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By TIMES STAFF
Published August 13, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG

MAN WOUNDED IN SHOOTING DURING FIGHT

A man was shot during a fight in a St. Petersburg house Sunday afternoon, but neighbors didn't hear a thing. "I was playing video games with my kids and the pit bull started barking," said Beau Whitsett, who lives next door to where the shooting occurred. "My daughter opened the front door and there were cops everywhere." A bullet had pierced the side of the house facing Whitsett's home on 23rd Street N. Officials received a call about 3 p.m. about the shooting, which took place during a fight in the house, said Lt. William Korinek. One man in his 20s was shot and taken to Bayfront Medical Center. His injuries were not life-threatening. Officials did not provide identities Sunday. Neighbors said five men, all in their 20s and 30s, live in the house.

TAMPA BAY AREA

Meteor shower puts on a show

Stargazers throughout the Tampa Bay area can watch astrological fireworks by just stepping outside. As it does every August, the Earth is passing through the tail of Comet Swift-Tuttle, showering bits of cosmic junk into the Earth's atmosphere. Viewers can catch a remarkable display the next few days, said Nancy Huff of the St. Petersburg Astronomy Club. "Just get a lawn chair, go outside, lie down and look up," Huff said. "They go all different directions." The meteors are most visible between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., with 60 to 80 falling an hour on a peak night, she said. All that's necessary is a clear sky and a decent view to the east, she said.

Guatemala arrests have Florida tie

Authorities searched an adoption home in Guatemala run by a Florida man and his wife and rescued 46 children they believe may have been stolen or coerced from their parents, police said Sunday. A Guatemalan police spokesman said the children, ranging in age from a few days to 3 years old, were found Saturday at the Casa Quivira children's home in Antigua, a city popular among foreign tourists. The spokesman said Casa Quivira is run by Clifford Phillips of DeLand and his Guatemalan wife and attorney, Sandra Gonzalez. The couple could not be reached for comment Sunday, and calls to the Casa Quivira Children's Fund in DeLand went unanswered.

[Last modified August 12, 2007, 23:41:37]