Plant City Times &
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
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FREE • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2014
SPORTS
IN FOCUS
Durant Cougars embrace winand-in scenario.
Cracker Country Feast feeds more than just guests.
HOMECOMING
PAGE 14
PAGE 12
PAGES 8-9
OUR TOWN
Durant, Plant City, Strawberry Crest crown new royalty.
closure by Michael Eng | Executive Editor
Misti Whitfield’s body found The family will host a celebration of life Sunday, Nov. 2, at McCall Park.
+ PCHS students put in some work Students from Plant City High School have donated their time to earn community-service hours and build their resumes by helping build obstacles for Romp in the Swamp II, a mud run 5K hosted by the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce. They met with chair Michael Watkins after school Oct. 22, to discuss plans. Romp in the Swamp will be held Nov. 1, at Lakeside Station, 2302 Henderson Way, Plant City. It will benefit the chamber’s scholarship fund and the Foundation at South Florida Baptist Hospital. To register, visit RompInTheSwamp.org.
The 17-month rine, in Tampa. Since search for a missing then, Tampa Police Plant City woman is Det. Scott Bullard and over. Whitfield’s parents, Tampa Police Demother Sharon Ardepartment detectives lean and stepfather discovered the reMel Ardelean, had mains of a body Oct. scoured the county to 24, later confirmed to Misti Whitfield chase leads derived be that of Misti Whitfrom Whitfield’s large field, her parents said in an network of friends and acexclusive interview with the quaintances. Plant City Times & Observer. “It is bittersweet,” Mel ArWhitfield disappeared May delean said. “The sweet part 2, 2013, near Nautical Ma- is that the agony of not know-
ing is over. We were at four or five lake searches, four or five yards; we chased false leads. Now, we finally have her, and we can shut that part of it down. “The bitter part is now we have to find out who did it and why, and we have to make sure this never happens to anyone else’s kid,” he said. The Ardeleans will host a celebration of Whitfield’s life at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, in McCall Park, Historic Down-
Jon Poppell
See his photo on PAGE 17.
two candlelight vigils the family hosted in Plant City proved valuable for lead generation.
SEE WHITFIELD / PAGE 4
After Immediate Past President Floyd Hall retired, Sunshine State Bank has hired Andrew Samuel, who brings more than 30 years of experience in the industry.
+ Turn your clocks back
This week’s winner is
WHERE: McCall Park, Historic Downtown Plant City. A reception will follow at Cuzzins, 111 S. Palmer St., Plant City.
Sunshine State Bank hires Andrew Samuel as new president
The mandatory orientation for the Florida Strawberry Queen Pageant will take place beginning at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, at the Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds in the Charlie Grimes Family Ag Center, 2508 W. Oak Ave. Attending the meeting is the only way to obtain an application to the competition. Applicants must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The pageant will take place beginning at 6 p.m. Jan. 31, at the Charlie Grimes Family Ag Center. For more information call Gail Lyons at (813) 9676366 or Kerrie Gafford at (863) 670-6272.
, 3&
WHEN: 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2
business by Amber Jurgensen | Managing Editor
+ Strawberry Queen orientation Sunday
Daylight saving time ends Sunday at 2 a.m., so be sure to move your clocks back one hour before going to bed Saturday night. This means the evenings will start getting dark earlier — until the second Sunday in March, when daylight saving time resumes.
town Plant City. The service will be followed by a reception at their business, Cuzzins, 111 S. Palmer St., Plant City. “The family wants to thank the thousands of people in Plant City who helped in this effort,” Mel Ardelean said. “We can start to heal.” Mel Ardelean said their access to Whitfield’s Facebook account, which they received just two days before she disappeared, was instrumental in the search. He also said the
MISTI WHITFIELD CELEBRATION OF LIFE
DIG IN! Catherine Sinclair
Hopewell Baptist Church, and the local churches and schools, hosted fall festivals during October. Each event had its own twist, but all provided family fun. For photos, see page 5.
Sunshine State Bank’s new President Andrew Samuel has enough professional experience that made him stand out among other candidates for the post. But the India native also has a unique life story that lends to his value-based philosophy in leadership. This value-based emphasis was something the bank’s board members were looking for when they tapped Samuel after Immediate Past President Floyd Hall retired this month. “He’s a very impressive guy,” Hall said. “Being involved with a value-based company, he’s demonstrative of those values with employees, customers, stockholders and the community.” Samuel lived in India for six years as a child. In the mostly Hindu country, Samuel was raised as a Christian. His great-great-great-grandfather was a Hindu priest. When his son started questioning the religion, he was outcasted and ended up on the doorstep of an Anglican church. From
there, the family has kept its Christian faith. Samuel still makes it a large part of his life today. Samuel compared his life in India to the blockbuster “Slumdog Millionaire.” He slept with 16 other people on the floor of a one-room shack. They smeared cow dung on the dirt floor to stop the dust from settling on their bodies. With no running water, he had to go the bathroom in a nearby field. After his family moved to Zambia, Africa, Samuel’s father had bigger dreams for his son. He encouraged Samuel to continue his education. His neighbors had connections to a private liberal arts college in the United States. So at age 17, he left Africa for Messiah College in Pennsylvania with one suitcase and $200 in his pocket. Until then, he had never used silverware. But Samuel flourished at his new school. He studied
SEE CEO / PAGE 4
HEART FOR HUNGER by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
Turkey Creek Middle School student organizes food drive Kirstin Bassinger is collecting donations for Operation Compassion. When Kirstin Bassinger, an eighth-grader at Turkey Creek Middle School, found out a local food pantry had run out of food, she was not about to let the people it served go hungry. So, she set up three food collection days, Nov. 1, 3 and 4, to help Operation Compassion feed people for the holidays. “There are so many more
hungry people than I thought, and my heart really goes out to the needy,” Bassinger said. Operation Compassion exists physically in a trailer behind the main building of Plant City Church of God. But its director, Dolores Stropagel, and other volunteers, are the heart of the ministry. Stropagel started Operation
Compassion 15 years ago as a ministry of the church. “We didn’t have a food ministry on-site, so I wanted to volunteer for one,” she said. The project began with food service for Thanksgiving, but it soon became a weekly service. Now, food is distributed from
Amber Jurgensen
SEE DRIVE / PAGE 4
Sunshine State Bank Immediate Past President Floyd Hall, left, will stay on to help Andrew Samuel in his new position until the end of the year.
Weather ......................17
Sports.........................14
INDEX Calendar.......................2
Vol. 2, No. 15 | One section Crossword...................17
Obituaries...................13
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COMMUNITYCALENDAR FRIDAY, OCT. 31 Acoustic Happy Hour — live music takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 31, at O’Brien’s Irish Pub and Family Restaurant, 1701 S. Alexander St. (813) 764-8818. Book-o-Ween — takes place all day Friday, Oct. 31, at Bruton Memorial Library, 302 W. McLendon St. Children can receive a free book while supplies lasts. (813) 273-3652. Christian Contemporary Music — takes place from 6:33 to 8:13 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at Krazy Kup, 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd. (813) 752-1220. Church of God Trunk-or-Treat — takes place beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at Plant City Church of God, 2103 Mud Lake Road. (813) 752-4591. Free Admission at Dinosaur World — takes place Friday, Oct. 31, and Saturday, Nov. 1, at Dinosaur World, 5145 Harvey Tew Road. If your child dresses up, get free child admission. Must also have one paid adult. (813) 717-9865. Hope Trunk-or-Treat — takes place beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at Hope Lutheran Church, 2001 N. Park Road. (813) 752-4622. The Peacemakers — live music takes place beginning at 9 p.m., Friday, Oct. 31, at O’Brien’s Irish Pub and Family Restaurant, 1701 S. Alexander St. (813) 764-8818. Pink Ladies Food Drive — takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at the United Food Bank of Plant City, 702 E. Alsobrook St. Suite H. All food donations will be matched by Hillsborough Title. Rocktoberfest — takes place beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at Church on the Rock, 301 E Alsobrook St. (813) 7523740. UMC Trunk-or-Treat — takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at First United Methodist Church, 303 N. Evers St. (813) 754-3519.
Uncork Your Weekend with Savannah Palen — live music takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at Keel and Curley Winery, 5210 W. Thonotosassa Road, Plant City. (813) 752- 9100.
SATURDAY, NOV. 1 Arts Council Downtown Stroll & Scavenger Hunt — takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. Kickoff is at Krazy Kup, 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd. Cost is $12 and includes lunch. Call Marsha at (813) 245-2244 or Audrey at (813) 752-7174. Arts & Crafts Festival — takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at First Presbyterian Church, on the Baker Street property between Walker and Thomas streets. Bike Fest — takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, in Historic Downtown. Food Drive — takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at Turkey Creek Middle School, (813) 757-9442. Eighth-grader Kirstin Bassinger is running the drive to benefit Operation Compassion. Her goal is to fill up a pick up truck with food for the food bank. Praize Kraze for Teen Impact — takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at New Beginnings Baptist Church, 201 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Dancing, prizes and testimony. (813) 928-9998. Romp in the Swamp II — takes place beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at Lakeside Station, 2302 Henderson Way. RompInTheSwamp.org. Uncork Your Weekend with Mark Barrios — live music from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at Keel and Curley Winery, 5210 W. Thonotosassa Road, Plant City. (813) 752- 9100. Walden Lake Community Family Fun Day — takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Polo Field, 3035 Griffin
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. Centers in East County, 639 E. Alexander St., Plant City. (813) 752-8700.
