In a little while, the year 2017 will be dispatched the dust bin of history, accessible only by a Google search with the words "weird" or "strange" or "what the ..."

Is the truth "out there" somewhere, as they say on the X-Files?

Maybe.

Consider this: In early December, people throughout Tampa and Florida reported a loud, mysterious boom that, as the Tampa Bay Times reported, "shook walls and swayed chandeliers."

Days later, we learned of a secret government program to track UFOs - along with video of an object that looked straight out of Star Wars.

Oh, wait. NORAD's big boom theory is (wink, wink) that two F-15 fighters were allowed to fly at supersonic speed over the Gulf of Mexico. Sky go boom! Mystery solved.

Yeah, sure.

Why wouldn't a year that included floods, hurricanes, wildfires, unrelenting heat waves, the Buccaneers' repeated face-first pratfalls, and the Rays trading Evan Longoria include a visit from E.T.?

Hmmmmm?

I won't miss this year, not even a little bit.

Fun fact: In May, the Miami New Times reported a study from the National Centers for Environmental Information that said this was the hottest beginning to any year in Florida's history. Sure seemed like it.

The study noted that on consecutive days in late April, Tampa hit 96 and 95 degrees respectively- its highest and second-highest temperature since they started keeping records in 1890.

It got hotter, and not just outside, when summer arrived and your finger-in-the-wind county commissioners dithered and harrumphed about what to do with a civil war monument in front of the downtown courthouse.

One day it seemed like it would be moved, then no, then maybe, then - hey, let's study it a while in the hopes that please, please, please, don't be offended. After all, several commissioners face re-election battles in 2018.

The monument was finally moved after the Bucs, Rays and Lightning donated money to defray the cost.

Civility took several body blows in the name of what monument supporters called "preserving history."

Yeah, racist and bad history. We don't celebrate that.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn made news when he announced he will not run for governor in 2018, ending years of speculation to the contrary.

What will he do? He'll probably work like the dickens to help a Democrat, any Democrat, beat Donald Trump in 2020. If successful, maybe he can become the undersecretary for something vital - Cuban sandwich quality control, for instance.

Sports didn't provide a lot of relief.

Hurricanes forced the Rays to play a "home" series in New York against the Yankees (at Citi Field, home of the Mets), while the World Series champion Houston Astros played a "home" series at Tropicana Field.

I was getting whiplash trying to keep up.

The Rays finally have a proposed site for a new stadium near Ybor City, but they don't seem to want to chip in much to pay for it.

Their marketing plan is to gut the roster and put out a low-budget lineup that should win at least 55 times next season. Good seats still available.

The Lightning missed the playoffs (they're doing better now), but the Bucs turned collapsing into an art form.

Hurricane Irma forced their opening game at Miami to be postponed, which - as things turned out in this wretched season - was a better idea than playing most of the games.

Two words: no playoffs.

We still haven't solved our traffic and transit issues, although the state took a stab at it.

Sensing that locals loathed the controversial Tampa Bay Express plan that included 90 miles of toll lanes, the Florida Department of Transportation unveiled Tampa Bay Next.

Critics pounced, saying it was basically the same plan under a new name. That begs the question: Will 2018 be basically the same year as this one, but under a new name?

Well, the truth is out there.

Somewhere.

Every year we celebrate the grandeur of Tampa Bay with a mix of suggested experiences and witty observations.

The obvious - Cuban sandwiches, grouper delicacies, sunsets on the beach - are a given. Add these suggestions to the traditional staples of bay area living.

Remember: Don't just reside here, live here.

You haven't lived in Tampa Bay until you have ...

... heard the mayor of Tampa say, "Bring his head to me."

... seen the Seminole Heights community unite while enduring the threat of a serial killer.

... seen a legislator from Pasco County become one of the most powerful people in the state without ever getting more than 10,000 votes in a single election. C'mon Richard Corcoran, be a better leader.

... inhaled the pizza burger at Thee Burger Spot on N Tampa and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. When you see the firefighters and the police at a restaurant, you know you've found a hidden gem.

... wondered when people will stop saying, "Tampa Bay" is a body of water. Folks, it's the name of our region. We are one.

... had a seagull steal the ice cream right out of your hands while walking down the boardwalk at John's Pass.

... kiteboarded under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

... saluted South Tampa's Mott-& Hester Deli for 35 years of business.

... watched a daring suitor with a mariachi band in tow stroll into a Mexican restaurant, like Miguelito's in Tampa, and propose to his girlfriend while singing in Spanish. Beautiful.

... spent so much time at The Bunker in Ybor City you inquire about bringing a cot.

... taken a ride up the Hillsborough River on a Pirate Water Taxi.

... witnessed a sinkhole swallow an entire Land O' Lakes neighborhood.

... seen retired mermaids return as "Legendary Sirens" at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park.

... rooted for Clearwater's downtown to replicate the success of other downtown districts in the region.

... enjoyed the blueberry goat cheese at Room 901 in St. Petersburg. (Note: blueberry goat cheese subject to availability).

... saluted our first responders for a job well-done during Hurricane Irma (not you, Duke Energy).

... looked around your community and wondered if there's any benefit to having area representatives at the top of leadership in Tallahassee.

... wondered what the CEO of Blue Pearl Veterinary Services is going to do with $60 million of property in Ybor City.

... been dazzled by the singing and dancing of Pasco County's Longleaf Elementary Freedom Review Show Choir.

... drove around downtown St. Petersburg or Tampa searching for a parking spot.

... been in the confessional at Coppertail Brewing's hip location in Ybor City.

... imbibed under the succulents at O Cocina Mexican restaurant in South Tampa.

... Listened to totally amazing, and completely terrible karaoke at the Beer Shed.

... gotten mad about the Bucs losing in October and even madder about them winning in December.

... said, "Please don't trade Evan Longor- ... dang."

... seen students stand up for their teachers as they fight for a promised pay raise from the Hillsborough School District.

... marveled over the Burgert Brothers incredible photo collection.

... snorted about the region's chances of landing Amazon's coveted HQ2 headquarters.

... asked how Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra Murman could oppose a transportation referendum but support one for a Confederate monument?

... realized former HART CEO Katharine Eagan was asked to put together a public transit system with a paper clip, a gum wrapper and two copper pennies. Maybe the next CEO will be named MacGyver.

... celebrated Diane Williams and her heart-warming "Jesus Cares" sign-waving effort in Tampa.

... reveled over the cool vibe in downtown Dunedin.

... seen a mayoral candidate lose his bid because he wouldn't tell people how he feels about Donald Trump. Take note Tampa mayoral candidates.

... confessed to loving the Lightning even though you don't love hockey.

... concluded the area's roadways have turned you into a civil engineering expert, an urban planner and a master of defensive driving.

... been serenaded by drunken Christmas carolers from the Jolly Trolley on Indian Rocks Beach.

... worked up a sweat while decorating a palm tree with Christmas lights in 80-degree weather.

... attended Creative Loafing's Best of the Bay awards celebration.

... watched chefs battle in the Epicurean Hotel's kitchen theater.

... realized that if Tampa Bay's politicians put a football team together, their favorite play would be taking a knee.

... kayaked through mangrove tunnels at Weedon Island.

... seen a school of mullet thrash the water's surface as you promenade along Tampa's Riverwalk.

... watched as a former orange grove or strawberry field gets turned into a mega-housing development

... wondered how that mega-housing development is going to impact your daily commute.

... joined in a celebration with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. for its outgoing national president Paulette C. Walker. That girl is on fire.

... been enthralled by the musical stylings of saxophonist Marlon Boone at a Delta Sigma Theta gathering, or a Jazz Tyme Production concert, or in the Raymond James Stadium club lounge.

... come to understand that I do this column every year because I absolutely love Tampa Bay.

TAMPA - When Maurna Williams first met Professor Nancy G. White, she found her a bit intimidating.

