

“When I left the bank, I left at 12 o’clock that day and we took off in our trailer for a 4 ½-month trip around the United States,” Alice said.

“We covered every state, except three: North Dakota, Minnesota and Missouri,” Earl said.

Earl and Alice Angel take great pride in their three daughters, displaying their graduation photos in their living room. The couple’s daughters are Carol Pratt, who lives in Rhode Island; Barbara Heltebridle, who lives in Maryland; and, Patricia Staub, who lives in South Carolina.

They went to Canada and Mexico, too.

Going on road trips was nothing new for this couple.

Earl said: “When our girls were small, I used to come home from work on Friday evenings, and I’d tell her (Alice), ‘Pack up, we’re leaving at 4 o’clock tomorrow morning.’

“We took the girls and went all through New York, went through the Land of Make Believe, Santy Claus land and everything for the kids.

“We’d figure up how much time we had to get back to go to work Monday morning, and we’d turn around and come back.

They stayed in guesthouses. They’d stop at the grocery store for sandwich meat, bread and milk. They’d eat at truck stops, too, because they had good food, Earl said.

Alice said: “We ended up in Montreal one time.”

Earl added: “Niagara Falls.”

Alice continued: “We couldn’t speak their language and they couldn’t speak ours, but the woman at the hotel, she made us all hot chocolate, and she was so nice, and we conversed that way.

“We had wonderful trips,” Alice said.

Earl went on: “My mother used to say, ‘Earl, you better stop that running around and save some of your money. And I’d say, ‘Mom, let me tell you something. I’m not going to work all week and sit on the front porch in a rocking chair and watch everybody else go up and down the highway.’”

Earl and Alice moved to Florida in 1990, settling into the Colony Hills mobile home park, in Zephyrhills.

It’s a good life, they said.

They noted they’re the oldest couple there, and they’re treated like royalty.

Their neighbors trim their shrubs, pull their weeds, give them rides and have even done plumbing and electrical work — for free.

Plus, when there’s a community event at the clubhouse, they get to go first in the buffet line.

As they approach their 77th year of married life, it seems that Earl and Alice know the joys that come from hard work, simple pleasures and resilient love.

Tips for a lasting marriage
Earl and Alice Angel, celebrating their 77th anniversary on Feb. 20, offer this advice.

Tip No. 1:  Don’t go to bed mad.
When Earl and Alice have a spat, they don’t go to bed mad. “We just forget about it,” Earl said.
“Or,” Alice said, “you sit and talk it out, and have a solution for it.”

Tip No. 2: Kiss each other often.
“Kiss each other good night,” Earl said, but in the morning, too.
And, during the day, too, Alice said: “We kiss each other often.”

Tip No. 3: Don’t get jealous.
Earl said Alice doesn’t get mad when the other women at Colony Hills, the mobile home park where they live, come up to give him a kiss.
“The women love him. I don’t care,” Alice said, laughing.

Tip No. 4: Put each other first.
“Always try to treat them (spouse) the way you would want to be treated,” Alice said. “He helps me with everything.”

Tip No. 5: Stay interested in each other.
“I had a boss at the bank, he came up to me one day, and he said, ‘Alice, you and Earl are doing something that is very wrong. I said, ‘Like what?’ He said, ‘You’re always together.’
“He said, ‘If one of you dies, the other one is going to be devastated.”
“I said, “Well, we’re still going to always do things together.”

A roller coaster tested her limits
Alice and Earl Angel used to go to an amusement park on dates.
“She liked to ride the rolley-coaster,” Earl said.
“I loved the rolley-coaster,” Alice said.
“So, I fixed her one day. I had her (ride) 21 times, before I left her off,” Earl said.
“I was angry with him, I’ll tell you,” Alice said. “I thought, ‘Well, if he’s going to act like that, I’m not going with him anymore.’”
But, she said, “He just took care of me until I got back on my feet.”
After nearly 77 years of marriage, they’re still going strong.

Published February 12, 2020

73rd annual Pasco Fair: ‘It’s An Adventure’

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With its slew of food options, new performances, live entertainment and other activities, the 73rd annual Pasco County Fair is aiming to make an impression.

The fair’s theme is “It’s An Adventure,” and the show will run Feb. 17 through Feb. 23 at the Pasco County Fairgrounds, 36722 State Road 52 in Dade City.

Details about the festival were shared at a Jan. 21 Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting, hosted at the fairgrounds.

The 73rd annual Pasco County Fair takes on the theme, ‘It’s An Adventure.’ (Courtesy of Pasco Fair Association)

The fair kicks off with a parade in downtown Dade City on Feb. 17 at 11:30 a.m. As usual, there will be marching bands, colorful floats, mounted horse units and more. The parade’s grand marshal will be country music star Billy Dean.

