Volume 26 Issue 13 June 15, 2018
Inside:
Visits To Minerva & 900º Woodfired Pizza! See Pages 38-41
Remember To View, Like & Share Every Episode Of WCNT-tv On YouTube & Facebook! The Direct-Mail News Magazines Serving New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Since 1993! For the complete list of the neighborhoods that receive this publication by direct mail in New Tampa (zip code 33647), see page 46!
HART TO IMPROVE BUS SERVICE! New Tampa’s current one-stop Route 51LX is getting a makeover, with more stops, making it easier for local residents to get to nearby malls, downtown & Tampa Intl. Airport! By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com
New Tampa residents without vehicles and/ or in need of access to public transportation have always lived with a dearth of options. But, that is about to change. Starting Sunday, July 1, a long-overdue, allday, hourly bus route is being launched by the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) that will transform public transportation between S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel near the Shops at Wiregrass and the University of South Florida area. The new route, called Route 275 Limited Express (275LX), will replace the existing and limited Route 51LX. It is funded at $1.2-million annually through fiscal year 2019 by an Urban Corridor grant from the Florida Department of Transportation. The new route will run from Wesley Chapel through New Tampa, the University area and downtown, all the way to Tampa International Airport (TIA). Additional stops in New Tampa will make the
service more accessible for more people who need to use public transportation. Ruthie Reyes-Burckard, the chief operating officer at HART, says it will now be possible to take a bus from a number of new stops in New Tampa all the way to TIA in less than two hours, for the price of a $2 ticket. And yes, the HART buses are equipped with WiFi. “That’s a pretty good deal,” she says. More important is that the new route will offer a slew of brand new stops at New Tampa locations, as opposed to the one (in front of the Lowe’s at the corner of Bruce B. Downs {BBD} Blvd. and Commerce Palms Dr.) that exists now. The new route promises to be a dramatic improvement for those who currently use public transportation, with the hope, Reyes-Burckard says, that the added convenience will encourage more use. The soon-to-launch Route 275LX will merge with Route 51LX to provide hourly service beginning at 5:30 a.m., with 13 stops between the Pasco
See “HART” on pg. 4.
Tennis Event At Hunter’s Green On June 23 To Benefit Victim Of Lyme Disease
By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com
For years, whatever it was that was ailing Courtney Krysa befuddled doctors. Fatigue and horrible joint pain had transformed her life into a difficult struggle. Even when she was able to play soccer for Freedom High, Courtney would sometimes pass out. She developed a heart arrhythmia, several neurological deficits and debilitating arthritis. That finally led to a definitive diagnosis — Courtney had Advanced Neurological Lyme disease, likely the result of a tick bite she was treated for in 2008. Although she wasn’t diagnosed with Lyme disease at the time of the bite — never developing the bulls-eye rash that is often the first symptom of the disease — she has suffered with the consequences and a series of setbacks ever since. While there is no actual cure for the disease, and very few effective treatments, after years of searching, Katie Krysa thinks... hopes...she has found the answer. But mostly, for the first time in a
Courtney Krysa while, Katie says she has found hope. On Saturday, June 23, at noon, at the Hunter’s Green Country Club Sports Club, friends of Katie will host “A Twist of Lyme” tennis social to raise money for Courtney’s continued treatment. Katie, a Tampa Palms resident who plays league tennis with teams based out of West Meadows, is not surprised the
New Tampa tennis community is stepping forward to help cover the costs of Courtney’s treatments. Katie says she already has exhausted her bank account by spending $20,000 for six weeks of the treatment; another 18-24 weeks is likely needed. “I’ve relied on many of my tennis friends during this entire process,” she says. “They have been so great.” A minimum $30 donation is requested to be part of the social, which also will have silent auctions and raffles. The first 50 people to sign up will receive a tennis towel, and everyone who plays gets lunch, two margaritas and an afternoon of tennis and music, provided by D.J. Robby Rob. Once a vibrant, energetic teenager, her mother says Lyme disease has ravaged Courtney’s body, penetrating her nervous system and damaging her kidneys. Courtney missed most of her senior year at Freedom, and couldn’t attend graduation ceremonies. Katie says she has spent over $100,000 visiting clinics in Cleveland and Nashville, as well as visiting dozens of specialists, with every potential solution, most of them not
News: Business: News: Sports: News,Former Business & INSIDE Tampa’sBruce City Council Discusses Summer Vacation? Don’t Leave Surprise! B. Downs (BBD) Wharton High Football Also Inside INSIDE New Tampa Connections ToRoad Pasco. Your Pets Withfor Just Anyone! Blvd. Is Our Area’s Worst Players Declare NFL DraftEducation Updates Page3-17 6 This Issue:Pages
Pages 22-23 34-37 Pages 3-32
Neighborhood Magazine: Neighborhood Magazine: Checking Out Bricks Minifigs The Readers Have & Spoken! Here Their In TheAre Shops At Favorites! Wiregrass! Pages35 39-52 Pages & 46
covered by insurance, leading to a dead end. Ready to give up, Katie says she discovered David Minkoff, M.D., an alternative medicine specialist, at the LifeWorks Wellness Center in Clearwater. LifeWorks specializes in treating chronic illnesses, and Katie says she has been encouraged by the early results. Courtney, who has spent much of the past few years bed-ridden and in a wheelchair, can today walk 25 feet without assistance, and has displayed cognitive improvements. “I didn’t know where to go anymore before I found this treatment,” Katie says. “I didn’t have a lot of hope. I just thought I was going to have to watch her slowly get worse.” After years of disappointment, Katie is hoping her last hope can help restore to Courtney some of the quality of life she once enjoyed. To read more about Courtney’s story and register for the A Twist of Lyme tennis social, visit HopeRisingInc.org. The HGCC Sports Club is located at 18050 Hunter’s Oak Ct.