Friends fear foul play in man found floating in Tampa Bay
By Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer
TAMPA — Jason Downey was headed home.
That's what he told his roommate when they last spoke outside Georgie's Alibi bar in St. Petersburg early Friday morning.
The 31-year-old veterinary technician was alone, puffing a cigarette out on the patio bar just before 2 a.m. when he told Tony Ginski he'd catch up with him back at the house in Tampa.
"I thought maybe he'd be right along shortly," said Ginski, 42, who departed in his own car.
The usually reliable Downey never showed.
On Sunday, a fisherman discovered Downey's body floating in Tampa Bay near an approach to the Howard Frankland Bridge at Interstate 275 and Fourth Street N.
Police are still looking for his green 1998 Toyota Rav 4, which Downey was driving that night. St. Petersburg Police are calling it a suspicious death, but say an autopsy on Monday indicated no signs of trauma.
"I can't believe there would be anyone who would intentionally harm him, said David Landreth, 31, a long-time friend who also met Downey out on Thursday night.
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Showing posts with label St. Petersburg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. Petersburg. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Feeding homeless in public under fire
If you look on the sidebar of this blog, you'll see this from Matthew. It looks as if some people understand it and many others do not.
It doesn't seem to matter much what city or state this happens in because the reaction to homeless people is the same. Some have compassion for the "least among us" and others, well, as you'll read, they find the homeless offensive. We need to wonder why that is.
Is is because they feel guilty they themselves have plenty to eat, a place to call home while there are so many others who have neither? What is offensive about homeless people getting something to eat because someone has compassion for them? Are we not supposed to be our brother's keeper?
There are some in this country who never think of what it would be like if they were the one in need. If they were hungry, homeless, abandoned, ill and in need would they feel the same way? It's just so much easier on the conscience of this nation to not have to see the homeless lining up for a meal once a day. So much easier to not be reminded that this nation is not the land of plenty for everyone.
I've heard things said by "Christian" people that shocked me when they come out with statements that "homeless people are lazy" and "homeless people want to be that way" among so many other comments. Compassion is sorely lacking in many claiming to be Christians when Christ Himself even said, "For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always." (John 12:8) We should not be ashamed of homeless people or find them offensive. We should however find it offensive and be ashamed we have homeless and hungry people we do not want to take care of.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Matthew 25
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
It doesn't seem to matter much what city or state this happens in because the reaction to homeless people is the same. Some have compassion for the "least among us" and others, well, as you'll read, they find the homeless offensive. We need to wonder why that is.
Is is because they feel guilty they themselves have plenty to eat, a place to call home while there are so many others who have neither? What is offensive about homeless people getting something to eat because someone has compassion for them? Are we not supposed to be our brother's keeper?
There are some in this country who never think of what it would be like if they were the one in need. If they were hungry, homeless, abandoned, ill and in need would they feel the same way? It's just so much easier on the conscience of this nation to not have to see the homeless lining up for a meal once a day. So much easier to not be reminded that this nation is not the land of plenty for everyone.
I've heard things said by "Christian" people that shocked me when they come out with statements that "homeless people are lazy" and "homeless people want to be that way" among so many other comments. Compassion is sorely lacking in many claiming to be Christians when Christ Himself even said, "For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always." (John 12:8) We should not be ashamed of homeless people or find them offensive. We should however find it offensive and be ashamed we have homeless and hungry people we do not want to take care of.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Feeding homeless in public under fire
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
ST. PETERSBURG — It's still bright outside when the hungry start to line up along Mirror Lake to wait for the Chicken Man to bring them their dinner.
Don McClendon and his wife, Barbara, have delivered free meals to the homeless here four nights a week for nearly nine years. The heavy plates come stocked with vegetables, bread and McClendon's namesake entree: chicken. Always chicken.
"If they are hungry, we have an obligation to feed them," McClendon said.
But McClendon's days as the Chicken Man could be numbered.
