Plant City Observer 08.23.12

Crossword.......... 19 Opinion.................8 Obituaries.......... 14 Sports................ 16INDEX Vol. 1, No. 8 | One section

PlantCityObserver.com

Hillsborough County Sher-iff’s Office and Lakeland Police Department officials are inves-tigating the theft of between $15,000 and $25,000 from the Parent-Teacher Association bank account for Springhead Elementary School.

According to officials, the money was removed from the account through cashing multiple checks, beginning in February. The checks were processed at a bank in Lake-land. However, because the in-vestigation is ongoing, officials declined to give specific details regarding the case.

“The detective is still wait-ing for some information in this case,” said Ann Dinges, public information officer for Lakeland Police. “She cannot give me a time frame for the completion, because she has to wait for information to be provided from outside sources. Until all of the information is received, this case remains on-going.”

Bridgitte Kramer, president of the Hillsborough County Council PTA/PTSA, confirmed the Springhead account was balanced as of February, when the PTA completed a transition to new board members.

“It was somewhere in there when the whole problem began,” Kramer said. “It’s a shame, (because) that’s the students’ money.”

Springhead’s PTA did not follow procedure regarding its bank accounts, she said. The monthly bank statements, which are required to be opened by someone other than a person authorized to sign checks on the account, weren’t distributed properly. Further-

crime By MIchael Eng | Managing.Editor

FREE • thuRsday, auGust 23, 2012

Luke.Beevor.takeshelm.for.Raiderscross.country.PAGE.16.

SPORTSNEIghbOrAndy.Kovacsstarts.Internetradio.station.PAGE.4

PLANT CITYObserveryou. youR nEIGhBoRs. youR nEIGhBoRhood.

+ Communitygarden takes root

The.Plant.City.Commons.Community.Garden.will.pres-ent.“The.Synergistic.Garden,”.a.film.by.Emelia hazelip,.dur-

ing.a.special.tour.at.6:30.p.m..Aug..28,.at.the.garden,.

302.Carey.St.

For.more.information,.

email.Karen Elizabeth,.karens-

[email protected].

+ Plant City to host weekend gun show

The.Suncoast.Gun.Show.will.take.aim.at.Plant.City.this.weekend.

The.show,.which.will.fea-ture.guns,.accessories.and.more,.will.be.from.9.a.m..to.9.p.m..Aug..25,.and.10.a.m..to.4.p.m..Aug..26,.at.the.Evelyn.&.Batista.Madonia.Sr..Agricultural.Show.Center.on.the.Florida.Strawberry.Festival.grounds,.303.Lemon.St.

A.concealed.weapons.course.will.be.offered.both.days.at.10.a.m..and.2.p.m.

Admission.is.$8;.free.for.children.12.and.younger.

For.more.information,.visit.suncoastgunshows.com.

+ Women’s groupplans luncheon

devon.higginbotham,.rep-resenting.the.Florida.Native.Plant.Society,.will.be.the.fea-tured.speaker.at.the.Plant.City.Christian.Women’s.Connection.luncheon.at.11:30.a.m..Sept..4,.at.Walden.Lake.Golf.and.Country.Club,.2001.Clubhouse.Drive.

.The.theme.for.the.lun-cheon.is.“Going.Native:.Florida.Native.Plants.in.Your.Landscaping.”.Other.features.include.speaker.Ginny.sexton,.of.Girls.with.the.Curls,.and.music.by.Cindy Churchill,.director.of.Steppin’.Stone.Farm.

Cost.is.$14,.all.inclusive..For.more.information.or.to.make.reservations,.call.(813)[email protected].

OUR.TOWN

IN FOCUSWWE.affiliateslams.into.PlantCity.Armory.PAgE 18

Photos.by.Amber.Jurgensen.and.Matt.Mauney

Plant.City.High.students.danielle.stiffler.and.arianna Leon

Thousandsmissingfrom.schoolPTA.accountAs.school.began.Tuesday,.Springhead.Elementary.did.so.with.between.$15,000.and.$25,000.missing.from.its.PTA.account.

Great Hera! Is that Wonder Woman wandering the halls of Tomlin Middle School on the first day of school?

Although Principal Susan Sullivan doesn’t drive an in-visible jet to class, and her light blond hair is a stark con-

trast to the traditional eb-ony, she cer-tainly rocked the famous red-and-blue outfit worn by the ama-zonian comic book hero.

Students entering the school smiled as they caught sight of their playful princi-pal, who greeted everyone with waves and Wonder Woman-esque poses Aug. 21. Some snapped photos on their cell phones. Sul-livan wore the costume to drum up excitement about Tomlin’s 2012-13 theme, “Be Extraordinary: Find the Hero in You.”

“I just wanted to kick off the year and motivate stu-dents in an exciting way,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan wasn’t the only one who dressed up. A slew of administrators and teach-ers dressed as heroes, rang-ing from the Incredible Hulk to the dynamic duo of Bat-man and Robin.

BACK.TO.SCHOOL By amber Jurgensen | Staff.Writer

Dressed in a Wonder Woman costume, Tomlin Middle School Principal Susan Sullivan welcomed her students

back with plenty of comic relief.

Heroicwelcome

SEE PTA / PAgE 10

SEE SChOOL / PAgE 10Tomlin.Middle.School.Principal.susan sullivan.greeted.students.in.a.flashy.Wonder.Woman.costume..

aileana hussey,.Elizabeth.Byers,.Elissa.Ferguson.and.Mark.harris.gathered.outside.before.the.bell.rang.at.Tomlin.Middle.School..

Eddie.and.sandra.Romero.joined.other.kin-dergarten.parents.at.Bailey.Elementary’s.Kleenex.and.Coffee.breakfast..

INSIDEFor.more.back-to-school.photos,.see.page.12.

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PlantCityObserver.com 3 Plant city observerTHURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012

For the second time, the Walden Lake Community Association has denied a proposal to increase fees for use of Walden Lake Golf and Country Club.

After the corporate owner of the Walden Lake Golf and Coun-try Club filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year, John Keaton, the club’s gen-eral manager, has been devising ways to improve the club’s atten-dance — as well as its reputation. He suggested the WLCA increase homeowners’ fees, which would give each household membership to the entire facility. The member-ship also could be passed on to renters.

The plan was the same one pro-posed by Steve Mercer, managing partner of the club, a year ago. The WLCA denied it after consulting with an attorney and found that the only way to institute a fee in-crease of that magnitude would be to obtain a two-thirds vote from homeowners favoring the increase.

“It sounded undoable and ex-pensive,” WLCA President Jan Griffin said, adding that someone would have to go door-to-door to the 2,241 homes to pick up proxies.

Another option discussed in lieu of the increase would be to offer a $299 social membership special to Walden Lake residents.

Under Chapter 11 of the bank-ruptcy code, the corporation can keep the course and club while it reorganizes its finances.

Contact Amber Jurgensen at [email protected].

Walden Lakeassociationdenies requestfor fee increaseAnother option to boost membership may be to offer a $299 social membership special to Walden Lake residents.

GoveRnAnce by amber Jurgensen | Staff Writer

When families say good-bye to their loved ones who serve in the military, it often is a somber occasion.

And although there were a few tears shed by Kyle Hargroves’s mother in the days leading up to his Aug. 12 departure for boot camp in the U.S. Marines, the family was mostly smiles, and the infec-tious laughs are a testimony to the fam-ily’s close relationship and resiliency.

Plus, they know boot camp is the be-ginning of Kyle’s longtime dream.

“God, country, corps,” Kyle, 19, says, reciting a military motto that explains his faith.

Mom, Annisa, quickly corrects him. “No,” she says. “It’s God. Mommy.

Country. Corps.”The two, along with Kyle’s grandfather,

Ray Hargroves, burst out laughing. “There’s only one thing the Marine

Corps is scared of,” Ray says. “That’s Ma-rines’ mothers.”

RAY OF LIGHTKyle always has had noble intentions.

When his grandmother died of lung can-cer, he thought about becoming a lawyer to fight the tobacco companies.

“I always wanted to be the good guy,” he says.

Although Kyle grew up in a military setting, it wasn’t until middle school that he decided he wanted to become a Ma-rine. Ray and two uncles had served in the Marines, along with countless other relatives. Ray set examples of the valiance and humbleness that come with the Ma-rine name. After serving for one year and 11 months, Ray was injured in Vietnam and lost both his legs. Now wheelchair-bound, he supports Kyle in his military endeavors and even helped physically train Kyle for months prior to his leave date.

“What really, really inspired me was him,” Kyle says of his grandfather. “Go-ing to war, getting his legs blown off and coming back and dealing with the anti-war movement here. Through all that, he is happy with his life. To see him happy day to day, it is just incredible.”

Kyle is the first-born grandchild on both his mother’s and father’s sides and the first born child.

