Eric Piburn was just 14 years old but had touched countless lives in the Bay area, becoming known as the “Kindness Warrior.” He had four open heart surgeries in his short life but always made it a point to spread his mission of spreading kindness and hope to everyone. Eric died in hospice care on Wednesday, and now supporters and his family have set up a fund raiser to help with expenses, with more than $15,000 raised as of Wednesday afternoon. You can donate here.
Carol Jenkins Barnett, heir to the Publix fortune and a philanthropist passed away Tuesday. The cause of death was complications early-onset Alzheimer’, which she was diagnosed with in 2016. Her memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church in Lakeland. Instead of flowers, the family is asking for donations to Bonnet Springs Park, a park founded by Barnett.
Cooler weather is here, and Duke Energy is letting customers know their bills are going up due to a rise in fuel prices. The utility company is offering assistance for person having trouble paying their bills with that information here.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said manatees are starving around Indian River Lagoon, so they will being supplemental feedings for a limited time. The seagrass they depend upon is disappearing, so FWC is working on a plan to assist the manatees. If you do see a manatee in distress or injured, call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
The Bucs Tom Brady has been named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year. It’s the second time for Brady who was with the Patriots for his first win. A statement from Sports Illustrated said “He is the best-ever practitioner of the most important position in his sport—perhaps in all sports. But let’s be clear: This award is not for lifetime achievement but based on Brady’s body of work over the last 12 months.”
Florida’s First Lady Casey DeSantis was at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa Tuesday to announce a $100 million dollar budget to fight cancer. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The new budget would be a 60% increase in funding.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor sat down with Tampa Bay Ray’s owner Stu Sternberg on her birthday Tuesday to talk about a new home for the Rays in Tampa. The proposed location would be in the old Kforce headquarters in Ybor City. The Rays still have a contract at Tropicana Field through 2027 and are still looking at the option of a split-season with Montreal. Sternberg says Major Castor is keeping that option open as well.
A patient at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa is the first reported case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant in the Bay area according to the Florida Department of Health. The CDC confirmed the case and said the patient had recently traveled out of the country and has mild symptoms.
If you placed bets using the Seminole Hard Rock’s Sportsbook app can you get a refund for money you may have lost? Possibly. A tweet from the Tribe over the weekend said “Player information and account funds are safe and secure, and the app will remain online for easy withdrawals via all payment methods.” But it may lead to litigation to get money back after the app was supposed to be pulled but was still taking bets.