Power outage tangles afternoon rush hour
By Times Staff
Published November 29, 2005
TAMPA - Thousands of Tampa area residents were without electricity Monday night when downed branches and trees from heavy rain showers affected several power circuits, a Tampa Electric Company spokesman said.
About 5,000 to 7,000 of TECO's 635,000 customers experienced outages, spokesman Ross Bannister said, attributing the losses to the weather. "It's raining like a big dog out there."
The reported outages started between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., in time for rush hour traffic, and were expected to last about two hours. Law enforcement officials fanned out to work at affected intersections, directing traffic as sunlight dimmed.
Bannister said the outages were not connected to one another, but were spread from around Raymond James Stadium to Dale Mabry Highway to Boy Scout Road to West Shore Boulevard and into Brandon.
"These circuits are working the way they're supposed to work," Bannister said. When the system senses something wrong, he said, safety precautions call for the circuit to trip.
Police seek suspect in Ybor City club shooting
TAMPA - Police are seeking a man they think shot another man outside Club Fuel in Ybor City about 3:17 a.m. Friday.
Tampa police said a suspect stepped out of a black Infiniti with 22-inch rims and shot 19-year-old Calvin Clark, 19, in the lower back, before fleeing.
The assailant, who is thought to live in the St. Petersburg area, was described as a black male, 22 to 23 years old, with shoulder-length dreadlocks. He was last seen wearing a white shirt and shorts.
The shooting occurred at Eighth Avenue and 21st Street.
Clark was transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he underwent surgery and was in stable condition Monday.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Tampa Police at (813) 231-6130.
Police search for man who robbed Palm Bank branch
TAMPA - A man wearing a black ball cap robbed the Palm Bank on Monday afternoon before fleeing in a red or maroon Mercury Sable, Tampa police said. The robber entered the bank at 612 S Dale Mabry Highway at 1:50 p.m. and showed a note to a teller demanding an undisclosed amount of money.
He left without showing a weapon and without injuring anyone. He was described as 25 to 30 years old, about 5-foot-2, 160 pounds, last seen wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt and a black ball cap with a white logo.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Tampa police at (813) 231-6130 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-873-8477.