20051230 - "I raced on a dirt bike. I came in first place once,"
--Trinity Carrillo, 5, in front of his Dade City home. From 'Kids name
2005's most memorable moments.' (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg
Times)
20051229 - "It was Wednesday, the last one at school before the winter
break, and it was a winter concert, and one of my friend's mom in my
class, they pulled my tooth out. She (the tooth fairy) gave me $2, and
she let me keep my tooth. Now I have three that I lost already, and I
kept all three of them." --Samantha Schimmel, 6 1/2, of Hyde Park.
From 'Kids name 2005's most memorable moments.' (Brian Cassella / St.
Petersburg Times)
20051230 - Freedom's Morgan Farrington (left) grabs a rebound past
AHN's Kristina Darby as Freedom defeated Academy of the Holy Names
72-59 in the Craig Keeler Girls Basketball Championship game on Friday
night. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051229 - St. Petersburg Catholic's Katie Keegan (left) and Freedom's
Morgan Farrington battle for a loose ball in the second half of
Freedom's 66-65 win in the semifinals of the Craig Keeler Memorial
Girls Basketball Tournament at the Academy of the Holy Names on
Thursday evening. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051228 - Dunedin's Chelsea Turgeon grabs a rebound between Plant's
Meghan Aubin, Alexandria Taylor and Alex Caro late in the second half
of Dunedin's 44-43 win on Wednesday in the Academy of the Holy Names
girls basketball tournament. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051223 - The Brown-McQuigg family says grace as they sit down to
dinner at the Metropolitan Ministries shelter on the night of Joe and
Michele's wedding. The couple has been together since they met in Ybor
City on Aug. 8, 1998. He called her the next day, and the day after
that. Within four months Ymani, now 6, was on the way. They now have a
baby son together as well, Jomele. But things haven't always been
smooth. In January, Michele was laid off from her job, and they
couldn't afford the rent on their house. They lived in a hotel for
awhile, but Joe's day labor jobs could barely cover the nightly rate.
They came to the shelter as a family in July, and the couple says
they've gone from broken to mending. "We've been through a lot of
bad," Joe said. "Now, it's getting good." (Brian Cassella / St.
Petersburg Times)
20051223 - Joe takes advantage of a free phone call to tell his family
in Chicago that he's getting married that night. They haven't seen
each other in years, and he had to remind some of them where he was
living. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051223 - A couple of hours before the wedding, Michele tries to
reach someone with the church who was supposed to set up a donated
hotel room for the newlywed couple to spend the night in. (Brian
Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051223 - Michele tries to get her son, Damian McQuigg, 12, ready in
his suit inside the room the family of five shares. Damian is happy
about the wedding, and plans to take Joe's last name as his own.
(Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051223 - Ymani has her hair done in a neighbor's room, but the tight
bun ended up causing her some pain. Michele waits with Jomele for her
turn as the minutes toward the 9 p.m. wedding begin to tick faster.
(Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051223 - Joe watches a documentary on his idol, Tupac Shakur, to
calm his nerves while the family continues to help each other get
ready in their room only an hour before the ceremony. (Brian Cassella
/ St. Petersburg Times)
20051223 - Michele has her hair and makeup done by new friends Nicole
Coleman (center) and LaShawn Santoya (left). Ymani is at left, and
Michelle Coleman, 5, watches from the right. Despite constant
interruptions telling them it was time for the wedding to start, they
wouldn't rush until they had Michele's tiara perfectly in place.
(Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051223 - TAMPA - "Just don't breathe until after the wedding," her
friends implored Michele as she squeezed into her gown for the first
time, only about twenty minutes past the planned start of the
ceremony. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051223 - Joe, 40 minutes before the wedding: "I love everything
about her. She's sweet and educated, smart. She's very faithful. She's
a beautiful woman, I call her sexy... She showed me an emotional side
of me. Me and her have a history together... If I'm upset, she has the
right thing to calm me down... I did a lot of bad things and she still
supported me. When I'm not with her, I think about her constantly, her
and the kids. She's just an adorable woman... When I think about the
things she taught me and the things we've been through, I just love
her more." (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051223 - The bride was radiant. Her tiara sparkled as she walked
toward the stage. Her groom waited beneath a lighted archway of white
roses. Hands clasped, he nervously smiled and mouthed to her: "Don't
cry. Do not cry." It may as well have been the finest wedding in the
finest church in town. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051209 - Freedom High's bench takes in the action during their win
against Plant High on Friday night. High school ice hockey has has
grown from four little teams in Hillsborough County to 14 teams,
complete with a fan base, rivalries and the other sorts of things
you'd expect from high school athletics even though the league is not
financed by the county. The players are devoted to their sport, even
though they know it is a long shot they will advance to play at a
higher level. No player born and raised in Florida has ever made the
NHL, but the Stanley Cup victory in 2004 by the Tampa Bay Lightning
has increased area interest in the sport. (Brian Cassella / St.
