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M AY 1 4 , 2 0 1 4
Mourners remember fallen officers By Michael Hinman mhinman@lakerlutznews.com
It’s said that J. Edgar Hoover himself traveled from Washington, D.C., to Dade City, to remember prohibition agent John Van Waters. The 46-year-old U.S. Department of Justice officer was killed alongside Pasco County constable Arthur Crenshaw on Oct. 4, 1922, in an ambush soon after investigating an illegal distillery near Dade City. They were just the second and third law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty at the time, but would eventually become a part of a list that now totals eight who paid the ultimate price in protecting the people of Pasco County. And those same people who benefit from that protection refuse to let them be forgotten as the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies celebrated their lives during a memorial service May 2 in front of the Historic Dade City Courthouse. “It is truly a special day for us,” Sheriff Chris Nocco told the crowd of spectators who stood in a steady downpour to honor the officers. “In a world where so many times we get wrapped up in the petty little things of life, this is a moment that we can See MOURNERS, page 6
MICHAEL HINMAN/STAFF PHOTOS
Pasco County sheriff’s deputies salute during ceremonies remembering law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty during the last century or so.
AROUND Through painful pages, a message of faith from author
THE PARKS
By Michael Murillo mmurillo@lakerlutznews.com
COURTESY OF HELENE RUBENSTEIN
Eager for Easter Cheryl Leone, left, Linda Tutin and Carol George (in background) set the table for an Easter dinner. More Grand Horizons, page 9
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Text your zip code to ERTIME for ER wait times and locations. Why rush to a competitor’s ER just to sit and wait? Now you can text us and get our ER wait times in advance. It’s simple. Just text your zip code to ERTIME (378463) and get instant ER wait times and locations near you. You can rely on high-quality care at every ER Extra® location. Our accreditations and awards are evidence of our quality standards: • Accredited Chest Pain Center • Top Performer on Key Quality Measures™ for heart attack and heart failure • Designated Primary Stroke Center J C d d
EAST PASCO EDITION
APRIL 2, 2014
Superintendent pushes new standards By B.C. Manion bcmanion@akerlutznews.com
As the Pasco County school district shifts to a more rigorous set of educational standards, Superintendent Kurt Browning has been making the rounds to explain the changes to parents. During his most recent stop at Wiregrass Ranch High School — the final of 13 community meetings — Browning told parents that the district must change the way teachers teach and students learn. He also called for greater involvement by parents to help prepare students for entering school and to reinforce learning at home. The district’s current performance must improve, Browning said, especially since the district is ranked 34th out of the state’s 67 districts. “I’m not the least bit happy with 34,” Browning said. Society has changed and the district must change too to meet its goal of produc-
B.C. MANION/STAFF PHOTO
At a series of community forums, Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning explained the Common Core State Standards. The system defines what students should know as they proceed through school so they can graduate from high school fully prepared to enter college and the work force
ing students who are ready for college, careers and life, Browning said. “We’ve got to make a connection between what’s happening in the real world and in the classroom,” Browning said. Along those lines, the district is shifting to Common Core State Standards and raising the bar on expectations.The standards define what students should know as they proceed through school in order to graduate from high school fully prepared to enter college and the work force. “We’re embracing a new way of teaching and learning,” said Rayann Mitchell, a senior supervisor in the division of curriculum, assessment and instruction. The new standards are causing teachers to think differently about the way they teach, Browning said. Instead of standing at the front of the classroom lecturing, teachers are now pushing for more collaboration between students See STANDARDS, page 8
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untold, McEndree said. Jim started the book himself, but was unable to continue, so McEndree promised him that she would finish it. Last October, seven years after his death, “Remembering Jim” was released on WestBow Press. McEndree recalls the close bond she shared with Jim, while they were growing up in New Hampshire, in frightening and degrading circumstances. “We were buddies all through our lives, because we lived in a very dysfunctional and violent environment,” she said. As his life deteriorated, however, they
Writing a book is often a difficult process. Finishing one can be an exhausting, emotional ordeal for the author that becomes a real challenge to complete. But it wasn’t like that for Zephyrhills resident Nancy Carroll McEndree. It was much, much worse. “I went into (post-traumatic stress disorder) every chapter I wrote,” McEndree said. “I sat in my chair or in my office and I wept uncontrollably. I ended up in the hospital.” To write “Remembering Jim: From Violence, Abuse and Terror to Joy See AUTHOR, page 6 Everlasting” — a book chronicling her late brother’s difficult upbringing, bottoming out as an absent husband and father, and eventual transformation to an active person of faith — McEndree had to go back to the beginning of their lives. And that meant dealing with her own childhood, which was filled with memories of her mother and brothers dealing with constant physical abuse. McEndree also suffered severe mental abuse and neglect, and said she even had to spurn her father’s sexual advances. She would have been happy to leave those memories in the past, except they were necessary to tell her MICHAEL MURILLO/STAFF PHOTO brother’s story of redempNancy Carroll McEndree writes her books sitting in a reclintion. The only thing worse than revisiting her childhood er in her Zephyrhills home. She writes longhand and huswould be to leave his story band Duane transcribes that work into their computer.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PASCO COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION
Children looking for a place to play can find an assortment of playground equipment at Pasco County parks and recreation facilities.
Public weighs in on Pasco’s future parks and rec plan By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
When residents consider the future of Pasco County’s parks and recreation’s programs and facilities, they have plenty of suggestions for the county to consider. Some want to see more opportunities — such as pathways — to enjoy the beauty of natural areas owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Others want to create a “blue way,” providing water access to coastal areas. Some think more should be done to encourage gatherings on large green spaces, to foster a greater sense of community. And, some want to do a better job of marketing the county’s gems, such as the rolling hills of Dade City. These were just a few thoughts that popped up during a discussion recently at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, where David Barth, of AECOM Technology Corp., asked those gathered to help define See PARKS, page 6