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Christine Miller takes the reins at local food bank.
Walden Lake Golf and Country Club throws last summertime bash. PAGE 5
PAGE 4
OUR TOWN
FREE • thursday, AUGUST 16, 2012
TOPSoccer program preps for another successful season. PAGE 13
election By Michael Eng and Amber Jurgensen
Lee bests Burgin for District 24 Republican Tom Lee will face Democrat Elizabeth Belcher and write-in candidate Randolph Link in November’s general election.
+ Archives to host photo contest Attention shutterbugs: The Plant City Photo Archives & History Center is hosting a photo contest as part of its Plant City Sculptures Exhibit. To enter, snap a photo of you and/or your friends with one of the eight life-sized bronze Seward Johnson sculptures created on display in and near McCall Park. Bring an 8-by-10-inch or 8 1/2-by-11inch print of the photo to the center, 106 S. Evers St. The contest is open from Aug. 17 through Sept. 5. Photos will be displayed in the Photo Archives through September. The first-, secondand third-place winners will be determined by popular vote; so tell your family and friends to come in and cast a ballot for your photos. Winners will be announced at 5 p.m. Sept. 7, at the center. Entry forms and ballots are available at the center. Maps of the sculpture locations are also available at the center, the Plant City Chamber of Commerce and at the train depot adjacent to McCall Park. For more information, call 754-1578.
Former Florida Senate President Tom Lee emerged victorious following a bitter campaign trail against state Rep. Rachel Burgin for the Florida Senate District 24 seat. Lee garnered 14,887 votes, compared to Burgin’s 10,203. “We’re really excited,” Lee said during his party Aug. 14, at the Brandon Chamber of Commerce. It’s been the most nega-
tive campaign I’ve been involved in. I tried to run on my résumé, public service and experience. “But the voters have spoken, and they have rewarded that message with a large victory,” he said. Burgin, a Plant City native, called her campaign a grassroots effort and painted herself as the small-town conservative pitted against a Tallahassee mainstay.
Lee, a Brandon-based homebuilder with his family’s company, Sabal Homes, served in the Senate from 1996 to 2006. He said jumping back into politics proved challenging. “When you’ve been out of office for six years, you have the challenge of reintroducing yourself to voters in 80 days,” he said.
SEE ELECTION / PAGE 6
Music
Makers spotlight
By Michael Eng | Managing Editor
trash talk
By MIchael Eng | Managing Editor
Strawberry Crest’s Liz Trader listened carefully to instructions during drills.
Plant City OKs waste disposal agreement If approved by Polk County commissioners next week, the city will begin sending its solid waste to the Polk landfill in October.
+ Network offers back-to-school bash The Network of East Hillsborough Neighborhoods will host a back-to-school bash from noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 18, at the network center, 6369 E. Alexander St., Plant City. The event will feature a beauty pageant with awards for best smile and hair, an anti-bullying puppet show, bucket drumming, and free screenings for memory, blood sugar, cholesterol, vision, glucose and blood pressure. For more information, call (813) 7528700.
Amber Jurgensen
Former Senate President Tom Lee celebrated his victory with his wife, Laurel Moore Lee.
Plant City sousaphone player Kevin Li worked diligently on the most difficult parts of his music. The biggest bands in Plant City all took to the fields during band camp last week. The marching bands at Durant, Plant City and Strawberry Crest are spending the last days of summer creating and perfecting their
halftime marching band performances for the fall season. In addition to performing at home and away football games, the bands also participate in a variety of competitions throughout the region.
For more photos, see page 10
Durant xylophone player Adam Hogue has some tough music this year.
INDEX Crossword.......... 15
Plant City commissioners approved Aug. 13, an interlocal agreement that would send the city’s solid waste to the Polk County landfill. The agreement would save the city an estimated $129,000 annually, compared to its month-to-month contract with its current vendor, City Manager Greg Horwedel said. It carries a 10-year term, with the possibility of another 10-year extension. Plant City’s rate would be $34.16 per ton, reflecting a 10% discount on Polk County’s gate rate of $37.95 per ton. Plant City currently collects 34,000 tons, annually. The agreement also includes Plant City paying $15,000 annually to assume the additional risk of disposing of the city’s waste. The new agreement will allow the city to keep its existing sanitation fee structure in place for the next fiscal year, Horwedel said.
SEE COMMISSION / PAGE 6 Vol. 1, No. 7 | One section
Opinion................ 8
Obituaries.......... 12
Sports................ 13
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