"Until you became part of the family,'' said Williams, a student at the time. "You think, 'This is a tough teacher,' but once she wraps her arms around you, you're part of the family.''

Students got into the family through a commitment to make something of themselves, said Williams, who did - and now serves as a director with the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida.

Mrs. White died Dec. 12 at age 94. She had taught English and journalism for 59 years, first in Hillsborough County high schools and then at Hillsborough Community College.

"She was kind of a legend at HCC,'' said colleague Norma Caltagirone, a retired psychology professor.

Mrs. White joined HCC in 1969, and it wasn't long before her students were winning awards.

White was their champion, Caltagirone said, and always fought for their rights as journalists.

"She was very assertive before assertive was popular,'' Caltagirone said. "She knew what was right and she was very direct.''

Mrs. White received degrees from the University of Tampa, University of Florida and Florida State University.

She started in 1952 as a floating instructor in Hillsborough County schools before being assigned to teach English and to direct student publications at Hillsborough High School. Former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco was one of her students.

"She looked like a student. She looked like one of the kids,'' Greco said. "She was very nice, always smiling, happy.''

Early on, even a principal mistook her for a student, asking why she wasn't in class, recalled her daughter, Melissa Buchanan.

Mrs. White kept her age a secret and people were surprised to learn that she was nearly 80 when she retired from HCC, Buchanan said.

She joined the historic Florida teachers walkout over wages and school spending in 1968 when she was at Chamberlain High School. The next year, she was teaching at Plant High School when HCC "stole her,'' her daughter said.

In 2001, she was inducted into the College Media Advisor Association Hall of Fame, the first time an advisor at a two-year college had been so honored.

Mrs. White was also in the Florida Community College Press Association Hall of Fame and the Community College Journalism Association Hall of Fame.

She gave lectures at Columbia Scholastic Press Association conventions and counted as one of her lifetime thrills sitting on the dais at an awards dinner with renowned broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow.

Born in New York City, she grew up in Ybor City. She was married to Paul M. White, a contractor and educator, for more than 60 years, and they had three children. Ms. White's Hillsborough High students loved that her husband took her to work on the back of a motorcycle, Buchanan said.

The couple toured Europe twice, once bicycling around Denmark. Each year, the family went to New York to "do the city'' - see the Broadway plays and museums. Paul White died in 2002.

"She was very open-minded,'' Buchanan said. "She was my mother, but she was also a friend. I could talk to her about anything.''

And she had such an impact on her other kids - her school kids - that a handful of her Hillsborough High students remained friends for life, taking her out to dinner on her birthdays.

Gerard Walen, a journalist and author, was driving a delivery truck in 1995 when he took Introduction to Mass Communications taught by White at HCC. She saw potential in him, and got him a position on the Hawkeye, the student newspaper.

He eventually became assistant business editor at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and now freelances and edits copy for the Gainesville Sun and Ocala Star-Banner. He named Nancy White in the acknowledgements for his 2014 book, Florida Breweries.

In an e-mail, Walen said, "There are very few people on Earth who I can say changed the entire course of my life, but Nancy White was one of them.

"I would say, 'Rest in peace, Mrs. White,' but I suspect that even in your next stage of existence, you will not hesitate to give hell to those who deserve it.''

Contact Philip Morgan at pmorgan@tampabay.com

Editor's note: Brandon native and Tampa Bay Times correspondent Scott Purks periodically reflects on memories of growing up in the Tampa suburb. Today, he chronicles a memorable studio photo shoot.

BRANDON - In December 1977 my mom decided it was time for me to get a suit.

She said this was going to be one of my Christmas presents, when in fact it was one of her presents because after Christmas we were going to the local Olan Mills studio for a professional portrait.

I was 13.

I said, okay, but only if it's an all-white suit: white shoes, white shirt, white vest, white socks, white coat, white belt, white undershirt, white underwear.

The tie and handkerchief could be black, but most definitely everything else must be white.

I wanted this for reasons that were perfectly, and resoundingly, logical: For starters, Ricardo Montalban wore an all white suit with a black tie on Fantasy Island, and more importantly, John Travolta wore a white suit with a black shirt in Saturday Night Fever.

Could this possibly be any more obvious? If anybody knew about style it was Travolta and Montalban, the latter of whom drove the stylish Chrysler Cordoba, which he explained with his intoxicating accent in the television commercial:

"The thickly-cushioned luxury of seats available even in rich Corinthian leather."

Corinthian leather? I wanted that as well. Who wouldn't?

And Travolta? Simply the coolest.

After all, what did we know about style in Brandon? Nothing. We had to defer to the television and movies and stylish guys like Montalban and Travolta.

So mom and I went to the local clothing store, Scogins, which I believed would understand my feelings about the white suit.

They did not.

Politely, the folks at Scogins suggested that an all-white suit might be a little much for going to church or the junior-high dance or an Olan Mills photo shoot.

They were cool about it, and they laid out several options, one of which we enthusiastically settled on: A navy blue polyester leisure suit with subtle red and white stitching, combined with a baby-blue faux-silk shirt with some kind of modern-art design, a huge collar that draped over the jacket lapels and extra huge cuffs that folded back over the end of the jacket arms.

Oh yes, and blue shoes and belt to match.

Man did I ever look cool, sentiments my mom and the folks at Scogins "oohed and aaahed" when I walked from the dressing room.

It wasn't white-suit stylin' like Montalban and Travolta, but it was stylin' nonetheless.

Brandon stylin.'

Then, of course, I got a haircut and went for my photo session in a little room where backdrops of everything from library books to farm scenes were rotated depending on the mood.

We went for a lovely bucolic backdrop, just behind a wooden fence (actually plastic), on which I leaned, because, of course, this scene fit perfectly with my navy-blue, polyester leisure suit and baby-blue faux-silk shirt.

I looked to the left where I saw something - perhaps a pretty girl riding a horse galloping through the meadow - that made me very happy.

I smiled with full-on braces.

The shutter snapped: A moment captured for all eternity (please see accompanying photo).

Years later I learned a few things.

Corinthian leather, for instance, had nothing to do with the ancient Greek city of Corinth, or with anything really. Corinthian leather, in fact, involved a good deal of vinyl and mostly originated from a supplier outside Newark, N.J. The term "Corinthian leather" was something an advertising agent made up.

But it sounded great when Montalban said it in his intoxicating accent: "Cor-inth-ian leather."

As for white suits, I learned that few people can pull off wearing them. Montalban and Travolta were rare exceptions.

I'm glad I never got the white suit because I don't think I could have pulled it off.

I'm also thrilled that leisure suits quickly went out of style.

Seriously, it was awful, wasn't it?

And yet, you know, looking at myself in that Olan Mills' photo, it was in another way, incredibly ...

Awesome.

Contact Scott Purks at hillsnews@tampabay.com.

BRANDON - There are few things Rodney Dillard enjoys more than strumming his favorite bluegrass tunes on the guitar and telling funny stories about his time on the Andy Griffith Show.

Following his move to Hollywood with the Ozark Mountain Boys band in the early 1960s, Dillard, his brother Doug, and two other young members of the group changed their name to the Dillards and landed a spot as the Darling Boys on the iconic show.

The hit comedy series aired on CBS from 1960 to 1968.

"Andy was a warm and funny guy who loved playing tricks on Don Knotts (Barney Fife)," Rodney said. "Don Knotts brought in a mandolin and thought it was really valuable so he gave it to Andy to have it checked out. A few days later Andy brought it back filled with dirt and a potted plant in it."

He added that Griffith also was incredibly kind-hearted toward the Dillards, especially when it came to accommodating them when they had other late-night gigs on evenings prior to next-day rehearsals for the show, which required them to be on the set by 6 a.m.

"He would give us the keys to his office so we could sleep there or on cots in the jail," Rodney said. "We would fight over who would get the cots."

