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MOTHER ORDERED HELD WITHOUT BAIL IN DEATH OF DAUGHTER LEFT IN RIVER
Shekayla Denson, the woman police say drowned her 4-year-old daughter in the Hillsborough River, has been ordered held without bail until a detention hearing scheduled for Wednesday. Denson, 25, stood briefly before a judge this morning to hear the charges against her. She wore an anti-suicide vest, her wrists in handcuffs, as sheriff's deputies escorted her to a conference room lectern at the Falkenburg Road Jail. Meanwhile, a Tampa police report says that moments before her mother tossed her into the murky water, little Je'Hyrah Daniels was "screaming loudly and was not cooperating" with Denson.
FOR FLORIDA GOVERNOR, THE TIMES RECOMMENDS ...
In the upcoming primary, voters will choose the Democratic and Republican nominees for governor. On the Republican side, there's a familiar conservative vs. a Trump favorite. For Democrats, several candidates promise a new direction in state government. Here are our recommendations.
CLEARWATER COUNCIL VOTES TO PUT STRONG MAYOR QUESTION ON NOVEMBER BALLOT
In the middle of the City Council meeting Thursday, about one hour before officials would discuss whether to put a strong mayor referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot, Vice Mayor Doreen Caudell walked unexpectedly into the chambers and flipped the outcome of vote. Caudell was scheduled to be absent Thursday due to a last-minute trip out of state for her construction business. But after reading Council member Hoyt Hamilton's comments in a Wednesday story on tampabay.com about being undecided, Caudell said she bought a $1,200 plane ticket to get to the dais to then fly back to her work Friday morning. The Council voted 3-2 to change the City Charter to eliminate the city manager and establish a strong mayor.
ST. PETERSBURG'S MOTHER KOMBUCHA ENTERS PUBLIX AND WINN DIXIE
Kombucha is not new, but for centuries it was only brewed at home. In the 1990s, a U.S. company began to package and distribute it for the first time. And recently? The tart, probiotic hippie drink has gone mainstream. St. Petersburg's Mother Kombucha is reaping the benefits as five of its flavors are now carried in more than 250 Publix stores from Ocala to Naples. They've also begun a roll out to 90 Southeastern Grocers and Winn-Dixie locations.
OUR PICKS FOR THE TOP 10 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYERS IN TAMPA BAY
Our seventh annual countdown of the top 100 high school football players in Tampa Bay — consisting of athletes who attend a public or private school in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco or Hernando counties -- concludes today with players 1-10. Past performances — spanning the fall, spring and summer — and promise of big things to come are all taken into consideration.