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SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A relic was stolen from the Cathedral of the Madeleine
said the relic ofSaint Mary Magdalene was stolen from the Cathedral of the Madeleine on the morning of July 10
when one of the cathedral staff found the broken reliquary on the floor beneath the crucifix
said it appeared to be an act of theft and not vandalism
"This was a person looking for something of value to sell," he said
"It is likely that he picked up the reliquary
but once he got it off the shelf could not hold it
he took the one thing that appeared sellable."
According to the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City
the relic was brought to Salt Lake City in1918 by Bishop Joseph S
It has been housedin the reliquary for more than 100 years
The relic is annually displayed as an invitation to prayer on two days:Easter Sunday and July 22nd --the Solemnity of St
Mary Magdalene -- "the day on which Catholics throughout the world recall the heroic life of this early woman follower of Jesus," the Catholic Diocese said
The Catholic Diocese is nowworking with the Salt Lake Police Department to recover the relic
"This is a very disturbing loss,” Diaz said
"We want to make every effort to find and restore this treasure for the people in Utah."
A reward of $1,000 is being offered for its return or for information leading to its return
Anyone with information is asked to contact Fr
The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City is reeling after a relic of St
"apostle to the apostles," and patron saint of the Church in Utah
was stolen from its reliquary at the Cathedral of the Madeleine
While there is an ongoing investigation into the theft
the diocese has asked anyone with information to come forward
The relic, according to local NBC affiliate KSL TV
is a fragment of bone that is traditionally believed to belong to St
It was placed upon a piece of cloth within a reliquary with a glass front so it could be seen and venerated
The diocese notes that it was initially brought to Salt Lake City in 1918 by Bishop Joseph S
and had been within the reliquary for more than 100 years
Father Martin Diaz, the Rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, expressed the community’s sense of loss over the theft of their prized relic on the diocese's website:
“This is a very disturbing loss and we want to make every effort to find and restore this treasure for the people in Utah,” Fr
“It is also important to acknowledge that Catholics do not worship relics: They serve as a physical reminder of the women and men who have lived generous and charitable lives on behalf of God and others
Our life of faith and service to the community will
The Diocese of Salt Lake City is the only Catholic diocese – and cathedral – under the patronage of St
who followed him closely during his 3-year ministry nearly 2,000 years ago
She was one of the three Marys – along with the Blessed Mother and Mary of Clopas
Jesus’ aunt – who stood at the foot of Jesus’ cross
Mary Magdalene had the distinct honor of being the first recorded person to encounter Jesus Christ after his Resurrection
Mary Magdalene’s feast day falls on July 22
and the diocese intends to celebrate the occasion without the relic present
The diocese did however note that it would do so “with a keen sense of the loss of this small historic and physical connection to its patron.”
The diocese has asked that anyone with any information as to the whereabouts of this historic first-class relic come forward
the diocese has indicated that they are not seeking to punish those who come forward and will accept any information with no questions asked
Credible information that leads to the recovery of the relic will be rewarded with a $1,000 bounty.
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According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the fight between Kamal Padlowski, 50, and another adult male began on a boat. When the man left the boat, Padlowski followed the victim onto the dock and pushed him, deputies said. The victim fell and hit his head. Padlowski then pushed him again, according to the agency, into the water.
Deputies responded to the scene about 6:30 after a report of a possible shooting. But when they arrived, they found no sign of a shooting. After a witness statement, the agency called in its dive team, who recovered a body in the water.
Padlowski was booked into county jail early Sunday morning, held without bond. According to jail records, he lives in Lake Magdalene and works as senior cloud architect for Microsoft.
He faces one charge of felony second-degree murder, court records show, which can be punished by up to life in prison.
The Sheriff’s Office declined to release any further information about the victim before they can notify his next of kin.
“This tragic incident highlights the severe consequences that can arise from acts of violence, and our thoughts are with the victim’s family during this incredibly difficult time,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. “The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to ensuring justice is served, and we will continue to investigate this case thoroughly.”
In October 1998, the Greenville News reported that Padlowski, then 24 years old, was arrested in Pickens County, South Carolina for issuing a fraudulent check and assaulting a police officer while resisting arrest. Pickens County court records say he pleaded guilty to resisting arrest.
Then in 2009, the Montclair Times reported that West Orange, New Jersey police officers arrested Padlowski and charged him with resisting arrest, aggravated assault on an officer, making terroristic threats and assaulting two women. He was charged with spitting on the women at the bar and then spitting, kicking at and shoving an officer at the police station. It’s unclear what came of those charges.
Paul Guzzo is a former culture reporter.
