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Law & Order
11:04 am
Fri May 24, 2013

George Zimmerman's Lawyers Release Trayvon Martin's Texts, Cell Phone Photos

Credit Wikipedia
Trayvon Martin was fatally shot in Sanford on Feb. 26, 2012.

Defense attorneys for George Zimmerman have uncovered evidence that paints a less-than-rosy image of Trayvon Martin, and they intend to use it.

On Thursday, Zimmerman's defense team notified prosecutors that they intend to show the jury Martin's cell phone records, which depict the slain teen as "a wannabe gangster who couldn't stay out of trouble," the Orlando Sentinel reports. The damaging items include:

  • Text messages about fighting, smoking marijuana and being kicked out of his mother's house.
  • Photos of a handgun and what appear to be marijuana plants.

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Off The Base
8:58 am
Fri May 24, 2013

Tampa VA Doctor Wins Award for Type 2 Diabetes Research

Credit va.gov
Dr. Robert Farese in his lab at James A. Haley VA Hospital, Tampa.

The top medical researcher in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs works at Tampa’s James A. Haley VA Hospital.

Dr. Robert Farese won the 2012 William Middleton Award, which is given for outstanding biomedical research, for his investigation into the causes and possible cure of Type 2 diabetes.

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The Two-Way
7:27 am
Fri May 24, 2013

'White Flash And Cold Water' After Bridge Collapse In Wash.

Credit Dan Levine / EPA /LANDOV
The scene near Mount Vernon, Wash., Thursday evening after part of an Interstate-5 bridge collapsed into the Skagit River.

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 10:56 am

(Most recent update: 10:50 a.m. ET.)

Miracle is the word that comes to Dan Sligh's mind after he and his wife, Sally, survived a plunge off a highway bridge in Washington State on Thursday evening.

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University Beat
7:00 am
Fri May 24, 2013

USF Looks at Cutting Degrees

Credit USF News

While USF's Board of Trustees has identified 17 degree programs it suggests the university system should drop, the news may not actually be that bad, as 15 of them are from the now-defunct USF Polytechnic in Lakeland.

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The Two-Way
11:47 pm
Thu May 23, 2013

Bridge Collapses In Wash. State; People, Cars In Water

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 12:59 am

The Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River at Mount Vernon, Wash., collapsed Thursday, leaving an unknown number of people and vehicles in the water.

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Health News Florida
9:47 pm
Thu May 23, 2013

Left Out of Health Reform: Florida’s Poorest Uninsured

At 7 a.m. on a Monday morning, poor people who don’t qualify for government health programs such as Medicaid are lined up outside a health department building on a busy street in St. Petersburg.

Some lean against the wall; others sit on the ground, too sick to stand.

At 7:30, the doors will open and those who are waiting will rush – or limp – inside to take a number. Lucky ones will get to see a doctor. First-come, first-served.

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Off The Base
7:07 pm
Thu May 23, 2013

Update: Veterans BBQ a Go as New Sponsors Step Up

The hospitalized veterans at Tampa's James A. Haley VA, like many Americans on this Memorial Day, will be able to munch on burgers and hotdogs  at a good old-fashioned barbecue thanks to members of the Tampa law firm of Foley & Lardner LLP.

Upon learning that the Haley VA had to cancel the barbecue for about 150 veterans because their sponsor dropped out, the firm agreed to step up and cover the cost.

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Off The Base
4:26 pm
Thu May 23, 2013

Veterans BBQ Canceled without Sponsor

Credit foodsafety.ogv

Memorial Day is a time to remember military members who lost their lives while serving their country.

It’s also a three-day weekend at Tampa’s James A. Haley VA Hospital that staff try to make special for the hospitalized veterans who also sacrificed for their country.

Yet, Memorial Day for Haley veterans had to be scaled back this year.

For want of $500, the 150 veterans at the Haley VA Hospital will not have a Memorial Day barbecue according to Cathy Williams, head of recreational therapy.

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Environment
3:24 pm
Thu May 23, 2013

NOAA Predicts Active Hurricane Season

Credit Lucas Jackson / Reuters
Some of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in Southampton, New York last October.

Hurricane season is quickly approaching, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) predicts an active season this year.


NOAA researchers say the six-month Atlantic hurricane season, which starts on June 1, has the potential to be very active. The agency's outlook says 13 to 20 tropical storms are likely.

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Environment
12:11 pm
Thu May 23, 2013

Wildlife Authorities Investigate Video of Man Jumping on Manatees

Credit Jim Reid / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The video shows a man jumping onto an adult manatee and its calf, similar to these animals.

Wildlife officials are investigating a video of a man doing a cannonball onto two manatees.

The disturbing footage was recently uploaded to Facebook and YouTube. On Wednesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it will lead a joint investigation of the incident with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Manatees are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. Violators face up to one year in prison and/or $100,000 in fines.

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