“Everyone looks up to him,” Annisa says. “What in the world are we going to do without him? Who’s going to kill all my spiders?”

“Who’s going to fertilize my yard?” Ray pipes in, causing an uproar between the three.

“He’s ready to go,” Ray says. “He’s an all-American boy. He’s seen his goal and he’s ready for it.”

Kyle is an all-American boy. He works hard at his job at Sweetbay supermar-ket. He attends Victory Baptist Church on Sundays. He got a chance to travel to several European countries, including Germany and France, as a student am-bassador. He likes to hunt, hang out with his family and friends and work out.

BILLBOARD MARINEAnnisa has stocked up on Marine

memorabilia, including license-plate covers, car stickers that say “Marine Mom” and clothing with the Marine logo. But she won’t be wearing or displaying any of it until Kyle graduates from boot

camp. Kyle won’t accept himself as a Ma-rine until then.

“Boot camp is where they turn you into a Marine,” Kyle says.

“Even when he signed the papers, peo-ple said, ‘Thank you,’ and he had a hard time accepting that,” Annisa says.

After graduating from Plant City High in the spring, the family had a combined going-away and graduation party, be-cause Kyle’s original ship out date had changed four times. About 150 people attended, including co-workers from Sweetbay and members of Victory Bap-tist Church.

Preschoolers at the Walden Lake Early Learning Center, where Annisa is a direc-tor, sang the “Marines’ Hymn” for Kyle during their end-of-the-year ceremony. Kyle also attended the preschool as a child.

“It was cool,” Kyle says. “I wasn’t ex-pecting that one.”

Kyle, who says the wait was killing him, was ready to leave for boot camp.

“He’s worked so hard for this,” Annisa

says. “He’s going to be the perfect Marine. He’ll be a billboard Marine.”

After boot camp, Kyle will go on to in-fantry school. He wants to be part of the Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security team. The FAST Company is similar to the Navy Seals. If part of the company, Kyle would provide security to major bases, work on strike teams and complete specialized missions like major drug busts and se-curing targets.

“Every man in this family is proud of him,” Ray says. “We could not have more respect for him as a human being.”

Kyle wants to make a career out of the military life. He is very excited to travel and see the world through the different bases. He is interested in going to Cali-fornia to the base in Twenty Nine Palms. Kyle also would like to return to Germany.

“The way I see it is this country has giv-en me 19 years of protection,” Kyle says. “And who better to protect my friends and family than me?”


All-AmericAn Boy

hometown heroes

Kyle Hargroves left for boot camp with the U.S. Marines Aug. 12 — but not without good spirits and a few laughs with his family.

HoMeToWn HeRoeSHometown Heroes is a new feature in the Plant City Observer in which we profile veterans from Plant city. If you have a

loved one currently serving or who has served in the past, please contact Managing editor Michael eng by email at [email protected] or by phone at 704-6850.

In oTHeR neWS• The WLcA accepted nominee

bruce rodwell to fill the vacancy on the board left by Jon courson after he resigned last month.

Rodwell, originally from new York, has been involved in the Plant city Toastmasters, the Greater Plant city chamber of commerce and a board member for the YMcA, the United Food Bank of Plant city and the South Florida Baptist Hospital Foundation. He attends the First United Methodist church and received the Plant city citizen of the Year Award in 2009.

• rod and ima storts approached the WLcA about the use of a path in the Hammocks. The path was deeded to the WLcA in the 1990s. The quick claim deed designated the use of the path for walkers and bikers, but not for golf carts. However, golf carts have been using the path for over a decade.

With new homeowners now living on the property bordering the path, golf carts have not been able to get access to the path. The Storts seek to change the rules regarding who can and cannot use the path. The WLcA will look into the matter.

• The WLcA meeting will move its Sept. 17 meeting to 5:30 p.m. to make time for the presidents meeting, which will be at 7 p.m.

Amber Jurgensen

Kyle Hargrove, who departed Plant city for U.S. Marines boot camp Aug. 12, comes from a rich history of proud Marines.


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The radio business has been Andy Kovacs’ life for 16 years.

He considers himself a radio guru, but the Plant City native eventually grew tired of corporate politics and wanted more freedom.

“It started to get to the point where you feel like you’re grinding out a job,” said Kovacs, who left Clear Channel’s WXXL-FM in Orlando to start TheXstream.FM, an Internet radio station based in Plant City.

He is currently in school at South Florida pursu-ing a degree in engineering, but it didn’t take long for him to miss radio.

“Once you do it, it’s in your blood,” he said. “We figured, ‘Why not do an Internet sta-tion?’ But not like these fly-by-night ones like you see that’s just Window’s Media Player on shuffle.”

Kovacs started TheXstream.FM in late 2010 with his friend and fellow radio pro-fessional, Ryan Bunting, bet-ter known as his on-air per-sonality, Lunchbox. Bunting is a former deejay with the MJ Morning Show on WFLZ-FM in Tampa and later teamed up

with Kovacs to co-host Club XL on WXXL-FM in Orlando. Kovacs also spent time at WFLZ, working in production and as an on-air talent from 2005 to 2008.

TheXstream is an effort to bring radio back to its roots while utilizing new-media

practices. “We wanted to

do a station like the big boys do — complete with media research and everything,” Kovacs said. “And with the tech-nology we have now, you can get Internet radio anywhere.”

Unlike tra-ditional FM radio stations, TheXstream is completely commercial free and sup-ported through a sponsorship business model, in which sponsors names and plugs are done by a voice talent periodi-cally before songs.

“We want to focus on the music,” he said. “That’s where our passion is.”

Currently, most of the spon-sors are national brands, such as Target, but Kovacs hopes that with growing marketing plans and exposure, that more local businesses will become involved.

“We’re trying to do more lo-cal things to get more people interested,” he said. “We’d be more than happy to deejay lo-cal events. We just want to get our name out there locally.”

TheXstream plays a top-40 format and plays today’s hits all day and night with a countdown show and remix programming on the week-ends.

“Our Saturday night dance party is one of our most popu-lar shows,” he said about Club X, a live show airing from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The station has listeners in 72 countries, with 41% of listeners in the United States, according to the market re-search. TheXstream currently averages more than 1,000 unique listeners per week

with 1,461 listener sessions per week, averaging 20 minute sessions.

Kovacs said he hopes the station will grow and that they will be able to move to a FM frequency one day.

“We would love to cross over to that and be a low-frequency station right here in the Plant City area,” he said.

— Matt Mauney

ANDY KOVACS After a stint with Clear Channel’s WXXL-FM in Orlando, this Plant City resident recently launched a new Internet station from home.

TheXstreamFormat: Top 40Where to listen: www.TheXstream.FM or find it on the Apple App Store (xstreamfm) or on the Google Play Android plat-form (xstream).


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Savannah Kummelman quickly twirls her baton while marching in place. She throws it up in the air, spins gracefully and catches it with ease. Her pink, sequined top glit-ters in the sunlight as she smiles and continues to twirl.

“Twirling is fun; it’s challenging,” the 13-year-old said. “You can do a lot of different things. You can march, dance.”

Kummelman repre-sents a sport and hobby that has been dying out in area high schools — baton twirling. But two local twirling teams, the Hillsborough Country Twirlettes and the Florida Baton Twirlers, are work-ing hard to keep the tra-dition alive.

Kummelman has been twirling for the last four years with the Hillsborough County Twirlettes. Kummelman first heard about the team from her music teacher at Springhead Elementary, Charla Kerwin.

Kerwin’s mother, Peggy Capps, started the Twirlettes in 1960. She was a student at Wimauma High School, which is now the elementary school. Capps’s band director approached her and asked if she would be will-ing to start a majorettes group. Capps taught herself from a book and began the team.

Back then, classes were only 50 cents. Some would have as many as 150 girls. One of those girls in attendance was Kerwin, who started twirling when she was just 2 years old.

“I am so proud of a group of girls learning skills passed down from my mom to my sisters to myself,” Kerwin said. “Keeping the group going with a full-time teaching position and family is not an easy task but so worth it.”

The Hillsborough County Twirlettes perform in parades

such as Gasparilla and the Mar-tin Luther King Jr. Parade in Plant City. They also perform at the Florida Strawberry Festi-val and feature a recital, during which each girl does a solo at the end of the year.

Keeping in line with her moth-er’s vision, Kerwin has kept the Twirlettes low cost. Classes are just $35 to $40 per month.

“It’s important to get up there by yourself and perform,” Ker-win said. “Hold your head up, smile and put some personality

into it. It does teach you life skills for things like job interviews and con-fidence.”

The Twirlettes are not a competition team. But for those who are looking to compete, the Florida Baton Twirlers do attend competitions, including the National Majorette Contest in Notre Dame, and have even gone onto World Baton Twirling Champi-onships in Hawaii and France. They also travel to regional competitions in Gainesville, Orlando and Savannah, Ga.