Blvd. There will be refreshments, games for kids and will be pet-friendly.
Babytime — takes place from 10 to 10:30 a.m. Thursdays, at Bruton Memorial Library, 302 W. McLendon St., Plant City. (813) 757-9215.
TUESDAY, NOV. 4 Heart Health Screenings — takes place from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, at the Cancer Resource Center, 1708 Palmetto Ave. Get a free blood pressure check.
Black-and-White Nite — takes place from 6:33 to 8:13 p.m. Thursdays, at Krazy Kup, 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd. Vintage sitcoms and sci-fi from the 50s and 60s are played on a large drop-down screen. (813) 7521220.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 5 Open Mic Night — takes place beginning at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, at O’Brien’s Irish Pub and Family Restaurant, 1701 S. Alexander St. (813) 764-8818.
THURSDAY, NOV. 6 “Appointment with Death” — play starts at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6 to 8 at Durant High School, 4748 Cougar Path. Ribbon Cutting: Automotive Development Group — takes place from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, at 4701 Reece Road, Plant City. For more, visit plantcity.org. Smoking Cessation — takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Cancer Resource Center, 1708 Palmetto Ave. The two-hour class provides tools to help participants quit using tobacco and includes four free weeks of patches, gum or lozenges. (813) 644-6720.
FRIDAY, NOV. 7 Acoustic Happy Hour — live music takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 7, at O’Brien’s Irish Pub and Family Restaurant, 1701 S. Alexander St. (813) 764-8818. Tomlin Veterans Program — takes place from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. and 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 7, at Tomlin Middle School, 501 N. Woodrow Wilson St. (813) 757-9400. Uncork Your Weekend with Skip Frye — live music from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, at Keel and Curley Winery, 5210 W.
BEST BET Antioch Days — takes place beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at East Thonotosassa Baptist Church, 12735 Knights Griffin Road. The event kicks off with a parade and will go on throughout the day with hayrides, games and food. The event harkens back to pioneer times. AntiochDays.com. (813) 924-6251. Thonotosassa Road, Plant City. (813) 752- 9100. When Pigs Fly South BBQ Challenge — takes place Friday, Nov. 7, and Saturday, Nov. 8, Sun ‘n Fun, 4175 Medulla Road, Lakeland. For more, visit sun-n-fun.org.
SATURDAY, NOV. 8 27th Annual Pioneer Heritage Day — takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, at the 1914 Building, 605 N. Collins St. Enjoy vendors, food including homemade ice cream, and see antebellum-era dances, listen to folk music and tour the exhibits inside. (813) 757-9226. Christian Contemporary Music — takes place from 6:33 to 8:13 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at Krazy Kup, 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd. (813) 752-1220. Empty Bowls — takes place 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8 at McCall Park in Historic Downtown. With a donation of $10, receive a clay bowl made by local students and a lunch. All the proceeds benefit the United Food Bank of Plant City. (813) 762-0625. The Florida Opry — takes place at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, at
the 1914 Building in Historic Downtown. The show will feature Larry Mangum Trio from Jacksonville. Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for children. (813) 757-9226.
Beginner Square Dance Lessons — classes take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mondays, at Strawberry Square, 4401 Promenade Blvd., Plant City. First class is free. Plus Square Dance Lessons begin from 8 to 9:30 p.m. (813) 752 0491.
MONDAY, NOV. 10
Berry Patch Quilt Guild — meets from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays, at First Presbyterian Church of Plant City, 404 W. Reynolds St. Use the entrance on Thomas Street. Elaine Green, (813) 763-7353.
Brick Dedication Ceremony — takes place from 11:30 a.m. to noon, Monday, Nov. 10, at Veteran’s Memorial Monument, N. Wheeler Street and State Road 39 South.
Blood Pressure Checks — takes place from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, at South Florida Baptist Hospital, 301 N. Alexander St., Plant City. (813) 644-6720.
TUESDAY, NOV. 11
Cholesterol Screenings — available from 2 to 3 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month, at South Florida Baptist Hospital, 301 N. Alexander St., Plant City. Cost is $30. (813) 6446720.
Ribbon Cutting: Northwestern Mutual — takes place from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 4729 U.S. 98 S., Suite 201, Lakeland. For more, visit plantcity.org.
ONGOING 1961 PCHS Planter Classmates Monthly Dutch-treat Lunch — takes place at 1 p.m. the last Thursday of each month, at Outback Steakhouse, 1203 Townsgate Court, Plant City. ACCESS and KidCare — takes place from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, at the Children’s Board Family Resource
Duplicate Bridge — meets at 1 p.m. Fridays, at St. Peters Episcopal Church, 302 Carey St., Plant City. Players must have partners. Walt Arnold, (813) 752-1602. Friday Night Fun — Uncle Mike’s Smokehouse Grill will offer karaoke, cornhole tournaments, a deejay, darts and more beginning at 7 p.m. Fridays, at the restaurant, 106 E. S.R. 60, Plant City. (813) 737-4444.
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IN OTHER NEWS • The search for a new library director is ongoing. The position was open for application Oct. 21 and will close Nov. 28. • The commission approved a resolution to fund the Boys and Girls Club with $20,000 for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. Funding will be provided from the Community Development Block Grant Program. • City Manager Mike Herr signed a contract with CivicPlus for a redesign of the city’s website. The project will cost $18,500. The new website will update the website’s appearance and increase its user-friendliness.
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WORSHIP WORKOUT
governance by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
Hillsborough MPO poll shows residents’ concern for roads Beth Alden, assistant director of the Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization, gave a presentation on potential transportation improvements at the Plant City Commission meeting Monday, Oct. 27. Alden updated the commissioners on the county’s Plan 2040, focusing on transportation improvements. She discussed the results of a public poll that surveyed 2,442 citizens, 3% of whom
infrastructure by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
City plans for transportation improvements
were Plant City residents. Responders’ top priority for their residential areas was to increase walkability. When asked generally whether they would support a tax increase to improve Tampa Bay’s transportation system, 50% of responders said they would. Responders also said reducing crashes was important to them. Alden said Tampa Bay has more fatal crashes per capita than most other
similar metropolitan areas. With a one-cent sales tax increase, roads, streetlights, sidewalks and medians could be reconstructed for increased safety. State Road 39 is on the list of priority streets for this type of potential construction. Decreasing congestion was also of high importance for poll responders. By 2040, the MPO estimates that Plant City will offer 17,000 to 32,000 jobs that are accessible via
Sam Allen Road and U.S. 92, so these corridors will be a focus for decreasing congestion. Federal law has set a December 2014 deadline for a decision on whether to carry out Plan 2040. The next step is a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 12, at the Board of County Commission Chambers in Tampa. Contact Catherine Sinclair at cscinclair@plantcityobserver.com.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
RAILWAYS
Construction will start soon on a railroad spur to service Highland Packaging Solutions, a local plastics manufacturing company. The $250,000 project is being funded by a grant from FDOT’s Economic Development Transportation Fund. When Highland Packaging Solutions began leasing space in the Gordon Food Services building in East Plant City two years ago, the existing railroad spur was part of the draw. A spur is a secondary, shorter track that allows customers a location to load and unload railcars. But, CSX pulled out the switch. Directors of Highland Packaging Solutions requested for the spur to be re-opened. The initial agreement among the city, Highland Packaging Solutions and CSX was drafted in March 2013. “We received it, but there were conditions in the grant that made us unable to sign off on it,” City Engineer Brett Gocka said. But, city commissioners approved a modified agreement with FDOT at their Oct. 13, 2014 meeting. Kristin Seay, a spokeswoman for CSX, said the project is expected to launch before the end of this year and be completed in early 2015. CSX employees will construct and maintain the mainline connection, but a local railroad contractor will repair the existing portion of track. An additional contractor will build an unloading rack system to transfer products from railcars. “It allows them to bring the product in by bulk,” Gocka said. “You can bring in more on a railcar than you can by a tractor trailer.” John Baird, CFO of Highland Packaging Solutions, said it would also help decrease the company’s carbon footprint, because trains do not release as much carbon as trucks. “From a business standpoint, it’s one of those things that’s really nice to have,”
BY THE NUMBERS CSX RAILROADS IN FLORIDA
12: The number of Florida ports CSX serves 2,800: The number of miles of track CSX operates 1,100,000: The number of carloads of freight in 2013 5,000: The approximate number of employees at the end of 2013 Baird said. City engineers also have plans to work on the railroad spur that services American Cast Iron Pipe on Sammonds Road. “The railroad spur crossing was in really bad shape,” Gocka said. Work is expected to start within weeks.
ROADWAYS
A 1,000-foot stretch of Airport Road, between Woodrow Wilson Street and Old Sydney Road, needs to be reconstructed and resurfaced. The cost of this project is $129,926. “We’ve got one lane of the roadway where we’re having some asphalt start to push and groove, and that’s due to some base issues,” Gocka said. He said because of the high number of tractor trailers and other heavy vehicles that use the road, the base material had been worn down. The project began Monday, Oct. 13, but workers encountered water in the base material. They are waiting for it to dry before they continued Wednesday, Oct. 29. The project will take about three weeks to complete, according to the contractor, Ajax Paving. A separate project for Airport Road, through which it will be realigned, is about 30% complete at the design level. The city also will be adding a left turn lane on northbound Alexander Street just across from Walmart. “We’ve had some utility delays, but we think they’re all worked out now,” Gocka said. He expects construction to start the week of Nov. 3. Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.
Catherine Sinclair
Highland Packaging Solutions will have more convenient access to incoming raw materials after the railroad spur is finished.