In addition, Howard Morris, who played the role of hillbilly troublemaker Ernest T. Bass, was an extremely talented and comical guy. According to Rodney, the only difference between Morris in real life and the character he played was the clothing he wore.

"We had a hard time keeping a straight face when he was on the set, like when we were kids and had to hide under the covers to conceal our giggles," he said.

Rodney's wife, Brenda Cotton-Dillard, appeared several times on the Hee Haw TV show and is well known among bluegrass aficionados for her mastery of the clawhammer banjo technique. She recalls a time when Morris went on a shopping excursion with her and a couple of her friends in search of a velvet Elvis wall hanging he'd been wanting for years.

"We found one and when I was trying to put it in the van I kept hitting something," she said. "I finally realized it was Howard I was hitting in the head, but in true form he just laughed it off."

But neither Rodney nor Brenda - who for close to 50 years have toured the country with the Dillard Band - would elaborate any further about the comical occurrences that took place with the actors on or off the set of the enormously popular Andy Griffith Show, which through syndication continues to warm the hearts of viewers worldwide.

Instead the couple prefers to save their comments for their appearance in An Evening in Mayberry, featuring the Dillards with the Walker Brothers on Sunday, Jan. 7, at New Hope United Methodist Church, 121 N Knights Ave., in Brandon. The event will begin at 6 p.m., but seating is available starting at 5 p.m. It is free, but a donation box will be located in the narthex.

The Walker Brothers, Cory, 27, Jarrod, 25, and Tyler, 22, each accomplished musicians in their own right, were born and raised in the Brandon community and grew in their Christian faith at the church in which they will perform.

What's more, Cory - whose musical talents include playing the banjo, guitar, mandolin, dobro and bass - is a member of the Dillards Band.

In addition, Cory and Jarrod, a mandolinist with the award-winning Claire Lynch Band, have performed together on the Grand Ole Opry stage and at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville.

And while the older two boys earned business degrees several years ago at Middle Tennessee State University and now live in Nashville, Tyler is in his senior year at Florida State University in Tallahassee and joins his brothers in gigs whenever he is able.

"We really love Corey's spirit and the entire Walker family are great people," Beverly said. "We're just really excited to play with them."

Contact Joyce McKenzie at hillsnews@tampabay.com.

TAMPA - James Hadley has a passion for the human performance, whether it's singing, dancing, parkour or watching superheroes defeat villains.

This year, in his first time directing the Feld Entertainment show "Marvel Universe LIVE! Age of Heroes," Hadley has found a way to combine it all into one narrative. The elaborate production runs Jan. 5-7 at Amalie Arena, filling a period of the year once held by Ringling Bros. and Barnum-&-Bailey Circus.

The new show builds upon, yet is different, from the original that debuted in Tampa in July 2014.

"It is a completely different show," said Hadley, who has more than 25 years of experience in directing large-scale events, circus shows and professional theater, including a successful stint as Cirque du Soleil's senior artistic director for North America. "We've got a whole new story.

"The goal is to bring in a lot of different characters, each with their own special skill set, into the show."

The Guardians of the Galaxy characters will be joining forces this year with some of Marvel's most beloved superheroes.

The narrative follows Spider-Man, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy as they join forces with Doctor Strange to recover the Wand of Watoomb before it falls into Loki's hands. This ancient artifact holds immeasurable mystical power that would allow Loki to achieve his eternal quest to crown himself ruler of Asgard and Earth.

For Hadley, combining the two brought another human element - comedy - to the show that he said he believes will make the event more memorable for audiences.

"I really do like a narrative," Hadley said. "I think that's what was really fun about putting this show together. The writer just knew this universe inside and out, but we also have a team of actors with these amazing skills who turn that into a story. I think that combined spectacle is true to the story and the Marvel Universe."

Feld Entertainment Company Manager Joshua Rothschild says audiences should expect more depth to this show.

When Marvel Universe LIVE! Age of Heroes debuted, the company used projection mapping to display scenes throughout the story. Fans were taken to Tony Stark's lab or the top of the Statue of Liberty.

That same imagery will be on display, but in more than one place, including the Amalie Arena's floor and balconies. A runway that goes out onto the audience floor and two additional platforms that can raise the characters up and down from the upper grids have also been added to the show, Rothschild said.

To get the cast of nearly 45 actors ready for a new show, Hadley held sort of a "superhero boot camp" to test their skills. Each already came with a special skill set, but the director wanted to also cross train them to be able to perform in other scenes.

"We looked all over the world to find these actors," Hadley said. "We needed a specialist quality in these actors."

Contact Crystal Owens at hillsnews@tampabay.com.

January roared in with a bang that could only mean Gasparilla party time. February's Cattle Barons' Ball barnstormed for the American Cancer Society. March unpacked the vast Chiselers' Market at the University of Tampa. April and May packed in formal galas for hospitals and medical research. Summer was less hectic until Hurricane Irma scared us but spared us. September fundraisers were gratefully rescheduled among the fall annuals.

Suddenly my keyboard is stuck on the letter E as I extoll eight examples of 2017's exceptional events. .

Emotional: Transplant recipient Garrett Leopold's heart raced dancing with Laurie Pierce at the American Heart Association's Tampa Bay Heart Ball on April 29. It's her daughter Amanda's heart that keeps him alive.

Entertaining: Legendary 17-time Grammy winner Tony Bennett charmed the DeBartolo Family Foundation's cozy, celebrity and jock-studded crowd March 25 at the 14th All Star Charity Gala.

Edgy: CITY: Fashion + Art + Culture pushed the envelope and sealed it with a big New York kiss from nightclub icon Susanne Bartsch at the Tampa Museum of Art on Oct. 6.

Erudite: Tampa Bay History Center gala guests were first to explore the third-floor expansion and new exhibit, Treasure Seekers: Conquistadors, Pirates-&-Shipwrecks.

Embracing: Tuxes and Tails' Rio de Carnaval gala exceeded expectations of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay and 1,000 pet-loving supporters with the adoption of 31 dogs and cats Oct. 14.

Energized: Accolades, salsa dancers and mojitos flowed freely when the Straz Center timed Conga!, the Broadway Ball, to the Gloria and Emilio Estefan musical On Your Feet! and to CEO Judy Lisi's 25th year at the performing arts center.

Ebullient: USF president Judy Genshaft could not stop smiling at the Unstoppable Gala on Nov. 11, attaining not only the 15 million more from Pam and Les Muma.

Exuberant: On a steamy July 22, Martinis for Moffitt attracted 1,000 hot and happy partiers to put Bay Area Advisors over $1 million donated to prostate cancer research since 2005.

Happy New Year and may your endless enthusiasm elevate and empower even more charitable events in the seasons to come.

The Girl Scouts of West Central Florida will honor six women at its 2018 Women of Distinction Luncheon in March: Lissette Campos, Chloe Firebaugh, Stephanie Goforth, Sallie Parks, Fentrice D. Driskell and Liana Fernandez Fox.

The organization made the announcement earlier this month. The media release hailed the honorees for success in their chosen fields and serving as inspiring role models for girls in the local community. Each woman exemplifies ethical leadership and commitment to making a difference in the lives of their fellow citizens through community service.

Campos, the WFTS-Ch. 28 community affairs director, Firebaugh, the M/I Homes of Tampa director of land acquisition, Goforth, the Northern Trust West Florida Region president and Parks, a former Pinellas County Commissioner, will be honored as the 2018 Women of Distinction. Driskell, an Harvard-educated attorney and shareholder at Carlton Fields, has been named the 2018 Woman of Promise.

Fox, a past Woman of Distinction recipient, will be inducted into Women of Distinction Hall of Fame.

The 27th annual Women of Distinction Luncheon is planned for noon on March 8 at the Hilton Downtown Tampa.

