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+ CSX gives train museum $10,000 Representatives from CSX Railroad awarded the Robert W. Willaford Train Museum with $10,000. They presented the check to City Commissioner Mike Sparkman and Robert Willaford and his wife, Felice. Also in attendance were volunteers and board members of the museum. The funds will go to promote railroad safety around the historic depot. There is a sidewalk that lines up with a railroad track that will be adjusted.
Warriors at Heart raising money for Polar Plunge.
See who’s in the 2015 Strawberry Queen Pageant.
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MIA WWII pilot identified The remains of WWII pilot James Frank Gatlin Jr. have been identified. He will be brought to Florida and buried with military honors at Bushnell National Cemetery. Past strawberry fields and citrus groves, past pasture fences and dirt roads, two representatives from the United States Army drove to the Lithia home of Sandy Shirley on a sunny January afternoon. Twelve miles outside of Plant City, First Sgt. Rudolph Neal and Jeannette Bogle had traveled even further from Miami and Kentucky. They were there to relay some news. But it was news that would start out 2015 the right way. The country home smelled like apple cinnamon and va-
nilla ice cream as they stepped inside. Receiving a warm reception from Shirley and her oldest daughter, Janda Fussell, they were also greeted by the family’s pastor, Dr. Dan Middlebrooks. Sitting on the couch, Bogle asked Shirley to sit next to her. She spoke with a smile: Shirley’s second cousin, First Lt. James Frank Gatlin Jr., had finally been identified. He would now be able to be put to rest after being missing in action since World War II. Shirley never knew Gatlin, who was from Live Oak and
served in the Army Air Forces when he was 26. But she, and the rest of her family, are grateful that they will be able to celebrate the life and heroism of a great American pilot at Bushnell National Cemetery. “It’ve very touching,” Fussell said. “It’s very moving to think that — even though he’s a distant relative — he’s still an American hero.”
THE AMERICAN HERO
With a stack of paperwork in her lap, Bogle began telling the horrific story of the last day Gatlin spent on earth.
YOUNG ROYALS
It was a stormy day December 23, 1944 when 30 aircraft from the 391st Bombardment Group and the 575th Bombardment Squadron took off
from their base in Northern France to rendezvous with Allied Forces in Belgium. Gat-
SEE PILOT / PAGE 4
City searches for new engineer City manager Mike Herr has hired an interim project manager until a new city engineer is selected. Though the City of Plant City is currently operating without a permanent city engineer, City Manager Mike Herr does not expect delays on progress for parks, developments and other projects that have already begun or are in the planning phases. Former City Engineer Brett Gocka was asked to leave his position, and his last day of work was Dec. 18, 2014. Soon after, Assistant City Engineer Kris Desai voluntarily left his position. “Bottom line is, Brett doesn’t work here anymore. We hope that he lands on
IN OTHER NEWS • The city expects to move forward with two large developments in the northeast region in the second half of 2015. North Park Isles will cover about 400 acres and include 1,000 residential units. Varrea, formerly known as the Cone/Graham project, will be even larger. The developers of Varrea hope to make it a TND community, like Celebration or Westchase. • Tonda Morris has been selected as the new director of library services, and she will begin March 9.
SEE ENGINEER / PAGE 4
in memoriam by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
The 33rd Annual Chariman’s Banquet will take place beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, at the John R. Trinkle Center, 2206 E. Cherry St. The Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce will install its newest Chairman during a reception and dinner. RSVP by Jan. 23. (813) 754-3707.
Joanne Mays
Amber Jurgensen
Sandy Shirley shows U.S. Army representative Jeannette Bogle the place where her father was held as a POW in World War II. He served at the same time as Gatlin, but did not know him.
GOVERNANCE by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
+ RSVP coming up for banquet
See her photo on PAGE 15.
Area high school teams’ goal is soccer tourney win. PAGE 12
The 9th annual Every Buddy is Beautiful Fashion Show will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, at Plant City High School’s auditorium, 1 Raider Place. Every Buddy is Beautiful has become a precious tradition at PCHS. The Skills USA Cosmetology students host a fashion/talent show as a benefit for the Raider Buddies (formerly Best Buddies). General students pair with their exceptional friends and share their talents. It gives the buddies a chance to have time in the limelight. Prior to the show, experiences like this were reserved for regular students. For many of the students, this experience is the night of their lives. Tickets are $3 at the door, and 100% of the profit goes directly to the PCHS Raider Buddies chapter.
This week’s winner is
SPORTS
homecoming by Amber Jurgensen | Managing Editor
+ Show to support Raider Buddies
, 3&
FREE • FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015
Plant City woman dies at age 109 Betty Everidge was the oldest member of First Baptist Church and loved by many in the community.
Amber Jurgensen
The 2015 Junior Royalty pageant took place at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Grimes Family Agricultural Center. The winners are: Queen Jade’a Broome, Princess Avery Surrency, Duchess Caitlin Davis and Baroness Madelynn Hardwick.
Betty Everidge, a longtime In her youth, Mrs. Everidge member of the Plant City took piano lessons from a community, died blind teacher, enFriday, Jan. 2, just a joyed looking for month before she fireflies and shootwould have turned ing stars at night, 110. and attended many Mrs. Everidge was all-day church social born in Carrolton, events. She was popGeorgia, in 1905. ular with the young When she was 12, boll men of Plant City, weevils destroyed her Everidge and though she had family’s cotton farm, always answered to so they took a train to Florida “Lizzie,” one suitor called her and became permanent resiSEE EVERIDGE / PAGE 4 dents.
INDEX Calendar.......................2
Vol. 2, No. 26 | One section Crossword...................15
Obituaries...................11
Sports.........................12
Weather ......................15
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COMMUNITYCALENDAR FRIDAY, JAN. 16
SATURDAY, JAN. 17
Acoustic Happy Hour — live music takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, at O’Brien’s Irish Pub and Family Restaurant, 1701 S. Alexander St. (813) 764-8818. Christian Contemporary Music — takes place from 6:33 to 8:13 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, at Krazy Kup, 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd. (813) 752-1220. Cliff Brown Live! — takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, at Keel and Curley Winery, 5210 Thonotosassa Road. (813) 752-9100 MLK Celebration Open Ceremony — takes place beginning at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 16, at the MLK Jr. Recreation Center, 1601 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Marshall Middle School’s Jazz Ensemble and Gentlemen’s Quest will perform. Teen Dance and Summit — takes place beginning at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, at the MLK Jr. Recreation Center, 1601 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The Terry Cole Show — takes place from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, Jan. 16, at O’Brien’s Irish Pub and Family Restaurant, 1701 S. Alexander St. (813) 764-8818.
Dean’s Ride: Strength & Honor — takes place beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at Plant City YMCA, 1507 YMCA Place. In memory of Dean Snyder, proceeds will benefit the Plant City Family YMCA’s LIVESTRONG program, which provides a wellness program for cancer survivors and is free to participants. Register at the Plant City Y’s Welcome Center or at active. com. Hairdresser on Fire — live music takes place from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at O’Brien’s Irish Pub and Family Restaurant, 1701 S. Alexander St. (813) 764-8818. MLK Carnival and Midway — takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at the MLK Jr. Recreation Center, 1601 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Enjoy food, games and rides. Rick Mongoya Live — takes place from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at Keel and Curley Winery, 5210 Thonotosassa Road. (813) 7529100 Strawberry Ball — takes place beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Expo Building, on North Woodrow Wilson St. The annual gala is by invite only. FlStrawberryFestival.com.
To publicize your event in our Community Calendar, please send by mail: 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A, Plant City, FL 33563; or by email: ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com. Photos are welcome. Deadline is noon Thursday. and Family Restaurant, 1701 S. Alexander St. (813) 764-8818.
Wells Memorial Informational Seminar — takes place beginning at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, at Chancy’s Fish Shack, 2509 N. Park Road. Lunch provided. (813) 752-1111. Young Adult Nite — takes place from 7:33 to 10:33 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at Krazy Kup, 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd. Enjoy live music from local artists. (813) 752-1220.
THURSDAY, JAN. 22
TUESDAY, JAN. 20 GriefShare — takes place beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, at Hope Lutheran Baptist Church, 2001 N. Park Road. Following the death of a loved one, you may have found that there are not many people who understand the deep hurt you may feel. Those feelings of hurt and emptiness seem to make it harder and harder for you to face each new day. Each GriefShare session includes a video seminar and group discussion. (813) 752-4622. Motion Commotion — takes place beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, at at Bruton Memorial Library, 302 McLendon St. This 30-minute program has families moving to the beat of the music. It involves fitness, music and literacy. For children 18 months to 5 years old and their caregivers. (813) 757-9215.
BEST BET MLK Parade — takes place beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The parade will end at the MLK Recreation Center, 1601 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. There will be a drum line competition immediately after the parade and food and vendors at the Plant City MLK Recreation Center, along with entertainment and rides. The Recovery for Life — takes place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the Lorena Jaeb Rainbow House, 504 N. Palm Drive. It is a 12-step Bible-based program to help free individuals from all forms of addiction. Debbie Ray, (813) 763-1562. Teen “Go” Board Game Club — takes place from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, at Bruton Memorial Library, 302
McLendon St. Learn and play one of the oldest games in the world: the ancient East Asian board game, “Go.” The popular anime series, “Hikaru No Go,” has made many curious about how to play the game. (813) 757-9215.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21 Open Mic Night — takes place beginning at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, at O’Brien’s Irish Pub
Babytime — takes place beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, at Bruton Memorial Library, 302 McLendon St. Bond with your baby through stories, rhymes and songs in this 20-minute lap-sit program. For babies who aren’t walking and their caregivers. (813) 7579215. Fashion Show — takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, at the Grimes Family Agricultural Center, 2208 W. Oak Ave. The luncheon and show is invite only. FlStrawberryFestival.com. Rance Allen Revival — takes place beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, and Friday, Jan. 23, at St. Mary’s Community Church, 907 E. Laura St. If you are looking for a miracle and in need of a blessing join Bishop Rance Allen. There will be no charge. (813) 754-1616.