Catherine Sinclair
Gina Napolitano instructs Praize Kraze twice a week at HopeWeaver Church.
Church offers faithful fitness Praize Kraze will promote health while supporting the youth at New Beginnings Baptist Church.
A number of projects are in progress for railroad spurs and roadways. City engineers and other officials are busy with a number of transportation-related projects, some of which will be completed within weeks and others that have longerterm due dates.
by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
Mary Wendt has been fighting multiple myeloma since her diagnosis in May.
Courtesy Photo
Family raises money for cancer expenses Mary Wendt needs to cover the costs of living at Moffitt Cancer Center while she undergoes a stem cell transplant. Last spring, Mary Wendt, 61, began having significant health problems that were at first unexplained. She contracted pneumonia twice, and then her kidneys began to show signs of failure. Her daughter, Melanie Wendt, took her to the hospital, where physicians performed a CT scan. The diagnosis shocked her. She appeared to have multiple myeloma, a cancer that forms in plasma cells of the blood. “Basically every checkmark that is an indicator for this cancer, she was meeting,” Melanie said. Her mother was anemic, and some of her ribs had broken away from their cartilage. “It was certainly not the diagnosis I was thinking about,” Wendt said. “I did not once say, ‘Why me?’ This is just another chapter in my life. ... I will fight multiple myeloma and I will be a survivor.” And Wendt had a hard fight ahead of her. At first, Wendt’s percentage of cancerous bone marrow cells was 90%. She went through five rounds of chemotherapy after her diagnosis. Now, that percentage is down to 15%. It’s low enough for her to have a stem-cell transplant — the next step in her battle. The transplant will take place at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa. If it is successful, it will give Wendt at least two more years with her loved ones. While Wendt goes through the treatment, she will be liv-
ing in an apartment complex less than two miles from the center contracted to Moffitt. Each day’s rent in these apartments is $100, and Wendt will need to stay there for about a month. “It could be longer, depending on how she reacts to the stem cell transplant, but it won’t be any less than 25 days,” Melanie Wendt said. Wendt’s health insurance will cover the costs of the treatment itself, but because she lives fewer than 40 miles from the center, it will not cover her housing. Melanie and her brother, Matt Wendt, have started a fundraiser to help with the costs of Moffitt housing. They also hope to cover Wendt’s daily expenses. She will have to take off work during treatment and for an additional two months after it. For now, the family has been using only social media to spread the word. There was not time for them to organize a bigger event before the security deposit is due Nov. 14. If the family raises more money than its goal of $15,000, the surplus will be donated to helping other Moffitt patients. Melanie said if they do not meet their goal, they will find a way to make sure her mother is able to stay on-site during her treatment, even if that means taking out loans. “People’s help will take a huge burden off of my brother and me,” she said. Wendt has lived in Plant City for 37 of her 61 years. She has given back to the community
BY THE NUMBERS MULTIPLE MYELOMA .7: The percentage of lifetime risk of diagnosis in the U.S. 2.5: The average years of life expectancy after diagnosis 28: The percentage that men are more likely to contract this disease than women 65: The age, and above, which the majority of cases are diagnosed 24,000: The approximate number of new U.S. cases in 2014 SOURCE: Cancer.org
as a leader with Springhead Girl Scout troops and as a volunteer at South Florida Baptist Hospital. She hopes to continue to spend as much time with possible with family. “The most important thing I want to do is to have the energy to play with my granddaughter again, like we used to before I was diagnosed with cancer,” Wendt said. To donate to the Wendts’ fundraiser, visit GiveForward.com/fundraiser/ br46/mary-s-fight-againstmultiple-myeloma-?utm_ source=giveforward&utm_ medium=email&utm_ campaign=donation_notify_ oganizer. Or, contact Melanie at (813) 967-3993. Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver. com.
New Beginnings Baptist Church is offering an active, upbeat event where participants can worship God with both spirit and body, and help support the church’s youth group. Praize Kraze is a fitness class similar to Zumba, but it sets modest moves to Christian music. The ministry has instructors throughout the country, but Gina Napolitano offers classes in Plant City twice a week. She will be offering a class Nov. 1 at New Beginnings to benefit the youth group. “People come in initially thinking they want to lose weight ... and they don’t realize at the time that it’s so much more than that,” Napolitano said. “It goes beyond just being for your body — it’s for your spirit.” The event is open to the public, and though it will benefit the church’s youth group, all ages are welcome. Ticket sales will help fund the group’s trip to Rock the Universe, Florida’s biggest Christian music festival, at Universal Orlando Resort. The two-day event is not until next September, but New Beginnings is already making preparations through fundraising. At the Praize Kraze class, there also will be raffles and giveaways. Prizes include gift certificates for massages and car washes, and gift cards from Sassi’s Nails and Sonny’s BBQ. Praize Kraze’s goal is to help people celebrate their faith with exercise and glorify Christ through physical health. Class members can expect to hear artists such as Lecrae, tobyMac, Kirk Franklin and Mandisa while they groove for God. “Some people are skeptical at first,” Napolitano said. “It’s more of a ministry than anything I’ve ever known.” Three other instructors will co-lead the New Beginnings event with Napolitano. Amanda Maynard and Willie Knighten are former Zumba instructors, like Napolitano. And Lucy Dominguez, one of Napolitano’s most dedicated students, is also one-half of the husband-and-wife youth group leadership team at New Beginnings. “Our youth fund is used to do activities with them,” Dominguez said. “We give them an outlet.” Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver. com
IF YOU GO WHEN: 4 to 6:15 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 WHERE: New Beginnings Baptist Church, 201 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Plant City TICKETS: $10 in advance; $12 at the door CONTACT: Gina Napolitano at (813) 928-9998 or Lucy Dominguez at (863) 9340965
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CEO / PAGE 1 accounting with a minor in marketing. “I am so thankful for (Messiah),” Samuel said. “Without them, I would have never gotten an education.” Samuel centered his life on the college town after graduating. He met his wife, Jane, at the college, and they raised their five daughters in Pennsylvania, attending church consistently. Samuel also worked as the head of various banks, including starting his own, Graystone Bank, which was acquired by Susquehanna Bank in 2012. Leading such large operations, many colleagues had questioned why Samuel would leave for the smaller Sunshine Bankcorp in Plant City. “We really felt God was calling us to come to Sunshine,” Samuel said. “It’s a value-based culture. Integrity, honesty, care, empathy for all constituents … that coupled with performance. … It’s what I do.” Board Chairman Ray Rollyson and board member Dub McGinnis originally approached Samuel to pick his brain about branding and growing Sunshine State Bank.
But, they were intrigued by Samuel’s background. From there, it was up to Samuel to decide whether to make the move. After much discussion with his wife, they decided the reasons to come outweighed the secular reasons to stay. In the next five years, Samuel wants to grow the bank by targeting areas in a one-hour radius. A main focus is to keep its headquarters in Plant City and create jobs. Growth, he said, should come organically, with one customer at a time. But there’s also room for strategic acquisitions. Rebranding is another main focus. “I’m excited about being here,” Samuel said. “Floyd has done a wonderful job and I know they expect me to continue the legacy.”
FLOYD HALL
Hall, who has been with the bank since 1981, will finish the year as an adviser to Samuel during the transition. It didn’t take him long to jump from financial officer to president in 1987. “There’s always some grooming, but there was nothing we discussed,” Hall said. “I just try and do my job.”
Over the years, Hall can point to one big challenge in the industry: technology. “The financial landscape is constantly changing,” Hall said. “Technology is constantly changing. The way people bank — Internet banking, ATMs, other than just a branch office.” Hall bought the first computer that was used in the Plant City office. “Which now seems like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Hall said. Hall is a Plant City native who graduated from Plant City High School. He went on to the University of Florida to study engineering but was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. After his service, he resumed his schooling at the University of Central Florida, switching his major to accounting. He worked as a CPA before moving over to the banking industry. In retirement, he is looking forward to spending time with his 2-year-old grandson, Jaxon. He enjoys fishing, reading and sports, particularly college basketball. Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver. com.
DRIVE / PAGE 1 10 a.m. to noon every Saturday to people referred by Hillsborough County Public Schools or the Florida Department of Health. But this fall, Operation Compassion has not received enough donations to operate on its usual schedule. There have been three recent weeks during which the ministry had to close. Bassinger was familiar with Operation Compassion because Stropagel is a nurse at her pediatrician’s office. Students often volunteer with Operation Compassion because it is registered on the school system’s list of approved locations to earn volunteer hours. “It’s good for them to see the need, because if you’ve never been hungry, you don’t know what it’s like to be hungry,” said Stropagel, who grew up in a poor New York family for which food was not always a guarantee. When Bassinger told Stropagel she wanted to earn volunteer hours at Operation Compassion, Stropagel told her about the recent extreme need and how the pantry had had to close. Bassinger came up with a plan beyond just her weekly volunteering, which started Oct. 25. She decided to organize the food drive events in November. At each of these events, the Bassingers will set
WHITFIELD / PAGE 1 Family friend JoEllen Cupit also launched the Mission to Find Misti Facebook page, which will be shut down following Sunday’s celebration, Mel Ardelean said. “We would like to thank everyone for their continued prayers and support in our mission to bring Misti home,”
Catherine Sinclair
Kirstin Bassinger will continue volunteering at Operation Compassion even after this month’s food collection events.
up their truck and hope the community will fill it with food for Operation Compassion. “I feel the community needs to help and be a part in ending hunger,” Bassinger said. “I also feel that if I start helping, other people will too.” Her mother, Jean Bassinger,
brought up Operation Compassion’s need at a TCMS PTA meeting. Bassinger’s friend from school, Camilla Becerra, has also signed on to help. “She’s practically my sister,” Bassinger said. “She helps me with everything.” Stropagel said many of the people who come to Operation Compassion are elderly and find themselves choosing between medications and food. The pantry serves between 25 and 50 people each Saturday and relies on volunteers like Bassinger. “She’s always had a soft spot for anything where she can help people,” Jean said about her daughter. Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver. com.
