Jewelry store owner David Hevia loved the idea of handing out 437 cubic zirconia stones -- and one real diamond -- to people lining the streets for Dade City's Magical Night Christmas Parade. But his staff was skeptical.

Hevia owns Kiefer Village Jewels along with his wife, Wendy, and partner, J.R. Harrelson. The three handed out the stones to women along the route. One of the gems is a real 1/3-carat diamond worth about $700; the others are zirconia, pretty and worth about $15 each.

Only about 60 people have brought their baubles in to have them checked. None was the real thing.

"I'm just afraid that people aren't going to come down here and check," Hevia said. "They figure they're not that lucky. Well, someone is that lucky, they just don't know it."

Board meeting prayers invoke spirited debate

INVERNESS -- As Citrus County School Board member Sandra "Sam" Himmel began to pray a Christian prayer at the start of Tuesday's meeting, the sound of a pagan incantation rose from the audience.

Charles Schrader, a Marion County resident who has traveled the country taking on First Amendment issues, was reciting a Wiccan prayer to his Earth Mother.

It's all part of the chorus of dissent that has risen since board member Carol Snyder asked that the opening prayer become more inclusive, recognizing that people of religions other than Christianity are also served by the district. Now she favors a moment of silence at the start of meetings.

After hours of discussion Tuesday, the board decided to talk some more Feb. 27.

Meanwhile, Snyder has faced angry phone calls, pointed comments and now a petition drive to send her a message of "no confidence."

She said it won't slow her down. "I do know I represent a great many people, even if they are not the vast majority."

Hillsborough, Pasco still the hot spot for new homes

TAMPA -- When it comes to churning out new houses, Hillsborough and Pasco counties remain at the top of the heap in the Tampa Bay area.

Hillsborough County, with an estimated permit total of more than 10,000, by far outpaced the other contenders as the regional housing leader in 2000.

Pasco, with 2,931 building permits for single-family homes in 2000 was a distant second.

Most of the growth is sprouting in the soil of south-central Pasco and northwest Hillsborough, where new subdivisions have lured buyers searching for better housing values and lower property taxes.

When star players leave, some charities lose

ST. PETERSBURG -- Sports trades can affect more than the team, player and family. Wealthy professional athletes are often generous donors to community causes, and their departure can cause sudden voids in not-for-profit budgets.

The announcement on Monday evening that Devil Rays star pitcher Roberto Hernandez was being traded to the Kansas City Royals sent a wave of dismay through at least one local not-for-profit institution.

" "Oh, expletive' is what I said when a friend called me with the news last night," said John Erik Savitsky, director of development at Academy Prep, a small private school for disadvantaged boys and girls, and a friend of Hernandez's.

Hernandez, 36, donated the equipment for the school's new baseball team last spring. His most recent gift was $125,000 in October. He and his wife, Ivonne, are also major donors to Shorecrest Preparatory School, which their two children attend.

"Our plan for the moment is to stay," Hernandez said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. He said he also hopes he can continue his support of Academy Prep, "even though I won't be here as much."

Manatees may cork bottling proposal

CRYSTAL RIVER -- A controversial proposal to bottle and sell water from Three Sisters Spring has been rejected by experts for a regional water agency who say the project would threaten a vibrant manatee habitat.

Each winter, hundreds of manatees flee the Gulf of Mexico for the Crystal River area. The marine mammals can die if they get too cold so they find the warm springs ideal.

"They rely on that spring for a thermal shelter," said John Parker, Southwest Florida Water Management District's water use regulation manager.

Parker and three other staff members drafted a report last week recommending Swiftmud's governing board deny the permit application by Three Sisters Springs Water Co. when it meets Jan. 30.

Tampa plans to put a lid on lap dancing

TAMPA -- Tampa police plan to tackle an expected surge in illegal lap dancing at the city's nude dance clubs when football fans hit town for Super Bowl XXXV.

Club owners have their own game plan: Ignore police and showcase Tampa's famous -- or infamous -- attraction to a national audience. They're launching Super Bowl-related promotions and drafting extra dancers for 24-hour bump and grind.

But Tampa police warn that multisquad raids and arrests are all in store for lap dancers and their customers -- whoever they are.

The Police Department intends to put National Football League executives on notice about the rigorous enforcement.

"We're going to try to have a liaison so the coaches know, if you don't want to have your quarterback come up AWOL at game time . . . ," said Detective Bret Bartlett, one of two detectives assigned to the Police Department's adult entertainment unit.

Coming up this week

President-elect George W. Bush's inauguration will be Saturday, and along with it will be protests and parties in Florida, the pivotal state in the election. The Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition will join other civil rights groups in prayer and protest in Tallahassee and in West Palm Beach, home of the infamous butterfly ballot.

The Hernando County Commission's sometimes testy relationship with the Economic Development Commission will get an airing at a workshop Thursday. The EDC has been accused of being tight-lipped on finances, and recently agreed to provide monthly detailed reports on how it spends public money along with a list of private donors and bank statements. The issues came up after County Commissioner Diane Rowden asked to see EDC records of how it spends public money and after she raised questions about the private contributions. The EDC received $331,000 in taxpayers' money this year and about $110,000 from private donations.

With 11 people running in the crowded race for St. Petersburg mayor, the City Council on Thursday will consider ordering names on the upcoming election ballot by lottery, rather than alphabetically.

Let us pray

As Citrus County struggles with the issue of prayer at School Board meetings, the Times asked other school boards how they handle it:

Pasco -- An invocation, or "thought for the day," is given by board members.

Hernando -- School Board members and the superintendent take turns giving invocation.

Pinellas -- People of different faiths are invited to give an invocation.

Hillsborough -- A School Board member gives an inclusive invocation.

Back to Tampa Bay area news

Back

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright

Special Links

Mary Jo Melone

Howard Troxler

Headlines
From the Times
local news desks