With humble roots, Barbara Patrick started the Plant City-based group 57 years ago, teaching a small group under a tree in Courier Field. Since then, she has taught three genera-

tions of students from all walks of life, including her daughter and four grandchildren. Patrick has also been invited to judge various competitions around the United States.

“It’s been my life,” Patrick said. “If you can’t teach them some-thing besides twirling, then you’ve missed it. You teach them life lessons, winning and losing, teamwork and good sportsman-ship.”

Patrick will be offering classes for all ages and skill levels. They

cost $7 per week. Besides compe-titions, the Florida Baton Twirlers also perform in parades and will have a winter performance at Universal Studios in Orlando.

Patrick said she’s old enough to retire but wants to keep twirl-ing in the spotlight.

“We have to teach these younger ones,” Patrick said. “They don’t have what we had. Yes, they might do harder tricks and twirl better than we had, but they don’t have the background and foundation we had.”


InfoRmATIonHillsborougH county twirlettes sign-uPsSHIloH CHARTeR SCHoolaDDress: 905 W. Terrace Drive, Plant CitywHen: 5 to 6 p.m. Aug. 29

THe foUnDATIon CHRISTIAn ACADemYaDDress: 3955 lithia Pinecrest Road, ValricowHen: 5 to 6 p.m. Aug. 30

FloriDa baton twirlerswHere: Planteen Recreation Center, 301 Dort St., Plant CitywHen: All classes are held Thursdays, beginning Aug. 30. 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. (beginners), 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. (intermediate), 4:45 to 5:30 p.m. (middle school), and 7 to 8 p.m. (competi-tion)inFo: (813) 626-4554website: floridabatontwirl-ers.com

Twirling troupes seek new talentBoth teams participate in various local parades and offer classes for a low cost.

spin cycle by amber Jurgensen | Staff Writer

Amber Jurgensen

savannah Kummelman, 13, has participated in the Hillsborough County Twirlettes for four years.


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SBRIEFS + Burning ballast forces

Collins Street closureA burning electrical device forced the Plant

City Fire Department to close Collins Street in downtown Plant City for about an hour Aug. 20.

A ballast for one of the lights at Miss Ruby’s Antiques and Collectibles, 119 N Collins St., began to melt at about 10 a.m. Aug. 20, said store co-owner Joe Fuleki.

“When we opened at 10 a.m. this morning, I flipped on the lights, and I started to smell something funny,” he said.

Firefighters located the source of the smell quickly by using a thermal imaging device, Battalion Chief Henry smith said.

“It’s really melted in there, and we could see the fluid leaking out of it,” he said of the bal-last. “We could tell that one was 130 degrees; the others were at 80 degrees.”

Because downtown is such a tight area, and because many buildings are connected, the fire department blocked off the entire block as a safety precaution, Smith said.

+ Police make arrestin 2011 double homicide

The Plant City Police Department has charged a Plant City man with first-degree mur-der for a November 2011 double homicide.

ruben Jay brooks, of Plant City, faces two charges for the Nov. 12, 2011, deaths of shannon l. thomas and Faye Mcclain Kitchen.

On Nov. 12, 2011, officers were summoned to 506 E. Ohio St. to check the welfare of

Kitchen, whom family members had not been able to get in touch with since the previous night. When officers arrived, they were unable to make contact with Kitchen, so they entered the home by force.

Upon making entry, that officers discovered the bodies of Thomas, 33, and Kitchen, 59, deceased. The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the cause of death for both victims as blunt force trauma.

In the days following the homicide, detec-tives learned both victims were acquaintances of Brooks. He was arrested on an unrelated robbery charge in early January 2012. He has been held in the Hillsborough County Jail since that time.

+ Hope Lutheran Churchlaunches GriefShare program

Hope Lutheran Church once again will host a GriefShare program at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, at the church, 2001 N. Park Road, Plant City.

GriefShare is a special seminar and support group for those grieving the loss of someone close.

For more information, call (813) 752-4622.

Meetings &agendas Plant city commission — 7:30 p.m., second and fourth Mondays, 302 W. Reynolds St., Plant City

Hillsborough county commission — 9 a.m., first and third Wednesdays, Second floor of County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa

Hillsborough county school board — 3 p.m., second and fourth Tuesdays, 901 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa

Walden lake community association — 6 p.m., third Mondays, 3035 Griffin Blvd., Walden Lake

NEW YORK CITY: Plant City residents beverly and William “rob” roberts brought their favorite community newspaper with them on a recent trip to New York City. In fact, the couple has the distinction of taking the very first It’s Read Everywhere photo for the Plant City Observer. The couple snapped this photo July 7 — just four days after our first edition was published.

IT’S READ EVERYWHERE!

If you’re going on vacation, remember to grab a copy of the Plant City Observer to take with you. Snap a photo of you with the paper at your destination of choice and email it to Managing Editor Michael eng, [email protected]. Make sure you include your full name and where the photo was taken.


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The following information was gathered from incident and arrest reports obtained from the Plant CIty Police Department.

AUG. 10TRAUMA BY 2-BY-4

200 block of Waller street. Aggravated Battery/Simple Battery/Criminal Mischief. The suspect was arrested after throwing a piece of wood at the victim during an argu-ment. The victim sustained minor injuries.

UNLUCKY NO. 7300 block of West alexander street.

Criminal Mischief. The No. 7 key of the ATM was super-glued down. Damage es-timated at $500.

PHONE FREAK1800 block of James l. redman Park-

way. Retail Theft. The suspect was arrested after stealing a $200 Boost mobile phone from the business. An employee followed suspect in vehicle until officers arrived, located the stolen merchandise and ar-rested him.

BEER RUN2600 block of James l. redman Parkway.

Shoplifting. The suspects were arrested for the theft of a case of Busch beer. Both were released with a court date.

ONE BAD DAY1500 block of Plantation Grove court.

Battery of a Law Enforcement Officer; Pos-session of Marijuana. Officers responded to the area in reference to gunshots being heard. Upon arrival, officers located the suspect being held down by his father and brother, because he was acting in an ag-gressive behavior. Officers attempted to secure the suspect. One of the officers was struck by the suspect. The suspect was charged with battery on a law enforce-ment officer and was found in possession of marijuana.

AUG. 12CAUGHT IN THE ACT

2600 block of James l. redman Park-way. Shoplifting. The suspect attempted to steal a laser sight for a gun valued at $40. He was detained and later arrested.

WARDROBE MALFUNCTION2600 block of James l. redman Park-

way. Shoplifting. The suspects attempted to steal $59 in of clothing items. They were detained and later arrested.

IN THE LINE OF DUTY intersection of alabama and south col-

lins streets. Possession of a Firearm by Con-victed Felon. Officers attempted to con-duct a traffic stop on a gold Nissan sedan near the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Wheeler Street. The officer activated his emergency lights, and the suspect vehicle accelerated, continu-ing to travel southbound on Wheeler. The driver then made a turn on Alabama Street and headed east. The suspect vehicle con-tinued east along Alabama until it struck

a concrete barrier. The vehicle came to a stop in the vacant lot of Alabama and South Collins streets. The officer engaged the suspect in a foot chase. The suspect, repeatedly reached into his waistband area while being chased. The officer saw the handle of a gun and deployed canine Melano. Melano apprehended the sus-pect. The suspect sustained a minor injury to his left knee area during apprehension. A .357 Magnum was located on the sus-pect, along with crack cocaine, powder co-caine, marijuana and methamphetamine. The gun was fully loaded at time of recov-ery, and several more rounds were found in the vehicle.

AUG. 13RANDOM VANDALS

700 block of south evers street. Vandal-ism. The front plate-glass window, valued at $500, was broken on the front of the business.

SNEAKY, SNEAKY2600 James l. redman Parkway. Deal-

ing in Stolen Property; Shoplifting. The suspect was arrested after Walmart loss-prevention officers recorded her conceal-ing an item in a Walmart bag and then at-tempting to receive a refund for the stolen item. The item was valued at $40.54.

SILLY SHOPLIFTERS2400 block of James l. redman Park-

way. Petit Theft. The suspects stole silly string from the business and fled prior to the arrival of officers.

HOT WHEELS1300 block of barnes street. Grand

Theft. The suspects stole a go-kart, valued at $250.

TIRE TRAUMA2200 block of James l. redman Park-

way. Criminal Mischief. The victim stated unknown suspect(s) punctured three of his tires. The damage totaled about $300.

AUG. 13GAME ON

1200 Goldfinch Drive. Vehicle Bur-glary. Unknown suspect(s) stole an Xbox controller and a blue bag from the victim’s vehicle. The controller and bag were valued at about $60.

COPS CORNERPLANT CITY

Visit our website for more Cops Corner reports.www.YourObserver.com


My wife and I took it as a friendly reminder of something already delineated in the student handbook of our children’s new Plant City preschool.

