The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Land O' Lakes High School

Graduation rates up at Pasco schools

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Nearly 70 percent of all Pasco County’s public high school earned an A or B grade from the state, with no D’s or F’s — and graduation rates are up to almost 80 percent as well.

Florida released its grades for high schools on Thursday following a more strict grading scale that suggested some schools may not improve as well as educators may have hoped. Yet, five schools in Pasco received an A grade — with Land O’ Lakes High School improving from a B to an A.

Graduation rates in the county hovered around 76 percent last year, but climbed to 79.4 percent this year, well above the state average of 76.1. Pasco County Schools superintendent Kurt Browning said it’s that statistic, not the grades, that parents should be focused on.

“I’m ecstatic about the significant increase in our gradation rate,” Browning said, in a release. “I can say that I’m pleased that most of our schools either maintained or raised their grades, especially when the bar was set higher this year. But I’d still caution anyone from reading too much into these grades.”

The preliminary grades this year for Pasco’s high schools were:

Anclote High School C
Fivay High School B
Gulf High School B
Hudson High School C
Land O’ Lakes High School A
Mitchell High School A
Pasco High School B
Ridgewood High School C
River Ridge High School A
Sunlake High School A
Wesley Chapel High School B
Wiregrass Ranch High School A
Zephyrhills High School C

Community meeting set to discuss Quail Hollow boundaries

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A committee working on proposed boundaries for Quail Hollow Elementary School has recommended changes that also would affect the boundaries of Veterans and Wesley Chapel elementary schools.

Quail Hollow is set to reopen next fall following a massive overhaul that included adding walls and doors to its formerly “open” school design.

Children streamed toward Quail Hollow on the school’s last day in June 2013. The elementary school was closed for a massive remodeling which included added doors and walls to create traditional classroom spaces. (File photo)
Children streamed toward Quail Hollow on the school’s last day in June 2013. The elementary school was closed for a massive remodeling which included added doors and walls to create traditional classroom spaces. (File photo)

Besides having a more traditional setting for learning, the school will accommodate more students and feature the same technology found in other Pasco County schools.

The students who attended Quail Hollow before it closed will be assigned to the school, said district planning director Chris Williams. After that will depend on what’s decided on the new boundaries for Veterans and Wesley Chapel schools, slated to be discussed at a community meeting Dec. 8 at 6 p.m., in the Wesley Chapel Elementary cafeteria.

The Pasco County School Board is expected to consider boundaries for Quail Hollow at its Jan. 20 meeting, and make a final decision Feb. 3.

The area that would shift from Veterans to Quail Hollow is bordered by Old Pasco Road on the west, Interstate 75 on the east, and Wesley Chapel Boulevard on the south, Williams said. For Wesley Chapel Elementary, the affected area is bordered by I-75 on the east, State Road 54 on the south, and Boyette Road on the west.

There are 62 students living in the area that would be reassigned from Veterans to Quail Hollow, Williams said, and another 100 living in the area that would be reassigned from Wesley Chapel.

Veterans Elementary already is over-capacity with 828 students in a school that is supposed to hold 762. Wesley Chapel has a capacity of 613 students, Williams said, and will have far fewer when children who attended Quail Hollow return to their school.

However, Quail Hollow has space to accommodate a greater number of children, he said, so the decision was made to reassign students from Wesley Chapel to Quail Hollow to provide room for growth that is expected from the development of Epperson Ranch South.

When school begins next year, Quail Hollow is expected to have an enrollment ranging from 500 to 540, depending on school choice, Williams said. After its improvements are completed, Quail Hollow’s capacity is expected to be 682. That compares to a previous capacity of 554.

In addition to changes at Quail Hollow, the school district continues to search for property along U.S. 41 as well as the State Road 54 corridor, Williams said. Officials are hoping to sign a contract on some land in the northern part of Land O’ Lakes for a new elementary school site which would accommodate children living in the housing developments on the west side of U.S. 41.

Typically, the district seeks sites of approximately 22 acres for its new elementary schools, Williams said. But officials also are looking for high school sites, since Land O’ Lakes High School is full, and Sunlake High School is almost full, despite future development expected in larger communities like Connerton and Bexley Ranch.

