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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Darby Community Church

Pasco gets 25 percent head start into Nov. 4

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Early voting in various places around Pasco County ended Saturday, and although there’s still room to receive more mail-in ballots on Monday, county elections supervisor Brian Corley has to be happy with the turnout so far.

More than 77,000 ballots have been cast through Sunday, representing 25 percent of the more than 300,000 registered voters eligible to head to the polls for the Nov. 4 mid-term elections. While that is a strong early number, Corley now is wondering whether that will be enough — after adding this coming Tuesday’s numbers — to beat the 47 percent turnout of 2010.

Republicans made up 44 percent of early voters, with a little more than 34,200 ballots cast there. Democrats accounted for 35 percent with nearly 27,200 ballots. Third parties and independents made up the rest with 20 percent, or a little more than 15,500 ballots.

That’s showing a stronger turnout for Republicans so far, which typically makes up about 38 percent of Pasco’s registered voters. Democrats have slightly stronger numbers as well, since they represent just 33 percent of registered voters, while independents and members of other parties have not come out as much as they could, typically making up 28 percent of registered voters.

Candidates, at least in the gubernatorial race, feel it’s going to be independents that are a deciding factor in a race that remains a statistical dead heat going into the final days of the race.

The best turnout was from voters who cast their ballots normally at First Assembly of God, located on State Road 54 in Zephyrhills, where 985 ballots received makes up 38 percent of their total voter registry. The more than 2,500 registered voters there, according to the elections supervisor office, are 40 percent Republican, 35 percent Democrat, and 25 percent everyone else.

The lowest turnout so far is from Darby Community Church on Bellamy Brothers Boulevard in Dade City, where 90 ballots were cast, or just under 12 percent. The 762 voters there are 42 percent Republican, 34 percent Democrat and 24 percent independents and members of third parties.

More than 4,600 voters turned up for the final day of early voting, slightly above the average of a little more than 4,000 ballots a day cast in early voting. Unlike other counties in Florida, Pasco did not offer Sunday voting in the final days leading up to Nov. 4, although polls were open the Sunday before.

Early voting did not catch up to mail-in ballots, which accounted for 58 percent of the total turnout so far.

Everyone who hasn’t voted will get that chance on Tuesday, when polls open at 7 a.m.

More than 5,000 show up for first day of early voting

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A lot of people are heading to the polls, and it’s not even Election Day yet.

Pasco County elections supervisor Brian Corley says more than 5,000 people turned out to vote on Saturday, as early voting started in various locations around the county.

By lunchtime on Monday, the number of early voters quickly approached 9,000, joining more than 38,000 mail-in ballots already received for the midterm election.

Republicans make up 45 percent of all the pre-Election Day voters so far in Pasco, while Democrats account for 35 percent. Non-affiliated voters or those from other parties make up the remaining 19 percent.

That brings total turnout so far to a little more than 15 percent. The best turnout so far has been at the Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club in San Antonio, where nearly 25 percent of the more than 2,100 people registered there have cast a ballot. That is a heavily Republican precinct, where Democrats are outnumbered nearly 2-to-1.

The worst turnout so far is at Darby Community Church in Dade City, were just 6 percent of the 764 voters there have finished their civic duty. That district is more balanced in terms of the major political parties, with 42 percent Republican and 34 percent Democratic.

Early voting continues through Saturday, with each location open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. This election gives voters a chance to choose between two governors in who will stay (or move back into) the mansion in Tallahassee. It also has some local races, including Pasco County Commission between Mike Moore and Erika Remsberg.

Voters also are choosing whether to support three amendments to the state constitution, ranging from land conservation to how state supreme court justices are appointed to medical marijuana.

• East Pasco Government Center, 14236 Sixth St., Dade City
• Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes
• New River Branch Library, 34043 State Road 54, Zephyrhills
• The Grove at Wesley Chapel, 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., Wesley Chapel
• Hudson Library, 8012 Library Road, Hudson
• New Port Richey Elections Office, 8731 Citizens Drive, New Port Richey
• Regency Park Library, 9701 Little Road, New Port Richey
• South Holiday Library, 4649 Mile Stretch Drive, Holiday

Nearly 13,000 votes already cast in Pasco

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Political candidates on the Aug. 26 ballot are making last-minute preparations as they await to hear what voters have decided about their fate.

But nearly 13,000 people already have voted in the primary election — all by mail.

Pasco County supervisor of elections Brian Corley has been keeping a real-time update of turnout as votes come in. Since early voting doesn’t begin until Saturday, all the ballots so far have been by mail. And there’s some interesting tidbits about what’s come in so far.

As of Thursday night, the number of ballots separating registered Democrats and registered Republicans who have voted is just two — Republicans lead Democrats 5,445 to 5,443. Other party voters and independents have cast 1,919 ballots by mail so far.

That’s an interesting turnout, considering registered Republicans make up 38 percent of the county’s total electorate, while Democrats have 34 percent. The main primary race, however, is Republican in Pasco County Commission District 2. There is another primary in District 4 between Mike Wells Jr. and Henry Wilson Jr., but that is an open primary where anyone can vote, since no other candidates from different political parties have filed.

Voters also will have a chance to cast a vote in a school board race between incumbent Steve Luikart and challenger Marc Yacht, a non-partisan race. Judge candidates also are on the ballot, still looking for votes to get on the bench.

Despite the five-digit turnout so far, it’s still only a fraction of the overall number of people registered to vote. The 12,807 ballots cast so far is a little more than 4 percent turnout.

The most votes so far have come from Precinct 59 north at Timber Oaks in Port Richey with an 8 percent turnout so far. The worst turnout has been from Precinct 9 based at Darby Community Church in Dade City, where just 10 voters — or 1.3 percent of the registered voters — have cast ballots so far.

