TAMPA -- Two Leto High School students were arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree arson after investigators say they set fire to a school portable.

Nobody was injured in the fire Tuesday, but one portable was destroyed and another was damaged, said Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesman Rod Reder.

The portables, behind the school's football field, were used for storage.

The 15-year-old boys admitted to the crime when they were questioned Tuesday by a school resource officer, Reder said. They were taken into custody and transported to a juvenile assessment center.

During searches related to the fire, another resource officer discovered that another 15-year-old Leto student had a 7-inch knife, Reder said. That student was charged with felony possession of a knife on school property, but had nothing to do with the arson, Reder said.

"They were just doing some searches and patdowns," Reder said. "It's amazing what you'll find."

Novice grant writers can learn all about it

The Hillsborough/Pinellas Grants Collaborative will offer a workshop on June 28 to guide individuals or groups who are new to the grant-writing process.

"Building Bridges for New Grant Writers" will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, 105 N Bayshore Drive. The cost is $35, which includes workshops, materials, a continental breakfast and lunch.

The hosts are Rep. Sandra L. Murman of District 56 in Hillsborough County and Rep. Leslie Waters of District 51 in Pinellas County.

The workshop will offer practical ideas about how to identify funding sources and how to prepare a successful grant application. Attendance is limited to 150 people, so interested individuals are encouraged to register as soon as possible.

A copy of the registration form can be downloaded from the following Web sites: www.pinellasgrants.org (the Pinellas Grants Collaborative) or www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/grants-research (the Hillsborough Grants Collaborative). For more information, call Michelle at (727) 588-6538 or Paula at (813) 272-2884.

Radio tower's new site infringes on bridge land

CLEARWATER -- Last year, the city spent more than a half-million dollars to acquire a sliver of land from the owners of radio station WTAN-AM 1340 so the new Clearwater Memorial Causeway bridge could be built.

The price was twice an appraiser's estimate, and included a payment to help the "Tan-Talk" station move to another downtown studio and build a new radio tower.

City officials say the radio station built its new tower so that it encroaches 5 feet onto the property the city bought. They worry that the tower could hinder construction of the $69-million bridge.

Construction crews plan to begin work in the area on June 17, city engineer Mike Quillen said.

If the tower's location is a problem, the city will sue the radio station to force it to move the wayward tower off city property, City Manager Bill Horne said.

But radio station officials are blaming the city for the error and do not want to move their tower.

Construction crews "put the tower exactly where (the city) told them to put it," radio station owner Dave Wagenvoord said.

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