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New York

A conversation with Brian Calle, publisher of The Laker/Lutz News

November 23, 2021 By B.C. Manion

Brian Calle, the new publisher of The Laker/Lutz News, sat down with B.C. Manion, editor of the newspaper, to talk about the path that led him into newspaper ownership — and why he thinks print publications play an important role in today’s media landscape.

Editor’s note: The questions and the answers, presented here, have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Where did you grow up? Can you tell us a little bit about your childhood?
I was born in L.A. County, in Whittier, and shortly thereafter moved to the Inland Empire of California, to a city called Chino.

I was raised by a single mom — me and my sister, Breanna.

My sister and I are super close, 14-, 15-months apart — as  opposite as they come, but super close.

My sister, my mom and I also had a really tight relationship with my grandmother and my grandfather.

My grandmother was a very strong, fiery, full-blooded Italian, matriarch of the family.

My mom was struggling to raise two kids. She was on welfare and food stamps at one point, and then later, working three jobs. She studied while she worked and became a gemologist, building a small jewelry business.

My grandmother’s parents emigrated from Italy and she was born in Rome, New York, and then made her way to California. She only flew once in her life and that was back to Rome for her father’s funeral.

My grandfather was a bakery superintendent.

In my family, no one went to college. You graduated high school and then went to work with your hands.

I remember telling my grandmother and grandfather that I was going to work with my brains.

My grandmother loved it. My grandfather was not too fond of that conversation.

How did you discover your interest in journalism?
You know, that started when I was really young. I remember watching the presidential debates. I was more fascinated with the moderators and the journalists asking the questions than I was with the candidates themselves.

When he was studying the presidency of Richard Nixon, he recalls being particularly interested in Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the Washington Post investigative reporters who did much of the original reporting on the Watergate scandal that led to Nixon’s resignation.

I don’t think it clicked for me at the time, that I would ever be a journalist. I actually always thought that I would be an actor.

I did theater growing up, and it didn’t come until later that I realized that I really loved journalism and that I could get the same kind of feeling, or energy, that I got from performing. That was especially true when I had my radio show and television show.

You’re still performing, but you’re performing in a different way.

The thing I learned that I loved most is that I could take really complex, difficult topics and make them entertaining and interesting to people.

I read that you worked for Sally Ride, the first American female sent into space. Tell us about that.
My first job out of college was working for Sally Ride Science. My best friend in high school — Whit — is Sally Ride’s nephew.

Brian Calle, left, is at Fox 11 Studio, in Los Angeles, where he was co-hosting ‘You Decide SoCal,’ along with Tony Ewing, who is not pictured.(Courtesy of Brian Calle)

Sally was doing one of her first science festivals for girls at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). Her sister, “Bear” — Karen is her real name, but everybody calls her Bear — called me and said, ‘Hey, we’re doing the science festival for girls at UCLA. We need help. Can you come volunteer?’

He was happy to help, enjoyed the experience and volunteered to pitch in at other festivals. His efforts attracted Sally Ride’s attention.

After one of the festivals, Sally took me for a walk and said, ‘Hey, I’ve heard what you’ve been doing, I’d like you to come and work for me, full-time.’

I was in college. No one in my family had graduated college.

I was like, ‘I would love to do that, but I have to graduate college.’

She was like, ‘OK, can you consult?’

I didn’t know what the word consult was. Zero idea.

‘I was like, I don’t know what that means. But if you explain it to me, maybe.’

She was like: ‘It means I pay you a stipend to do a certain amount of work every month.’

Then she’s like: ‘Do you have classes on Friday?’

I was like: ‘No.’

Then, she’s like: ‘Do you have classes on the weekends?’

I said: ‘No.’

Sally Ride then asked him to come into the office on Fridays and to help at science festivals on the weekends. By the time he graduated from college, she offered him a full-time job as director of sales and marketing for Sally Ride Science.

Sally was a mentor to me. I learned so much from her. She was one of the most gracious and smartest people.

Sally would say, ‘Hey, can you do this? Can you do that? Can you write a press release. Can you write an editorial?’

And, I didn’t know what those things were — or I did know what they were, tangentially — but I’d never done it. So, I would Google: ‘How to write a press release.’

Have you had any turning points that presented an unexpected opportunity, or sent you in a surprising direction?
The decision that changed my life was taking the job at The Orange County Register. As an elder millennial, I never thought I would go work at a newspaper. I just never thought it.

It was around 2008-2009 and I was being recruited by the Orange County Register, and I said ‘No.’

I didn’t think that was my path.

Plus, everything I was reading at the time was about this newspaper going under, or that newspaper going under.

When approached by a friend from The Orange County Register about six months after the initial overture, he joined the staff. That led to a series of promotions. He became vice president at Freedom Communications, which owned The Orange County Register and Riverside Press-Enterprise. Freedom was acquired by Southern California News Group and he was appointed to oversee opinion editorial content for its 11 newspapers and websites. He also was the co-host of Fox 11’s “You Decide SoCal” television news broadcast and the host of the Catch-Up daily radio show on KABC.
During his career, his employers have gone through ownership changes, bankruptcy and other difficulties — which, he said, helped him develop a thicker skin to prepare for future challenges.