Early voting in Pasco County begins Aug. 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and continues Sunday at the same times. During the next week, early voting will be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., before giving voters one last chance before actual voting day on Aug. 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Early voting is available at eight locations, including the East Pasco Government Center at 14236 Sixth St., in Dade City; the Land O’ Lakes Library at 2818 Collier Parkway; the New River Library at 34043 State Road 54 in Zephyrhills; and The Grove at Wesley Chapel, 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd.

For a complete list of early voting sites, click here.

 

New schools, new programs on tap for 2014-15 school year

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The days of relatively easy rush-hour commutes are approaching an end as students, teachers and other employees gear up for a new school year.

Students in Pasco County Schools begin the 2014-15 school year on Aug. 18, and Hillsborough County public schools begin classes a day later.

These children arrive at school at Quail Hollow Elementary School on the last day the school had classes before closing down for renovation. Quail Hollow is slated to open in the 2015-16 school year. (File Photo)
These children arrive at school at Quail Hollow Elementary School on the last day the school had classes before closing down for renovation. Quail Hollow is slated to open in the 2015-16 school year.
(File Photo)

Wiregrass Ranch High School already is urging students and parents to give themselves ample time to arrive.

“Traffic in the morning is always busy,” Robyn White, the school’s principal, noted on the Wiregrass Ranch website. “With 40 buses arriving, 500 student drivers, 200 employees and hundreds of parents driving to school, you must arrive early to prevent being late to school.”

If that’s the scene at just one school, imagine how it will play out across two massive school districts.

In addition to traffic generated by Hillsborough and Pasco public schools, there also are thousands of students in both counties attending private schools and charter schools, including Academy at the Lakes, Land O’ Lakes Christian School, Countryside Montessori, The Reading Corner, Learning Gate Community School, Imagine School and Academy at the Farm, just to name a few.

The traffic jams will begin in earnest when students return to classes, but the volume will pick up a bit earlier as teachers and other school employees begin reporting back to work to get ready for another year.

Many parents are already hitting the malls, discount stores and local shops to buy their kids new school clothes and supplies for the coming year. Parents who want to be in the know should check their school’s website to make sure they are getting the supplies that their kids will need. Most websites offer a list of supplies that differentiates between grade levels.

Parents also can benefit from attending “meet the teacher” day at elementary schools and orientation sessions for older students to get a better feel for their child’s campus and the school’s rules. Again, all that information is available on schools’ websites.

The coming school year is ushering in new educational options for students in both school districts. Pepin Academies has a new public charter school in New Port Richey that will serve students with special learning needs throughout Pasco County.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the county, Darby Christian Academy in Dade City will offer a community school model, based on a biblical worldview. That school, a ministry of Darby Community Church at 14745 Bellamy Brothers Road, offers instruction for kindergarten through 10th-graders.

Stewart Middle School and Zephyrhills High School are adding The Infinity Academy, a program that blends online instruction with classroom learning to give students the chance to quickly move through material they master, but spend more time on lessons that cause them to struggle.

Both schools also are offering a program called AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. At Zephyrhills High, AVID will be available for 60 incoming ninth-graders who will take it as an elective. The class will focus on organizational skills, text coding, reading and writing coaching, and math and science tutorials.

At Stewart, the AVID elective will be offered for students in grades six through eight.

In Hillsborough County, the public charter Lutz Preparatory School has added a middle school. This year, the school will serve sixth- and seventh-graders. Next year, it intends to add eighth grade.

Three elementary schools in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area have new principals.

Claudia Steinacker will lead Cox Elementary School, and Christina Twardosz is at the helm of Centennial Elementary School, both in Dade City. Gretchen Rudolph-Fladd is the new principal at Veterans Elementary School in Wesley Chapel.

This school year also signals the first full year of operation for Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, a new satellite of Pasco-Hernando State College.

The college campus is next door to Wiregrass Ranch High and not far from Wesley Chapel High School, which is expected to lead to enhanced educational opportunities for the high school students and to give the college a chance to recruit more future students.

Pasco County Schools Calendar 2014-15
Aug. 18 — Students’ first day
Sep. 1 — Labor Day
Oct. 20 — Teacher planning day
Oct. 27— Report card distribution
Nov. 24-28 — Thanksgiving break
Dec. 22-Jan. 2 — Winter break
Jan. 5 — Teacher planning day
Jan. 12 — Report card distribution
Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 16 — President’s Day
March 16-20 — Spring break
March 23 — Teacher planning day
March 30 — Report card distribution
April 3 — Non-student day
May 20 — Seniors’ last day
May 25 — Memorial Day
June 3 — Students’ last day
June 11 — Final report card distribution

Hillsborough County Schools Calendar 2014-15
Aug. 19 — Students’ first day
Sept. 1 — Labor Day
Oct. 20 — Teacher planning day
Nov. 3 — Elementary report card distribution
Nov. 7 — Secondary report card distribution
Nov. 11 — Veterans Day
Nov. 24-28 — Fall break
Dec. 22-Jan. 2 — Winter break
Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan. 20 — Non-student day
Feb. 2 — Elementary report card distribution
Feb. 10 — Secondary report card distribution
March 9–13 — Spring break
March 16 — Student’s return to school
April 3 — Non-student day
April 13 — Elementary report card distribution
April 17 — Secondary report card distribution
May 25 — Memorial Day
June 5 — Elementary report card distribution
June 5 — Last day of school
June 12 — Secondary report card distribution

– Compiled by Ashley Schrader

Published August 6, 2014

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