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Dunn deal: Surprise for new homeowner By Michael Murillo mmurillo@lakerlutznews.com
Mary Maldonado stepped into a driveway in Dade City on Nov. 7 expecting to take a few photos in front of a home she was preparing to buy. She got a lot more than she bargained for. Maldonado arrived with her infant son, Leonni, and was greeted by Warrick Dunn, former NFL player and philanthropist. His charity, Homes for the Holidays, helps single parents realize their dreams of owning a home. Partnering with Habitat for Humanity of East and Central Pasco County, who helped Maldonado through the home-buying process and set her up with an advantageous loan, Dunn wel-
comed her into a fully furnished home with a well-stocked kitchen. From living room furniture to a bedroom set for Leonni, the home was move-in ready. She signed the ownership paperwork, received her keys, and accepted a ceremonial check for $5,000, which went toward her mortgage, courtesy of Homes for the Holidays. Not bad for a Friday morning. “Seeing the house and everything, it definitely paid off,” Maldonado said. “It’s very exciting.” It also was Maldonado’s hard work that paid off to get to this MICHAEL MURILLO/STAFF PHOTO point. As part of Habitat for Humanity’s homebuyer program, Warrick Dunn greeted Mary Maldonado and her son, Leonni, at she had to put in 400 hours of vol- the driveway of the house she was preparing to buy. He surprised her with a fully furnished home, a fully stocked kitchen,
See DUNN, page 7A and $5,000 of mortgage assistance.
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Bill Garrison, commander of American Legion Post 108, marches through Lutz Cemetery, surveying gravestones of military veterans to decorate with an American flag in honor of Veterans Day.
A time-honored tradition to remember those who served By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
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The four men came to Lutz Cemetery on a Saturday morning, with a cool breeze stirring the trees, and the sun shining brightly in the clear blue sky. They got to work quickly, each grabbing a supply of American flags and staking out a segment of the cemetery.
The men — Bill Garrison, Ray Mason, Richard Fernandez and Jim Evans — worked their way through the rows of gravestones, looking for those marking the final resting place of men and women who served to protect American freedom. While Garrison, Mason and Fernandez surveyed areas closer to U.S. 41, Evans checked out the rear section of the cemetery. Each time they found a veteran’s
gravestone, they solemnly planted a flag at the edge of the gravestone. Marking the grave with a flag is an act of remembrance, and of respect. It’s something members of American Legion Post 108 do at Lutz Cemetery every Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Veterans Day. The flags remain until a day after Veterans Day, when the men come back to recover them. The flags honor veterans from World War I,World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War.There’s even a grave of a Civil War soldier and another of a Spanish-American War soldier a soldier, Mason said. See FLAGS, page 7A
Politicians talk local, but don’t spend local By Michael Hinman
County. However, when it came to total dollars, new Pasco County commissioner Mike Ever wonder how much Moore sent the most money $324,000 can buy? outside the county — nearly It could supply ribs and sides $109,000, or 66 percent of his Pasco County Commission-District 2 Local Spend %Local for 25 families at Hungry Harry’s expenditures. Mike Moore $55,348 33.8 Family Bar-B-Que for an entire “Our campaign bought local Erika Remsberg $4,076 38.6 year. services when available, such as It could feed a complete some printing supplies and maPasco County Commission-District 4 Thanksgiving dinner from Publix terials,” Ledbetter told The Mike Wells Jr. $22,127 28.7 to nearly every person living in Laker/Lutz News in an email.“I Henry Wilson Jr. $11,637 29.1 Wesley Chapel and Land O’ used a local Dade City printer Lakes. for some work, and a local comFlorida House-District 38 It could hire 15 people for an pany for the T-shirts. Danny Burgess $35,382 26.9 entire year at $10 an hour, with Unfortunately, East Pasco — inBeverly Ledbetter $3,049 9.5 enough money left over to add a cluding Wesley Chapel — does part-timer at the same rate. not have any commercial mail* Since Nov. 1, 2013 In three local political races ing operation that I was aware that ended Nov. 4, six candidates of, and that comprises the bulk spent $324,000 — to people and businesses it stayed local. of my out-of-district purchases.” outside of Pasco County. In fact, of the more Beverly Ledbetter, who ran as a Since the end of the primary, Ledbetter than $455,000 these Pasco County Democrat for Florida House District 38, had spent just $1,800 of the more than $28,000 Commission and state House candidates the worst local campaign spending, with See LOCAL, page 7A spent since Nov. 1, 2013, only 29 percent of less than 10 percent remaining in Pasco mhinman@lakerlutznews.com
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Local spending by political candidates*