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Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
F. Dennis Alvarez, former Hillsborough chief judge, dies at 79
TAMPA — Frank Dennis Alvarez, who as Hillsborough County's longtime chief judge championed reforms that became staples of the local criminal justice system and helped the careers of many prominent lawyers, died Thursday at home in Tampa. His close friend, Simon Canasi, said Alvarez had been in hospice care. He'd received a heart transplant about 15 years ago and had experienced declining health in recent years. He was 79. 'He was an icon in the courthouse and a great friend,' Canasi said. 'There wasn't a place he could go that people didn't know who he was.' He was a man once said to know politics like a jeweler knows stones, an always smiling, always-hand-shaking statesman who genuinely loved people and the city that made him. Alvarez was born in 1945 in Ybor City. A son of cigar workers with Spanish and Italian roots, he grew up in West Tampa. He dabbled in politics as a kid, putting bumper stickers on cars in support of Sam Gibbons, the late Tampa lawmaker. He mused that he one day wanted to be mayor of his hometown. E.J. Salcines, a former Hillsborough state attorney and appellate judge, got to know Alvarez in childhood. They remained friends their entire lives. 'I'm sure that he looked up to me,' Salcines said. 'He always called me 'boss.'' Alvarez attended Jesuit High School and the University of South Florida. He was in his senior year of college when Salcines campaigned to be elected Hillsborough County's top prosecutor. At a North Tampa campaign stop, Alvarez chatted with his old friend, who asked what he planned to do after graduation. Alvarez said he'd thought about law school. Salcines encouraged him to take the admissions exam and apply. Alvarez became among the first in a long line of future Tampa lawyers to attend Salcines' alma mater, the South Texas College of Law. He began his legal career in 1974 as an assistant state attorney in Salcines' office. He later worked in private practice before running unopposed in 1980 to become a county judge. Four years later, he again ran unopposed for a seat on the circuit bench. In 1988, his fellow jurists elected him chief judge. 'He was an exemplary judge and lawyer because he took his oaths very, very seriously,' Salcines said. Alvarez led the judiciary as the county's population blossomed and its court system became more complex. Colleagues credited his ambition for the successes he had in the dozen years that followed. He helped create the first adult and juvenile drug courts, which aim to address the roots of substance abuse and allow defendants to avoid criminal convictions for low-level drug crimes if they complete a treatment program. It was a novel concept at the time. Drug court's success in Tampa drew national attention and set the mold for future problem-solving courts, like veterans treatment and mental health court. Alvarez also established a special division to address domestic violence cases and a 'rocket docket' to clear a backlog of juvenile cases. As a powerful judge, he occasionally turned up at the center of high-profile cases. He had a minuscule role in the O.J. Simpson saga, when a man in Tampa was subpoenaed to testify in the former football star's murder trial. Alvarez presided over a hearing on the subpoena. He also managed the hotly contested lawsuit over the estate of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Hugh Culverhouse. As the face of the local judiciary, he administered oaths to countless lawyers and fellow judges. He swore into office local legal giants State Attorneys Harry Lee Coe III and Mark Ober. As construction on a new court building began in 2000, Alvarez was among those who pushed to name the new facility for the late George Edgecomb, Hillsborough County's first African American judge. Four years later, the county dedicated the building at the corner of Twiggs and Jefferson streets the George Edgecomb Courthouse. His widow, Doretha Edgecomb, said she knew Alvarez as someone who understood fairness but also stood for what he believed, even if it meant standing alone. 'He was approachable. He loved the law. And I considered him a friend,' she said. Fellow public servants and politicians described Alvarez as man of steadfast loyalty, a confidant whose counsel was in high demand. 