City officials say the public feeding of homeless and other low-income people has gotten out of hand, and they are looking to limit the practice, especially in downtown St. Petersburg, where business owners, residents and tourists complain that do-gooders are only attracting more homeless people to the area by feeding them.
"We have ongoing calls from people downtown who say this is interfering with their businesses and their lives," said Rhonda Abbott, the city's social services manager.
During an August meeting, the City Council directed the city's legal department to look into banning public feeding.
City Attorney Mark Winn warned that it would be difficult for the city to take any action that would not affect other residents who choose to eat outside.
"If you write an ordinance that says no feeding in the park, you can't take your family on a picnic because that is feeding. You can't feed your boyfriend grapes in the park," he said. "These people are basically doing conduct that everyone does. It just happens to be that some people find these folks offensive."
go here for more
http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article793604.ece
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Terror of rape haunts woman
Terror of rape haunts woman
Seven weeks after a rapist shoved a gun in her face, robbed her and sexually assaulted her, Melissa Dojka can't sleep at night. She stays up, lights on. Windows must be covered completely. And when she gets in a car, she locks the doors right away.
Before the attack, "I never thought I had to do things like that," she said. "I have a lot of anxiety now." That might fade, she said, but the feeling that she has to be aware of her surroundings, "I don't think that will ever fade."
Dojka (pronounced Doy-ka) is one of four women raped, authorities say, in a series of violent attacks carried out on both sides of Tampa Bay from early July through mid August.
Rigoberto Moron Martinez, 20, has been named as a suspect in her attack, as well as a rape and robbery at a St. Petersburg restaurant, the aggravated assault of two 17-year-old girls, and the abduction and rape of two women at the Docks Bar and Grill in Apollo Beach.
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Seven weeks after a rapist shoved a gun in her face, robbed her and sexually assaulted her, Melissa Dojka can't sleep at night. She stays up, lights on. Windows must be covered completely. And when she gets in a car, she locks the doors right away.
Before the attack, "I never thought I had to do things like that," she said. "I have a lot of anxiety now." That might fade, she said, but the feeling that she has to be aware of her surroundings, "I don't think that will ever fade."
Dojka (pronounced Doy-ka) is one of four women raped, authorities say, in a series of violent attacks carried out on both sides of Tampa Bay from early July through mid August.
Rigoberto Moron Martinez, 20, has been named as a suspect in her attack, as well as a rape and robbery at a St. Petersburg restaurant, the aggravated assault of two 17-year-old girls, and the abduction and rape of two women at the Docks Bar and Grill in Apollo Beach.
click above for more
Thursday, July 31, 2008
St. Pete to homeless: Move your stuff
St. Pete to homeless: Move your stuff
The city has ordered about 100 homeless people living under Interstate 375 to remove belongings that have accumulated there. The order is based on a city ordinance passed within the past year that requires public property and rights of way to be clear of private belongings.
The city has ordered about 100 homeless people living under Interstate 375 to remove belongings that have accumulated there. The order is based on a city ordinance passed within the past year that requires public property and rights of way to be clear of private belongings.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Man attacks homeless group outside St. Petersburg City Hall
July 30, 2008
Man attacks homeless group outside City Hall
ST. PETERSBURG -- A group of homeless people subdued a deranged man who violently interrupted them as they waited to be fed by a church group outside City Hall late Tuesday, police said.
A man identified only as John Doe approached the line around 10 p.m. and punched 24-year-old Richard P. Gibson, Jr. with a closed fist "for no reason at all," said police spokesman George Kajtsa.
go here for more
http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2008/07/man-attacks-hom.html
Man attacks homeless group outside City Hall
ST. PETERSBURG -- A group of homeless people subdued a deranged man who violently interrupted them as they waited to be fed by a church group outside City Hall late Tuesday, police said.
