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Helping Hurricane Harvey victims
By B.C. Manion
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Area churches, and others, are getting involved to help raise money, or collect goods, to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey. Bishop Gregory Parkes has asked all 81 parishes and missions in the Diocese of St. Petersburg to hold a special collection the weekend of Sept. 2 and Sept. 3, or Sept. 9 and Sept. 10, for the needs of people affected by natural disasters, including Hurricane Harvey that is causing devastating damage to Texas and is expected to impact Louisiana. “Our hearts and prayers go out to the families that have lost loved ones and to all who have lost homes and businesses along with their sense of peace and normalcy,” Bishop Parkes said in a statement published on the Diocese’s website.“The prayerful and financial support of people from all around the country is urgently needed.” First Baptist Dade City, at 37511 Church
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COURTESY OF ARMY NATIONAL GUARD LT. ZACHARY WEST
Thousands of Texans are being rescued from the floodwaters of Hurricane Harvey.
Ave., is collecting items to provide relief to Hurricane Harvey victims.The church is accepting bottled water, blankets, soap, shampoo, deodorant and toilet paper. Donations are being accepted until Sept.
10, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Friday and on Sunday morning. See HARVEY, page 11A
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COURTESY OF EMILY BUSCH
When Emily Busch, of Wesley Chapel, was heading to her first summer stint at Life Teen in northern Georgia, she didn’t know what to expect. She found out that it was beautiful, and holy.
She hopes her ‘simple witness’ will help change lives By B.C. Manion
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bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Emily Busch plans to spend the next year of her life as a full-time missionary in the Life Teen program in northern Georgia. She’s confident about committing a year of her life to missionary work. “I’m not even a little bit nervous,” said the 21-year-old from Wesley Chapel.“There’s so much peace.” Part of that is because she’s familiar with the program, after spending a summer there working as a videographer and another summer as an office intern. She knows what’s she’s getting into, and she can’t wait. Life Teen owns two camps, Hidden Lake and Covecrest, in the mountains of North
Georgia, in a town called Dahlonega. “It’s a retreat center during the year, and it’s a summer camp during the summer,” Busch said, noting about 2,500 kids come there every summer, so it’s busy. It’s a place which attracts youth groups Emily Busch from parishes, giving them a chance to gain a deeper understanding of their Catholic faith. Busch, herself, was involved in her youth group at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, in Land O’ Lakes, which led to her
Want to help? Go to: Donate.Lifeteen.com/EmmBusch
going on a mission trip to Nicaragua. That experience was a turning point in her spiritual life. She feels called to do mission work, and she believes the trip to Nicaragua was the catalyst. “When I was there, I saw the poverty, and I saw the desire for the Lord in the hearts of people that had nothing. “And, when I was back home, I was like, ‘I have everything I want. I have everything I need.These people have less than half of See CHANGE page 11A
Bank loan approved to build Wiregrass sports complex By Kathy Steele
Ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
A loan of slightly more than $20 million from Bank United will finance the construction of the proposed Wesley Chapel Sports Park, at Wiregrass Ranch. RADD Sports will operate and manage the complex. Pasco County will own the indoor sports facility, collect rent, and also share in the anticipated profits. In addition to the 98,000- square-foot indoor facility, seven outdoor sports fields, an amphitheater with an event lawn, trails, pavilions and a playground are planned. The county also has approved a ground lease for a 128-room Marriott Residence Inn to be built with private funds at the complex. A 2 percent increase in Pasco County’s tourism tax will serve as collateral for the loan.The Pasco County Commission previously approved the increase, bringing the tourism tax to a total of 4 percent. The tax is collected as an add-on to rent from hotel rooms. Revenues from the “heads on beds” tax supports tourism promotion in Pasco. How much, if any, of the additional tourism tax dollars would be spent to repay the loan depend on revenues generated by
B.C. MANION
Work has begun on a townhome community, off North Dale Mabry Highway in Lutz. CalAtlantic Homes at Sylvan Crossing is expected to open in December.
Kathryn Starkey
Jack Mariano
tournaments and other events at the complex. County commissioners agreed to the loan terms at their Aug. 29 meeting in Dade City. A fixed interest rate of about 3.8 percent will be charged for the first 10 years of the 18-year loan. No penalties would apply if the county was able to prepay the loan at any time. Three bids to finance the loan were reviewed, but an evaluation committee recommended Bank United.The other bidders were City National Bank and BBVA See COMPLEX, page 11A
New townhomes popping up in Lutz By B.C. Manion
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Construction is underway on Sylvan Crossing Townhomes, a CalAtlantic Homes project that is expected to open in December. The gated community will feature three different floor plans, according to CalAtlantic’s website. See TOWNHOMES, page 11A