'If you are in a war, you want him in the foxhole with you,' former Hillsborough Tax Collector Doug Belden said of Alvarez in 2001. Though he enjoyed a good reputation, Alvarez's last years running the local courthouse became sullied as some fellow judges were mired in scandal. Controversies included allegations of judges raising campaign money for politicians, having affairs with bailiffs and snooping around colleagues' offices after hours. Amid the fallout, a state commission probed his handling of the misconduct, and a grand jury criticized his leadership. He was 55 when he announced he would retire after 21 years on the bench. He emphatically denied that his departure had anything to do with the courthouse controversies, saying he'd long planned to return to private life. A year later, he launched a brief campaign be Tampa's mayor, but the prospect that the court scandals would make for nasty attacks spurred advice to bow out. But there were other factors, too. He'd dealt with heart problems most of his life, undergoing bypass surgery when he was just 34. As he became a senior citizen, he needed a new heart. From a hospital bed in 2010, he told the Tampa Bay Times his health troubles made politics seems less important. 'You get here and you think, man, that doesn't even come into play anymore,' he said. A transplant that year gave him another decade and a half. He worked until the end. Alvarez's robust legal background and influence made him in his later career a much-sought mediator for civil disputes. He remained active in the community. He served as chairperson of the foundation for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay. He was an esteemed member of the Krewe of the Knights of Sant Yago, which seeks to preserve Tampa's Latin heritage. 'The city of Tampa has lost a wonderful person,' said Richard Gonzmart, the restaurateur whose family helped found the Krewe. 'There's so many young attorneys who will go on and practice because of his guidance and leadership.' 'He was one of my role models,' said Ronald Ficarrotta, who served as Hillsborough's chief judge from 2015 to 2023. 'He was definitely a mentor and someone I would call on from time to time for advice.' Chief Judge Christopher Sabella became acquainted with Alvarez in meetings of local government entities in his early career as a lawyer for the Hillsborough sheriff's office. The collaboration between local offices and the courts was something that Sabella said Alvarez engineered. 'I just hope all the judges are able to keep the 13th Circuit where Dennis took it,' Sabella said. Former Mayor Bob Buckhorn said Alvarez embodied, with his blue-collar roots, the values of the city's immigrant families and enduring loyalty to those who knew him. 'He rose to the highest ranks of the legal profession in Tampa, and his imprint on the many young lawyers that he mentored will ensure that his contributions will live on for decades,' Buckhorn said. 'He was my friend and I will miss him.'
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Jesuit High's class of 1975 holds 50th class reunion
The Brief The class of 1975 at Tampa's Jesuit High School recently held their 50th class reunion. Seventy percent of the class attended. Classmates regularly play golf together and tailgate at sporting events. TAMPA - The class of 1975 at Tampa's Jesuit High School recently held their 50th class reunion. 70 percent of the class attended. They say attending the all- boys high school forged friendships that have lasted 50 years. Classmates regularly play golf together and tailgate at sporting events. They issued a challenge to other Jesuit graduating classes to match their endowment that pays tuition for deserving students who can't afford it. Many have lived in the Tampa Bay Region their entire lives. They say changes to our area over the past 50 years have been unbelievable. What they're saying "I was born and raised in Tampa. I tell people that you come to Tampa every 10 years on the decade, you don't recognize the city, it changes that much," said Dennis Levine. The Source FOX 13's Lloyd Sowers interviewed leaders from the Jesuit High School class of 1975. Lloyd and photojournalist Kevin Carlson saw yearbooks and dozens of photos from Jesuit taken in the 1970's. Four of the leaders have lived in Tampa their entire lives and recounted their personal memories of how the area has changed. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How Phillies' Mick Abel found himself, raised his game and made the ‘little wins' big
As Phillies pitcher Mick Abel worked through the worst days of the worst stretch of his professional career in 2024, everything felt so big. He couldn't make the right adjustments each week because there simply were too many. 'I kind of put myself in a blender,' Abel said. 