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New school year offers three options
By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Students will have three options when classes resume this fall in Pasco Schools. Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning announced his ReOpening Pasco Schools plan in a news release issued June 18. “Parents sent us a message loud and clear: they wanted options,” Browning said, in the news release.“Many are eager to have their student return to school and see their teachers and classmates. But, many aren’t
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ready for that yet.There’s an option here for everyone.” Here are the choices outlined in the district’s 2020-2021 reopening plan: • Traditional – A return to campus and classroom with the standard school schedule and bell times. This option includes a heavy emphasis on health and safety precautions. Students will practice safe social distancing to the greatest extent possible. Schools will use signage and consistent communication to discourage the gathering of large groups of students. Students will be expected to wear
masks or cloth face coverings on the school bus, but masks will not be required in classrooms. • mySchool Online – Virtual learning with a connection to the student’s enrolled school. This option requires that students follow the standard school schedule and bell times. It features lessons and virtual interaction with teachers during each class period – all conducted online. • Virtual School – Online learning See OPTIONS, page 13A
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A community Juneteenth celebration was held last week in Wesley Chapel’s Union Park. The event, held on June 19, marked that historic day in 1865, when slaves in Texas learned they were free. This year’s celebrations across the nation have taken on a particular significance, in the aftermath of the May 25 death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, who died in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd’s neck. The Juneteenth event at Union Park featured prayer, song, dance and mingling. Some black-owned businesses also offered items for sale, too. Organizers urged those attending to wear masks, to avoid the potential spread of COVID-19. Above, members of the Carmel Friendship Church gather around the signage they donated for the celebration. For coverage of the event, see page 3A.
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We want yoou to join Aniya Stratford of the Carmel Friendship Church sang ‘Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,’ at the first annual Juneteenth Family Day Celebration at Union Park.
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Alexandra Archibald, of Wesley Chapel, and others at the gathering wore Juneteenth T-shirts to mark the historic day of June 19, 1865, which was when slaves in Texas learned they were free.
CEO discusses Florida’s COVID-19 cases surpass 100,000 resilience, State records 4,664 positive cases on a single day By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Florida’s positive COVID-19 cases have exceeded the 100,000 mark, according to the most recent Florida Department of Health data available on the morning of June 22. The state figures show Florida had 100,217 positive cases, including 98,047 Florida residents and 2,170 non-residents. The state’s death toll stood at 3,173, including a 17-year-old male from Pasco County, whose death was recorded on June 19 in Florida Department of Health records. Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning announced Monday that he tested positive for COVID-19. A news release from the school district said Browning experienced relatively minor symptoms, including fever, chills and general achiness since June 18, which led him to be tested. The test came back positive on June 20, and Browning now is in isolation at home. Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the state’s rising numbers during a news conference on June 20. He said the increase of positive cases re-
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Case totals
Statewide: 100,217, including 98,047 Florida residents; 2,170 non-residents Pasco County: 872, including 861 Florida residents, 11 non-residents Hillsborough County: 5,973, including 5,904 Florida residents, 69 non-residents
By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
sults partially from widespread testing, but he also said that people in the 20-to-30 age group that are testing positive at a higher rate. “Our cases are shifting in a radical direction, younger,” DeSantis said. The governor said the state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation will be enforcing social distancing requirements in businesses it regulates, with the aim of creating greater compliance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance. “You do hear reports about people just jampacked into some of these places,” DeSantis said.
When Brian Butler moved to Lutz roughly 14 years ago, he figured he would have plenty of time to assume a meaningful role at a Tampa Bay company, play golf and go fishing. It didn’t quite work out that way. The opportunities the decorated retired U.S. Army officer had envisioned didn’t materialize. “I thought I had a lot to offer this community. And, I was humbled in a way that I just couldn’t believe,” Butler said. Brian Butler So, when he couldn’t find the right fit, he created his own company. Vistra Communications, LLC started small, with Butler as its sole employee, working out of his Lutz home. Over time, the president and CEO has led a company that has grown to include 100 team members. The company provides marketing, communications and consulting services to corporations, small businesses, nonprofits,
See COVID-19, page 13A
See CEO, page 13A
Death counts Statewide: 3,173 Pasco County: 17 Hillsborough County: 115
(Most recent data available)