TAMPA -- Looking for something to do Saturday? The Museum of Science and Industry, IMAX movies and all, is free that day thanks to a $300,000 gift package from Hillsborough County Commissioners.

The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The IMAX movies Amazon and Mission to Mir will be shown every hour beginning at 9:30 a.m., with the last show starting at 7:30 p.m. Exhibits designed for children include "Teddy Bears and Trains," featuring a kid-sized train and giant candy canes and "O is For Oranges," which helps in the understanding of science and math.

MOSI is near the University of South Florida, at 4801 E Fowler Ave. Parking is available. For information, call (813) 987-6100 or visit the museum Web site at www.mosi.org.

Jesse Ventura to speak Dec. 6 at conference

TAMPA -- Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura is the scheduled speaker at a luncheon Dec. 6 at the Hyatt Regency Westshore Hotel as part of the annual conference of the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws.

The former professional wrestler and first Reform Party candidate to win a major political office will speak to conference attendees and members of the public who buy a ticket in advance.

The tickets cost $45 and are available on a first-come, first-served basis and must be purchased by Friday. Those interested should call 540-370-0106.

Hosted by the Florida Commission on Ethics, the conference starts Dec. 3 and features local, national and international speakers, including former Florida Gov. Reubin Askew, USF professor Dr. Susan McManus and retiring U.S. Rep. Charles Canady, R-Fla.

Tampa man arrested in Nov. 18 murder

TAMPA -- Law enforcement officers from four agencies arrested a Tampa man Monday night, charging him with a Nov. 18 murder in Miami-Dade County.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokesman Rick Morera said a warrant had been issued in Miami-Dade County for the arrest of Alberto Aguila Gomez, 31, in connection with the murder of Fidel Morales in Hialeah. Gomez has lived in Tampa at least two years but has moved around a lot and was hard to find.

A tip to the Hialeah Police Department led the Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team to 2108 E 140th Ave., Apt. B, in Tampa, where Gomez was arrested. Gomez was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he is being held without bail.

Residents can leave toys in mailboxes on Saturday

TAMPA -- This Saturday, mail carriers hope there will be more in your mailbox than outgoing mail when they stop by.

For the third year, the U.S. Postal Service is participating in the Toys for Tots program sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps.

Tampa residents are encouraged to leave a new, unwrapped toy in or beside their mailbox for the mail carrier to pick up during their normal delivery route this Saturday.

Bins also will be provided in all Tampa post offices until Dec. 11.

1990 candidate's request for recount is denied

BROOKSVILLE -- The key evidence -- the ballots -- lay shredded and buried somewhere in a landfill, where they have been decaying for the past eight years.

But that was just one of the reasons Hernando County's Canvassing Board rejected a former School Board candidate's request Tuesday to recount the votes from a 1990 election. In the hearing, the three-member Canvassing Board took about 45 minutes to consider the case.

Mike Frazier, soundly defeated in the 1990 Democratic primary, submitted five typed pages of arguments to support his case for a belated recount or at least a refund of the money -- plus interest -- he spent to get his name on the 1990 ballot.

County Judge Peyton Hyslop, Supervisor of Elections Ann Mau and County Commission Chairman Chris Kingsley -- decided there was no evidence that the 1990 vote count was inaccurate.

Frazier thanked the board for its time and promised to take his case to court.

2 teenagers arrested in burglary

ST. PETERSBURG -- An 18-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy were arrested Tuesday morning after police said they broke into a home and stole an assault rifle.

Carlos M. Martinez and the juvenile broke into 4716 25th Ave. N and took the rifle, ammunition and two night scopes, police said. The rifle and ammunition were in locked containers and recovered by Officer David Mauch.

Martinez, who lives at 4044 Third Ave. N, ran from police after a neighbor called to report the burglary, police say. Officers searched for at least an hour before finding Martinez in bushes at 4595 13th Ave. N.

Both suspects were charged with armed burglary. The 16-year-old's name is not being published because he is a juvenile. Labeled a serious habitual offender, the youth was being held in the Juvenile Assessment Center in Largo.

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