The district wants one or two high school sites between 60 acres and 70 acres each.

“We’re working with a couple of other developers to secure at least one of those,” Williams said. He also keeps his eye out and occasionally talks to real estate agents on possible properties.

When Land O’ Lakes and Zephyrhills high schools are remodeled or reconstructed, the district will likely increase their capacity, Williams said. Work on those two schools likely won’t begin for another five to 10 years, however, and when it does, it’s likely to be complicated.

Whether they build from scratch or remodel the schools, the district will need to figure out how to house the students during construction.

“We’re definitely going to have to get creative,” Williams said. “We’re hoping to meet with those principals in the near future and start talking about a timeline.”

Another challenge, Williams said, is that while the schools have current needs, the question becomes how much money the district should spend if it is just going to tear out the improvements within a few years anyway.

WHAT: Quail Hollow Elementary School boundaries parent meeting
WHY: To discuss potential changes to boundaries of Wesley Chapel and Veterans elementary schools
WHEN: Dec. 8 at 6 p.m.
WHERE: Wesley Chapel Elementary School cafeteria, 30243 Wells Road

The Pasco County School Board is scheduled to vote for the first time on proposed boundary changes affecting Quail Hollow, Wesley Chapel and Veterans elementary schools Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. A final vote is scheduled for Feb. 3 at 9:30 a.m.

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Sophomore chosen for national medical leadership conference

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Kristen Kova isn’t even sure how she was selected. But when she got the chance to attend the Congress of Future Medical Leaders convention in Washington, D.C., the 15-year-old didn’t look back.

Kristen Kova, left, poses with Connie Mariano, the medication director for the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists. (Courtesy of Kristen Kova)
Kristen Kova, left, poses with Connie Mariano, the medication director for the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists. (Courtesy of Kristen Kova)

The Land O’ Lakes teenager traveled by car with her mother Jennie, and her brother Ryan, to the conference, over the weekend of Nov. 14, and found a packed agenda at the conference.

“They had a lot of cool speakers that were very influential,” said Kova, a sophomore at Land O’ Lakes High School.

Kova has had an interest in medicine since he was quite young, but found a documentary showed at the convention — “Code Black”— to be “really eye-opening.” It depicts the challenges faced by Los Angeles County Hospital trying to provide care, where patients waited for hours by a staff buried in bureaucracy. Some patients had to go to work, so they left the hospital without being seen, while others died.

Kova said her interest in medicine probably stems from being around her father’s medical challenges. Rex Kova is disabled and has a variety of medical issues, including deafness in one ear and blindness in one eye.

“I spend a lot of time being there for him and taking care for him,” she said. “I think that’s something God wants me to do.”

Initially, Kova thought she wanted to pursue a career as a surgeon. But now she’s reconsidering, and instead may direct her energies into becoming a nurse or a physician assistant.

She wants to be involved in medicine, but Kova also would like a family, she explained. So she’s not sure she wants to commit so much of her life to pursue that goal.

Despite that shift, Kova’s glad she was selected to attend the conference.

“It was pretty motivational,” she said.

One of the speakers was Jack Andraka, who helped develop a new diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer when he was just 15.

“He was amazing,” Kova said, adding that unlike how other kids would enjoy the summer, Andraka spent his time researching proteins online.

Kova couldn’t stay for the third day of the conference because she had classes back home.

“I couldn’t miss school because I had an AP psyche test,” she said.

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Gainesville bumps Sunlake from postseason … again

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The rivalry between Sunlake and Land O’ Lakes high schools is obvious because of the close proximity of the two schools. But the Seahawks may have found a new rival in the Gainesville Hurricanes, which for the second year in a row, knocked them out of the state football playoffs.

Gainesville used two quick scores at the start of the game to cement what would become a 27-19 win Friday night in front of its home crowd. That finishes Sunlake’s season at 9-3 with the Class 6A-District 6 title.

Mitchell High School, the 6A-6 runner-up, also lost to Gainesville the previous week, giving the Hurricanes a clean sweep of the district as they ready for a tough regional finals matchup against Armwood High School.

