Events that shaped the year in Plant City

The community said goodbye to two soldiers, opened its first new high school since 1995, broke ground for a veterans' monument and saw the city manager announce his retirement in 2009.

The year also included such light moments as the Florida Strawberry Festival's first female shortcake eating champ and Jessica Simpson's festival performance in Daisy Duke short-shorts that kept celebrity news writers busy for a time.

Here's a look back at some of the stories that made headlines during the year:

Soldiers lost their lives

Two soldiers with Plant City ties, Army Sgt. Samuel Valdez and Army Spec. Eric Lembke, lost their lives during the year, one in a training accident, the other in a war zone.

Valdez, 22, has been missing and presumed drowned since he fell overboard in a Feb. 22 training exercise. Valdez - a 2004 Plant City High School graduate who survived a 15-month tour in Kuwait running supplies into Iraq to support the war effort - was lost from an Army tugboat off the North Carolina coast.

He was survived by his pregnant wife, Lynda, and their toddler son, "Little Sammy."

Lynda Valdez called him a "loving husband and father who took care of his family every day of his life."

The nation's war on terror also took its toll in Plant City for at least the eighth time with the death of Lembke, 25.

Lembke, who was raised in Plant City and was a 2002 Simmons Career Center graduate, was killed Oct. 23 by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. He was hailed as a hero at his funeral at First Baptist Church of Plant City. Lembke, who joined the Army in 2008, and his wife, Mashelle, have two children, Alexis and Thomas Nathaniel.

"Eric was proud to be a soldier," Mashelle Lembke has said. "He was a wonderful husband and father. His family always came first. He did everything he could to make sure that we would be OK. He was honest and brave."

Leadership changes

There was a change in leadership at two major community institutions, the Florida Strawberry Festival and First Baptist Church of Plant City. At the festival, Paul Davis, a retired Hillsborough County sheriff's major, spent his first festival as general manager. He replaced Patsy Brooks, who retired in June 2008. Davis called the post "his dream job," and he set a goal of making the festival "one of the best fairs in the country." Davis started his job Dec. 1, 2008, but the 2009 fest, Feb. 26 through March 8, was his first at the helm. Brooks ran the festival for 13 years.

At First Baptist, the Rev. Michael Lewis took over in May for the Rev. Ron Churchill, who was in the pulpit for 21 years. Lewis moved from Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, Texas.

Churchill preached his final sermon on Easter, and church members packed Hillsborough Community College's Trinkle center April 19 for a farewell celebration. Speaker after speaker praised Churchill for his service that went beyond preaching, including serving in leadership roles in such organizations as the Pregnancy Care Center of Plant City and South Florida Baptist Hospital board of directors.

Sister wears crown

Lauren Der made history when she followed in her older sister Erica's footsteps as strawberry festival queen. Lauren was crowned in January, six years after Erica was named queen. It was the first time in pageant history that sisters have been festival queen.

Lauren, daughter of Dennis and Lori Der, fought back tears after she was crowned by 2008 queen Kristen Smith. Other court members include Sara Beth Newsome, first maid, and Megan Cochran, Joclyn Emerson and Morgan Feaster.

Shortcake-eating champ

The festival had another first in 2009, a female strawberry shortcake-eating champ. Michelle Stringer, a graduate student at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, downed four pounds of shortcake in 10 minutes to claim the trophy and bragging rights. The contest, sponsored by St. Clement Catholic Church, has been a part of the festival for about 30 years.

Swift a big hit

The strawberry festival also included a sold-out March 1 performance by Taylor Swift, who celebrated her brother Austin's 15th birthday on the festival grounds. Swift and others donned party hats and pelted him with Silly String. Swift made headlines throughout the year as she won award after award, including in November, when she was named entertainer of the year during the 43rd annual Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn.

Jessica Simpson also got a fair amount of attention following a March 8 appearance on the festival stage. Her concert didn't sell out and got mixed reviews from music critics, but the blonde diva put to rest rumors of a weight gain, and ignited celebrity gossip, with the skimpy outfit she wore. At least three celebrity Web sites ran photos and stories on the buff Simpson and the Daisy Duke short-shorts she donned for her hour-long act.

Life sentence for Wibben

Two high-profile Plant City murder cases moved through the courts during the year, including a life sentence for Benjamin James Wibben, 30, who pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and robbery in the 2005 slayings of Heather, 26, and Darren Kaiser, 37. The Plant City couple were shot and killed at the Internet car sales business they operated from their home. The killer stole a sports car and two laptops, authorities said.