Flash forward to now. His company, Street Media LLC, owns the LA Weekly, the Irvine Weekly, and the Marina Times, all in California; The Village Voice, in New York; and, The Laker/Lutz News, in Florida.


Obviously, you’re optimistic about print’s role in today’s media landscape. When print is declining in so many places, what gives you faith in print’s future?
From a journalism perspective, a lot of people like the disconnecting — of putting their phone down — and being able to open a print product and not have any kind of distraction in the presentation. There’s something special about that experience.

Brian Calle is at KABC Studios, in Culver City, hosting the ‘Catch-Up Daily’ radio show. (Courtesy of Brian Calle)

From an advertiser perspective, advertisers are starting to look at newspapers more like billboards, and they’re putting that into their action plan for their budgets.

Historically, we would use the newspaper and we put in a coupon and we would track the coupon. A lot of that has moved to digital.

But we need awareness because if we don’t have a billboard and tell people here’s the logo and here’s where we are, then they’re never going to convert to a final sale.

So, I think marketers are starting to realize that ‘Oh, print is our own billboard.’ And, in many cases, it gets read more than the billboard, because it gets passed around.

I think print is part of the broader toolkit. It would be foolhardy not to do digital. All forms of digital — from obviously the typical website, but engagement on social media, too.

That’s something that’s cool about The Laker. There’s a young crew who is obviously passionate about social media, taking the stories and sharing them on the different platforms.

You have to tell the stories, where the eyeballs are. Some eyeballs are on print, some are on social, some are on the Web, and who knows what’s next.

The Laker/Lutz News is your most recent acquisition. Why invest here?
In addition to having a solid position in a dynamic market, The Laker/Lutz News has some specific strengths.

The print is so well-done, so well-supported by the community, and the team here is so dedicated and committed to it. I think that’s why it’s in the position that it’s in.

It’s in a rare position, compared to a lot of community papers, sadly, throughout the country.

One of the things that I love about The Laker — which was kind of the sealing of the deal for me — is the neutrality of the content.

It truly is a journalism operation. It is by the book. You don’t infuse politics. You don’t have an agenda, and, you know, I hate to say it, but that’s becoming rare in our industry.

We can have our perspective and we can have our opinion pages, that’s fine. But we can’t have a society where 50% operates on one set of facts and 50% operates on another set of facts.

Note: Brian Calle, the new publisher of The Laker/Lutz News, wants the community to know that he’s very accessible. If you’d like to touch base with him, email

Revised Nov. 25, 2021

Dade City picnic offers a taste of New York

March 20, 2019 By Brian Fernandes

About 80 people packed the clubhouse at Country Aire Manor recently for the annual Otsego County picnic.

Besides catching up with friends and making new acquaintances, those gathering enjoyed a potluck lunch, had a chance to reminisce, and share their East Coast and Southern cultures.

New Yorkers and Floridians alike gathered for the 2019 NY Otsego County Picnic on March 8, at Dade City’s County Aire Manor clubhouse. Guests got to meet up with both new and familiar faces, while eating various foods. (Brian Fernandes)

Sally Harrington, of Cooperstown, New York, said she was happy to run into old friends.

“I’ve seen a lot of people that I haven’t seen in years – which is very surprising to me,” said Harrington, a Florida snowbird, who made a point to attend the picnic before heading back up North.

She was invited to the Dade City get-together by her friend Ken Morris, an Otsego County native with strong ties to the yearly picnic. His grandfather, a New York transplant to Zephyrhills, was one of the event’s founders.

“I was a high-schooler when I use to visit him,” Morris recounted. “It was a great place to get out of the snow.”

Word of the picnic typically gets around either by email chain, telephone calls or word of mouth.

As this year’s host, Rex Yurenka personally helped to circulate invitations.

“Most of these people are from New York and they have houses down here,” said  Yurenka, a snowbird himself.

Those gathering had a chance to share special foods.

Joe Corraro, for instance, prepared his signature-style meatballs for the picnic. A native of Otsego County, he also is a former firefighter and former pizza parlor owner.

Now a resident of Zephyrhills, Corraro has been a regular at the picnic for nearly a decade.

When it comes to deli sandwiches, Corraro observed, the North beats the South.

But, the South has a real advantage on another front, he said. The warm weather is a whole lot nicer than shoveling snow, he said.

Besides Corraro’s meatballs, the buffet included pasta salad, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, goulash stew and fruit salad, to name just some of the items.

And, this year, for the first time, the event featured live entertainment.

Guitarist Jim Dorn took to the stage, playing songs dating back to the 1960s.

Another high point was the chance drawing: Sixteen guests won prizes to take home.

Yurenka said he had just two rules for the picnic’s guests:  “Go away full and have a good time.”

Published March 20, 2019

Incentive money brings more jobs to Pasco

October 18, 2017 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County commissioners approved an incentive payment of $141,000 to Meopta U.S.A, an optics manufacturer bringing nearly 50 new jobs to the county.