— There’s a smelly situation at a Carrollwood apartment complex
where hundreds of bags of garbage are piling up and residents tell us it's been like that for days
“That's the tallest mountain in Florida right there,” jokes Andrew Benson
pointing to the huge pile of garbage behind him
That mountain has been growing one bag and buzzing bee at a time
Residents say the pile started before Christmas
The garbage heap is inside the upscale Park at Lake Magdalene apartment complex
which advertises lake views and luxury living
a pair of lobster shorts and empty Barbie boxes are mixed with broken eggs and rotting food and potentially attracting rats and bugs
we can maybe get lower rent,” Sebastian Coladonato said
The rent at the complex is between $1,300 for a studio to $2,700 a month for a three-bedroom apartment
“All they charge and fees that we pay every month and this is what we get
This?” one woman yelled from a car as she passed by the mound
the complex’s garbage compactor malfunctioned last week and no one was available to repair it due to the holidays
a large container arrived to hold the trash
But we still observed multiple people throwing garbage bags into the pile
“This is something that occurs on a regular basis and it's because the trash compactor is too small for the entire complex here,” Smith said
So it's not unexpected to have a large amount of trash to dispose,” said Benson
When we returned to the complex later Thursday afternoon
replaced by employees of the complex wearing gloves
Residents said it will be a welcome relief to see the garbage gone and they hope not to have similar issues in the future
If you have a story you’d like the I-Team to investigate, email us at adam@abcactionnews.com
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2021 at 3:10 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Emergency call data and planning studies have listed the Lake Magdalene area as a top priority for a new fire station for 15 years
FL — Hillsborough County is extending the deadline for input from the public about the proposed location of a new fire station to serve residents in the Lake Magdalene area
The deadline to submit comments is Wednesday
Residents and commercial property owners can click here at any time until Wednesday at midnight to learn more about the location being considered
participate in the virtual public engagement and offer comments on the proposed site
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue expects that response times in the Lake Magdalene area could shrink by several minutes when the new Fire Station #47 comes online
The county uses response times to help determine the areas of most need for additional service
Construction has begun on new stations in Central Brandon and Rhodine Road in Riverview
construction is starting on a replacement for the aging station currently serving Apollo Beach
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to 114,644 calls for emergency fire rescue services in 2020
there's expected to be an additional 31,164 calls in the first quarter of this year
Emergency call data and planning studies have listed the Lake Magdalene area as a top priority for a new fire station for 15 years
the area is served by the Northdale Fire Station
15905 Mapledale Blvd.; Fire Station #48 at River Oaks
9755 Sheldon Road; Fire Station #40 Chapman
The county looked at 17 sites in the Lake Magdalene area before deciding on a site located on Bearss Avenue between Lake Magdalene Boulevard and Lake Emerald Boulevard
The site will allow for construction of a two-bay station with a driveway allowing rescue vehicles to drive through the station without impacting traffic on Bearss Avenue or requiring fire rescue vehicles to back up into the fire station bays
Fire Rescue will use wireless traffic control technology to change the traffic signals at Lake Magdalene and Lake Emerald boulevards
then stop lanes of traffic in front of the station as first responders enter Bearss Avenue
minimizing the need for sirens and lights as warnings to motorists
The new station will serve the communities of Avila
The new fire station will cost about $285,000
Acquisition of the property is expected December
The design and construction of the new fire station are currently unfunded
The county’s master plan calls for more than 26 new fire stations in the coming decade
Questions in English or Spanish about the virtual public engagement for the Lake Magdalene Fire Station may be directed to the Customer Service Center at 813-272-5900
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More Florida churches are separating from the United Methodist Church conference because of disagreements over ordination of openly gay clergy and other LGBTQ issues
Alex Shanks is assistant to the bishop of the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
He said this division in the church has been around for decades
the United Methodist Church has been in discernment around matters related to human sexuality and the future of the church since 1972
there hasn't been an exit path for churches that wish to move forward while sticking to their traditional values
"The only way that a church can disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church at this point
as approved by our General Conference is through paragraph 2553
which limits that conversation to disaffiliation around matters of conscience related to human sexuality," he said
But Shanks said he's certain churches have many reasons for breaking away that they've prayed about and considered
Shanks said the conference bears no ill will to those disaffiliating churches
“There are faithful people who disagree on these matters
And we recognize that people have a variety of perspectives.” he said
RELATED: Dozens of Florida churches break ties with United Methodist Church over ordaining LGBTQ+ clergy
is a denomination that wants to welcome everyone
“We seek to be a church that welcomes all persons
that includes all persons in the love of God
and where all persons are welcome to take a journey towards sanctification
where we become more and more like God created us to be the gospel
the message of love that God has called us to share through the grace of Jesus Christ remains strong and relevant and vibrant
and faithful Christians who disagree can still belong to a church in which they reach out with love and care to all persons,” he said
Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church in Tampa is among the churches that are leaving. It will join the Global Methodist Church and posted this opt-out for members of the congregation who wish to remain with the UMC
St. John’s and Old Miakka in Sarasota are disaffiliating
The churches which are leaving the conference must meet all financial obligations before separating
“If a church meets their financial obligation
which means they retain all of their assets
other than the financial obligations they have of unpaid apportionments for an additional year
and their fair share of the pension obligation
they retained their property and their buildings,” he said
Forty-six more churches were approved for disaffiliation by the conference last weekend
And another 50 or so more are expected to make the move in early December
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passed away peacefully at Stillwater Hospice in Fort Wayne
1939 to Frank and Hulda (Jackson) Gibson in Paintsville
Magdalene dedicated her professional life to Zimmer
retiring in 1997 after many years of service
Her commitment to education and the well-being of children led her to volunteer at Claypool Elementary School for numerous years
where she made a positive impact on many young lives
She had a vibrant personality full of joy and enthusiasm
Magdalene enjoyed shopping and was an avid fan of game shows
Her love for social gatherings was evident in the joy she found in dining out with her friends from Zimmer
she was a faithful member of Silver Lake Wesleyan Church and shared her home with her beloved cats
Curtis (Robin Blankenship) Harris of Silver Lake
She also leaves behind a host of nieces and nephews
Preceding her in death were her beloved husband
A visitation will be held in her honor at Titus Funeral Home & Cremation Services
followed by a funeral service starting at 1:00 PM with Pastor Glenn Hall officiating
Burial will follow at Akron Cemetery in Akron
Donations may be given to the Kosciusko Animal Welfare League
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abandoned and neglected teens have found refuge at Lake Magdalene
a group home owned and run by Hillsborough County
But its spartan breeze-block buildings and institutional feel have dated badly in an era where foster care best practices state that children fare better in a home with a family
It doesn’t help that the facility in Carrollwood also serves children at risk of ending up in juvenile detention
It’s an everyday sight for foster kids to see other children remove their shoes and be scanned with an electronic wand before entering the cafeteria they share
foster kids were banned from having cell phones
an attempt to keep a level playing field with children for whom phones are considered contraband
“It’s very cold and unwelcoming and institutionalized,” said Ramin Kouzehkanani
“It’s not conducive to long-term care and feeling welcome.”
