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News & Notes

Briefs and news of note.

By Times Staff
Published May 20, 2006

Cat returns from extreme banishment

Mr. Kibbles was a bad kitty. He used the bed of a neighbor's pickup as a litter box. The unhappy truck owner drove Mr. Kibbles 15 miles into the Everglades and left the black cat to fend for himself. Mr. Kibbles did, walking back to his Coconut Creek home in two weeks. The cat snatchers, a firefighter and wife, were sentenced to community service Thursday after admitting the deed. The 12-year-old girl who owns Mr. Kibbles said firefighters should save kitties, not drop them in the Everglades.

TIA parking spaces get easier to find

There's parking galore at Tampa International Airport. The second phase of the remote economy lot is now open. The facility has 7,800 garage spaces and 1,500 surface spaces for peak travel periods. The bad news: The promotional "second day free" offer is over. The garage costs a flat $7 a day, cheaper than the long-term and short-term garages at $14 and $18, respectively. TIA continues the first hour free in the close-in garages.

Fido, you have a friend in Congress

Taking a firm stand for dogs and against rogue gators, U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, a Bartow Republican, attached a $500,000 "alligator abatement" amendment to a $26.9-billion Interior Department spending bill Thursday night, but withdrew it after leaders agreed to revisit the issue soon. His reasoning? "People ought to be able to defend themselves without being hauled off for shooting an alligator that's on their porch eating a poodle."

Driving lesson years and inches too soon

A 10-year-old Pensacola girl drove off in her guardian's SUV with a toddler and a 5-year-old as passengers Thursday. The girl sideswiped several cars during her 15-minute carom down a major Pensacola road. "She was so little she had to go down and hit the gas and pop her head back up to see where she was going," a deputy said. The SUV hit a hydrant. No one was seriously hurt.

[Last modified May 20, 2006, 06:34:06]