Author: Nikki Bennett

By Matt Wiley

With the recent weather disaster in Oklahoma and Tropical Storm Andrea having already kicked off the season — on the day it opened (June 1), — the time to be prepared for the annual weather threat to our area, hurricane season, is now!

Following the 2012 season of 19 named storms, including Superstorm Sandy — one of the most bizarre and destructive Atlantic basin storms since Katrina in 2004 — NOAA (the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration) predicts a 70-percent chance of 13-20 named storms during the 2013 season (which ends Nov. 30), with 7-11 potentially becoming hurricanes, of which 3-6 could be major storms of Category 3 (winds more than 111 mph) or greater.

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By Matt Wiley

It’s easy to take going to the dentist for granted here in the US. However, in many other parts of the world, dental care is either extremely rare or, in many cases, nonexistent. The people of these countries must rely on missionary work to receive the care that they need.

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By Matt Wiley

Graduation ceremonies can be pretty similar to one another. The principal gives a welcome address, followed by either the salutatorian and valedictorian or vice-versa, before the graduating students cross the stage to collect their diplomas.

However, on June 3, during the graduation ceremony for New Tampa’s Paul R. Wharton High, something peculiar happened: the salutatorian’s microphone was turned off before the honoree had finished delivering his speech, and the reasons for doing so are still not completely clear.

Harold Shaw, Jr., a 17-year-old prospective University of Florida (UF) film student, approached the podium as Wharton’s salutatorian with a 7.31 GPA and began his speech. Before beginning, he removed his cap. The version of the speech that Shaw began to deliver to the crowd of classmates and their families inside the expo center at the Florida State Fairgrounds was the third draft he had been instructed to write and submit to the school for approval.

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By Matt Wiley

Sinkholes have been in the news more and more in recent weeks, and, at first, it looked as if one might have opened off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., just south of New Tampa.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), around 5:30 p.m. on June 12, a hole opened up on westbound 138 Ave., just before Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. A Nissan Versa was stopped over the area that opened up, which has been measured to be six feet across and about 30 feet deep!

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