Wesley Chapel Business Burglars Busted

(L-R): Quevedo, Thompson and Zachman
(L-R): Quevedo, Thompson and Zachman

By Matt Wiley

Three people have been arrested in connection with a string of business burglaries that have plagued the Wesley Chapel area in recent weeks.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), Sarah Zachman, 31, Jamar Thompson, 28, and Christian Quevedo, 25, have been arrested in connection with business burglaries at Dr. John Long Middle School, Cash For Gold (32733 Eiland Blvd.), Goin’ Postal (27221 S.R. 56), CVS Pharmacy (30050 County Line Rd.) and Reckitt Benckiser (2148 Ashley Oaks Cir.).Continue reading

Body Of New Tampa Man Recovered From S.C. River Coming Home

By Matt Wiley

Rescuers search the Chattooga River in South Carolina for missing New Tampa man Thomas Hill, who fell into the river during a rafting excursion June 19.
Rescuers search the Chattooga River in South Carolina for missing New Tampa man Thomas Hill, who fell into the river during a rafting excursion June 19.

The body of a New Tampa man has finally been recovered, following a whitewater rafting accident and 17-day search of the Chattooga Wild & Scenic River in South Carolina.

Thomas P. Hill, 51, a Hunter’s Green resident and a Sherwin-Williams Tampa district sales manager, fell out of a raft during a whitewater rafting trip on the Chattooga on June 19 in Oconee County near Long Creek, SC, which is located along the state’s border with Georgia. Hill had been in Helen, GA, to attend a Sherwin-Williams sales conference.

According to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Hill’s body was recovered around 11:30 a.m. on July 5, following more than two weeks of failed attempts to retrieve and return his body to his wife Linda and four children in New Tampa.Continue reading

Rep. Ross Tackles Tough Immigration Issues At Town Hall Meeting In Lutz

By Matt Wiley

New Tampa's U.S. Representative Dennis Ross took questions from the community during a town hall meeting in Lutz on July 2.
New Tampa’s U.S. Representative Dennis Ross took questions from the community during a town hall meeting in Lutz on July 2.

New Tampa’s U.S. Representative Dennis Ross (R-Lakeland) has been making the rounds around the 15th Congressional District and getting an earful about tough issues, especially immigration.

During July 2 town hall meetings in both Lutz and Brandon, a total of more than 300 District 15 residents listened to and asked questions of their Congressman, many of which concerned student loans and the deficit. But, the topic that received the most attention at the Lutz-area meeting, by far, was immigration.Continue reading

Estancia Community Officially Approved For Wiregrass Ranch DRI

By Matt Wiley

Map source: PascoCountyFL.net, updated by New Tampa Neighborhood News
Map source: PascoCountyFL.net, updated by New Tampa Neighborhood News

At long last, homes will soon be going up inside the Wiregrass Ranch Development of Regional Impact (DRI) in a newly formed Community Development District (CDD) called Estancia at Wiregrass, located north of the future Chancey Rd. extension and east of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., between S.R.s 56 and 54.

In January, we reported that Standard Pacific Homes (SPH), a builder from Orange County, CA, had purchased 677 acres of land from the Porter family, who own the Wiregrass DRI, to build a then-unnamed community consisting of 1,181 single-family homes spread out across four gated and un-gated neighborhoods. The community will be named Estancia.Continue reading

Get Prepared, Stay Ahead Of The Storm With Our 2013 Hurricane Guide

By Matt Wiley

Hurricane Sandy spared Florida last season, but the superstorm wreaked havoc on the Northeastearn U.S. Experts are expecting 3-6 major storms this hurricane season. Photo: NOAA
Hurricane Sandy spared Florida last season, but the superstorm wreaked havoc on the Northeastearn U.S. Experts are expecting 3-6 major storms this hurricane season. Photo: NOAA

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.

Continue reading