FRIDAY, JAN. 23 Acoustic Happy Hour — live music takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, at O’Brien’s Irish Pub and Family Restaurant, 1701 S. Alexander St. (813) 764-8818.
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TRADITION by Amber Jurgensen | Managing Editor
2015 Florida Strawberry Festival Queen Contestants In just several short weeks, the Florida Strawberry Festival will have a new queen and court to reign over it. With one whirlwind month to prepare, current queen, Jessi Rae Varnum, will hand over the crown to one of 15 contestants in a tradition that Plant City looks forward to every year. Check out the lucky contestants who will vie for the oncein-a-lifetime opportunity Jan. 31, at the Grimes Family Agricultural Center. Photos by Stephanie Humphrey MORGAN BOYKIN
DEANNA RODRIGUEZ
PARENTS: Marty and Jennifer Boykin
PARENTS: Tony and Stacey Rodriguez
SCHOOL: Honor graduate at Strawberry
SCHOOL: Junior at Plant City High
Crest High School; sophomore at Hillsborough Community College and the University of South Florida EXTRACURRICULARS: Strawberry Crest FFA Alumni, Florida Junior Cattlemen’s Association, Patriots Twirling Corps, Florida Strawberry Growers Association ambassador, Feature Twirler at the University of South Florida HOBBIES: Competitive baton twirling, baking, boating, raising livestock and spending time with family and friends FUTURE PLANS: To pursue a degree in agriculture communications
PAYTON RAYE ASTIN PARENTS: Sam and Buffy Astin
School: Senior at Durant High School EXTRACURRICULARS: Student Government president, captain of the varsity cheerleading team, FFA, Leo Club, student representative for PTSA, Durant’s Miss Cougar Body Building Champion, Durant Calendar Girl Miss January and Homecoming Queen HOBBIES: Working out, working with organizations that help give back to the community and being a constant support to her peers and student body FUTURE PLANS: To attend Florida Southern College to earn a master’s degree in business, and then help take over Astin Farms
School; dual enrolled at Hillsborough Community College EXTRACURRICULARS: National Honor Society, Civinettes, vice president of Business Leaders of America, junior captain of varsity soccer, captain for Relay for Life and Team ToMorrow, 2015 Plant City High School Calendar Girl Miss May HOBBIES: Traveling with her family, photography, going to the beach and playing travel soccer FUTURE PLANS: To attend a four-year university and pursue a degree in the medical field
CARLY KNOX
SAMANTHA MEI SUN
PARENTS: Ben and Kerri Knox
PARENTS: Jim and Shari Sun
School
Officer, Youth Alive member, varsity tennis team, National Honor Society, Math Bowl team, Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Award recipient, Plant City High School tennis MVP Award, second place at Optimist Club Speech Contest second place, first place at PTSA Reflections Art Contest and Art (displayed at Dali Museum), Community Choice Award Lifelink Art Competition HOBBIES: Piano, art, reading, youth summer mission trips, Relay for Life and volunteering with Civinettes FUTURE PLANS: To attend a four-year university to pursue a degree in medical sciences with plans of attending medical school
varsity soccer and cheerleading teams, senior leader of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, editor of yearbook, National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, Florida Academic Scholar (top level of Bright Futures), 250 community service hours, Christian Leadership Award (LCS cheer), Plant City Optimist Club’s Youth Appreciation Award HOBBIES: Wakeboarding, photography and film, First Baptist Church youth group, coaching elementary soccer and family time FUTURE PLANS: To attend the University of Florida and major in public relations
HEATHER MARIE ROSS
PARENTS: Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs.
PARENTS: Todd and Lisa Ross
Carl Brosky SCHOOL: Junior at Plant City High School; dual enrolled at Hillsborough Community College EXTRACURRICULARS: National Honor Society, Civinettes, FFA, Drama Club and Plant City’s First Baptist Church Youth Group HOBBIES: Writing, theater, playing guitar, watching baseball and spending time with friends FUTURE PLANS: To attend Florida Southern College, majoring in both English and communication
EMILY BENOIT
SCHOOL: Freshman at Hillsborough
PARENTS: Michael and Jennifer Benoit
ABIGAIL LAUREN MILLER
SCHOOL: Senior at Newsome High
PARENTS: Gary and Cherity Miller
School
Community College Extracurriculars: Volunteer at Dover Elementary, United Food Bank of Plant City and with animals, recipient of the Heart of Champions Scholarship, Florida Strawberry Festival Livestock Scholarship, FFA Scholarship, National Honor Society, graduated on Honor Court HOBBIES: Exercising, coaching gymnastics, golfing with her dad and going to the beach FUTURE PLANS: After completing her degree at Hillsborough Community College, she plans to transfer to the University of South Florida and major in biology
KAYLA ELIZABETH TROUPE
SCHOOL: Junior at Plant City High
PARENTS: Lieutenant Commander Kary
EXTRACURRICULARS: Member of
SCHOOL: Junior at Strawberry Crest High
Troupe and Mrs. Kelli Green Troupe
School
EXTRACURRICULARS: President of
Newsome FFA, vice president of Hillsborough FFA Federation, Florida Junior Cattlemen’s Association, National Gold FFA Meats Evaluation Team, Florida Junior Beef Ambassador HOBBIES: Raising and showing angus cattle at local fairs and the Florida Strawberry Festival, horseback riding, spending time with family and friends FUTURE PLANS: To attend the University of Florida to study veterinary medicine with a minor in meat science
Civinettes, National Honor Society, Youth Alive Council member, Cross Country Regional Qualifier, 2015 Plant City High School Calendar Girls Miss August, 2013 cross country Rookie of the Year, performed with the Moscow Ballet for six years HOBBIES: Running, active in the Plant City First Baptist Church youth group, writing, mission trips and traveling FUTURE PLANS: To attend college to major in liberal arts and minor in health and nutrition
ZOEE RENAE CAUSEY
HOLLY ANNE SHUFF
PARENTS: Heather and Raymond Causey
School: Sophomore at Plant City High School EXTRACURRICULARS: Flag captain of color guard, American Sign Language Club, concert band, attends First United Methodist Church of Plant City, finalist in Plant City High School Relay for Life Princess Contest 2014 HOBBIES: Dancing, shopping and spending time with family and friends FUTURE PLANS: To attend a four-year university, pursuing pharmaceutical studies
PARENTS: Tim and Stephanie Shuff
School; enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Program EXTRACURRICULAR: National Honor Society, captain of the Strawberry Crest Chargerettes dance team, concert band, awarded Superior in dance 2013 and 2014 and First Baptist of Dover Youth Group HOBBIES: Assists with home school students in various areas of math and science and rebuilding schools destroyed by tornados, dance, horseback riding, volleyball, cheerleading and riding roller coasters with her brother FUTURE PLANS: To attend a post-secondary university to obtain a doctorate in psychiatrics, with a minor in biology in hopes of working with our nation’s veterans and their families through the VA system
School: Junior at Plant City High School; dual enrolled at Hillsborough Community College EXTRACURRICULARS: Member of National Honor Society and Civinettes, Plant City High School Calendar Girl Miss September, Raider of Excellence Award HOBBIES: Surfing the waves, traveling and thrill-seeking FUTURE PLANS: To attend a Florida university and major in criminology, with a minor in history and to study abroad
SAMANTHA BLACK Maurice and Sherrie Campbell SCHOOL: Senior at Plant City High School; dual enrolled at Hillsborough Community College EXTRACURRICULARS: FFA, Civinettes, captain of varsity competition cheer team, captain of varsity flag football, four-year member of FFA Veterinary Assistant Program, Student Athlete Club, National Honor Society, 2015 Strawberry Growers Association Scholarship recipient, MVP Varsity Flag Football 2014, Attends St. Peter’s Episcopal Church HOBBIES: The rescue and rehabilitation of homeless animals, currently working toward Therapy Dog Handler certification, reading and traveling FUTURE PLANS: To pursue a degree in veterinary science
EXTRACURRICULARS: Civinettes Club
EXTRACURRICULARS: Captain of the
OLIVIA BROSKY
PARENTS: Chris and Sherri Black, and
School: Junior at Plant City High School
SCHOOL: Senior at Lakeland Christian
KELLEN ALYSSE MORRIS PARENTS: Melinda and Trey Morris SCHOOL: Senior at Plant City High
School; freshman at Hillsborough Community College EXTRACURRICULARS: Varsity flag football, Civinettes, Science Club, yearbook staff, National Honor Society, 1290 Club, October Senior of the Month Hobbies: Singing in the praise band at church, painting, making jewelry, doodling and shopping FUTURE PLANS: To complete an associate’s degree at Hillsborough Community College and transfer to the University of Florida to study architectural engineering
VAVIEL MICHELE VERNER PARENTS: Ed and Amanda Verner and
Cindy Alexander
SCHOOL: Junior at Lakeland Christian
School
EXTRACURRICULARS: Member of the
National Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, concert choir and chamber ensemble, Remedy Service Club, Youth Praise Team Psalm 95, Chapel Praise Team and Dance Carousel senior competition team. HOBBIES: Singing, dancing, college-level piano, reading and school musicals FUTURE PLANS: To pursue a degree in music education and secondary English education
ª 3ODQW&LW\2EVHUYHU FRP IT IS WELL by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
Plant City Christian Center hosts annual seminar for women This year’s sessions will focus on wellness in all aspects of life. Women in Plant City are invited to a seminar Saturday, Jan. 24, where they can learn about how to stay emotionally, physically and financially healthy in 2015 and beyond. This is Plant City Christian Center’s fifth annual year of hosting a seminar for women, and the theme is “It Is Well.” “It’s designed as an empowerment seminar for women,” Pauline Rivers, a pastor at Plant City Christian Center, said. “It’s focused on their personal development, it’s focused on empowering them and giving them a forum for talking about some of the personal issues that they deal with, and being set free from those.” Four local speakers will address topics such as: healthy self-concept, healthy relationships, healthy bodies and healthy finances. Rivers selected the speakers based on knowing them from local ministries, or learning from them in previous workshops. “The ladies who are speaking do have a background in ministry, so a lot of the principles will be faith-based, but really the strategies are practical, everyday strategies,” Rivers said. The format of the seminar will be one collective group of attendees, and each speaker will discuss her
ENGINEER / PAGE 1 his feet,” Herr said. “In the meantime, we have an important responsibility, and that is to keep the offices running.” For now, Herr has commissioned Chastain Skillman Inc. to provide interim engineering services. Dave Buyens has been with the firm for 21 years and has been assigned to Plant City as the interim project manager. He started working with the city Jan. 5. “Dave is so eminently qualified for this position. He resides here in Plant City, and he fits in really well, and he’s doing a good job. He’s helping us sort through all the details and figure out where we are with our projects,” Herr said. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Buyens holds a master’s degree in engineering, with an environmental concentration. While at Chastain Skillman, he has worked with the City of Plant City before, as well as the City of Lakeland and other local governments in central Florida. Some of his areas of expertise are site development and utility design.