Meopta USA is opening a plant in Trinity that will manufacture precision optics for a variety of uses including binoculars, scopes, and assemblies for the military and aerospace industries. (Courtesy of Shannon Jackson)

The company is relocating its headquarters from Long Island, New York, to 7826 Photonics Drive, in Trinity.

Meopta officials plan to renovate a building formerly occupied by another optics manufacturer, VLOC, Inc. That company closed in 2014.

Pasco can thank a Largo-based company for its good fortune in landing Meopta.

Nearly a year ago, the Largo company, also an optics manufacturer, was looking to be bought out. Meopta officials decided to buy the company’s assets, with initial plans to move everything to their plant in Long Island, New York.

But, Reinard Seipp, Meopta’s general manager, said he saw a lot of “know-how and talent” in the area.

But there was a problem.

“I didn’t want to live in Largo,” he said. “I happened to like Pasco, right away. I live here. I love it.”

Meopta is expected to make about a $5.2 million capital investment in the project.

Salaries are expected to be about $49,000 a year, or about 125 percent of Pasco’s average wage.

Meopta manufactures and distributes precision optics mostly for military uses, Seipp said.

Its optics are used for binoculars as well as spotting and rifle scopes. Meopta also makes prisms, optical mirrors, periscopes for tanks and assemblies for the aerospace and medical industries.

“Our products flew on space shuttles,” Seipp said.

The Pasco Economic Development Council worked with county staff to recruit Meopta to Pasco.

The Pasco County Job Creation Incentive Program also will aid Meopta in filling job positions.

Seipp has met with representatives of AMskills, a Tampa Bay initiative that aids high school students, adults and veterans seeking manufacturing jobs.

Seipp is optimistic about the company’s future.

“I think 47 jobs is a start,” Seipp said. “We’re not going to stop there by a long shot.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Shops at Wiregrass sold to QIC

October 11, 2017 By Kathy Steele

The Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel is among 10 regional malls that will be sold by Forest City Realty Trust, Inc., for a total of about $3.2 billion, according to an announcement by Forest City.

The buyer is Australia-based QIC, an investment partner of Forest City. QIC currently owns about 49 percent of the Wiregrass mall, with Forest City holding 51 percent ownership, according to Greg Lenners, the mall’s general manager.

The Shops at Wiregrass is being sold, along with nine other regional malls, but it will be business as usual for shoppers and merchants. (File)

QIC has been a partner with Forest Realty for about two years, Lenners said.

“As far as merchants at Wiregrass and customers, nobody will notice anything different,” Lenners said. “You’re not going to see any changes other than ongoing improvements at center court.”

In other words, it’s business as usual.

The sale of six of the malls, including Wiregrass, is expected to close by the end of the year for about $1.24 billion. No information was provided on the value of the individual malls.

The remaining four malls will be sold for about $1.93 billion as Forest City “secures replacement assets,” according to a news release about the sale.

Many of the malls are in California, with others in Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, Nevada and West Virginia.

Per the agreement, Forest City will transfer its retail operations, including most of its personnel, to QIC.

So far, leasing, marketing, tenant coordination, legal and human resources have been transitioned to QIC. Accounting, property management and other functions will transfer as closings are completed.

“We view the U.S. real estate market and the retail sector in particular as a strong investment opportunity,” said Steve Leigh, in a written statement. He is QIC’s managing director of global real estate.

QIC began its partnership with Forest City in 2013.

Once the sale of the 10 malls to QIC, and the company’s New York specialty retail centers to Madison International is complete, Forest City will no longer have shopping centers in its portfolio.

“We are very pleased to achieve this key milestone with our partner,” said David J. LaRue in a written statement. LaRue is Forest City president and chief executive officer. “This transaction is a win-win for all parties, as we continue to focus our business on urban residential, office and mixed-use assets, and QIC acquires full ownership of a U.S. retail presence with high quality regional malls in strong markets.”

For more information, visit Forestcity.net.

Published Oct. 11, 2017

 

Ice arena offers plenty of room, action

February 22, 2017 By Kevin Weiss

There’s no shortage of activities — or room— at the newly minted Florida Hospital Center Ice.

From learning to skate, to playing hockey and curling, there’s plenty to do at the much-ballyhooed facility, which measures 150,500 square feet.

On Jan. 28, during the facility’s opening weekend, hundreds of youth and adults packed into what has been described as “the largest ice sports facility in the Southeastern United States.”

During a water break, Mason Cessna, 9, of Valrico, gets a quick swig during the 9- and 10-year-old session. Coaches were watching the individual abilities of each participant in the ‘Squirts’ division.
(Fred Bellet)

Patrons came from as far away Brooksville, Valrico and Lithia to check out the complex, at 3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd., which is off Interstate 75 at the State Road 56 interchange in Wesley Chapel.

Others visited from nearby Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and New Tampa.

And, while two of the complex’s five rinks remain under construction, there were plenty of options to accommodate ice enthusiasts of all kinds.

The Olympic rink, which measures 200 feet by 100 feet, was fully occupied with public skaters and learn-to-skate participants.

