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Two Sections, 36 Pages of Community News

Valrico

See Parade Route Pg. 4 June 2017 C E L E B R A T I N G

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Volume 14, Issue 6 Ph: 657-2418

P U B L I S H I N G

Navy Veteran And Local Small Business Owner Throws Hat In For Congress Seat Run

By Sandra Meyer

Valrico in between his deployments. His success was swift and in 2016 the Valrico GradePower Learning was named the #1 GradePower franchise in the nation, receiving the GradePower President’s award. It has also helped connect him even tighter to the community he loves. Learned is now taking all of that experience to run for congress and represent the I-4 Corridor in the issues he feels affect the local community the most. “Health care is my number one issue right now. Washington is taking health care away from 50,000 people in the I-4 Corridor alone,” Learned said. He is also concerned with education, small businesses and ensuring good paying jobs for residents. “We need good paying jobs so people can earn a living here and not have to move away,” he added. Learned believes his on-theground experience is what is needed in Congress. “It’s not that macro level of Congress, my experience is dealing with people on the ground. We need a congressman who is from here. I grew up here, this is my home,” Learned said. For information on Andrew Learned and his Congressional run in 2018, visit andrewlearned.com.

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Andrew Learned has served his country as an officer in the United States Navy for eight years and now he’s taking his passion for service to a new level. Learned has recently filed to run for Congress in 2018. The Valrico native believes that the time has Navy Veteran and come for him to Valrico native Andrew take his experiLearned has ence as a mili- announced his intent to run for Congress in tary officer, 2018. economics major and a successful small businessman and direct that towards bringing common-sense leadership to Washington. Learned grew up in Valrico, playing softball on the Bloomingdale Little League. After high school he studied Economics at the University of Tampa with a full-scholarship from the U.S. Navy. During his eight years of military service Learned has spent four of those deployed to the Middle East where he supported operations against ISIS and led teams against Somali pirates. His experiences in the Middle East taught him how to be a leader and make hard decisions. Not one to be wasteful of his time, in 2013 Learned opened up a local branch of the franchise GradePower Learning in

Photo Courtesy By Tamas Mondovics

Members of the Marine Corp League 1226 salute during last month’s Memorial Day Service and Remembrance ceremony held at Serenity Meadows Memorial Park. The annual event saw a sizable crowd supported by local leaders, Veterans, students and members of the community.

P O S I T I V E

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C O M M U N I T Y

N E W S

The Wooden Spoon Diner Serves Up Classic Comfort Food With A Modern Twist The recently opened Wooden Spoon Diner in Brandon is already stirring up rave reviews with its modern twist on comfort food classics. With an extensive menu offering traditional breakfast combinations alongside offbeat selections like the Crab Cake Eggs Benedict, customers are all but guaranteed to discover something to suit even the most sophisticated palate. The diner’s breakfast and lunch menu The Wooden Spoon Diner presents a serves micro-roasted organic cold brew coffee to create its variety of iced mocha and cold coffee flavors concoctions. such as its internationally infused Greek Spinach Omelet and Maryland-Style Crab Cakes. Coffee aficionados will appreciate the micro-roasted organic cold brew coffee, a European gourmet coffee from Royal Cup. Riverview resident Manny Roussos is the owner and operator. With more than a decade in the restaurant industry, this is Roussos’ third restaurant. His experience also includes restaurant consulting where he helped other restaurant owners identify and troubleshoot problem areas. Lessons learned from his previ-

By Amanda Boston

Owner Manny Rousso (right) and head cook Rick Leasy (left) teamed up to create a menu that revamps diner food classics with modern-day flavor.

ous restaurants coupled with his consulting expertise provided Roussos with all the skills and knowledge required to create this establishment.

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In This Issue WATER RESTRICTIONS .......................PG 3 CRIME BEAT .......................................PG 7 HCSO MEMORIAL ..............................PG 8 SCHOOL BUS HIRING .......................PG 12

HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS ..........PG 13 CHALKINES......................................PG 23 SPORTS CONNECTION .............PGS 30‐31