New Challenges Don’t Usually Faze Me, But This One Took A Toll 

Over the past nearly 30 years, the Neighborhood News has faced more challenges than I even care to remember — including new competition, the growth of online communities, paper shortages, Covid-19 and many more. 

When you’ve been doing what I have done for as long as I have, there also are likely to be at least a few health-related issues, but I’m appreciative I’ve been fortunate enough to not have to deal with any long-term complications. 

A few weeks before the Covid pandemic shut everything down, I had the second of two cataract surgeries at the St. Luke’s Eye Center in Tarpon Springs. On my follow-up appointment with my optometrist, David Scamard , O.D., of Excellence in Eye Care, a few months later, Dr. Dave asked me if I was having any “floaters” in either of my surgically-repaired eyes and I emphatically and happily told him “No.” 

That response continued to be true until less than four weeks before this issue was supposed to go to press, when I finally understood what he meant by “floaters.” I visited Dr. Dave at the Costco south of S.R. 56, where he took digital photos of my eyes and said he saw the likely source of my floaters. He told me to come back a few days later for a full eye exam. 

It was at that appointment, at about 11 a.m., with my vision in my left eye suddenly blurry, that he determined that I had a detached retina. He immediately set up an appointment for 2-1/2 hours later with retinal specialist Alfred White, M.D., of Retina Vitreous Associates of Florida, which has an office on the north side of S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel. 

Dr. White, who combines a great bedside manner with being super matter-of-factly about what I was about to go through, confirmed the detached retina and scheduled me for emergency reattachment surgery the next day. I had two questions about this — could I hold off the surgery for a week or two so Jannah and I could go to North Carolina to visit her daughter and her family and see a concert we had been planning to attend for more than six months, and of course, how would I get the Oct 3 Wesley Chapel issue done if I had to keep my head in a face-down position in a massage chair donut hole for 45 minutes of every hour after surgery for at least the next 5-7 days? 

Dr. White told me that if I didn’t have the surgery, my detached retina could get worse and make the recovery from the surgery more difficult. And, whether I had it or not, the pressure in that eye could get so bad that the plane we planned to fly in to NC could have had to have made an emergency landing on my behalf. 

So of course, I had the surgery the next day. And, while keeping my head down for that many hours and that many days — and having to sleep face-down until my follow-up appointment a week later — was anything but easy, Jannah did everything for me to make sure I got through these difficulties by driving and doing most everything else for me during my recovery. 

For the few minutes each hour that I wasn’t looking down, I was at my computer working to finish that Oct 3 issue, which went to press just three days after our usual deadline — and arrived in mailboxes just two days after its planned Oct. 3 cover date. I was so thankful it wasn’t any more delayed than that. 

I also am sorry that we don’t have quite as many news stories in this New Tampa issue as we usually do. I was so far behind with the Wesley Chapel issue that I couldn’t get as many stories researched and done for this Oct. 17 issue. 

Even so, I appreciate the efforts of not only Drs. White and Scamard, but also of our editorial research specialist Joel Provenzano, who helped me get as much info as possible for the story on pages 12-14 of this issue about the two different approaches to determining the boundaries of Wesley Chapel; to our amazing primary graphic designer Valerie Wegeman, for getting the maps for that story and all of our ads done; and especially, to Jannah for doing pretty much everything else that I normally do to complete an issue and for making sure both editions are chock full of ads so I had less space to fill than usual. 

I also am equally appreciative for all of you — our amazing readers — who continue to give me a reason to do what I have done for nearly three decades. 

As to what caused my retinal detachment, Dr. White said that people who have been extremely nearsighted for most of their lives — as I was until I had my cataract surgeries in 2020 — are more prone to this problem because being nearsighted constantly stretches your retinas as you age. Other possible causes are actually having had cataract surgeries (but that would normally have happened sooner), being diabetic (which I’m not), injuries to the eye (which I haven’t had) and, as often as not, bad luck. 

So, while getting a detached retina may just have been bad luck, I am going to recover my eyesight, which actually makes me feel pretty lucky. 

The “Barbie” Movie — I Guess I’m Just A Man Who Doesn’t “Get It” 

Although I never owned a Barbie doll, I did get an Action Jackson “figure” when I was a kid and I loved that you could dress the “boy dolls” as Batman, Superman and other DC Comics heroes.

And, while I still prefer superhero movies to pretty much any other genre these days (other than a great comedy), I will admit that when Jannah said she wanted to go see the “Barbie” movie, I quickly agreed.