As we unpacked their back-packs following their first day of school Tuesday, we noticed a little note tied to our 4-year-old son, Lyric’s, lunch box.

“The most nutritious lunches contain at least one food from each of these food groups ...” the note began.

Uh-oh.I’ll be the first to admit:

Our family isn’t exactly a picture of health. But for our children’s lunches, we tried to pack a meal that wouldn’t make our pe-diatrician cringe: cheese sticks, milk, low-sugar pears and crackers.

But, there was glaring omis-sion: vegetables.

When I saw the note, my heart sank the same way it does when the dentist asks if I have been flossing.

So, as Publix employees were making their final rounds before closing the store Tuesday night, I hurried through the doors and

straight to the produce sec-tion. I grabbed a package of baby carrots, threw them in the basket and headed to the checkout.

But as I paid, I couldn’t shake what my wife, Jess, said before I left the house.

“We can get them, and we can pack them, but you know they won’t eat them,” she

said to me.She’s absolutely

right. Vegetables might as well be a four-letter word to Lyric and our 2-year-old daughter, Aria. They scoff whenever we suggest anything green. The sure-fire way for my wife and I to keep our burgers to ourselves is to show

them there’s some lettuce leaves tucked inside.

And I’m pretty sure Lyric thinks broccoli is some kind of punishment worse than Time Out.

Case in point: On the way home from school, Jess asked the kids what they wanted for dinner.

“You can have grilled cheese or eggs,” she said.

Aria chimed in: “Grilled cheese!”

Of course, Lyric objected im-mediately.

“Noooooooo,” he whined, the word bending up in pitch in the middle for supreme annoying effect. “I want ... I want ... I want

... the other one.”He didn’t hear the second

choice, but he knew it was the opposite of what his sister wanted.

“OK,” I said. “You can have the broccoli. Aria can have the grilled cheese.”

“NOOOOOOOOOOO! I don’t want the broccoli!” he screamed.

Yeah, not exactly parent-of-the-year material here ...

But, hey: It’s a new school year, right? It’s a time for our children to grow and learn. For parents, it’s a time to adapt to new routines and to give our children all the sup-port they need to succeed.

For Jess and me, it’s a time to become involved in a wonderful new school com-munity.

And maybe, just maybe, if we stubbornly include those carrots enough times in their lunches, Lyric and Aria

will someday take a bite.We’re excited for a new school

year. Please share your son’s or daughter’s accomplishments with us. Email me at [email protected] or give us a call, (813) 704-6850.

school delivers food for thought

Editor’s note: Officers from nearly 60 agencies throughout the state — including 21 from the Plant City Police Depart-ment — will assist in providing security during the Republican National Convention next week.

The upcoming Republican National Convention will transform the Tampa Bay area on an international level. Like no other, this event will showcase the area’s communities, as well as the Herculean task to provide security for citizens, delegates, visitors and everyone in between.

Federal, state and local law-enforcement officers began planning for this event in June 2010. I am confident to tell the public we are prepared to make it a successful RNC in Tampa. The challenges of preparing for and executing a security/safety plan for an event of this magnitude are daunting. There are many pieces of the puzzle, most known but some unknown. For me, staffing is the critical piece to making it all work. Although the RNC is taking center stage and man-dates a heavy commitment of sheriff’s personnel, plenty of deputies will still be avail-able to answer calls for service throughout the county.

The RNC demands thou-sands of law enforcement offi-cers to converge on downtown Tampa for a 24-hour-per-day presence. Some will be as-signed special security details. Some will be responsible for getting the scores of buses and vehicles with delegates and VIPs to and from the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Some will be on the street. Some won’t be seen but poised to respond

quickly and appropriately to a security situation. All of these law enforcement officers — some deputies, some police, some state troopers, some federal and state agents — will have to perform as a unified, cohesive unit. These law-enforcement officers from

dozens of sheriff’s offices and police departments across the state must execute a uniform philosophy of crowd management and security. Blending all of the personnel has been a months-long strategy of training, scheduling and equipping.

Tactically, we are ready. Security plans for the ven-ue and the perimeters are set. Boundaries, protests zones and parade routes are established for the thousands expected in downtown Tampa. This is a special time for local civic pride as Tampa Bay gets ready to shine. To the agitators and anarchists who want only to bring a dark cloud to this event, let me be clear: Criminal activ-ity and civil disturbances will not be tolerated, and enforce-ment actions will be swift.

We are prepared for a peace-ful and purposeful RNC. Part of our security planning process included discussions with law enforcement officials in Minneapolis-St. Paul about the mistakes and successes when that area hosted the RNC in 2008. Lessons learned were les-sons included in our months of discussions about security.

The most visible aspect our security plan will be the boots on the ground — the law enforcement officers on

the street, manning perimeter posts and designated protec-tive locations. Their khaki-col-ored uniforms, clearly marked with “SHERIFF’’ or “POLICE,’’ are designed to provide the appearance of a fine-tuned ma-chine. And it is. There will be a consistency in garb, response and reaction by all of the law-enforcement officers. You will also see hundreds of law-en-forcement officers on bicycles, others on horseback. What the public won’t see is the staging of quick reactionary forces, tactically deployed at locations around the city to handle an emergency situation. These special contingents of law-en-forcement officers are trained, equipped and prepared.

Although the biggest chal-lenge is staffing, the logistics of housing, feeding, staging, scheduling and transporting thousands of law-enforcement officers each day had its own issues. We had to secure hun-dreds of hotel rooms, ample

food vendors, buses and devise timetables for round-the-clock security coverage. When the law-enforcement officers are on duty at their assigned posts, one key will be to keep them hydrated. Dealing with the with-ering August heat and hu-midity was just another hurdle for us. Our law-en-forcement officers will get plenty of water — each with Camelback hydra-tion packs as part of their uniforms. Throughout the city, there will be spe-cially assigned locations for security personnel to replenish and refresh. Keeping our law-enforce-ment officers cool and collected is paramount to everyone’s safety.

There will be arrests. The question is how many. We are prepared to handle any num-ber of RNC-related arrests through our Orient Road Jail. We are committed to due pro-cess and the rule of law regard-ing RNC-related arrests. We have procedures and policies in place to ensure an orderly and lawful process for anyone arrested.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is excited to be teaming with the Tampa Police Department in our shared responsibility for RNC secu-rity. Our security plan would not be possible without the cooperation and dedication of other sheriffs and police chiefs around the state. For one week in August, there will be thousands of law-enforcement officers in Tampa with a laser focus: provide a safe and secure RNC.

David Gee is the sheriff of Hillsborough County.

Enforcement agencies ready for RNCSAFETY FIRST

MICHAELENG

DAVIDGEE

observed | back to school

Courtesy photo

RNC law-enforcement officials will wear special uniforms during the convention.

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding

principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly

progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944

ObserverPLANT CITY

Publisher / Felix Haynes, [email protected]

Managing Editor / Michael Eng, [email protected]

Assistant Managing Editor / Jess Eng, [email protected]

Staff Writers / Amber Jurgensen, [email protected]; Matt Mauney, [email protected] Advertising Executives / Veronica Prostko, [email protected]; Ronda Kyler, [email protected]

Advertising Coordinator / Linda Lancaster, [email protected]

Accounting Manager / Petra Kirkland, [email protected]

Advertising-Production Operations Manager / Kathy Payne, [email protected]

Advertising-Production Coordinator / Brooke Schultheis, [email protected]

Advertising Graphic Designers / Monica DiMattei, [email protected]; Marjorie Holloway, [email protected]; Luis Trujillo, [email protected]; Chris Stolz, [email protected]

President / Felix HaynesDirectors / Nate Kilton, Ed Verner,

Matt Walsh110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100A

Plant City, Fla. 813-704-6850

www.PlantCityObserver.com

The Plant CityObserver LLC

Locally OwnedPublisher of the Plant City Observer and

PlantCityObserver.com

©Copyright Plant City Observer LLC 2012 All Rights Reserved

to aDvertiseCall veronica Prostko at 704-6850.

senD Us yoUr neWsWe want to hear from

you. Let us know about your community events, celebrations and family member achievements. To contact us, send your information via: Email: Michael Eng, [email protected]

Mail: The Plant City Observer, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A, Plant City, FL 33563

contact UsThe Plant City Observer is published once weekly,

on Thursdays. It provides free home delivery to several neighborhoods in Plant City. The Plant City Observer also can be found in many commercial locations throughout Plant City and at our office, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A.

If you wish to discontinue home delivery or if you wish to suspend home delivery temporarily, call linda lancaster at 704-6850.

lyric and aria eng were excited to begin a new school year.


I make sure the water is clean, for all of us. I am Mosaic.As we mine the phosphate needed to help grow the

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is sustained or even enhanced. Mosaic takes great

care to meet Florida’s clean water standards. Because

stewardship is an integral part of what we do.

And I see to it that the job is done right.