That’s why the county last week unveiled an ambitious $17 million plan to turn the 23-acre campus into a foster-care village with homes
a school and professional foster parents who live there permanently
Officials hope the village will be an option for a small population of older teens who have refused placements and therapy and often end up sleeping in offices
It would also provide accommodation for children taken out of the home temporarily while parents receive a barrage of counseling and behavioral therapy under a new program launched by the county that is intended to lower the number of children taken into foster care
RELATED: Officials are counting on new center to ease Hillsborough’s foster care crisis
The first step for the village project will be a $500,000 renovation of three cottages
The buildings will be renovated to be more homey
Required group home safety fixtures like sprinkler systems
illuminated exit signs and fire panels will be made more discreet
The homes will be run by professional foster parents who can provide 24/7 care for a small number of foster kids
The parents will be trained in dealing with children with severe trauma
A team of counselors and case managers will be available day or night to help the parents should a crisis occur
chief of community-based care for Eckerd Connects
the lead foster care agency in Hillsborough
Commissioners have little choice but to revamp Lake Magdalene. Federal subsidies for children staying in expensive group homes will be limited to just 14 days once that provision of the Family First Prevention Services Act goes into effect in Florida in 2021. The average stay at Lake Magdalene is about 18 months.
The act prioritizes keeping children out of foster care by making more money available for in-home counseling and parenting classes for families at risk of having children removed. There is also some funding for professional foster parents.
The cost of the village would be equivalent to about the county’s total spending on children’s services over two years, Kouzehkanani said. He expects that it will help the county qualify for more federal funding.
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The county’s continued investment in foster care comes as Hillsborough has led the state in the number of children removed from their family for the past three years.
County officials will be hoping the village plan fares better than an ill-fated attempt to take in troubled foster kids in 2017. Two cottages at Lake Magdalene were leased to Eckerd Connects, which hired Truecore Behavioral Solutions to care for difficult-to-place teens.
The initiative was quietly shelved after less than a month because the teens were blamed for a rash of break-ins in nearby homes.
Sandy Murman“The neighborhoods surrounding Lake Magdalene will love this,” County Commissioner Sandy Murman said about the village. “They watch us like a hawk. There have been problems - I’m not going to sugar coat it — big problems.”
Commissioners also decided unanimously last week to name the village after Murman, in recognition of her efforts leading the Blue Ribbon Commission on Child Safety that worked with stakeholders to come up with the plan for the village and the county’s prevention program.
Christopher O'DonnellHealth and Medicine Reporter
This is in response to water samples taken on June 15
The public should exercise caution in and around these lakes
Residents and visitors are advised to take the following precautions:
Blue-green algae are a type of bacteria that is common in Florida's freshwater environments
A bloom occurs when rapid growth of algae leads to an accumulation of individual cells that discolor water and often produce floating mats that emit unpleasant odors
Some environmental factors that contribute to blue-green algae blooms are sunny days
still water conditions and excess nutrients
But that was the problem. Allowing fewer homes than the minimum called for under the county rules, “undermines the intent of urban service area,” said Melissa Lienhard, the principal planner at Plan Hillsborough.
Both the planning staff and a county zoning hearing master recommended against the rezoning request from David Weekley Homes to allow 42 homes on 14 acres off Lake Magdalene Boulevard in the Northdale/Carrollwood area. The county’s land policies, intended to drive growth to urbanized areas equipped with existing infrastructure, required a minimum of 94 homes on the property.
A multi-family project wouldn’t be compatible with the existing single-family homes in the vicinity, Weekly’s representatives previously told the county. However, the planning staff pointed out apartment complexes are located both east and west of the vacant land.
Nobody objected during Tuesday’s commission hearing, though four neighbors earlier told the hearing officer the property, part of a larger 58-acre parcel, should remain as an orange grove.
After having prior concerns about potential storm water drainage issues addressed, the commission, without comment, unanimously followed the lead of Commissioner Ken Hagan in approving the zoning change to allow the new homes.
C.T. BowenHillsborough County Reporter
2020TAMPA — A Lake Magdalene area home drew crowds from startled passers-by Tuesday morning
According to a Facebook post by Croc Encounters, the wildlife sanctuary received a call from the home’s residents, who could not get the alligator to move.
The residents warned people with a sign, saying “Delivery Stop! Leave Packages here! ALLIGATOR at front door!! (seriously).”
Croc Encounters directors Karina Paner, and her husband, John Paner, captured the alligator by jumping on it, restraining it and lifting it into the back of a truck. Karina Paner estimates the alligator weighed between 150 and 200 pounds.
Croc Encounters said the alligator was likely missing limbs from a fight with another alligator. He will now live at the wildlife sanctuary.
“He’s doing quite well,” Karina Paner said Friday in an interview.
Reservations for a guided tour of the facilities can be made by calling (813) 217-4400. The sanctuary is located at 8703 Bowles Road in Tampa.
Natalie WeberPinellas Criminal Justice Reporter
Last year, Terry Sisco, who helms the United Methodist Men ministry at Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church in Carrollwood, met with then Forest Hills Elementary principal Elizabeth Giles to start a chapter of All Pro Dads at the school.
"I asked [Giles] what the biggest issues were at the school, and she said that many of the kids were behind on reading and acting up in the classroom," says Sisco, 66, who serves as the CEO of Tampa motivational and corporate training firm ExSellerate. "There were fifth-grade kids at Forest Hills reading at a first-grade level."
The first year saw Sisco and more than three dozen other men from his church group read to and motivate kids at Forest Hills. The reading program was a rousing success, and word about the good things happening at Forest Hills Elementary quickly spread to neighboring schools, including Cleveland Elementary in Sulphur Springs, where Sisco helped establish similar initiatives.
But why the emphasis on reading? Strong reading comprehension is the key to student success, especially as children move on to high school. And one high school is particularly near and dear to Sisco's heart: Chamberlain High School. It's where the New York native's daughter, Lacey, graduated in 1997.
Sisco saw the major changes at Chamberlain happen in just the two decades since his daughter attended the school, which opened in 1956.
"Over the past 10 years or so, literacy levels significantly dropped at the school and there are other problems, too." Among those "other problems" were increasing student delinquency rates.
Hillsborough County school officials have already begun making radical changes at Chamberlain in the past year, most notably with the hiring of Jake Russell, who successfully served more than a decade as principal of Sickles High before taking the lead at Chamberlain. Since taking charge at Chamberlain last year, he has made sweeping staff changes and helped elevate the school's overall grade from a low "D" to a high "C."
