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Gorilla dies after fall into zoo moat

By TIMES WIRES
Published November 9, 2006

A western lowland gorilla died at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens when he fell into a moat while being chased by another gorilla, zoo officials said. The gorilla, named Ben, one of four male gorillas known as "the bachelors," slipped on the slope of the moat and fell in while being chased by Quito. Zoo personnel saw Ben fall and responded immediately. Staff veterinarians administered "every lifesaving technique available" to no avail, said Delfi Messinger, animal programs director. "We are devastated by the loss." The cause of death wasn't known, pending a necropsy. Ben, 21, born at the Oklahoma City Zoo, came to the Jacksonville zoo in 1998.

Bush names Bense an FSU trustee

Outgoing House Speaker Allan Bense was named Wednesday to Florida State University's board of trustees by Gov. Jeb Bush. Bense, 55, succeeds Jessie Furlow, a Quincy physician who died in June. His appointment expires Jan. 6, 2010. A millionaire contractor from Panama City, Bense has close ties with incoming Gov. Charlie Crist, who is also an FSU graduate.

Former CentCom employee guilty

A former civilian employee of Central Command headquarters in Tampa has admitted to accepting gold jewelry from an Iraqi firm seeking hazardous waste and other contracts there. Bonnie Murphy, 59, of Indialantic, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor count of conflict of interest. Prosecutors dropped felony bribe charges. Murphy, who retired as a liaison officer at Central Command in March after 26 years of service with the Defense Department, faces up to one year in prison. She recommended the Iraqi firm, listed in court records as "Company A," to her superiors and recommended that it get at least one contract without competitive bidding. The firm was awarded three contracts in 2004 to remove waste, handle contaminated soil and store lithium batteries at American bases.

For sale on eBay: reef naming rights

A weeklong online auction began Wednesday for naming rights to an artificial reef that organizers hope to establish off the Florida Keys. The reef will be created by sinking the retired Air Force missile-tracking ship General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, harbored since 1984 with other decommissioned vessels at Fort Eustis, Va. Bidding on the online auction site eBay begins at $900,000, said Joe Weatherby, a project organizer. It's the last piece of a funding required for the $5.7-million project; organizers have already gathered $3-million. Artificial reefs attract marine life and divers and boost tourism.

Florida soldier dies in explosion in Iraq

Army Pfc. Kevin J. Ellenburg, 20, of Middleburg, was killed Nov. 1 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, the Defense Department said Tuesday. Pfc. Ellenburg was a member of the 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

[Last modified November 9, 2006, 01:11:56]