Column

Filling up funds, skates and one big doughnut hole

By ERNEST HOOPER, Times Columnist
Published August 13, 2007

Thanks to radio personality John Ritter, St. Petersburg's Resurrection House can play a sweet fundraising tune.

Ritter, who hosts the nationally syndicated Rise Up Country show out of St. Petersburg, donated a guitar covered with country musicians' autographs to the nonprofit so it can have an "opportunity drawing" on Aug. 25 at Marion's, 1301 Fourth St. N.

The acoustic guitar has signatures from 32 stars, including the duo Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, Phil Vassar, Lonestar, Billy Currington and Miranda Lambert.

Tickets ($20 or three for $50) can be purchased at Resurrection House and other various Pinellas locations. For a complete list, go to www.floridaresurrectionhouse.com/events.htm.

Seen on a T-shirt in Seffner: I Like Big Bass And I Cannot Lie.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan notes that he, not fellow Commissioner Al Higginbotham, made the actual motion to reduce the commissioners' car allowances and travel budget by 10 percent. Give credit where credit is due.

I'll give him even more credit if he changes his vote on eliminating the Environmental Protection Commission's wetlands protection division Thursday.

The new Lightning owners have big skates to fill. When it came to showing true concern for fans and the community, no area ownership group compared to Bill Davidson and his team.

Would Davidson have kept the team if I had written that earlier? Probably not.

Kudos to Colonial Bank for allowing St. James United Methodist Church to use the defunct New Tampa Krispy Kreme for Friday night Christian concerts. Our kids need entertainment alternatives beyond "hanging out."

That's all I'm saying.

[Last modified August 12, 2007, 23:04:10]