But Chamberlain's path to a "B" or even an "A" also requires more work from the students, many of whom struggle with reading comprehension, a problem best remedied in earlier grades. This is where Sisco and his men's ministry believe they can make strides at Chamberlain by helping expand reading programs into more of the elementary and middle schools that eventually feed students into Chamberlain.
In addition to Forest Hills and Cleveland Elementary, these schools include Carrollwood, Lake Magdalene, Crestwood, Oak Grove, Twin Lakes, and Sulphur Springs elementary schools as well as Adams and Memorial middle schools.
"If [the kids] are reading two or three grade levels back, that makes it challenging. The goal is to give kids a vision of Chamberlain as they graduate from schools like Forest Hills into Adams."
Russell added poverty as yet another challenge at Chamberlain.
"We're educating our teachers on poverty, its effects on students, and how to deal with that."
District 3 School Board Member Cindy Stuart called the efforts to improve reading levels at North Tampa schools and raise grades at Chamberlain a "true collaboration" of many individuals working together for a common goal. She says the next big step for Chamberlain is rolling out the red carpet for future Chamberlain students at the upcoming Chamberlain Champions event on Oct. 6.
"We want to get kids more engaged with the school so that as they age through elementary and middle school they are excited to become a 'Chief' one day," Stuart said.The event will include photo opportunities with Chamberlain Chiefs football players and cheerleaders, music, games, a parade, giveaways.
A special Chamberlain Champions Award and $500 scholarship will be presented to the school with the highest percentage of overall student participation.
"Ultimately, the goal isn't just raising the bar at Chamberlain but also morale," Stuart said. "I can't wait to receive more calls from parents who want to know how to get their kids into Chamberlain."
Contact Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez at hillsnews@tampabay.com.
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Michelle Kerr exchanged hugs and hushed greetings with mourners as she moved unsteadily to the base of an altar. There, in the open casket, nestled the cherubic face of her 5-year-old daughter, Phoebe.
Kerr, her limbs shaking from multiple sclerosis, her cheeks wet with tears, put a hand on the rail. She leaned on her boyfriend and an older daughter, who handed her a wad of tissues as she gazed in silence. The girl looked at peace. She might have been sleeping. But she wasn't.
Phoebe Jonchuck died Thursday when she was tossed from the Dick Misener Bridge in St. Petersburg. At her memorial service Wednesday in Tampa, those who knew her spoke of a girl with an infectious smile who learned to love going to school and told friends she wanted to be a dancer when she grew up.
There was scant mention of John Jonchuck, 25, her father, who remains jailed, accused of dropping the little girl to her death. And although the more than 150 mourners gave thanks for the five precious years Phoebe was alive, her tragic end was something difficult for even practiced spiritual leaders.
"When we try to wrestle with the whys, we say things like 'maybe it was God's will,' " said Pastor Brent Byerman, who led the service. "At this time I can't believe quite that. Many things happened to this girl that were not the will of God."
The congregants bowed their heads in prayer. They sang hymns and religious songs. They embraced Phoebe's family members and one another.
"I know you don't want me or anyone else to cry," said Phoebe's grandmother, Michele Jonchuck, addressing the girl's spirit. "But we can't help it right now. We know that God needs another angel. . . . This isn't a goodbye to you, my angel princess. Because one day again, I will be by your side."
A slideshow of photos was projected on two overhead screens. It showed Phoebe with a group of classmates sitting next to Santa Claus. It showed Phoebe, lying beside a furry dog, making a peace sign with her fingers. It showed Phoebe beaming with her arms open as though awaiting an embrace.
Micha Olivier, her kindergarten teacher, shared stories of the girl she had come to know this year at Cleveland Elementary School in Tampa.
"Phoebe loved school, and she loved her friends," Olivier said. "Who, by the way, are doing amazingly."
They speak of her as an angel with a set of fluffy wings, Olivier said. "Guess what?" they told their teacher. "She's in cloud school."
Twice in the 45-minute service, a chorus of sobs was punctuated by an angry shout. The second time, when a man blurted out that he wanted to kill Phoebe's father, a group of people escorted the man from the sanctuary.
"There needs to be a lot of forgiveness here today," Byerman said. "Not only forgiveness for the person who took Phoebe's life, but also for ourselves and everyone who may have let this girl down."
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At the end, four pallbearers carried her casket to a waiting hearse. A caravan led by three Hillsborough County sheriff's cruisers, their sirens blaring, rolled a mile away to Lake Carroll Cemetery.
The bright colors dulled under the steel gray skies. Mourners emptied their cars and moved to a gravesite. One woman stayed behind, weeping in a driver's seat. Byerman read a brief prayer.
Afterward, some of her family members returned to the church for a news conference. They thanked the community for the support they have received. They asked that anyone who wants to help to send a donation to Phoebe's school.
Asked about her son, the man accused of Phoebe's death, Michele Jonchuck reiterated Byerman's words of forgiveness.
"I'm not happy with him. Who would be?" she said. "I don't know what happened. I really don't. But I have to forgive him."
Contact Dan Sullivan at dsullivan@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3386. Follow @TimesDan.
Dan SullivanJustice Reporter
2022TAMPA — Hillsborough County commissioners resolved a years-long dispute with the Bearss Groves produce stand Thursday
agreeing to a revised zoning designation to allow the retail agricultural store to continue operating
“I just breathed this deep sigh of relief and I just think this is great for everyone
It is a much-beloved business,” said Commissioner Pat Kemp
She wasn’t the only one to heap accolades on the stand. Commissioner Ken Hagan called it a “treasure” and commission chairperson Kimberly Overman said it was a “jewel” where her grandson was photographed with Florida’s largest pumpkin.
The discord began in 2018 when county code enforcement officers said the roadside stand at 14316 Lake Magdalene Blvd
never got the permission it needed to operate
including a development plan and permits for its structures
Owner Barry Lawrance, who bought Bearss Groves in 2008, argued his business is part of a legitimate agricultural operation protected by state law and exempt from the county rules.