In the other murder case, former First Baptist deacon Samuel L. Smithers lost an appeal of his death sentences for the 1996 murders of two Tampa prostitutes. The Florida Supreme Court refused to overturn lower court rulings to vacate Smithers' convictions in the brutal slayings of Christy Elizabeth Cowan, 31, and Denise Elaine Roach, 24. The Tampa women were picked up in a seedy area of East Tampa and killed at a Plant City-area home where Smithers was caretaker.

He asserted in his appeal that his trial attorney was ineffective, among other claims. Smithers, 56, remains on death row.

Sollenberger stepping down

City Manager David Sollenberger, who has guided the city since 2002, announced this summer that he plans to retire in January. Sollenberger was hired by Plant City, first as interim, later as permanent city manager, after he retired as Sarasota city manager. Sollenberger replaced Phil Waldron, who retired July 16, 2002, citing health reasons.

Neither was charged in connection with the U.S. attorney's corruption investigation in Plant City.

Originally, Sollenberger planned to hold the interim post for only a few months. But he accepted the full-time position, saying the residents and the city staff persuaded him to take the job. He called Plant City "the friendliest darn town I've come across."

In August, city commissioners voted to hire Assistant City Manager Greg Horwedel to replace Sollenberger. Horwedel was hired by the city in 2006 to assist Sollenberger. He held a number of positions previously, including as an assistant to Sollenberger in Sarasota.

"I am excited to be given this responsibility by the commission," Horwedel said. "The city will face many challenges and opportunities for success in the future. We on the city staff will work with the commission and the citizens of the city and county to make each opportunity a success."

Monument for veterans

Ground was broken in May at Courier Field for a veterans monument, displacing a playfield at the 2.2-acre park. The centerpiece will be an 8-foot-tall bronze statue of a bald eagle with outstretched wings, clutching an American flag in its talons. The Freedom Rising monument by Sarasota artist Duane Scott will sit atop a 6-foot-high granite base. The park will include a gazebo, gardens, trees and 8-foot-wide sidewalks with brick accents, plus a gathering area for 350 people. Work continues with completion anticipated in a few months.

Building becomes theater

The gavel fell for the last time at the 11-year-old C&S Used Furniture and Auction House in late August.

In September Plant City Entertainment purchased the property at 101 N. Thomas St., and renovated the building inside and out to use as a theater.

The community theater staged its first play there a few weeks ago.

Murals controversial

Murals became controversial during the year, and commissioners in October voted to virtually ban new ones from the downtown historic district. Commissioner Mike Sparkman, who advocated the law, said he was alarmed over a mural that appeared to show a male sex organ that was painted on a wall on an antique store near the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce. The mural, a rendition similar to the Norman Rockwell "April Fools" piece, has since been altered, and one of the artists who created it maintains critics were wrong about its content.

The law bans new murals in the downtown district, with a few exceptions. The commissioners say they are open to readdressing the issue of murals downtown at a later date.

New schools open

When classes resumed in August, some students in the area were lucky enough to head to new schools.

Strawberry Crest High and David E. Bailey Jr. Elementary opened in the 4600 block of Gallagher Road, near the Interstate 4/McIntosh Road interchange.

The $63.6 million high school, named in honor of the strawberry industry, helped relieve overcrowding at Armwood, Durant and Plant City High. It was the area's first new high school since Durant opened in 1995.

Bailey Elementary, named in honor of retired educator and local historian David E. Bailey Jr., was built at a cost of a little more than $16.6 million, plus nearly $1.5 million for furniture and equipment. It was the Plant City area's first new elementary in a number of years.

Both were built on land that once included a strawberry farm.

Airport deal signed

Stanley Pure and his son, Martin, signed an agreement with the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority on July 1 to continue operations at the Plant City Airport until July 2014. At that time the Pures would be allowed to extend their contract with the county for another five years if they desire.

Martin Pure is the on-site operator of the airport at 4007 Airport Road. His father lives in Gainesville, Ga., just north of Atlanta, where he supervises an East Coast telephone answering service.

"I guess that time really does fly when you are having fun," Stanley Pure said. "We got into this business because it is something we love. And while we are working hard to make it all work out, we are having fun at the same time."

Orthopedic center opens

South Florida Baptist Hospital opened an orthopedic center in the north wing that consists of 10 private rooms, a nurse's station and other amenities for the comfort of patients who undergo full knee, shoulder and hip joint replacements.

