WUSF News

'We'll Keep Running': Thousands Complete Final Mile Of Boston Marathon

editor — Sat, 25 May 2013 22:04:03 +0000

It was cold and rainy today in Boston. Still, thousands of runners laced up their shoes and headed to Kenmore Square.

That's the site of the final mile marker for the Boston Marathon. On April 15, when two bombs exploded near the finish line, thousands of runners could not finish the most illustrious road race in the world.

Today, thousands tried to remedy that with a one-mile run that covered the final stretch of the Boston Marathon. J.

Florida Got Drugs Linked to New Outbreak

Carol Gentry — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:01:01 +0000

Florida is one of 13 states that received drugs from a compounding pharmacy that may be linked to a new outbreak of illness similar to the one that hurt 720 people and killed 48 -- including five in this state.

Federal health officials are asking all facilities that received sterile injectibles from Main Street Family Pharmacy in Newbern, Tenn., to quarantine those products immediately and contact patients who may have received them.

Hillsborough County Gears Up for Hurricane Season

Sarah Curran — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:13:38 +0000

The National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration released their predictions for the upcoming hurricane season Thursday. They say 2013 will most likely be an above average hurricane season with a possible 20 named storms.

To get ready, Hillsborough County Emergency Management officials held a pre-hurricane media day Friday to explain changes to the county's emergency management plan.

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

Dalia Colon — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:04:47 +0000

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.

Tampa VA Doctor Wins Award for Type 2 Diabetes Research

Bobbie O’Brien — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:58:56 +0000

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.

Farese’s “breakthrough” work is important to veterans because 25 percent of all vets discharged from the VA have a diabetes diagnosis, usually Type 2 diabetes.

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

Mark Memmott — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:27:01 +0000

(Most recent update: 5:35 p.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.

Sligh tells The Seattle Times that they were driving on Interstate 5 near Mount Vernon, Wash., around 7 p.m. local time when he saw a truck carrying a heavy load strike the southbound side of a bridge over the Skagit River.

USF Looks at Cutting Degrees

Mark Schreiner — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

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.

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

editor — Fri, 24 May 2013 03:47:16 +0000

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.

The Skagit Valley Herald reports: "Rescue crews have swarmed to the area to redirect traffic around the site and look for people still in the river.

Left Out of Health Reform: Florida’s Poorest Uninsured

Carol Gentry — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:47:31 +0000

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.

Update: Veterans BBQ a Go as New Sponsors Step Up

Bobbie O'Brien — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:07:03 +0000

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.