The Laker-Wesley Chapel/New Tampa-August 31, 2016

Page 1

The LAKER

ee r F

LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM

WESLEY CHAPEL/NEW TAMPA EDITION

Auto Accident? Slip and Fall? FREE CONSULTATION

No Fees Or Costs Unless You Win

Concerns about Zika on the rise By B.C. Manion

bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com

The level of unease about the Zika virus is on the rise in Florida, according to a new poll conducted by the Saint Leo University Polling Institute. The online poll, which was conducted Aug. 14 to Aug. 18, surveyed 1,500 adults in Florida, according to a news release from Saint Leo University. Polling ended a day before Gov. Rick Scott announced that mosquitos are spreading the virus in the Miami area and five days before the governor announced a non-travel related case of Zika was found in Pinellas

HOLLIDAY KARATINOS LAW FIRM, P.L. HelpingInjuredPeople.com

AUGUST 31, 2016

FILE PHOTO

The Zika virus is spread through bites of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is the same mosquito that spreads the dengua and chikunguna viruses.

County, the release says. The university’s August poll found that 79.3 percent of respondents say they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the virus. Of those remaining, 1.1 percent say they are “somewhat unconcerned,” 7.5 percent indicate they are “not at all concerned,” and 2.1 percent say they are unsure or do not know enough to answer. The poll had a plus or minus margin of error of 3.0 percent. The polling institute’s June survey of 500 adults in Florida showed 71.2 percent of respondents expressing concern. See ZIKA, page 13A

Call Attorney

JIM HOLLIDAY 813-868-1887 “I Will Aggressively Fight To Protect Your Legal Rights” 18920 N. Dale Mabry Hwy Ste 101 Lutz, FL (Corner of Sunlake & Dale Mabry)

Walk-Ins Welcome

Your Wesley Chapel Home

SOLD GUARANTEED Or I’ll Buy it!

NO Gimmicks! Free Report by visiting: www.BWGuaranteeYourHomeSold.com

or FREE Recorded Message:

1-800-441-1783 ID# 4094 or call me direct at:

813-469-5788 *Some conditions apply. Bruce Wilde RE/MAX PREMIER GROUP. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers already under contract.

Service the Way it Oughta Be!

SERVICE CALL W/ REPAIR* A/C, Plumbing or Electrical LK/LZ

A/C OR PLUMBING CHECK-UP Must present coupon. LiMited tiMe offer. #CFC1428982

#CAC1816647

#EC0001103

Air Conditioning • Plumbing • Electrical

CORNERSTONEPROS.COM

813-949-4445

B INSIDE, PAGE 1B

bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com

Eleven-year-old Angel Rosas and her 6year-old brother, Ronaldo engaged in a somewhat unusual project over the summer. They baked 1,500 cookies and delivered them around the Tampa Bay area. It was their way of spreading kindness, and unconditional love, to those they encountered. Their mom, Christine, came up with the idea for the project. But, the kids were involved in everything from coming up with a tagline, designing a graphic and shooting a YouTube video. They called the project Kookies 4 Kindness. They wore T-shirts emblazoned with the logo. They created a label for the plastic bag holding the cookies. It read: “We baked these cookies with love. It it is our hope that you share the same unconditional love with at least one person. Love,Angel and Ronaldo Rosas.” The kids also baked the cookies, made from store-bought dough, in the kitchen of their Seven Oaks home in Wesley Chapel. That’s where they bagged them up, too. Then, they made deliveries to Tarpon Springs, to the Waffle House in Wesley Chapel and to Ybor City and the fire station there. They also visited two Trinity Cafés, the Dade City Police Station, The Well, Corpus Christi School, and recruiting stations for the Navy,Air Force and the Marines. They dropped by a Hillary Clinton campaign office. They tried to visit a Donald Trump campaign office, but they couldn’t find it. They gave cookies to all kinds of people. Some were young; others, old. Some wore military uniforms; others, tank tops. One wore a cowboy hat; another, a base-

A February opening is planned By Kathy Steele

*M-f 7aM-7pM. if work not perforMed, service fee appLies.

