Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 7-26-16 Online Edition

Features
Woman, Child Die
Hospital Employee Featured In Former Reporter’s Book
In Mobile Home Fire
An unidentified 58-year-old woman and a 2-year-old child died in this mobile home fire.
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
For thirty years, Ms. Deanna Lawrence served as a reporter, anchor, and producer for FOX 13 News. She is credited with produc- ing “What’s Right with Tampa Bay.”
After retiring, Ms. Lawrence returned to her home state of North Carolina. However, she was in Tampa earlier this month at a book signing for her new book enti- tled, “Sometimes ... A Sto- ryteller’s Journal.” The book features some of the ex- periences Ms. Lawrence had during her tenure in the Tampa Bay Area and some of the people she met.
The book signing was held at Haslam’s Bookstore in St. Petersburg. Among one of the special people featured in the book is Delwyn Collins, a Kitchen Assistant at Tampa General Hospital.
Ms. Lawrence reported on Collins’ annual toy drive for foster children. And, when
Delwyn Collins is shown with former reporter Deanna Lawrence at a book signing earlier this month.
Hillsborough County deputies and Hillsborough County Fire Rescue person- nel were called to the scene of a mobile home fire at Gar- den Lane and Clewis Avenue.
Just after 11 p.m. Wednesday, deputies re- ceived a 9-1-1 call that an oc- cupied mobile home was on fire. Fire Rescue and deputies arrived, and began life-saving attempts to res- cue anyone inside the mobile home.
After the fire was extin- guished, a 58-year-old woman and a 2-year-old child were found dead inside the mobile home.
Authorities are conduct- ing a joint investigation to determine the cause and ori-
gin of the fire.
The Medical Examiner’s
Office will need to make a positive identification of the victims and a next of kin no- tified before their identities can be released.
An explosion during the fire knocked a deputy back when he tried to save the woman.
At the time of the fire, a 43-year-old man was inside the mobile home and alerted the deputy about the woman, who he said was his mother, and child still inside. That deputy suffered smoke in- halation and burns to his hands when he tried to enter the mobile home. The 43- year-old man suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation.
she decided to chronicle her experiences, Collins was chosen as one of those who would be featured in the book.
Collins is known for pro- viding Christmas gifts to chil- dren in foster care. Last year, he celebrated his 26th year of leading the Foster Angels Program.
Collins makes purchases throughout the year, often
taking on extra jobs to make the purchases. At Christmas time, he donates the gifts to the children.
A Tampa native and the son of a single, working mother, Collins overcame disabilities as a child. He is legally blind and rides his bi- cycle to work each day.
Collins is single and does not have any children of his own.
Attorney General Joins Legal Battle To Block Aetna, Humana Merger
TALLAHASSEE —- At- torney General Pam Bondi today joined seven other state attorneys general, the District of Columbia and the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division in filling a legal challenge to stop a proposed merger of Aetna Inc. and Humana Inc.
Aetna is the nation’s third-largest health insurer, operates in every state and the District of Columbia and provides health insurance to 23 million people. Humana is the nation’s fifth-largest health insurer, operates in every state and the District of Columbia, and provides health insurance to 14 mil- lion people.
According to the lawsuit, the merger of the two insur- ers would likely lead to
higher prices and reduced benefits for Florida seniors, families and individuals.
The lawsuit against Aetna and Humana alleges that the merger would substantially reduce Medicare Advantage competition in more than 350 counties in 21 states, af- fecting more than 1.5 million Medicare Advantage cus- tomers in those counties.
While the threat to com- petition in Florida is statewide, the complaint al- leges that the threat is par- ticularly acute and presumptively unlawful in nine Florida counties: Broward, Charlotte, Duval, Manatee, Martin, Polk, Sara- sota, St. Johns and St. Lucie.
The lawsuit also alleges that Aetna’s purchase of Hu- mana would substantially
reduce competition to sell commercial health insur- ance to individuals and fam- ilies on the public exchanges in three Florida counties and 14 other counties in Georgia and Missouri, affecting more than 700,000 people in those counties. According to the complaint, the most af- fected counties in Florida are Broward, Palm Beach and Volusia.
By buying Humana, Aetna would allegedly elimi- nate one of its strongest and most capable competitors in these markets.
In addition to Florida and the DOJ, participants in the lawsuit include Delaware, the District of Co- lumbia, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
PAGE 4 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016