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Sisters Lisa La Pointe and Lynn Harberl are the fashionis-tas of their new store, Inspire! Quilting and Sewing.

Dressed in bold prints with even bolder colors, the trendy two are accessorized with chandelier earrings that comple-ment their bangle bracelets and glittering rings. Their dy-namic style matches the vibrancy of the store, which is a collage of vogue prints, modern quilts and stylish décor.

“This is not your grandma’s quilt shop,” Harberl said. La Pointe and Harberl had a soft open for Inspire! last

week; 30 women from a church group were waiting outside before the doors were unlocked. The grand opening will be on Sept. 22. The store contains 1,500 bolts of fabric, and in the future, sewing and quilting classes will be offered for all skill levels.

Both self-taught, the sisters have been sewing since they were 10 years old. They used to make their own prom dresses, reconstruct long pleated skirts into mini skirts — much to their mother’s dismay — and sewed outfits for their friends.

“We probably stole our mother’s sewing machine from her and didn’t even let her get near it,” La Pointe said, laughing.

The idea of a store came from Harberl, who has always wanted to own one. Originally, she was leaning toward starting a home décor shop, but La Pointe steered her to-ward a quilting and sewing shop. La Pointe has won awards for her quilting.

“If she wanted me involved in owning the store with her, I wanted it to be something I liked,” La Pointe said. “Every-thing about quilting is an art. It’s inspiring.”

“When women start creating, the juices get going and they get inspired, hence the name of the store,” Harberl said. “It’s so easy to create. It’s as easy as picking your fabric and just going at it. Fun without frustration.”

But for those who may get a little frustrated with a sewing machine or don’t know how to work one yet, Harberl and La Pointe are here to help. They encourage patrons to bring in their projects for a little direction and tips.

Harberl, who lives in Lakeland, had been eyeing Plant City as a potential location for her store.

“It’s a great day trip,” Harberl said. “There’s so much his-tory and unique shops in the downtown area. We’re excited to be part of it.”

Before she opened Inspire!, Harberl was teaching a group of women from her church how to sew out of her home. The group pushed and encouraged Harberl to open her store.

“We want this place to be a hang out,” Harberl said about the shop which has a boutique feel. “This is not going to be a quiet store. It will be filled with laughter and chatter.”

The shop is located at 101 N. Collins St. For more infor-mation, call (813) 704-4867.


Sisters stitch together newquilting shopInspire! Quilting and Sewing not only will sell fabrics, but also it will offer classes and be a hangout complete with a sitting room and playroom.

All Sewn Up by amber Jurgensen | Staff writer

Amber Jurgensen

lisa la Pointe and lynn Harberl want their new shop to be a comfortable hangout for quilting enthusiasts.


more, an audit was not done at the end of the school year.

“They did not follow proce-dure,” Kramer said. “If they did, this would have been caught im-mediately.”

Instead, it wasn’t caught until July, when the new officers for Springhead PTA discovered the problem while attending the Florida PTA Leadership Conven-tion in Innisbrook.

“They could tell something was really wrong, and unfor-tunately, it was what everyone thought,” Kramer said.

With many migrant and farm-worker families, about 80% of Springhead’s student population is on the free- or reduced-lunch program. Many of its programs, including academic enrichment activities such as its popular after-school science club, are funded through PTA monies.

Springhead Principal Ann Rushing said she is heartbroken that a school parent would steal from the PTA.

“For us, it’s all about the kids, and it’s devastating, because we’ve seen these parents work so hard (to raise these funds),” she said.

Linda Cobbe, external com-munications manager for Hills-borough County School District, said the district is prepared to donate any funds necessary to keep the theft from affecting Springhead’s students.

“Our science department would provide supplies for sci-ence night,” she said. “If the school identifies anything that the students would miss out on because the PTA lacked funds, the district would help make sure they get what they need.”

All prospective PTA officers currently complete a basic back-ground check, and those who

are authorized to write checks go through a second with the bank, Kramer said.

This year, the Hillsborough County Council for PTA chapter is beginning a transition to new insurance coverage through As-sociation Insurance Manage-ment Inc., which will include policies that cover situations such as theft. Furthermore, the insurance will require audits and more background checks — all of which should help eliminate the opportunity for criminal ac-tivity.

Most of all, Kramer said it is paramount that Springhead’s

parents understand the new offi-cers have taken the steps neces-sary to ensure this does not hap-pen again.

“This school is one that be-lieves in the goodness of peo-ple,” she said. “And I think those parents will rally up and jump in to help the school to get back to where it was.”

According to Springhead El-ementary’s website, Lisa Shirah was listed as its PTA president. Before taking that role, she acted as its treasurer. She is no longer affiliated with the PTA.

Contact Michael Eng at [email protected].

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After the final bell rang, Sullivan said she was pleased with Tom-lin’s first day.

“It went really well,” Sullivan said. “A little rain, but lunches flowed smoothly, sixth-graders found their way.”

A few miles away and one-and-

one-half hours earlier, students at Plant City High School poured out of buses and into the middle atrium, where they sat and social-ized before the first class began.

Freshman Carson Mitchell didn’t want to wake up early for her classes but was excited to see all her old friends from Tomlin.

“At first, I was scared, because

it was a new thing and a new school,” Mitchell said. “But after I got (here), I realized that high school is going to be a lot of fun. I look forward to the next four years.”

Across town at Bailey Elemen-tary, kindergartners skipped to class with their new lunch boxes, backpacks and pencil pouches in tow. Safety-patrol students opened doors for fellow students at the car rider ramp, reminding each classmate to “have a good day.”

After walking their little ones to their classrooms, an group of par-ents gathered for muffins and cof-fee at a Kleenex and Coffee break-fast to support each other during this life change. Principal Amy Zilbar greeted each parent with a smile of reassurance.

“We get to meet the new par-ents and comfort them,” Zilbar said. “We know that parent in-volvement increases student achievement. It helps get the parents involved in the school as well. A lot of times, we meet future PTA members.”

Sandra Romero and her hus-

band, Eddie, took their only child, Savannah, to her first day of kin-dergarten.

“There were no tears shed to-day,” Sandra said. “But there were some last night. We’re glad she’s independent enough to detach herself today.”

Savannah said she looks for-ward to all the crafts she’ll get to make and can’t wait to help bake

cookies in her classroom’s oven. She also wants to try her hand at some martial arts in the after-school karate program.

“She’s going to big-girl school now,” Eddie said. “She’ll get to meet new friends, learn new things. This is her start.”


chris anderson, Tomlin Middle School’s band director, played a ukelele for students before class.

Fifth-grader clay leslie was excited about his job as a safety patroller at Bailey Elementary.

Junior tesla arment, senior Zach tottle and sophmore christian James were excited to begin a new year at Plant City High School.

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Chamber welcomes new teachers

inTRoDUcTion by amber Jurgensen | Staff Writer

Staff from Durant High School celebrated the upcoming school year with their mascot, the cougar.

New Plant City teachers en-joyed a show-stopping introduc-tion to the community during the Plant City Chamber of Com-merce’s New Teacher Coffee Aug. 16, at the Florida Strawberry Fes-tival grounds.

The event featured hilarious skits, catchy sing-a-longs and even some dance routines — all performed by teachers who will be making their Plant City de-buts this week.

Teacher also had a chance to win raffle prizes, including spa days, hair products and more.

Sponsors included Ameri-can Ambulance Service, Bright House Networks, the Florida Strawberry Festival and Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union.

Photos by Amber Jurgensen

Turkey creek Middle School’s new teachers performed a country-themed skit.

Springhead Elementary’s new teachers Kristi Gittinger, nicole clark and sharon cook are look-ing forward to working with their new students and Principal ann rushing.

new Walden Lake Elementary teachers stephanie calkins, Kathy edgemon and lilly Hueckstaedt along with their principal Dina Wyatt, are wild about learning.

capturing the moment

Readers celebrate first day of school

After calling for back-to-school photos through our Face-book page, the Plant City Ob-server received dozens of photos from parents who captured the momentous occasion with their cameras. For more photos, visit PlantCityObserver.com.

Big brother William lamoreaux, a senior, will be watching out for his brother, David lamoreaux, a freshman, at Plant city High.

caden bryant started kindergar-ten at Springhead Elementary.

Fourth-grader Donnaray stitzel loved her colorful classroom.

Kellan Mitchell, 2, started class at First Presbyterian church Preschool.

carson Mitchell started her high school career at Plant city High.

levi DeGraaf proudly held up his sign before heading to Shiloh charter School.


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Helen Frances RoysterHelen Frances Royster, 84, of Plant

City, died Aug. 13, at Melech House, Temple Terrace.

Born Sept. 24, 1927, in Nashville, Tenn., she was the daughter of the late Theo Holt and the late Myrtle Jackson Holt. She was the wife of the late James “Jake” Royster.