A man identified only as John Doe approached the line around 10 p.m. and punched 24-year-old Richard P. Gibson, Jr. with a closed fist "for no reason at all," said police spokesman George Kajtsa.
go here for more
http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2008/07/man-attacks-hom.html
Monday, July 28, 2008
Florida woman finds angels in time of need
"Every time I turn around, God sends another angel," said Lillian Keilitz, Lovesky's mother. "It's overwhelming that all these people are here to help my daughter and more than half of them don't know her."
A makeover she can't believe
Rae-Ann Lovesky, a 34-year-old single mother, left an abusive marriage a few years ago. Then she lost her job and fell behind on her bills. So friends, family, local businesses and even some complete strangers rallied in her behalf.
Audio slide show: "This is not my house."
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Bailiff Kills Armed Suspect Inside Florida Courthouse
Bailiff Kills Armed Suspect Inside Florida Courthouse
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A man who was supposed to be returning divorce papers at a courthouse pulled out a gun there instead Wednesday, opening fire in the lobby before two bailiffs fatally shot him.
Several people were in the lobby at the time, but only one of the bailiffs, who was shot in the shoulder, was injured. He was treated and released from a hospital.
Glen Lee Powell, 30, entered the courthouse shortly after 1 p.m. and approached a security checkpoint wearing a backpack. A deputy ordered him to remove the backpack and place it on a conveyor belt, but instead he threw it on the ground and opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun, Pinellas County Sheriff's Sgt. Jim Bordner said.
Deputies B.J. Lyons and Deputy Marvin Glover returned fire, seriously wounding Powell, who later died at a St. Petersburg hospital. Lyons, a 58-year-old firearms instructor, was wounded.
A representative speaking for Powell's family said he had been living with his parents after returning from duty in the Air Force in California.
go here for more
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354452,00.html
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A man who was supposed to be returning divorce papers at a courthouse pulled out a gun there instead Wednesday, opening fire in the lobby before two bailiffs fatally shot him.
Several people were in the lobby at the time, but only one of the bailiffs, who was shot in the shoulder, was injured. He was treated and released from a hospital.
Glen Lee Powell, 30, entered the courthouse shortly after 1 p.m. and approached a security checkpoint wearing a backpack. A deputy ordered him to remove the backpack and place it on a conveyor belt, but instead he threw it on the ground and opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun, Pinellas County Sheriff's Sgt. Jim Bordner said.
Deputies B.J. Lyons and Deputy Marvin Glover returned fire, seriously wounding Powell, who later died at a St. Petersburg hospital. Lyons, a 58-year-old firearms instructor, was wounded.
A representative speaking for Powell's family said he had been living with his parents after returning from duty in the Air Force in California.
go here for more
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354452,00.html
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Budget cuts may end Skyway suicide patrols
Budget cuts may end Skyway suicide patrols
By MITCH STACY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
ST. PETERSBURG — Working suicide patrol on the towering Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Leif Cardwell rolled up to find the 58-year-old woman with one leg already draped over the short concrete barrier wall. The license plate on the Ford minivan she drove there said: "HPPY NOW."
Cardwell kept his distance, imploring her to talk to him about her problems and not go through with it. He had thwarted a bridge suicide attempt two months before.
"It's too late," she kept saying. She threw down her driver's license and cell phone and swung her other leg over.
Then she was gone, just like that. Seconds later came a loud crash when she hit the water. "It was a very windy day, it was noisy, but it was clearly audible," recalls the 38-year-old trooper. "It is a violent way to go."
Despondent souls keep stopping at the peak of the majestic Florida Gulf Coast landmark to kill themselves every year, adding to its reputation as one of the country's most notorious bridges for jumpers.
It is a problem that the state has tried to address with 24-hour patrols, surveillance cameras and crisis hot line phones at the top. Now it is possible that the bridge patrol, which troopers say has saved dozens of lives since it was initiated in 2000, could be cut back as the cash-strapped state government struggles to make ends meet.
