Digest

Dateline Florida

By TIMES WIRES
Published July 4, 2007

REMEMBER THE INGREDIENTS TO BEING SAFE ON THE WATER

If you celebrate July 4 on the water, officials say to use caution. This is already a bad year for boating fatalities, with 44 deaths compared with 35 at this time last year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission said. "There are two simple things boaters can do to dramatically improve their safety, " said Capt. Richard Moore of the FWC's Boating and Waterways Section. "First, pay attention to where you are going and what is around you. Second, wear life jackets whenever you're on the water. Of course, adding alcohol or drugs into the equation won't help things."

Ice cream, hot dogs and a chance to feel good

If you're in the mood today for ice cream and hot dogs and want to do something good, head to the Dairy Inn, 1201 Dr. Martin Luther King St. N. in St. Petersburg. A fundraiser starts at noon for Josiah Wineberger, the 3-year-old boy who suffered severe brain damage in February when a speaker fell from a balcony at BayWalk and crushed his head. Dairy Inn owner David Kornbluth is donating the profits from a hot-dog eating contest to the family. It's free, though donations will be encouraged.

Police douse fireworks stunt

Police and fire crews stopped a disc jockey's on-air stunt Tuesday after a listener called 911. Billed as a "public service announcement, " the MJ Morning Show planned to place dozens of fireworks into a hot oven in their parking lot. "I don't know what their goal was, " said Tampa Fire Rescue spokesman Capt. Bill Wade. "But the bottom line is that Tampa municipal code states that if you are going to do a public display of fireworks within the city limits, you have to have a permit." MJ, a k a Todd Schnitt, said the stunt had a public service: "It's about fireworks safety, " he said. "Sometimes, you have to demonstrate the ridiculous."

[Last modified July 3, 2007, 23:44:48]