But, $200-per-day county fines kept accumulating — eventually reaching $160,0000 — after Lawrance took his dispute to court. His challenges to the Hillsborough Property Appraiser’s Office, the Value Adjustment Board, a special magistrate, Hillsborough Circuit Court and finally the 2nd District Court of Appeal all affirmed the county’s position.
The store was not considered a bona fide agricultural operation by the county because the 3,000-foot store sells more than fresh fruit and vegetables and sits on land that does not have a greenbelt exemption as farmland.
“It’s a case, in my opinion, where our policies and codes and common sense are not necessarily aligned,” Hagan said Thursday.
Commissioners voted 7-0 to change the land’s zoning to what is known as planned development ― effectively permitting the produce stand, harvesting area and single-family home to remain as is. A portion of the nearly 3-acre property had been zoned exclusively for residential use, prompting the code enforcement action.
Obtaining proper zoning for the land was necessary before the county can consider waiving the $160,000 in fines that Lawrence said previously could force the produce stand out of business.
Four inches of dark, gray water pooled on his garage floor. Sickly brown water overflowed from the pool onto the lanai. Inside the house, hardwood floors warped and buckled.
The rest of Tampa Bay may have dried out, but Faircloth Estates hasn't. Knee-high water remains the norm in the tiny, three-street loop surrounded by lakes.
A stench drifts through the air. Fire hydrants lounge in a swampy hot tub, submerged to the nozzle. There's a new lake where roads used to sit, bringing unwelcome visitors: algae, mosquitoes, snakes, the works.
Worst part is, Slagle knew this would happen. Which is why he spent three weeks haranguing county commissioners while record rains swelled nearby lakes.
"Welcome to my home," he said Thursday from his flooded stoop on Dover Cliffe Drive.
Streets flooded, cars stalled and residents evacuated earlier this week when Mother Nature pounded the bay area with rain for 20 out of 21 days.
In Hillsborough County, those floodwaters have mostly receded.
Residents in this Lake Magdalene neighborhood say the continuous rains saturated the surrounding lakes and the ground, leaving their community vulnerable to the floodwaters that rushed in Monday.
"The water was up to door handles on cars," said Carrie Burchett, 40, who lives with her husband on Nottinghill Drive.
The water on her street has dropped 2 ½ feet in the past few days, down to nearly a foot high. Still, residents cannot leave Nottinghill without SUVs. Even then, they drive sparingly through brown waves, due to septic tanks leaking into the standing water.
On Thursday, Burchett watched while a car pummeled through the water, pushing small, fetid waves over her wilted lawn.
"Just imagine that sitting around since Monday," she said. "All of this is toxic now."
"The way our drainage system works is, it pumps out of one lake and into another," said Victor Crist, the neighborhood's county commissioner. "This rainstorm filled them all up, and we had little capacity."
The county has attempted to solve the problem since late Wednesday, Crist said, by pumping standing water into nearby lakes.
But Faircloth Estates is surrounded by bodies of water, like Long Lake to the east, just across Florida Avenue. And those lakes are all saturated.
"We can't pump too fast because we have to allow the water to drain off to where we're pumping it to," Crist said.
Slagle, though, was skeptical. This has happened before. In August 2012, he said, another flood swept through Faircloth Estates, leaving roads impassable. Slagle blamed the Florida Department of Transportation for failing to install proper drainage.
"(The water) stood for 10 days before the county came out," Slagle said.
An FDOT spokesman said Friday that the agency had no official complaint about that 2012 episode. But the state will look into it.
Crist says time is the solution. But on Dover Cliffe Drive, residents said their problems are getting worse over time.
Gnats have teemed around the shower drain in Missy Saffold's bathroom since Monday when the water backed up. The social worker was worried about her two nephews, ages 6 and 8, who live with her. Both suffer from immune deficiencies.
Two doors down, Slagle, his wife and their adult son return every day to stuff their belongings into cardboard boxes. Until the neighborhood drains and the damage estimates arrive, they're crashing with family 45 minutes north in Brooksville.
"It smells like dead worms all over the place," said Cindy Heinlein, 67, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than two decades.
Since the flooding, she has paid $100 a day to rent a pickup truck. Her husband suffers from a medical condition that left him bedridden. But standing water doesn't change the fact that somebody has to pick up his medication.
Staring into the nasty green water on Thursday, she summed up everyone's frustration in two words:
Contact Zack Peterson at zpeterson@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3368. Follow @zackpeterson918.
County officials made headway over the past two months. They broke ground on the top priority in the master plan — a new fire station in central Brandon. They are scheduled to do likewise in September on a new station on Rhodine Road in Riverview, the second-highest priority.
Crossing number three off the list, a new fire station in Lake Magdalene, however, won’t be as easy. County officials have been searching for where to put it for 17 years.
The county has looked at 15 potential sites since 2004 in the area bordered by Bearss and Fletcher avenues and from North Dale Mabry Highway east to North Florida Avenue. Some of the parcels ended up being too small, contained wetlands, were too expensive, faced political opposition, didn’t pass muster with commissioners or had other shortcomings.
The county thought it had a winner in its most recent proposed location on the north side of West Bearss Avenue between Lake Magdalene and Lake Emerald boulevards. It was in a strategic location, had a willing seller and the $252,000 contract purchase price was $43,000 lower than the appraised market value for the 1.36 acres of vacant residential land.
A June 4 staff recommendation, reviewed by a half-dozen senior county officials including Fire Chief Dennis Jones and Deputy County Administrator Greg Horwedel, called the proposed site for what would be the county’s 47th station “the optimal location.”
But not to the neighbors. The choice was extinguished following opposition from residents in the affluent waterfront community of Lake Magdalene.
“This will have dramatic impact on quality of life with sirens and flashing lights at any time of the day and night, in addition to potential decreased property values,” said one commentator on the county’s online public opinion survey conducted April 26 to May.12.
