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School bus involved in five-vehicle wreck

By Times Staff
Published August 16, 2005

LARGO - A school bus driver was cited for careless driving Friday after hitting a car at 113th Street and Ulmerton Road. According to police, the school bus was northbound in the median lane of 113th Street approaching the red light on Ulmerton Road. The bus driver apparently was intent on changing lanes, but did not notice the long line of vehicles in front of him. The bus slammed into the back of a 1995 Buick driven by an 80-year-old man. The Buick then crashed into a Ford F-150, which slammed into a Ford four-door, which crashed into a minivan. Five special education students and one teacher were on the bus. One student complained of chest pains after striking the seat in front of him. He later went to school. Two other drivers sustained minor injuries.

Pair arrested with homemade pipe bomb

CLEARWATER - A Largo man and a 16-year-old boy were arrested early Monday after they were found, police said, with a pipe bomb at Cliff Stephens Park at 901 Fairwood Ave. Clearwater police say Patrick James Divenuti, 18, intended to detonate the pipe bomb in a public park. The 16-year-old boy, who is not being identified because of his age, made the explosive device, Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor said. Patrol officers found the small pipe bomb during a traffic stop about 12:15 a.m. Monday. Police "found their presence suspicious," Shelor said. The Tampa police bomb squad was called and confirmed it was a working pipe bomb. "It was just a very stupid and very dangerous thing to have done," Shelor said. "These guys were not going out to terrorize or harm anyone." Shelor said he did not know why the two were in the park, or if there were people in the park at the time. The bomb was made from "materials you can find around the house," he said, but he did not know how powerful the bomb was. Divenuti and the 16-year-old were both arrested on a charge of possession of a destructive device. Divenuti remained in Pinellas County Jail on Monday afternoon on $5,000 bail. The 16-year-old was booked into the juvenile detention center, Shelor said.

Annual countywide graduation Thursday

CLEARWATER - Pinellas County schools' annual countywide graduation will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road N, Clearwater. Pinellas County school superintendent Clayton Wilcox will be the commencement speaker. Two hundred students, including 15 honor graduates, are expected to receive their diplomas. There will be 177 students receiving Florida high school diplomas through the GED program and 23 other graduates representing eight high schools. The annual August graduation celebrates GED students or students who completed high school credit requirements during night school. Call Laura Sargent, supervisor of adult, community and workforce education, at 588-6321.

[Last modified August 16, 2005, 12:54:25]