Two NHL-sized rinks (200 feet by 85 feet), meanwhile, were teeming with hours of youth recreational hockey evaluations and adult pickup games.

During breaks in ice action, spectators marveled at the fully stocked pro shop and other amenities at the two-story facility.

Gordie Zimmermann, managing partner of Florida Hospital Center Ice, is one contented man.

“We’ve exceeded our expectations from the get-go,” Zimmermann said. “Like participation for the Learn to Skate, everything’s almost double of what we thought it would be coming out of the starting block, so it’s been terrific.”

That, too, applies to registration figures for the center’s adult hockey leagues.

Florida Hospital Center Ice has attracted a large number of skaters, taking to the ice.
(Fred Bellet)

The initial eight-week “reduced” session has 25 teams signed up, consisting of beginner, intermediate and advanced leagues.

“We thought we would maybe get 10 teams in the first adult (league),” Zimmermann said. He’s elated with the current registration figures.

Additionally, more teams are anticipated to sign up once 12-week sessions commence.

Besides recreation league offerings, the center also will be home base for several other area-based teams and organizations.

The Wiregrass Ranch and Freedom high school club teams have signed up. The same goes for the University of South Florida Ice Bulls, of the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

The Tampa Bay Junior Hockey Club, an elite training development program, also has jumped aboard.

Consequently, a bevy of regional and international tournaments and camps are in the works, Zimmermann said.

One of the more intriguing on the docket is the World V-Red Prospect Advanced Camp, from July 16 through July 21.

Labeled as Canada’s No. 1 hockey program, it’s the first time ever the weeklong event will be hosted in the United States.

“The biggest thing that we’re doing,” Zimmermann said, “is that we’re bringing in major tournaments through the summer, and we’re going to bring in another one that’s going to be huge for the area for hockey.”

Rob Passante, left, of Wesley Chapel, has the duty of tying ice skates for 10-year-old Tucker McKinney, of Seffner, as Tucker’s brother, Luke McKinney, 4, looks on. Tucker is friends with Passante’s son, Dominic.
(Fred Bellet)

The complex, too, has drawn the eyes of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who’ve signed on as program rink sponsors.

No plans are in the works for the Lightning to relocate their practices from the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon, however.

Other visiting NHL teams, though, may practice at the Wesley Chapel complex during their road trips to Florida; multiple NHL organizations have already expressed interest in doing so, Zimmermann said.

Still, there will be ample ice time for everyone — even the average skater or recreational hockey player.

“We can do a lot more…and still keep our public skate and our learn-to-skate program going; we don’t have to cancel it,” Zimmermann explained.

Other key features of the complex, interestingly, don’t even require ice.

Rinks can be converted to accommodate large corporate events and dry floor sports, such as basketball, volleyball and box lacrosse.

“We have a sub-floor that goes over the ice,” Zimmermann said, “and a sport court goes on top of one of the NHL rinks. We can put it on any one, and we can also do it on the mini-rink.”

There’s also a six-lane, 90-yard running track, and a 2,600-square-foot fitness facility.

All those features, Zimmermann said, set the facility apart from other complexes.

Kim Payne, communications director at Florida Hospital Center Ice, watches a practice session from an observation area on the second-floor.
(Fred Bellet)

“Really, there’s nothing comparable to this south of New York all the way through the West Coast,” Zimmermann said. “It’s pretty amazing.”

Shari Klutz, skating the center’s program director, agrees.

“I love this facility,” said Klutz, who previously served as figure skating director at the Ashburn Ice House in Virginia. “They thought of a lot of key things, and made it unique. It has every training aspect you could need.”

The ice complex has been a long time coming for the area.

Previously, many Pasco and north Hillsborough residents would trek to Brandon to get their hockey and skating fix. Others may have used the Clearwater Ice Arena or the Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar.

Florida Hospital Center Ice was expected to open in October 2015. However, various permitting and technological setbacks stalled the $28 million capital investment project.

Zimmermann pointed to a lengthy commissioning period, balancing of the building and “other things out of our control.”

“I wouldn’t say they were necessarily delays,” Zimmermann said. “It’s a very complicated building.”

He added: “We would have loved to be open before the (Christmas) holiday, but we’re going to be here a long time, so we wanted to do it right.”

With a relative dearth of ice complexes in the Bay Area, Center Ice is forecasted as an economic driver for both Wesley Chapel and Pasco County.

The county already has five hotels in development, including two directly adjacent to the complex.

Officials believe the massive facility will attract 1.5 million to 2 million visitors annually, with 40 percent coming from outside Tampa Bay.

Though open and operable, the entire complex is still not fully complete.

Finishing touches are still being made to the fitness center and two rinks. The full-service restaurant, Top Shelf Sports Lounge, is slated to open sometime this month.

Published February 22, 2017

Heroes for Hire playing the right tunes

February 22, 2017 By Kathy Steele

Being a boy band with a first release on iTunes is heady stuff.

But, Heroes for Hire is getting used to the attention, playing their brand of edgy, alternative rock at venues such as Skipper’s Smokehouse, New World Brewery and Buckets.

