W ESLEY C HAPEL Interstate 275 Closed Down After Semi Catches Fire
Interstate 275 near the Hillsborough/Pasco county line was closed down for several hours last week, after a semi truck caught fire. According to a report issued by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), truck driver Andy Veras was heading north on the interstate near mile marker 57 when he noticed a small fire on the passenger side of his 2003 International car carrier, which was hauling three cars at the time. Veras pulled over to the shoulder and attempted to put out the fire with an onboard fire extinguisher, but when he could not get the flames under control, he called 911. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to the scene and put out the blaze, but the northbound lanes of the interstate were closed for more than three hours while the truck was removed. Veras was not injured in the incident, and it is not known what caused the fire.
Pasco Teacher Runs Afoul Of The Law Once Again This has been a tough year for Wiregrass Ranch High teacher Leah
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News Briefs Zachewicz, who was arrested for the second time in October while behind the wheel of her sports utility vehicle. According to reports, Zachewicz, 26, Leah who teaches English at Zachewicz the high school in Wesley Chapel, was pulled over by a Pasco County Sheriff’s Office deputy for driving 70 mph in a 55 mph zone near Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and SR 56. At the time, Zachewicz, who also is the coach of the school’s girls swim team, had three students in the vehicle with her, and she said she was taking them to practice. In addition to speeding, however, Zachewicz was also charged with driving without a license. Her license had been revoked following an incident in May in which she was charged with DUI after a deputy found her passed out inside her vehicle in the parking lot of Dr. John Long Middle School, also in the Wiregrass Ranch area, at 2:30 in the morning. A Pasco County School District spokesperson said that Zachewicz had
“Fees”
Continued from page 1 Another benefit to the new fee structure, officials say, is that the money could be used for other things besides roads, such as public transportation or other transit projects, whereas impact fees are only allowed to be used for new road construction and do not cover operations or long-term maintenance costs. The result, now-former Commissioner Michael Cox said at the workreceived a verbal warning about her conduct after the earlier incident, and could face disciplinary action for transporting students without permission.
Student Pilot’s Plane Crash Lands In Wesley Chapel
Typically, when a student driver has a mishap while attempting to learn how to operate his vehicle, the most he has to worry about is a bit of scraped paint or maybe a dinged fender. The damage was just a bit more extensive, however, when a student pilot lost control of his aircraft, which then skidded off of a runway at a small local airport, leaving the plane perched atop a pair of cars in an adjacent parking lot.
shop, is that “Projects always end up costing more than the impact fee that was collected.” For that reason, Cox, who lost his bid for re-election to the Board of County Commissioners, urged his fellow commissioners to support the new proposal if and when it comes up for a vote. It is not clear when that vote might occur, as the plan calls for additional study and an opportunity for members of the public to give comment before it is passed. We will keep you posted as developments occur. According to reports, 60-year-old Gregory Daryl Johnson of Tampa was trying to take off on his second-ever solo flight at the Tampa North Aero Park in Wesley Chapel on October 28 when he began having trouble. He tried to re-land the single-engine Cessna, but the plane left the runway and somehow ended up on top of a pair of cars that were parked at a medical equipment company whose office is next to the airport. Fortunately, Johnson was able to walk away from the crash, and no one on the ground was injured, either. At our press time, the Federal Aviation Administration was conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash.— Michael Smith
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