It was a common theme. Half of the responses from the 239 participants were negative. Only 16 percent were positive and the rest were neutral. Traffic tie-ups, noise and light pollution topped the concerns. Some suggested the county look elsewhere for commercial property.
“I think those people are being shortsighted,” answered Chris Boles, treasurer of the Hillsborough County Firefighters Local 2294.
Those who favored the location noted the quicker response times on emergency calls. Computer modeling projected the station’s location would cut 5 minutes from response times in the near vicinity and provide respite for neighboring stations that would translate to quicker times to answer emergency calls in Avila, Nowatney, Forest Hills, Carrollwood Village and Northdale.
National Fire Protection Association guidelines call for emergency personnel to respond to a scene within six to 10 minutes depending on whether the call is to an urban, suburban or rural area. The county’s goal is to meet that national standard on 90 percent of its calls. Data from 2017 showed the county missed its response goal 45 percent of the time in urban and suburban areas and more than a third of the time in rural locations.
Longer response times come amid a larger population. In 2007, when the county already was looking for a station site in the Lake Magdalene area, the population in unincorporated Hillsborough was less than 800,000 people and annual calls for service totaled 80,000. Today, an estimated 1 million people live in the county, and fire rescue calls topped 114,000 in 2020.
In response to the criticism received in the online survey, the county noted eight stations already are in close proximity to residential neighborhoods and wireless technology allows firefighters to control traffic signals remotely, minimizing the need to blast sirens every time a firetruck or ambulance leaves the station.
Five days after the survey’s public comment period closed, property owner David R. Campbell of Tampa signed the sales contact with the county. Commissioners originally were slated to consider the purchase agreement on July 14 as part of their consent agenda, in which dozens of non-controversial items are approved in a single vote.
Commissioner Ken Hagan acknowledged he intervened when he saw the item on a draft version of the meeting agenda. He questioned whether the county administration had considered the public opposition.
“You don’t just do a survey and then, irrespective of the results, you just propose to move it forward. If there’s that much opposition, you need to take another look and see if there are any other options,” said Hagan.
That doused the county’s interest in completing the purchase. The county is no longer pursuing the property, a county spokesperson said Tuesday.
Hagan, however, said he didn’t have personal misgivings. As a child younger than 10, he and his family escaped, but lost all their possessions, when a fire destroyed their home. The planned new station would serve Hagan’s Carrollwood neighborhood..
“As far as I’m concerned you can put it next door to my house,” said Hagan. “I know the value of it.”
2024 at 3:46 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}An 868-pound pumpkin
is on display at Bearss Groves farmers market in north Tampa
a family-run farmers market in north Tampa
The pumpkin was purchased and brought to the market from Indiana by tractor
It’s on display in front of the farmer’s market
which is located at 14316 Lake Magdalene Blvd.
A group of pre-kindergarten students from Corbett Preparatory School of IDS in Tampa were the first to visit the large pumpkin
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2019TAMPA — Placing problem foster teens in a secure juvenile justice facility would be no different than arresting them
says Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister
the latest local leader to come out against a controversial plan to deal with foster children who refuse placements and therapy
which is backed by the Florida Department of Children and Families
as “ludicrous” and warned Wednesday it would further erode children’s confidence in the grownups entrusted to care for them
Many of the teens refusing placements have already been bounced between dozens of foster and group homes
Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said he is vehemently opposed to a plan to use a secure juvenile detention facility for foster teens who refuse placements and therapy
“The child welfare system has failed these children,” Chronister said
“I would never believe the fix would be to arrest these victims and send them to a secure detention facility.”
Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Les Miller proposed Wednesday that county staff investigate housing the teens — some of whom have histories of multiple arrests and school suspensions — at Lake Magdalene
Some end up sleeping in offices because of the state’s failure to find them a long-term home
“That raised a red flag with me,” Miller said of the proposal
“We’re putting more hardship on kids who had major hardship already?”
The recommendation to use a secure facility came from a Hillsborough Juvenile Justice Advisory Board committee
Its plan calls for a new state law allowing children to be forced into placements for up to 90 days through a court order
Hillsborough children would be housed in an unused building at the Juvenile Justice campus on East Columbus Drive previously used as a “consequence unit” for children in custody
they would receive intensive therapy and other services to try and stabilize them until they can go to a regular foster home
Use of a secure facility would be a last resort
There would also be a non-secure facility with up to 15 beds
They say forcing children into a locked facility will cause them more emotional harm.
As many as four children refuse placements every night, said Chris Card, chief of community care for Eckerd Connects. The agency, which took over foster care in Hillsborough in 2012, has struggled in recent years to house a group of about 20 children who are classified as night-to-night placements.
said he would be willing to work with the county to explore placing children at the 23-acre facility in Carrollwood
“Lake Magdalene is a tremendous resource,” Card said
“I would hope that it will be the whole answer
Hillsborough County has another incentive to retool Lake Magdalene. The 2018 federal Family First Prevention Services Act puts a two-week limit on federal subsidies for stays in expensive group homes like Lake Magdalene’s. That provision has yet to take effect in Florida.
The county also is investing $3 million on a program to reduce the number of children removed from their families and help get children who are taken away out of foster care more quickly.
Options for Lake Magdalene could include re-configuring the campus into individual foster homes run by professional foster parents.
Miller’s proposal was backed by Commissioner Kimberley Overman, who served on the juvenile justice committee whose plan included the use of a secure facility. She recommended that county staff drawing up a new plan for Lake Magdalene make use of other recommendations in the report.
This won’t be the first time the county has stepped in to try and help with Hillsborough most difficult foster kids. In 2017, it leased two cottages at Lake Magdalene to Eckerd Connects, which hired Truecore Behavioral Solutions to care for difficult-to-place teens.
Commissioner Sandy Murman said children who spend years in the foster system can be moved up to 80 times, a situation she described as “unconscionable.”
“What happened after the fifth placement? Why wasn’t it stopped?” she said. “To me, that is the fault of Eckerd Connects and DCF.”
(Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City) A display in downtown Salt Lake City's Cathedral of the Madeleine containing a bone fragment believed to be from the New Testament’s Mary Magdalene
Cathedral staffers say the relic was stolen last week
The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City has lost an incomparable treasure: a bone fragment believed to be from the New Testament’s Mary Magdalene
The fragment, smaller than a fingernail filing, has been in the magnificent Cathedral of the Madeleine in downtown Salt Lake City since 1918
Woven into a red cloth imprinted with a fleur-de-lis pattern and glued onto cardboard
the relic was encased in a bronze and glass reliquary
cathedral staffers discovered the reliquary shattered on the ground and the relic missing
They contacted the police and offered a $1,000 reward for information about it
Martin Diaz believes they know the culprit
“We have a fairly good idea who took the relic,” Diaz said Monday
“and I don’t believe he even remembers he was here.”
It was a “sad case” of a person who thought he could steal something valuable
but the glass case that houses the relic normally “takes two people to move.”
Diaz is realistic about the improbability of recovering the consecrated item — but hopeful
“Miracles happen all the time,” he said. “We even have a saint — St. Anthony — who is a saint of lost things.”
but Diaz believes it is likely gone forever
The priest is doubly disappointed as he sees this unthinking act as undoing local history and connection to St
Indeed, the majestic cathedral is the only one in the country named for the devoted female follower of Jesus
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Cathedral of the Madeleine in downtown Salt Lake City is pictured on Tuesday
There is some speculation that the diocese’s first bishop
to give early Utah Catholics something to celebrate at the same time Latter-day Saints celebrate Pioneer Day
went to France and brought back the relic and another one reportedly from Christ’s cross (which remains in the sacred space)
who created the cathedral’s vibrant color scheme and picked the paintings
“I am devastated, " said Cristina Rosetti, a religious studies expert who was in the cathedral parish for years and has a particular devotion to Magdalene. “She was “an apostle to the apostles.”
She has heard all the skeptics, asking how the church knows it’s her.
“We already believe that Jesus’ body becomes bread,” Rosetti explained. “What’s to say it isn’t her?”
Catholicism is an “incarnational faith,” said the scholar, who now lives in Quebec. “It is not an abstract thing but grounded in a reality” of bodies and bones — no matter how tiny.
To lose this one, she said, is particularly painful.
The diocese “can get another relic in Rome,” Diaz said, but it won’t be from Magdalene. Those are exceedingly rare.
The disappearance of the bone fragment is a double whammy for the diocese.
“We are losing a connection to Bishop Glass,” he said, and “to our precious history.”
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Intermountain Catholic
on July 10 when a staff member found the broken reliquary on the floor beneath the crucifix
A press release from the diocese of Salt Lake City emphasized the particularly devastating nature of the theft of this relic
Mary Magdalene is the patron saint of the Catholic Church in Utah
and the diocese of Salt Lake City is the only diocese and cathedral under the patronage of St
brought to Salt Lake City in 1918 by Bishop Joseph S
has been housed in the reliquary for over a century
It is displayed annually on Easter Sunday and July 22nd
inviting the faithful to prayer as they honor the heroic life of this early follower of Jesus
stated that this distressing loss appears to be an act of theft rather than vandalism.
“This was a person looking for something of value to sell,” Fr
“It is likely that he picked up the reliquary
he took the one thing that appeared sellable.”
Diaz emphasized that all possible efforts will be made to recover this treasured relic for the people of Utah
The Diocese of Salt Lake City is collaborating with the Salt Lake Police Department to recover the relic
The diocese has offered a description of the missing relic in the hopes that it will be identified and returned.
“The relic is contained in an oval shaped metal and glass container
measuring no more than 10″ in height,” the press release stated
A reward of $1,000 is being offered for its return or for information leading to its recovery
and the diocese urges any individual with information regarding its whereabouts to step forward
with the assurance that no questions will be asked.
“As the Catholic community prepares to celebrate the Feast Day of Mary Magdalene on July 22nd
it will do so with a keen sense of the loss of this small historic and physical connection to its patron,” the press release concluded
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Kevin McDonald, 41, Just Elementary. Was assistant principal at Shore Elementary.
Ann Perez, 51, Lake Magdalene Elementary. Was principal at Temple Terrace Elementary.
Crystal Brown, 43, Temple Terrace Elementary. Was principal at Lake Magdalene Elementary.
Renee Best, 37, Mitchell Elementary. Was assistant principal at Shaw Elementary.
Michael Campbell, 42, Grady Elementary. Was assistant principal at Grady.
Candice Dodd, 37, Edison Elementary. Was assistant principal at Gibsonton Elementary.
Gary Graham, 47, Durant High. Was assistant principal at Durant.
Jazrick Haggins, 36, Spoto High. Was assistant principal at Chamberlain High.
Jessica Kepa, 39, Morgan Woods Elementary. Was assistant principal at Lowry Elementary.
Amy Stevens-Cox, 44, East Bay High School. Was assistant principal at East Bay.
Ire Carolina, Lomax Elementary. Was principal of Just Elementary.
2013 at 6:32 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}In February
teachers and parents took part in the Run for the Manatees 5K
In addition to getting some great exercise
the school raised funds for new school technology
A portion of funds generated from the run also went to Lowry Park Zoo's manatee zoo
Lake Magdalene students and teachers presented zoo staff with an $800 check from the run
Does your child's school have some great news to share? Let us know about it by posting an announcement on Carrollwood-Northdale Patch
Keep up with all things Carrollwood and Northdale by signing up for our daily newsletter!
