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Features
House Passes Bill To Train Police On Diabetic Emergencies
No Charges Will Be Filed Against Judge Eric Myers
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Wednesday, the Florida House of Representatives passed a bill to require police officers to have extended train- ing in diabetic emergencies. The bill was sponsored by State Representative Ed Narain and overwhelmingly passed in the House. A final vote on a companion bill, sponsored by Senator Tom Lee, is ready for the final vote.
If the bill passes in the Sen- ate, then it will go to Gover- nor Rick Scott to be signed into law. House Bill 201 (the Arthur Green, Jr., Act) is named in honor of Tampa resi- dent Arthur Green, Jr., who suffered a diabetic emergency and died in the custody of Tampa Police officers last sum- mer. His family was in the gallery when the House passed the bill.
Green, 63, was a popular community activist, and one of approximately 26 million Americans who have been diag- nosed with diabetes.
According to the National Conference of State Legislators, this is the first bill in the nation
Inconsistent statements by the wife of Hillsborough County Judge Eric Myers have left Pinellas-Pasco prosecutors with no choice but to dismiss charges against him.
Judge Myers and his wife, Shirley Sanchez-Myers were involved in a confrontation at their home in mid-January. The judge admits that he did strike his wife in self defense during the in- cident. Following the incident, he left their home, went to the down- town Tampa Courthouse and called officials who came to take him into custody. After several hours, he was released.
Mrs. Sanchez-Myers told
investigating officials a dif- ferent story. She said that her husband struck her until she was unconscious and that their 5-year-old daughter wit- nessed it.
The Pinellas -
Pasco prosecu-
tors explained
that since they had no additional witnesses to the incident or evi- dence, they could not charge the judge.
STATE REP. ED NARAIN
to address the continuing edu- cation of law enforcement offi- cers in diabetic emergencies.
Mrs. Lena Young Green, widow of Mr. Green said, “We feel a tremendous honor knowing that this legis- lation bearing the name of Arthur Green, Jr., will be a lasting reminder of a wonderful man whose tragic demise will not be in vain.”
Mr. Green’s son, Owen Young said, “As a family, we are grateful to Representa- tive Ed Narain and Senator Tom Lee for championing this bill in our father’s name. The
ARTHUR GREEN, JR.
success of this bill will ensure that no other family will have to experience the loss of a loved one due to the lack of training in recognizing someone in a di- abetic crisis (hypoglycemia).
“It will also assist in helping law enforcement personnel to approach matters in a more sensitive way and provide as- sistance to a citizen before pre- determining that a person is committing a violation or en- gaging in criminal activity.
“We are thankful to the en- tire Tampa Bay community for their unyielding support and prayers in this matter.”
Community Safety Day
Reva Iman, Robles Park Resi- dent Council President, wants to invite the staff of the Tampa Hous- ing Authority, local organizations, and residents from the surround- ing community to join them for their Community Safety Day.
The event will be from 10 a. m. until 2 p. m. this Saturday, April 25th, and will have a lot of fun ac- tivities.
Iman said this is an effort on the part of the Resident Council and the residents to bring aware- ness and safety back into their community with the help of law enforcement officials and resi- dents who called Robles Park home for a long time.
For more information on the event, contact Reva Iman at (813) 900-8745.
JUDGE ERIC MYERS
FDOT To Provide $1 Million In Funding For Tampa Historic Streetcar Study
The Florida Department of Transportation will provide the City of Tampa $1 million to facil- itate a feasibility study to extend and modernize Tampa’s Historic Streetcar system as part of Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s com- mitment to transform the street- car into a viable transportation option.
The study will evaluate how to best extend the route, through downtown and potentially to his- toric Tampa Heights. The study will address potential ridership data, environmental impacts, and economic development opportu- nities as well as refine capital and operational costs.
It will also study modernizing the historic system, allowing the streetcar to seamlessly integrate with the unprecedented wave of development downtown. As a next step, the City and FDOT will work together to further clarify the study’s primary goals and de- velop a timeline for completion.
FDOT has also committed to facilitating discussions between the City of Tampa, FDOT, and CSX in regard to railroad cross- ings and, at the conclusion of the study, to work with the City of Tampa to invest State New Start program and Service Develop- ment program funds for the proj- ect.
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