Petersburg Times)
20051209 - Chris Drake and Lindsey Olsen, both Freedom High students,
take in the action with other fans from behind the Freedom bench on
Friday night. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051209 - Freedom High captain Matt Dickinson goofs around with a
teammate in the locker room after Freedom's win over Plant High on
Friday night. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051216 - Susie Ulrey performs with the band Pohgoh in their practice
facility inside Unit 4 of Bay Area Mini Storage on Thursday night. The
band is reuniting for a show Christmas night which will be a Multiple
Sclerosis benefit. Ulrey has MS, as does her mother and band member
Matt Slate's mother. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051217 - Even after the posada ceremonies are over, the group
continues to play music and sing together inside the Brandon home of
Carlos Ortiz and Elba Hernandez after the posada on Saturday night.
Posadas are a long-standing tradition in Hispanic Catholic families
around Christmas time, where they hold parties with songs and prayers
every night from Dec. 16 through Christmas to commemorate the search
by Mary and Joseph for a place to stay before Mary gave birth to
Jesus. The Brandon church's Hispanic population has boomed over the
years, but it is very diverse, from Puerto Ricans to Colombians to
Venezuelans. But every country practices the tradition a bit
differently. The church committee has tried to reconcile the different
practices. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051217 - Abel Gilbert, 14, and Sandra Santos, 16, who portrayed
Joseph and Mary, are reflected in a mirror as other community member
sing during the posada on Saturday night. (Brian Cassella / St.
Petersburg Times)
20051217 - (Left to right) Nilda Vazquez, Carmen Vazquez, Juanita
Lisboa, Emperatriz Gilbert, and Janiesse Rivera sing inside the
Brandon home of Carlos Ortiz and Elba Hernandez during the posada on
Saturday night. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051209 - TAMPA - Ryan Robinson (right) and Kendrick Mention goof
around after school on the grounds of Academy Prep while waiting to be
picked up. The school opened in 2003, accepting only 15 girls and 15
boys from the inner city. Mostly minority, all eligible for free and
reduced lunch. The idea: to set the expectations high for these kids
and give them the support to excel. College prep schooling with no
price tag. Schooldays start at 7:15 a.m.; end 6 p.m. The first 30
students are now in 7th grade. The school has 30 per grade minus
whomever leaves: 5th, 6th and 7th. Next year they'll max out with 8th
grade. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051209 - Randall Raines, 13, watches rehearsal for the Christmas
Talent Showcase from behind the curtain at Academy Prep. (Brian Cassella /
St. Petersburg Times)
20051220 - Melbourne High's Ryan Gilletti, Pedro Moriera, Anthony
Rose, and Zach Popovich (left to right) brace themselves for an
incoming kick from Tampa Prep's Robby Goldsberry (not pictured) in the
first half of Melbourne's 2-1 win over Tampa Prep in the Admiral
Soccer Tournament, held at Ed Radice Complex on Tuesday afternoon.
(Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051216 - Joe Redner (left) receives gifts including a rainbow flag
from Carrie West who hosted his "coming out party" on Friday night at
the Velvet Underground club. Redner arrived at 11 p.m., but only
stayed for about 15 minutes. Redner, who owns a strip club in Tampa
and has run for office several times, recently came out as a
homosexual in a lawsuit he filed against Hillsborough County's new
policy banning county employees from acknowledging or participating in
gay pride events. While some have questioned the authenticity of his
claim and its timing, it is likely to stand up legally. (Times photo
by Brian Cassella)
20051217 - Diane Huey, along with the help of her daughters Natalie
(right), 8, and Rachel, 14, sort toys that would soon be bundled for
families at the Metropolitan Ministries tent on Saturday. Metropolitan
Ministries had volunteers pass out "Boxes of Hope & Joy" that have
food and toys in them. The ministry is in dire need of volunteers for
the day as well as for the six other days they've got coming up when
they're scheduled to hand out boxes. The ministry is also in dire need
of stuff to put in the boxes, especially food and toys. (Brian
Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051215 - Three months ago Carmen Lusignan, 33, lost everything. Her
house, her job, her entire life was wiped off the map by Hurricane
Katrina. A single mother of two young girls and a longtime resident of
Algiers, La., Lusignan and her two daughters Caroline, 2, and Hillary,
9, camped in a tent on a stranger's front lawn after Katrina hit.