Louis Mittens, 15; Ben Hense, 13; Ryan Romero, 15; Corey Fox, 15; and, Josh Morin, 14, came together as a band at Jim Chambers Music Box.

Heroes for Hire celebrated their first iTunes release with a performance at the Orpheum in Ybor City.
(Courtesy of Marlene Fox Photography)

Chambers is the maestro who orchestrates and fine tunes young musicians at his “school of rock” in Carrollwood. He puts bands together with that right mix of personal chemistry and musical chops.

“In six weeks, they’re expected to play a show,” Chambers said.

Heroes for Hire started playing gigs more than a year ago.

On Feb. 4, the band had a release party for its first iTunes’ song, “The Wanted One,” at The Orpheum in Ybor City.

Romero is the group’s songwriter. He also came up with the band’s name which salutes the military.

“You think of soldiers. They’re always heroes,” said Romero.

He started writing songs in seventh grade. “I like emotional topics that have a moral meaning, that are inspirational.”

Some band members knew one another before coming to “the box,” but mostly they’ve become fast friends because of the music. They attend Blake High School, Buchanan Middle School and Gaither High School, and live in Carrollwood and Lutz.

Fox’s mother started him on bass guitar when he was age 10.

“I was super into it,” he said, adding that a long career in music “would be a dream.”

Chambers knows how those dreams can sometimes happen.

He is a former music executive who earned Grammy awards with Maroon 5 and Loudon Wainwright III.

Chambers got his start in the mailroom at Sky Records, which was co-owned by Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. Ray got him a job promotion after a chatty encounter one day at work.

In a podcast interview with Cigar City Radio First, Chambers recalled Ray asking afterward, “Who’s that kid in the mailroom who won’t shut up? Put him on the phones.”

From there, marketing and promotion became his way up the music industry ladder.

In nearly three decades, Chambers built a long resume. His jobs included merchandise representative for Sony Records in Miami and national sales representative for a division of Sire Records in New York.

Along the way, he watched Maroon 5 break into the outer stratosphere of the music world.

The economic crash in 2009 cost him his job. He flirted with moving to Belize, but ended up back home in Carrollwood, with his parents.

He taught drum lessons for awhile. Then, he ran a home-based music academy, until the homeowner’s association objected.

In July 2015, he opened Jim Chambers Music Box in a small shopping plaza, at 4312 Gunn Highway. Creative Loafing magazine recognized his school as “Best of the Bay” band incubator.

His band protégés include the all-girl band, Extra Celestial, and Inkblot.

Musical influences on Heroes for Hire are the Foo Fighters, Jack White and Jimi Hendrix.

Morin admires instrumental rock guitarist Joe Satriana. “He lets the guitar be his melody,” he said.

Rehearsals at Chamber’s studio are free-wheeling, get-it-on rock shows. But, live performances are the best.

“This is a way of getting feedback,” said Hense, who plays the drums.
It also builds a fan base that gets to know their music.

Mittens thinks he’s found his niche.

“Pretty much all I want to do is play guitar, in and out of school,” he said.

Published February 22, 2017

Swimming against all odds

March 30, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

Thomas Casey will be making his 16th swim this year to raise money for people battling cancer.

Casey, 57, flies to his hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut each summer to participate in the annual SWIM Across the Sound — a 15.5-mile swim marathon stretching from Port Jefferson, New York to Bridgeport — helping to raise $2.5 million each year.

It wasn’t until 2012, though, that he found out that he also is dealing with the disease.

Lutz resident Thomas Casey was diagnosed with Stage IV renal cell carcinoma in 2012. The cancer spread from his kidney to the bones in both of his arms. (Photos courtesy of Thomas Casey)
Lutz resident Thomas Casey was diagnosed with Stage IV renal cell carcinoma in 2012. The cancer spread from his kidney to the bones in both of his arms.
(Photos courtesy of Thomas Casey)

When he was diagnosed with Stage IV renal cell carcinoma — the most common form of kidney cancer — it came without warning.

The Lutz resident said there was “no history of cancer” in his family.

He was diagnosed shortly before he was scheduled to make the trip to Bridgeport.

“Six weeks before the event, I went to the doctor’s (office) because I was having pain in my left side, and I found out I had diverticulitis, and he said, ‘Oh, and by the way, your left kidney is filled with cancer,’” Casey said. “Being told you have cancer, everybody says the same thing: ‘It’s like you got hit by a freight train,’ and it’s true.”

Casey acknowledges it’s a strange feeling — to know he is the only member of his family to be stricken with the disease.

“I’ve got three brothers and a sister with no cancer,” he said. “I’m the only one…out of my family that does any kind of (cancer) fundraising, and I get it. But, I don’t take it that way, and I never say, ‘Why me?’ I don’t have that attitude.”

Even after having his kidney removed, the cancer had spread to his arms, where tumors were virtually breaking the bones in half.