IF YOU GO DATE: 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24 COST: Free, but registration is required by Monday, Jan. 19. TO REGISTER, CONTACT: Pauline Rivers, (813) 759-0260, pmrivers@aol.com topic for about 40 minutes. There will be a snack break after the first two speakers. When all of the sessions are complete, Rivers will speak for about 15 minutes to tie the day’s topics together, and teach the women how to create an action plan and apply what they have learned to their everyday lives. As women are on their way out, they can stop by a series of table displays to visit representatives of groups that provide services to women, such as a domestic violence ministry, the Department of Health and a fitness group. “That’s something different that we’re doing this year, because the focus is on health,” Rivers said. Though the event is free, registration is limited to 95 guests and is filling quickly. To register, contact Rivers at (813) 759-0260 or pmrivers@ aol.com. Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.
Herr has authorized Chastain Skillman to approve work orders for $25,000 or less, and expects the first six weeks to cost between $17,640 and $19,980. Responsibilities are to include permit reviews, subdivision reviews and the analysis of proposed site plans, and Buyens will attend city commission meetings at Herr’s request. Buyens or another engineer from Chastain Skillman will be on-site, in Plant City, for 20 hours a week, for up to 26 weeks. “The sooner we hire a city engineer, then we will no longer retain these services,” Herr said. Herr’s goal is to select a new city engineer by March 12. The search for an assistant city engineer will follow. Herr hired an executive recruiting firm, Colin Baenziger and Associates, to recruit for the positions. It will cost $19,500. “We will certainly entertain qualified internal and external candidates,” Herr said. Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.
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PILOT / PAGE 1 lin was piloting a Martin B-26 Marauder nicknamed “The Silver Dollar.” In October, the unit had been tasked with the mission to bomb German industrial areas, transportation and fuel supply systems like railroads, fuel stations and factories. More than two weeks of bad weather had delayed one specific mission to destroy a railroad viaduct at Ahrweiler. Once it had let up slightly, the unit decided it was their one chance. But the Allied Forces weren’t in Belgium when they arrived. They were suppose to provide fighter jets for protection. The unit made the fateful choice to continue with the mission anyways. Several miles from the target, they were attack by German forces. Because of the stress, the first attempt was unsuccessful. Going in for another shot, they hit the target. But when they started to return back to base, another attack by the Germans became a devastating struggle for survival. The heaviest losses sustained by the 391st during a single operation occurred during this mission. Gatlin’s B-26 was one of the planes that received a direct hit. A fire started in the bomb bay, eating up the plane with a flickering fury. Gatlin, staying true to his service, sounded the alarm, letting the other five crew members, gunners William Weissker, Milton Cowart and Joe Sanchez, navigator John Adair, and co-pilot Stephen Biezis, know they needed to evacuate. Three were able to para-
HOW FAR WE’VE COME When Betty Everidge was born in 1905, the average life expectancy was 47 years. Only 8% of U.S. homes had telephones, and only 14% had bathtubs. Safety razors and airplanes were new inventions, and women were most likely to be teachers or governesses, if they worked at all.
EVERIDGE / PAGE 1 “Betty,” and the name stuck. But there was one man in particular who captured her heart: She married Irving Everidge when she was about 18 years old. “There were others after him, but I put in to get him, and I did,” Mrs. Everidge once said about her husband, who died in 1945. Mrs. Everidge lived on her own until she was 103 and then moved to a nursing home. She had said the secret to living a long life was to care for one’s
chute out. One chute never deployed. Another caught on fire. Only Adair survived, getting hung up in a tree and captured by the Germans. Gatlin and Biezis went down with the plane. After Adair was turned over to the U.S., he recounted the story, preserving its spot in history. It wasn’t until then that he learned he was the sole survivor. Before he had jumped, he looked back at Gatlin and Biezis. After landing, he watched the plane take a quick dive. He never saw the impact. Nearby townspeople did see the crash, however, and they went out to help survivors. What they found was wreckage and charred remains. They put the dead to rest in their own municipal cemetery. When the American team came in and took the remains, no paperwork was filed. And so, the crash site and those who died there remained a mystery. That was, until 1997.
AN INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION
It was a once-in-a-lifetime correspondence when an American World War II enthusiast was contacted by a man in Germany in 1997. He had collected personal affects and airplane parts from a B-26 crash he thought knew the location to. He also was in contact with several witnesses and knew of some possible graves. The enthusiast contacted Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command to look into the claim. In 1999, JPAC sent a team out to talk with the German tipster and witnesses. They had Biezis’ identification
personal health and to keep working. She herself worked until she was 79. About 50 of Mrs. Everidge’s family members and friends gathered at Oaklawn Cemetery Tuesday, Jan. 6, for a graveside service. One of her granddaughters, Jean Ann Taylor, spoke about how Mrs. Everidge had impacted her family and the community during her life. “Granny was more than just a grandmother to me,” Taylor said. “She was my dearest friend. We laughed all the time. We were silly.” Mrs. Everidge also was wellknown for her cooking. “She loved to cook, and she did the Southern, fried cooking,” Cecil Everidge, one of Mrs. Everidge’s three sons, said. “That’s the reason she lived so long.” For years, almost every Sunday, Mrs. Everidge hosted large family gatherings from which no one left hungry. “Her family really was her love,” Cecil said. “That’s what she lived for.” Sunday was not the only day
bracelet, in addition to airplane parts and bones, and led JPAC to where they found the artifacts. JPAC continued to work on the case and in 2007 sent another team to do more interviews. In 2013 and 2014, a team excavated the site. By looking at the scarring on the trees, the team could tell where the impact was. It was able to find a whistle, watch and ring. It also found bones and teeth. The teeth were too far decomposed to get any DNA from them. But part of a mandible was salvageable. JPAC took it to Hawaii, to the command’s Central Identification Laboratory, to try and find matches. After testing two of Gatlin’s female first cousins on the maternal side, JPAC got a direct match. That normally doesn’t happen. As many as twenty matches can be found on the first test.
HOMECOMING
Sitting across from each other, Shirley and Fussell couldn’t believe that after all these years and with just one small bone, their relative was finally identified. And once they found out that Gatlin’s cousin, Cornelia, used to write letters to him, they were even more excited to grow their family. “Can you tell her to call us?” Shirley asked. “Does she have any pictures?” Cornelia’s DNA was used to identify Gatlin. She lives in Wyoming. “It’s very exciting, especially knowing that Cornelia wrote to him back and forth,” Fussel said. “It will give us more insight to James not just as the American hero we know, but James the person.”
Although the full story of Gatlin has been uncovered at long last, Fussell knew something was brewing even before the Jan. 9 meeting with Bogle and Neal. Several years ago, while she was visiting with her grandma, Wilma Shiver, the phone rang. In a plot that belongs in a Blockbuster movie, Fussell learned from JPAC that Shiver had a first cousin, Gatlin, and that they needed some DNA from the paternal side to confirm that the remains they had were indeed Gatlin. Fussell became the point of contact. “Our family took an interest,” Fussell said. “Then we didn’t hear anything for a year. Based on what we knew, I didn’t expect the news this soon. Especially not in Granny’s life.” Shiver was recently admitted to the hospital and signed power of attorney over to her daughter, Shirley, to bring Gatlin home. His funeral is planned for the end of the month at Bushnell and will include a full-size casket Shirley picked out, military honors and the presentation of awards, including a purple heart. Now that his story is known, the family has plans for his existing plaque at a family plot at Clayland Baptist Church in Live Oak. Gatlin’s mother and father, siblings, aunt and uncle, and others are all buried there. He joined them in spirit, with a commemoration that said he was missing in action. Fussell wants to change that, however. Gatlin once was lost, but now he is found. Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver. com.
Catherine Sinclair
Tommy Wornock, a minister at First Baptist Church, presided over Betty Everidge’s graveside service. Mrs. Everidge welcomed people into her home, where she lived for 70 years. “On just about any day of the week, there might have been three or four cars parked in her dirt driveway,” Taylor said. Tommy Wornock, a minister at First Baptist Church, presided over the graveside service. He said Mrs. Everidge was the church’s oldest member, and a woman of true faith, as
he pointed out the well-worn Bible atop her casket. “We will not be laying to rest Mrs. Everidge, but simply the Earth suit that God gave her to use,” Wornock said. “Mrs. Betty Everidge is with our Lord right now. ... We at First Baptist Church are thankful for that pattern and example.” Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver. com.
