TECO Moving Power Lines For BBD Widening Project

Driving through Tampa Palms, itโ€™s difficult to ignore the sound of saws cutting down branches along Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.

TECO workers trim back the foliage along Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Tampa Palms.
TECO workers trim back the foliage along Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Tampa Palms.

It may be loud, but the intense trimming of trees along the roadway during the past several weeks is in preparation for the next segment of BBD widening that is expected to begin by early next year.

According to TECO (Tampa Electric Company), the utility company is trimming back foliage and preparing to move its existing power lines so that there will be enough room for

the project to widen BBD from four to eight lanes between Palm Springs Blvd. and E. Bearss Ave.Continue reading

Sunset Funeral Home & Gardens: A Peaceful Place To Be Laid To Rest

Sunset Funeral Home & Memory Gardens is located on 60 acres off U.S. Hwy. 301 in Thonotosassa, only 20-30 minutes from most of Wesley Chapel.
Sunset Funeral Home & Memory Gardens is located on 60 acres off U.S. Hwy. 301 in Thonotosassa, only 20-30 minutes from most of Wesley Chapel.

By Matt Wiley

Planning for your own death โ€” or the death of a loved one โ€” can be an emotionally overwhelming task, especially without proper planning. However, whether planning ahead for yourself in order to spare loved ones the trouble, or if a loved one has suddenly passed, the friendly and comforting staff at Sunset Funeral Home & Memory Gardens is here to help.

Located just a few miles southeast of New Tampa, in nearby Thonotosassa, Sunset Funeral Home & Memory Gardens has everything you and your family need to plan for a proper funeral ceremony, burial or cremation, as well as a staff of 20 with the guidance and expertise to help send your loved ones off with a celebration of their lives, rather than a somber service.Continue reading

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 Sheriffโ€™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.), Goinโ€™ 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 Hunterโ€™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 stateโ€™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), Hillโ€™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 Tampaโ€™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