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confederate flag

Tampa’s I-75 Confederate flag is one man’s mission

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Marion Lambert is unapologetic about the abundance of Confederate flags that surround him. A faded pillow with the flag’s print sits on the porch chair of his quirky urban farm in South Tampa, an area known more for craft beers and gluten-free brunch. He’s got a sticker with the red-and-blue battle flag and the words “I ain’t coming down” affixed near the shopworn light switch in the building that holds his farm’s free-range eggs. And in his barn, there’s a…

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Confederate flag to hang at City Hall in Florida town

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

A small Florida town plans to fly a Confederate flag at City Hall this week for Confederate History Day. Town officials in Belleview, Florida, say they’ve heard no complaints from residents who find the flag objectionable. The flag will be raised to half-staff Wednesday as part of a ceremony by a local chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Belleview, a town of about 5,000 residents, is located about 70 miles northwest of Orlando. Belleview Mayor Christine Dobkowski told the…

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Still no decision on Florida Senate’s ‘Five Flags Mural’

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

With work well underway on renovations of the Florida Senate chamber, there’s still no word on the fate of the decades-old mural that greets visitors to the chamber’s fifth floor public gallery. Senate spokeswoman Katie Betta said Tuesday no final decision has been made about the artwork’s future. This past October, Betta said the mural will be taken down because it’s showing signs of age, including fading and peeling. The “Five Flags Mural” also happens to depict a Confederate flag, which the Senate previously voted to remove from…

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Man arrested for punching anti-Donald Trump protester is an Air Force member

in 2017/Top Headlines by

A man captured on video kicking and punching an anti-Donald Trump protester at the presidential candidate’s rally in Tucson on Saturday is a member of the Air Force. Staff Sgt. Tony Pettway, a response force leader, is assigned to the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson and was arrested on Saturday on a misdemeanor charge of assault with injury. He works in security forces. The event in Tucson turned ugly when two protesters displayed offensive imagery in an attempt to…

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Confederate flag’s removal turns King Day into celebration

in Apolitical/Top Headlines by

Civic leaders, activists, artists and others are celebrating, marching and paying homage Monday to Martin Luther King Jr., marking the 30th anniversary of the federal holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader. In South Carolina, civil rights leaders planned a march to their state capitol as in past years when their rally highlighted calls to remove the Confederate flag from Statehouse grounds. The King Day at the Dome gathering began in 2000 with that call. Last July, organizers got their…

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Bill filed to create Florida Holocaust Memorial

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Coral Springs Rep. Jared Moskowitz filed a bill Monday to create a Florida Holocaust Memorial at the state Capitol in Tallahassee. Moskowitz’s HB 513 would direct the Department of Management Services to receive recommendations from the Florida Historical Commission on where and how to build a memorial within the Capitol complex honoring the millions of victims of Nazi extermination and labor camps. Moskowitz says the time to build a statehouse memorial is now. “Soon, we’ll have no live witnesses,” said Moskowitz by telephone Monday. The…

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Senate removes Confederate flag from official seal

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

In a surprise move, Florida Senate President Andy Gardiner on Monday brought up for discussion a plan to remove a Confederate flag from the chamber’s official seal and replace it with the state flag. The plan was adopted without objection during the first floor session of the third Special Session of this year, though not before several senators were caught off guard. “This is a very emotional, controversial issue; I understand that,” said state Sen. Rob Bradley, a Fleming Island Republican. “…I think symbols are…

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