DOWN AND OUT by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
Woman still homeless after SUV crashes into house The home was destroyed, and the homeowners do not know where they will be able to go next.
After an SUV crashed into Dorothy Ussery’s Dover home on Christmas morning, the 83-year-old has been left homeless. A recent offer from the driver’s insurance company only covered $10,000 of the expenses. The family has set up a Go Fund Me account to help rebuild her home and is still taking donations. Shortly before 3 a.m. on Christmas, Ussery heard a crash in her living room. But it wasn’t Santa coming down the chimney. “I woke up to this horrible sound and things flying through the air,” Ussery said. “I thought maybe an oak tree fell on (the house), but … It sounded more like an explosion.” Ussery walked from her ground-floor bedroom into the living room and found a cloud of debris and an SUV. “I couldn’t see (the driver),” Ussery said. “All I could hear was, ‘Help me, help me.’ I was
Catherine Sinclair
Dorothy Ussery’s house in Dover was demolished after a vehicle crashed into her living room and caused great damage. shaking so bad, I could hardly talk, myself. I was in shock.” According to police reports, a 30-year-old woman was driving an SUV on Moores Lake Road, a small residential street in Dover, and crashed into Ussery’s house. The driver suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and was taken to Tampa General Hospital. Ussery and her son, who lives with her, were unharmed. “I came pretty close to getting hit by that car — probably two feet, because my bedroom was right there by it all,” Ussery said.
Though Ussery and her son did not suffer injuries, they did suffer great material loss, including a 55-inch color TV that they had recently bought, all of their Christmas decorations, furniture, items of personal significance and more. But the biggest loss was the house itself, where Ussery had lived for 46 years. She and her son had recently renovated it, with the addition of a new bathroom, hardwood floors, an outdoor deck and fresh coats of paint. But the damage from the crash was so great, and the property was
therefore so unsafe, that code enforcement officials decided the house had to be demolished within days of the crash. Ussery had financial difficulties and had not been able to keep up with her homeowners insurance. The Red Cross immediately came to her aid by providing three nights in a nearby motel room for her and her son. The owner of the motel agreed to let them stay a few additional nights for free, which Ussery was greatly thankful for. She had surgery scheduled for her cataracts Jan. 6, and needed somewhere to rest and recover. “I always pride myself in being strong and not really having to depend on anybody,” Ussery said. “But at a time like this, your pride is stripped from you and you have to deal with things you never thought you’d have to deal with.” Ussery is not sure where she will go next. Her daughter, Melody Mathis, lives in Plant City, but in an upstairs residence, and Ussery cannot climb the stairs. She does not have other family members in town who can provide housing for her. Mathis has set up an online fundraiser for her mother, and as of press time, she had raised $12,090 of $140,000. To donate, visit GoFundMe.com/ jaxfws. Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver. com.
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ICY RECEPTION by Amber Jurgensen | Managing Editor
Team needs help floating to Polar Plunge Warriors at Heart needs to raise $500 to compete in the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics at Aquatica in Orlando. Preteen Megan Flowers still gets chills when she thinks about the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics. Flowers competed last year, braving the 60-degree water at Aquatica in Orlando for her Plant Citybased team Warriors at Heart. This year she will compete again. But, first she and her team have to raise $500 before Feb. 1. “We really want Plant City to be involved in this kind of stuff,” Sharon Flowers, who started Warriors at Heart with her cousin Megan, said. Megan had friends help her swim to the end before she ran to Sharon and gave her a wet bear hug. “They say it’s not that cold, but once you go in the deep it feels like you’re in the arctic,” Megan said. “That cold that hit my chest — I couldn’t breathe. I’m more of a summer girl.” Joining her team this year is special olympian Jamie Clopton, who has played volleyball for three years. “I ain’t scared because I was born in Ohio,” Clopton said. Also on the team are Megan’s mother and father, Florence and Kevin Flowers. Every person has to raise $100 to partici-
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pate in the plunge Feb. 7. So far, they’ve raised only $108 from their own pockets and a yard sale fundraiser. To help secure the rest of the donations, Warriors at Heart will be having a karaoke contest at Uncle Mike’s Smokehouse from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30. There will be a silent auction, raffles, dancing and the event is family friendly. A $5 cover will help support the team. In addition to money, the team is trying to also secure military-style costumes to wear. Each team at Polar Plunge dresses up in corresponding gear, such as superheroes, Disney, characters or even the Blues Brothers. Sharon picked a military theme because she has a special passion for the armed forces. In the past, she has made care boxes to send overseas and participates in Wreaths Across America. She started Warriors at Heart with Megan to help the troops. But in the two years since its inception, it has grown to participate in Special Olympics and Relay for Life. “It’s really a lot of fun,” Sharon said. “I just love helping people and seeing smiles on faces. I’m just trying to make a difference
CONTACT US The Plant City Times & Observer is published once weekly, on Fridays. It provides free home delivery to several neighborhoods in Plant City. The Plant City Times & Observer also can be found in many commercial locations throughout Plant City and at our office, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A. If you wish to discontinue home delivery or if you wish to suspend home delivery temporarily, call Linda Lancaster at 704-6850.
Amber Jurgensen
Warriors at Heart needs to raise $500 by Feb. 1 to be able to compete in the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics. in the world. Someone needs to.” Megan was just 11 when she and Flowers first brainstormed the idea for the group while driving in a pickup truck. She was the youngest volunteer at Special Olympics last year. “I’ve been supportive about it,” Florence said. “It’s good for her to be involved. If I can’t go to an event, then I let her go with Sharon because I want her to be there.” But the group has had trouble having a turnout in participation and donations. For this year’s Wreaths Across America, nobody donated to the group in six months. “We want businesses to get involved with Special Olympics, we want to make it bigger,”
KARAOKE NIGHT FUNDRAISER FOR POLAR PLUNGE WHEN: 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30 WHERE: Uncle Mike’s Smokehouse Grill, 106 State Road 60 E. INFO: A $5 cover and proceeds from raffles and a silent auction will go the Warriors at Heart Polar Plunge team for Special Olympics. There will also be dancing and it will be a familyfriendly event. For information on donating to the Warriors at Heart Polar Plunge team for Special Olympics call Sharon at (813) 764-6440 or visit WarriorsAtHeart.org to donate directly.
Plant City Times &
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General Manager/Executive Editor / Michael Eng, meng@PlantCityObserver.com General Manager/Advertising / Stacey Hudson, shudson@tampabay.com Managing Editor / Amber Jurgensen, ajurgensen@PlantCityObserver.com Assistant Managing Editor / Jess Eng, jeng@PlantCityObserver.com Staff Writers / Justin Kline, jkline@PlantCityObserver.com; Catherine Sinclair, csinclair@PlantCityObserver.com Advertising Executives / Veronica Prostko, vprostko@PlantCityObserver.com; Joanna Verga, jverga@tampabay.com Circulation/Office Manager / Linda Lancaster, llancaster@PlantCityObserver.com
“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” — Friedrich Hayek, “Road to Serfdom,” 1944
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CUTESTCRITTER
WALDEN LAKE CAR WASH
Q&A WITH FRANK CUMMINGS, OWNER
S
anta brought Koal to the Hoyt family for Christmas 2011. She is a 3-year-old black and white boxer. She loves to run and go on car trips. Turkey Creek Animal Hospital and Animal Wellness Center have partnered to present a monthly Cutest Critter Contest. Entering is simple: Just submit a highresolution photo (200 dpi or better) and a sentence or two about why your pet is the cutest. Include your name and contact information. Photos will be showcased in the Plant City Times & Observer. Submit your entries to Managing Editor Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com; subject line: Cutest Critter Contest. Good luck!
How did Walden Lake Car Wash first get its start? I had gotten sick and had to retire from my job of 15 years, and after taking off for three months, my brother and best friend said let’s invest in something for our retirements. So we came up with a car wash and/ or 711, laundromat. As it happened, I was researching places and came across a car wash in Plant City. At the same time, Plant City was having the Pig Jam that weekend so we made the long trip from Ruskin to Plant City, and the rest is history. What kind of services can Walden Lake Car Wash offer the community? We offer lots of services, from simple car washes to full detail, oil change and light mechanical services. Even pick up and delivery for local business owners. And fleet plans, from a funeral home or a daycare center. How does Walden Lake Car Wash contribute to the
community? My wife and I are strong believers you must give back to a community. We support local churches and other organizations. We are a members of the Lions Club and chamber. My staff has volunteered on their only day off with three fundraisers. What is Walden Lake Car Wash’s motto or mission, and why? Our motto is: Make the customer happy, and give them a little more than they asked for. People are
spending hard-earned money and they need to get what they paid for. Car wash is a luxury. Can you describe your customers? We have the best customers in Plant City. Our customers have learned names of our full-time employees and ask when they don’t see them. Customers bring the staff pizza or other types of lunch and goodies. I don’t know of any other car wash that has that type of customer. I think because it is the community.
Neighborhood R E A L E S TAT E | P L A N T C I T Y L I F E | O B I T U A R I E S | G A M E S | FA I T H | S P O RT S
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015
CLUB HUBBUB If your club would like to post announcements, email them to Associate Editor Amber Jurgensen, ajurgensen@ plantcityobserver.com.