Award-winning journalist, documentarian, news anchor, and producer Soledad O'Brien will serve as the luncheon's keynote speaker.

The Girl Scouts of West Central Florida serves in Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sumter counties. For more information on how to join, volunteer, reconnect or donate to GSWCF, visit gswcf.org or call (800) 881-4475.

Tickets for the luncheon can be purchased by visiting gswcf.org/wod. General seating tickets are 150 per person. Sponsorships are also available. For more information, call (813) 262-1688 or email tcostello@gswcf.org.

With 2018 upon us, we might learn a few lessons in Tampa from where the city stood at this moment 100 years ago. A ready guide for such an exercise, thanks to grainy microfilm at the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library, is the Jan. 1, 1918, edition of what was then The Tampa Morning Tribune.

The differences a century makes are obvious. We liked to get our footwear fixed back then rather than throw it away, for example, judging from all the shoe-repair shop advertisements. Attention to every aspect of the business shows that citrus was the king of the economy. And railroad gangs were busy laying track outside Tampa while the two lines that employed them kept plans close to the vest.

The most striking take-away, though, from these very wide, type-heavy newspaper pages is one we should appreciate today: A community and a nation pulling together.

It took a war, of course, World War I, and God forbid we should ever face such a sweeping global conflict in the nuclear age.

The year 1918 opened with headlines featuring the war within the war that was the "Bolsheviki" forces of Lenin and Trotsky overtaking the Cossacks of Old Russia - and the rift this opened in the alliance fighting the kaiser's Germany. The message of the day from U.S. leaders was, "Don't trust the Russians."

Sounds familiar.

But whatever the catalyst, the contrast between the unity of then and the division of now serves as a reminder that we're capable of better things. Many have tried and largely failed to invoke the rallying power of war to achieve progress during times of peace - the book The Moral Equivalent of War, for example, declaring a war on war in 1910, and President Jimmy Carter's appropriation of the term during the energy crisis of his one-term administration.

This old Tribune edition is rich with examples of calls to selflessness, even if a few might be laced with self-interest.

"Our President asks us to economize, to save" in support of the war effort, the Tampa Water Works Co. pronounces in an ad. So quit wasting money on bottled water, the company urges: "Tampa City Water has been tried and tested and found pure and wholesome."

On conserving resources for the war effort, The Tampa Gas Co. declares, "Team Work Will Win" in an ad written as a formal resolution. One stanza reads, "Our sons must be sent - so coin must be spent."

A news article notes that the United States is shipping 1,500 farm tractors overseas "for use to increasing (sic) the French food crops." And stacked headlines on a single front-page story read, "New year must be one of saving to win the war"/ "People must buy fewer luxuries and more federal bonds"/ "Economy is big factor"/ "Federal Reserve Board urges fewer public improvements except those necessary."

Americans today, of course, are still fighting battles. Some 2,500 service members have died just in the half-dozen operations still ongoing in Afghanistan and elsewhere, as Tampa Bay Times military writer Howard Altman chronicles here each Sunday.

But these operations make relatively few headlines and touch few American lives directly, concentrated as they are in many of the same dedicated families of volunteers, generation after generation, and targeting an enemy - jihadis - who may never leave the battlefield.

So in an era when Americans can't agree on what's real and what's fake in the public square, when our lawmakers slap themselves on the back for passing something, anything, even if it's just a rich-person's tax cut, when the Gilded Age dawning in 1918 is trumped by a modern-day concentration of even greater wealth in even fewer hands, reading an old newspaper makes one long for a time when the nation at least had a focus.

A few other lessons emerge from this exercise, too.

These weren't the good old days. Women and people of color were all but absent from the crossroads of the community that was - and still is - the newspaper. But there is an eerie echo in a year-end news report on how people died in Tampa during 1917.

The major killer then was said to be tuberculosis, with twice as many "colored" people felled by the disease as whites. A century later, TB may have been all but eliminated as a fatal scourge in Tampa but another has emerged: A record 38 people were murdered in the city during 2017 - 26 of them black.

Another lesson from the headlines of 1918: The components of economic prosperity are a fleeting thing.

Writers gushed over the march of those railroad tracks, the near-guarantee of a U.S. Navy installation at today's MacDill Air Force Base, Sulphur Springs as a new movie mecca, and an all-time record year for hand-made cigars from Tampa, with so many sold that the taxes were credited with directly aiding the war effort.

Not to mention citrus, whose decline has just been slower.

It's all an argument to make economic diversification a full-time pursuit today, no matter how glowing the projections for 2018 - the governor who will leave office touting low Florida unemployment, the mayor who declares the swagger is back, the billions of dollars in planned downtown investment.

If we need any more reason to take with a grain of salt any prediction that the future looks bright, consider, finally, this headline from Jan. 1, 1918:

"Florida soon to have perfect system of highways in all sections."

Bradenton native Melanie Griffin attended Florida State University in Tallahassee to hone connections in the Capital City and land a job in government. But she didn't wait for state legislators to find her on campus; she found them. "I went to a volunteer fair as a freshman (at FSU), found the House of Representatives, and told them that I came to school here to work for them," said Grifffin, 37, now a prominent Tampa attorney. "They looked at me like I was crazy, but then they said, 'Okay.' So I started with an unpaid internship in the House, which parlayed into a paid internship, which led to a job in the executive office."

Griffin's ambitious attitude eventually led to an internship in Great Britain's parliament, a masters degree and a law degree from FSU.

Now she's the managing shareholder for the Dean Mead law firm's Tampa branch and one half of a Tampa power couple along with husband Mike Griffin, a Port Tampa Bay board commissioner and a former Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce chairman. The two met during high school and married in 2009.

Griffin recently spoke to Tampa Bay Times staff writer Libby Baldwin about her upbringing, adopting a newborn son this month (Maverick) and launching her own non-profit mentoring program, Spread Your Sunshine (spreadyoursunshine.com).

How did your upbringing influence who you are today?

My parents got divorced when I was really young, so I grew up in a household where it was just my mom and me. She was so awesome, the way she made everything work. It wasn't until pretty far along in my high school career that I realized there weren't enough funds for me to go to a four-year university. And I had always had my heart set on going to Florida State, so I was really disappointed to hear that news. But thankfully because I was able to turn our circumstances into grit and work hard, I ended up being able to go to FSU on several scholarships, including a service scholarship, which probably ties back into the significant passion I have today for giving back. I also worked all throughout high school, Publix and babysitting.

What would you say to women who want to have a career like yours?

Of course, I have to say spread your sunshine, be positive, count every day as a blessing. But beyond that, find a mentor, find someone you can trust and can lean on. And I definitely have a team of mentors, because at some point, either a mentor isn't going to be right in a particular circumstance, or just won't be available. And I would just love for women to have the confidence to know that they can and often do kick butt, and to have a game plan for that. And the thing I would challenge women to think about is that the majority of the conversation about women in the workplace centers on the wrongs that have been done to us, as opposed to what we can do to change them. Do I think there's discrimination and people who have turned a blind eye? Absolutely. But I also think that at least in part, these male-run organizations just don't even know the challenges we face; they haven't experienced it or been in the trenches. There's a law firm that is turning 93 years old and just elected its first female managing shareholder. She and I had a conversation recently, and I told her she has the opportunity to affect real systemic positive change just by virtue of being a female in that position. So how cool is that? Instead of getting down on being a woman, we can talk about the advantages of it. Look at it as an opportunity to create change in this entrepreneurial community that Tampa really is. We can be a leader in that, we just have to make it happen.

So how did you come up with the idea for Spread Your Sunshine? Tell me all about it, tell me the ultimate goal.