Cupit wrote. “Our heartfelt thanks go out to the Tampa Police Department and the detective who worked tirelessly to bring her home. Their work is really just beginning — they now have the task of bringing the people involved to justice — so please keep your prayers going for them to do this job surely and swiftly.” Since she went missing, the
Ardeleans maintained Whitfield’s disappearance was because of foul play. Sharon Ardelean said she knew something was wrong when she didn’t hear from Whitfield on Mother’s Day 2013, just days following her disappearance. The Ardeleans have custody of one of Whitfield’s five children, and Whitfield called every one or two days to talk.
HOW TO DONATE WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 WHERE: Winn-Dixie parking lot, 205 W. Alexander St. WHEN: 8:30 to 9 a.m. and 3:45 to 4:30 p.m.; Monday, Nov. 3, and Tuesday, Nov. 4 WHERE: Turkey Creek Middle School, 5005 S. Turkey Creek Road
NEWS BRIEFS + Closshey movie releases Tuesday Plant City native Charleene Closshey scored a starring role in holiday movie “An Evergreen Christmas.” Beginning Tuesday, Nov. 4, it will be available in Walmart stores nationwide. The actress will sign autographs during a meet-and-greet from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, at the local Walmart, 2602 James L. Redman Parkway. Robert
Charleene
Tyler
Jake
Booboo
Greer
LOGGIA CLOSSHEY RITTER SANDVIG STEWART GRAMMER
and Naomi
JUDD
+ Plant City police execute drug bust The Plant City Police Department served a search warrant at a residence near a church Oct. 22 and ended up finding more than six pounds of marijuana and almost 200 prescription pills. The investigation at 1010 N. Palm Drive was initiated after citizens made their concerns known to the department about suspicious activities at the residence. As a result of the search warrant, Dennis S. Robinson, 28, and Kanetra S. Jones, 27, were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell, within 1,000 feet of place of worship; possession of Xanax with intent to sell, within 1,000 feet of place of worship; possession of Oxycodone with intent to sell, within 1,000 feet of place of worship; and possession of drug paraphernalia. The contraband located and seized includes 6.49 pounds of marijuana, 186 Xanax (generic) pills, six Oxycodone (generic) pills, and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia. In addition, $5,176.00 was seized after it was located hidden under a dresser drawer in multiple stacks secured with rubber bands.
+ Gee endorses U.S. Rep. Ross Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee announced his endorsement of U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross for re-election in the 15th Congressional District of Florida. “Dennis Ross is a friend and has been a strong representative for Hillsborough County in Congress,” Gee said. “We have worked together on numerous issues and he has fought hard to protect our community. He is a true friend to law enforcement, and I am proud to offer him my endorsement. Ross was first elected to Congress in 2010.
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Kyli Tomlinson, Kiera Folson and Layla Lee enjoyed treats at Cork Elementary.
Giselle Gutierrez had a blast at Bailey Elementary’s festival.
FALL FEST by Amber Jurgensen and Catherine Sinclair
Dover Elementary had a popular slide.
Schools, churches celebrate season
Angelo, Antonio and Alessandro Rametta, aka Batman, Superman and Spider-Man, were spotted at Bailey’s Fall Festival.
Schools and churches all over Plant City celebrated the changing season with fall festivals and trunk-or-treats. Many of the events had fun games, bounce houses and dunk tanks. There was also face painting. Costumes were welcome and most took advantage of the invitation. From “Frozen” Disney princesses to superheroes, students skipped around the grounds as pint-sized versions of their favorite characters.
Faculty dressed up as characters from books they had read with their students at Cork. Havyn Hines played games at Cork’s festival.
Xavier Ciprian and Osiel Reyes attended Jackson Elementary’s festival.
Some children went down the inflatable slide again and again at Trapnell Elementary.
Seventh-grader Briana Thomas joined her sister Destiny Thomas at Bailey’s Fall Festival.
Lindsay Anders made sure kids had a great time at Jackson’s festival.
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MY VIEW
Al Higginbotham: An insider’s perspective People often wonder whether politicians are the same behind closed doors as they are at campaign events and in public forums. For six years, from his first day in office, I worked alongside Al Higginbotham, and I can assure you, what you see is what you get. He is as sincere, ethical and kind as you see on the campaign trail. Here are some things I learned about Al while working in the District 4 County Commission office. • He has overcome great adversity and still has a smile on his face. • In 1995, Al suffered a
spinal-cord injury, leaving him paralyzed. His life was turned upside down as he fought to live, then fought to walk. Yet, he is the first to tell you that these events in life can make you bitter or you can use them to change the world around you. • He really does care about your money. When Al was first elected, his office was empty. He was told he had an allowance to buy new furniture, yet he knew this “allowance” came from tax dollars. He asked for the location of the county’s surplus warehouse, which shocked longtime county employees.
Plant City Times & Observer Locally Owned by Ed Verner, Nate Kilton and Felix Haynes The Plant City Times & Observer is published by Plant City Media LLC, a joint-venture of the Tampa Bay Times and Plant City Observer LLC.
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Not surprisingly, he was able to furnish his entire office from the surplus warehouse and still has the furniture in his office today. • He remembers what he was elected to do. One day, Al was invited to breakfast with Charlie Daniels. I don’t know how it happened, but the invitation was extended. He declined. Why? Because he had a County Commission meeting that day. He knows he was elected to represent the people of District 4 and that representation occurs first in those meetings. The commission makes decisions that affect zoning, land
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We want to hear from you. Let us know about your events, celebrations and achievements. To contact us, send your information via: Email: Amber Jurgensen, ajurgensen@ PlantCityObserver.com. Mail: The Plant City Observer, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A, Plant City, FL 33563
use, parks, law enforcement, environmental protection … the list goes on. He understands the impact those decisions have on our lives and he put his commitment first. • He doesn’t shy from the hard choices and tough situations. When Al opposed the tax for light rail transit in 2010, it was a tough position. He was on the opposite side of several large organizations, but he had done the research and knew the proposal was not right. It lacked detail and information, and was not fully vetted. The final vote showed that Hillsborough voters agreed with him,
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.
but the months leading up to the vote proved to be difficult. Yet he stood firm in his convictions and did not shy away from the discussion. • He doesn’t care who gets the credit. Former President Ronald Reagan said, “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.” Al embodied that quote. Repeatedly, he gave the credit away to other commissioners, to county staff or whoever needed the credit and praise, if that’s what it took to make the success happen. When I left Al’s office in 2013 to expand my skills, I
felt like I was leaving family. Al made it difficult for me to choose a job, because I wouldn’t work for just anyone after working with him. I am proud to have my name associated with Al Higginbotham. I am incredibly grateful to have learned from him. He is no longer my boss, but he is my county commissioner and always my first example of a true leader. It is my firm belief, having known him as well as I do, that he is the best choice for County Commissioner, District 7. Please visit vote4al.com to learn more about Al’s positions. Deanna Hurley is a former aide who worked for County Commissioner Al Higginbotham’s office.
Plant City Times &
Observer
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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Plant City’s Ethan Cook, Hayley Okonski, Summer DeArmond and Emma Carlson
Plant City’s 2013 Homecoming Queen Cherrish Goodwine crowned the new 2014 Homecoming Queen, Ana Boxtha.
LET’S DANCE by Amber Jurgensen | Managing Editor
Georgia Foster was crowned Strawberry Crest’s Homecoming Queen.
HURRAH FOR HOMECOMING From photo booths to chocolate fountains, Homecoming is a lot more than football games and dancing now days. Plant City High School celebrated it’s Homecoming dance on Saturday, Oct. 18 with a Las Vegas-themed gala.
Strawberry Crest held it’s special night at MOSI in Tampa and students were able to explore the museum Saturday, Oct. 25. Durant High School also had it’s dance on Oct. 25, themed, “A Night of Pure Imagination.”
Durant’s 2013 Homecoming Queen Marissa Thompson was ready to pass on her crown.
Reanna Bartolazzi and Daejah Shiver dressed up for the photo booth at Durant’s dance.
Clay Cullins was crowned Strawberry Crest High School’s 2014 Homecoming King.
Tara Love, of Strawberry Crest’s sophomore court, was escorted by her brother, J.J. Love. Left: Payton Astin won the title of Durant’s 2014 Homecoming Queen.
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The crew was photobombed at Plant City High’s dance.
THIS WEEK’S CROSSWORD ANSWERS
Kayla Watts encouraged the crowd to cheer on the Chargers.
Plant City’s Janae Cooke was escorted by her father, Quinton Cooke.
CRASH AT DHS HOMECOMING
At about 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, a party bus carrying students to Durant High School’s homecoming dance hit a sedan at the intersection of Reynolds and Woodrow Wilson streets. Witnesses reported that the sedan pulled out into the way of the bus before the driver of the bus could slow down. An official report was unavailable at the time of the accident. A woman who had been in the sedan was taken from the scene in a stretcher. Some students on the bus had minor injuries, but none were immediately taken to the hospital, according to Plant City Fire Rescue paramedic Rick Sullivan. Pamela Bowden, principal of Durant, estimated that the bus had been carrying about 30 students. “All their parents have been called,” she said. “They just want to get to the dance, as you can imagine.” Chloie Pope was a member of Durant’s Junior Court.
