Volume 17 Issue 18
WESLEY CHAPEL Inside:
Meet New Friends At T’s Boutique!
NEWS
See page 21!
September 4, 2009
The Direct-Mail Newspaper Serving Wesley Chapel & New Tampa Since 1993! THIS INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IS DIRECTLY MAILED TO: WESLEY CHAPEL: Aberdeen • Belle Chase • Brookside • Chapel Pines • Country Walk • Lexington Oaks • Meadow Pointe • New River • Northwood • Pinewalk • Pine Ridge • Saddlebrook • Saddleridge Estates • Saddlewood • Seven Oaks • Lakes at Northwood • The Villages of Wesley Chapel • Wesley Pointe • Westbrook Estates • Williamsburg NEW TAMPA: Arbor Greene • Cory Lake Isles • Cross Creek • Grand Hampton • Heritage Isles • Hunter’s Green • Hunter’s Key • K-Bar Ranch • Lake Forest • Live Oak Preserve • Pebble Creek • Richmond Place • Tampa Palms • West Meadows
Thousands Mourn Fallen Wesley Chapel Police Officer By Michael Smith More than 5,000 mourners turned out last week to pay their last respects to the Tampa Police Department (TPD) officer and Wesley Chapel resident who was killed in the line of duty last month. TPD Cpl. Mike Roberts, 38, who lived in the Lexington Oaks subdivision off S.R. 54, was a Florida native who had been with the force for 11 years. According to a TPD release, he was on burglary patrol on Nebraska Ave. in North Tampa at around 10 p.m. on August 19 when he observed a suspicious man pushing a grocery cart full of unknown items. Cpl. Roberts attempted to question the man, 34-year-old Humberto Delgado, Jr., but Delgado began struggling with the officer. He broke away briefly and ran across the street, but Roberts quickly caught up
with him and the two began fighting once again. That’s when Delgado pulled out a handgun and began hitting Roberts with it, before firing one shot that struck the officer on the right side of his chest, in an area that was not protected by his bulletproof vest. Witnesses then saw Delgado run back to the shopping cart and remove a large canvas bag. At that point, a second TPD officer arrived on the scene, and as he began to chase the suspect, Delgado pulled an AR-15 assault rifle from the bag and pointed it at the officer. He then fled while the second officer attempted to help Cpl. Roberts, who was transported to Tampa General Hospital and passed away at 10:50 p.m. Cpl. Roberts, who is survived by his wife Cindy and a 3-year-old son, was born in Clearwater, but moved to Newfoundland at the age of 8. After
earning a Bachelor’s degree at Memorial University in Newfoundland, he returned to the Tampa Bay area and joined TPD in 1998. At the same time, he also signed up with the U.S. Army Reserves and was deployed to Bosnia, which delayed the start of (L. to r.) Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, TPD Corporal Mike Roberts and TPD Chief Stephen Hogue. his law enforcement career. He also later according to TPD Chief Stephen served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. Hogue, who delivered Roberts’ eulogy When he returned to the U.S., before an overflowing crowd at St. Cpl. Roberts rose through the ranks at Timothy Catholic Church in Lutz on TPD, performing various duties, August 25. (Note-Roberts was actually including street patrol, acting as a Field a member of St. Mark the Evangelist Training Officer and as a K-9 handler, See “Cpl. Roberts” on page 5. which was his favorite police activity,
folks who are looking for help with raising funds for a variety of worthwhile causes, so we thought we would present just a few of their stories in the hopes that our readers might find one or more of the causes that tugs at their heartstrings and offer some assistance.
Community Park in Tampa Palms. This year, Lucas and a group of her friends, known collectively as “The Real Housewives of New Tampa,” are participating in the sixth annual High Heel Hike, which this year benefits actress Jenny McCarthy’s Generation Rescue The Funny Diva Show at The Brass Tap on Sept. 11 in the organization for children Shops at Wiregrass mall will benefit the High Heel Hike. with autism. and the National Music Foundation. All The High Heel Hike, which is of the past events have been held in the organized by Plant City artist Jules Hyde Park area of Tampa, but this year, Burt, is basically a 1K walkathon where there are actually three different Hikes, women take that walk wearing, as you one already held on August 22 in Plant might have guessed, high heels and City, one on Saturday, September 26, usually, a variety of wild wigs, makeup and outfits. Each year’s event is geared See “Fund Raisers” on page 18. towards raising money for a particular charity or cause, and some of the recipients in past years have included Easter Seals of Florida, the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute,
Trying To Help Out Local Fund Raisers In Our Distribution Area
Also Inside This Issue! LOCAL NEWS, BUSINESS & EDUCATION UPDATES
NEIGHBORHOOD MAGAZINE!
S.R. 56 Update, Cypress Creel Mall Developer Fined For Permit Violations, Meet Wesley Chapel High’s New Principal Carin Nettles & More!
Gather At T’s Boutique At The Grove, Our 2009 Neighborhood News Dining Sur vey & Contest, MLB Hall Of Famer Tony Perez Visits Our Area & More!
See pages 3-19!
See pages 21-32!
ECRWSS
First, we have New Tampa mom Aimee Lucas, who is best known locally for her successful effort to get a skateboard facility built at the New Tampa
Postal Customer
Funny Divas To Help The ‘High Heel Hikers’
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID TAMPA FL PERMIT 2801
Given the state of the U.S. economy, we know times are tough all over, but even in a tough economic climate, there still are a lot of charitable causes and organizations that are in need of help, in the form of both monetary contributions and volunteers who give of their time and effort — and thankfully, people in our community are willing to roll up their sleeves to help. Over the past several weeks, we’ve been contacted by a number of local
Dated Material Please Rush!
By Michael Smith
For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 17, Issue 18 • September 4, 2009 • www.WCNeighborhoodNews.com
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