In other games, according to published reports, Sickles fell to Tampa Bay Tech 20-16 in Class 7A, allowing the Titans a chance to face Osceola in the regional finals. That team out of Kissimmee beat Lakeland 35-28 in overtime to get there.

Lakewood topped River Ridge 26-3 in Class 5A action, while Suwannee — which beat Zephyrhills in a come-from-behind win last week — upset South Sumter 24-22.

Sunlake principal Steve Williams live-tweeted the game from his spot in Gainesville, and had nothing but good things to say about the Seahawks as they wrap up a strong season.

Sunlake also got kudos from elected officials as well, including new Pasco County commissioner Mike Moore, and state Rep. Richard Corcoran.

Wiregrass Ranch High lays groundwork for 10-period day

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It’s not official yet, but Wiregrass Ranch High School officials are moving ahead with planning for a 10-period school day.

The Pasco County School Board is expected to vote on the issue in December. But the school can’t wait to start planning until then, because if it did that, it wouldn’t have time to properly plan, school principal Robyn White said.

Wiregrass Ranch High School assistant principal Shauntte Butcher compares the swarm of students passing through the corridors to the traffic jam at State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard at 5 p.m. (Courtesy of Wiregrass Ranch High School)
Wiregrass Ranch High School assistant principal Shauntte Butcher compares the swarm of students passing through the corridors to the traffic jam at State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard at 5 p.m. (Courtesy of Wiregrass Ranch High School)

School officials have looked at other ideas, she added, but the 10-period day seems to be the best approach for dealing with the school’s burgeoning enrollment.

“While that seems to the most feasible and logical solution right now, we have stayed open to other possibilities,” White said. “We have looked at every suggestion that anybody has given. So far, we haven’t come up with anything better.”

By having a 10-period day, the school can provide a less crowded campus for most of the school day, said White, who has been the school’s principal since it opened in 2006.

When it opened, it had just freshman and sophomores, for a total enrollment of 752. As of last week, the enrollment was 2,333. That figure is expected to grow by least 175 students next school year, bringing the total to nearly 2,500.

Wiregrass Ranch High was built for an enrollment of 1,633. It already has 30 portable classrooms to address the overflow.

The 10-period day would work like this: Sophomores through seniors would begin and end the school day at the same time they do now, 7:25 a.m. and 1:56 p.m., respectively. Freshmen begin at 10:18 a.m., and end at 4:44 p.m.

All of the school’s students would be on campus for three periods each day, but that is manageable because roughly 500 kids are at lunch at any given time, White said. The school now has four lunch periods each day, but will need to add a fifth one next year because of the anticipated enrollment increase.

School officials are aware the new schedule will pose some challenges for parents and for students who are involved in after-school activities. Working parents have voiced concerns that they won’t be able to drop off their children at school because of the later bus runs for freshmen.

The school district is responding to that concern by providing all freshmen the opportunity to ride the bus to school. Normally, those who live too close to school do not qualify for free transportation.

School officials also want to work with parents whose children have special concerns about starting and dismissal times, White said.

There may be a student, for instance, who is heavily involved in dancing or gymnastics after school, White said. It may be impossible for that student to attend practice because of the later dismissal.

There are ways to address that, such as online learning for a period or more, to create flexibility for students to continue pursuing those outside interests, while still meeting academic requirements, White said.

In some cases, the parent would have to provide transportation, in others, it may be possible for the student to ride into school late but leave early.

Every situation will be considered individually, White said, with the aim to be as flexible as possible.

By revising the schedule, the school will be able to take advantage of classroom space that frees up when older students are at lunch or have left the campus for the day, said the school’s assistant principal Shauntte Butcher, who oversees the school’s master schedule.

The overlapping schedule allows students from all four classes to be on campus at once, which White thinks is important. She doesn’t want the freshman class to feel isolated from the rest of the student body.

Relief is needed, though. Between classes, the corridors are so crowded that Butcher has likened them to State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard at rush hour.

Even such things as pep rallies get more complicated at a school the size of Wiregrass Ranch, White said.

“Our gym only holds 1,200 seating,” she said. “Right now, when we do a pep rally, like we did last Friday, we have to do two pep rallies. We barely fit in there this year with two. We know next year, we definitely have to go to three.”

