The Pasco Economic Development Council has announced that Amazon plans to invest $40 million in Pasco County. The company is planning a new 110,000-square-foot facility […]
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This Week
Union seeks ‘online-only’ school option
Pasco County Schools is continuing its plans to offer face-to-face instruction as one of its options when school resumes on Aug. 24 — but, the union representing teachers and other school district employees is continuing its efforts to block that. In a posting on the United School Employees of Pasco’s website, union officials inform their […]
Hillsborough reopening embroiled in controversy
The Hillsborough County School Board last week voted to begin the school year on Aug. 24, operating online only for the first four weeks of classes. Within a day of that decision, however, Florida Education Commission Richard Corcoran notified the district that “this blanket, district-wide decision directly contradicts the district’s reopening plan, which was approved […]
Bilirakis fields questions, addresses concerns
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis fielded questions from constituents during a virtual town hall-style meeting hosted by The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce. The Aug. 6 online “Breakfast with Bilirakis” meeting, allowed the Republican congressman to share various updates from Washington D.C. It also provided a forum for Bilirakis, who represents Florida’s 12th Congressional District, to […]
Pasco County employees to get 3% raises
Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles initially recommended a 2% raise for county employees, reasoning that was in line with the current rate of inflation. But, Pasco County Commissioners overrode Biles’ recommendation, agreeing instead with Commissioner Mike Wells’ push to give employees a 3% raise. When he brought up the issue a few weeks ago, Wells […]
Hercules Park upgrades under consideration
As the Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) preps its budget for fiscal year 2020-21, city leaders are calling for more attention to Hercules Park, a 9-acre city-owned park land property off Gall Boulevard. Zephyrhills CRA director Gail Hamilton on July 27 probed the CRA Board of Commissioners —chaired by Zephyrhills City Council members — on […]
Pasco voters to weigh in on key races
The Primary 2020 ballot is not long in Pasco County, but there are some key races in the election set for Aug. 18. Some voters will make their way to the polls to cast their ballots on Election Day, but many will have already voted, or mailed in their ballots. It remains unclear how concerns […]
Hillsborough primary includes key races
Hillsborough County voters will go to the polls on Aug. 18 to make their voices heard, in the 2020 Primary Election. Of course, some voters will take advantage of early voting before then, and others will cast their ballots by mail. It remains unclear how concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic will affect voter turnout, but […]
Soule Company plans expansion
An economic incentive from Pasco County is supporting the expansion of a manufacturing business in Compark 75, off Wesley Chapel Boulevard. Soule Company plans to construct a 100,000-square-foot building on a 7.7-acre parcel, at 26543 Wild Fern Circle. The new facility represents an $8 million investment, according to Pasco County figures. The structure will be […]
Columnist helps to keep Pasco’s history alive
The name Doug Sanders will ring a bell with regular readers of The Laker/Lutz News. Especially those who enjoy history. Sanders dropped by the newspaper’s office a little over five years ago, offering to help us tell the story of the region’s history. It was an offer we couldn’t refuse. Since then, Sanders’ columns have […]
Front Page Photos
Not your typical vacation shots
Land O’ Lakes photographer Lillian Cucuzza often shares her photographs of local wildlife with readers of The Laker/Lutz News (In fact, we’re publishing one today in our B section). These shots were taken, however, during her vacation out West this summer. This photo of the Neowise Comet, was taken on July 15, when the comet […]
This Week (cont)
Avoid dangers posed by online predators
Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren has issued a video aimed at helping parents to protect their children from online predators. “Summer camps are limited. Parents are stretched thin. It’s a perfect storm for predators,” Warren said, in a news release. During the pandemic, Warren’s office already has seen “disturbing attempts by online predators to […]
School projects address district needs
A global pandemic has cast uncertainty regarding what will happen in the coming school year, but the work goes on to build, expand and renovate schools in the Pasco County school district. Rapid growth in recent years has caused school crowding. And, anticipated residential construction has created a need for schools in previously undeveloped areas. […]
Local Sports
Check out these locals in 2020 NFL training camps
Like other sports organizations, the National Football League (NFL) has succumbed in some way, shape or form to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The league already has scrapped its preseason games, and training camps have a much different look — all taking place at team facilities without fans and visitors. With myriad health and safety precautions […]
Local golf standout swings into senior year
When Norah Catlin showed up for Wiregrass Ranch High School girls golf tryouts in 2017, it wasn’t long before coach Jeremy Calzone realized a special talent had entered the program. The longtime Bulls coach originally wasn’t aware of the then-incoming freshman’s background winning countless junior tournaments; being named the Greater Tampa Junior Golf Association’s player […]
Sports – Check This Out
FHSAA delays fall sports start date
The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) postponed the start date of fall sports until Aug 24, after FHSAA Board of Directors last month voted 11-4 to do so. The move comes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. FHSAA supervises and regulates interscholastic athletic programs for high school students at member public, private and charter […]
Saint Leo men’s hoops alum goes pro
Saint Leo University men’s basketball recent graduate Kyran McLure has signed an overseas professional contract with Omladinski Kosarkaski Klub (OKK) Novi Pazar, a Serbia-based basketball club. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard led Saint Leo in scoring the last two seasons, including averaging 20.8 points per game in 2019-2020 and 17.1 in 2018-2019. McClure, a two-time All-Sunshine […]
Saint Leo fall sports postponed
Saint Leo University’s member athletic conference — the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) — announced it has postponed all scheduled competitions in the fall sports season, due to COVID-19. The decision, made by the SSC Presidents Council, affects men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s cross-country, women’s cross-country, and women’s volleyball. It also affects any fall schedules for […]
Good Neighbors
Lutz teen gets heartwarming surprise
When Abbie Grace Flohr returned to her Lutz neighborhood after a life-saving surgery, she was greeted with a life-affirming welcome home celebration. The young woman, who will be a freshman at Steinbrenner High this fall, was coming home from the hospital, after a surgery to address a massive blood clot in a vein near her […]