THIS WEEK’S CRYPTOGRAM ANSWERS 1. People, dogs, horses and heifers all get up at a reasonable hour. But ducks always wake up at the quack of dawn. It’s quite annoying! 2. A triathlete was well-known for his fine running ability. And because he told pretty bad jokes while jogging along the route, he was also known as the cross country punner.
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happy birthday by Amber Jurgensen | Managing Editor
Krazy Kup celebrates one-year anniversary Krazy Kup, a coffeehouse in Historic Downtown, held a party recently for its one-year anniversary. Balloon and face painting artists were part of the draw. But it was the drink menu that inspired attendees.
Balloon hats and animals were part of the fun.
Right: Wenda Trunzo helped take orders. She owns Krazy Kup along with her husband, Frank.
Kasen Lofstrom and Masen Meyer
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southern hospitality by Amber Jurgensen | Managing Editor
Brittany, Brett and Brigetta Truitt
Shea Pennington, William McMinn, and Natalie Sweet
Cracker Country Feast fills food bank’s shelves Daybreak Rotary Club of Plant City celebrated the Fourth Annual Cracker Country Feast Oct. 24, at the home of George and Cassandra Banning. The evening commenced with live entertainment, delicious food and socializing in the Bannings’ stunning garden. The event was a fundraiser for the United Food Bank of Plant City. Unity in the Community donated a $30,000 check to Executive Director Christine Miller. Rotary was also able to secure a $25,000 donation. Ticket, raffle and
silent auction sales went to the Food Bank. Attendees also brought canned goods for the non-profit.
George and Cassandra Banning Left: William and Susan McLeod
Unity in the Community donated $30,000 to the United Food Bank.
TREASURE HUNT by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
Courtyard Bazaar offers eclectic arts and gifts For Plant City’s enthusiasts of art, gifts and collectibles, a new shop has come to town to offer something for nearly any taste. Courtyard Bazaar opened this month on Reynolds Street in Historic Downtown in the former Brown’s Floral space. Unlike many of its neighbors that sell antiques, Courtyard Bazaar offers mostly contemporary items, though many of them have a vintage or retro style. A chalkboard sign on the sidewalk invites guests to come in and browse the booths in search of that perfect item. “Over 5,000 treasures,” it promises. “Come find yours!” A painting of a jumping tarpon, a lamp adorned by a tiger pulling a covered wagon and a birdhouse made from a gourd are just a few of the unique pieces recently seen at Courtyard Bazaar. Cyndi Conte and her daughter, Amanda Horn, opened the shop as partners. Conte had previously managed a temporary employment agency for 15 years, and this is her first business venture. They live in Lakeland, but Conte said Lakeland had plenty of similar shops, so they settled on Plant City instead. “We found this beautiful building and thought this would be the perfect venue,” Conte said. The shop contains booths of about 15 vendors. Many of them are local artists who Conte and Horn know personally. “This is one of my passions ... I don’t have a set style,” Conte said. “Very eclectic taste. So I wanted to bring people I know together. I see something new about every time I walk through a booth.” One of the vendors is Margaret Conte, Cyndi’s mother-inlaw. Cyndi said each of Margaret’s pieces tells a story and is full of color.
Catherine Sinclair
Amanda Horn and Cyndi Conte are more than business partners — they are family. In addition to its cornucopia of one-of-a-kind pieces, Courtyard Bazaar also offers a line of branded Country Chic chalk and mineral paint. Though it is a relatively new brand, it has already become popular for refinishing furniture. “We jumped in with them because there’s a big demand for it,” Conte said. Horn works another job in Lakeland, and she has a baby at home. “Balancing two full-time jobs and then going home to another full-time jobs has been challenging,” Horn said.
DETAILS COURTYARD BAZAAR ADDRESS: 106 E. Reynolds St. PHONE: (813) 659-1730 EMAIL: CourtyardBazaar@ outlook.com “But worth it, that’s for sure.” Conte and Horn have been employed together in the past, and Horn said they have always worked well together. Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.
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OBSERVEROBITUARIES Paul Collins
Paul Collins, 58, of Plant City, died Oct. 15, 2014, at his home. Born Feb. 28, 1956 in Plant City, he was the son of the late L.A. and Evelyn Morris Collins. He was the husband of Joan Caldwell Collins; she survives. Also surviving are brothers, Donald Collins and Daniel Collins; and children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at Eastside Baptist Church, 1318 Calhoun St., Plant City. Visitation one-half hour prior to service at the church. Condolences may be made at HaughtFuneralHome.com.
Margie “Nanny” Adams
Margie “Nanny” Adams, 85, died Oct. 19, 2014. Mrs. Adams was born March 7, 1929, in Elloree, South Carolina. She was an active charter member of 55 years at Whitehurst Road Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, T.G. Adams; and brother, Paul Thomas. She is survived by daughters, Pam Futch (Arlin) and Sandy Williams (Earl); grandchildren, Stacey Breuggeman (Eric), Earl T. Williams and Kayla Runkles (Brian); great-granddaughters, Elise, Samantha and Taylor; sister, Pat Spell (Joe), of South Carolina; and nieces and nephews. A funeral service was held Oct. 24, at Haught Funeral Home. Interment followed at Sunset Memory Gardens. The family would like to thank her personal caregivers for the loving care shown to our “Nanny.” In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to LifePath Hospice or Whitehurst Road Baptist Church. Condolences may be made at HaughtFuneralHome.com.
Roy Nelson Caldwell
Roy Nelson Caldwell, 96, of Plant City, died Oct. 24, 2014,
at The Health Care Center of Plant City. He was born in Rome, Georgia, the son of William Mitchell and Elizabeth Ingle Caldwell. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served in World War II. After serving in the Army, he moved to Hamilton, Ohio, to work at the General Motors plant, where he remained until retirement. After retiring, he moved to Florida, and he became a member of the Plant City Church of God, where he has been active since 1981. He had been active in the Church of God since a young man and had faithfully served in many areas of the church. He was preceded in death by his wife, Victoria Caldwell; parents; daughter, Vickey Riffle; and brothers, Reverend Claude Caldwell and Waymond Caldwell. He is survived by children, Dorcas Byington (Edward), Danny Caldwell and Dennis Caldwell, all of Hamilton, Ohio; James Wayne Suites (Margaret), of Nashville, North Carolina; Victor Thad Suites (Lynn) and William Greene Suites (Patti), of Plant City; son-in-law, Leroy Riffle Sr., of Montverde; 13 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; special friends, Chuck and Faye Hall; and many nieces, nephews and friends. The family extends a special thanks to his loving and caring friends, Chuck and Faye Hall, of Plant City, for devoting so much of their time in caring for him, and to the staff of The Health Care Center of Plant City. Funeral services were held Oct. 29, at Plant City Church of God. Interment at Rose Hill Burial Park, Hamilton, Ohio. Condolences may be made at HopewellFuneral.com.
Betty J. Cain
Betty J. Cain, 83, of Lake Wales, died Oct. 26, 2014. She was a devoted wife and aunt.
She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Harold; brother, Willie Walker; and many loving family and friends. She was preceded in death by son, Billy Wayne Dean; five brothers; and five sisters. A celebration of life was held Oct. 30, at Hopewell Funeral Home. Interment at Memorial Park Cemetery, Plant City. Condolences may be made at HopewellFuneral.com.
Rose Cockrell
Rose Cockrell, 83, of Plant City, died Oct. 26, 2014, at South Florida Baptist Hospital. Born Dec. 25, 1930, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Mitchell and Joan McLeod Young. She was the wife of the late James Cockrell. Surviving are sons, Gary Cockrell and Galen Cockrell; daughters, Perri Canady, Rhonda Gilbreath, Ann Hertle and Michelle Hoak; 11 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Mrs. Cockrell was predeceased by sister, Virginia McDonald. Rose worked for the Plant City Courier early in life as a writer and reporter, and also worked for the family business before marrying James and becoming a homemaker. A funeral service was held Oct. 30, at Haught Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will be in Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell. Condolences may be made at HaughtFuneralHome.com.
Herman Clair Elder
Herman Clair Elder, 80, died Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014, at the William F. Green Veteran’s Home in Bay Minette, Alabama. Mr. Elder was born in Plant City and moved in 1966 to Louisiana. He was a Korean War veteran and served in the U.S. Air Force and Coast Guard. He was a 32nd-degree Mason and was a member of the Shri-
ners. Mr. Elder was an avid fisherman who spent time making his own lures and enjoyed spending time outdoors whenever possible. He loved to laugh and enjoyed a good joke. He is survived by his wife, Sue Elder; as well as their daughter, Rindy Vaughan (Reid); and granddaughter, Ashlynne, all of Cuba. He is also survived by his children, Dennis Elder (Julie), of Louisiana, Ronald Elder, of Tennessee, Phyllis Elder, of Mississippi, and Kelly Elder and Kendahl Shepherd, of Florida; sisters, Geri Jones, of Pennsylvania, and Dee Adcock (Mike), of Foley; brothers, Bobby Elder and Jim Elder, of Louisiana; nine grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lewis E. Elder and Louise Butler Cason; grandparents, George and Sarah Elder; sisters, Shirley Ann and Reba Hazel Elder; aunt, Margie Kilgore; and uncle, Dennis Kilgore. The family would like to express its sincere appreciation for dear friends, Chris and Karen Vaughan, and Barry and Bobbie Jo Newcomb. They have always been just a phone call away. A memorial service will be held Nov. 8 in Lauderdale, Mississippi. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make a donation in his memory to the William F. Green Veteran’s Home or a charity of your choice. Condolences may be made at BumpersFuneralHome.com.
