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Tampa Uncuffed

'Roe vs. Wade' lawyer to keynote two events

By COLLEEN JENKINS and ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published December 21, 2006

The attorney who helped persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to legalize abortion will appear next month as the keynote speaker at two area Planned Parenthood events to commemorate the 34th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade.

Sarah Weddington now teaches at the University of Texas, but she was a 27-year-old attorney in Austin when she argued the landmark abortion case. Later, as an assistant to President Jimmy Carter, she directed the administration's work on women's issues and assisted in the selection of women for federal judiciary appointments.

She will speak twice locally on Jan. 17. Planned Parenthood will hold a breakfast at the Feather Sound Country Club in Clearwater at 7:30 a.m. A lunch will follow at noon at the Marriott Waterside Hotel in Tampa. Costs are $35 for breakfast and $50 for lunch. Call 941 365-3913, ext. 101 for reservations.

Finally, a decent chair

A Tampa police officer who was nearly killed in a Dec. 9 crash has a new recliner to ease her recovery.

Deanna Mullins was getting into her patrol car after helping a disabled pedestrian on Waters Avenue near N Boulevard when a drunken driver crashed head-on into her cruiser about 2 a.m, police said.

The impact threw Mullins from her car and pinned her underneath. It broke several ribs, a knee and ankle, punctured a lung and injured her nose.

The driver of the silver Mitsubishi Eclipse died at the scene.

Mullins' fellow officers had been trying to collect money to buy her a recliner after learning that she could not sleep comfortably in her bed or on the sofa because of her injuries. This week, Buddy's Home Furnishings did them one better and donated a new chair instead.

Court clerk honored

Pat Frank, Hillsborough's clerk of the circuit court, received the Chief Judge's Award during the 13th Judicial Circuit's annual employee recognition ceremony last week.

Chief Judge Manuel Menendez praised Frank both for her individual efforts and for the cooperation of her employees with the judiciary during the past year. He said Frank's office meets the needs of the court on a timely basis.

"She is certainly well regarded not only locally by the judges but statewide," he said.

Calvin Green, court operations consultant for the past five years, accepted the employee of the year award.

Got a tip? For cops news, contact Abbie VanSickle at vansickle@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3373. For courts news, contact Colleen Jenkins at cjenkins@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3337.

[Last modified December 21, 2006, 06:04:23]