- NewTampa | WesleyChapel Local Pulse
- Posts
- Issue #553: Wesley Chapel Teen Triumphs, Tampa’s E-Bike Surge, and Cooking as a Couple
Issue #553: Wesley Chapel Teen Triumphs, Tampa’s E-Bike Surge, and Cooking as a Couple
2/11/2026
Ted Grellner
11 Feb
In partnership with
Keep your finger on the Pulse!
GOOD MORNING
Dr Ted
USAF Retired
SUBSCRIBE (& Access Past Issues):
Share with your friends here —> https://www.NTWCLP.com
NOTE to New Subscribers:
— If Gmail cuts off your newsletter, click “Read Online” in UR corner
— Despite minimizing sources that require a 3rd party subscription to read, we’ll use stories from these sources that are very informative: ($) businessinsider.com, tampabay.com
In this issue of NewTampa | WesleyChapel Local Pulse
Our Event Calendar
Please post events of interest to our NT|WC Live Events Calendar; its easy to do.
Local News
— Ribbons & Resolve: Wesley Chapel Girl Shines at Florida Fair
— Riding Into Risk: The Human Cost of Tampa Bay’s E-Bike Boom
OMG!
— Frozen Highway: Estonia Reopens Sea Ice Road After 8 Years
Of Interest
— Yes, Chef: Cooking with Your Spouse Without Chaos
Simplify Your ADHD Management with Science
Finding the right way to manage ADHD can be exhausting. Inflow changes that by combining therapy-backed strategies with an easy-to-use platform.
Access bite-sized modules, live coworking sessions, and focus rooms to keep you on track. Whether you struggle with impulsivity, anxiety, or executive function, Inflow offers practical brain hacks to help you reclaim your time.
Take the free assessment to see how you can improve focus and create lasting habits in just 5 minutes a day.
Ribbons & Resolve: Wesley Chapel Girl Shines at Florida Fair
At just 11 years old, Reagan Casler of Wesley Chapel is sweeping ribbons and hearts at the Florida State Fair, showcasing talents across categories from woodworking to photography.
This year, Reagan's award-winning entries included a boot holder and a “boot taker-offer” in the Agricultural Mechanics division. She credits her curiosity and involvement with 4-H for inspiring her creativity.
Her journey began at age five, showing her goat at the fair. Now she presents Dolly the Dairy Heifer, judged on presentation and care.
Among her most inventive projects: a quilt and wreath made from recycled ribbons she's won over the years.
Despite her many accomplishments, Reagan’s mom jokes the one thing she hasn’t mastered is doing the dishes without being asked.
Beyond the ribbons, Reagan says the real prize is confidence. Her future goal?
“I want to be the state attorney.”
Riding Into Risk: The Human Cost of Tampa Bay’s
E-Bike Boom
In the past five years, at least 28 people have died in e-bike or electric scooter crashes across Tampa Bay. Families left behind are now navigating grief, frustration, and mixed views on the rising popularity of e-bikes.
Julie Taylor, who lost both her father and nearly her nephew in separate e-bike incidents, is vocal about the dangers she sees daily. Yet others, like Rosita Hubbard, whose father Sterling was fatally struck by a car in St. Petersburg, blame reckless drivers and unsafe infrastructure, not the bikes.
Though crash data is limited, emergency rooms are seeing hundreds of e-bike injuries annually. Advocates argue weak regulations, missing bike lanes, and poor enforcement leave riders—especially kids and seniors—at serious risk.
Despite wearing a helmet, Hubbard’s fatal injuries highlight how even cautious riders are vulnerable. His daughter says, “He was by the book,” struggling to accept investigators’ ruling he ran a red light.
Frozen Highway: Estonia Reopens Sea Ice Road
After 8 Years
townandcountrytoday
Frigid temperatures in northern Europe have allowed Estonia to reopen its iconic 20-kilometer (12.5-mile) ice road across the frozen sea between the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.
The ice road, a marked corridor over solid sea ice, was officially opened Sunday, though locals had already begun crossing unsupervised, prompting safety concerns. With temperatures at -10°C (14°F) and ferry service disrupted, the road offers a vital link for Hiiumaa’s 9,000 residents to access services on Saaremaa.
Strict rules ensure safety: vehicles under 2.5 tons, must drive at specific speeds, and no stopping is allowed. Doors must stay unlocked and passengers unbuckled for quick exits.
According to Hiiumaa Mayor Hergo Tasuja, traveling the ice is part of local winter tradition.
Verston Eesti, the construction company managing the route, checks ice thickness every 100 meters and plans to open two more ice roads this week.
Yes, Chef: Cooking with Your Spouse Without Chaos
In a candid Bon Appétit Slack chat, Chris Morocco and his team of editors dive into the often chaotic art of cooking with your spouse—without ruining the relationship.
Chris confesses he avoids it altogether, likening it to an emotional trip to IKEA. Rebecca Firkser agrees, admitting she turns critical the moment her husband picks up a knife. Dan Siegel, parenting young kids, says weeknights are about protecting the cook from distraction, not cooking together.
Cristina Correa assigns roles in the kitchen, often playing “Chef” (with her husband playfully replying “Yes, Chef” à la The Bear). She stresses staying in separate “lanes.”
Shilpa Uskokovic, married to a fellow (famous!) chef, says they have clashing food preferences, but tag-team housework instead of sharing the stovetop.
The consensus? Cooking together rarely means side-by-side, but success comes from dividing tasks, managing egos, and staying in your lane—sometimes literally.
Tampa Bays Best Live Music
Feb 5-12
Source: cltampa.com
Top Events in Tampa Bay for week of | Things to do in Tampa this weekend |
|
Useful Arts & Entertainment Event Links
The Arts
- The Exhibiting Society of Artists (new)
- USF College of the Arts
- USF Steinway Piano Concert Series
Theater
- NTPAC - New Tampa Performing Arts Center
- New Tampa Players
- USF School of Theatre & Dance
- Wesley Chapel Theater Group
- Carrollwood Players Theatre
Misc
- Carrollwood Center Events
- Craft Festivals (new)
- Fall (Farmer’s) Market Guide for Tampa Bay (new)
- The Krate, WC
- The Shops at Wiregrass, WC
- visitflorida.com
For Kids
- Fun4TampaKids
Reader Comments
“My favorite morning coffee companion!”
“As always! Appreciate the positivity!! Best morning read.”
“I always enjoy these issues. Thanks so much!”
“Best local newsletter!”
“Love seeing all the community events in one place. The calendar is getting crowded. ”“Always has good info and to the point.”
“Read this in the am. I like the new restaurants feature so I know when things will open. ”
“Keep up on the great information.”
“Good local coverage. Great job.”
“News is concise and no nonsense. I always appreciate it!”
“Good mix and balance of interesting, newsworthy and entertaining content.”
“Happy to read something other than politics. Great job.”
“This is my daily morning read. Great info. ”
“Love the attention grabbing topics that encompass what’s going on now as well as future implications. Great job. ”
“I get Information here that I might otherwise miss.”
“I love this newsletter, the type of information without the useless fillers.”
Any suggestions are always welcomed - Thanks
What Did You Think of This Issue? |
—> Comments are welcomed after voting
1
2
3
4