+ Improvement League To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Plant City has a full schedule of events over the weekend of Jan. 16 to Jan. 23 from parades to gospel concerts. The Improvement League has chosen this year’s theme for the festivities, “Color of Unity,” which spokesman William Thomas said is a reflection of how Plant City comes together every year to make the festival a success. “We try to adopt a theme that reflects the City of Plant City,” Thomas said. “We picked a theme reflecting unity because there are people of all backgrounds coming together for the festival.” The festival will get started at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 16, as Pastor Larry Sykes, the Marshall Middle School Jazz Ensemble and Gentleman’s Quest kick off the opening ceremony. The Teen Dance Summit will be later at 7:30 p.m. at the Plant City MLK Recreational Center, 1601 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Saturday looks to be the most eventful day of the weekend. Thomas and the Improvement League are expecting the biggest turnout. The carnival will open at 10:30 a.m. at the MLK Rec Center’s sports complex and will run until 8 p.m. The MLK Freedom Parade, which will march down Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., will begin at 1 p.m. Leola McDonald will serve as this year’s Parade Marshal. The most prominent new addition to the festival, the Plant City MLK Drumline Showdown, will be held at 2:30 p.m. The competition will feature six high and middle schools, with a $1,000 cash prize for the best high school unit and $600 for the best middle school unit. This is something that the Improvement League wants to keep around for next year — especially if they’re able to expand it. The music showcase, featuring a number of hip-hop and spoken-word artists, the Gospel Extravaganza and the car show will all be held at 4 p.m. Sunday’s events will include the Leadership Breakfast at the HCC Trinkle Center at 7:30 a.m., for which tickets cost $25. The community awards will be presented, and State Rep. Darryl Rouson will serve as the guest speaker. The festival will wrap up Monday with the Freedom Walk at Sam Cooper Park, to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., along with tours of the Bing House Museum, a barber shop competition, fitness classes and a movie screening. For more information about the festival, visit PlantCityMLKFestival.com. Local organizations and community members will also be receiving awards in celebration: MLK Leadership Award: Plant City Photo Archives & History Center E.L. Bing Education Award: Iris Lewis Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Service Award: Azaria Santos Improvement League President’s Award: Durant High JROTC
The 2015 Queen, Jade’a Broome, was ravishing in red.
Brooke Browning
JUNIOR ROYALS CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT by Amber Jurgensen | Managing Editor
Hanna Watson The Junior Royalty pageant for the Florida Strawberry Festival took place Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Grimes Family Agricultural Center. More than 100 girls vied for the titles of Baroness, Duchess, Princess and Queen. The 2015 Baroness is Madelynn Hardwick. The 2015 Baroness First Maid is Kacie Culbreth. The 2015 Duchess is Caitlin Davis. The 2015 Duchess First Maid is Paige Zarecor. The 2015 Princess is Avery Surrency. The 2015 Princess First Maid is Kennedy Sapp. The 2015 Junior Royalty Queen is Jade’a Broome. The 2015 Junior Royalty Queen First Maid is Kendall Gaudens.
Milee Hasting was a seasoned veteran.
Sophia Overstreet
Cupcake dresses were a popular choice.
Riley Buttorff Left: Avery Surrency
Many of the contestants had fun with the competition.
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LIFE CYCLE by Justin Kline | Staff Writer
Plant City gears up for Dean’s Ride The Plant City YMCA is preparing to hold its annual Dean’s Ride charity event this Saturday. For many Plant City residents, the best way to honor the memory of Dean Snyder is to do what he loved. With that in mind, Snyder’s family and the Plant City YMCA are continuing the Dean’s Ride: Strength and Honor fundraising ride to help kick off 2015. “Dean was an avid biker, so he wanted biking to become more prominent in Plant City and to get that awareness out of choosing to have a healthy lifestyle,” YMCA marketing coordinator Leigh Scott said. “It was a perfect pairing of what we stand for, and what his thoughts were.” In 2013, the event’s first year, the ride attracted 125 local riders, including Snyder himself, who was battling esophageal cancer but still loved hopping on his bike and hitting the road. He told the Plant City Times & Observer in 2013 that he chose “Strength and Honor” as the fundraiser’s motto with inspiration from the 2000 film “Gladiator.” Unfortunately, Snyder died before he could ride in the 2014 event. But the 2014 ride was even more popular than the first one: The YMCA reported a total of 150 registered cyclists and more than $5,000 raised for the Plant City Family YMCA’s Livestrong program, a free, 12-
Cyclists hit the course bright and early at the 2014 Dean’s Ride event. week wellness program that supports cancer survivors and helps them achieve a healthy lifestyle. The ride is open to anyone 14 or older and comes with a $30 registration fee. That money will also get each rider a goodie bag filled with a T-shirt, coupons, trail mix and more. Riders can register on-site the day of the event, beginning at 7 a.m., and may also register at the Plant City Family YMCA today. Riders will start and finish at
the Hillsborough Community College’s Trinkle Center, and Lakeland-based Dave’s World Cycle will have people biking the paths to help riders with mid-ride repairs. All riders are required to wear a helmet, as the paths follow open roads. There will be rest stops along each path, with water provided. The ride is slated for an 8 a.m. start, and a light breakfast will be provided beforehand. After the ride, the Daybreak Rotary Club will provide a light
File photo
lunch for everyone. This year, Scott and the YMCA are hoping that Dean’s Ride will top last year’s totals in both participation and funds raised. And, of course, they’re hoping that everyone just goes out there and has a good time — exactly what Snyder wanted the event to be to begin with. “This is not a race — just a ride,” Scott said. “Go your own pace.” Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
preparation by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
Wells Memorial offers seminars
Each event is free and will help educate people about preplanning for deaths or services. Wells Memorial and Event Center will be offering five seminars within the next month to teach people in the community about how to prepare for the death of a family member, or how to prepare their families for their own deaths. The complimentary seminars will be nearly identical, except their locations and the type of food that will be offered. They are intended to help attendees understand the benefits of preplanning, whether a death is imminent or far in the future. “It’s the hardest thing in the world to walk into a funeral home and have to make arrangements for a family mem-
SEMINARS 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at Chancy’s Catfish Shack 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, at the Plant City Living Center 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, at Uncle Mike’s Smokehouse Grill 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, at Uncle Mike’s Smokehouse Grill Seminars at Plant City Towers and Plant City Living Center are intended for residents of those locations.
ber, and you’re in shock, because now you have to figure out — do they want burial or cremation? Maybe they never even talked about it,” Wells Memorial director Verna McKelvin said. Wells Memorial distributes personal planning guides, booklets in which a person can record important, extensive details that his or her family might need to know after he or she dies. For example, one page asks questions about career accomplishments and hobbies. These details could be used for writing an obituary. Another page asks about funeral service and burial preferences. McKelvin said the seminars are not the right setting for people to be writing down detailed personal information. But attendees are welcome to set up a time to meet with a Wells Memorial staff member one-on-one and go over the planning guide. “We really want to get these in the hands of every single family in this area,” McKelvin said. There is also a separate guide specifically for military veterans, which outlines VA benefits and has sections to record information about military honors or medals. Guests at the seminars will
Catherine Sinclair
Marilyn Robertson and Verna McKelvin hope to educate Plant City about the necessity of funeral preplanning, through five public seminars in early 2015. also learn about the benefits of specific preparations such as a bereavement travel plan. This type of plan can help family members get discounts on airfare, car rentals and hotels if they must travel to attend a memorial service. McKelvin said that overall, families find peace of mind and are usually able to save money if a deceased loved one had preplanned for his or her death. Marilyn Robertson is Wells Memorial’s preplanning specialist, and she will be conducting the seminars this January and February.
“I just say, ‘Look, this is casual. I’m here to answer your questions, and you’re free to comment,’” Robertson said. Often, she and McKelvin will even share personal stories at the seminars, in order to foster that casual and personal environment. “It’s just educational. There’s no selling. We invite open conversation,” McKelvin said. “When people have questions ... they want to talk about it and say, ‘What if?’ So those are the questions we want to answer.” Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver. com.
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OBSERVER OBITUARIES Larry Wesley Arrington
Larry Wesley Arrington, 73, died Dec. 29, 2014, in Plant City. Son of the late Charles Acre and Lydia Teal Arrington, Mr. Arrington was born April 25, 1941, in Roanoke, Virginia. Mr. Arrington graduated from William Fleming High School and Roanoke College. He received his master’s degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his doctorate of education from Nova University. A lifelong educator, Mr. Arrington began his career in the mid 1960s at Roanoke College. During retirement, Mr. Arrington wrote and published three books about cross country and track at Roanoke College. More recently, he had begun working on a book about photographing the Blue Ridge Parkway. Mr. Arrington will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. He was the brother of Maxine Arrington Lanter, Marie Arrington Saul and Charles L. Arrington, all predeceased. He is survived by nephews, Richard Saul and Robin Saul; and brother-in-law, George Saul. A memorial service will be held in Roanoke, Virginia, at a time and place to be announced later. Condolences may be made at WellsMemorial.com.
Eva Pearl Arvai
Eva Pearl Arvai, 93, of Plant City, died Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. Born Tuesday, Nov. 15, 1921, in Dothan, Alabama, she was the daughter of the late John and Eva Pope Whitehead. Mrs. Arvai was a very talented seamstress at Hutto’s Department Store in Plant City in the 1960s. She also made many wedding dresses and the Plant City High School Dancerettes’ costumes. She was also preceded in death by her childhood sweetheart and husband of 72 years, George Arvai; and sister, Loma Denmark. Surviving are son, Johnny Arvai; daughters, Mary Tindale and Judy Johnson; four sisters; one brother; seven grandchildren; 12 greatgrandchildren; and six greatgreat-grandchildren. A funeral service took place Monday, Jan. 12, at Haught Funeral Home Chapel. Condolences may be made at HaughtFuneralHome.com.