$39.95

By B.C. Manion

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHRISTINE ROSAS

Christine Rosas and her children, Rolando and Angel, dispensed kindness, unconditional love and 1,500 cookies across Tampa Bay this summer. Here, they are making a stop at Trinity Café, which feeds homeless people.

See the YouTube video of two kids sharing 1,500 cookies to spread kindness in Tampa Bay at tinyurl.com/hmlbuhl.

ball cap. They gave cookies to men, women and children. Some were white, others black, Hispanic or Asian. As the kids approached people, some were friendly and readily accepted their offering.

Others were warier. Some thought there was some sort of catch,Angel said. She attributes their suspicion to the clipboard her mom was carrying around. Christine had the clipboard because she wanted to get the email address for anyone wanting a link to the YouTube video they planned to post about the project. Once the clipboard was kept out of sight, people dropped their guard, Angel See COOKIES, page 13A

Costco will provide up to 275 jobs LK/LZ

FREE

Kids share kindness, through cookies, around Tampa Bay

ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

Blame the rainfall, but Costco Wholesale fans will have to enjoy the anticipation a bit longer. The membership-only warehouse giant is expected to open the doors to the Costco experience in Wesley Chapel in early February. Company officials had hoped for a November opening, but this summer’s rainfall slowed down construction by a few weeks. And, Costco doesn’t open stores in December and January, choosing through the holidays to focus on sales and customer service at existing stores. However, by November, Costco will begin hiring for about 275 positions. Some slots will be filled with Costco employees transferring from other stores, but most will be new hires, said Hector Mencia, Costco’s general manager in Clearwater. “We are very excited to come into this area,” said Mencia, who spoke at the Aug. 25 economic briefing luncheon sponsored by The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. “It’s going to be a great location.” Costco also will be opening a store in Citrus Park in Tampa about the same time. These are the first stores in the Tampa Bay area in about 15 years.

“It shows that the economic status over here is going very well,” said Mencia.“We’ve been trying to get in here for quite a bit in this market.” Rosina Yeo will be the store’s general manager. She currently is assistant warehouse manager for Costco in Jacksonville. The 184,000-square-foot warehouse is under construction in front of Tampa Premium Outlets, off State Road 56. “It will have all the bells and whistles on it,” Mencia said. Mencia began working at Costco while in college in 1989. It’s a great place to work and has a low turnover rate among employees, he said. Entry-level pay for hourly wage earners starts at $13 an hour, rising to $22 an hour on average over time.After six months, employees are eligible for benefits. Mencia said the opening of an Indiana store attracted about 22,000 applicants. By November, a storefront will be opened where people can file applications in person. Memberships to Costco will be available about six weeks before the store’s opening date. Mencia said on opening day about 2,000 shoppers are expected. Inside and outside the store, employees will be ready to process membership applications. The store’s retail model is to price low and sell in very high volumes. Shoppers browse aisles filled on average with about 3,800 items, but on a regular basis about 1,500 of those items are rotated out. “We create the treasure hunt atmos-

KATHY STEELE/STAFF PHOTO

The fall opening of Costco Wholesale, in front of Tampa Premium Outlets, will be delayed until early February due to rain delays to the construction schedule.

phere,” said Mencia. “They need to buy it then and not wait a week. It will be gone by then.” In other words, as comedian Rosie O’ Donnell explained in a Costco video, you can walk in with a list but leave with a trampoline and a case of Corn Nuts. Costco sells nearly everything: wine, clothes, groceries, gas, jewelry, electronics, tires, glasses, hearing aids, vacation packages, cars, home improvement services, hardware, pharmaceuticals, and since 1985, $1.50 hot dogs. In fiscal year 2015, Costco sold 55 million wieners in a bun.Worldwide shoppers also bought $4.1 billion in produce; $4.2 billion in USDA inspected prime beef; and See COSTCO, page 13A


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.