Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
The Blake High students who raised more than $800 for the family of slain mother Maria E. Luperon are getting some help.
Several community leaders have stepped up to give donations, and now a trust fund has been established at Bank of America for her three sons.
Alberto Luperon, a sophomore at Blake, and his younger brother, Alejandro, are under the watch of their older brother, Marco, who is in his 20s. I recently wrote about how much affection the kids at Blake have for Alberto.
Well, several Temple Terrace Little League parents contacted me to say that younger brother Alejandro, who has been accepted into the International Baccalaureate program at King High, is equally beloved.
They have set up a separate fund at Mercantile Bank to ensure the kids' educational future.
"I think the community needs to know what a wonderful family this is, and what a tremendous mother Maria was," Little League parent Jackie Weil wrote. "I wish I could give you a snapshot from my memory of her. The public needs to know what intelligent, caring, respectful, outgoing boys these are."
It's been a month since Maria Luperon was found shot to death in her car outside the Temple Terrace post office, and police have not made an arrest. Temple Terrace Deputy Chief Patricia Powers said anyone with information can call the Police Department at 989-7110 or Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-813-8477.
Although the investigation continues, we at least have a big clue on how to help such a deserving family.
DEAR SHELTON AND RYAN: My wife is one of the top 50 mothers in Tampa Bay. She nurtures three wonderful kids and is married to me. What else do you need to know?
If I were to nominate my wife, Florence, for one of the latest Bucs initiatives, it might go a little like that. Linebackers Shelton Quarles and Ryan Nece are taking suggestions at Buccaneers.com for Mother of the Year honors.
The Top 50 Moms, as determined by Nece and Quarles, will then be invited to a special lunch May 7 at Raymond James Stadium, where Nece and Quarles will present prizes to three exceptional moms.
KUDOS TO Blake High's Anthony Zollo for winning the Congressional Choice Award for the 11th Congressional District High School Art Exhibition. His painting, Dreams of a Disenchanted Elephant, will be on display at the Tampa Museum of Art until May 9. It then goes on to Washington, D.C., where it will be exhibited in the U.S. Capitol for one year. A disenchanted elephant? Maybe his work is an omen for the GOP.
HERE'S A COUPLE OF more notes from The Punisher, a film everyone must see if they get a charge out of the idea of Tampa Bay becoming Little Hollywood.
First of all, Jose Valiente, owner of the red brick building across from Union Station that was used as the exterior for Frank Castle's apartment, was on his way to show the building Monday. Asked if he thought the exposure helped, Valiente said, "It certainly didn't hurt."
Secondly, Fester of the MJ Morning Show on WFLZ-FM 93.3 is getting some good-natured ribbing. Fester and MJ cohort Dave the Dwarf waited for months to see their big screen debuts and even bet money they would be in the film.
Well, they won the bet, and some grief. Although Dave's role was left on the cutting room floor, MJ said the back of Fester's head, with its fat rolls, made the film.
Finally, let me help out with a wanted ad for the Tampa Bay Film Commission. It would help lure more movie makers to town if we had a sound stage. The Punisher crew built one at the port, but a more permanent stage would be an added incentive. An ad-hoc committee will be formed to scout locations, but if you're a real estate guy with a big empty shell of a building, I know someone who wants to talk to you.
That's all I'm saying.
- Ernest Hooper can be reached at 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com