I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, as “Barbie” shattered the record for the top box office opening weekend for a movie directed by a woman, but I also was intrigued by the idea of a Barbie doll coming to life, especially with the talented Margot Robbie in the title role.

I also had high hopes for Ryan Gosling as Ken, despite the ridiculous-looking (at least to me) dye job to match the doll’s well-known blond locks. And yes, the teaser commercials showing Barbie and Ken getting arrested multiple times during their first trip to the “real world” looked cute and funny.

What was most appealing to me was to see how director Greta Gerwig was planning to bring (almost) every young girl’s favorite doll to life and how Barbie and Ken would ultimately fare. I somehow didn’t even realize that Will Ferrell (who plays the CEO of Mattel, they toy company that still owns the Barbie empire) also was in the movie until the opening credits. I enjoy some of Mr. Ferrell’s films, but he is usually so over the top with his acting that every movie he’s in walks that fine line between super-funny and super-stupid.  

Well, after sitting through the nearly two-hour run of “Barbie” a week or so after it hit theaters across the U.S., all I can say is I honestly didn’t get what all the hype has been about.

In my opinion, despite having some very funny moments, the film is just so stupid and the story so convoluted that the star power does little to prop it up. My favorite characters are America Ferrera as Gloria, the mom who loved playing with Barbies as a kid (and apparently, still does), Ariana Greenblatt as Gloria’s daughter Sasha who (along with her friends) has gotten to the age where they think they’re too old and too cool to play with dolls, and especially, the great Rhea Perlman (best known as Carla from “Cheers” and for being married to Danny DeVito) as Ruth Handler, the American businesswoman who invented the Barbie doll in 1959.

I give Gerwig a lot of credit for at least trying and it seems that, based on everything I’ve seen about the movie on talk shows, the women of America seem to believe that the director got the story right, especially in terms of “female empowerment.” Yes, all of the Barbies of all shapes, sizes, colors and physical abilities are treated equally in “Barbieland, and the president is an African-American Barbie. I did understand, applaud and appreciate at least that part of Gerwig’s message.

But, what I couldn’t understand was why the director had to make Gosling’s Ken the movie’s ignorant “villain.” In the opening scenes of the movie, Ken clearly thinks he’s  in love with Barbie, even though he doesn’t understand why he should have sleepovers with his “girlfriend,” who clearly has no clue as to why he’d even be interested in anything other than the two of them looking pretty together.

But then, when they travel to the real world, Ken visits a library and takes out (steals?) books about the “patriarchy” and decides he likes the idea of men being in charge, rather than the Barbie dolls who “rule” Barbieland. How did these dolls even learn how to read? I know…suspend disbelief.

And, all Barbie-hell breaks loose when the dolls return to Barbieland. There are pitiful musical numbers and even a fake-weapon fight scene between all of the incarnations of the Ken doll, with Simu Liu (of the “Shang Chi” Marvel movie) as Gosling’s arch-rival Ken. While the men and their abs are fighting, the Barbies somehow find a loophole to take back Barblieland for themselves and Robbie’s Barbie ends up realizing she had been taking Ken’s needs for granted, even as she then chooses to return to the real world to live forever.

I’ve seen the movie called “hilarious,” but for my money, there were just a few laughs sprinkled into the almost nonstop stupidity. Jannah and I both had trouble sitting through it.

The best thing about the film, in my opinion, has been the merchandising. The B&B Theatres at The Grove hosted a big opening weekend “Barbie” party and still has life-size Barbie doll boxes in the lobby that no woman (including Jannah, right) could resist dressing up in pink for and taking pictures in — I even wore my pink polo shirt for the occasion. I regretted that decision afterwards.

Again, in my opinion, “Barbie” misses the mark as badly as most of its jokes. A better plot might have had the girl who outgrew Barbies become the “villain” until she realizes the value of the dolls to the girls and women who love them to somehow “save the day.” Oh, well.

Once Again Thanking You For Proving That ‘Print Isn’t Dead!’

Gary Nager Editorial

Almost every day, someone tells me, “Oh, I don’t read anything in print anymore. I get all of my news and information from online sources (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) only. Haven’t you heard that print is dead?”

I’ve written about this before, but after the whirlwind pre-holiday rush of new ads — and literally dozens of new requests for our advertising information — I’ve had over the past several months and, especially, the last two weeks, if print really is dead, my question is, why the seemingly neverending, and even increasing, requests for ads in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News?