Patty Brannon
Patty Brannon, 60, died Jan. 4, 2015, in Plant City. Mrs. Brannon was born in Fulton, New York, and moved to Florida in the early 1970s. She was a bookkeeper for income tax and enjoyed vacationing with family, doing puzzles and playing Farmville. She was preceded in death by brothers, Johnny and Mark Snogles. She is survived by her husband of 39 years, Rickey Brannon; son, Donnie Brannon; daughter, Kim Faulk (James); sisters, Jean Croslin, Kathy Chutter (Richard), Laura Snogles and Debbie Goodson (Ron); and grandchildren, Shelby, Tyler, Jeanelle and DJ. A visitation was held Friday, Jan. 9, at Wells Memorial. Burial at Memorial Park Cemetery. Condolences may be made at WellsMemorial.com.
Robert Seymore Butters
Robert Seymore Butters, 74, of Plant City, died Jan. 7, 2015, at Health Center of Plant City. Born May 19, 1940, in Berlin, New Hampshire, he was the son of the late Seymore and Georgia Judkins Butters. He was the husband of Loretta Checchia Butters for 47 years; she survives. Robert was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He was retired from the U.S. Postal Service, collected guns and enjoyed hunting. Also surviving are daughter, Ann Marie Breton; grandchildren, Jamie and Carlann Breton; and great-grandchild, Catanya Breton. A memorial service was held Monday, Jan. 12, at Haught Funeral Home Chapel. Condolences may be made at HaughtFuneralHome.com.
Carolyn B. Byrd
Carolyn B. Byrd, 70, died Friday, Jan. 2, 2015. She was born in Plant City, and moved to Tallahassee for many years, where she was employed by the Division of Blind Services. She had lived in Jacksonville for the past fifteen years. She was an active member of Freedom Christian Fellowship in Jacksonville. She was preceded in death by her mother, Dorothy Mae Byrd; brother, Vernon Byrd; sister, Vivian Phillips; and nephews, Ricky and Andrew Rawls. She is survived by her daughter, Stacy Byrd Boutwell (Earl), of Tallahassee; sisters, Mary Mizell (Bob), of Jacksonville and Darlene Rawls (Richard), of Plant City; grandson, Alan Boutwell, of Tallahassee; numerous nieces and nephews; sister in Christ, Daisy Perkins; long time friend, Jacqueline Gideons; and numerous other family and friends. A visitation was held Jan. 8 at Wells Memorial Funeral Home. Condolences may be made at WellsMemorial.com.
Lois Emily Chaney
Lois Emily Chaney, 80, of Lakeland, died Jan. 3, 2015, at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. Born Dec. 10, 1934, in Orlando, she was the daughter of the late Charles and Emily Lundquist Symonds. She was the wife of the late Conway Chaney for 48 years. Mrs. Chaney was a member of Turkey Creek Assembly of God, where she sang in the choir and performed solo. She also sang with her sisters on the radio as a teenager. Mrs. Chaney was a good cook and a seamstress. She was predeceased by son, Roger Chaney. Surviving are daughters, Dee Wilson (Ric) and Gay Nell Chaney; brothers, David Symonds and Joseph Symonds; eight grandchildren; and 17 greatgrandchildren. A funeral service was held, Thursday, Jan. 8 at Haught Funeral Home Chapel. If so desired, donations may be made in Mrs. Chaney’s name to the Ronald McDonald House. Condolences may be made to at HaughtFuneralHome.com.
Janelle Hastings
Janelle Hastings, 68, of Lakeland, died Jan. 9, 2015. She is survived by her husband of 49 years, Don; children, Ted Hastings (Courtney), Pam Clement (Eric) and Benjamin Hastings (April); sisters, Sandra Winegar and Gail Ogden; and seven grandchildren. A celebration of life was held Monday, Jan. 12, at Plant City Church of Christ, with H.E. “Buddy” Payne Jr. officiating. Private interment at Hopewell Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Florida College, 119 N. Glen Ave., Temple Terrace, Florida, 33617, or Good Shepherd Hospice, 3450 Lakeland Hills Blvd., Lakeland, Florida, 33805. Condolences may be made at HopewellFuneral. com.
Fay Margaret Jones
Fay Margaret Jones, 53, of Plant City, died Jan. 6, 2015. She was a member of Lake Gibson Church of Christ, Lakeland. She loved her family, and enjoyed the beach and working at her family business, the Red Barn, and at Olive Garden. She is survived by her children, James Lacy Jr., (January), of Lakeland, and Charles Ryan Lacy, of St. Cloud; grandchildren, Jordan, Justin and Joshua Lacy; mother, Shirley Jones, of Plant City; siblings, David Jones, Cindy Keeble and Terry Borders; and many loving family and friends. She was preceded in death by her father, Bob C. Jones. A celebration of life was held Monday, Jan. 12, at Hopewell Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to LifePath Hospice, Development Dept., 12470 Telecom Drive, Suite 300, Temple Terrace, FL, 33637, and/or
the American Cancer Society at donate.cancer.org. Condolences may be made at HopewellFuneral.com.
Marie M. King
Marie M. King, 90, of Lakeland, died Jan. 6, 2014. She was born in Nashville, Georgia, in 1924, married the late George F. King Jr. in 1943, moved to Plant City in 1947 and relocated to Lakeland in 1995. She was a member of Victory Church in Lakeland, and a retired Hillsborough County school bus driver. She is survived by her children, Rita Christie (Marvin, of Lakeland, Bobby King (Diana), of Plant City, and Janet Deal, of Bartow; siblings, Virginia Stone, of Lakeland, Frances Barwick (Tom), of Springhill and Archie Robinson (Betty), of Atlanta; nine grandchildren; and 19 greatgrandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband; son, Richard P. King; and son-in-law, Kenny Deal. A celebration of life was held Friday, Jan. 9, at Hopewell Funeral Home. Interment at Mt. Enon Cemetery. Condolences may be made at HopewellFuneral. com.
Patricia Jane King
Patricia Jane King, 78, died Saturday, Dec. 27, 2014, at her home in Plant City. She was born in Aledo, Illinois, to Myrtle and William Thompson, both deceased. Her husband, William King, preceded her in death, as well as her brother, Hayes Hollembaek. Surviving are her son, Robert Joseph King; sister, Donna Moore (Hollembaek), of Alexis, Illinois; and brother, Samuel Thompson, of New Windsor, Illinois. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews.
Smyrnia Lou Lane
Smyrnia Lou Lane, 85, of Tampa, died Monday, Dec. 29, 2014. She was born Aug. 6, 1929, in Warwick, Georgia. She was a past member of Spirit Life Worship Center in Tampa. She enjoyed making and collecting ceramics. She loved her grandchildren and she enjoyed family gatherings. She also loved her dogs. Mrs. Lane was preceded in death by her husband, Marcus Lane Jr. She is survived by son, Marc Lane (Tammera), of Tampa; and daughter, Sheila Harris (Wayne), of Bushnell; two grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. Interment at Oaklawn Cemetery, Plant City. Arrangements entrusted to Purcell Funeral Home, Bushnell.
Victoria Lynn Smith Lokey
Victoria Lynn Smith Lokey, 58, of Clearwater, died Jan. 6, 2015. She is survived by son, Matthew Paul Lokey; parents, Benjamin and Rachel Smith; siblings, Cynthia Butner (Richard), Lori Highsmith (Terry) and Benny Smith; beloved dog, Rory; nieces, Lynsey, Candice and Allie; nephew, Sawyer; and numerous loving uncles, aunts and cousins. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Robert and Lilly Smith, and George and Joy Brown. A celebration of life was held Friday, Jan. 9, at Hopewell Funeral Home. Interment at Bethlehem Cemetery in Dover. Condolences may be made at HopewellFuneral.com.
Charles Leroy Mims
Charles Leroy Mims, 67, died Jan. 8, 2015, in Land O’Lakes, Florida. Mr. Mims was born in Plant City, to Alton Billy and Nana Marie Mims. He was a lineman for GTE and involved in his church. Loving family who survive are daughters, Tammy Hinson and Shawnia Harper (Thomas); sister, Barbara Loverin; grandchildren, Katie, Elizabeth, Cassie and MJ; and great-grandchildren, Kaden, Malachi and Ember. A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date and time.
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Sports
YOUTH | HIGH SCHOOL | GOLF | COMMUNITY
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Isaiah Channer is averaging 12 points per game. 14 SPONSORED BY COURTNEY PAAT | STATE FARM
PLANTCITYOBSERVER.COM
SIDELINES BASKETBALL
+ Lady Raiders make 7A Top 10 The Plant City Lady Raiders have overtaken Strawberry Crest and also gained some statewide recognition. The Jan. 7 Florida Association of Basketball Coaches/SourceHoops.com rankings named Plant City (then 14-2) the 10th-best team in Class 7A, with a one-game difference between the Lady Raiders and top-ranked Nova (then 13-2). This is likely due to a great December, in which the team lost only two games by a combined 18 points (including a 13-point tournament loss to Palm Harbor University), and in their wins, held all but two opponents to less than 40 points per game. Recent losses to Newsome and Crest got January off to a rough start, but this remains a team to be reckoned with in the upcoming district tournament.
SOCCER
FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015
new year, new you by Justin Kline | Staff Writer
Fitness experts help Plant City keep New Year resolutions
Getting fit is the New Year’s resolution of choice for many people, but it’s no quick fix. Local gyms and trainers want to get people in the door and make sure they stick around. Regardless of how crazy people are about the holiday season, there’s one thing that the diehards and casual fans can agree on: Visiting family means eating well. And eating well often means packing on the pounds. And packing on the pounds often leads to one of America’s most popular New Year’s resolutions: hitting the gym and getting into shape. Gym membership registrations often peak at this time, but there’s still a caveat. How many people will actually stick around after a couple of months? “A lot of people don’t realize that it’s a process,” personal trainer Brandon Volden says. “Once you hit your goal, you can’t just stop.”