Margaret Irene Cico French Margaret Irene Cico French, 86, died Oct. 8, 2014. She was born Jan. 2, 1928, in Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, and raised in Kinsman, Ohio, then moved to Somerset, Pennsylvania, where she raised her family. She was a member of Somerset Reformed Church.
She retired in 1972 to Plant City. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert L. French; and daughters, Betty J. French and Jean E. Schaerffer. She is survived by son, Robert L. French Jr. (Millie); and daughters, Barbara E. French and Dolores “Dodie” Walker (Jim Kinkead), all of Plant City; seven grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren. A graveside service was held Oct. 24, at Lakeland Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to LifePath Hospice, 3010 W. Azeele St.,Tampa, Florida, 33609.
Michael “Big Mike” K. Hildreth Jr.
Michael “Big Mike” K. Hildreth Jr., 46, died Oct. 15, 2014, at Memorial Hospital in Tampa. Mr. Hildreth was born and raised in Tampa and served in the U.S. Navy touring the seas just after high school. He called Plant City his home for the past few years. Family was, and is, everything to Mr. Hildreth. He loved richly and with his whole heart. This sweet, gracious man will be missed and adored with each day. He is survived by his wife, Bridget Hildreth; and their daughters, April (Hildreth) Pratt and Samantha Hildreth. Their eldest daughter, April, married a wonderful man, Steve, and they gave him two grandsons, Steve III and Zachary. Also surviving are beautiful nieces, Latasha, Lancia and Aimee. A celebration of life was held Oct. 25, at Wells Memorial and Event Center. Condolences may be made at WellsMemorial.com.
Fredna Givens Hunter
Fredna Givens Hunter, 72, of Lithia and raised in Dover, died Oct. 22, 2014. She was a lifetime member of Central Missionary Baptist Church in Lithia, a member of Gideons Auxiliary and was retired from Hillsborough County Public Schools after many years at Pinecrest Elementary. She loved her family, and enjoyed activities with her grand-
children, traveling, flowers and attending gospel sings. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Johnny Hunter; children, Steve Hunter (Denise) and Stephanie Bernaldo (Rick); grandchildren, Lauren Hunter, Kyle Hunter, Darby Bernaldo, Abby Bernaldo, Ricky Bernaldo and Ryan Bernaldo; brother, Glen Givens (Joyce); and a host of family and friends. A celebration of life was held Oct. 25, at Central Missionary Baptist Church, in Lithia. Interment followed at Central Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Central Missionary Baptist Church Building Fund. Condolences may be made at HopewellFuneral.com.
Pedro Torres-Mendez
Pedro Torres-Mendez, 67, died Oct. 24, 2014, in Plant City. He was born June 29, 1947, in Mexico, to Amancio Torres and Matilda Mendez. He will be missed by his extended family and friends. Condolences may be made at WellsMemorial.com.
Frederick Poffenberger
Frederick Poffenberger, 71, died Oct. 5, 2014. Mr. Poffenberger is survived by his wife, Beatrice Bootman Poffenberger; and her daughters, Peggy Dennis and Ginger Bennett. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Jeanette Cox; niece, Karen Cox; nephew, David Cox; and two special grandchildren, Davey and Destiny. There will be a celebration of his life at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, 2014, at Wells Memorial and Event Center, 1903 W. Reynolds St., Plant City. Condolences may be made at WellsMemorial.com.
Rosa Lee Simpson
Rosa Lee Simpson, 74, died Oct. 23, 2014 in Plant City. Ms. Simpson was born in Plant City to Johnnie H. and Charlsie (Boswell) Preston. She is survived by her loving family. A funeral service was held Oct. 27, at Faith Lighthouse Assembly of God. Condolences may be made at WellsMemorial.com.
Sports
YOUTH | HIGH SCHOOL | GOLF | COMMUNITY
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Jacob McLaughlin is leading passer for F.I.S.H. Hawks. 16 SPONSORED BY COURTNEY PAAT | STATE FARM
PLANTCITYOBSERVER.COM
SIDELINES Do you have a good sports scoop for us? Contact Justin Kline at jkline@ plantcityobserver.com.
VOLLEYBALL
+ Durant keeps crown after ruling After a weekend filled with uncertainty, the Durant volleyball team learned the decision to force the team to forfeit its district title Monday morning was reversed by the FHSAA. According to coach Brittany Wade, the governing body received a report Friday, Oct. 24, alleging that the Lady Cougars had dressed too many players for the district championship game. The FHSAA initially ruled Durant had committed a violation and awarded the title to Strawberry Crest. The FHSAA later ruled Durant could keep its title. The school had reported adding an extra player for the district final game, but as a team manager. The player in question had not played this season.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2014
volleyball by Justin Kline | Staff Writer
Durant seniors lead way to district title The Lady Cougars won their second consecutive district title Thursday evening, despite fielding a much younger team than last year’s. The key? Strong senior leadership. Things didn’t look too hot for Durant in September, when the team was swept away in the Academy of the Holy Names tournament. Things also looked bleak in Class 7A District 7 district play Oct. 6, when Strawberry Crest beat the Lady Cougars in three sets. It was Durant’s first district loss since the 2012 season. But, in the end, everything worked out as head coach Brittany Wade and her seniors thought it would. Lindsey Robinson, Rachael Rice, Annie Quinn and Madison Adkins have stepped up to fill some big shoes in 2014,
most notably those of Durant’s dynamic duo Lexi Thompson and Victoria Fanning. Without their efforts, Wade says, this could have been a different year. “They have just taken this team and went with it,” Wade says. “They’ve said, ‘We are not losing — we’re going on and winning the state championship.’” The seniors have taken on an active role behind the scenes, often serving as de facto assistant coaches for Wade. “We meet every Monday,” Wade says. “Like, today, we
said, ‘How are we going to win this next game against Freedom? What are we going to do? What is our game plan?’ They kind of help me plan practice along the way.” Durant got younger in the offseason, giving a number of those players, such as sophomore Emma Rustenberghe, bigger roles in the team’s oncourt schematics. Filling a departed senior’s role as a sophomore isn’t easy, especially on a team with expectations as high as Durant’s. But the seniors have seen to it that all of the underclassmen got comfortable in their roles.
Justin Kline
The Durant Lady Cougars celebrated their district championship win Thursday, Oct. 23. “The seniors have been really tough on them,” Quinn says. “But, they’ve taken it really well. They’re nice girls.” Of course, there still were
Halloween? Who cares? Give me football!
+ Aidan Keel finishes in top 10
REC & PARKS
+ Footballers win at competition The Plant City Rec and Parks Department and Plant City Optimist Club’s hosted the Tri-Star Football Skills Competition Saturday, Oct. 25. The winners: 6-7 Boys: Brendan Smith (64 feet, 2 inches); Mark Hall (64 feet, 1 inches); Aidan Beachy (63 feet, 5 inches). 8-9 Girls: Gracie Edgemon (104 feet, 7 inches); Kayla Hall (63 feet, 6 inches); Ayeniah Ghent (50 feet, 7 inches). 8-9 Boys: Anthony Palestrini (158 feet, 11 inches); Cooper McDonald (123 feet, 5 inches); William Cordle (103 feet, 7 inches). 10-11 Girls: Shelby Jacobsen (80 feet, 5 inches). 10-11 Boys: Nick Strickler (173 feet, 3 inches); T.J. Hoffman (135 feet, 8 inches); Quinton Kahelin (120 feet, 5 inches). 12-13 Girls: Madison Osman (76 feet, 2 inches). 12-13 Boys: Martin Etcheverry (197 feet, 7 inches); Wesley Gould (159 feet, 6 inches); Joe Jacobsen (139 feet, 8 inches). 14-15 Boys: Jarrett Jacobsen (239 feet, 4 inches).
SEE VOLLEYBALL / PAGE 15
WHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND?
GAME OF THE WEEK by Justin Kline | Staff Writer
RACING
Local driver Aidan Keel is no stranger to competing in the Rotax Pan-American. Looking to duplicate last year’s win in New Orleans, Keel traveled Oct. 15 to 19, to Mooresville, North Carolina, and came fairly close. He finished seventh in the main event. Keel moved up from the Mini-Max class to the Juniors class earlier this year and, competing in Mooresville against 33 of his peers, recorded his best finish yet as a Junior. He qualified for the race with a ninth-place finish. After three heats, he finished 10th in the pre-final and rallied to seventh in the finale.
some growing pains that came early in the season. Despite improving their preseason re-
tie (or more) for second place, and the tie can’t be broken based on regular-season results, then there will be a tiebreaker to determine the runner-up. That’s good news for Brandon — the Eagles’ only district loss was to Strawberry Crest. If they win, and Durant loses, they have sole possession of first place. If they lose, then they already have wins over the Cougars and Indians that put them in the playoffs. Going back to that “Brandon wins/Durant loses” scenario, here’s what the secondplace race looks like: Durant has beaten Plant City but not East Bay, and Plant City has beaten East Bay but not Du-
On Oct. 1, I started thinking about my first Halloween as a homeowner. The one thing I hated as a young trick-or-treater was going to those houses that handed out raisins, Mounds bars and other terrible things. Did those people hate children? I always knew I didn’t want to be like them when I grew older. Before I made a commitment to buying awesome candy, I checked my calendar and, whoops! Halloween’s on a JUSTIN Friday. That KLINE means football! On the bright side, I’m never going to complain about having to go watch a football game with playoff implications instead of finding a decent Spider-Man costume and handing out Twix bars in the early evening. And although area athletes will be missing the Halloween festivities, too, they got their celebration in last week. Because there was a Homecoming double-whammy, the Plant City Times & Observer got to cover two games last week. Staff writer Catherine Sinclair stepped up and shot photos at Plant CityStrawberry Crest. I’d like to give her kudos for stepping way, way out of her comfort zone. We’d also like to thank the Chargers and Raiders players for not demolishing her during a tackle along the sideline. She volunteered to take the Crest game, so I went out to Durant. I have yet to shoot a Durant game this season and be disappointed, as I’ve normally gotten either big upset wins (Sickles) or competitive, Big 12-style shootouts (Newsome, Hillsborough). These kids are fun to watch, even if they have horrible luck in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Durant’s green jersey didn’t appear to be a new design, like what the primary uniforms got this year. On the plus side, it’s still a great look for a team that
SEE FOOTBALL / PAGE 15
SEE KLINE / PAGE 16
Justin Kline
The Durant Cougars have approached practice this week with a “win-and-in” mentality.