The longer school day also will have impacts on athletic practices. For one thing, White is expecting to need to rent portable lights to use for football and soccer practices when it begins to get darker earlier in the day.

To help make sure they are taking a comprehensive approach, a committee meets twice a month to consider the various impacts of a 10-period day. People involved with the planning include teachers, parents and students who have experienced a 10-period school day and those who haven’t, White said.

The idea of using a 10-period day is not new. Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel high schools successfully used the approach before Wiregrass Ranch opened, White said.

Those wanting to find out the latest news also are invited to visit the school’s website at WRHS.Pasco.k12.fl.us, and click on the “overcrowded information” tab.

Published November 19, 2014

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Land O’ Lakes soccer team gears up for the world stage

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The Land O’ Lakes Special Olympics soccer team recently traveled to Indianapolis to begin preparing for its appearance in the 2015 Special Olympics Summer World Games.

The soccer team claimed the gold at the Special Olympics Florida State Summer Games in May, and found out on July 21 that they would trek to represent Team USA at the games in Los Angeles.

Ordray Smith plays with intensity during a scrimmage in Indianapolis, as the Land O’ Lakes High Special Olympics soccer team prepares to compete in the 2015 Special Olympics Summer World Games. (Courtesy of Land O' Lakes High School)
Ordray Smith plays with intensity during a scrimmage in Indianapolis, as the Land O’ Lakes High Special Olympics soccer team prepares to compete in the 2015 Special Olympics Summer World Games. (Courtesy of Land O’ Lakes High School)

The team competes in Division 2 soccer, with seven athletes on each side of the ball. It is a unified team, meaning there are four Special Olympics athletes playing along with three partners, who are there to provide help and support.

The Land O’ Lakes team will join thousands of Special Olympics athletes from 170 nations to compete for international medals. The games include 21 Olympic-style sports.

To help prepare for the competition, the team headed to Indianapolis in early October to begin training for the games, and to get a feel for what the schedule will be like in Los Angeles, said Vicky King, the team’s coach. The training camp in Indianapolis included 352 athletes and 96 coaches from across the United States.

While there, the team received Team USA gear from Finish Line, practiced their soccer skills, scrimmaged against other teams, toured the NCAA Hall of Fame, attended the Circle City Parade and the Circle City Classic football game, and visited the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The World Games are scheduled from July 25 to Aug. 2.

While the team is gearing up for the competition, it’s also involved in fundraising efforts. There will be a Champions Breakfast Nov. 7 at the Academy of Culinary Arts building at Land O’ Lakes High School to raise money to support the team’s trip to the World Games. No tickets are available for this week’s fundraiser breakfast, but efforts are ongoing to raise the $35,000 the team needs to make the trip to Los Angeles, King said.

Anyone who has any questions can email King at .

Anyone who wishes to contribute can send a check payable to Special Olympics Pasco, attention Vicky King, Land O’ Lakes High School, 20325 Gator Lane, Land O’ Lakes, FL 34638.

Published November 5, 2014

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Animal shelter looking to ‘make a difference’

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Looking for a way to help make a difference? Well, Saturday is National Make a Difference Day, and Pasco County Animal Services has plenty of ways to assist people in living up to the day’s name.

The shelter, located at 19640 Dogpatch Lane in Land O’ Lakes, will host a community get-together Oct. 25 from noon to 4:30 p.m., looking for help when it comes to various items needed for the shelter’s furry tenants. That includes canned cat food, kitten formula, treats and even peanut butter. In return for donations like that, all adoption fees will be waived.

Make a Difference Days takes place on the fourth Saturday in October, where thousands of people come together to make a difference in the lives of others. It’s also one of the biggest volunteer days of the year, according to a release, and that will be felt in Pasco.

Coming to help at the shelter this weekend includes several groups, like the Future Business Leaders of America from River Ridge High School, and the Paws Club from Land O’ Lakes High School. They will take pictures of the animals with their new families, and hand out Halloween candy for kids.

“Community service projects bring so many people of all ages together in recognition of this day,” said Franchesca Blocher, a first grade teacher at Saint Anthony’s school in San Antonio, in a release. “I decided that this year, I would like to get some kids together and do a project that benefits Pasco County Animal Services.”