Mrs. Royster loved the cam-era and was photographed with many ce-lebrities over the years, including Elvis, June Carter, and Former Gov. Bob Graham, to name a few.

Mrs. Royster was preceded in death by a brother, William “Buddy” Holt; and sisters, Charla Griffin, Macel McElroy and Shirley Collier.

She is survived by her nephew, Thomas Walden.

A memorial service was Aug. 17, at Haught Funeral Home Chapel

Online condolences may at haugh-tfuneralhome.com.

Danyell Christina WeberDanyell Christina Weber, 38, of

Lakeland, died Aug. 6.Born Aug. 3, 1974, in Columbus,

Ohio, she was the daughter of the late Jimmy Bailey, and Glenna Bailey. She was the wife of Ernest Weber.

Survivors include sons, Christopher Jack Raymond Weber and Jonathan Darrell Weber; and brothers, Jimmy Ray Bailey II and William Robert Bai-ley.

Services to be held at a later date in Kentucky.

Online condolences may be made at haughtfuneralhome.com.

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James Daniel MathisJames Daniel Mathis, 71, of

Plant City, died July 15.He was born Aug. 26, 1940, in

Wauchula.He is survived by his sister,

Bertha Gillam; and his compan-ion, Bertie Peeples Dunbar.

A funeral service was held at Haught Funeral Home Chapel, Plant City. His interment was in Memorial Park Cemetery.

Online condolences may at haughtfuneral-home.com.

Richard W. McDougallRichard W. McDougall, 55, of Plant City, died

July 4, at South Florida Baptist Hospital from complications of surgery.

Born Oct. 13, 1956, in Bethpage, N.Y., he was the son of the late Edward McDougall and Ma-bel McErlain McDougall.

He served as a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force from 1978 until 1983.

Survivors include a brother, Thomas McDou-gall; and a sister, Marion Gabriel.

A committal service was Aug. 10, at Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell.

Online condolences may be made at haught-funeralhome.com.

Robert Thomas RhodesRobert Thomas Rhodes, 80, of Plant City, died

on Aug. 8.Born Sunday, June 12, 1932, in Moultrie,

Ga., he was the husband of Maxine Carter Rhodes.

Survivors include a son, Robert Thomas Rhodes, Jr.; daughters, Teresa Barfield, Donna Robbins and Elizabeth Taylor; brothers, Ronald Beasley and George William Beasley; and a sis-ter, Mary Nell Cooper.

The family will receive friends from 10 to 11 a.m. Aug. 16, at First Church of God, 601 N. Gor-don St., Plant City. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m.

Online condolences may be made at haught-funeralhome.com.

Leslie Morris always had time to give a hug to a student or introduce herself to every parent in a room. From the time Morris graduated from the University of South Florida in 1974, she impacted the lives of people with de-velopmental disabilities, most recently at the Mac-Donald Training Center.

Mrs. Morris died sud-denly Aug. 12. She was 69.

“She excelled at her job,” Barbara Franques, a friend and colleague of Mrs. Mor-ris for more than 30 years, said. “She truly loved kids and was dedi-cated to them. She wanted to be the wind beneath the wings.”

With a passion for teaching and chil-dren, Mrs. Morris had worked in educa-tion as a teacher and later administrator at Dover Exceptional Center, principal at Caminiti Exceptional Center and princi-pal at Simmons Career and Exceptional Center. After retiring in 2010, she volun-teered as a surrogate parent to exception-al children in the Hillsborough County School District and served on the board of directors for the MacDonald Training Center.

“She was certainly among the most el-egant, gracious and vivacious people I know,” Franques said.

For the past three years, Mrs. Morris enjoyed what she called “adventures,” which ranged from cross-country trips to around-the-world excursions.

Longtime friend Lisa Wilkinson accom-panied her on trips to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, San Antonio, New Orleans and Thailand, among many other places.

“She used to say we were Thelma and Louise,” Wilkinson said.

Mrs. Morris loved to laugh and often would joke about funny situations dur-ing her monthlong vacations. On a trip to Thailand, Mrs. Morris counted the num-ber of times the taxi drivers would rub the belly of a small Buddha figurine they kept in their cars. Mrs. Morris once lost her glasses in Carlsbad Caverns after taking them off to watch the bats fly.

“She joked, ‘Somewhere, there is a bat that is no longer blind as a bat,’” Wilkin-son said.

Many of Mrs. Morris’ colleagues, friends, students and acquaintances have received a note in the mail from Mrs. Mor-ris instead of an email or text message.

“As petite and graceful as she was, she had a will of steel, and you don’t find that combination, normally,” Franques said. “She’ll be greatly missed, but she left a legacy.”

Mrs. Morris was born July 29, 1943, in Tennessee. She is preceded in death by her husband, Donald E. Morris; her fa-ther, Leslie Cooper; and her mother, Vir-ginia Cooper.

She is survived by two sons, Donald J. Morris and Michael E. Morris; a daugh-ter, Julie; son-in-law, Erthel Hill; sister, Mary Jane Johnson; brother, David Coo-per; grandchildren, Evan Hill and Shayla Morris; nieces, Susan Bahti and Rebecca Simones; and nephews, Scott Cooper and Andrew Johnson.

The family requests donations to Mac-Donald Training Center in lieu of flowers.

OBSERVEROBITUARIES Community remembers educator Leslie Morris

TRIBUTE by amber Jurgensen | Staff Writer

Leslie Morris, 69, was an adventurous soul who touched the hearts of many.

Morris


For rates and additional information please contact:

Felix Haynes - Publisher - 813.299.4140 - [email protected]

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Our mission is threefold: We are dedicated and committed to serving our community; serving our advertisers to help them grow and become more successful; and serving

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Y O U T H | H I G H S C H O O L | G O L F | S E N I O R S | C O M M U N I T Y | T E N N I S

SportsATHLETE OF

THE WEEKLuther Scarlett loves being in the trenches for the Dolphins. 19

There was a time when I was obsessed with professional wrestling.

Growing up, most of my friends (well, guy friends) were into it. I started watching and got hooked.

Every flashy entrance. Every finishing move. Every cham-pionship title match. I just couldn’t get enough of it.

I remember first watching WCW, the brain-child of tycoon businessman Ted Turner. It wasn’t as “R-

rated” as some of the story lines of its counterpart, WWF, and my parents found it more accept-able at a young age.

Not long after I started watch-ing, Hulk Hogan was making his comeback — this time as a villain (or heel as they say in the business) — as the leader of the New World Order, and WCW be-gan what would be a slow merge into the WWF, where eventually Vince McMahon would buy the WCW franchise.

WCW became more edgy, and by they time I was 11, I was watching it and WWF (now known as World Wres-tling Entertainment, or WWE) religiously.

The one thing I never was able to do was to attend a live

Wrestlingmatch satisfies childhooddream

SHOW ME THE MAUNEY

SEE MAUNEY / PAGE 14

MATTMAUNEY

The high school volleyball sea-son is just around the corner, and area teams are gearing up to build on last year’s success.

One school, Plant City High, will usher in a new era with new head coach Jessie Thorton.

Thorton, whose husband, Mike, is the new head coach of the Riverview football team, brings five years of volleyball head-coaching experience. She

comes to Plant City from Cyprus Lake High in Fort Myers.

She is also familiar with many of the teams in the district, hav-ing previously coached at East Bay. She will take over for an improving PCHS volleyball pro-gram that advanced to region last year for the first time in 29 years.

“We have an excellent young group that has an outstanding

work ethic with no excuses,” Thorton said. “They are hungry for success.”

Thorton said she will look to returning players Alex Arnold, Danielle Rodriguez, Noelle Diet-rich and Kelly Drake to provide leadership with their experience with the Lady Raiders.

Thorton expects her squad to be particularly stout on defense and said improving the offense

will be critical in the Lady Raid-ers’ success this year. The Lady Raiders went 5-0 in 7A District 8 last year, before finishing as runner-up in the district tourna-ment.

“Our defense has a lot of heart,” she said. “Fearless as young players with a fresh start ahead with new leadership.”

For Durant, second-year head coach Brittany Wilson will be looking to build off last year’s second-place finish in the Class

Many athletes play multiple sports growing up.

Growing up in Luton, Eng-land, just north of London, new Plant City High School cross country coach Luke Beevor was no different.

“I was playing everything un-til I was 13,” he said. “I played soccer, cricket, rugby, vol-leyball, tennis, golf — I really played everything.”

Everything but long-distance running.

In fact, Beevor didn’t discover his true calling until he was 17 years old.

“I had a lot of growing pains growing up,” said Beevor, who stands at 6-foot-10.

It didn’t take long to find suc-cess in the sport, finishing third in the national championships in England in the 3,000-meter run during his first year com-peting in track.

He then took a run at cross country and finished second in the trials at the European Championships, allowing him to compete for Great Britain in the under 20 European Cham-pionships.

