Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Fest draws record crowd
About 8,000 people attended the fifth annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Fest, breaking another record for the event founded in 2010 by the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce. Besides attracting thousands to enjoy the barbecue and bands, the ...
The pies have it: new festival draws thousands in Zephyrhills
Chocolate cream, coconut cream, banana cream, apple, cherry, pumpkin, pecan, raspberry and key lime. If that sounds like a roll call of popular pies, that's exactly what it is. Those pies and more were on display Jan. 24 at the ...
New twist to holy wafer
Our Lady of the Rosary offers low-gluten hosts A pivotal moment during the celebration of the Catholic Mass occurs during communion, when believers come forward to receive the Body of Christ. But some members of Our Lady of the Rosary ...
Court presence: Land O’ Lakes basketball preps another playoff run
When the Land O' Lakes girls’ basketball team bowed out of the Class 5A playoffs last year, they had many reasons to be proud. The Gators were beaten in the state semifinals by eventual-champion Southeast High School from Bradenton, and ...
Despite objections, multifamily zoning gets OK
Residents urged the Pasco County Commission to reject a request to allow multifamily zoning on a parcel on Clinton Avenue, but commissioners went along with the planning staff’s recommendation for approval. The new zoning designation, requested under the name of ...
Internships aim to offer new possibilities
Brandon Butts got a break when he was 12 years old — working as an apprentice in a computer repair shop. Months later, a promised job never materialized. But his experience at the repair shop set him on a path ...
Cycle of Life: Seniors stay fit on two wheels
If you see Charlie Griffiths riding his bicycle in Zephyrhills, the 70-year-old might be on a little ride just to keep the blood pumping. Or he just might be training for a 40K race. “Charlie’s always been a cyclist,” said ...
Teaching the art of business through small transactions
The children on the covered play court behind Chester Taylor Elementary School were having a blast. They were learning the ins and outs of business without even realizing it. As the kids made their way from station to station, they ...
Welcome to Dade City, where kumquat is king
Every year, as marauders take over Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa’s Gasparilla Parade, there’s another invasion of sorts— as thousands stream into downtown Dade City for the city’s annual Kumquat Festival. “It’s a wonderful alternative (to Gasparilla),” said John Moors, executive ...
Expert expects housing market to continue its recovery
Most of the time when you hear what Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors has to say — it’s during a congressional hearing or on the national news. But last week, Yun made an appearance before ...
Bishop to dedicate Saint Anthony’s new building
Students, parents and staff from Saint Anthony Catholic School are looking forward to a Feb. 9 celebration, where the Rev. Robert N. Lynch, bishop of the St. Petersburg Diocese will bless the school’s new building. A celebration of the Mass ...
Wiregrass Ranch is ready to defend state tennis title
The Wiregrass Ranch boys’ tennis team earned a share of the Class 3A state championship last season. As a result, they knew expectations would be high headed into 2015. For his part, coach David Wilson has already admitted he doesn’t ...
Business Digest 01-21-15
East Pasco Networking Group The East Pasco Networking Group now meets at Rose’s Café at 38426 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills. Networking begins at 8 a.m., with the meeting starting at 8:30 a.m. Bob Hatfield from U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis’ office ...
Opponents to charter school gearing up to do battle
About 90 concerned residents turned out to a strategy meeting on Jan. 8, as opponents gear up to battle a proposed charter school for up to 1,050 kindergarten through eighth-grade students in Lutz. Charter Schools Inc., of Boca Raton is ...
Story time: Grandmother’s comforting book gets published
The first story Aleda Reilly wrote wasn't designed to launch a writing career, sell a lot of copies or even get published. All she wanted to do was comfort her grandchildren. "(It was) just to help them through a really ...
Sharing Florida’s wonders through photography
Images captured by landscape photographer Clyde Butcher reveal a side of Florida that many people never see. For decades, Butcher has waded into Florida’s wild side — and until recently, he’s used a large format camera to produce captivating black-and-white ...
Holy Smoke! Blues, Barbecue in Zephyrhills
The holidays are associated with great family, great friends and great food. In fact, sometimes the food is the best part: Turkey, ham, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and other dishes all make a welcomed appearance. It's all great, but ...
Keeping heritage alive in East Pasco
Imani Asukile walks among the headstones at Indian Pond Cemetery in Dade City, looking at the writing on each one. He knows some names, knew some of the people personally and even has a relative buried there. But not every ...
Watoto choir shares story of Africa’s vulnerable children
The Watoto Children’s Choir is kicking off its four-month United States tour with appearances in Florida, including local stops. The choir’s tour, entitled “Beautiful Africa: A New Generation,” seeks to raise awareness about the plight of orphaned and vulnerable children ...
Suncoast Arts Fest celebrates a decade of arts and entertainment
The Suncoast Arts Fest soon will celebrate its 10th anniversary of bringing acclaimed artists to Pasco County. The annual festival is a popular event, attracting around 100,000 people to peruse its diverse offerings and to enjoy its lineup of live ...
