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In Brief

Saudis who got on school bus to face another judge

By Times staf
Published May 23, 2006

TAMPA - Mana Saleh Almanajam and Shaker Mohsen Alsidran came to the United States via a scholarship offered by Saudi Arabia to promote cultural understanding between the countries.

This morning, a judge will try to sort out whether a lack of understanding or something more sinister prompted them to board a Hillsborough County public school bus Friday morning.

Circuit Judge Mark Wolfe will have a second bail hearing for the men, who were jailed on misdemeanor trespassing charges. Another judge revoked their initial bail of $250 each on Saturday, saying more background information was needed.

Almanajam, 23, and Alsidran, 20, boarded a bus headed for Wharton High School. When they reached campus, authorities took them into custody. Their explanations for why they got on the bus were unclear, in part owing to a language barrier.

Tampa submits its bid for 2008 GOP convention

TAMPA - Tampa's bid to host the 2008 Republican National Convention is now in the hands of a site selection committee in Washington.

A 10-member delegation hand-delivered the bid Monday, the deadline for proposals. The convention is slated for Sept. 1-4, 2008. The site selection committee is to name finalist cities by July 1.

Four cities submitted bids. The others were Minneapolis, Cleveland and New York.

Police try to identify body found floating near Gandy

TAMPA - Police are trying to identify a man's body found in Tampa Bay near the Gandy Bridge.

Fishermen discovered the body at 10:30 a.m. Sunday near Bayside Marina on Tyson Avenue, police spokesman Larry McKinnon said.

The Hispanic man, 20 to 25 years old, 5 feet 9 and 170 pounds, had short black hair and a mustache.

Police initially thought the body was that of a man reported to have jumped off the Sunshine Skyway bridge about 3 a.m. Saturday, but have ruled that out, McKinnon said.

Witnesses said the man who jumped off the Skyway was black and wore a yellow shirt with dark pants. Deputies on Monday were still trying to find his body.

[Last modified May 23, 2006, 04:29:48]