Annexation Hearing Set For Land Behind Wharton

By Matt Wiley | August 22

The public will have its say in November and December regarding the voluntary annexation of nearly 150 acres of New Tampa land behind Wharton High.

The Tampa City Council approved two public hearings to discuss the voluntary annexation of 148 acres located east of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (behind Wharton High), between New Tampa Blvd. and County Line Rd., during its August 22 meeting. The hearings will be held on Thursday, November 14, 5:30 p.m., and on Thursday, December 5, 10 a.m.Continue reading

Gate Petroleum & More Coming To S.R. 56

Gate Petroleum soon will open it's first Tampa Bay location on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel.
Gate Petroleum soon will open it’s first Tampa Bay location on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel.

A cleared area on the north side of S.R. 56 at the Cypress Ridge Blvd. intersection is beginning to take shape. The property, known as the Shoppes of Cypress Creek, part of the 400-acre mixed-use development which currently has available parcels on both sides of S.R. 56, soon will be the site of the first Gate Petroleum location in the Tampa Bay region. Gate, which is based out of Jacksonville, FL, has locations in six states across the southeastern U.S., including Georgia and the Carolinas, with the closest being in Lakeland. Continue reading

Man Arrested For Trespassing, Eating At WCH

Podosowski
Austin Podosowski

By Matt Wiley

Most kids can’t wait to be out of school. However, one Wesley Chapel man is in custody after hanging out on Wesley Chapel High (WCH)’s campus after dropping his brother off at the school.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), Austin Podosowski, 20, of Angus Valley, dropped his younger brother off at WCH around 7:20 a.m. on August 20, when he decided to park and walk onto the school’s Wells Rd. campus without making the school aware of his presence, which is Pasco County School District policy. Two other non-students waited in the tan Lincoln sedan in the parking lot, the WCH resource deputy says.Continue reading

Wazoo Gets Wild While Peabody’s Hosts Seasonal Brew Battles

A Wazoo attendee samples one of Sierra Nevada Brewing's offerings at the 2013 Wazoo Beer Fest at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa.
A Wazoo attendee samples one of Sierra Nevada Brewing’s offerings at the 18th annual Wazoo Beer Fest at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa on August 3.

By Matt Wiley

Living among the animals for a night may sound like reality TV fare, but on August 3, it truly was reality for the animals on the other side of the glass at the Lowry Park Zoo during the zoo’s 18th annual Wazoo Beer Fest.

Named one of the top 10 beer festivals in the nation by USA Today, Wazoo has become one of the biggest annual fund raisers for Lowry Park Zoo, located on W. Sligh Ave in Central Tampa (call 935-8552 or visit LowryParkZoo.com) — and this year’s event raised more than $150,000 to help the zoo fund and maintain its amazing programs and exhibits. Fund-raising events, along with private donations, are what have kept Tampa’s zoo not only up and running, but also thriving, the past 25 years. Click through to view the bonus gallery…

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New Tampa Schools Overcome Tougher Standards To Earn Good Grades

By Matt Wiley

School Chart
Click here to view the entire Hillsborough County School Rankings Chart

School report cards are out for 2012-13 school year in the Hillsborough County School District (HCSD) and, overall, New Tampa’s elementary and middle schools once again scored highly.

Of the 61 “A”-rated elementary and middle schools in the HCSD (which received a “C” overall from the Florida Department of Education {DOE} this year, a letter grade drop from its “B” in 2011-12), seven are New Tampa schools, including Chiles, Clark, Pride, Tampa Palms and Turner elementary schools, as well as Benito and Liberty middle schools.
High school grades have not yet been determined and will be released later in the year, usually in December. Continue reading