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Tampa Uncuffed: Hearing could end Al-Arian's confinement
© St. Petersburg Times Sami Al-Arian could find out today if he has to remain in jail while awaiting trial. Al-Arian, accused of helping run the terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad, has a detention hearing scheduled in federal court in front of Magistrate Judge Mark Pizzo. Federal prosecutors are expected to argue with much vigor to keep Al-Arian confined until trial. Al-Arian's lawyer will likely respond that he is not a risk to flee the jurisdiction and is not a threat to society, the two criteria usually considered at bail hearings. The all-day hearing could also reveal some of the evidence behind the 121-page indictment of Al-Arian and seven co-defendants. Al-Arian continues his quasi-hunger strike, which is in its 29th day. He consumes a 230-calorie breakfast drink, similar to Carnation Instant Breakfast, each morning with his diabetes pills. He also drinks water but eats nothing else. Al-Arian lost 10 pounds in the first five days. He also went to the hospital on Feb. 28 for about two hours for an undisclosed illness. FIREFIGHTERS' CHALLENGE: Speaking of food, some Tampa firefighters recently modified their diets as well. A group of firefighters were part of the "Heart-Healthy Challenge," sponsored by Take Control, a cholesterol-lowering spread. Firefighters in Tampa, New York, Dallas and San Francisco took the challenge. The winner will be determined by compiling the average LDL cholesterol loss of each city's firefighting team. The firefighters were given 14-day menus. Some of it was tasty -- teriyaki baked salmon; other offerings were more questionable. Really, who would even want to try a soy-based veggie Salisbury steak? Russell Spicola, a firefighter at Station 12, lowered his cholesterol even though he didn't eat one soybean. "Soy milk? Absolutely not," he said. Spicola started jogging every day, cut back on his sweets and ate oatmeal every day. He focused on low-fat food. His cholesterol dropped from 217 down to 181 in one week. "The hardest part to follow was at the fire station," said Spicola, who is also his station's shift cook. "We try to eat two times a day. We don't eat at set times. It's a busy station and eating habits are not good." HANDLING MEDIA: The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office just hired its third public affairs officer to handle media requests and other community inquiries. The St. Petersburg Police Department has two spokespeople. So does the Pasco Sheriff's Office. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office usually has two, and a bevy of rotating spokespeople. Tampa police, arguably one of the busiest police agencies in the area, has only one, Katie Hughes. She is always on call and besieged with requests. Bay area media outlets had hoped the agency would add another spokesperson when Joe Durkin was moved out of the position. But Chief Bennie Holder hasn't done so -- yet. "It will happen," Hughes said Wednesday. "I don't know when. I definitely think there will be someone else to help out." -- Times staff writer Graham Brink contributed to this report. -- Got a tip for uncuffed? Contact Christopher Goffard at 226-3337 or goffard@sptimes.com
, or Tamara Lush at 226-3373 or lush@sptimes.com.
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