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Pier will light things up on New Year's Eve

By TIMES WIRES
Published December 28, 2006

At 6 p.m. New Year's Eve, bright lights and hot music will sizzle on St. Petersburg's Pier as officials plug in a permanent display meant to give the landmark inverted pyramid a flashy new appeal. Multihued light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are the stars of the show, which will be repeated on weekends and special occasions. City Council member John Bryan began pushing the lights months ago as a way to punch up the Pier's ambience.

Had one too many? Let AAA drive you

You had too much to drink and shouldn't drive your car home, but your friends have left the bar and you don't have cab fare. Getting behind the wheel and weaving down the road would be a REALLY bad idea. One suggestion: Call 1-800-AAA-HELP (222-4357) toll-free from anywhere in Florida and ask for a free tow-truck ride for you and your car. The program is sponsored by AAA and Budweiser and lasts through Monday. You don't need to be a member of AAA to call. Says Joanne Newton of AAA: "We want to help everyone get home for the holidays."

Outage cuts power to 2,800 customers

About 2,800 Tampa Electric Co. customers lost power Wednesday after an equipment malfunction at a substation, said TECO spokesman Rick Morera. The outages started at 7:13 a.m. and affected South Tampa. Service was restored just after 8 a.m., he said.

Park high on fun, low on trans fats

Your amusement park experience just got a little healthier. Universal Parks & Resorts has eliminated trans fats from more than 90 percent of its foods at its three attractions in Florida and California. Universal becomes the latest theme park to ban the artery-clogging fats, following Walt Disney Co., which announced in October that it would phase out artificial fats. Other snacks at Universal parks such as the churro, a Spanish fried-dough pastry, will be trans fat-free by the end of next year, said Ric Florell, a senior vice president with Universal Orlando Resort. Customers also have more healthy side options, including salads and fruit bowls.

[Last modified December 28, 2006, 00:38:47]