'Doing that for a full season helped me understand, 'OK, I need to whittle it down to the basics, just easy little things I can do every day to count as little wins that will eventually add up.'' Advertisement Little wins might be consistency with his routine, practicing each day in the offseason, setting realistic goals or taking care of his body via the training room, weight room or nutrition. These victories end up in his journal, where Abel tracks daily what he's doing well, what he could do better and how he can accomplish his goals. It's part of a routine that's helped Abel reorient after a difficult 2024 in which he lost his command, fastball velocity and, above all, himself as he slogged to a 6.46 ERA and 3-12 record across 24 starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. But in striking out nine and shutting out the Pittsburgh Pirates across six innings in his MLB debut Sunday, Abel looked confident and in control, resembling the pitcher the Phillies saw years ago when scouting him, a starter with stuff and poise out of Jesuit High School in Portland, Ore. One could argue the path to Abel's dominant debut started when he emerged sharper this season, walking fewer batters (3.7 per nine innings in 2025 versus 6.5 per nine in 2024) and striking out seven, eight, nine in early outings. It really started during an exit meeting. Abel shared a season's worth of perspective with Lehigh Valley and Phillies development and pitching coaches after his dreadful 2024. He needed to be more athletic. He needed to let things unfold naturally rather than obsessing over his mechanics and windup. He needed to be stronger. Those at the meeting agreed. The 23-year-old right-hander was paired with Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham in the offseason, regularly talking about his progress via Zoom and phone calls. Cotham wanted to be there as he hit the reset button, and to pose a challenge: Abel was no longer a prospect. It was time to become a big leaguer. 'So, like, what does that mean?' Cotham said. 'There's a higher bar. There's a bigger price you have to pay. Then you balance that out. What are the things that you're going to stand your ground so hard that you might piss me off on? Because if you're doing it your way and you're assertive, sometimes I want you to say, 'No.' That fire, it kind of leaks into things. Sometimes you just need to get irritated. Do it your way. So, that was a lot of it.' Advertisement It was contrary to how Abel, after being drafted 15th overall in 2020, approached his first few professional seasons, calling himself 'a little too much of a sponge.' He took comments about mechanical adjustments too seriously and literally. He would try to manufacture certain looks or feels. When Abel arrived in Philadelphia last Saturday, manager Rob Thomson told him, 'Come in here. It's just one start. Just go out there and be yourself, and have fun. Enjoy the moment.' It's cliche. But being himself is what earned Abel that spot start in the first place. He stopped overthinking on the mound and started embracing the moment. He simplified how he viewed the job. 'I'm a pitcher,' he said. 'I throw the ball. I try to get hitters out. I'm still going to throw hard. I'm still going to have really good stuff. That's just who I am, but it's just naturally letting it happen.' It was a perspective years in the making. Cotham posed a question to Abel during the winter: What's your attack plan for righties versus lefties? Twenty seconds. Go. Abel couldn't answer it initially because he would get so specific about what he wanted to accomplish. But Cotham helped him narrow it down, just as he helped Abel pare down everything he was thinking on the mound. 'He's actually thinking more but having less thoughts,' Cotham said. 'It's a more esoteric way of saying, simplifying the noise in your head, like, really batten down the hatches on what you allow in and what you don't. He's not allowing in a whole lot. He's decided he's the loudest guy in the room.' Abel also utilized the Phillies' mental health resources, in addition to his work with mental performance coach Brian Cain. He has worked with Cain for two years and always felt there was a connection between what they spoke about and baseball. But he zeroed in on what it was during the offseason: finding those little wins. Redefining his version of success. Simplifying how he viewed everything. During the offseason, Casey Weathers, now the Phillies' director of pitching development, interviewed for his job with the club. Abel came up in the conversation. What went wrong? What do you think he needs? How should we intervene? Weathers honed in on getting Abel moving freely, confident in his stuff and optimizing his arsenal. No grand plan, Weathers said — 'he wasn't super far off.' Advertisement They met for the first time at January camp in Clearwater, Fla. They spoke regularly at camp, Weathers telling Abel, 'Go out and be you, and you'll do good.' The coach quickly gained a better understanding of Abel: He was a fluid athlete who threw polished bullpens, on top of being thoughtful and intentional. Those bullpens have been one key to making Abel feel like Abel. During spring training, Cotham asked younger pitchers to talk through their bullpens — saying whatever came to mind, what pitch they were going to throw and where it was