Despite being stricken with Stage IV cancer, Casey swims three to four days per week. He helps raise money for cancer victims by swimming in the annual SWIM Across the Sound, a 15.5-mile swim marathon that stretches from Port Jefferson, New York to Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Despite being stricken with Stage IV cancer, Casey swims three to four days per week. He helps raise money for cancer victims by swimming in the annual SWIM Across the Sound, a 15.5-mile swim marathon that stretches from Port Jefferson, New York to Bridgeport, Connecticut.

With the help of Dr. David Cheong, an orthopaedic oncologist, Casey had both tumors removed. To reinforce the upper-arm bone, known as the humerus, in both of Casey’s arms, the doctor inserted two 10 ½-inch plates to provide both mechanical and rotational stability.

“Humeral shaft tumors can be particularly devastating because they run the length of the bone,” said Cheong, a surgeon with Orthopaedic Associates of West Florida in Clearwater.

“Patients generally need extensive therapy to regain normal function,” the surgeon said.

However, Casey was a rare case.

The Lutz resident’s recovery went so well so quickly that he is able to swim a mile (72 lengths) three to four days a week.

“The doctor that has rebuilt me is totally amazing.  I can not thank Dr. Cheong and the other professionals enough that have worked with me,” said Casey, who’s already booked his trip for the 2016 SWIM Across the Sound event.

“I don’t know if any other person could have done what he did. …For what he’s done for me, I am totally, wholeheartedly grateful.”

Dr. David Cheong is an orthopaedic oncologist with Orthopaedic Associates of West Florida in Clearwater. He removed tumors in Thomas Casey’s arms and inserted two 10 ½-inch plates to provide both mechanical and rotational stability for his upper arms. (Courtesy of Ashley Pontius)
Dr. David Cheong is an orthopaedic oncologist with Orthopaedic Associates of West Florida in Clearwater. He removed tumors in Thomas Casey’s arms and inserted two 10 ½-inch plates to provide both mechanical and rotational stability for his upper arms.
(Courtesy of Ashley Pontius)

“If you see me, you would not believe that I have these rods in my arms, and am still able to swim and raise money for the foundation up there,” he said.

While he knows the clear cell carcinoma is still in his body and “isn’t going anywhere,” Casey uses swimming as a coping mechanism.

“You think, and you kind of dream when you’re in the water. I think a lot about what’s coming up,” said Casey, who’s been a swimmer for more than half his life. “I can’t work anymore; the one thing I can do is swim. Not to be able to swim anymore would probably upset me.”

According to Dr. Cheong, it’s important for cancer patients like Casey to have an activity where they can focus their energy.

“I have always known Thomas to be a highly motivated individual with goals and aspirations to beat cancer and maintain an active lifestyle,” the surgeon said. “I believe that this attitude is the single most important aspect to a patient’s recovery and success.”

Casey also puts it on himself to speak to others about the deadly disease. He said that having open discussions about cancer has helped him deal with it.

“I don’t like sitting at home all day. I try to do things, but I don’t let this (cancer) depress me at all,” Casey said.

Casey has had radiation three times, but has never undergone chemotherapy.

Casey acknowledges that with Stage IV cancer, “the worst is yet to come.”

But, he doesn’t let the thought disturb him.

“Technically I should be dead now. But, it’s not killed me yet, and I keep fighting it,” he said, noting the typical life expectancy is two years for someone with his type of cancer.

What bothers him most is seeing children who have cancer, Casey said.

“I’ve lived 57 years and these children, basically, have not lived,” Casey said.

Published March 30, 2016

Solemn service marks 9/11

September 16, 2015 By Kathy Steele

Sept. 11, 2001 is a day people remember for the ordinary details of life — and then the shattering horror of two hijacked planes flying into the World Trade Center in New York.

Hijacked planes also struck the Pentagon building, and crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Veteran Bill Hansberger of American Legion Post 118, left, wipes his eyes at the memorial service at Zephyr Park honoring the victims of 9/11. Next to him are fellow post members, George Hansen, Keith Holz and Gil Shepard, far right, of the Marine Corp League’s Sgt. Maj. Michael S. Curtin Detachment #1124. (Fred Bellet/Photos)
Veteran Bill Hansberger of American Legion Post 118, left, wipes his eyes at the memorial service at Zephyr Park honoring the victims of 9/11. Next to him are fellow post members, George Hansen, Keith Holz and Gil Shepard, far right, of the Marine Corp League’s Sgt. Maj. Michael S. Curtin Detachment #1124.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

Those acts of terror cost 2,606 people their lives in the Twin Towers. Another 246 died in the four planes, including 19 terrorists. And 125 people died at the Pentagon.

On the 14th anniversary of 9/11, communities across the nation held thousands of memorial services to honor the victims who died — including first responders, who risked and lost their lives to save others.

About 50 people gathered at Zephyr Park in Zephyrhills for a solemn ceremony — “We Remember: 9/11 Memorial Service.” The Marine Corps League, Sgt. Maj. Michael Curtin, Detachment 1124 sponsored the event.

Curtin was a first responder with the New York City Police Department who died while saving lives at the World Trade Center.

