Local women lend backing to Obama

By Times Staff Writer
Published January 29, 2008

TAMPA

Four local women leaders endorsed Sen. Barack Obama at a downtown rally Monday, providing a not-too-subtle nudge to female voters who are considering Sen. Hillary Clinton.

State Rep. Betty Reed and Tampa City Council members Linda Saul-Sena, Gwen Miller and Mary Mulhern stood in front of about 20 Obama supporters while pledging their support to the Illinois senator a day before Florida's primary.

The weight the endorsements hold short-term is debatable because Democratic presidential candidates pledged not to campaign in Florida after the state moved its primary date in defiance of Democratic Party rules.

TARPON SPRINGS

Proposed mausoleum would block lake view

Tarpon Springs city commissioners will hear a proposal today that could alter the view of one of the city's waterfronts.

But the tranquil patch of land doesn't abut the Anclote River or the Gulf of Mexico. It's a small strip adjacent to Lake Cycadia, where Realtors deal in eternal resting places.

The city staff recommended commissioners deny the request because the change would "impact the enjoyment of the cemetery by everyone," said Paul Smith, assistant public services director.

A single mausoleum in that location "significantly blocks lake view for existing graves and visitors," the staff wrote.

CHASSAHOWITZKA

17 whooping cranes reach winter ground

A flock of 17 whooping cranes completed their arduous migration from Wisconsin to Florida early Monday morning, with ultralights leading the year-old birds from their last stop in Marion County to their wintering spot in the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge.

The birds will spend two months in the wild before instinct tells them to make the unassisted return trip to Wisconsin in the spring. The migration covered more than 1,200 miles.

[Last modified January 28, 2008, 23:36:24]