Local trainers and gyms are doing what they can to keep people from calling it quits once they meet their goal, and that means getting the word out about what really works.
face East Bay (12-2-1; 8-0 district) in tonight’s championship game at Plant City High School. The Lady Raiders’ only district loss this season came at the hands of none other than the Lady Indians,
SEE SOCCER / PAGE 13
SEE KLINE / PAGE 14
Justin Kline
Alicia Hurley hits the weights at Plant City’s Anytime Fitness. With that in mind, Volden says that most people often came to him with a goal of wanting to lose 10 to 15 pounds. He often worked with his clients at Anytime Fitness,
but stressed the importance of staying consistent at home, sticking to the right diet and getting the proper support.
SEE FITNESS / PAGE 12
SOCCER by Justin Kline | Staff Writer
+ Youth League registration open Sign-ups for the Plant City Recreation and Parks Department/Optimist Youth Soccer Program are underway as the league prepares for its 39th season. The league is open to all youths 4 to 18, with ages determined as of June 1, 2015. It consists of 11 different age groups: co-ed 4, co-ed 5, co-ed 6, co-ed 7, boys 8-9, girls 8 and 9, boys 10 and 11, girls 10 and 11, boys 12 to 14, girls 12 to 14 and co-ed 15 to 18. The season lasts from late March until late May, with games played on Saturdays for ages 4 to 11 and weeknights for ages 12 to 18. Parents have until Wednesday, Feb. 11, to register their children for the league. The $35 registration fee covers the cost of one child’s jersey and accident insurance. Online registration and credit/debit card payments are not available at this time, so registration may be done in person at the Rec & Parks administration office, 1904 S. Park Road, or the registration form and payment may be mailed to that address. For additional information, visit plantcitygov. com, contact Tim Hanlon at thanlon@plantcity.gov or Danny Smith at dsmith@ plantcity.gov, or call the administration office at (813) 659-4255.
LITTLE LEAGUE
+ PCLL registration ends Satuday There are two more days to register for the upcoming Plant City Little League baseball and softball seasons. Children 4 to 15 can be registered to play on the Plant City Little League website, ETeamz. com/PlantCityLL. After registration, tryouts will be held Saturday, Jan. 24 and Monday, Jan. 26. Players who want to play up in a higher age group must try out with teams from both their league age and the next-higher league age.
The Plant City girls are gunning for the district championship Friday, Jan. 16.
Justin Kline
High school teams kick around tourney
The FHSAA girls soccer district tournaments are underway, and the boys will begin play soon. What’s the outlook for our area squads? No time of the year beats playoff time, regardless of the sport. Plant City-area soccer teams are gearing up for both district tournaments at this moment, with the girls awaiting the results of their district finals and the boys looking to take the pitch as early as Monday night. How have the girls been doing, and what could the boys do?
DURANT
It was a bit of a down year for the Lady Cougars, who regressed from a 9-4-2 (3-3 district) record in 2013 to a 6-8-1 (1-4 district) mark in 2014. Losing several seniors undoubtedly had something to do with that, but the team still had a chance to do something in the district tournament. In the Saturday, Jan. 10, quarterfinal game against
Wharton, Durant found itself down, 2-0, at the end of the first half. The girls’ rally to come back and win was nearly successful, but the offense was only able to produce one goal before time expired. On the other hand, the Durant boys are just about in line with what they did last season. The 2013 team finished at 7-6-2 (2-2-2 district) and ended up in the 5A regional quarterfinal before losing to Orlando-Freedom, 3-0. This year’s squad currently stands at 5-4-3 (1-3-2 district) and is heating up, outscoring opponents 9-2 over the past two games. They’ll wrap up the season tonight at 8 p.m. at Brandon and enter tournament play on Jan. 20.
PLANT CITY
Fielding the two best teams in the area, Plant City stayed
consistent in 2014 and posted two more excellent records: 9-4-2 (5-1-2 district) for the boys, 11-2-1 (7-1 district) for the girls. The boys aren’t entering the tournament on a high note, coming off of three straight losses to Riverview, Newsome and Plant, but none of those teams are in the district. That bodes well for the Raiders, whose only 4A-9 loss was to East Bay Nov. 14. The two higher seeds, Hillsborough and King, are also oneloss teams in district play, but Plant City has outscored them, 3-1, this season. The Lady Raiders have been district favorites (and champions) for three years running, and they look to keep the streak alive in 2014 with a high-powered offense that averages five goals per game. The catch is, they’ll
Sports are great, but better with right guide Like many sports-crazed Americans, I was shocked and saddened when I read that Stuart Scott passed away. The death of the veteran SportsCenter anchor made waves all over on the morning of Jan. 4, from the breaking news desk at CNN to the tiny living room where some friends and I were hanging out. “Back in middle school, I used to watch the same episode of SC 4 times in a row because Stu’s punchJUSTIN lines never got KLINE old,” a friend in Jacksonville tweeted that morning. Indeed, Scott’s on-air demeanor also made SportsCenter must-watch television for me when I was younger. He was one of the only guys at the Worldwide Leader who, even as time went on, never lost sight of the humor and humanity of sport. It was a lot of fun to watch, and I often found myself agreeing more with his tendency to call Derek Jeter “as cool as the other side of the pillow” than other personalities’ attempts to make the former New York Yankees captain look like a god from Greek mythology. Knowing that Scott’s off-air personality was, by all accounts, even better than the man we saw on television only made his passing more somber. One of the coolest things in the world is knowing that someone you’ve looked up to is an honestly good person, and I doubt that anyone who’s ever watched Scott regularly thought of him as being fake for the camera. He truly was a fan of the game, and that helped influence my decision to work in sports journalism. ESPN’s not completely devoid of on-air talent now, but Scott made sports news cool. I wouldn’t have the same level of passion if I had grown up watching ESPN in its current state. Scott’s passing made me think of the other reasons why I frequently tune in while other people — the “I would rather play the game than watch it on TV” crowd — do not. I always liked watching the athletes but I realized that several of the people who really made me a fan did so from behind a desk. I think that everyone can tell when they see something truly amazing happen on a playing field, with or without being informed. But when you have the right person telling you what’s happening, it can really elevate the moment in both the short and the long term. Growing up with Buffalo Sabres broadcaster Rick Jeanneret was a great privilege. I’ll be the first to admit that his voice and style may not be for everyone, but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone more excited to be at the games. And the excitement that he brings to the mic whenever he can is still infectious, even with the Sabres not doing too well these days. Just ask anyone from Western New York about Jeanneret, and they’ll probably tell you their favorite call. (Mine, which I still like to say when appropriate, is, “Top shelf, where Mama hides the cookies!”)
ONE-ON-ONE TIME
Volden, who spent much of the last five years as a Plant City-based personal trainer, has seen his fair share of people walk in and out of a fitness regimen when they probably should have stuck to it. And the majority of those clients signed up around this time of year. “The bulk of my money came in around the beginning of the year,” Volden says. “People usually start planning (to hire a trainer) around December — they know they’ll gain weight.”
WHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND?
BE THERE FOR THE BOYS Class 5A - District 6 tournament: Newsome High School — play begins 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, to 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23. Class 4A - District 9 tournament: Lennard High School — play begins 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, to 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23.
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FITNESS / PAGE 12 “I think the key is, you need help at home,” he says. “Let’s say that a woman wants to lose weight, but her husband doesn’t. It’s easy for her to get caught back up in her old ways because she doesn’t have that support.” Of course, there are certainly men and women out there who are strong-willed enough to stick with whatever plan they’re given. Volden says though it’s difficult for many people to take in five or six meals per day, simply being conscious about food choices will help anyone win the battle when they’re not in the gym. “I promoted healthier eating overall,” he says. “Chicken, tuna, whole wheat bread, brown rice, things that are good for you. I made suggestions to quit snacking, give up the latenight sweets and sodas.” Although Volden is no longer training, he still promotes that good habits, combined with a good trainer, willhelp those short-term goals stick around for the long-term.
MAKING IT EASY
Of course, some people will just want to join a gym and go it alone. Gym enrollment often peaks around January and February, and especially when there are special offers attached to signing a new contract — $1 enrollment fees, free stuff or anything that gets people in the door. Keeping their interest is a different story. Although gyms do
still make money off of members who work out infrequently, they would prefer to keep people coming through the door. “A lot of them, they just don’t know what to do,” Anytime Fitness manager Jeff Noble says. “They know they want to lose weight, or get buff, but they just don’t know how to do it.” Noble says that the biggest uptick in client registration usually happens in February. Last January, he says that the gym signed up 70 new members; the very next month, there were around 100 new members. “January, you would think,” Noble says. “But, people are recovering from Christmas, they just spent a boatload of money on Christmas gifts, or they want the resolution, but just start shopping around in January.” With six gyms to choose from in the area, including the new Planet Fitness location at the Strawberry Plaza, Plant City residents have no shortage of options to choose from. All have attractive qualities for people with varying goals, but the goal for the beginning of 2015 is to help all of these new members keep coming back. Anytime Fitness, for example, offers a computer-based training log that monitors progress and helps clients stay on track with their New Year’s fitness resolutions. The program, called Anytime Health, provides a profile for all members. “Anyone gets a login, and they can track their diet, their workout routine, everything,” Noble says. “It’s like their own
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GYM HUNTING Looking for the right place to start work on that New Year’s resolution? There are six gyms in town to choose from: Fitness for $10 - 1418 S. Evers St. (813) 717-7773 Anytime Fitness - 2402 James L. Redman Parkway (813) 567-1057 Planet Fitness - 1808 James L. Redman Parkway (813) 704-6955 Power Shop Fitness - 114 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. (813) 757-6038 Curves - 1822 James L. Redman Parkway (800) 704-5908 CrossFit Plant City - 1402 Mercantile Court (813) 650-9125 personal trainer.” The program is available online, on a mobile app and at a computer station just behind the manager’s office. When members swipe a key fob to get into the building, the program automatically detects it and gets ready to run for the client’s session. Not everyone is good with technology, and Noble realizes that the best way to keep some clients interested is still some good, old-fashioned person-toperson contact. “If we see that somebody’s falling off, we’ll call them and set them up with a trainer,” he says. “The first session is always free.”
