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Letter to the editor

Highway patrol Identifies man killed in crash

By Times Staff Writer
Published January 3, 2008

EAST LAKE

The Florida Highway Patrol Wednesday identified a motorcyclist killed on East Lake Road early Tuesday as Jeffrey T. Eckhardt, 39, of Palm Harbor. Eckhardt, of 1224 Seagate Drive, was going north on East Lake Road near Woodlands Parkway at about 1:50 a.m. when his motorcycle began sliding and he was thrown to the ground, troopers said. Eckhardt was not wearing a helmet. He died at Mease Countryside Hospital.

PALM HARBOR

Palm Harbor man's body is recovered

The body of a Palm Harbor man who stepped off the Sunshine Skyway Bridge last week was recovered Wednesday. Dustin J. Benson, 19, had been fishing and drinking with friends while at the bridge about 3:40 a.m. Saturday, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Friends said Benson wandered away from them while arguing on the phone with someone. The friends went to look for him and discovered him on the northbound side of the bridge, approximately two-thirds of the way to the center span. The friends then saw Benson step off the bridge, according to authorities. The bridge is up to 75 feet high at the point where Benson either fell or jumped. At its highest point, the Sunshine Skyway is about 200 feet high. Benson's body was found Wednesday afternoon on Holmes Beach, south of the bridge in Manatee County. The case is being investigated as a suicide, but it was unclear whether the fall was intentional.

EAST LAKE

Learn moreabout vultures

Did you know that vultures can smell carrion from up to a mile away? Or that they can fly almost as high as a commercial jet? These are two of the amazing-but-true traits that will be covered in a class on "Vulture Culture" at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center, 3940 Keystone Road, East Lake. The seminar will touch on how vultures find food, defend themselves and keep clean. This class is recommend for families with children 10 and older. Admission is free, but registration is required. Call (727) 453-6800.

CLEARWATER

Plumb House offers Bombers tour

Learn about the legendary Clearwater Bombers and their 10 world men's softball championships in a free tour of the team's uniforms, photos and memorabilia at the Historic Plumb House Museum, 1380 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. The Clearwater Historical Society will offer the tours 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. today and Jan. 17 and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday in January. Call (727) 446-2676, (727) 399-1412 or (727) 445-9312.

[Last modified January 2, 2008, 21:16:29]