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By WES PLATT
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 3, 2001
Hello again, Hernando.
Seven years ago, I traveled south to Pasco County to help build a thriving news operation for the Times in Land O'Lakes, Zephyrhills and Dade City.
Now, I'm back to help continue our publishing streak in Hernando County, working as the new assistant editor of the Hernando Times.
When I left, I was a reporter who had covered the police and court beats, the city of Brooksville and Hernando County government.
I remember hearing the first police scanner call in 1993 that mentioned a missing 12-year-old Pasco County girl in a Hooters jacket. Jennifer Odom's body would later be found in a pine forest near Spring Lake. Her murder remains unsolved.
I walked through flood-soaked homes on the coast after the surprise storm of March 1993.
I talked with worried Spring Hill residents in the wake of the brutal killings of four of their neighbors by serial murderer Mike Kaprat, who would later die after a fight in prison once he was caught and convicted of the crimes.
I remember the tragic scene on June 26, 1992, on Hale Avenue in Brooksville, where local hero and pro football star Jerome Brown died with his nephew in a single-car crash in Brown's Corvette.
I wrote about the plans for an ambitious westside shopping mall project called Oak Sound, which never came to pass, thanks to the efforts of environmentalists such as Arlene Erdrich.
I attended the first information sessions about a state road project that would ultimately become known as the Suncoast Parkway, building a new link from Hernando to Tampa.
Back when I started as a reporter here in 1992, downtown Brooksville didn't have the one-way pair of streets running through town.
U.S. 41 was only two lanes, but there was talk of widening someday. And city leaders started tossing around the idea of a golf course in Tom Varn Park.
Now, I'm back, and such projects have become a reality -- and more are on the way.
It's my job to oversee and coordinate our daily news report. So, if you've got questions about coverage or see something you think we should write about, feel free to let me know.
Another responsibility I've assumed is the task of increasing the interactivity of the Hernando Times.
To that end, we've established a new online discussion forum on the St. Petersburg Times Web site -- a virtual coffee shop, without the caffeine shakes, where readers separated by geography can gather and talk about issues of the day.
If you have a computer, Internet access and a Web browser -- lots of Hernando residents do -- then you can join our discussions at http://www.sptimes.com/hernandoforum.
Each day, I'll post something about a story or two appearing in the latest local edition of the Times for forum members to discuss, but readers can certainly feel free to kick off their own topics. We want to hear what interests you.
If you're still working on your Internet savvy and want some coaching, the Times is offering seminars in the Hernando area. One class will be from 7 to 9 p.m. June 13 at Springstead High School on Mariner Boulevard in Spring Hill. Two classes are scheduled at the Pasco-Hernando Community College campus on Ridge Road in New Port Richey, from 9 to 11 a.m. on June 16 and June 30.
For information, call (727) 892-2239, or visit http://www.tampabay.com/classes for a complete schedule, maps and driving directions.
Once you've had some training, you can get involved with our online discussions.
I'm glad to be back, and look forward to talking with you.
- Wes Platt is the assistant editor of the Hernando Times. He can be reached at 754-6113. Send e-mail to platt@sptimes.com. The fax number is 754-6133.