“We are excited about that,” said annual fair chairman and director Tracy Thompson. “We think that’ll attract some more people to come out to the parade.”

In the way of entertainment, there figures to be a little something for everyone during the course of the weeklong event, Thompson told chamber members. “We promise you there’ll be lots of adventures this year, in entertainment,” he said.

One of the major headliners is Jay Mattioli, a magician illusionist who was featured on Season 3 of “America’s Got Talent,” and became one of the youngest magicians ever to receive the International Brotherhood of Magicians’ Champion of Magic award. A sought-after entertainer on luxury cruise lines and for corporate events, Mattioli performs magic with live animals, levitates microphones and other illusions.

He will perform daily on the Back Porch Theatre.

Keeping with the adventure motif, the fair will take on a bit of a Jurassic Park feel from “Walking With Giants,” an interactive, California-based show that will feature moving animatronic dinosaurs that children can crawl and play on, and pose for a picture with. The show will be in the Schrader Building Entertainment Area.

Children also may get a kick out of another daily show called “Pirates of the Colombian Caribbean,” in the Kiddie Land Entertainment Area.

It’s an aerial high-wire thrill extravaganza, where pirate-dressed performers sword fight, rope slide, and take on other stunts on high-wire 20 feet in the air on top of a giant 60-foot pirate ship and a 35-foot rotating “wheel of death.”

“Kids love pirates, so it’ll be a cool show,” Thompson said.

A fair staple — Trenton Tye’s Purgatory Ironworks — returns this year, at the Clayton Way Entertainment Area. It features 1800s-era blacksmith demonstrations on how to make horseshoes, instruments and other tools, from a guy who’s been featured on The History Channel’s “Forged in Fire.”

While all that is going on, the Dan Cannon Auditorium again will be hopping with a variety of music choices throughout the week.

This year’s Pasco County Fair runs from Feb. 17 through Feb. 23. It’s expected to draw more than 50,000 attendees. Patrons come to enjoy food, live entertainment, rides, games, livestock, exhibits and more. (File)

A bluegrass show will be headlined by Little Roy and Lizzy, who Thompson called “legendary” and “icons” in the bluegrass world. They are scheduled to perform on Feb. 19 at 6 p.m.

A gospel show will be headlined by Greater Vision, an award-winning band based out of Morristown, Tennessee. They are scheduled to perform Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. “We expect a full auditorium that night,” Thompson said.

There also will be a Latin flair, with a concert from Baja Zero, a Mexican-themed music group made up of Florida natives. That particular show, scheduled for Feb. 23 at 2 p.m., is already drawing a buzz, as Thompson said there’s been “numerous comments on people excited about this coming up at the fair.”

A new feature at the fairgrounds is a rest and relaxation area, provided by AdventHealth, Thompson said. That area also will have phone-charging stations.

Foodies will find plenty to like at this year’s fair with myriad offerings available along the independent midway, said Jim Ward, vice president of the Pasco County Fair Association and the event’s concessions manager.

In addition to traditional fair grub, such as pizza, corn dogs and cotton candy, Ward said there’ll be new vendors offering items like deep-fried tacos, fried ravioli on a stick, a grilled cheese bar, and even alligator meat — in the form of gator tail, gator nuggets and gator gumbo.

In total, the fair expects about two dozen food vendors, Ward said.

“For a small county fair, we do have some top food out there,” Ward said, noting every year fair organizers try to attract exciting new food vendors to the event.

Those visiting the fairgrounds may notice a few upgrades on the property, too.

Pasco Fair president R.J. Huss said the Higgins Hall building underwent a $200,000 renovation, equipped with “state-of-the-art, industry-leading vendor electrical hookups.” The renovations come after a transformer caught fire in the building at last year’s fair, knocking out power for some vendors.

Higgins Hall and the Schrader Building, and Poultry have been freshly painted, too, Huss said. The fair association president also mentioned a brand-new sound system is being installed in the Agriculture Barn.

Meanwhile, Huss said the fair association is looking at other measures “to try to improve the aesthetics of the ground” for future years.

For more information about the fair, visit PascoCountyFair.com.

Pasco County Fair
When: Feb. 17 through Feb. 23 (Hours vary)
What: Rides, food, games, entertainment, livestock and exhibits
Where: Pasco County Fairgrounds, 36722 State Road 52, Dade City
Cost: Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6 through 12; parking is free. Discounted gate and ride tickets are available online at PascoCountyFair.com.
Info: Visit PascoCountyFair.com, call (352) 567-6678, or email ">.

Published February 05, 2020

Pasco calls for civil campaign behavior

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The Pasco County Commission has amended its Ethical Campaign Practices Act to encourage civility among candidates.

Commissioners voted unanimously on Jan. 21 to support changes suggested by Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley.