Beevor led his team that day,

finishing 19th after a competi-tor tripped him out of the gate.

“When I got up I was dead last, but I was able to work my way through the field,” he ex-plained. “I was a little ticked off, but I was happy to finish in the top 20.”

That performance caught the notice of the running world, and soon, Beevor had suitors from American college pro-grams after him, along with corporate sponsors that want-ed to endorse the tall runner.

“I chose Florida State, be-cause the conditions are good,

and the trails up there are great for running,” he said.

Beevor competed two more times in the national champi-onships in England, finishing second each time before com-ing overseas to Tallahassee to be a part of the Seminoles’ suc-cessful track and cross-country program.

“They say in college that you go from a boy to a man,” he said. “I really grew up a lot there and realized that I wanted to stay here as long as possible.”

Beevor’s career in cross coun-try and track at Florida State was hampered by injuries. The first occurring as early as his

LEAVE IT TO BEEVOR

Youth a theme for local teamsA new coach for one school and returning talent highlight this year’s season for Plant City’s three volleyball teams.

2012 Volleyball Preview By Matt Mauney | Staff Writer

Matt Mauney

Strawberry Crest head coach Morgan Miltner said defense will be key for her team this season.

New Plant City High School cross country coach Luke Beevor will bring a wealth of knowledge to the Raiders program.

born to run By Matt Mauney | Staff Writer

Matt Mauney

Standing 6-foot-10, Plant City High School’s new cross country coach Luke Beevor towers above just about everyone. Now, he hopes to take his team to new heights.

SEE BEEVOR / PAGE 17

SEE VOLLEYBALL / PAGE 17

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012PLANTCITYOBSERVER.COM


leave it to beevor

8A District 7 tournament and make a run into November this year.

“We are going to have some tough games ahead of us, but (we will trust) in ourselves and (work) every day toward one common goal of just winning the next point,” Wilson said.

The Lady Cougars have a core group that includes junior outside hitters Lexi Thompson and Bella Anzalone, along with senior setter Maci Jones and junior right side hitter Victoria Fanning.

While team chemistry is a strength for Du-rant, Wilson said her team must be more “crafty — doing more than just hitting the hard balls.”

“We need to be able to score out of system,” she said.

Morgan Miltner has been the head coach for Strawberry Crest since the school opened in 2009. The Lady Chargers program is still grow-ing, but it’s on the right track.

Strawberry Crest went 8-11 last season and will go through a sense of rebuilding, after re-turning only two starting seniors.

“Our communication and knowledge of the game is critical,” Miltner said.

Defense will be a key for the team this year, according to Miltner, who will look to Jamee Townsend and Shelby Waldron to solidify the defense.

“We are a very scrappy defensive team,” Miltner said.

Senior setter Brianna Sanchez also returns, along with Townsend, a senior libero.

Contact Matt Mauney at [email protected].

freshman year, but he was still able to compete some at a high level. More importantly, he learned what that meant.

“We were very good at track,” he said. “We had 11 Olympians from (Florida State) in this year’s Olym-pics, and four or five of those were on the team when I was there. Ev-ery day, you were out there running with the best in the world, so it was a real good experience. You’re not a professional, but you’re almost a professional.”

Although there are some dis-tinct differences between track and cross country, both require a high amount of dedication to succeed. Beevor will coach both the girls and boys teams at Plant City and likely will help with the distance track team.

Cross country is a sport where practice is key, and although run-ning every day might not be pos-sible, he plans to have his teams working out at least six days a week, including early morning practices Saturday when the team doesn’t have meets.

“It’s one of those sports where you can take it further than some of the other ones if you work hard enough,” he said. “It takes hard training and really dedicating your-self and getting into a strict regime.”

The cross-country teams at Plant City are young, but Beevor believes with the right work ethic and prac-tice regimen, the Raiders can con-tinue to improve and grow the pro-gram.

“With my knowledge and with them getting out and working hard, we will see some improvements throughout the year,” he said. “Hopefully, we can build on it. It’s not going to be one of those things where we see a lot of changes this year, but over the coming years is where we should see our biggest improvements.”

Beevor also will be teaching math at PCHS. Education is something he fell in love with while dealing with injuries at Florida State.

He currently is pursuing his mas-ters at Florida Southern, where he ran one year of cross country, win-ning a conference title and finishing fourth at regionals behind three Ke-nyan runners.

“Everyone thought I was Ameri-can, but I wasn’t American, either,” he said, laughing. “The first six fin-ishers were foreigners, and every-one was cheering for me, because they thought I was.”

When it comes to Florida, he says he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

“I just love it here,” he said. Contact Matt Mauney at

[email protected].

• Contest is open from August 17 – September 5, 2012

• You must bring in one or more photos printed in 8x10 or 8-1/2 x 11 size, and attach an entry form to each photo submitted.

• The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be determined by Popular Vote, so tell your family and friends to come in and cast a ballot for your photos! Be a Blue Ribbon winner!

• The Contest Winners will be announced at the Plant City Photo Archives & History Center, 106 South Evers Street, at 5pm, Friday, September 7th.

• Pick up your entry forms, and sculptures map at the Photo Archives, the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, and the Train Depot or online www.plantcityphotoarchives.org.

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CROSS_ANS_082312

This week’s Cryptogram answers

This week’s Crossword answers

2012

1. A musical turkey liked to play in a rock band until one day he forgot his drumsticks. Nobody was disappointed because his playing was for the birds.

2. Life doles out some frustrating lessons: some days you’re going to be the pigeon and others, more probably, the statue.

AT A GLANCEstrawberry crestclass: 6A District: 11Head coach: Morgan Miltneryear at school: Entering fourth season2011 record: 8-11Key returners: Jamee Townsend, senior, libero; Brianna Sanchez, senior, setterKey players lost: Brandi Dilts, middle hitter

Durantclass: 8A District: 7Head coach: Brittany Wilsonyear at school: Entering second season2011 record: 12-12Key returners: Lexi Thompson, junior, outside hitter; Maci Jones, senior, setter; Bella Anzalone, senior, outside hitter; Victoria Fanning, junior, right side hitterKey players lost: Chelsea Bowden, mid-dle hitter; Payton Sims, libero

Plant cityclass: 7A; District: 8Head coach: Jessie Thortonyear at school: First year2011 record: 9-4Key returners: Alex Arnold, Danielle Rodriguez, Noelle Dietrich and Kelly DrakeKey players lost: Any Booher and Makensie McAvoy

WCW or WWF event, despite countless amounts of begging to my parents.

Some 10 years after I stopped following pro wrestling, that childhood dream finally came true when I covered the Florida Championship Wrestling event last Saturday, at the Plant City Armory.

Although none of the characters I grew up admiring took the ring, the stars of tomorrow certainly come from matches such as this one. FCW is an official develop-mental territory for the WWE. Think of it like the minor league farm system for baseball.

There weren’t fancy pyrotechnics or backstage promo shoots, but the actual wrestlers reminded me of a time in which I was obsessed with body slams and camel clutches.

It was fascinating seeing aspiring superstars grapple in the “squared circle” and working on all the aspects that it takes to make it to the top of the business.

A lot of people may not be able to see through the ste-reotypes of these guys, but as a former fan of the sport, I was able to look at things from a different perspective.

I know pro wrestling isn’t just about the meathead jocks from high school that get pumped full of steroids and put each other in various maneuvers while wearing colorful spandex. In fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

For starters, the majority of the wrestlers I met Satur-day were just normal guys. Well, normal guys who hap-pened to be 6-foot-4 and 280-plus pounds. Other than the fact that most of them could use me as dental floss, they were friendly and down to earth. They just simply are performers who want to make their dream a reality.

To make it to the “big time,” in this case the WWE, the athletes must live up to a certain standard in several different categories — including ring presence, physical look, wrestling technique and even acting.

I saw plenty of potential Saturday. There was a rowdy Texan, a tag team called The Ascension that acted like vampires and even a supposed former Broadway actor turned pro wrestler.

And who knows? Someday, we may be seeing these guys on Monday Night Raw or Thursday Night Smack-down before too long.

beevor/PaGe 13volleyball/PaGe 16

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The next crop of World Wrestling Entertain-ment stars stormed into Plant City when Florida Championship Wrestling brought its NXT Tour Aug. 18, to the Plant City Armory.

The event featured eight matches, including two tag-team matches, a

Divas match and a triple-threat main event in-cluding first NXT cham-pion Seth Rollins.

Fans also enjoyed a meet-and-greet and au-tograph session with the wrestlers before the first match and at intermis-sion.

Saturday’s match was

the first FCW event held in Plant City in more than two years. Another NXT event is planned for October at the Plant City Armory.

For more information on Florida Champion-ship Wrestling or NXT, visit www.fcwwrestling.com.

WWE affiliate slams into Plant City

big e langston riled up the crowd by stick-ing his tongue out and barking.

suplexes, arm bars and leg drops by Matt Mauney | Staff Writer

richie steamboat was a fan favorite in his match with Kassius ohno.