“An attack of this magnitude, it calls for heroes, doesn’t it?” said Zephyrhills Mayor Gene Whitfield. “It calls for people to step up and go in where no else wants to go. These folks that went in these towers were heroes.”

VFW Post 8154 Honor Guard bugler Jerry Morel, 82, sounds taps during Zephyrhills’ ‘We Remember: 9/11 Memorial Service.’
VFW Post 8154 Honor Guard bugler Jerry Morel, 82, sounds taps during Zephyrhills’ ‘We Remember: 9/11 Memorial Service.’

Whitfield recalled that 9/11 was not Curtin’s first encounter with terrorism. In 1993, Curtin was with the NYPD’s first response team at the first World Trade Center bombing.

Two years later, Curtin went with a team of New York police officers to Oklahoma after Timothy McVeigh’s bomb exploded at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

“His history of service has said it all,” Whitfield said.

After a moment of silence, an honor guard fired a 21-gun salute, and 82-year-old Jerry Morel blew taps on the bugle.

Everyone can recall memories of a day that began with the steady thrum of normalcy.

Zephyrhills’ resident Meaghan Sammons drove to a local home improvement store to buy roof nails requested by her job supervisor.

Meagan Sammons of Zephyrhills and her son, Heath Sammons, 11, a Boys Scout with Troop 2 watched the American flag billowing in the wind as it flew at half-staff to honor those who died on 9/11.
Meagan Sammons of Zephyrhills and her son, Heath Sammons, 11, a Boys Scout with Troop 2 watched the American flag billowing in the wind as it flew at half-staff to honor those who died on 9/11.

When she got back, everyone was gathered around a television. Her first thoughts were of her father who drove a delivery truck near the World Trade Center.

“I tried to call him and I couldn’t get him,” she said. “You are numb. It didn’t hit right away, until you saw the second building coming down and the aftermath.”

She finally reached her father who had left the area before the attack.

Sammons brought her 11-year-old son Heath to the memorial service. He wore his Boy Scout uniform.

She wanted to honor the day and share in a moment of unity. And she said, “If history is not taught to younger generations, it will repeat itself. I hope this never repeats itself.”

State Rep. Danny Burgess was in the 10th grade on 9/11.

“This is very real. This is very raw,” he said.

But the day after, Sept. 12, also should be remembered, especially the moment when President George W. Bush called for unity as he stood on a mound of rubble at the Twin Towers, he said.

“Let’s remember that in the midst of all this, we all united. That’s what’s best about the American spirit,” Burgess said. “We saw so much love and compassion…It shouldn’t take such tragedy to pull us together as a country.”

Sal DiMartino, 92, was a medic during World War II and is a current member of the Marine Corp League’s Sgt. Maj. Michael Curtin Detachment 1124.
Sal DiMartino, 92, was a medic during World War II and is a current member of the Marine Corp League’s Sgt. Maj. Michael Curtin Detachment 1124.

World War II veteran Sal DiMartino, 92, served in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marines. He got a call from his daughter in California on 9/11, telling him to turn on his television.

People need to bring back the spirit that brought the nation together in World War II, he said. “That was when you were dedicated to your fellow man.”

Rod Rehrig Sr., recalls being at work at his real estate office when he saw the events unfold, also on television.

“It was really sad,” said Rehrig, who is the commandant for Detachment #1124 of the Marine Corps League. “All those lives wasted.”

But the memorial service can offer solace, he said.

“I think we have a little more peace of mind. We’re doing something out of respect for those who died. It strengthens people,” Rehrig said.

Published September 16, 2015

Home flipping down nationally, but not locally

November 20, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Observers are happy with some of the positive indicators they are seeing in the housing market on a national scale, but the greater Tampa Bay area — including Pasco and Hillsborough counties — continues to struggle to keep up.

House flipping — homes that are bought and resold within 12 months — dropped to 4 percent of all national single-family home sales in the third quarter, according to a new report from RealtyTrac, but actually rose in the Tampa area. That has kept the Tampa metropolitan market on the list of the top five most-flipped markets in the nation with 789 flips behind Miami (1,190 flips), Los Angeles (1,170), Phoenix (1,147) and New York (1,070).

Flipping was down in all the top five markets except Tampa, helping to bring the level of home-flipping to its “historic norm,” according to RealtyTrac vice president Daren Blomquist. And a lot of that is because home appreciation rates have slowed a bit in those markets to more normal levels.

“Meanwhile, the record-high average profits per flip in the quarter demonstrate that flippers are still filling an important niche in an aging housing market with historically low levels of new homes being built,” Blomquist said, in a release. “The most successful flippers are buying older, outdated homes in established neighborhoods, and rehabbing them extensively to appeal to modern tastes.”

Flipping is not always bad. From the investment side, those who bought and flipped were seeing profits of just under $76,000 per flip in the third quarter, a return of 36 percent on their initial investment — not including rehab costs and other expenses — Blomquist said. That is up from 35 percent in the second quarter, but down from 37 percent a year ago.

“Those discounted distressed properties have become harder to find,” he said, “but a recent jump in scheduled foreclosure auctions could provide more fodder for flippers in the next three to six months.”