SOCCER / PAGE 12 1-0, at home. Tonight’s game starts at 7 p.m. and fans could be treated to a classic.
STRAWBERRY CREST
Last year’s Lady Chargers team went 0-5-1 in the district under coach Ebony Robinson. This year, Robinson has led the girls to a 2-4 district record and district tournament win. The Jan. 10, 5-2 win over Bloomingdale didn’t look so good in the first half, when the Lady Bulls went into the locker room with a 1-0 lead. Crest, however, fired off five goals in the second half to take command, and built up some nice momentum. But that momentum was halted when they lost, 8-0, to Newsome Jan. 13. Entering the season with a new coach, Devere Archer, the Strawberry Crest boys were able to improve where it counts the most. They took their record from 7-4-3 (1-2-3 district) in 2013 to 5-6-1 (2-4 district) so far in 2014. Wins over Wharton and Durant moved the team up to fourth place in the district, and the Chargers were able to shake off a recent 8-0 loss at Steinbrenner with a 5-1 win over Lennard Jan. 9. They’ll close their season tonight, hosting Tampa Bay Tech at 7 p.m., and enter tournament play Jan. 20.
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KLINE / PAGE 12 For unfamiliar sports, listening to the right person is even better. I liked baseball, but my appreciation for the game grew when I found ways to listen to Vin Scully calling Los Angeles Dodgers games. Where guys like Jeanneret wear their enthusiasm on their sleeves, Scully made his mark by making you feel like you’re not just at the game, but sitting right next to him. With over 60 years in the game, the guy has plenty of great stories to tell and has seen some of the most storied moments in the sport’s history. There’s no
one like him in all of sports, and he’s a big reason why I began to pay more attention to the finer details of baseball. (My favorite Scully moment, though it’s a little older than me, is his work in the final game of the 1988 World Series. It gives me chills, and can be found on YouTube). Of course, when you’re spoiled with greatness like that, many changes turn into huge letdowns. My favorite on-air personality of all time, wrestling legend Jim Ross, was so awesome at taking the WWE product (which, I will admit, often became ridiculous) and engaging the audi-
ence in every way imaginable. I stopped watching wrestling religiously when he left the WWE, and whenever I stumble upon RAW while channel surfing, I find it almost unbearable to sit through. I know that Stuart Scott was different from those guys, being a news anchor. But his job was also to keep SportsCenter viewers informed and entertained. And, like all of them, he was so good at it that he helped a lot of people grow to love sports. When you can watch a great anchor like that, or even a great announcer, don’t take it for granted.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK SPONSORED BY COURTNEY PAAT | STATE FARM
ISAIAH CHANNER After taking some time to build up team chemistry, the Strawberry Crest Chargers boys team is tied for second place in the district race. Leading the way is senior guard Isaiah Channer, who’s averaging 12 points, 6.4 rebounds and assists, and 3.6 steals per game.
What’s been the key to getting past the slow start? Coming into this year, we didn’t really expect anything. Coach (Andre Lewis) got on us, told us we need to work hard and everything, so we’ve been trying to work harder. We lost all five starters from last year. Working with a whole new starting five must have been a challenge. How did you guys get more comfortable playing with each other? Outside of school, we started hanging out with each other and building relationships. A lot of us never talked to each other last year. We’ve become better friends. We’ve become like a family now. Your brother, Malik, graduated, and now you’ve taken over his role on the team. What has it been like filling his shoes? It’s not that big of shoes to fill. I feel like I’m better than him. How so? I’m faster, more athletic, and I’ve got a better jump shot. He’ll probably shake his head if he sees that. I talk trash to him every time we see each other. I win in oneon-one all the time. Any college prospects right now? Not right now. If I could go anywhere, I’d want to go to Coastal Carolina University. You guys have districts coming up soon. What are you looking forward to? We’ve got a big game Friday, against Brandon. We win that, we become second in the district. We’re looking
forward to getting back to the district championship. No one expects us to get back there, but we’re trying to get back there. You all sound like you really want to prove people wrong. Yeah. In the previews, they didn’t list us last year, and we won districts. This year, they didn’t list us again, so we’re trying to do the same thing. We just haven’t beaten East Bay yet, but we’ll get them. What else do you play? I play volleyball. I’ve been playing since freshman year. What are some of your hobbies? Playing video games. I play NBA 2K15. My team is the Cleveland Cavaliers. Is that your favorite team in real life? I like the Milwaukee Bucks. If you could play basketball for any NBA team, who would it be? Probably the Orlando Magic. I’d just like to stay home. What is the coolest thing you’ve ever done on a basketball court? The triple-double I had this year (Dec. 9, vs. Durant - 13 pts., 10 reb., 10 ast.). If you could try any sport you’ve never played before, what would it be? Football. I would play wide receiver. Who’s your favorite athlete of all time? Usain Bolt. My dad’s Jamaican, and everything in our house is Jamaican. We idolize Usain Bolt.
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PLANT CITY
RAIN
(INCHES)
WEATHER
THURS. Jan. 8
0.00
FRI.
TEMPERATURES
Jan. 9
0.00
SAT.
Friday, Jan. 16 Saturday, Jan. 17 Sunday, Jan. 18 Monday, Jan. 19 Tuesday, Jan. 20 Wednesday, Jan. 21 Thursday, Jan. 22
Jan. 10
0.00
SUN.
Jan. 11
0.02
MON.
Jan. 12
HIGH 65 72 74 73 74 76 78
SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
0.96
TUES.
SUNRISE Friday, Jan. 16 7:21 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 17 7:21 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 18 7:21 a.m. Monday, Jan. 19 7:21 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20 7:21 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21 7:21 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 22 7:20 a.m.
Jan. 13
0.82
WED.
Jan. 14
0.00
JAN.
TO DATE
SUNSET 5:55 p.m. 5:56 p.m. 5:57 p.m. 5:57 p.m. 5:58 p.m. 5:59 p.m. 6:00 p.m.
MOON PHASES
Jan. 20
Jan. 26
STRAWBERRIES
1.78 (2014: 0.33)
LOW 44 50 50 53 53 54 56
$12.90
YEAR
Feb. 3
Courtesy of the United States Department of Agriculture
TO DATE 0.00 (2014: 0.33)
Jan. 13
CRYPTOQUIZ Each of the following cryptograms is a clue to the identity of a distinguished author. Using the hints U=I and F=C, decipher the clues to name the author.
FBUFX PUE
FANSRQ
TPFABAPUYN
RUMADFS
NSVETP UPPVSYY
Answers: 1) Chick Lit, 2) Comedy, 3) Alcoholism, 4) Divorce, 5) Mental Illness, Marian Keyes
SUDOKU
The Plant City Times & Observer and Grimes Hardware have partnered to host the I Love Plant City Photo Contest. Winners will have their photo featured and receive a $15 gift certificate to Grimes Hardware’s Strawberry Town Cafe! To enter, email your photo, along with a caption, to Editor Amber Jurgensen, ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com; subject line: I Love Plant City. Winners can pick up their prize at Grimes Hardware.
TIMES & OBSERVER CROSSWORD ACROSS
This author wrote Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married:
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Joanne Mays captured this sunset on Walden Lake Golf Course.
1. Crow’s home 6. Gangster’s blade 10. Fix, in a way 13. Birdlike 14. Desert sight 16. Victorian, for one 17. Bring back into original use 19. Be in session 20. Bosses 21. Vacation souvenirs (hyphenated) 23. Shoestring 25. Warm, so to speak 26. Cheat 29. Duck’s home 31. Arm bones 33. Artist Chagall 35. Bakery buy 37. Belief in God based on reason, not revelation 39. Skating jumps 41. Bill and ___ 42. Taste, e.g. 43. Japanese-American 44. Chinese dynasty 46. Accommodate 47. Power glitch 49. Tablet 51. Blonde’s secret, maybe 52. Coquette 53. Checked item 55. Having flat polished surfaces, like on a gemstone 58. Ancient upright stone slabs bearing markings 62. Airline’s home base 63. Argue in protest 65. “Is that ___?� 66. Insinuating 67. Overthrow, e.g. 68. Carry on 69. Bring (out) 70. Grating
DOWN 1. Hawaiian tuber 2. “... happily ___ after� 3. ___ Piper 4. Artist’s stand 5. Bag 6. Blubber 7. “Stop right there!� 8. Egyptian fertility goddess 9. Hindu deity, protector of worlds 10. Held back 11. Western blue flag, e.g. 12. Gangster’s gun 15. Police officers’ badges 18. English race place
22. Wife of a raja (pl.) 24. Legislate 26. F.B.I. operative (hyphenated) 27. Part of a plane (hyphenated) 28. By reasonable assumption 30. Sag 32. English exam finale, often 34. Divine 36. Bartender’s supply 38. Allocate, with “out� 40. Washington and Franklin on the Constitution
45. Luster 48. Scope 50. Second of two 54. ___ cotta 55. Holding as much as possible 56. Arabic for “commander� 57. Birdbrain 59. 1968 Chemistry Nobelist Onsager 60. Above 61. Mysterious: Var. 62. Accident 64. After expenses
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