The 7,000-square-foot unit opened July 6, with eight surgeries performed on the first day. The normal stay for a patient at the center is three to four days, hospital Chief Operating Officer Steve Nierman said.

The renovation took about eight weeks to complete and cost about $250,000, hospital officials said. The changes included converting the rooms from semi-private to private, upgrading the televisions to HD flat screens, shuttered windows, pedestal sinks and dimmable lighting. Each room has a fold-out couch for overnight visitors, soft colors, radio and Internet accessibility.

Softball plan strikes out

Don Porter's dream of seeing softball reinstated as an Olympic sport has struck out.

Porter and his International Softball Federation, based at the Plant City Stadium complex off Park Road, lobbied for four years to convince the International Olympic Committee that the sport deserves a spot in the competition.

But the group learned Oct. 9 that a committee in Copenhagen, Denmark, did not consider adding five sports - including softball - to the international games.

Porter, president of the softball federation, and staff members spent a lot of effort trying to have women's fast-pitch softball reinstated. An initiative called Back Softball urged International Olympic Committee members throughout the world to support softball's return to the Olympics.

Newspaper office closes

For the first time in more than 120 years, Plant City is without a local newspaper newsroom. The Plant City Courier & Tribune, which is the successor to The Courier, closed its office at 101 N. Wheeler St. in May. The newspaper's parent company closed Plant City and other offices in an effort to trim expenses. Members of the newsroom still regularly cover stories in the city, but the paper's offices are now at 933 Chad Lane, west of Brandon.

911 call investigated

A police captain, a sergeant and two dispatchers resigned, retired or were fired in the spring after an investigation into a 911 call that Jennifer Johnson made to authorities from the trunk of her car before she was killed in 2008. Sgt. James Watkins retired, dispatch supervisor Rita Lipham resigned and dispatcher Amanda Hill was fired after an investigation into how they handled the November call. Capt. Darrell Wilson, who was the department's public information officer, resigned after it was determined he provided inaccurate information to the media about the department's response to Johnson's frantic call and about relevant departmental policies.

Police Chief Bill McDaniel said the outcome of the case might had been different if his department had handled the call properly.

Hill was the dispatcher who took the 911 call, and Lipham was her supervisor that morning. Watkins was the patrol sergeant on duty.

Johnson, 31, made a call at 5:30 a.m. Nov. 15 from her cell phone while she was locked in the trunk of her car. The call was routed by the automatic 911 system to the Plant City police dispatch center. Her body was found in an abandoned Lakeland home three days later.

Johnson's on-again, off-again boyfriend, Vincent George Brown Jr., is charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in her death.

Plant City police at first said through Wilson that they dispatched an officer to look for Johnson after her 911 call but later said they had not.

Hill was quoted in the media saying that police policy did not allow her to call Johnson back once the initial call was terminated. McDaniel said a call-back clearly was part of the policy.

Lipham, when notified of the 911 call from Johnson, did not have Hill attempt to call back Johnson as she should have, McDaniel has said. Lipham did notify Watkins about the call from Johnson but took no further action, McDaniel said.

Watkins did not perform his job as a supervisor by having Hill attempt to re-establish contact with Johnson, McDaniel said, and he did not call his supervisor for guidance.

Post office saved

The community, led by the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, rallied to save the downtown post office. Postal officials announced they were considering closure of the 74-year-old post office at 301 W. Reynolds St. as part of a nationwide effort to cut costs. The chamber maintained that the post office was needed, and its closure would be a blow to downtown. Postal officials are continuing to mull their options.

In Plant City, the proposal called for the postal service to move the 940 rented downtown post office boxes to the city's main post office at 2501 Walden Woods Drive, 2.6 miles away, and open a downtown contract postal unit offering all the retail services of the full-size counterpart.

Economy hits home

Several major businesses closed during the year amid the slumping economy, including a downtown landmark. The former Stock Building Supply at 510 and 511 S. Collins St. closed in the summer. A lumber yard had operated at that location since 1935.

The city's Community Redevelopment Agency bought the 2.38 acres in 2008 as part of its efforts to revive midtown, an area south of historic downtown. The city allowed Stock to continue its operations in exchange for lease payments, but the business closed amid a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Stock Building Supply Holdings. The company, which bought the business from a Plant City family in 2000, cited slumping sales.

The lumber yard operated for many years as the family-owned McGinnes Lumber Co.

Demolition continues on the site.