Most of the flipping activity at the national level have been among homes priced between $100,000 and $400,000, while just 20 percent involve homes less than $100,000. However, RealtyTrac analysts say the best returns in flipping come on homes above $1 million, which has an average gross return of 45 percent, but make up less than 4 percent of all flips.

Ross pushing forward controversial Ebola bill

November 13, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is against it, but that’s not stopping U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross from introducing legislation that would curb flights from countries with outbreaks of the Ebola virus.

Ross introduced his bill Wednesday known as the Contain Ebola and Stop the Epidemic — or CEASE — Act of 2014, which would prohibit certain flights from landing in the United States, and to prohibit the country from issuing visas to those areas.

“Now that the United States is free of the Ebola virus disease, we must begin implementing a process that will keep our country safe from a potential future outbreak,” Ross, R-Lakeland, said in a release. “Craig Spencer, a doctor who helped treat Ebola patients in West Africa, returned home to New York to find he had become sick with the virus.”

Spencer was successfully treated for Ebola. However, Ross said he was concerned about a statement from Ron Klain, the Ebola czar appointed by President Obama, who said that the United States could see “occasional additional cases of Ebola in our country.”

“Klain’s statement does not provide my constituents and I comfort,” Ross said.

By banning flights and visas with countries where Ebola has become an epidemic, he added, it would reduce the threat of an outbreak in the United States. However, CDC officials have said that while people should always be vigilant against deadly diseases, Ebola is one that has almost no chance of ever becoming an epidemic in the United States.

To date, only one person has died from Ebola in the United States, creating a death rate in the country of 1-in-300 million.

Dr. Thomas Frieden, the head of the CDC, wrote in an opinion piece last month that turning back planes from countries with Ebola problems would only worsen the situation here at home.

“When a wildfire breaks out, we don’t fence it off,” Frieden wrote. “We go in to extinguish it before one of the random sparks sets off another outbreak somewhere else. We don’t want to isolate part of the world, or people who aren’t sick, because that’s going to drive patients with Ebola underground, making it infinitely more difficult to address the outbreak.”

Frieden also noted that all outbound passengers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are screened for Ebola symptoms before they board an airplane. Unlike other communicable diseases, Ebola can only be spread once someone is symptomatic, and even then it has to be through direct conflict, like body fluids. It’s can be spread through casual contact like the flu can, nor is it airborne in that way.

Ross’ bill would stop commercial flights that originated or stopped in Ebola-affected countries from landing in the United States. It would also prohibit federal officials from issuing immigrant or non-immigrant visas to anyone whose travel originates in or includes a foreign country where there is an Ebola problem.

The travel and visa ban would continue until a country is “no longer experiencing epidemic levels of the Ebola virus disease.”

“Ebola is still devastating areas of Africa, especially in both Guinea and Sierra Leone, which is why we must keep our guard up,” Ross said, in defense of his bill. “Until the CDC can ascertain that Ebola has been contained and eradicated overseas, we must be vigilant in keeping Americans safe by being proactive instead of reactive.”

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08/09/2022 – Coffee with a deputy

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office will host “Coffee with PSO” on Aug. 9 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., at Wawa, 25155 Maren Way in Lutz. Deputies will be on hand to answer questions and to get to know the community. … [Read More...] about 08/09/2022 – Coffee with a deputy

08/09/2022 – Native Plant Society

The Nature Coast Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society will meet on Aug. 9 at 7 p.m., at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. There will be showing of the 2018 American documentary, “The Serengeti Rules,” directed by Nicolas Brown and based on the book by Sean B. Carroll. The film explores the discoveries of five pioneering scientists: Bob Paine, Jim Estes, Anthony Sinclair, John Terborgh and Mary E. Power. Popcorn will be provided. For information, call 813-469-9597. … [Read More...] about 08/09/2022 – Native Plant Society

08/09/2022 – Transportation stories

The New River Library, 34043 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel, will present story times on the topic of transportation on Aug. 9 and Aug. 10. Toddlers can attend at 10:15 a.m., and preschoolers at 11:15 a.m. The 45-minutes sessions will include songs, stories and movement. Register online at PascoLibraries.org. … [Read More...] about 08/09/2022 – Transportation stories

08/11/2022 – Food distribution

Farm Share, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, Pasco Sheriff Charities, The Gentlemen’s Course, and the Pasco County NAACP will host a free food distribution on Aug. 11 starting at 9 a.m., at the Big Lots parking lot, 4840 Allen Road in Zephyrhills. Food will be handed out rain or shine, on a first-come, first-served drive-through basis, until the items run out. … [Read More...] about 08/11/2022 – Food distribution

08/11/2022 – Yarn for a Cause

The New River Library, 34043 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel, will host Yarn for a Cause on Aug. 11 at 6:15 p.m., in the Meeting Room. This group creates projects such as blankets for nursing homes, and more. Participants can learn new techniques and show their own projects. Register online at PascoLibraries.org. … [Read More...] about 08/11/2022 – Yarn for a Cause

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