Corley said the changes incorporate “language that speaks to civility in the public discourse for candidates running for office within Pasco County.

Pasco Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley asked Pasco County commissioners to update the Ethical Campaign Practices Act, to encourage civility among candidates and to discourage misinformation through social media. (File)

“In essence, this ordinance is a plea for civility, if you will, amongst those running for office in our great county,” Corley said, noting the changes update an ordinance initially adopted in 2006.

Corley noted: “It’s not solely my request, but more importantly, rather something the voters not only want but deserve, and have asked for many times to me, personally.

“Many  voters have relayed that they tire of the toxicity and lack of decorum among campaigns and candidates. So, that’s what’s the driving force is behind this.”

Agreeing to abide by the Pasco Ethical Campaign Practices Act is voluntary, but Corley said over the years hundreds of candidates have signed it. He’s not aware of any who refused.

The changes approved by commissioners ask candidates to:

  • Conduct campaigns openly, publicly discuss issues and avoid criticisms of a personal nature against opponents
  • Prohibit unethical practices which undermine the system of fair elections
  • Listen respectfully to those with opposing viewpoints and avoid language that is insulting or inappropriate
  • Abide by any ordinance or property restriction relating to the placement or posting of campaign signage
  • Run a positive campaign, emphasizing qualifications and positions on issues of public concerns and limit criticism of opponent to legitimate challenges to that person’s record, qualifications and positions
  • Refrain from the use of campaign material either in print or by electronic means through social media that falsifies, distorts or misrepresents facts

Also, there’s a new provision aimed at ensuring that amplified devices are not used to attempt to solicit votes, as voters enter polling places.

The restriction on amplified devices, Corley said, “stems from 2016, where we had voters complain they had to endure a certain campaign using a bullhorn. It was rather disruptive. They were annoyed at it, and nothing could be done.”

The reference to social media is a needed update, too, Corley said. “Remember, there was no Twitter or Facebook in 2006.”

Earlier in the meeting, Randy Evans, state committeeman for the Republican Party of Pasco County, voiced opposition to the changes proposed by Corley.

“This ordinance contradicts the Republican Party’s platform, and it is unenforceable,” Evans said. “It is a waste of time and not worth the paper it is written on.

“Every candidate for public office should be civil towards everyone, not just an opposing candidate. If a candidate feels another candidate is being uncivil, they can walk away, they can call the Sheriff’s Office, or, if necessary, exercise their Second Amendment and stand their ground,” he said.

He cited a portion of the Republican Party Platform, which says: “We oppose any restrictions or conditions that would discourage citizens from participating in the public square or limit their ability to promote their ideas, such as requiring private organizations to publicly disclose their donors to the government. Limits on political speech serve only to protect the powerful and insulate incumbent office holders.”

Evans posed this question to commissioners: “Instead of wasting time on this unenforceable ordinance, and restricting free speech, why not pass an ordinance making Pasco a sanctuary county for the First Amendment and the Second Amendment?”

Commissioner Jack Mariano asked for Corley to react to Evans’ remarks.

Corley responded: “Mr. Evans didn’t reach out to me, so I didn’t have any discussions with him. I kind of wish I had, to be honest with you.

“You’re either for civility or you’re not for civility with this ordinance. It can’t be one or the other.

“The ordinance is asking all candidates to be civil. This is above partisanship, clearly,” Corley said.

Corley continued:  “While it does not prevent a candidate from being less than truthful, or being nasty during their campaign, it is my hope that each candidate going forward would spend their energy and resources running a positive campaign, and join us in the goal of restoring and maintaining civility in the public discourse.”

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey offered this reaction: “I would just say I have no objections to sign anything that says civility and good behavior should be in order.”

She also said she’s glad the amended ordinance addresses the issue of amplified devices because that was a problem before and could not be addressed.

Starkey added: “It doesn’t inhibit anyone’s free speech. I wouldn’t want to do that.”

Corley: “It’s a plea. Voters are tired of negativity.”

Christine Bright, chair of the Pasco Unit of the League of Women Voters of Hillsborough County, backed the changes recommended by Corley.

“I just wanted to stand here today and say that the members of the Leagues strongly support ordinances which promote civility in our political campaigns.

“We’re very concerned about the erosion of civility,” Bright said.

Published January 29, 2020

Monster truck enthusiasts grab attention in Wesley Chapel

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Many claim they have a big truck, but few are bigger than Bill and Vicky McShane’s.

Even calling them monster trucks could be an understatement.

The married couple and Wesley Chapel residents have not one, but two supersized trucks that have generated national attention and intrigue.

Their original truck is a 1998 blue Dodge Ram 2500 V10 that’s been lifted 4 feet and sits on 64-inch V-tread tires. It has Lamborghini-style doors, a tilt bed, and painted flames on the side panel.