Among the good news, for us, is that so many of the people opening new businesses in either of our distribution areas also live in those areas. So many of the people who have called, emailed or requested advertising info on our website recently have told me that not only do they read us, they look upon us as what I have long been calling us — the primary source of “real” news and information for and about the residents and businesses in and near New Tampa and Wesley Chapel.

Others requesting our information who don’t necessarily live in one of our distribution areas have been told by their friends or business associates who do live in one of those areas that ours are the ONLY publications they receive at their homes that they actually read, and that they trust the veracity of our news and the responsible reporting we provide about our areas more than any other source — print, broadcast or online.

Speaking of online sources — I would be lying if I said that we don’t utilize local Facebook communities and other online media sources as sources of some of the stories we ultimately put in print. The difference, however, is that we don’t just look stuff up online or offer our mean-spirited opinions without actually speaking with the sources of those stories (or, in many cases, attending or watching the government meetings regarding those stories). 

Managing editor John Cotey and I are not online “trolls” — we’re not looking to make obnoxious comments about anyone’s honest requests for information or to rip into a business because we see ourselves as “anonymous.” To the contrary, we’re both trained journalists with decades of combined experience who put our names on everything we write and publish, whether in print or online. 

Likewise, our freelance writers, particularly correspondent Celeste McLaughlin, also have years of working with us, so they know that if they make claims on behalf of our clients in the Business Features we publish (in every issue and online) that don’t ring true or need to be clarified, that I, as the editor, will make sure those questions and concerns are answered to my satisfaction and/or clarified properly. 

This completely-hands-on approach to editing isn’t easy, but it is both my responsibility and pleasure to make sure that when we tell you about the businesses who are seeking your business, that the stories we publish about them are true, to the very best of our ability to verify that information. And, the fact that so many of our advertisers always have (for the past 29 years) and continue to tell us every day that the stories we’ve published about them have brought them in more response and more new customers than any other medium is proof that our approach continues to work.

So, if you want to continue to believe that “print is dead,” that’s your prerogative, but if you appreciate journalism that is based on facts and solid research, and opinion pieces (like this one and my dining reviews) that present viewpoints that arise out of years of knowledge and experience, as well as research, I hope you’ll not only continue to read us but also tell your friends and neighbors about us. And, most important of all, please tell any of the dozens of businesses that spend money to advertise with us that you heard about them because, as a reader of the Neighborhood News, you know that “Print ISN’T dead!”

Speaking of new advertisers, here is a listing of the businesses in this issue who only recently began buying ads with us. We hope you’ll spend your hard-earned money with them (and our longer-term advertisers) and feel free to let us know that you did — even (or perhaps, especially) if those businesses fall short of your expectations, rather than go online to criticize them without at least giving me (and them) the opportunity to makes things right with you, if at all possible. 

Here are those new (and relatively new) advertisers who would had ads in our last two issues and would love to hear from you that “Print isn’t dead!”

Apex Internal Medicine
Bloomin’ Blinds
Cafe Zorba
Champa Chicken
Darlin Lash & Beauty Bar
Edward Jones Tampa Palms
Edward Jones Zephyrhills
Enviroserv Pest Management
Florida Heritage Insurance
Grace Episcopal Church
GrassWorks
Newsom Eye
North Tampa Law Group
Oriental Rug Care
The Legacy Studio.
Peak TRT and Wellness

Happy Holidays from the Neighborhood News!      

My Father’s Day Weekend Was Definitely A Dream Come True!

Gary Nager Editorial

Twenty years after having both of my knees arthroscoped, and after too many years of trying to deal with being bone-on-bone in both knees (and walking with an obvious limp), I finally decided to get my knees replaced.

Yes, I was motivated for myself, as I wanted to improve my quality of life, but my true motivation was that I wanted to be able to dance at my 30-year-old son Jake’s wedding to Meghan Hathaway, which just happened to finally take place on the Saturday night of Father’s Day weekend.

I say “finally” because Jake and Meghan had to twice put off their wedding celebration with their family and friends, due to concerns about Covid-19, even though they were married at a courthouse more than three years ago. While they were waiting for their first party in 2020, they became pregnant with my now 2-1/2-year-old grandson Jackson (Jax).

The renewal of their wedding vows and reception, which were held in Miami, will forever be among the highlights of my life.

Jared, Jake & their Dad

Perhaps best of all, for me, was that I did accomplish my goal — only nine weeks after having my right knee replaced and 17 weeks after receiving a new left knee, I did indeed get to dance at Meghan and Jake’s big event. I was one of somewhere between 150-200 people — more than 50 of which were members of Meghan’s huge family from Boston — who were able to participate in this magical celebration of their love.

