Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 11-23-18

Political Local
Freddie Solomon Boys And Girls Club At Nuccio Park Re-Dedicated
KEITH HARRIS
Johnas Tillman, Alexx Ford, Chris Letsos, President; Dee Solomon and Sheriff Chad Chronister are shown with four Fred- die Solomon Boys & Girls Club members.
Bill Nelson Concedes Florida Senate Race To Rick Scott
Democratic Sen. Bill Nel- son on Sunday conceded the Florida Senate race to Repub- lican Gov. Rick Scott, end- ing his re-election bid after the completion of a statewide re- count.
Scott announced the con- cession in a statement, saying, "I just spoke with Senator Bill Nelson, who graciously conceded, and I thanked him for his years of public service."
Nelson officially an- nounced his concession in a taped statement on Sunday.
"I was not victorious in this race, but I still wish to strongly reaffirm the cause for which we fought, a public office is a public trust," he said.
Nelson added that he "by no measure feel(s) defeated" and reflected on his career in politics by saying he doesn't believe "anybody could have been as blessed."
The concession brings to conclusion a key Senate race that continued to be fought well after Election Day.
The Senate race -- along with the governor's and state's race for agriculture commis- sioner -- went to a machine re- count a week ago, but the recount did not do nearly enough for Nelson and fur- ther formalized Scott's more
BILL NELSON
than 12,000-vote lead. The contest still fell within the .25% standard for a manual recount of overvotes and un- dervotes, however.
Nelson conceded after the noon deadline for the manual recount, when all of Florida's 67 counties were required to submit their final vote totals to the secretary of state, mean- ing every vote deemed admis- sible by county canvassing boards and the courts had been officially counted.
The results of the recount showed Scott with a vote lead of 10,033 over incumbent Nelson. Before the comple- tion of the manual recount, Scott had a lead of 12,603 votes.
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
The Freddie Solomon Boys and Girls Club at Nuccio Park was re-dedicated last Wednes- day, November 14, 2018.
After receiving some fi- nancial assistance made possi- ble through Hillsborough County, the club, which sits ad- jacent to the community known as ‘The Fish Bowl,’ was renovated and expanded.
“It’s larger and more func- tional,” said Boys and Girls Club Corporate Board Chair, Keith Harris. Now that it’s larger (an addition of 1,550 square feet), the club will have the capacity to serve 150 youngsters, 5-18 years old.
In addition to being a place where young people have fun, study, get mentored and learn life skills, the Freddie Solomon Boys and Girls Club
also operates as a Sheriff’s Of- fice sub-station, Harris ex- plained. Deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office are always on-site.
“One of the things we’re most proud of,” Harris said, “Is the percentage of reduction in crime since the club has been operating in the area.
“This is more than just a building being renovated, This is an expansion of Freddie’s legacy,” Chris Letsos said. “This club connects everyone in the community, just like Freddie did,” he said.
The Freddie Solomon Club was the first Boys and Girls Club in Tampa to open under the model partnership with Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. “This partnership helps our community by building stronger and smarter children and provides opportunities and the environment for chil-
dren to succeed,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said to those in attendance.
Former Sheriff David Gee also attended the re-dedi- cation and spoke to those in at- tendance. He was a huge factor in getting the club and is still a huge supporter.
Prior to becoming Sheriff of Hillsborough County, Sher- iff Chronister worked closely with Freddie Solomon and the Solomon Boys and Girls Club. He continues to serve on the Boys and Girls Club Board.
“Freddie believed in hav- ing a safe place for kids to learn, grow and become better stewards of their community,” said Delilah “Dee” Solomon, Community Rela- tions Director with HCSO and Freddie’s wife. “It warms my heart to keep his legacy alive...,” she further stated.
National
Chicago Hospital Shooting: Doctor, Pharmacist And Policeman Killed
A doctor, a newly graduated pharmacist and a police officer were killed after a gunman opened fire at a hospital in Chicago, police say.
The gunman was seen argu- ing with the doctor, Tamara O'Neal, who he had been in a relationship with, before shoot- ing her and turning his gun on others.
The shooter, named as Juan Lopez, 32, also died but it is not clear if he was killed by police or took his own life.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the attack "tears at the soul of our city".
"It is the face and a conse- quence of evil," he said, adding that the three victims were "all going about their day, all doing what they loved".
What happened?
The shootings began with a
row in the Mercy Hospital car park between the gunman and Dr. O'Neal on Monday.
When a friend of the doctor's tried to intervene "the offender lifted up his shirt and displayed a
Eyewitness at the cancer centre: "I was in the gunfire and had to duck down."
handgun", Chicago Police Super- intendent Eddie Johnson said. As the friend ran for help, gunfire broke out, witnesses
said.
One witness, James Gray,
told reporters he saw Dr. O'Neal fall to the ground and then the gunman "stood over her and shot her three more times".
When police arrived, the gun- man then moved into the hospi- tal, shooting at random and killing pharmacist Dayna Less who was getting off an escalator
at the time.
In an exchange of fire with the
gunman, police officer Samuel Jimenez was killed. A second police officer avoided injury after a bullet fired in his direction be- came lodged in his gun in his holster.
Hospital patients scrambled to find cover under desks, police and SWAT teams moved through the hospital in search of the gunman, and officers locked down hospital wings, including the nursery.
Hector Avitia, who was in the hospital waiting room with his wife, told the Chicago Trib- une that he tried to get people away from windows as the bul- lets started flying.
"I've heard shootings," he said. "I've known people that have died in the neighbourhood like that. But something like that? No."
"He was just shooting like a maniac," he continued. "And he obviously knows how to shoot because he was holding the gun with both hands."
PAGE 10-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018