Blocher orchestrated a drive with her students that brought in several items off of the shelter wish list. Some were dropped off last weekend, and the rest will be shared this coming Saturday.

For more information on National Made a Difference Day, and the activities taking place at the shelter, call Pasco County Animal Services at (813) 929-1212, or visit PascoCountyFl.net/PAS.

 

Land O’ Lakes holding IB informational sessions

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Land O’ Lakes High School is hosting three family information nights for prospective applicants seeking ninth-grade admission into the school’s International Baccalaureate program for the 2015-16 year.

Parents and guardians of students currently in the eighth grade at public, charter and private schools are invited to attend, as well as families of students in other grades.

The first meeting is Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the high school’s mini theater, 20325 Gator Lane in Land O’ Lakes. The second meeting is Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. at Long Middle School’s cafeteria at 2025 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel. The final meeting is Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Weightman Middle School’s cafeteria, 30649 Wells Road in Wesley Chapel.

Those attending can learn about the IB program, as well as the application process.

For more information and for access to the 2015-16 online application, click here, or contact Jeff Morgenstein at (813) 794-9429, or (352) 524-9429. Or he can be emailed at .

Forever the Keppel Way at Land O’ Lakes High

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The crowd was there to watch the football teams from Land O’ Lakes and Sunlake high schools take the field. But for several minutes before kickoff, they were all chanting something much different: “We love Keppel!”

Kris Keppel, who spent more than two decades as the coach of the Land O’ Lakes cross-country team, and even longer as a teacher, was given that ovation during last Friday’s game. Keppel, never one who likes to draw attention to himself, knew something was up when he was invited to the game. But he still showed up, because he knew his courage facing pancreatic cancer would continue to inspire the students and athletes at the school.

Kris Keppel along with daughters Meredith and Morgan, and wife Dar, proudly show the new sign students and visitors will see leading the way to the athletic fields of Land O’ Lakes High School. Principal Ric Mellin says this will remind everyone to take the ‘Keppel way.’ (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Kris Keppel along with daughters Meredith and Morgan, and wife Dar, proudly show the new sign students and visitors will see leading the way to the athletic fields of Land O’ Lakes High School. Principal Ric Mellin says this will remind everyone to take the ‘Keppel way.’ (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

“It’s pretty easy to inspire,” Keppel told the crowd. “Inspiration is a two-way street. You all can inspire each other on a daily basis.”

School officials and his team wanted to honor Keppel for being a finalist in the Brooks Inspiring Coach of the Year contest. Although Keppel received the most votes in the nationwide competition, he was able to applaud as Renee Williams-Smith of Manhattan Beach, California, received this year’s award during a ceremony last summer in Seattle.

The initial idea was to give Keppel a large trophy, girls’ cross-country coach and close friend Karen DeHaas said. But then an idea surfaced that would allow Keppel’s work to be honored year after year, naming a new school inspirational award after him and a fellow teacher, the late Marilyn Ling, who also battled cancer.

“We have always had inspirational people that helped our students and helped our faculty,” school assistant principal Rich Batchelor said. “We would like to start a new award, the Ling Inspiring Individual Award. But we decided to rename it for the first recipient of the award. So it will now be known as the Ling Keppel Inspiring Individual Award.”

But the school wasn’t done. A small crowd walked to a spot just outside the Land O’ Lakes football stadium so a new street sign could be unveiled — renaming that stretch of Gator Lane to Keppel Way.

“What better way to have students in the future know how much he inspired us to do things the Keppel way than to actually rename the roadway that leads into the athletic facility here,” school principal Ric Mellin said. “From this point forward, every time our athletes come down the road from the parking lot into the stadiums in the back here, they are going to be doing it the Keppel Way.”

Keppel was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer more than a year ago. Despite his grueling treatment for the disease, Keppel continued to attend as many practices and meets as he could. That continued until this past school year when he was forced to retire to focus more on fighting the cancer. It meant stepping down from his longtime role as cross-country coach, too.

“He’s retired, yet he comes to all the practices, except when he has chemo on Mondays,” DeHaas said. “He’s not able to bike with the runners anymore, but having him out there has really motivated all of our runners, and they want to win for him.”

