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Library hours restored for patrons

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Pasco County Libraries has restored Monday hours at the Hugh Embry and Hudson branches, as of Oct. 15. Patrons will now have four libraries to choose from to visit on Mondays.

The restoration of hours at more locations was a priority of the Pasco Board of County Commissioners for the fiscal year 2018-2019 budget.

In October 2017, the Regency Park and Land O’ Lakes branches were the first to restore hours, with the addition of Monday hours and some evening hours.

The Pasco County library locations that are now open on Mondays are:

  • Land O’ Lakes Branch Library, 2818 Collier Parkway
  • Hugh Embry Branch Library, 14215 Fourth St., Dade City
  • Regency Park Branch Library, 9701 Little Road in New Port Richey
  • Hudson Regional Library, 8012 Library Road

All libraries will remain closed on Sundays.

According to Bob Harrison, libraries public communications specialist, the restored hours give patrons on both the east and west sides of the county more access to everything they love about the libraries.

For information on hours of operation for all seven branches in the Pasco County Library System, visit PascoLibraries.org.

Information on the library catalog, e-content, programs, events and links to all the branches also can be found on the website.

Published October 24, 2018

Strong early voter turnout so far in Pasco

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Brian Corley likes what he’s seeing for the 2014 election so far.

As of 4 p.m. Thursday, more than 21 percent of registered voters in Pasco County have dropped a ballot in the voting box, and there’s still two full days of early voting left.

“We’re on pace to beat 2010, and we’re doing that with less than a 10-minute wait” at early voting locations around the county, said Corley, Pasco’s supervisor of elections. “It’s very rewarding, and shows that we are getting things done to get out the vote.”

Nearly 65,300 votes have been cast in Pasco so far, with nearly a third from early voting, and the rest from mail ballots. In a race that includes a tight battle for governor between Charlie Crist and Rick Scott, as well as a high-profile county commission race, more than 29,000 — or 45 percent — of the votes are being cast by Republicans, while more than 23,000, or 35 percent, are coming from Democrats. Another 20 percent, representing just over 13,000 voters, are coming from those with other or no party affiliations.

Republicans continue to turn out in better numbers than Democrats in the race, especially with the GOP only accounting for 38 percent of Pasco’s more than 305,000 voters. Democrats make up 33 percent of the total electorate, while everyone else is at 28 percent.

The voting precinct with the best numbers so far is First Assembly of God in Zephyrhills where 33 percent, or 850 people, have cast an early ballot so far. Political breakdowns there match pretty much the rest of the county with 40 percent Republicans, and 35 percent Democrats.

The lowest numbers so far, however, are coming from Crystal Springs Community Hall just outside of Zephyrhills, where just 86 votes — or less than 10 percent — have been cast. That precinct has nearly 900 total registered voters where Democrats just slightly outnumber Republicans.

Early voting continues through Saturday, with each location open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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

Pasco libraries to tackle identity theft

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The Pasco County Library System is offering a program to teach residents how to protect themselves from identity theft, and how to catch identity theft early.

The 45-program will be offered throughout November and part of December at library branches around the country.

It’s free, and also will explain what to do if someone feels they have become a victim of identity theft.

Upcoming programs include:

  • Centennial Park Library, 5740 Moog Road in Holiday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m.
  • South Holiday Library, 4649 Mile Stretch Road in Holiday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m.
  • Hugh Embry Library, 14215 Fourth St., in Dade City, Nov. 7 at 11 a.m.
  • Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m.
  • Regency Park Library, 9701 Little Road in New Port Richey, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m.
  • Hudson Regional Library, 8012 Library Road in Hudson, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.
  • New River Library, 34043 State Road 54 in Zephyrhills, Dec. 5 at 2 p.m.

For information, visit PascoLibraries.org.

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

Vote by mail already has 10 percent turnout

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Early voting doesn’t start until this weekend. But in the meantime, Pasco County elections supervisor Brian Corley continues to collect mail-in votes — by the thousands.

As of late Monday, Corley has received more than 30,000 ballots for the upcoming midterm election. Of those ballots, 35 percent of them are from Democrats, 45 percent are from Republicans, and 20 percent were from other parties. For the more than 305,000 registered voters countywide, 38 percent are Republican, 34 percent are Democrat and 28 percent represent other parties.

That means there’s still room for more non-partisan voters to complete a ballot before or on the Nov. 4 election, as well as a small number more Democrats.

Midterm elections are historically low when it comes to turnout, even though Florida typically elects a governor during the season between presidential elections. The county, however, still has a ways to go to beat the 2010 midterm turnout of 46 percent.

The area of the county with the biggest turnout so far is the area surrounding the Heritage Pines Country Club in Hudson, according to Corley’s office. There, 566 early votes have been received, representing just under 17.3 percent of the voters there.

The lowest turnout so far is the area surrounding Darby Community Church in Dade City, where just 30 voters — or less than 4 percent of those eligible — have cast ballots to far.

The Darby precinct has 764 voters, but is 42 percent Republican, 34 percent Democrat, and 24 percent other parties. The Hudson precinct, however, has 3,278 registered voters. There, Republicans represent 46 percent, Democrats 29 percent, and other parties 26 percent.

Early voting will begin Oct. 25 and run through Nov. 1 at eight locations, operating from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Those locations — which can be found by clicking here — include:

• 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