Mobile - Florida News

Report: Michael Phelps planning comeback

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:29:55 -0400

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- The son of the U.S. national swim team director is reporting that Michael Phelps is planning a comeback for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Peter Busch, whose father Frank oversees the American program, is a news anchor at WBBH, an NBC television affiliate in Fort Myers, Fla. A brief story from the younger Busch posted on the station's Web site Friday evening says Phelps is plotting his return to the pool and hopes to compete at the next Olympics.

Phelps has said repeatedly his swimming career is over winning 18 gold medals and 22 medals overall, more than any other Olympian. He retired at the age of 27 immediately after last summer's London Olympics.

Phelps went on Twitter to downplay the report, but he didn't specifically deny it either.

Girl gets surprise reunion with dad at Rays game

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:47:00 -0400

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- A Tampa Bay area girl throwing the first pitch at a Rays game got a big surprise from her father, who had been stationed in Afghanistan for the past two years.

Before throwing the pitch Thursday, 9-year-old Alayna Adams got to watch a pre-recorded video of her father, Army Lt. Col. Will Adams, on the field's video screen. But after she tossed the ball toward home plate, the catcher removed his mask, revealing himself to be her dad.

Alayna ran toward her father, and the two embraced.

Adams was expected to return home Monday, but the Rays and United Services Organization arranged the surprise early arrival. Adams' wife Dana, who was at the game with their daughter, was also surprised.

The Boston Red Sox later beat the Rays 4-3.

Deputy charged with growing marijuana

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:28:00 -0400

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (AP) -- A southwest Florida deputy and his girlfriend have been charged with growing marijuana at their home.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office reports that Deputy Piotr Urbanski and Shannon Clancey were arrested Friday morning and charged with producing marijuana, possession of marijuana more than 20 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The sheriff's office reports that it received information Thursday that Urbanski was cultivating marijuana at his Cape Coral home. The narcotics unit executed a search warrant and reported finding dried marijuana in the kitchen area, two pipes for smoking marijuana and 23 live plants on the lanai. Seven additional plants were discovered in a small trash can on the porch.

Urbanski was fired following his arrest. He had been with the sheriff's office since last May.

AA flight bound for Miami gets diverted to Aruba

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:15:00 -0400

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) -- An American Airlines flight that was headed to Miami from Brazil has made an emergency landing in Aruba because of a mechanical problem.

Spokeswoman Dori Alvarez said Friday that maintenance crews checked the plane once it landed and fixed the problem. She said the plane would depart Friday night for Miami. Flight 234 was carrying 218 passengers and 14 crew members.

Alvarez said she didn't have additional details about the mechanical problem.

Dark clouds hang over air shows after budget cuts

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:00:10 -0400

BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP) — The automatic budget cuts that grounded the Navy Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds are taking a toll on performers, air show announcers, concessionaires, vendors and others who depend on air shows and the millions of spectators.

All told, the International Council of Air Shows says 64 air shows that depended on military participation have canceled this season.

Those included Wings over Wayne at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina and Skyfest 2013 at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington state this weekend.

The council says air shows draw nearly three times more spectators than NASCAR events and pump about $1.5 billion into the economy and. Aerobatic pilot Sean Tucker describes the air shows as "the Indianapolis 500, the Fourth of July, and 'Top Gun' rolled into one."

Fla. Gov. signs manufacturing tax break into law

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:57:34 -0400

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — One of Gov. Rick Scott's top priorities this year is now law.

Scott on Friday signed a bill that creates a tax break for the state's manufacturers. The governor made it official during a stop at a Tampa manufacturing firm.

The measure (HB 7007) exempts manufacturers from having to pay sales taxes on equipment purchases for three years. The tax break starts in April 2014 and runs until April 2017.

The new law also creates a new nonprofit corporation to oversee money awarded to the state from lawsuits connected to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Some have raised legal questions, however, because the bill did not pass by a supermajority. Top legislators, however, have insisted that the supermajority vote was not needed.