Desperate for stability, she called her cousin in Tampa and asked her
to help her start a new life. Lusignan now works as a bank teller in
Tampa and has a new apartment. Her two children are happily enrolled
in local Tampa schools. But now Caroline's father wants the toddler to
come home. He shared custody of the toddler and has visited her
several times since Lusignan moved to Tampa, but now the Louisiana
National Guardsman has taken legal action demanding that Lusignan
return to New Orleans with her children. He says taking the kid out of
state violated the custody order, so now dad wants them to move back
to Louisiana or get custody. Lusignan asks, "How am I supposed to go
back? What am I supposed to go back to?" She is not alone; several
hundred other families are facing this unprecedented legal dispute in
the wake of Katrina-forced relocations. (Brian Cassella / St.
Petersburg Times)
20051214 - Kevin Whiteley, 21, kisses the window of the hearse after
the casket of his friend, 13-year-old Stephen Tomlinson was loaded
inside after Stephen's funeral on Wednesday. More than 150 attended
the funeral at Calvary Community Church in Tampa of the boy who was
found dead last week near his Carrollwood home. Whiteley said he was
part of a group that found the body in Logan Gate Park. The
Hillsborough Sheriff's Office has made no arrests and said it has no
suspects. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051210 - Melvin Buckley (right), of the University of South Florida,
shows his frustration in the second half of USF's 68-47 loss Saturday
at the Sun Dome. Michigan's Lester Abram is at left. (Brian Cassella /
St. Petersburg Times)
20051207 - Sinead O'Connor performs Wednesday night at the Irish pub
Four Green Fields. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051207 - Eli Fleet and other volunteers spend Wednesday night making
signs for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis in the
Channelside District. The signs were being made in advance of this
state Democratic Party conference this weekend. (Brian Cassella / St.
Petersburg Times)
20051206 - Mourners attend the funeral of Pfc. Marc Delgado, 21, of
Riverview, killed in Baghdad on Thanksgiving Day. (Brian Cassella /
St. Petersburg Times)
20051206 - Pfc. Marc Delgado's mother, Ellen Delgado (center) watches
her son's casket arrive at Hillsborough Memorial Gardens on Tuesday.
At right are Marc's uncle Kevin Kilbourne, aunt Michelle, and cousin
Kyle, 8. Delgado, 21, of Riverview, killed in Baghdad on Thanksgiving
Day. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051206 - Dr. Mohammad Sultan, director and imam of the Islamic
Society of Tampa Bay Area, stands outside the mosque Tuesday evening
and explains his reaction to the Al-Arian "not guilty" verdict. Many
area Muslims expressed elation when Sami Al-Arian and his
co-defendants were found not guilty of terrorism charges.
(Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051203 - George Wolf emerges from the cabin of his boat after his
wife, Debbie Wolf, helped him put on his Santa costume at the Davis
Island Yacht Club on Saturday evening in preparation for the Lighted
Boat Parade. Wolf, the reigning champion of the event, created a
flotilla of three boats with dolphins jumping between them, and he
rode on Santa's sleigh being pulled behind them. The parade departed
from Davis Island and floated past a onlookers at Channelside. (Brian
Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051203 - The sun sets behind Davis Island Yacht Club as boaters
prepare for the parade. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051203 - The Cintron family displays a festive lighted flamingo at
the front of their boat Turtle Tracks at the Davis Island Yacht Club
before departing for Saturday night's parade. (Brian Cassella / St.
Petersburg Times)
20051203 - Katherine Diez and Nicholas Sergi perform together with a
Tampa Gym and Dance group at Centro Ybor on Saturday afternoon. The
perfomance was part of Saturday's Santa Festival in Ybor City, which
included the chance to write letters to Santa and sit on his lap,
puppets, performances, fake snow and an afternoon parade. (Brian
Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051202 - Justin Roy, 13, juggles during the Sultans of Spin meeting
on Friday at the Brandon Recreation Center. The Sultans of Spin yo-yo
club organized recently. (Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
20051202 - TSA screener Lillian Leahy-McCabe watches passengers come
through the metal detector at Tampa International Airport on Friday.
New federal regulation that go into effect later this month will allow
passengers to bring additional small items aboard like scissors.
(Brian Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
