Digest

Man shot in leg; Two people sought

By TIMES WIRES
Published June 24, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG

Police were searching Saturday night for two people involved in the shooting of a man and several vehicles in the parking lot of the Wildwood Recreation Center at 1000 28th Street S.

The victim, who was not identified, was shot in the upper leg and was in stable condition, authorities said.

The gunplay happened about 2 p.m., when two men in a four-door gray Dodge Intrepid pulled up and the passenger got out and started firing a rifle. He fired several rounds at the victim, hitting him, a bus and three unoccupied cars. None of the bus passengers were injured.

"This is probably going to be from an ongoing dispute, " said Lt. Joseph Dente. "It was not a random act of violence."

Police were investigating Saturday night and did not have detailed descriptions of the shooters and accomplice. Anyone with information was asked to call (727) 893-7512.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH

Times Web site wins spot news award

Tampabay.com has been honored for spot news coverage by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors.

The Web site won first place in the organization's annual contest in the Online Spot News category for its coverage of the spleen injury to Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms.

In honoring the St. Petersburg Times Web site, the judges said tampabay.com did a "great job of putting the user in the driver's seat on a big breaking story. The podcast, in particular, gave depth to the report, and offered the analysis and access of talk radio - without the risk of tuning in in the middle of a conversation, or the hassle of listening to commercials."

The awards were announced Friday at the organization's annual convention.

ST. PETERSBURG

Man with gun threatens suicide

Police say a suicidal man with a gun barricaded himself in a house Saturday afternoon near 78th Avenue N and First Street, beginning an hours-long standoff that ended peacefully but canceled services at a nearby church.

The drama started about 3:30 p.m., when the man's wife called police. She had left the house by the time officers arrived, authorities said.

She said a shot had been fired, but police had not confirmed that Saturday night

The man was taken into custody about 6 p.m. He was taken for treatment under the state's Baker Act.

Officers surrounding the house cordoned off the area, canceling services at Holy Family Catholic Church.

HOUSTON

Young pilot near end of around-globe flight

Two stops before completing his record-setting, around-the-world flight, Barrington Irving glided into Houston on Saturday with a message for about 50 students who cheered his arrival.

"I think this shows it doesn't matter where you come from, what you have or what you don't have, " Irving said, a few minutes after exiting his single-engine Columbia 400.

The 23-year-old aerospace student, who built his plane from more than $300, 000 in donated parts, took off from Miami on March 23 hoping to become the youngest person and first black pilot to fly solo around the globe.

Irving plans to arrive back at Opa-locka Executive Airport on Wednesday after a final stop in Alabama. His journey in recent days has taken him from Juneau, Alaska, to Seattle to Denver, where he departed Saturday morning.

His plane is dotted with stickers of small flags of several of the countries he visited, including Spain, Italy, Greece and Japan. His 21, 000-mile trip included stops in Cleveland and New York before passing into Canada, then crossing the Atlantic, through Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

He said the most difficult part of the trip was weather, which delayed some legs, and keeping his mind occupied during the long flights.

Landing small planes in some foreign countries, he said, can be a challenge, but he managed with the help of a savvy ground crew.

[Last modified June 24, 2007, 01:14:20]