Video: Car pushed into pool after being hit by wrong way driver

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:02:41 -0400

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WFTV) -- A car going the wrong way on A-1-A in Fort Lauderdale crashed into a parked car, pushing it into a pool.

Surveillance cameras were rolling when the car crashed into a white car, which then splashed into the pool.

Sarah Ahlstrom, who rented the crashed car, said she was in her room and heard what sounded like an explosion.

"She hit the back of my car so hard that it went up and nose-dived into the shallow end," Ahlstrom said. Sarah's car sank to the bottom of the pool before it was pulled out.

The driver of the car was taken to the hospital.

Investigators said they are still trying to figure out why the driver of the other car was driving the wrong direction.

Doctor's son accused of tricking pregnant girlfriend into taking abortion pill

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:32:38 -0400

TAMPA, Fla. (WFTV) -- Federal authorities said the son of a Tampa-area fertility doctor is accused of tricking his girlfriend into taking an abortion drug to kill her unborn child.

A federal grand jury indicted 28-year-old John Andrew Weldon on Tuesday.

Prosecutors said Weldon forged the doctor's signature on a prescription for Cytotec, relabeled a pill bottle as "Amoxicillin" and told the woman his father wanted her to take the antibiotic because she had an infection.

The Tampa Bay Times reported the incident occurred in March, a month after an ultrasound at Dr. Stephen Ward Weldon's office confirmed the pregnancy. The doctor is not accused of a crime.

"I can't believe someone did something so malicious to me. Not just to me, but to themselves, because it was our baby," alleged victim Remee Lee said.

Lee said Weldon told her to keep taking three pills a day.

She said the first one made her so sick she went to the hospital and lost the baby.

Weldon's defense attorney characterized the actions as "aberrant" but pointed out his client has no criminal history. A U.S. magistrate denied bail on Wednesday. He faces up to life in prison.

WFTV's legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said making the case federal enables prosecutors to charge Weldon with murder, because federal statutes consider a fetus viable upon conception.

Sheaffer said he believes investigators want Weldon to face the toughest penalty possible in the federal system.

Lee said she thought she and Andrew Weldon were going to get married.

"He was my everything, and more," Lee said.

Lee is suing her now ex-boyfriend for damages as well.

Bomb squad detonates pipe bombs found in Cocoa home

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:13:29 -0400

COCOA, Fla. (WFTV) -- The Brevard County bomb squad detonated two pipe bombs that were found in a Cocoa rental home on Friday.

About a dozen homes around the Pindea Street residence were evacuated early Friday morning after the pipe bombs were found, according to police.

Police said the discovery was the result of an anonymous tip that there were weapons and bomb-making materials in the house.

"My husband come and say, 'Baby, they done run me out of the house, because they've found pipe bombs,'" said neighbor Margie Cliatt.

Cliatt's house was one of about a dozen homes evacuated near the 1400 block of Pineda Street.

"I'm extremely concerned," said neighbor Jennifer O'Connor. "This is my hometown, and my aunt lives right next door."

According to police, guns and ammunition were also discovered in the home.

Cocoa police told Channel 9 a convicted felon admitted to owning the guns but neither she nor another man being questioned in the case will admit knowing anything about the pipe bombs.

School officials said Endeavour Elementary and Cambridge Elementary schools were placed on lockdown by the Cocoa Police Department until Friday afternoon.

Officials trying to get bear out of tree in Tampa

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:38:00 -0400

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A Tampa man got more than he bargained for when he opened his door to let the dog out. A black bear was in his backyard.

The Tampa Bay Times reports 70-year-old Eloy Perez pulled his barking dog back inside and dialed 911. When Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies arrived, they found the 250-pound bear atop a tree in Diaz' backyard.

As deputies and wildlife officials tried to figure out how to get the bear out of the tree, neighbors huddled around trying to catch a glimpse. The bear stood on the branch and yawned.

Meanwhile, the sheriff's office advised local television stations to move their helicopters back because they were "scaring the bear."

The newspaper reported the bear has a red tag on its right ear.