PLANT CITY TIMES &
Observer
High school teams spread holiday cheer.
SEE PAGE 12.
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. VOLUME 5, NO. 25
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2017
East Hillsborough stays red Lawrence McClure wins District 58 house seat, keeping it in republican hands. SEE PAGE 3
A night of nativities
YOUR TOWN
Over 500 nativity scenes are on display at St. Clement. SEE PAGE 7 Courtesy photo
Unity in the Community donated $30,000 to Meals on Wheels.
Meals on Wheels receives holiday donation Unity in the Community presented a $30,000 check to Meals on Wheels on Dec. 11. Meals on Wheels feeds 45-50 families in need a day and relies solely on sponsors and donations. Families are fed on an income-based level. Some pay $20 or $10 a month and others eat for free based on the what they can afford. The group is in need of volunteer drivers and George Newman, president of Meals on Wheels, said everyone in the organization is a volunteer and the entire budget goes toward its services. The group started in 1990 and has run off of the support from the community. Newman said Unity in the Community is its biggest donor.
Breanne Williams
AAA provided free giveaways for the final Strawberry Classic Cruise-In of 2017.
Breanne Williams
This scene from Northern Africa features a female astrologer in the display.
State Attorney holds community event at Plant City’s Church on the Rock State Attorney Andrew Warren held his final community workshop of 2017 at Plant City’s Church on the Rock. DANIEL FIGUEROA IV STAFF WRITER
Rena Frazier gathered chairs in the sanctuary at Church on the Rock, placing them in an oblong circle. “We’re having a community conversation,” she said, “instead of a community workshop.” Frazier, chief of policy and communications for the State Attorney’s Office of the 13th Judicial Circuit, was in Plant City Dec. 14 with State Attorney Andrew Warren for the last of the office’s quarterly community workshops. The SAO began holding commu-
nity workshops shortly after Warren took office in January. In Warren’s first year, his office held workshops across Hillsborough County, including stops in East Tampa, Wimauma, the University area and Plant City. Frazier said they’ve had up to 70 people in attendance at workshops and usually stream them live on the SAO Facebook page. The Plant City event had the lowest attendance with about 7 people, prompting the more intimate setting rather than the usual powerpoint presentation. Despite the low turnout, the SAO said the event was still a success. “We’re happy to talk to one person or a hundred people,” Frazier said. “It’s about opening up a dialogue with the community.” In addition to updates surrounding the alleged Seminole Heights killer Howell Emanuel Donaldson III, who is suspected of killing four SEE WARREN PAGE 3
AAA receives warm Plant City welcome The Plant City Chamber of Commerce partnered with AAA for the final Strawberry Classic Cruise-In of 2017. AAA offered free collectible event hats to the first 250 drivers registered at the event and passed out sling pack goodie bags to all attendees. There were also commemorative dashboard plaques for all cars and AAA offered a Royal Caribbean cruise giveaway.
SEASONED SATURDAY
Daniel Figueroa IV
State Attorney Andrew Warren stops by Plant City for a community engagement event.
Local church hosts vintage holiday event. SEE PAGE 8