Digest

Dateline Florida

By Times Wires
Published October 30, 2007

Shredding aimed at ID theft

It's a paper-shredding party, and you're invited! State Attorney General Bill McCollum is in St. Petersburg today to bring awareness to identity theft and cybercrime. From 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., he will host a community Shred-a-thon at Publix Supermarket, 200 37th Ave. N. The public can bring credit card offers, receipts, check stubs, old bills and other outdated personal documents to the mobile shredding unit for safe disposal. Last year, Floridians reported 17,780 cases of fraud and identity theft, making the state the nation's fifth highest in identity theft complaints. The event is co-sponsored by ShredQuick and Publix. Later, McCollum will speak at Northeast High School on cybercrime and how students can stay safe online.

Driver picks up another award

Driving a million miles without an accident would be a milestone for anyone. Doing it in a big public bus is doubly impressive. That's one reason Hillsborough County bus driver Robert Whitfield has claimed the title of best in the state. The Florida Public Transit Association named him Driver of the Year. Whitfield has been at the wheel of a bus for Hillsborough Area Regional Transit for more than 26 years. He's the second HART driver in three years to win the award. Previously, the National Safety Council has recognized him as a Million-Mile Safe Driver.

'Cobraman' snakebit, again

They found him in the parking lot of the St. Lucie Medical Center, slumped over the wheel of his car. Raymond Hunter, 44, was conscious long enough to tell rescuers what happened, and his nickname provided a clue. "Cobraman" was bitten by one of his pets, a diamondback rattlesnake, near the base of his thumb and forefinger Saturday, the Palm Beach Post reported. He remained in critical condition Monday. This was not a first for Cobraman, whose Web site (cobraman.net) chronicles past bites and shows hospital photos and his injuries.

[Last modified October 29, 2007, 23:36:37]