FOR ALL THE
MARBLES Durant High School’s postseason hopes hinge on the outcome of tonight’s game. Can the Cougars break free from their recent bad luck?
No one can argue that this year’s Durant team is much improved from last year’s, even if it’s only picked up one more win thus far. But, will any of the Cougars feel that way if they miss the playoffs again? Probably not — which is why the Nov. 1 game against East Bay weighs so heavily on their minds. As the coaches have been yelling throughout practices this week, “We win, we’re in!” “That’s all we can do,” head coach Mike Gottman says. “Brandon and Plant City will be playing and, you know, it’ll be up to them who gets the other (playoff) spot. We’ve just got to win.”
THE PICTURE
At the moment, there’s a three-way tie for first place in the Class 7A District 8 standings. Durant, Plant City and Brandon all own 2-1 district records, while East Bay sits at 1-2 and Strawberry Crest at 1-3. Should Durant win, then
Head coach Mike Gottman prepares his team for a meeting with East Bay. the playoff picture is quite easy to figure out: The winner of Brandon/Plant City nabs the other playoff spot, and there won’t have to be another three-way tiebreaker like in 2013. A Raiders win would give Durant the district title, because the Cougars own a victory over Plant City. A Brandon win would make Durant the runner-up, which still comes with a playoff spot.
If Durant loses, things get hairy. After the other games are played, that puts three teams with a 2-2 record — Durant, East Bay, and Brandon or Plant City — in second place. Depending on who wins that Eagles-Raiders game, there may be a tiebreaker. The 2014-15 edition of the FHSAA Football Manual states, if there is a three-way
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS All games begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted:
OCT. 31 East Bay at Durant (4748 Cougar Path, Plant City) Brandon at Plant City (1 Raider Place, Plant City) Strawberry Crest (BYE)
NOV. 7 Durant (BYE) Plant City at Gaither (16200 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa), 7 p.m. Armwood at Strawberry Crest (4691 Gallagher Road, Dover)
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VOLLEYBALL / PAGE 14 cord (1-1, versus last year’s 0-2 mark), the Lady Cougars hit a snag at the Academy of the Holy Names tournament from Sept. 5 to 6. They dropped back-to-back-to-back 2-0 games to Tampa Prep, Holy Names and Robinson, and found themselves with a losing record for the first time in what seemed like forever. Fortunately for the team, Wade and the girls were able to right the ship and get Durant back on track. They weren’t able to replicate last year’s undefeated regular season, or 2012’s five-loss season, but they were able to shine in district play, where winning matters most. In fact, Durant lost only eight sets in district games during the regular season. “It shows that these girls are willing to work,” Wade says. “We have tons of Saturday practices, and we practice six days a week. It’s hard work. It really just pays off in the end.” It sure did. In the district championship game, Durant
GAME / PAGE 14 rant. There would have to be a tiebreaker. The Indians, who appeared to be the weakest team in the 2013 tiebreaker, rode two strong quarters to a surprise district win. That’s why Gottman and the Cougars are taking an allor-nothing approach with this game, which will be the Cougars’ last game of the 2014 regular season thanks to a bye week. “It’s all on the line now,” he says.
CATCHING NO BREAKS
Making life more difficult for Durant is the fact that, besides the 37-7 win over Crest that opened October, the Cougars have had to deal with their worst enemy from 2013: losing the close ones. They’re on a three-game losing streak — including a loss to Brandon two weeks ago that threw a wrench into everybody’s plans. Durant has only lost those games by 11 total points, with last week’s six-point loss to Hillsborough being its greatest deficit in that span. This was one of the biggest problems the Cougars had last season, and it appears to have come back to haunt them at the worst possible time. “We lost some really tough heartbreakers,” Gottman says. “We lost a really tough one to Newsome. We had a chance to win it and didn’t finish the deal on that one. Brandon — another heartbreaker. We roughed the punter, gave them a first down. ... Even with Hillsborough, we were still pretty competitive. It’s just, when we had to get some stops, we
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BRACKETOLOGY
Wednesday night was kind to the Durant Lady Cougars, who dispatched Freedom in three sets to advance to the Class 7A District 8 regional semifinals. The district champions looked calm and in control through each set, winning 25-15, 25-19 and 25-17. In Lutz, the hosting Steinbrenner Lady Warriors beat Strawberry Crest, 3-1, to advance in the tournament. After the Lady Chargers stole a win in the first set, 28-26, the home team answered back with 25-14, 25-15 and 25-16 wins to lock up its spot in the semifinals. Durant will host Steinbrenner in the semifinal game at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4.
went into the second set with a 1-0 lead, but soon found itself trailing to Terra Brooks
MATCHUPS PLANT CITY There is still hope for the Raiders (3-4-1; 2-1 district) to make the playoffs. That’s not such an unlikely scenario. There’s also still hope for them to win the district, but Raiders fans will have to hope for both Brandon and Durant to lose. That, on the other hand, seems unlikely on paper. Those Plant City boys are in a good mood, having just snapped a losing streak with last Friday’s 37-16 win over Strawberry Crest. The team ran for 284 yards and three touchdowns. Austin Carswell couldn’t get any stops.” For comparison, Durant’s final four losses of 2013 also came by a total of 11 points. The last one was at East Bay and, now that they’ve got the Indians at home, the Cougars don’t intend to let that happen again.
TOUGHER TIMES
The 2013 Class 7A District 8 champions have already guaranteed that they won’t repeat this season but would still need to rely on a district tiebreaker (and good fortunes) to get back into the playoffs. As was the case with everyone but Brandon, the Indians beat Strawberry Crest by double digits, although their 14-point margin of victory was the slimmest. They haven’t done so well against the other district foes, however. The
and a potent Lady Chargers offense. The Lady Cougars had to rally hard to tie it up at 22, and dragged it out into a slobber-knocker with several lead changes. After winning that set, 28-26, Durant went on a tear and ended up winning the title on the strength of a 25-18 third set. Overjoyed with the end result, Wade was quick to praise the team’s senior leadership that night — specifically that of Adkins and Robinson who combined for 27 kills and five blocks in the game. “Maddie (Adkins) is amazing,” Wade said. “She just committed to Saint Leo University. Lindsey Robinson is like a daughter to me. ... I’ve kind of taken her under my wing. She’s just a true leader on the court. The girls look up to her.” Results like this show that, of all the things this program does well, getting the most out of its seniors on and off the court is probably near the top of the list. Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
hauled in a touchdown pass from Corey King, and Patrick Colleran’s 12-tackle performance now gives him 102 tackles this season. It was the kind of win any team wants to get before going into a tough week, and this Eagles team has proven to be plenty tough. It just crushed much of East Bay’s playoff hopes with a 28-17 win and has so far proven to be a nightmare for the district’s playoff hopefuls. The Raiders can’t pull any punches if they want to win this game and lock up another playoff spot, which sounds a whole lot better than hoping to win a threeway tiebreaker and sneak in there.
Raiders and Eagles combined to outscore East Bay, 49-23, in those losses. Most recently, the Indians found themselves in control of the Brandon game at halftime, with a 10-7 lead. And then, they let the Eagles score 21 points in the second half and eventually win, 28-17. They let Isaiah Alexander complete 10 of his 15 pass attempts for two touchdowns and 113 yards. And let running back Keith Cook gain 112 yards and score twice — on just five carries. Do signs point to a Durant win on Halloween? Yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. The last thing these Cougars want is for the ghosts of what could have been to haunt them from now until August. Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
HOMECOMING SNAPHOTS
Garrett Rentz nearly caught the ball, but the defender had other ideas.
Strawberry Crest hosted Plant City for its homecoming game.
COSTUME CRAZE by Justin Kline | Staff Writer
A snake in Woody’s boot nearly kept him from scoring a run for Durant.
Curious characters take field in P.C., Durant exhibition The Plant City and Durant High baseball teams got together Wednesday afternoon for a Halloween-themed exhibition game.
No real ostriches were harmed during the game.
Both teams played in costume — and stayed in character — and organized a canned food drive, collecting about 120 foods.
A larger-than-life Chelsea Baker took the mound.