Wesley Chapel’s Bill and Vicky McShane have turned their hobby for monster trucks into a side business for promotions and events. (Courtesy of Bill and Vicky McShane)

The truck’s height measures 12-feet-6 inches, top to bottom.

The interior is showy, too. It’s equipped with fiberglass, multiple televisions and cameras, and amps, spotlight and a skull fog machine.

“It’s got everything,” Bill said.

“We threw everything in, and the kitchen sink. There’s a lot on there that doesn’t need to be there,” Vicky added.

The hard-to-miss truck even has its own name — Out of Control — emblazoned on its exterior.

The moniker stuck after an auto mechanic reacted to the couple’s extravagant plans for their truck.

“One of the guys that was helping us build the truck told us, ‘You’re just out of control,’ and I’m like, ‘That is the name of our truck,’” Bill recalled.

Out of Control has been lifted as many as 10 times, little by little, with each auto body visit, Bill said.

It’s so big now that it’s no longer street legal to drive.

Instead, it’s transported to various events and showcases via a lowboy gooseneck trailer.

The novelty has been featured multiple times at Monster Jam and the SEMA (Speed Equipment Manufacturing Association) automobile trade show in Las Vegas, among other events. It’s also been showcased all over Florida.

The McShane’s other head-turner is street legal — a slightly smaller 2016 maroon Ford F350 lifted 3 feet with 54-inch tires. It also has monster truck shocks, 2 ½-ton military axles, an SCS gearbox and transfer case, and a mechanical ladder for climbing in and out.

Wesley Chapel is home to not one, but two monster trucks. Owners Bill and Vicky McShane use them to help promote businesses and charity events, and for kids’ birthday parties. The trucks have been showcased at multiple times at Monster Jam and the SEMA (Speed Equipment Manufacturing Association) automobile trade show in Las Vegas.

Standing at 11-feet-6 inches, the truck is the tallest street legal truck in the state, Bill claims.

“It can actually go up another two more feet, but this is the safest ride height to go down the interstate,” he said.

Bill takes this more modern truck for a spin about once a week, throughout the community.

“You can see him on State Road 56, I-4 (Interstate 4) and I-75 (Interstate 75). He does a route,” Vicky quipped.

Vicky has no interest in driving the monster truck, but she still serves an important role.

She is the truck’s designated “crew chief,”  helping Bill maneuver in and out of parking spots, including their two-story home garage, which snugly holds both trucks.

“She’s my pit crew. (She) keeps me off the walls,” Bill said.

Wherever they go, their attention-getting vehicle always draws a crowd.

Bill joked it often takes him an hour to get gas, because of the sheer number of bystanders who want to talk to him and take pictures.

When driving it, Bill maintains he’s always on the defensive, staying in the right lane and going the speed limit.

But, that hasn’t stopped him from getting pulled over by law enforcement upward of 150 times, he says.

Bills said some officers pull him over, asserting it’s an eye hazard, or to read him the riot act. Others, he said, are more lax, pulling him over for the sheer curiosity, or to take a selfie with the truck.

“You get the one officer who’s like, ‘If you saw what I saw what these trucks could do…’. On the other hand, I’ll have cops pull me over and they’ll be like, ‘Dude, this is the baddest truck I’ve seen in my life!’” Bill explained.

The McShane’s monster truck hobby sparked more than 20 years ago by happenstance.

They had just purchased their then-lightly used Dodge Ram, suited with a much smaller lift at the time.

It was the first truck the couple had purchased together.

As they were leaving the car dealership, Bill saw a bigger truck pass by him on the road. That moment fueled a fire that hasn’t stopped since.

“Something snapped in my head. I’m like, ‘Oh, no!’” said Bill, noting he “was never really into big trucks” beforehand.

Over the years, the McShane’s monster truck hobby turned into a fun side business. It’s led to various restaurant and auto shops sponsorships, events and promotions — deployed as larger-than-life attractions to lure visitors to store grand openings and so on.

They’ve also been presented at kid’s birthday parties, as well as charity events and fundraisers, such as the Children’s Miracle Network and clothing drives for foster kids.

While people of all ages enjoy the monster trucks up close, seeing youths’ jubilant expressions makes it all worthwhile, the McShanes say.

“These are for the kids,” Bill said, motioning to his trucks. “The kids freak out.”

The Wesley Chapel residents may not be done with their monster truck collection. They’ve considered the possibility of adding a third to the mix.

“We’ve got a Dodge, we’ve got a Ford. Realistically, a Chevy would be nice,” Bill said, with a knowing grin.

For information on monster truck appearances, email , or search “Monster Truck Promotions” on Facebook.

Published January 22, 2020