Initially I just wanted to put out a consistent message about lifting people up. I was always sending something different: a different message, a different tschotske, whatever. And I thought even if my message gets streamlined, I will have accomplished something. That's kind of where it all started. What I love about the project is that in some ways it's a complete failure, and in some ways it's an absolute success. The website, to me, is presently a complete failure. It's pretty, but it's not substantive. But here's what I love about it. Don't wait for whatever it is to be perfect, just get it out there. Despite the website, at least once a week, I am contacted by someone via social media, email, text, you name it, who says to me, "I have been impacted by Spread Your Sunshine, and it helped me accomplish this." And so it's really about the social media and the hashtags. It's allowed people to know what I am doing. It's growing itself, it's a movement.

Why is mentoring young women so important?

The first reason is the idea that two heads or five heads are better than one for pretty much any idea that you have. Could you make it on your own? Absolutely. But are you going to get further faster getting that type of advice and feedback? 100 percent yes. You just are. A mentor can help not only improve your ideas with feedback, they also are a connector for you. And so if you go to a networking reception with a mentor, could you go and introduce yourself to people? Sure, but you may or may not introduce yourself to the people in the room who would best help you with your career or project. The mentor's going to know what you're passionate about, what you need help with, and connect you with the right people.

You've said you wanted to adopt a child for as long as you can remember. Now that Maverick is finally with you and Mike, what's it like?

Adoption is an incredible opportunity to positively impact and shape another's life in a way that the child would never experience but for the adoptive parents. That desire, coupled with additional issues that impacted how to best grow our family, led Mike and I to adoption. We're thrilled to have Maverick home. He is a sweet, healthy, relatively easy-going baby who has been welcomed by so many in Tampa Bay and well beyond.

So on top of your day job, Spread Your Sunshine and now being a mom, you sit on numerous boards and organizations. How do you manage your time well enough to fit it all in?

One thing I've learned to improve my time management came from a story I heard about a female lawyer who stagnated her own practice by being perfect all the time; she was constantly the cog in the system. And so this lawyer decided she would purposely be wrong 10 percent of the day. You've got to be careful about which 10 percent you're going to be wrong about; you can't do that on a major client contract, for example. But one of the first things that came across my desk after that symposium was a party invitation for an event I was co-hosting, and it wasn't 100 percent grammatically correct. But it was going to a group of close friends, and you could certainly glean from it the gist of the party. I thought to myself, let this be my 10 percent today. As a result, I didn't waste my time on something that didn't need my brain power, which allowed me to focus on things that do.

Tampa is your hometown. Tell me about some of your favorite things, places, and experiences here.

I feel like there's so many people, places and things that are finally in the right place at the right time to actually affect the change that we need. I recently was appointed to the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, so hopefully we're going to get transit on board. What do we need to do next for that? One of the things we've talked about is education. We are ranked really low in pretty much every category, whether it be nursing, biomedical, STEM; you name it, we're just not retaining or attracting the talent that we need here. So I think by getting downtown revitalized and getting (improved) transit, those are some of the things that will attract that talent.

Sunday Conversation is edited for brevity and clarity. Contact Libby Baldwin at lbaldwin@tampabay.com.

We share a common belief in this business that our leaders must be transparent about why they make the decisions they do. The public has a right to know.

Period.

But until I read a piece the other day by the fine Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell, I hadn't given a lot of thought about the other side of that argument.

He carried on a new year's tradition at that newspaper by being transparent with readers about himself. He shared his own beliefs with readers. Columnists are supposed to express an opinion, and people also have a right to know the personal motivation behind what they read.

Makes sense.

So here goes ...

I am not registered with any political party. I was a registered Democrat until several years ago, but changed. Both major parties do some things right, some things wrong, have good people, criminals and wackos.

I have never donated to a political candidate. I did give money once on a PBS pledge drive and promptly got inundated by representatives from other worthy causes. Never again.

I still put money in the Salvation Army kettle to honor my late mother. She was a bell-ringer.

I voted for as many Republicans in 2016 as Democrats.

I am an active member of the United Methodist Church, to which I contribute my money and time. I write and produce Christmas and Easter plays at my church, and have done that for about the last 10 years.

I believe in Jesus and plan on meeting him some day. I want to know how he feels about those who judge and condemn in his name.

I am more inclined to listen to religious leaders who preach charity and service than those whose theology stops at the book of Leviticus. I'm convinced people agree with that thought after I drive past the full parking lot at the Hard Rock casino on my way to church.

I recoil against one-issue voters - no matter the party, no matter the issue.

I don't understand why it's necessary to keep repeating that we don't have to be afraid of Muslims.

I have never owned a gun and don't plan on buying one, but it doesn't bother me if you do. Just don't take it to the movies.

I wish lawmakers who talk the loudest about protecting the unborn would care as much about what happens after the child enters this world.

The easy acceptance and sharing of outright lies on the internet scares me more than North Korea. I believe Donald Trump colluded with the Russians. It will take more than Sean Hannity to convince me I'm wrong.

I think public school teachers are the best hope for this country. I wish bureaucrats and lawmakers would leave them alone.

I am repulsed every time I see that monstrous Confederate flag by Interstates 4 and 75. The war is over, guys. Join us humans in the 21st century.

We need a modern rail system in Hillsborough County. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong.

I think pro sports has gotten ridiculously expensive. If that means telling the Rays to pay a lot more for a new stadium or go somewhere else, I'm OK with that.

On the other hand, I've never seen this town as united as when the Bucs won the Super Bowl. And the Lightning do it right, pretty much all the time.

USF football is the best sports value in town. And women's basketball is the best sports story no one talks about.

I think Hamilton coming to Tampa will be one of the great events here in 2018.

Finally, I have hope. Sometimes I'm not sure why, but I do. I hope you do, too.

And if sometimes it seems too much, fret not. I believe we can outlast them.

Happy new year.

TAMPA

The phrase "school-to-prison pipeline" has been used to describe school practices that result in children, especially children in poverty, landing in the juvenile justice and criminal justice system.

Suspension and expulsion from school are one of those practices that contribute to a future path of dropping out of school and engaging in substance abuse and criminal activity.

Young children who are suspended or expelled from early childhood programs are more likely to be suspended in their later school years. Students who experience suspension and expulsion are also 10 times more likely to drop out of school, have poor academic outcomes, and have contact with the criminal justice system.

Disturbing national data suggests that the onset of the "school-to-prison pipeline" might begin with the youngest children in public education. The federal Department of Education has reported rates of preschool expulsion that are three times higher than in K-12, and exhibit disturbing racial and gender disparities with children of color and boys being suspended and expelled more frequently.

Some states and communities have conducted their own research and found that their rates of suspensions and expulsions occur at even higher rates than nationally reported. Even more alarming, many of these local programs report the suspension and expulsion of infants and toddlers.

Much of the challenging behavior associated with suspension and expulsion is due to a complex array of social, environmental and biological causes. Preschools equipped with the latest effective interventions are the best hope for helping children experience productive futures.

States, school districts, and communities are now establishing policies that restrict the use of suspensions and expulsions with young children. The Florida Office of Early Learning has issued guidance to childcare programs, early learning coalitions, and professionals about the need to implement best practices that promote effective interventions and to prevent or limit the use of expulsion with young children.

Once the practices associated with this guidance are in place for current children in the system, it is important that teachers, and families have the capacity to provide effective interventions to all young children in order to prevent and minimize behavior problems.

In October, the University of South Florida was awarded $5.5 million from the federal Office of Special Education Programs of the Department of Education to establish "The National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations" to address this critical social issue facing young children, their families and teachers. The center involves faculty and staff from USF, the University of Colorado-Denver, and Vanderbilt University.

The Center aims to support early care and education programs that focus on the promotion of social and emotional competencies, the prevention of behavior challenges in children, and individualized interventions for children with persistent challenging behavior. Research has shown that programs that implement the Pyramid Model report that suspensions and expulsions are reduced or eliminated and that teachers develop the capacity to meet the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of all children in their care.