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KLINE / PAGE 14 uses a lot of gold in its color scheme. The first time I saw Durant’s on-field mascot, it wasn’t wearing anything — just a plain ol’ cougar as it would appear in the wild (besides the whole standing-ontwo-legs thing). Last week, it came out for the Homecoming Queen crowning festivities in a sparkly dress. This begs a question: Is the Cougar a prolific streaker? My favorite photos to take in a game involve the receiver going up for a catch, with or without a cornerback draped all over him. So, I was a huge fan of Mike Gottman’s decision to open up the Cougars’ passing game and let Erick Davis sling that ball all over the field. It was a great game for lanky wideout Gar-
rett Rentz and, subsequently, my camera. Davis, by the way, accounted for six touchdowns: two through the air, both to Rentz, and four on the ground. Crispian Atkins was the only other Cougar to score a touchdown, which he did near the end of the third quarter on six-yard run. Senior Tracy Watson Jr., playing some defensive back for Durant, laid out a Terrier with one of the biggest, loudest hits I’ve seen all season. I can’t fault him too much for celebrating while the kid was slowly getting up. (Watson had his back turned after the play was blown dead and didn’t see the aftermath for a little while.) But this is the part where I mention that overly long celebrations are only OK for touchdowns and maybe quarterback sacks.
When you celebrate like that after a big hit on a more routine play, I’d say you’re roughly 90% more likely to get flagged. I’m hoping Durant plans to keep up the passing attack, because they have a height advantage over probably every receiving corps they’ll encounter in 2014, and, also, because there’s nothing I love watching more than a highpowered passing attack. Every team I coach in the NCAA Football video games builds around the Air Raid offense, no questions asked. If the Cougars plan to get back to their usual run-heavy style, though, I could see why. After all, their wins have seen them dominating the ground game. I hope that everyone has a safe, happy Halloween, and that no child is given a box of raisins or a Mounds bar.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK SPONSORED BY COURTNEY PAAT | STATE FARM
JACOB MCLAUGHLIN The F.I.S.H. Hawks football team has been on a tear lately, beating Cape Coral-Oasis High School 52-0 two weeks ago and hanging 60 points on Ave Maria-Donahue Academy last Friday. Quarterback Jacob McLaughlin threw 11 total touchdown passes in those games, and is the National Homeschool Football Championship Series’ leading passer with 1,815 yards and 31 touchdown passes. How did you do this week? I did OK, but the receivers just made a lot of the plays. All I did was, I said stuff, and I threw the ball up to them. They made some great plays. What does the near future look like for the Hawks? We have one more regular-season game, and then it’s the playoffs. We’re ranked No. 3 right now — we’re 7-2. I think we have to see other teams, what their scores are, before we really know if we’re at home or away. But, we’re excited to play our best and leave the rest up to God. Is this your first year with the team? Yes, sir. I’ve been playing football for seven years. Before this, I played five years in the Fishhawk Wolfpack (Pop Warner) and, before that, I lived up in New Jersey and played for Jefferson (Youth Football League) up there. Do you play any other sports? I’ve played some soccer, and I run track. I have run cross country in the past, but not this year — I decided to focus more on football. What’s your favorite pro team? I really like the Denver Broncos, especially how they run their offense. Peyton Manning is an amazing athlete. Is Peyton your favorite player? He could be, but I personally like Russell Wilson a lot. He’s not that big, and I’m not that big. He rolls out a lot, and throws on the run — that’s what I do. I kind of look up to him. He believes in God and is a great role model. Do you prefer the pro game or the college game?
I prefer college, because I just think there’s so much energy in those Saturday games. Everyone’s pumped up. You’ve got the bands, the cheerleaders and everything — everyone’s just so excited. ... In college, you don’t get paid — you’re playing for the guys around you. Who’s your college team, then? I like Ohio State. I was born in Ohio, and that’s my favorite team in college. What are your hobbies outside of sports? I referee soccer — that’s pretty fun. I like to work out quite a bit with my friends here. I used to run, but I’ve kind of taken that off. What are some of your favorite movies? I really like Captain America. Also, “The Game Stands Tall.” And, “Remember the Titans.” Favorite books? I really like the Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings books. I also liked Tim Tebow’s book, “Through My Eyes.” If you could play for any team, college or pro, what would it be? I’d probably play for Ohio State, because I thought it was so fun growing up, looking up to those guys and seeing how cool they are, everything that they get. I’d probably like to play for them. If you could be either rich or famous, what would it be and why? Famous, because then I could influence people. If you could meet anyone, have lunch with them, and have a conversation, who would it be? It would probably be Jesus. I’d just talk to Him about how He came to Earth and died for us, how I’m thankful for Him.
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PLANT CITY
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TO DATE
1.20 (2013: .85)
HIGH 81 66 72 78 84 85 83
Fri., Oct. 31 Sat., Nov. 1 Sun., Nov. 2 Mon., Nov. 3 Tues., Nov. 4 Wed., Nov. 5 Thurs., Nov. 6
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SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES Fri., Oct. 31 Sat., Nov. 1 Sun., Nov. 2 Mon., Nov. 3 Tues., Nov. 4 Wed., Nov. 5 Thurs., Nov. 6
SUNRISE 7:39 a.m. 7:39 a.m. 6:40 a.m. 6:41 a.m. 6:42 a.m. 6:42 a.m. 6:43 a.m.
SUNSET 6:46 p.m. 6:45 p.m. 5:44 p.m. 5:43 p.m. 5:43 p.m. 5:42 p.m. 5:46 p.m.
LOW 56 43 48 56 60 61 58
MOON PHASES
Nov. 6
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TOMATOES SHIPPING POINT: ORLANDO SIZE 5x6 size 6x6 size
YEAR
TO DATE 36.39 (2013: 36.14)
LOW $22.95 $20.95
HIGH $22.95 $20.95
Courtesy of the United States Department of Agriculture
Nov. 22
Nov. 29
Jon Poppell sent us this beautifully peaceful photo of a cow standing in a field. 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 Michael Eng, meng@plantcityobserver.com; subject line: I Love Plant City. Winners can pick up their prize at Grimes Hardware.
CAN DO!
By Carl Cranby | Edited by Timothy E. Parker ACROSS 1 Grain-storage tower 5 Strikebreaker 9 Rude dudes 13 Bible book 17 Love, in Lourdes 19 Get rid of 20 Nautical direction 21 Carefree escapade 22 Structural supports 24 Boxer’s wear 25 Prayer support? 26 Buyer’s opposite 27 Unit of energy equivalent to 3,600 joules 29 From the top 30 Himalayan legend 31 Like the “c” in “cement” 32 Lip shiner 33 Delhi dresses 36 Lug laboriously (var.) 41 Had home cooking 43 Ball-___ hammer 44 “Poppycock!” 45 Half hitch, e.g. 46 Groceries holder 49 Siouan speakers 52 Boleyn or Bancroft 53 Athens or Sparta, e.g. 55 “Twilight Zone” writer Serling 56 Ready to spring 58 Brake linings 59 Lotion ingredient 60 Fifth letter of the Greek alphabet 62 Make beer or coffee 63 They have projected earnings? 64 Behavior of some insect species 70 Implied 73 Boat with oars 74 Put on paper
78 79 81 84 85 87 88 90 91 92 94 95 97 99 100 102 104 106 107 111 114 115 116 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126
Oat, wheat or rye Engraved fabric Local lingo Orthodontist’s org. “Boyz n the Hood” director Plum type Dim-witted Place for a mouse “Thanks ___!” Catchall category Small, reddish monkey Menus, essentially Colorless, odorless gas Anatomical cavity Brown songbirds Woman’s hat lining Horse hoof sound Shaped with an ax Distressing Birds’ nests up high Trojan princess of opera Essay page in newspapers Following church law It can be proven Actress Russo Abstract style of the ‘60s Come as a consequence Bag-shaped fish trap Bygone autocrat New Jersey hoopsters “Buona ___” (Italian greeting)
DOWN 1 Cul-de-___ 2 “___ shocked as you are!” 3 Unaccompanied 4 Like remote suburbs 5 Explorer, Navigator or Pathfinder 6 Ship’s employees 7 City on the Yamuna River
SUDOKU PACIFIC Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 23 28 32 33 34 35 37 38 39 40 42 45 47 48 50 51 53 54 57 58 61 62 63 65 66 67 68 69 70 71
Cream of the crop Sonic employee Cool in manner Coming-out party honoree Crystal ball user It turns litmus blue Projectile of old Shady street liners Depicts unfairly Makes angry Fade away Permit 1/6 of an ounce (Abbr.) Acquires Mushroom-to-be Fabled tale teller Enjoys a book “___ Miner’s Daughter” Improve, as a skill Grant temporary use of Potato feature Mattel wares Colorado tribe Kind of bomb Bee ___ (“Stayin’ Alive” singers) Acclaim “In a minute” Word in French restaurant names Corrupt Room offerer ___ Lanka Cake embellishment Round-the-world traveler Nellie Pass off as genuine No-brainer? Brought into the world “___ you sure?” Tango quota Showy flower Big brother of 28-Down Opera highlight
© 2013 Universal Uclick
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It’s often lit in near-darkness On the ___ (under discussion) Corrects text Gymnast Comaneci Become liquid Ear doctors’ gadgets It’s taken on some hikes ___ Khan High-schooler
86 87 89 93 96 97 98 99 100 101 103
Laddie’s love Inherited Idealistic social reformers Eat one’s words Existing from birth Group of crows TV Tarzan portrayer Ron Word with “task” or “Air” Slight smell Kind of race Boxing venue
105 107 108 109 110 112 113 117
Hilo souvenir Follower of St. John’s? It’s clicked on a computer Part of the neck Buzzing annoyance “What ___ is new?” Fail to enunciate Surgeons’ workplaces, for short 118 “___, team!”
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