One of the other highlights of the weekend was getting to spend some grandpa time with the adorable Jax — who looks almost exactly like Jake did at the same age (some people even said he looks like me, which made my heart melt). Jannah and I also were able to spend a lot of quality time over the course of the weekend with more than a half-dozen of Jake’s closest friends from Wharton High, some of whom I didn’t recognize at first because I hadn’t seen them at all since their high school days more than a decade ago. 

It also reminded me of how precious this life is, as neither my own father nor mother — Jack and Marilyn Nager — were able to attend the wedding, due to health concerns, although my sister Bonnie was able to make her way down from her home outside of Philadelphia to share this most joyous event.

I can’t imagine a more perfect Father’s Day gift or a better weekend. I finally got to witness the celebration with this most beautiful (inside and out) couple and my older son Jared absolutely killed it with his Best Man speech at the wedding — “I never thought I had a problem making friends until I found out that Jake had more than eight groomsmen. To me, it seemed like kind of an excessive number, but it did make me question my own popularity.” J-Man made me so proud and he even gave me credit for helping him become a better writer. I also got to join in the fun, as I made a toast of my own to the happy couple at their rehearsal dinner.

If there’s ever been a happier father on Father’s Day, I’d like to meet him. Congratulations to Jake, Meghan and Jax, to Meg’s mom and dad, Janice and Kevin Hathaway and this happy couple’s entire family.

Community Comes Together To Celebrate The Too-Short Life Of Andres Chateau

Gary Nager Editorial

As a father and now a grandfather, I can’t imagine anything harder for any parent to deal with than their child passing away.

But sadly, more than 20,000 children die of all causes in this country each year, or more than 50 per day, and while motor vehicle crashes cause the largest percentage of those (more than 4,000 in 2016, the last year I could find full statistics for), roughly the same number of children (more than 1,800 each in 2016) are victims of homicide each year as die from all forms of childhood cancer.

But, this editorial isn’t about statistics, it’s about the passing of one precious child named Andres Chateau. Andres — a nine-year-old Wesley Chapel resident who attended the Innovation Prep Academy off Curley Rd. — and his father, Kevin Bybee, were both found shot dead in Bybee’s apartment in St. Petersburg in an apparent murder-suicide.

Andres’ mother, Jessica Chateau, had gone to Bybee’s apartment on April 4 to pick up her son, but got no response when she knocked on the door. She notified the St. Pete Police Department but they were reluctant to enter the premises because, according to a police spokesperson, there was no reason to suspect foul play and none of Bybee’s neighbors had heard anything unusual.

The next morning, the management at the Trellis at the Lakes apartments opened the apartment for Jessica, who found Andres and Bybee dead from gunshot wounds.

According to published reports, Bybee and Jessica Chateau were estranged and involved in a contentious custody suit, “but there had been no threats or signs beforehand” that this type of tragedy would occur.

On April 10, less than one week after the tragedy, at least 300 Wesley Chapel residents came to the Epperson Lagoon to celebrate Andres’ life. Jessica had posted the event on Facebook a couple of days earlier and many of those in attendance brought food, beverages and their own children to take part in the celebration. PizzaMania donated at least 20 pies and Pasco County Commission candidate Troy Stevenson brought two of his ACME On The Go billboard trucks, which displayed pictures of Andres and Jessica from happier times. Troy also called his friends at Pasco Fire Rescue, who brought one of their fire trucks to the event. 

There wasn’t anyone in attendance who didn’t want to speak with and hug Jessica, who talked about giving birth and holding him for the first time. “I called him Tutu because he was too too much,” she said.

Pastor Joel Eason of nearby Bridgeway Church spoke during the candle light service at the lagoon, which was held at sunset. He spoke about the light that Andres brought into the lives of everyone he touched.

“My son was pure sunshine,” Jessica told WTSP-TV Channel 10. “He was just full of energy and loved playing. I have every moment burned into my brain…Just appreciate every moment with your babies.”

My sons are 33 and 30 and it just so happened it was my younger son’s birthday the same day of the event for Andres.

And, while I definitely feel fortunate to still have and be able to share such happy occasions with my boys and my grandson, I could feel Jessica’s pain, even as she seemed genuinely moved by the community’s outpouring of love. 

Her ability to smile in the face of such unspeakable tragedy definitely inspired me and I promised her I would try to do justice to her and her relationship with her beautiful son, even though I knew I would fall short. 

There is a GoFundMe page to help Jessica Chateau. Visit https://gofund.me/41b194b7 if you would like to help.