The Center also will focus on building the capacity of states, and programs to implement and scale-up implementation of effective practices that ensure immediate positive social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes for young children as well as to increase the chances of a positive future.

Lise Fox is a professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies and the Co-Director of the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities, the University of South Florida Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.

TAMPA - Connie Rose was just 2 when her father began molesting her.

By the time she was 16, he would arrange for her to provide sexual favors to men in exchange for money.

Rose wasn't able to escape his clutches until years later when she married her college sweetheart.

But just moments before she walked down the aisle, her father - realizing he'd lost control over her - marred what was supposed to be a happy occasion.

"He said, 'You don't have to do this : we can leave together and be husband and wife,'" she said.

Rose, founder of Victims2Survivors, has devoted much of her life helping other victims break the cycle of abuse and bring awareness about sex trafficking to the greater community.

She'll be among several guest speakers at The Free Network's event in observation of Human Trafficking Month.

Sponsored in conjunction with the Junior League, the University of South Florida, the Salvation Army, and Hillsborough County, the goal is to bring attention to a problem that is invisible but thriving in many communities, said Dotti Groover-Skipper, the Salvation Army's anti-trafficking director for Florida.

"We need to have that awareness raised," she said. "I'm baffled when I hear people say it only happens in third-world countries."

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, human trafficking is modern day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.

It's estimated that approximately 80 percent of trafficking involves sexual exploitation, and 19 percent involves labor exploitation, according to DoSomething.org, a digital platform that supports social and civic action campaigns.

Bringing an end to human trafficking here in Tampa Bay requires an "all-hands on deck" approach, which is why some of the area's top leaders - including Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman and Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren - have been asked to participate, Groover-Skipper said.

The program will conclude with a candlelight vigil and walk along the river led by survivors.

Rose, who is the residential director for local safe house Redefining Refuge, said that while every survivor's story is different, all are connected to being socialized that their body's value can be exchanged for something.

For Rose, that meant saying yes to her father's proposal of prostituting her, if it meant he would stop raping her.

"I saw it as if I did it he would leave me alone, he would give me some kind of peace," she said.

On the outside, Rose said she was a typical teen who was a member of the school dance club and participated in beauty pageants.

But at home, she faced a life of daily terror with her father forcing himself on her and then later forcing her to have sex with men at all hours of the night.

"I was hiding a very dark secret," she said.

Rose now helps others overcome the trauma caused by sex trafficking. It's work that also requires changing mindsets and giving the public the information necessary to combat the practice.

That includes dismantling the misconception that victims of sex trafficking involves a certain type of person, she said.

"It can happen to anybody," she said. "There are some segments of the population that are more vulnerable than others, but (sex trafficking) does not look at socio-economics or race. That body is a commodity."

Contact Kenya Woodard at hillsnews@tampabay.com.

Nick Hall travels the world preaching 'Jesus.'

But he avoids the word evangelical. Labels can turn people off to the Gospel, he says.

Hall, 35, founded the student-focused ministry Pulse as a junior at North Dakota State. What started as a campus movement in 2004, quickly grew to reach students across state lines. Today, Pulse is one of the largest ministries of its kind worldwide. Hall's book, Reset: Jesus Changes Everything, calls youth to put God first and share the word.

Hall appears on the 2018 Winter Jam tour, which hits Tampa Jan. 13. The tour, headlined by Skillet, features Christian music acts KB, Kari Jobe, Building 429 and Newsong. Tickets are $15 at the door. Doors open at 5 p.m. at the Amalie Arena.

I talked to Nick Hall about touring, family life and living for Jesus in the United States today.

How did you land on Winter Jam? What message do you bring the tour?

I was on the tour three years in a row about three years ago. So now, I'm coming back. I'm excited to be a part of it again. My message is about taking a step closer to Jesus. Whether you've never had a relationship with Jesus or you've been a believer for a long time, it's about taking that next step, about growth. Every step closer to Jesus is a step closer to people who need Jesus.

Do you speak about the division happening in the United States?

I led a youth movement team that was part of rallying a group together to gather at the National Mall in July 2016. Hundreds of thousands gathered. It was about bringing people of different backgrounds together to present a love for Jesus, friendship and a shared sense of community.

I think we need to love our neighbor despite our differences. To pray for our enemies. To pray for each other. If you're not doing that, you are part of the problem. Jesus changes everything in our hearts and in our minds. Jesus welcomes us one and all.

The word evangelical does stir a controversy these days. What is good and bad about being an evangelical today?

The word is so divisive. It creates distance between people. Even the word Christian can tend to have baggage attached to it. I think words used to describe people are only useful when they point to a true definition. Evangelical is supposed to mean this person believes in the Bible and believes in Jesus, but it has become so loaded politically. I want to help people find a relationship with an everlasting God, with Jesus. If those words don't help achieve that, then I am not that. This younger generation isn't as interested in labels or even institutions. But they are interested in Jesus.

Why did you choose to focus your ministry on students?

Well my ministry started as my English paper as a student. I wrote about reaching students for Jesus. And then we started with trying to reach our friends. And we had an impact. We said hey we are going to try and walk this out. I wanted to be part of something that makes a difference. Young people are so hungry. They are open and looking for things to make a difference. I really do believe these kids now are our future.

Winter Jam is a music tour. Any particular artists inspire you?

KB is cutting edge. He is really a prophetic voice in our day. He is somebody on the front lines trying to flesh this out, what it means to follow Jesus in a world of need. Skillet, they play in clubs and non-religious settings. They are actively out trying to build relationships with people. Kari Jobe is one of the best worship artists there is today. When she sings you encounter God. It's really a great tour.

Contact Sarah Whitman at sarahrothhitman@gmail.com.

This has been a miserable failure.

For the several days since the Tampa Bay Times' Richard Danielson reported that Outback Bowl president and CEO Jim McVay earns a salary of - you might want to sit down and swallow that last sip of coffee to avoid a spit-take - 30 million in local economic juice, which other economists dismiss as a boatload of phooey.

The working theory here is that while 30 million is merely money being spent on Outback Bowl events that would normally have been spent on other things, anyway.

This is the same argument that is always raised in sports crazy Tampa Bay whenever it comes to our games. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers argued they needed a new taxpayer funded Hellooooooo Sucker Stadium based on the "economic impact" theory - as if every time Gerald McCoy breaks wind in Lutz, a Mercedes-Benz gets sold in Ruskin.

What Tampa does get because of the Outback Bowl is a few days of very nice exposure on national television. That's not so bad. But is it worth the 993,000-a-year to stage a single football game, would you say, "Oh tut-tut, no, a thousand times no! I can't take that much money. Please, please, please pay me much less!"?

Didn't think so.

PROGRESS VILLAGE

They step, sway, slide and spin to the booming beat.

"If you're sexy and you know it clap your hands,'' the song demands, and the dancers clap in unison.

This isn't Saturday night in Ybor City. It's Monday morning at the Progress Village Senior Nutrition Center, where a dozen or so women in their sixties and beyond follow the moves of longtime Zumba instructor Michelle Watkins, who leads with grace and vigor - and an oxygen generator strapped to her back.

"I love it,'' said Watkins, 64, who has a disease that scarred her lungs and restricted her breathing. "As long as I have my girlfriend with me''- her oxygen pack - "I'm good.''

Watkins is one of hundreds volunteering their time in a variety of ways to Hillsborough County Aging Services department. She recently was featured on the county's web site, hillsboroughcounty.org.

She had taught dance at recreation centers in Washington, D.C., and senior centers in Atlanta and wanted to continue when she moved to Hillsborough County in 2012. She applied to volunteer at senior centers, teaching Zumba Gold, which offers older fitness buffs a less frenzied pace than traditional Zumba. The music pounds out Caribbean, salsa and rhythm and blues three mornings a week for Watkin's dancers, as Watkins shouts commands, like "kick'' or "sway'' or "move those arms!'' The other seniors play cards, chat or watch the show and sometimes cheer.