Left: Former broadway actor aiden english had to be helped backstage by the referee after his match.

skyler Moon, left, teamed up with audrey Marie against emma in a triple-threat Divas match.

Frank threat used a lot of ground attacks against bo Dallas.

The tour featured eight matches.


O B S E RV E R C RO S S WO R D

Edited by Timothy E. Parker

CRYPTOGRAMS

1. U Z D X V K U W B D L A T F W VA T Q B P I W U F V O U L P K A E U O Q D O B V W

P O T Q U F R T G P L Y P B R V X Q L D Z X B V K A X . O P E P Q F M U X

Q V X U I I P V O B T Q E T K U D X T R V X I W U F V O Y M U X G P L B R T E V L Q X .

2. C Z E O J K C O W K N Q W K I O E B N W Q B V Q Z S P C O W W K S W : W K I O

J V M W M K N ’ B O P K Z S P Q K G O Q D O L Z P O K S V S J K Q D O B W , I K B O

L B K G V G C M , Q D O W Q V Q N O .

ACROSS 1 Popcorn topping 5 Aspirin brand 10 Fish-tailed males 16 James Dean’s

co-star Mineo 19 Fake butter 20 Radiate 21 Danes of

“Homeland” 22 Major-leaguer, e.g. 23 Flooring specialist? 25 Compact car of the

’70s 27 “Give me a call,” in

urban lingo 28 Money or Murphy 30 Luxury 31 Ancient Greek

marketplaces 33 Uses indelicate

language 34 Baggage handler 36 Early stage of a

tourney 37 Director Brian De

___ 38 Group with turf 39 Crucifixes 40 Four-string

instruments 42 Beginnings 45 Mischief-makers 46 Jay on TV 47 Ray in the sea 48 FedEx alternative 50 “Little Red Book”

author 51 Someone with the

same interests 55 Bite like a pup 56 “Love ___ up where

we belong” (Joe Cocker lyric)

58 “I kid you not!” 59 Flaky mineral 60 Sons of Charles 62 Check the fit of, as

a dress 63 “Rubbish!” 66 River islands, to

Brits 67 Poke ___ in

(debunk) 68 Type of saw 69 ___-fi movie 70 Take a load off 74 Common winter

ailment 77 Org. for boxers? 78 “... the bombs

bursting ___” 79 “Mr. Holland’s ___” 80 Gardener’s

medium 81 Quarantine 83 Admits (with “up”) 86 Mandalay’s land,

formerly 87 “Shall we?” reply 88 Some Hebrew

letters 89 Place-setting item 90 Cut with a scalpel 93 Extreme poverty 94 Faded the most 95 ___ contendere

(court plea) 96 Diameters halved 97 Sea-diving duck 98 Take cash but not

credit? 102 Nocturnal flying

mammal 107 ___ Alamos, N.M. 108 Garden tool 109 Cartoon character

Fudd 110 Willing and able 111 Lady of the lea 112 River rompers 113 Data for

salespeople 114 Norse god of war

dOwn 1 Ship’s help signal 2 Mont Blanc, for one 3 “Clockers” director

Spike 4 Climbers’ supports 5 Wild ruckus 6 Figure-skating feats

7 “3:10 to ___” 8 Former name of

Tokyo 9 Urban project 10 Rachel of “The

Notebook” 11 City near

Binghamton 12 Track events 13 Russian fighter jet 14 To do it is human 15 Birth name

indicator 16 Sound of an

undignified landing 17 Get off one’s rocker? 18 “Table for one” type 24 Roberts of

“Everybody Loves Raymond”

26 On-ramp sign 29 Creme ___ creme

(elite) 31 Bouquet of roses? 32 Study of foreign

policies 33 Hunter’s trail 34 LuPone or LaBelle 35 Beginning 36 Proper partner? 38 ___ gum (food

thickener) 40 Earth’s neighbor 41 Neither Reps. nor

Dems. 42 “The Grapes of

Wrath” extra 43 “Instrumental”

things 44 Sugar partner, in a

verse 46 Word on some diet

foods 47 Go around in

circles 49 Do a vet’s work 51 Col. Sanders’

restaurant 52 Name in 2001

bankruptcy news 53 Sherlock Holmes

creator Sir Arthur Conan

54 Blackthorn fruits 57 Shoo-___ (easy

victors) 59 Work wk. start

60 “Que ___?” (“What’s happening?”)

61 Lake of talk TV 62 Thunder god in

Marvel Comics 63 Employee of the

Month incentive 64 Kong’s kin 65 Fleur-de-___ 67 End in ___ (require

extra play) 68 Deal with a

situation 70 Ruffles feathers 71 Related to mom 72 Tests on which

2400 is perfect 73 Giving too many

orders 75 Maximum or

minimum 76 ___ Bator, Mongolia 80 Id’s opposite, to

Freud 82 Miscellaneous

mixtures 83 Wheel covers 84 Pins and needles

holder 85 Get withered 86 Plantation machine 88 Mixer attachment 89 Bottommost points 90 Fireplace, to Brits 91 Not by a long shot 92 Near 93 Group of lions 94 Conveyed, as water

through a main 97 Watson of the

Harry Potter films 99 What it takes to

tango 100 Slippery when ___ 101 Collecting Soc. Sec.,

perhaps 103 Brewpub staple 104 Sinister 105 “___ my brother’s

keeper?” 106 Number of pins to

strike

BOO! by Paul Jenn

2

CROSSWORD_082312

ATHleTe of THe week by Matt Mauney | Staff writer

How long have you been playing foot-ball?

Two years.

What do you like most about playing football?

That you get to tackle and block.

How long have you known that you wanted to play football?

I’ve been practicing since I was really little.

What do you like most about the season so far?

We’re 2-0 right now. I like that I get to block and tackle on both sides of the ball.

Do you have a favorite pro football team?

The Miami Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons.

Do you want to play football when you get to high school?

Yes, I want to play for Straw-berry Crest.

Do you play any other sports?

I believe after football that I’m going to play baseball.

School just started this week. What grade

are you in, at what school and what was your first day like?

I just started first grade. I go to Shiloh. I liked that we got to do fun stuff.

What’s your favorite thing about school?

Recess

What’s your favorite food?Fish

Do you have a favorite movie?“Marines”

Do you have a favorite TV show?

I like “Spongebob Squarepants.”

Do you have any pets?I have three dogs. Mia,

Rocco and Coco

Do you play any video games? If so, what kind.

I like to play Madden.

What teams do you like to play with on

Madden? Miami.

Did you get a chance to do any-

thing fun this sum-mer?

I got to go to Universal Studios.

What ride did you like most?The Simpsons Ride.

Luther ScarLettAt the younger age groups, most players prefer the quarterback or running back posi-

tions to the less glamorous — but no less important — line positions. However, that isn’t the case for 6-year-old Luther Scarlett, a center and defensive end for the Plant City Dolphins Mighty Mite team. According to head coach Kenny Watson, Scarlett loves to seek out guys to block and isn’t afraid to hit them. “It is surprising, but he just loves to block,” Watson said. Scarlett has been a big part of the Mighty Mite Dolphins success so far this season; the team sits at 2-0. Here’s a look at this week’s Athlete of the Week.

+ Registration ongoing for adult softball league

Registration for the fall season of the Plant City Parks and Recreation Department Adult Softball league will continue through Aug. 31.

The season will include of a men’s and a coed league. All games will be played at the Randy l. larson four Plex off Park Road. To register, call the Plant City Parks

and Recreation Department at (813) 659-4200.

+ Flag football registration open

Registration is under way for the 46th season of the Plant City Recreation and Parks Department/optimist Youth flag football Program. The program is for all area boys and girls ages 4-15 (as of Nov. 1), with a birth certificate required.

Registration can be made at the office, 1904 South Park Road, or by phone, (813) 659-4255.

SIDELINES

The Plant City YMCA 8- and 9-year-old basketball team, the Celtics, fin-ished the season undefeated Aug. 17.

During the last game, both coaches — Mike Holland, of the Celtics, and James wharton, of the Clippers — who both had two players who had not scored all season — agreed that a time-out would be called toward the end of the game,

and both teams would be instructed to let those players take two uncontested shots so they would have a chance to score.

Although none of those players scored, it was a time that exhibited good sportsmanship and put into practice the principles upon which the Plant City YMCA operates, according to Holland.

Courtesy photo

front row, from left: Haydon Patrick,Maurice skinner, emmett vickers, russell caton, cianna DelaPaz and Dorien lisbon. Back row: Parker Meridith, loga Karlson, Mistery Wright-Moore, Coach Mike Holland. Not pictured: Mikey lioy, branden thomas

PlANT CiTY CelTiCS eND SeASoN PeRfeCTlY


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Plant City Observer 08.23.12