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Digest
Dateline Florida
By TIMES WIRES
Published April 24, 2007
Ends don't justify means when impersonating a cop Some free advice: If you're breaking up a fight, don't grab a gun and pretend to be a sheriff's deputy. Gary Giddens, 48, did not follow that advice and now has to deal with real cops. Giddens, an engineer for Pinellas County government, drew a revolver early Monday to break up an argument between two people outside his Seminole home and told them he was an undercover deputy, according to arrest reports. The result: Giddens was arrested and faces two counts of aggravated assault and one count of falsely impersonating a law enforcement officer. Little rain, lots of dry air make perfect conditions for wildfires A mulch fire in Pinellas Park on Saturday and 15-acre brush fire in Hillsborough County on Monday are reminders of how the drought has turned Florida into kindling. Much of the state (though, curiously, not Pinellas County) is under a fire alert because of dry conditions. Weather forecasters say the lack of rain, combined with a high-pressure system that brings dry air, is creating ideal conditions for wildfires. Don't expect quick relief: The dry air is expected to continue for at least the next two days. 10 days hiccup-free for Mee Friday the 13th turned out to be fortuitous for Jennifer Mee, the 15-year-old St. Petersburg girl whose monthslong battle with hiccups drew international attention. In consultation with a doctor at Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital in Tarpon Springs, Jennifer began using a battery-operated device that attaches to her ear and stimulates nerves that directly correlate with the brain stem. She has had no hiccups since, not even the breakout spasms she sometimes experienced since she started hiccuping Jan. 23, said her mother, Rachel Robidoux. And she is taking only one medication now, for acid reflux. Jennifer soon will try going without the device, which was invented to relieve chronic pain.
[Last modified April 24, 2007, 01:13:13]
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