Those trips to practices and meets have become their own inspiration to Keppel.

“We’re a team, we are a partnership,” Keppel said. “They keep plugging away, and I keep plugging away.”

A recent change in his chemotherapy treatment has allowed Keppel to grow back his hair, his eyebrows, and even his trademark moustache. He has lost weight, but being able to recognize his reflection in the mirror has helped him continue to fight the cancer.

“I have good days and bad days, but today was a good day,” Keppel said, looking toward his wife Dar, standing nearby. “The last few days were good, but the beginning of the week wasn’t so hot. It is what it is, and you just take it one day at a time.”

And that couldn’t be any other way, because it is indeed the Keppel way.

Published October 22, 2014

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In Print: There’s only one way, the Keppel Way

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Kris Keppel is the last person who feels he deserves all the accolades he’s received lately. While he had to retire as both a cross-country coach and a teacher for Land O’ Lakes High School earlier this year because of his battle with pancreatic cancer, Keppel still has to admit, what he’s done — and always has done — is inspire.

And that’s what he wants to keep on doing.

Kris Keppel — standing with his wife Dar and daughters Meredith and Morgan — thanks the fans and students during last week's Land O' Lakes-Sunlake football game for honoring him with a new award, and naming one of the school's streets after him. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Kris Keppel — standing with his wife Dar and daughters Meredith and Morgan — thanks the fans and students during last week’s Land O’ Lakes-Sunlake football game for honoring him with a new award, and naming one of the school’s streets after him. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

“It’s pretty easy to inspire,” Keppel told fans at the recent Land O’ Lakes-Sunlake football game, according to reporter Michael Hinman. “Inspiration is a two-way street. You all can inspire each other on a daily basis.”

Keppel not only received the honor of having his name put on an award that will be given regularly by the high school to those that inspire others, but also to have a street named in his honor on campus.

“What better way to have students in the future know how much he inspired us to do things the Keppel way than to actually rename the roadway that leads into the athletic facility,” school principal Ric Mellin said. “From this point forward, every time our athletes come down the road from the parking lot into the stadiums in the back here, they are going to be doing it the Keppel Way.”

What did Coach Keppel and others think of all this? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available now. Or if you’re someone who can’t leave their computer quite yet, check out the story in our free online e-edition by clicking here.

It was a different kind of inspiration that led Bryan and Darci D’Onofrio to start their own theater company. And the name says it all.

Dreamhouse Theatre opens its first full production, “Little Shop of Horrors,” this weekend at the Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel.

“Something we’ve always wanted to do was to have our own theater,” Bryan D’Onofrio told reporter B.C. Manion. “That’s been a dream of ours.”

So they pulled together their resources and made it happen. Bryan is the artistic director, while Darci is the executive director.

“We absolutely love the arts,” Darci D’Onofrio said. “We want to bring them here. We know that’s a need.”

Learn more about Dreamhouse Theatre and the people behind it in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available everywhere now. Or if you’d prefer, read it right now in our free online e-edition. Just click here.

There is a lot of focus on veterans at Saint Leo University, and not necessarily because a lot of them are traveling to Pasco County to take on classes. In fact, there are many veterans who are finding a way to get that post-high school education they’re looking for from Saint Leo — but they are doing it through the convenience of distance technology.

One man — U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant Tedd “Gunny” Weiser — is in charge of making sure veterans successfully make the transition from battlefield to classroom.

“When these veterans come off active duty, there’s a trust, a comfort level, in being able to speak to somebody who can not only talk the talk, but walk the walk,” Weiser told reporter Michael Murillo.

The support his department provides is more than just answering basic questions or even maintaining a campus presence. It also comes in the form of a free online course developed by Saint Leo to help veterans and their families transition from military to civilian life. And not just to go to school, but to make it in the world that isn’t always the most friendly to soldiers coming back from conflict.

To learn more about what Saint Leo is doing with veterans, check out this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News. Or read our free online edition by clicking here.

And finally, photojournalist Fred Bellet has some great pictures to share from the recent Fall Festival at The Grove at Wesley Chapel. It was some great costumes and more at the annual event — put on by the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce — which can be found on the front of this week’s B-Section. See it online by clicking here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.