Two excavators devoured parts of the old Plant City Courthouse May 22, off North Michigan Avenue. The demolition began about a week prior and is scheduled to be finished by the end of June. Planning began about one month ago, including securing the area with a chain-link fence. Behind the fence sits piles of debris […]
Continue ReadingCommunity choir founder hopes to strike up the band
The founder of the Plant City Community Choir is seeking a few good musicians. Founder and University of South Florida graduate student Joseph Mendolia is working to launch a Plant City community band. So far, he has about 10 musicians interested. He hopes to start with about 20 members and have it grow to 50 […]
Continue ReadingPlant City’s NRG hopes to take bite out of Big Apple
NRG’s summer vacation sounds like a plot out of a teen movie. The undiscovered-yet-blooming youth pop group has been invited to perform in “Feather,” in New York City. The performance is part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, the theater equivalent of Cannes. In other words, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “It’s a big deal,” […]
Continue ReadingArea students to compete at FFA State Convention
A year’s worth of hard work is paying off for 30 Plant City-area FFA students. The students, representing Durant and Strawberry Crest high schools and Tomlin Middle School, will compete at the FFA State Convention June 10 to 14, in Orlando. “We are very proud of our students,” said Pam Walden, supervisor of agriculture for […]
Continue ReadingPlant City woman charged with animal cruelty
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office detectives charged a Plant City woman with one felony county of animal cruelty. According to Sheriff’s Office reports, detectives were notified in April, of an abused horse that was previously acquired from Lynda Jo Vilches, of Plant City. Detectives initiated an investigation and verified that a 25-year-old thoroughbred named Rusty had […]
Continue ReadingTomlin honors teachers with signs
Tomlin Middle School honored two teachers who passed away recently from cancer by naming the halls outside of their former classrooms after them. Principal Susan Sullivan led the sign ceremony for Bethanne Pearce and Marilyn Westfall. “We want to remember the great things they did for Tomlin,” Sullivan said. “We are so grateful of the legacy […]
Continue ReadingLove of a Lifetime
Thalia Ordaz and Alexis De La Garza have been happily engaged for more than a year. But, the couple doesn’t remember the first time they met. It’s not because of a fit of amnesia. Or that their first encounter wasn’t memorable. In fact, their story is so memorable, that it endured the test of time. […]
Continue ReadingResident spearheads supply drive for Oklahoma
Employees from Southside Farm and Pet Supply filed out of the store May 24, carrying boxes overflowing with clothes, food and supplies. Sweat dripped down their foreheads, as they stuffed the incredible amount of donations into a borrowed trailer. The goods were for those in Oklahoma devastated by a monstrous EF5 tornado. The day before, […]
Continue ReadingTaiwanese GSE team visits Plant City
A table at O’Brien’s Irish Pub & Grill, in Plant City, was filled with chatter May 24. If a nearby diner picked up on some of the conversation, he or she might have thought it sounded foreign. It was. Six career professionals from Taiwan were visiting Florida as part of a Rotary program called the […]
Continue ReadingFaith Christian graduates class
Preschoolers Leah Dismukes and Josias Cantillo were just two members of Faith Christian Academy’s Class of 2013. The Plant City school honored its graduates May 23, with a special commencement ceremony. During the ceremony, the students performed the Pledge of Allegiance, the Pledge to the Christian flag and songs.
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