Category: News

By Matt Wiley | June 8

Congratulations to Stacie Lenners, the Suncoast Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) 2013 “Woman of the Year!”

Each year, to help raise funds for research, the many chapters of the LLS across the U.S. and Canada hold a 10-week contest to see who can raise the most money, crowning the victors during a ritzy grand finale.

On May 18, during the contest’s grand finale at the downtown Tampa Hilton, in front of a crowd of 600 people, Lenners was crowned “Woman of the Year,” after raising nearly $38,000 for LLS.Continue reading

By Matt Wiley | June 8

The debate is over and the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) has chosen a replacement for retiring administrator John Gallagher: Tomas “Tommy” Gonzalez, who currently is the city manager of Irving, TX (near Dallas). Current Pasco chief assistant county administrator Michele Baker is serving as interim administrator until a contract is negotiated with Gonzalez.

On May 28, the BOCC met for a special meeting in Dade City with one order of business to discuss: replacing Gallagher, who has been Pasco’s county administrator for the last 31 years. A list of more than 60 applicants had been narrowed down to four, each of whom interviewed individually with the BOCC on May 25.Continue reading

By Matt Wiley

In an effort to improve recycling participation in Pasco County, including in Wesley Chapel, residents are being offered an alternative to the decades-old “Blue Bag” system.

Wesley Chapel residents probably noticed some mail from Pasco County in the past few weeks, specifically from the county’s Solid Waste department. Included in the envelope was a reflective sticker, along with a letter, detailing the county’s new “Choose & Use Your Own Container” program.Continue reading

By Matt Wiley | May 26

A Land O’ Lakes man remains in custody at our press time after allegedly stealing and crashing a vehicle, attempting to carjack another vehicle and resisting arrest with force, while in the process attempting to take a deputy’s weapon and radio.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), Paul Jeremiah Brock, 29, of 4511 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., was arrested just after 4 p.m. on May 26, after stealing a grey Toyota Camry from a home on Jam Ln. in Odessa and crashing the vehicle on Woodsman Dr., north of Mangrove Dr., in the Angus Valley area of Wesley Chapel.

Continue reading

By Matt Wiley | May 23

Details have emerged about the May 23 accident that killed a pedestrian standing next to her broken down car on I-75.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), 22-year-old Kerry Ruiz, of Tampa, was killed when she was struck by an Isuzu truck towing a 29-foot boat, driven by Sarmad Joseph Jamil, 36, of Gilbert, AZ, who was traveling north on I-75 near mile marker 282, three miles north of S.R. 54, at 3:25 p.m.

The report says that, for unknown reasons, Ruiz, who was standing on the east shoulder of the interstate next to her car, which had its emergency flashers on, ran out in front of Jamil’s truck. Jamil was unable to avoid hitting Ruiz and his truck struck the pedestrian and then ran into the right side of a 2009 Acura RSX being driven by 26-year-old Ashley Fields of Largo. The Acura spun off the northwest side of I-75 before coming to rest.

Ruiz died at the scene and northbound I-75 was closed at S.R. 54 for about three hours. No other injuries were reported and no further information was available at our press time. The crash is still under investigation.