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Hospitals respond to COVID-19 surge
By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
A surge in COVID-19 cases has prompted AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and BayCare’s St. Joseph’s North Hospital in Lutz to temporarily halt elective surgeries. BayCare also tightened its visitation rules, effective Aug. 3. “No one takes any pleasure in having to limit visits from patients’ loved ones or
telling someone they will need to wait for their procedure,” BayCare Chief Operating Officer Glenn Waters said, on a hospital website posting.“But our first priority has to be to keep our facilities as safe as possible for our caregivers, so patients can recover and return home as soon as possible.” AdventHealth continues to see a significant increase in COVID-19 cases at its facilities across West Florida and has surpassed its highest peak since the pandemic
began, according to the healthcare system’s website. AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and AdventHealth Carrollwood have temporarily postponed any non-urgent elective procedures that require an overnight stay, according to media alerts from AdventHealth. Dr. Doug Ross is chief medical officer of See HOSPITALS, page 9A
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‘Stuffing the bus’ for a good cause Florida Penguin Productions, the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel and the Tampa Premium Outlets teamed up for a ‘Stuff the Bus’ event on Aug. 8, at Tampa Premium Outlets. The idea was to gather supplies for Pasco County Schools. A number of vendors also were there, in the courtyard of the outlet mall, and some lucky kids walked away with backpacks and other freebies. Above, the Florida Kid Care booth bustled as the organization distributed backpacks filled with school supplies, to those attending the event. More photos, page 6A.
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It wasn’t all about backpacks as Tim Crandall, a member of the Wesley Chapel Rotary Club, prepares to ‘stuff the bus’ with pens, colored pencils and various other classroom items that teachers need.
With the Pasco County Schools' bus reflecting in her sunglasses, Charane Groeller, president of the Wesley Chapel Rotary Club, waits with other members for walk-ups delivering school supplies to the 'Stuff the Bus' event.
Debate over masks continues, Board recommends as a new school year begins rezoning approval By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Students streamed back to school campuses this week to start the 2021-2022 school year in Pasco and Hillsborough counties. And, much like last year, the debate continues over mandatory face masks. Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken a firm stand on the issue. He signed an executive order banning school districts from imposing mandatory mask requirements — instead letting parents make the call regarding whether their child wears a mask to school. The Florida Board of Education also has adopted an emergency rule that allows a child to transfer to a private school or another school district, under a Hope Scholarship,“when a student is subjected to harassment in response to a school district’s COVID-19 mitigation protocols.” Masks are optional for students and staff in Pasco County’s public school district. Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning repeatedly has said the issue
is closed, based on the governor’s actions. In Hillsborough County, there’s a mandatory mask policy for students — but that policy allows parents to exercise an opt-out option for their children. Masks are optional for the Hillsborough school district’s staff. In media interviews, Hillsborough County Schools Superintendent Addison Davis has said he believes the district complies with the governor’s executive order because parents can choose to opt-out their children from the requirement. Meanwhile, at least two lawsuits have been filed challenging DeSantis’ executive order, according to media reports. While those debates play out, the Hillsborough and Pasco school systems have been busy preparing protocols for the school year. During the Pasco School Board's last meeting, on July 27, Browning said he and his staff had spent considerable time going over the COVID protocols for the coming year, in See MASKS, page 9A
for Two Rivers
The proposed 3,405-acre community — off State Road 56 near Morris Bridge Road — would include thousands of dwellings and office, industrial and retail uses. Plans also call for an 80-acre district park and a 77-acre school site. By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Two Rivers, a proposed new community off State Road 56, is approaching its final regulatory hurdle before work can begin to bring the plans on paper to life. The Pasco County Planning Commission and the county’s planners have recommended approval of a rezoning for the sizable community. See REZONING, page 9A