Top Headlines: Abducted Boys Returned, Suzanne Ciani Remembered and Chipotle

OK, so you had a busy week. We understand. Let us catch you up on all the highlights!

Here’s a look at some of the top stories of the week on Carrollwood-Northdale Patch: Patricia and Bob Hauser addressed the media with their grandsons by their side. The search for the two abducted youngsters from the Carrollwood area ended in Cuba this week. Carrollwood is one of the stops on the Chipotle Truck Farm Tampa tour. Be sure to save the date! The Tampa Bay Young Republicans say Colorado’s loss could be the Bay’s gain. What do you think about it? Patch editor Nicole Hutcheson recalls the Suzanne Ciani Brain Cancer Foundation's namesake and one of the driving forces behind the Odessa Organic Farmers Market. Hillsborough County is exploring the idea of hiring a film commissioner. What Carrollwood locations would you like to see on …

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Carrollwood Commercial Trash Collection Gets Competitive

Hillsborough County officials say the time for Carrollwood businesses to start looking for new garbage pickup services is now.

It’s time for Carrollwood business owners to shop around. That’s the message from Hillsborough County as it kicks off a whole new garbage collection program that enables commercial garbage customers to choose from three different hauling services for their garbage pickups. The county’s current contracts expire on Sept. 30 and that means businesses have to find a new hauler for their trash before the Oct. 1 start date. The county spent a good part of 2012 getting input on the way it handles trash pickup. The result was an overhaul of the residential garbage pickup program called Automated 2-1-1. The change also impacted commercial garbage customers in that Hillsborough selected three different haulers to handle pickups from businesses …

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County Offices Open on Good Friday

It’s business as usual March 29 for Hillsborough County government workers. Library patrons, however, will find the doors shut on Easter Sunday.

Carrollwood and Northdale residents hoping to get a little business done with a Hillsborough County agency on Good Friday are in luck. The county has announced that it’s business as usual March 29 for most agencies. Garbage collection will also continue as normal. The county clerk’s office plans to stay open, but offices of the 13th Judicial Circuit will close. Most agencies will also close on Easter Sunday, but regional parks will remain open. Do you think the county should close on Good Friday? Share your thoughts by commenting below. Also, be sure to let us know of any other closings – or openings – you come across! Editor's note: This story was updated March 27 at 2:24 p.m. to reflect the closing of Animal Service's on Easter Sunday?

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$1.65 Million Northdale Recreation Expansion Focus of Upcoming Talk

Hillsborough County is playing host to a public meeting to discuss the pending expansion of the Northdale Recreation Center.

Northdale residents who want to find out more about what’s in store for the community’s recreation center as a $1.65 million expansion gets under way are invited to come out and talk March 21. Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation department staff will be on hand from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. that night to discuss plans for the center. The meeting takes place at 15550 Spring Pine Drive and is open to anyone who wants to learn more about the proposed project. Plans for the project include construction of a 9,000-square-foot addition. The cost for construction is estimated at $1.5 million. The site work will cost the county about $150,000. Money for the capital improvement project was set aside last September when the county …

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What's Hillsborough Saying?

Longtime Local Leader Mourned

Former Hillsborough County Administrator Fred Karl died March 7.

Hillsborough County is mourning the loss of one its longstanding leaders today, March 7. Fred Karl, a former county administrator, county attorney, state legislator and Florida Supreme Court justice, was 88. A Daytona native, Karl served as an Army tank commander in World War II and was present at the Battle of the Bulge, according to The Tampa Tribune. His public service career continued long after the war was over. The Stetson Law graduate served in the Florida House from 1956-64 when he attempted a bid for the governor’s office. After that, he ran for the Florida Senate in 1968 and served until 1971, according to web sources. Karl then sat on the Florida Supreme Court from 1977 until 1978 when he opted to go back into private practice. …

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D'Ann White

1:45 pm on Thursday, March 7, 2013

I was a county commission reporter at the time Fred Karl, who had already retired as a Supreme Court justice, agreed to come out of retirement and help out Hillsborough County at a time when growth and, unfortunately, graft were rampant. I was, frankly, in awe of this guy who'd been an Army tank commander at the Battle of the Bulge, a state legislator and Supreme Court justice. But during his …   more ›

Hillsborough Offices Open on Presidents Day

The county won’t shut down for the federal holiday on Feb. 18, and schools will open, but don’t count on getting that check in the mail.

Presidents Day Monday is business as usual in Hillsborough County. Carrollwood area residents will find that all county government offices will be open and so will schools. Monday, Feb. 18, however, is an early release day for students who attend public schools in Hillsborough. Hillsborough County, in fact, has a number of meetings on its calendar, including zoning and land use hearings. While county workers go about business as usual, the federal government does observe Monday as a holiday. That means federal government offices in the Tampa Bay area will be closed and postal workers will get the day off. Like Hillsborough County, the state of Florida does not observe Presidents Day as a day off. That means state offices should be open …

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Eating Sweets AND Keeping New Year's Resolutions To Lose Weight

Take a look if you're looking to lose weight.

Walmart Attorneys Request Delay

Hillsborough County Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the proposed Walmart in Carrollwood

Lake Park Prescribed Burn Set For Today

The burn is expected to last through Nov. 9.

Smoke may be evident in the area around Lake Park today, but officials say there’s no cause for alarm. The Florida Forestry Service and the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department are teaming up to conduct a prescribed burn today, Nov. 9 at the 17302 N. Dale Mabry Highway park. The burn is expected to last one day and is being conducted for site management and hazardous fuels reduction purposes, according to a media release from Hillsborough County. Anyone who wants more information about the burn can call the parks department at 813-264-3806.

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Parts of Orange Grove Drive Closing for Repairs

Motorists traveling through Original Carrollwood can expect delays and closings for the next two to four weeks.

A quick trip through Original Carrollwood might not be so quick for the next few weeks. Hillsborough County announced today, Oct. 16, that it needs to close portions of Orange Grove Drive over the next two to four weeks for sewer line repairs. The closings will affect the southern parts of the roadway. Motorists traveling through the area can expect minor delays between Samara Drive and Sago Road in preparation for the project, said Michelle Van Dyke, a spokeswoman for the county. Next week, a portion of Orange Grove will close for repairs to an 8-inch sewage pipeline. The county does not anticipate water or wastewater interruptions during the repairs. “The tree root-damaged sewage line to be replaced is located approximately 12 feet deep…

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