Word has spread in the five years since she started, drawing people from outside Progress Village. They wear purple and lime green T-shirts with "P.V. Senior Fitness'' on the front and "Keep It Movin' '' on the back.

"I wanted something to get us motivated,'' Watkins said. "It's all about moving; you've got to keep moving, keep moving. So that's our motto : keep it movin'.''

Rosa Carr, 72, heard about the Zumba Gold class and soon found herself dancing in the morning. When she retired as a medical technician, she said, she just sat around for a year. "I said, I've got to get out and do something. I need to move.''

She's tired after the 50-minute workouts, "but it's a good tired.'' And she's always up for the next class. "I'm lost if I don't come here.''

For Deborah Knight, 62, the classes help ease the pain of fibromyalgia.

"I'm here because I'm around people; it gives me more encouragement to keep it moving,'' she said. "I really cannot exercise alone. I can't afford to fall.''

She has come to view the group as a family, echoing a common sentiment.

In this family, Watkins is the matriarch.

"She does her thing out there, so she is a lot of inspiration,'' said Knight. "Some people, like Michelle, just keep it moving, keep it going, don't let it bother them. Some of them just sit back and (say), 'Woe is me.' ''

It was 2014 when Watkins was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, characterized by inflammatory growths that damaged her lungs by leaving scar tissue.

When she first went on supplementary oxygen, she rolled a tank around behind her, which really got in the way when she led her exercise class. "I'm going to trip everybody up,'' she thought. The problem was solved when she got the portable oxygen generator that she wears like a backpack.

The idea of the senior centers is "to keep active seniors active,'' said Terence Steward, director of the Progress Village center, and Watkins makes sure that happens.

She helps create the atmosphere he's looking for at the center, "when people wake up in the morning and say, 'Man, can't wait to get to the center!'''

Contact Philip Morgan at pmorgan@tampabay.com.

Every hour on the hour in the ancient market square of Krakow, Poland, a trumpeter steps up to the drafty window of St Mary's Basilica's tallest tower and plays a tune called the "hejnal."

The simple yet haunting piece is repeated four times, each time facing a different cardinal direction. This beautifully unique tradition is done 365 days a year to honor a brave watchman who gave his life in the 13th century in defense of his little town of Krakow.

Story has it the watchman spotted a growing cloud of dust in the distance and realized a Tartar invasion was on its way to bring horror and misery to his people. The watchman seized his trumpet and belted out a warning prodding the sleepy village to spring into action and protect its innocent inhabitants. The clever musical siren was a success and the enemy was fended off, but at a high price.

The brave watchman was shot through the throat by an arrow from the enemy's leader. The last note of this commemorative tune is a long half note to represent the last sound played by the trumpeter as he was murdered.

•••

I visited this beautiful town in the summer of 2015 with my family where I gazed at the stunning wonder of the Salt Mines and marveled at seeing the birthplace of St Pope John Paul II and St Faustina Kowalska.

I paid homage to the victims of the Holocaust by seeing the terrible grounds of Auschwitz and Birkenau. I carried home with me so many beautiful stories from this culturally rich country - and the story of the trumpeter was one of my favorites.

Six months later, at the ripe old age of 36, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Much like the Tartars, cancer was merciless.

It didn't care that a beloved husband and four small children needed me.

It didn't care that I was a physical therapist and that I needed to treat patients, not be one.

It certainly paid no heed at seeing my parents suffer as they witnessed their only daughter go through the horrible process.

Cancer was that cloud in the distance I could see insiduously making its way towards me looking for a tasty meal. I could hear the trumpeter furiously blasting his song to urge me to keep fighting.

•••

At the time, my oldest was only 9 years old and my youngest was a tender 2 years, with two siblings in between. We knew we wanted the kids to hear it from us first before we informed our friends. At the time, we didn't know if I would need chemotherapy or radiation - we didn't even know for certain how advanced the cancer was - so we told the kids everything.

We talked to them about breast cancer and what patients go through - surgery, chemo, radiation - no holds barred. We answered all their questions as best we could in terminology that they could understand.

And then came the inevitable question, "Are you going to die, Mami?"

I answered it truthfully, "I don't know-I do know that Mami is not going to die today or tomorrow and we are going to pray for strength and guidance."

It scared me to pieces to say those words because it placed my mortality smack dab front and center.

In the months that followed, I came to be thankful that my husband and I had been so up front with the kids. Death was not a taboo topic to discuss and talking about it took some of the fear away. It opened up beautiful discussions as to what happens to the immortal soul when it shuffles off its mortal coil.

Some of the conversations left us in tears, some with a renewed sense of faith and strength to face what might come ahead. My kids were empowered by being able to talk and communicate with us and we, in turn, derived a sense of peace.

•••

One year, three surgeries, and four grueling rounds of chemotherapy later, the doctors at Moffitt Cancer Center declared me to be free of disease - the invasion had been stopped in its tracks.

Unlike the poor trumpeter who was unable to celebrate victory with his beloved village, I have been given the gift of life ... again. And I don't plan on wasting it.

On Thursday (Jan. 4), I opened my own outpatient physical therapy clinic. It is also the two year anniversary of my first surgery. I will be exclusively treating the amputee community in their battle to regain the mobility that they have lost.

Why amputee? Because I love it. I revel in the academic challenge each patient brings. Witnessing these brave souls walk again for the first time after such a devastating trauma never fails to bring me joy at their victory. And this time, I get to play the "hejnal" to encourage my patients to continue their fight.

•••

The name of my company is Palanca. In Spanish it means "plank." And much like the plank exercises used in physical therapy to lift the body, I hope to lift up my patients in their fight to regain control of their lives.

Oftentimes I still think of the trumpeter - his perseverance to continue playing in the face of mortal danger is an inspiration to continue my own fight and to help my patients with theirs. I don't know how my story will end. I'm hoping for something like "... and she lived happily ever after."

But one thing is for certain: I will never give up, I will never stop fighting.

God's not done with me yet.

Cosi Belloso is a physical therapist who lives in Brandon. Contact her at renewalrehab.com, palancaPT.com or on her Facebook page at facebook.com/cosibelloso.

If you've seen images of strawberry farmers spraying down their crops to protect them against a freeze, you know agriculture is big business in Hillsborough County.

It's an industry that worth $1 billion a year in crops, livestock and ancillary products and services, according to Simon Bollin, the county's agribusiness development manager.

It's also an industry that employs about 20,000, said Bollin, and needs people who are self-starting problem-solvers and like to work outdoors.

"The skills needed are very similar to skills in the military," Bollin said. "Self-starters, problem solving ability, working until the task is complete, mechanical ability, and working outdoors."

Careers in agriculture involve more than just driving a tractor, he said - though tractor driving skills do help. There are field, maintenance, irrigation, safety, and production managers, human resources, logistics, and executive-level positions.

"The thing to keep in mind is that when working in production agriculture, every day is different and you may start out the day as VP of operations and finish the day in the seat of a tractor with all of the jobs mentioned previously intertwined throughout the day," he said.

So with that in mind, Bollin has created the Military Agriculture Tour, a program designed to give military veterans, reservists, transitioning active-duty personnel and their spouses an opportunity to explore career options in the agriculture industry.

The first tour took place in 2016. The latest, which will be the fourth, kicks off at 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 19, from Hillsborough County Extension Service, 5339 County Road 579 in Seffner.

"Today's agriculture industries increasingly focus on using technology and management systems for the production of food, medicine, consumer products, and energy," Bollin said.

Those on the tour will learn about career paths and job opportunities in agriculture and supporting industries through visits to a variety of farming operations and the University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in southern Hillsborough County. "

The tour is organized through a partnership between Hillsborough County Economic Development, Hillsborough County Farm Bureau, Hillsborough County Extension Service, and community partners committed to assisting transitioning veterans by providing meaningful connections to quality civilian career opportunities and training.