Ten people jumped to their deaths at the Skyway last year. But seven others were talked out of it or wrestled away from the edge by one of the troopers who drive back and forth across the 4-mile bridge around the clock specifically for that reason. One night last month, a trooper found a silver Jaguar abandoned by a 22-year-old man whose body was found in the bay; then the following day, the same officer stopped a 39-year-old would-be jumper.
By MITCH STACY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
ST. PETERSBURG — Working suicide patrol on the towering Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Leif Cardwell rolled up to find the 58-year-old woman with one leg already draped over the short concrete barrier wall. The license plate on the Ford minivan she drove there said: "HPPY NOW."
Cardwell kept his distance, imploring her to talk to him about her problems and not go through with it. He had thwarted a bridge suicide attempt two months before.
"It's too late," she kept saying. She threw down her driver's license and cell phone and swung her other leg over.
Then she was gone, just like that. Seconds later came a loud crash when she hit the water. "It was a very windy day, it was noisy, but it was clearly audible," recalls the 38-year-old trooper. "It is a violent way to go."
Despondent souls keep stopping at the peak of the majestic Florida Gulf Coast landmark to kill themselves every year, adding to its reputation as one of the country's most notorious bridges for jumpers.
It is a problem that the state has tried to address with 24-hour patrols, surveillance cameras and crisis hot line phones at the top. Now it is possible that the bridge patrol, which troopers say has saved dozens of lives since it was initiated in 2000, could be cut back as the cash-strapped state government struggles to make ends meet.
Ten people jumped to their deaths at the Skyway last year. But seven others were talked out of it or wrestled away from the edge by one of the troopers who drive back and forth across the 4-mile bridge around the clock specifically for that reason. One night last month, a trooper found a silver Jaguar abandoned by a 22-year-old man whose body was found in the bay; then the following day, the same officer stopped a 39-year-old would-be jumper.
go here for more
Friday, April 4, 2008
Army medical unit leaves St. Petersburg for Iraq
Army medical unit leaves St. Petersburg for Iraq
By Dagny SalasTimes Staff Writer
Published Thursday, April 3, 2008 11:41 PM
If you've been watching Bad Voodoo's War, or any of the other documentaries on the serial deployments in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan, by now you are aware, the troops are tired and their families are tired. Tired of seeing them go and come back, only to be sent back again.
I often wonder what is going through their heads when they hear Bush say "We will stay in Iraq" but never says what it is he thinks will be accomplished. The Iraqi forces have been proven to be not worth the training when they turned around and refused to fight Al-Sadr's militia, handed in their weapons to him, or did go up against him only to be defeated and driven back. There is Sunni, Shia, Shia Shia fighting and all sides what the troops out of there. I hear all kinds of reports on how much good the troops are doing in Iraq yet no one mentions they didn't join the armed forces to become contractors or escorts for them when all sides in Iraq, including most Iraqi police forces, wanting to kill them. Again, go watch Bad Voodoo's War and see what I mean.
What are we doing to the troops? We are not taking care of them. We are not taking care of the National Guard families who have to do without the regular income these people make back here. What exactly does "support the troops" really mean? What's our job in all of this? The most pressing issue before us is the fact that the Republicans in office seem too disinterested in any of this to even support the new GI Bill, support hearings being held on the contractors not providing good body armor to protect them and the list goes on in bloody detail of the things they are not interested in. So where are the voters who put them into office and shout the loudest about "support the troops" when it comes to supporting what Bush has been doing to them?
By Dagny SalasTimes Staff Writer
Published Thursday, April 3, 2008 11:41 PM
Nancy Reuter of St. Petersburg says goodbye to her daughter, Spc. Daphne Reuter, as Bravo Company 345 departs at the United States Army Reserve. “I’m being brave. I was okay until I saw the buses ... my only daughter ... my only child,’’ Reuter said.
ST. PETERSBURG — For the sake of the kids, Elizabeth Rogers held back her tears. There would be time for that later, she said.
