Easter is Rolling into The Southshore

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THE SKINNY

• Spring Bling Giveaway Reminder

• Easter Fun & Games

• Keeping Your Heart Healthy

• They’re Coming for Your Glasses

• This News isn’t so Sweet

Featured Story

Easter Fun Southshore Style

Southshore Easter guide featuring local egg hunts, church services, and family-friendly events

Easter in Florida is a big deal. It lines up with perfect spring weather, a spiritual and practical reset, and let’s be honest… finally getting rid of those expired Peeps sitting in your pantry.

For kids, it’s Cadbury eggs, colored eggs, and egg hunts. For adults, it’s getting dressed up and making that annual trip to church. So, how are you spending Easter here in Southshore? If you’re still figuring it out, we’ve got a few ideas to get you started.

Good Friday service kicks off at 12 pm at City of Refuge in Ruskin, followed by their ribbon-cutting ceremony with the chamber of commerce. Over in Wimauma, The Gathering Place is hosting a Good Friday Worship Night starting at 7 pm. And in Riverview, the Good Friday Gathering at Lighthouse Freedom Center also begins at 7 pm.

Need a little adult time before the weekend chaos? Elevate Gymnastics in Apollo Beach is hosting a parents’ night out tonight from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Drop the kids off for a few hours (ages 2.5 to 12) and enjoy a little break before the Easter rush.

When Saturday rolls around, things really pick up. Young Smiles Pediatric Dentistry is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt Party at 1 pm in Gibsonton. Expect food trucks, local vendors, games, prizes, and plenty of eggs. It’s free and open to the community. Wimauma Community Church is also hosting an egg hunt from 10 am to 1 pm with a similar lineup of activities for the family. And Bell Shoals Church in Apollo Beach is putting on its own version starting at 10 am, featuring bounce houses, giveaways, and even chances to win Busch Gardens tickets.

If you’re feeling adventurous and had a little extra caffeine that morning, you might just try hitting all three.

As for Easter Sunday services, you’ve got plenty of options across Southshore, so take your pick.

Whatever you decide, enjoy the weekend, stay safe, and keep it local, Southshore.

Medical Minute with Wellness Vitalized

Heart Disease Doesn’t Start With a Heart Attack

Plaque builds silently for years. Most testing begins only after symptoms appear.

Beyond basic cholesterol, advanced heart risk evaluation may include:

• ApoB
• Lipoprotein(a)
• hs-CRP
• Homocysteine
• Fasting insulin
• Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) scoring

Inflammation and blood sugar imbalance often drive cardiovascular risk long before a cardiac event. Prevention is powerful when we look early.

Don’t wait for warning signs.
Call Wellness Vitalized: 813-252-1775

Proactive heart health starts now.
Your Health, Elevated.

The Next School Ban Is… Glasses?

Hillsborough schools consider banning smart glasses as questions grow around tech rules in the classroom

If you thought the battle over phones in schools was intense, just wait. The next thing on the chopping block might be something a lot of people haven’t even fully wrapped their heads around yet… smart glasses. The Hillsborough County School Board is now considering adding them to its list of banned devices on school campuses.

Schools already restrict phones, earbuds, smartwatches, and gaming devices. Elementary and middle school students can’t use them at all during the day, and high school students are limited during class time. But smart glasses? They’ve slipped through the cracks… until now. And the reason they’re suddenly getting attention is pretty simple. They’re powerful.

Some can display information directly in front of your eyes. Others can use AI to answer questions in real time. That’s where concerns start to stack up, especially when it comes to testing and academic integrity. In other words, it’s not just about distraction anymore. It’s about whether students can bypass actually learning.

If approved, the change would treat smart glasses the same way schools already treat phones. Not allowed for younger students and restricted for older ones. There are still details to work through, especially when it comes to prescription smart glasses, which students may need to swap out during the school day.

If you’re a parent here in Southshore, you might be scratching your head. Because while phones are technically “limited,” many local high schools require them to access apps, submit assignments, and check grades. Not to mention randomly texting their parents throughout the day.

Technology is moving faster than the rules can keep up. So it raises a bigger question. Are we solving the problem… or just chasing the next version of it? Glasses may seem like the next wave, but kids are already walking around with AI supercomputers in their pockets.

Welcome to the future, Southshore.

Things to do

What’s Washing Up on The Shore This Week

Your Weekly What in the World

That “healthy” sweetener might not be so sweet after all

It’s in your protein bars, your diet drinks, your keto snacks. The thing that lets you enjoy something sweet without the sugar. But a new study is raising some serious questions about one of the most popular sugar substitutes out there.

Researchers are taking a closer look at erythritol, a widely used sweetener that’s often marketed as a healthier alternative to sugar. It’s commonly found in products labeled “sugar-free,” “keto,” or “low carb,” and is a key ingredient in many well-known brands like Truvia and other stevia blends.

In lab testing, erythritol appeared to affect the cells that line blood vessels in the brain. It made those cells less able to relax, increased oxidative stress, and interfered with the body’s ability to break down blood clots. That combination matters.

Because when blood vessels can’t function properly, and clots don’t break down the way they should, it creates the kind of environment that could increase the risk of stroke. What’s especially concerning is that these effects showed up at levels that reflect what people might actually consume in everyday diets. And that’s what makes this one hit a little different.

Erythritol isn’t some obscure ingredient. It’s everywhere. It’s been one of the go-to options for people trying to cut sugar, lose weight, or manage blood sugar levels. It’s often positioned as the “safe” middle ground. But this adds to a growing conversation.

More research in recent years has started to question whether sugar substitutes are as harmless as they’ve been marketed. Not definitively dangerous, but not completely neutral either. The kind of thing where the long-term effects may be more complicated than we thought.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean you need to panic and throw everything out of your pantry. The research is still evolving, and scientists are continuing to study how these sweeteners behave in the body over time.

But it does shift the perspective. Because once again, the “better option” might not be as simple as it seems. And in a world full of shortcuts to healthier choices, this is a reminder that sometimes the tradeoffs just aren’t obvious at first.

Southshore Spotlight

Donate This Recycle That

Donate This Recycle That is a simple idea with a real impact. Instead of tossing items you no longer need, they help connect those goods to people and organizations that can actually use them. The goal is to reduce waste while making sure usable items stay in circulation, helping both the environment and the community at the same time.

It’s about giving things a second life and making it easier to do the right thing without overthinking it.

Nominate your local hero by emailing us at [email protected]

We Know a Guy…or Girl

Southshore Services

Need a painter? A plumber? Someone brave enough to tackle that lightbulb orbiting 30 feet above your living room? We’ve got you. And the best part, they’re all right here in our community.

Interested in joining the list? Shoot us an email to [email protected]

“Keep it Local!”

Foodies Only

Your Restaurant

New menu items, promos, specials, events- feature them here. This is the place to tell 30,000 readers in Southshore what you've got. Only 20 spots for the year. Claim yours today.

If you’ve got a restaurant, food truck, or even a lemonade stand, it could be featured here. Email us at [email protected]

Local Sports

Our area high schools boast state champions and multiple division titleists. Come out and show your support for these teams and for our community.

Got news, events, or press releases that the Southshore needs to know about? Submit them here. (We’ll do our best to add press releases in our regular rotation.) If you’re looking to run an actual ad, go here instead.

Until next time,

Keep It Local.