PLANT CITY TIMES &
Observer
Mike Thomas emerges with gold titles
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 4, NO. 17
FREE
SEE PAGE 12 •
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016
HEAD TO THE POLLS Are you undecided? Have you heard about the voting hoax? How are polls being monitored?
Tuesday, Nov. 8, is Election Day. As of press time, 286,525 people have voted early in Hillsborough County. In Plant City, 8,210 people have marked their ballots at Bruton Memorial Library. TO SEE WHICH CANDIDATES AND ISSUES ARE ON THE BALLOT AND MORE ABOUT THIS YEAR’S ELECTION PROCESS GO TO PAGE 3.
YOUR TOWN
Courtesy photos
On Fire American Heritage Girls Troop 1107 visited Plant City Fire Rescue Tuesday, Oct. 11. The troop, based out of Plant City’s GracePoint Church, visited Plant City Fire Station 1 on Alexander Street. Capt. Vinnie Probst gave the girls and their families a tour of the station and answered questions about what it’s like to be a first responder. “American Heritage Troop 1107 would like to thank all first responders and send their prayers out to them as they go about the important business of protecting us each day,” Troop leader Jacki Hooker said.
Courtesy Photo
Cliff Brown conceptualized Redemption in 2015, and the band began performing in 2016.
Set for the Holidays Frank Cummings, operator of Walden Lake Car Wash, won over $800 of gift cards from area businesses at the Daybreak Rotary Club’s Country Cracker Feast. The feast is a fundraiser for the United Food Bank of Plant City. The gift cards were part of a raffle; tickets were $5.
‘When will we realize that people are more than
colors?’ Fighting hunger with art Students make bowls for food bank fundraiser PAGE 7
Plant City musician Cliff Brown wants to draw people together during Election Day with his new band’s first single.
CASEY JEANITE STAFF INTERN
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edemption, a Christian reggae band, will release its first single, “Color Blind,” Monday, Nov. 7, in time for Election Day. “It is a reminder to all, the urgency of coming together as one nation, one people and choosing to love our neighbor as we love ourself,” the band said in a release. From beating Congo drums and a lively horn section to light and subtle keys, the band said “Color Blind” offers a musical solution to social injustices facing many AfricanAmericans. “We’re not just black, we’re not just white, we’re not just Hispanic and Asian, we’re human,” Redemption’s vocalist and songwriter Cliff Brown said. Redemption organizes events with the NAACP and a number of local charities and churches. Breaking away from producing music solely to worship, “Color Blind” aims to motivate listeners. “It starts with learning how to love each other, learning how to walk and SEE PAGE 8