Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 12-31-21

Political
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Tampa Area Native To Appear In Outback Bowl As Razorback
'We Have More Work
President Biden Signs $770 Billion Defense Bill
U. S. DEPT. OF DEFENSE
President Joe Biden
signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, for fiscal year 2022, which authorizes $770 billion in defense spending, the White House said on Monday. Earlier this month, the Senate and the House of Representa- tives voted overwhelmingly for the defense bill with strong support from both Democrats and Republicans for the an- nual legislation setting policy for the Department of De- fense.
"The Act provides vital ben- efits and enhances access to justice for military personnel and their families, and in- cludes critical authorities to support our country's national defense," Biden said in a statement after signing the bill into law.
To Do,' President
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Tampa area resident, born and raised in Seffner, will be among the players to take the field on Saturday, New Year’s Day in the 2022 Outback Bowl played at Raymond James Stadium.
Warren Thompson, a junior wide receiver at the University of Arkansas, has arrived in Tampa with his coaching staff and team- mates to play before his home- town family and friends.
The Razorbacks of Arkansas (8-4) will take on the Nittany Lions of Penn State (7-5) in the 12 p. m. contest.
Coming out of Armwood High School in Seffner, Thompson was a four-star recruit, ranked as the No. 154 player in the country by 247Sports composite, and slotted 201st in ESPN300. He caught 50 passes for 866 yards and 10 touchdowns over his final two seasons at Armwood, including 487 yards and six touchdowns as a senior.
He also helped lead Armwood to the 6A state championship game in 2017. He caught a five- yard touchdown in the state championship game that gave Armwood a 9-0 lead over Miami Northwestern.
After high school, Thompson chose Florida State University to continue his athletic and aca- demic abilities.
He played from 2018-2020 at Florida State, but was red-shirted after appearing in 4 games with no statistics.
In 2020, he appeared in six games with one start for the Semi- noles and caught five passes for 104 yards and one touchdown.
In the spring of 2021, he walked
Biden Says, Pledges
More COVID Tests
WASHINGTON - Presi- dent Joe Biden on Monday pledged to ease a shortage of COVID-19 tests as the Omi- cron variant threatened to overwhelm hospitals and sti- fle travel plans as it spreads across the United States this holiday week.
"Seeing how tough it was for some folks to get a test this weekend shows that we have more work to do," Biden said as he joined a call with the administration's COVID-19 response team and state governors. "It's clearly not enough."
Biden said his administra- tion's steps include using the Defense Production Act to boost at-home test manufac- turing and making it easier to use the Google (GOOGL.O) search engine to find a nearby testing location.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was shortening the recommended time for
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
isolation for Americans with COVID-19 to five days, as long as they show no symp- toms, from its previous guid- ance of 10 days.
U. S. and state officials are bracing for a wave of more cases following the Christmas holiday, with hospitalizations ticking up and New Year cel- ebrations yet to come.
WARREN THOMPSON
onto the campus of the University of Arkansas and second-year coach, Sam Pittman, gave him an opportunity to become a Ra- zorback. By the fall, his hard work paid off -- he had made the team and earned a scholarship. Stand- ing at 6’3”, weighing 205 pounds, Thompson (#84) has had 18 re- ceptions for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was the recipient of the “Boss Hog” twice this sea- son. He’s also holding a 3.0 grade point average.
His mother, Theresa Thomp- son, father, Warren Thomp- son, Sr., and other family members are looking forward to seeing him on Saturday.
“He’s excited about coming home to play before his home- town,” Mrs. Thompson said.
According to the team’s roster, other Floridians on the team who will join Thompson are: Raheim Sanders (RB), Rockledge; Dion Edward (LB), Cler- mont; Eric Thomas, Jr. (DL), Pensacola; and Francisco Castro (LS), Miami.
PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2021