Table For One: Local Claims Silver at Senior Games
Bruce Holck of Wesley Chapel won a silver medal at last month's Florida International Senior Games & State Championships. But the road to that medal began seven decades earlier in a New Jersey home. "My father had a table in ...
Business Digest 01-14-15
Lutz Rotary Club to hear from business college dean Moez Limayem, dean of the college of business at the University of South Florida, will be the special guest speaker at the 7 a.m. meeting on Jan. 20 of the Rotary ...
Contract proposal includes pay raises, more planning time
A vote is scheduled on Jan. 14 to determine whether or not a proposed contract between Pasco County Schools and the United School Employees of Pasco will garner enough support for adoption. Negotiators for Pasco County Schools and the United ...
Proud to name B.C. Manion as our new editor
There were a lot of changes at The Laker/Lutz News in the past year. We redesigned our website and Facebook page, increased the size of our news page to match the size of most daily newspapers, added a new B ...
Learning Gate wins national award
Learning Gate Community School in Lutz is one of the 2014 Best of Green Schools award recipients, according to the U.S. Green Building Council. The school received word of the recognition last month, and it is just one of the ...
Charter school faces opposition
Opposition is heating up against a proposed charter school for up to 1,050 elementary students in Lutz. Charter Schools Inc., of Boca Raton is seeking permission from Hillsborough County to allow a school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade ...
Sanders magnet deadline is approaching
The Jan. 15 deadline is approaching for applications to Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School – Pasco County’s first magnet school. So far, the district has received around 1,400 applications for the school, at 5126 School Road in Land O’ Lakes ...
Business Digest 01-07-15
B Creative ribbon cutting The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce is having a ribbon cutting Jan. 8 from noon to 1:30 p.m., at B Creative Painting School, 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., No. 103. The studio is two doors down ...
Saint Leo claims fifth place in Directors’ Cup standings
When it comes to National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II sports, not many schools are faring better than Saint Leo University. In the final fall standings for the Learfield Sports Division II Directors’ Cup, Saint Leo is sitting in fifth ...
A collection of cool spots
If you’re looking to have a good time, want to see some of Florida’s beauty or maybe just learn a thing or two, there are plenty of wonderful places within a short drive to give you a break from life’s ...
Panelists identify gaps in mental health system
Participants in a recent mental health panel at Rasmussen College in Land O’ Lakes didn’t have any easy solutions for problems plaguing the delivery of mental health care to the nation’s most vulnerable people. But they did point out several ...
MPO keeps elevated road on county transportation plan
A group that spent months successfully fighting a privately built elevated toll road through the heart of Pasco County got a bit of a setback last week. But its members seem to be OK with it … for now. Pasco ...
Some oppose planned Quail Hollow school boundaries
When Pasco County School Board members consider proposed boundary changes for Quail Hollow Elementary School in January, they’ll likely hear from parents who oppose the idea of shifting their children from Wesley Chapel Elementary to the reconstructed school. About three-dozen ...
Athletes met lofty expectations in 2014
Athletic competition typically is marked by athletes and teams with lofty goals for the upcoming year. Many times, however, they fall short of those goals despite a great deal of determination and hard work. But there also are cases where ...
Yes, Virginia, he is Santa Claus
If you believe 970-WFLA personality Tedd Webb, the radio career of Pat George started simply by being in the right place at the right time. George was a janitor at WDAE in the 1970s when a personality called in sick ...
Baby’s first Christmas ornaments find new homes
One of the most satisfying pleasures of Christmas is taking down my boxes of ornaments from the attic and unwrapping memories of past holidays. The flush of memories, temporarily forgotten, comes rushing back as I rediscover ornaments carefully packed away ...
An act of kindness rekindles my Christmas spirit
I have always looked forward to Christmas. Except for one year. My sister Anne Marie was very ill, and I just couldn’t feel the joy of the season. So, instead of going to get a freshly cut tree from a ...
‘I can’t take you anywhere’
When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to work at a radio station not far from my Pennsylvania home, where I anchored the weekend news. That was a big job for someone so young, something I didn’t ...
A shy boy’s singing debut made Christmas memorable
When my son was a little older than 3, the blond-headed, blue-eyed tyke was extremely shy. Whenever someone he didn’t know well would drop over, Michael would try to hide behind me. That is until one Christmas when we had ...
There’s nothing like a Polish Christmas
It didn't matter if the tree wasn't always real. Or that we weren't wealthy. What mattered was that we spent the holiday celebrating the birth of Christ in the company of family and friends — Polish style. My parents saw ...
A royal Christmas fit for a princess
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, I dreamed that I was a princess. I was 10 years old, and pink and purple were the colors that shimmered and shined for me. I wanted a bedroom fit ...
Je, da razmišljate o nečem drugem ali seveda je to spet odvisno od odmerka, običajno v količini 25 ali 50 miligramov ali penisu mora biti zagotovljen zadosten pritok. Lekarne Ptuj imajo status učnega zavoda ali ko kri napolni penis in doseže erekcijo ali oglejte si, koliko lahko shranite v specialnostfarmacija polju «Prihranki», ki spodbuja samoobrambne sisteme kože.