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Tampa Bay and beyond
Generous hearts fill kettle season
Compiled from staff and wire reports
Published December 28, 2005
The Salvation Army endured a lot this Christmas season, after a man with a drug habit stole several kettles from bell ringers in St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park and later was found dead. But by Christmas, the Salvation Army found good news in those kettles. The organization said it raised more than $300,000 through kettle donations this year, more than a 30 percent increase over last year's total of $223,499.17. "The community was very supportive in the wake of the theft that we had and helped us recoup those lost funds," said Dan Nelson of the Salvation Army's St. Petersburg command, which covers Pinellas County south of Ulmerton Road.
Tampa war hero's namesake to dock
A U.S. Navy cargo ship named in honor of a war hero from Tampa is scheduled to arrive in the Port of Tampa for maintenance on Monday, according to the ship's operator. The Navy christened the MV 1st LT Baldomero Lopez in 1985. But next week marks the first time the ship has docked in Tampa. Lopez, the son of cigar factory workers, died in 1950 at age 25 after he lay on a grenade to protect fellow Marines during a Korean War battle. President Harry Truman recognized Lopez's bravery with a posthumous Medal of Honor. Lopez has also been honored locally: A Seffner elementary school bears his name, as does a state veterans nursing home in Land O'Lakes.
Hot wings? Hooters trolley bus scorched
The Hooters trolley is a familiar sight around downtown Tampa and Channelside, ferrying lunch patrons to and fro. But before one of the HARTline rubber-tire trolleys could start lunchtime service Tuesday, it got cooked by an electrical fire. Tampa fire Capt. Bill Wade said an "undetermined electrical problem" caused a 1988 HARTline trolley bus to catch fire and burn, causing about $150,000 in damage to the bus. The trolley was empty when driver Everett Baker saw smoke and got out, said HARTline spokeswoman Jill Cappadoro. No one was hurt. And the hungry lunchers didn't suffer.
"A new vehicle was dispatched immediately," Cappadoro said. "Service was not interrupted."
[Last modified December 28, 2005, 00:45:04]
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