Author: Gary Nager

As you’re reading this, the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights are tied 2-2 in their best-of-seven series to see which team will take home Lord Stanley’s Cup.

That means mine and Jannah’s beloved Tampa Bay Lightning (obviously) didn’t make it this far in the playoffs this year. It also means that we now have plenty of time for other pursuits.

For me, that means watching as much as possible of the 2026 World Cup — which kicks off tomorrow — Thursday, June 11. And, while I am hopeful that a much-improved U.S. National Team can advance out of its tough Group D (with Turkey, Paraguay and Australia) as one of the three host nations for the event, I think that the World Cup is amazing to watch no matter which country ends up bringing home the coveted trophy and which player wins the Gold Ball as the tournament’s most outstanding player.

I will watch most of the games (alone) at home, but Jannah and I will most likely plan to visit local restaurants and bars every time the U.S. team takes the pitch. 

Oh, and because there are more teams than ever competing in the World Cup this year (48 vs. 32), there will be more futbol played than ever before — 104 total matches vs. 64 in years past.

Also for the first time, eight of the 12 third-place teams will advance out of the group stage into the first knockout round of 32 countries.

The Final match won’t be played until July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. In other words, even though the NFL preseason won’t start until August, there is still plenty of futbol to watch between now and then.

Speaking Of Seasons…

As much as I love both hockey and soccer, that’s how much I actually dislike politics. As I’ve written many times before, I’m a registered Republican who has never voted strictly along party lines — I’ve always voted for the candidates I felt most seemed to align with my views.

But, finding such candidates — whether federal, state or local — has gotten harder and harder to do for not only me but for anyone who feels they ride the middle between the two major political parties.

The 2026 Midterm Election “season,” which will begin with Primary elections on Tuesday, August 18, is coming up fast and Floridians will be voting for a new Governor, as well as a U.S. Senator, our area’s U.S. Representatives, plus State Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, Commissioner of Agriculture, State Senators, State Representatives (all districts) and Pasco also will be electing both a State Attorney and a Public Defender (both in the 20th Judicial Circuit).

Also in Pasco, where all County Commissioners and School Board members are elected countywide, it’s particularly difficult to get to know all of the candidates, which is one reason why so many Republican incumbents were reelected by such wide margins in 2024. Of course, the fact there are nearly twice as many registered Republicans as registered Democrats in Pasco also doesn’t hurt the GOP’s chances in our county. 

And, although School Board elections, which also are held in August, are non-partisan, the affiliations of these candidates are usually known, too. 

At any rate, although I may not be a fan of election season, the Neighborhood News will be updating you about as many of the candidates as possible in our June 23 and July 21 New Tampa issues and our July 7 and August 4 Wesley Chapel editions.

And…They’re Off!

In the meantime, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco has announced that he will resign in November to run in the special election for the Florida Senate District 21 seat being vacated by Florida Sen. Ed Hooper, who is retiring.

Nocco, who has been Pasco’s Sheriff since 2011, is running as a Republican and did not yet, at our press time, have an opponent in that race. Wesley Chapel voters can not vote in Dist. 21, as our State Senator is Dist. 23’s Danny Burgess.