By Kate Barker

A six-month, $1.1 million project is underway that will increase the county’s sewage capacity along FishHawk Blvd.

Residents of FishHawk Ranch and surrounding areas may have noticed the construction underway on the north side of FishHawk Blvd. According to Hillsborough County public information manager Steve Valdez, the $1.1 million project that will extend the force main line into new communities in the FishHawk area, should take less than six months to complete.

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By Kate Barker

Hundreds of residents of all ages and backgrounds packed into Valrico's Grace Bible church recently, with one mission, to let county representatives know they do not want adult businesses to start opening in their backyards.

The standing room only meeting, organized by the newly developed Community Action Summit, allowed residents the opportunity to hear from area pastors, local business owners and concerned citizens, as well as county representatives including three county commissioners, zoning officials and representatives from the fire marshal and sheriff's office, on the rumors of a bikini bar opening on the corner of Mt. Carmel Rd. and S.R. 60 in Valrico.

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By Michelle Caceres

It was an emotional and solemn gathering outside the FishHawk Ranch Welcome Center on May 6 as friends, family and strangers congregated to pray for children in the community who are battling cancer, including Taylor Arrington, Jacob Duckworth and Sydney Simms.

Heron Glen resident Debbie Kimble organized the prayer group after receiving an email asking people to pray for Taylor Arrington, a resident of Tanager Ridge who has Ewing's sarcoma, a bone and tissue pediatric cancer. Kimble recalled a scripture in Matthew that states, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" and felt prompted to coordinate the prayer group.

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By Lynn Parejko

Tracey de la Parte feels like a big loser, and that is exactly what this Ippolito elementary school teacher is. De la Parte has lost 24.5 pounds, more than any other participant in the Ippolito Elementary weight loss challenge organized by the school's health assistant, Kathy Sarnowski. Under the direction of Sarnowski, Ippolito Elementary School has launched an ingenious program to address the issue of unwanted pounds. "I would hear the teachers and staff commenting about wanting to lose weight, but not having the necessary tools or support system to follow through," says Sarnowski.

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Health Assistant Kathy Sarnowski puts Ippolito teacher Tracey de la Parte on the scale.

Residents Ask Commissioners to Widen Lithia Pinecrest
By Kate Barker

On June 15, representatives from the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce will present a report to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) asking them to look into the widening of Lithia Pinecrest Rd. At a recent meeting, residents and Chamber members met with Commissioner Ronda Storms and county representatives to discuss the details of the potential widening. Storms told residents at the meeting that it was unlikely, even with the best of luck, that the road would be widened within 10 years, but she also offered the approximately 50 residents in attendance tips on the best ways to resolve the road’s traffic problems.

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Planning and Growth Management representative Ned Baier met with residents interested in widening Lithia Pinecrest Rd. at a Chamber town hall meeting.