Her husband Charlie and about 50 other members of Bravo Company 345, a U.S. Army medical unit, left St. Petersburg on Thursday on their way Iraq, a deployment expected to last about a year.
"It's rough, but I try to be strong for them," Elizabeth said of Emma, 4, and Ethan, 2. "It doesn't really hit until they're gone."
For his part, Charlie said he has mixed feeling about leaving for his second tour.
"I want to go but I don't want to go,'' he said. "I like what I do in the Army, but I don't want to leave my family. It's just time to go to work, do the year and come home."
But the families could take some comfort that their loved ones will probably be in less danger than combat troops, said Staff Sgt. Robert Hogg.
go here for the rest
http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article442619.ece
If you've been watching Bad Voodoo's War, or any of the other documentaries on the serial deployments in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan, by now you are aware, the troops are tired and their families are tired. Tired of seeing them go and come back, only to be sent back again.
I often wonder what is going through their heads when they hear Bush say "We will stay in Iraq" but never says what it is he thinks will be accomplished. The Iraqi forces have been proven to be not worth the training when they turned around and refused to fight Al-Sadr's militia, handed in their weapons to him, or did go up against him only to be defeated and driven back. There is Sunni, Shia, Shia Shia fighting and all sides what the troops out of there. I hear all kinds of reports on how much good the troops are doing in Iraq yet no one mentions they didn't join the armed forces to become contractors or escorts for them when all sides in Iraq, including most Iraqi police forces, wanting to kill them. Again, go watch Bad Voodoo's War and see what I mean.
What are we doing to the troops? We are not taking care of them. We are not taking care of the National Guard families who have to do without the regular income these people make back here. What exactly does "support the troops" really mean? What's our job in all of this? The most pressing issue before us is the fact that the Republicans in office seem too disinterested in any of this to even support the new GI Bill, support hearings being held on the contractors not providing good body armor to protect them and the list goes on in bloody detail of the things they are not interested in. So where are the voters who put them into office and shout the loudest about "support the troops" when it comes to supporting what Bush has been doing to them?
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Homeless veteran joins protest ahead of CNN GOP YouTube debate
November 27, 2007
Homeless protest continues amid calm
ST. PETERSBURG -- About 25 homeless people and their advocates remained across the street from the Mahaffey Theater this morning in preparation for Wednesday's GOP presidential debate.
The men and women, with their blankets and sleeping bags spread across the sidewalk near First Street and Fourth Avenue S, said Monday's tensions with the city had mostly evaporated. They began their day eating donated Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks coffee outside the Hilton's Spa Olimpia.
"Things are going well,'' said Eric Rubin, an advocate for the homeless.
On Sunday, demonstrators set up outside the theater, the site of the CNN/YouTube Republican presidential debate for a four-day protest. They plan to stay through Thursday morning.
Many of the demonstrators believe the city's rules toward the homeless are too harsh and are upset about a new tent city set to open next weekend far from downtown, at 49th Street N and 126th Avenue.
click post title for the rest
Homeless protest continues amid calm
ST. PETERSBURG -- About 25 homeless people and their advocates remained across the street from the Mahaffey Theater this morning in preparation for Wednesday's GOP presidential debate.
The men and women, with their blankets and sleeping bags spread across the sidewalk near First Street and Fourth Avenue S, said Monday's tensions with the city had mostly evaporated. They began their day eating donated Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks coffee outside the Hilton's Spa Olimpia.
"Things are going well,'' said Eric Rubin, an advocate for the homeless.
On Sunday, demonstrators set up outside the theater, the site of the CNN/YouTube Republican presidential debate for a four-day protest. They plan to stay through Thursday morning.
Many of the demonstrators believe the city's rules toward the homeless are too harsh and are upset about a new tent city set to open next weekend far from downtown, at 49th Street N and 126th Avenue.
click post title for the rest
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