The tour is free and lunch will be provided, but seating is limited and the deadline to register is Jan. 16.

More information on Military Agriculture Tour community partners and career resources for transitioning veterans is available at HCFLGov.net/Vets2Ag.

•••

The Pentagon this week announced the first death of a U.S. service member in 2018.

Sgt. 1st Class Mihail Golin, 34, of Fort Lee, New Jersey, died Jan. 1 in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, after being engaged by enemy small arms fire while on a dismounted patrol. Golin was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Carson, Colorado. The incident is under investigation.

There have been 2,347 U.S. troop deaths in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan; 49 U.S. troop deaths and one civilian Department of Defense employee death in support of the followup, Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan; 42 troop deaths and two civilian deaths in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the fight against the Islamic State; one troop death in support of Operation Odyssey Lightning, the fight against Islamic State in Libya; one death classified as other contingency operations in the global war on terrorism; and four deaths in ongoing operations in Africa where, if they have a title, officials will not divulge it.

Contact Howard Altman at haltman@tampabay.com or (813) 225-3112. Follow @haltman

The 2018 to-do list spelled out by members of the Hillsborough County Commission is a heartening one.

Transit, economic development, jobs, stormwater drainage, affordable housing, reviving the Museum of Science and Industry.

The informal priority list came in response to an end-of-the-year question to each of the seven commissioners from Steve Contorno of the Tampa Bay Times. Only Ken Hagan failed to respond; he's had little to say to reporters since October when he announced a preferred Hillsborough County location for a Tampa Bay Rays stadium in case the team decides to move from St. Petersburg.

It's safe to say a baseball stadium and the daunting task of paying for it rates high on Hagan's 2018 to-do list. He's been working on it for some time. None of the other commissioners even mentioned it.

Three commissioners listed transit as a priority - the two Democrats, Les Miller and Pat Kemp, and Republican Chairwoman Sandy Murman. That all seven didn't jump at the chance to shout, "Transit in 2018," is cause for some concern. When they voted early last year to spend more than $800 million for roads over 10 years, it came with a somber pledge that they would follow up with money for mass transit.

Republican Commissioners Victor Crist, Stacy White and Al Higginbotham apparently need reminding of this.

Crist, especially, is on the hook to deliver, given his grandstanding in 2016 when he positioned himself as the deciding vote to kill a Go Hillsborough transportation plan that was half roads and half transit. Crist said then in casting a fourth "No" vote, "Frankly, the decision I made tonight was not based on data, it was not based on one thing I heard. It was just old-fashioned intuition."

We can only hope that Crist's intuition turns him in a productive direction this year.

Murman, another "No" vote on Go Hillsborough, has signalled that she at least understands the desperate need to find a mass transit plan worth supporting. She told Contorno she aims to unveil a proposal to fund the woefully inadequate bus system for three to five years and "get them really transformed." Miller said commissioners might need to raise taxes. Kemp wants to spend county dollars on transit.

It's all talk so far. And Go Hillsborough was three years of talk that produced nothing but frustration and serious doubts about whether this commission has the capacity to tackle the most pressing need facing the community.

The question will be answered in 2018.

On other pressing needs, Crist said he'll be focused on lingering flooding problems despite millions spent to fix them in the University-area district he now represents. Miller said he'll work to create more jobs to improve the quality of life for everyone. White wants to toughen the comprehensive plan to make sure land-use decisions are sustainable. And Higginbotham has his eye on transforming the financially troubled MOSI, soon to open a new chapter at a downtown location.

Of course, the best laid plans are subject to all manner of outside pressures. State lawmakers may take steps this year that would cut county property tax revenues. Hurricane Irma reminded local leaders how quickly their spending priorities can change. And no one foresaw the anguish over resolving one of the defining issues of 2017 - the push to relocate a Confederate memorial from public property downtown.

Also coloring the county's progress in 2018 will be an election that decides which commissioners remain in office. Term limits have made for a curious game of musical chairs: Four commissioners are up for re-election - Crist, Hagan, Murman and White - and all but White are attempting to move from their current district to another seat on the commission. Higginbotham will retire at the end of the year.

Will the commissioner-candidates pander to the new electorate they need to engage? Will they take on projects that boost their profiles rather than serving their constituents? Will they spend more time campaigning than earning their near-six figure salaries?

Taking steps to improve mass transit in Hillsborough is really just a humble first step toward the comprehensive transportation plan that the Tampa Bay area needs. But as a 2018 priority for a county commission facing election, it holds promise as an action both vital and popular.

Tampa and the Hillsborough County Hotel-&-Motel Association are fighting back hard against a lawsuit by House Speaker Richard Corcoran over what he calls an "illegal tax" on a dozen downtown and Ybor City hotels.

The city and the association say the 1.2 million a year or more.

Morrison said because of possible hotel ownership changes over time, creating and running the district wouldn't be possible without a government structure involved.

But Corcoran charges it's a tax that "spits in the face of the Constitution" because only the Legislature can authorize taxes.

Buckhorn said the hotel and motel association is handling and paying for legal defense against the lawsuit.

"I would assume they are" fighting it every inch of the way, "because all of us are viewing this as just one more power grab by the Legislature against local jurisdictions," he said.

In recent years, the lawmakers passed measures limiting or ending local government authority in areas including firearm regulations and locating cell phone antennas. They're considering a law banning local tree ordinances.

The association has hired Robert Johnson, David Smith and Grace Yang of the high-powered GrayRobinson law firm to fight the suit.

In court filings, they've denied that Corcoran has legal standing to sue over an issue he's not involved in, and accused him of attacking the home-rule powers of local government.

They're also fighting back against a move by Corcoran to subpoena records from the association concerning the proposed district.

Association Executive Director Bob Morrison said it would be the first such district in Florida, but they're common in other states.

Joe Redner backs Bob Buesing in Senate race

Among the surge of filers for local county and legislative seats this week, one name was missing - Bob Buesing, who's considering another race against state Sen. Dana Young, R-Tampa.

If Buesing does run, he won't have one problem he had battling Young in 2016. Joe Redner, who ran as a no-party candidate then, taking almost 10 percent of the vote, says he isn't going to run again. In fact, he's given 100,000 for the committee since the 2016 election.

But he said he's still not ready to pull the trigger, even though the beginning of the election year - coinciding with the beginning of a campaign finance reporting period - is a time candidates commonly choose to crank up campaigns.

Why not?

"A lot of people need to be fully on board to make this the kind of race it ought to be," he said.

Buckhorn for state Senate? Nope

Yes, people have been asking Buckhorn if he'd be interested in running against Young.

Some local Democratic insiders see it as a way the party could get a candidate with big name recognition, while Buckhorn could keep his political career alive. After deciding not to run for governor, he appears to have no obvious political next step.

But no. Too much of a step down in responsibility, authority and pay.

"I've told them in no uncertain terms I'm not interested," Buckhorn said.

Shawn Harrison kicks off session with five bills

Rep. Shawn Harrison, R-Tampa, will hold a Tallahassee fundraiser Monday night hosted by top legislative leaders including Corcoran and Corcoran's three likely successors as House speaker. Monday is the last possible moment before the prohibition on lawmakers raising money during the legislative session kicks in Tuesday morning.

Harrison will talk about five bills he's filed:

• Preventing insurance companies from requiring that patients try cheaper treatments before covering physician-prescribed treatments, which he's unsuccessfully proposed twice before.

• Preventing credit reporting agencies from charging fees to freeze credit accounts.

• Halting price-gouging by boat towing companies.

• Making a priority of restoring power to nursing homes after outages.

• Exempting law officers in unmarked cars from tolls.

Contact William March at wemarch@gmail.com