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6 May 2025 3:53:52 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString());
Photo provided by Vanna NguyenVanna Nguyen has fully devoted her life to her daughter Queena
after the then 18-year-old was brutally attacked at the Bloomingdale Regional Library and left for dead
Vanna Nguyen could never have imagined the tragedy that would befall one of her daughters in 2008 and how it would change her life entirely
when she was just 18 years old and escaping communism in Vietnam
has documented her journey in a new book she is working to get published entitled Hope – An Anchor for My Soul
The book describes her own journey and that of her daughter
who was brutally attacked at the Bloomingdale Regional Library and left for dead
see or eat on her own and is totally dependent on her mom and sister Anna
In explaining how she has managed to cope after Queena’s attack
a dark time in her life when her father was imprisoned after the fall of South Vietnam to the communists and how he later worked to get her out of the country and to freedom
Her family had gone from one of affluence to one with no money to even buy food
“We sold everything in the house to survive,” Nguyen recalled
escaped in a small boat with other refugees — uncertain if I had a chance ever to see my family again as I risked my life for the dream of freedom,” she told Women of the Naomi Circle earlier this week at Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church in Tampa
but did not allow it to have the final word.”
got separated during the early part of that journey
then were dogged by the communist military who peppered her boat with bullets
Once the boat reached international waters and a storm kicked up
The escape boat on which Nguyen was a passenger
It was riddled with bullet holes and the engine died
she recalls waking in the middle of the night to an odd sound — whales on either side of the boat
swimming alongside the listing vessel as if to usher it to safety in Malaysia
“It was like they were urging us to go on,” she recalled
I am a tireless advocate for Queena’s rehabilitation from traumatic brain injuries sustained during the attack,” she told the church group
I tell my story — and Queena’s story — as only a true survivor can.”
After Nguyen made the decision to let Queena’s identity be public following the attack
that her story could provide hope for others
“We don’t need to keep people in the dark anymore,” Nguyen said
especially for the people that need their own hope
To learn more about Queena’s story or to donate to her care, visit www.joinqueena.com
What sounds riskier is the plan to remove children from the home for about two weeks in some borderline cases while the parents receive counseling and behavorial therapy. The idea is that with intensive coaching the families could remain intact and avoid a court order requiring that the child be removed into foster care. That could work in some situations, but it should not be the default decision in close calls.
Naturally, there will be some metrics involved in measuring this experiment. County officials want to reduce child removals by 5 percent and the number of children in group homes by 75 percent over the next two years. Goals are good, but these goals cannot drive the decision-making process about removing children from potentially dangerous situations.
Traditionalists who oppose same-sex marriage and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender clergy will be free to form their own denomination. Those who favor full inclusion of LGBTQ persons in the life of the church will remain under the United Methodist banner.
Tampa Bay area church leaders who support inclusion say it’s about time. That included the Rev. Andy Oliver of Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, who faced possible discipline for officiating at a same-sex wedding that violated church rules.
“It’s a great day for inclusion for the United Methodist Church," said Oliver, 40. "This agreement will only be fully realized if it is voted in at the general conference. However, in the meantime, it tables all LGBTQ complaints allowing clergy to offer the ministry of marriage to all people, and gay and lesbian clergy to continue serving.”
The break-up must be approved when the United Methodist general conference is held in May in Minneapolis. If it passes, it would end a decades-long argument within the church over the role and status of LGBTQ people.
“This is a victory for those who want inclusion," Oliver said. "It is a bittersweet victory in that the unity of the church suffered a loss, but the most important thing is that the marginalized and the oppressed will be allowed to be at the center of the United Methodist Church moving forward.”
Last year, Oliver was called to the office of Bishop Ken Carter, head the Florida United Methodist Conference — and president of the denomination’s Council of Bishops — to answer a complaint that Oliver officiated at the marriage of two women.
The complaint was filed by the Rev. Brent Byerman of Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church in Tampa. The meeting with the bishop ended without any action being taken. A spokeswoman for Lake Magdalene said the church did not wish to comment for this story.
The complaint followed a contentious meeting in February. Delegates voted 438-384 for a proposal called the Traditional Plan, which affirmed bans on LGBTQ-inclusive practices. A majority of U.S.-based delegates opposed the plan, but they were outvoted by U.S. conservatives teamed with most of the delegates from Methodist strongholds in Africa and the Philippines.
Carter, the Florida bishop, was among the 16 leaders who met nine times in recent months — six times with mediator Kenneth Feinberg, who has overseen compensation funds for 9/11, the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Pulse massacre in Orlando — to hammer out the agreement.
“The fact that we met for nine long days illustrates that we didn’t come to an agreement easily,” said the Rev. Keith Boyette, president of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, the conservative group that fought changing the denomination’s LGBTQ policy.
“In fact, there was no resolution on all the disputed matters until the last hour of the last day. The meetings were stressful. They were personally difficult ... but they were conducted with great civility and respect for others who were at the table .... And because of our desire to reach an outcome that would enable us to bless one another, we were able to make the necessary compromises.”
At Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa, senior pastor the Rev. Magrey deVega called the agreement “a helpful and hopeful move forward for the denomination.”
His church of nearly 2,000 members “has among its core values to be a warm-hearted and open-minded congregation,” he said. “That means it believes that God’s love is for all people, without exclusion or judgment. It is my personal hope that this denomination can move forward as an inclusive expression of God’s love for all people, and this development feels like a step in that direction.”
Opposing LGBTQ inclusion were church leaders like Jamie Westlake, who recently served as pastor of New Hope United Methodist Church in Brandon and is headed to University Carillon United Methodist Church in Oviedo. He is vice president of the Wesleyan Covenant’s Florida chapter.
“I am encouraged by the fact that everyone in the room, from all around the world and from all the different positions, were able to agree together on a plan. That is a good sign of something that is fair and gracious. And nobody is going to get everything they want and that’s the dilemma," he said, adding that he didn’t know all the details.
"To me, a denomination is a voluntary organization of like-minded folks and we’re not like-minded anymore and it can’t be held together.”
Nadine Smith, executive director of LGBTQ-advocate Equality Florida, said she appreciates those within the denomination who supported inclusion.
“This is a divide that has been brewing for a long time and I’m proud of those who have stood on the side of inclusion, diversity and equality as opposed to disparagement and discrimination,” she said.
Oliver sent out a letter to his congregation about the agreement Friday: “Allendale will not only be free to continue to live out our Welcome Statement without being hampered, but other congregations wishing to follow Allendale’s lead will have the safe path to do so.”
Times senior news researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this story, which uses information from the Associated Press.
Waveney Ann MooreFormer Times Reporter