going. Cotham then could provide better feedback because he knew exactly what Abel was thinking. As the offseason progressed, Abel felt the dots connecting as he threw more bullpens and long tossing. It happened naturally. There was not one lightbulb moment, but a bunch of little ones. He was getting better. Now in Triple A, veteran catcher Garrett Stubbs tries to drive that feeling home during their bullpen sessions. He wants Abel to feel confident, reminding him of how good his stuff is and his ability to drive it through the zone during bullpens. Because, no doubt, Abel thrives in the zone. Sixty-two of his 84 pitches in his debut were strikes. He threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 22 batters he faced. Abel's fastball reached 99 mph on his first batter and 97.7 mph on the second before the adrenaline subsided and he settled in. He averaged 97.3 mph on the fastball and 96.2 on his sinker on the day, drawing a combined nine whiffs on the pitches — plus eight on his curveball. Abel didn't quite envision a debut like that when he redefined his version of success during the offseason. Executing pitches is how he measures himself now. Not numbers. Just execution. By those terms, he had a pretty excellent debut — something he'll hold onto for the rest of his life, he said. He wants to make it back to Philadelphia. The Phillies want him to continue to start, so starting in Allentown, Pa., it is. Abel, who has a 2.53 ERA in eight minor-league starts this season, will next pitch against Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday. In the meantime, he's focusing on consistency in his routine: the weight room, the training room, water bags on the mound, making sure his tempo is in the right spot, staying loose. Advertisement Tying a 78-year-old franchise record for debut strikeouts was pretty sweet. So was hugging family on the field postgame and sending them back to Oregon with a win. And the tough but loving reception in the IronPigs clubhouse after making it to the big leagues and doing that. But what might even be sweeter for Abel? 'I feel like Mick,' Abel said. 'It's funny to say. But I feel like myself, and it's a really good feeling.' — The Athletic's Matt Gelb contributed to this report.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Beaverton teen receives highest Girl Scouts honor for STEM work
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A high school student in Beaverton is receiving the Gold Award — the highest honor for Girl Scouts. Her award-winning project was focused on how she could get more girls involved in STEM. Isha Garg, a junior at Jesuit High School, was introduced to the world of STEM in elementary school, joining a prestigious club in fifth grade. 'It really opened my eyes,' she said. Joining the club ignited a passion, and Garg wanted to share that passion with the community. Garg currently is running a STEM club for girls in second through fifth grade in the Bethany community. 'I first didn't provide them with the book,' she said. 'Because I wanted them to experience hands-on activity.' The Girl Scouts helped get the project off the ground — Garg has been an active member of the organization since first grade. 'Girl Scouts supported me fully. They gave me all the resources to succeed,' she said. According to a report by the US Census Bureau in 2023, women account for only 26% of workers in STEM fields. Garg believes that can be changed by introducing girls to science earlier. At her club, young girls get to hone their skills in coding, chemistry, biology and forensics. While she appreciates the award, she says the real award is in the work itself. 'I really wanted to help girls as early as second grade…so they could have more opportunities, they could find something they love, and they could continue doing that in middle school through high school,' she said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘I never thought I'd see that': Why an American pope came as a shock
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Catholics across the world and in Tampa Bay celebrated the election of a new pope Thursday, but many said that joy was paired with surprise. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, born in Chicago, became the new pope Thursday. Tampa Bay reacts to election of Pope Leo XIV The Vatican announced Prevost, 69, will be known as Pope Leo XIV. Vincent Caruso watched the news unfold at Jesuit High School. 'We were watching the livestream, and when the white smoke came up, we all freaked out like, 'Oh, we have a new pope',' Caruso said. It was a moment celebrated across the globe, but especially here in the U.S. as the first American pope was picked to lead the Catholic church. 'It makes me feel special, because… we're similar,' Chase Pears said. 'We're from the same place.' The decision came as a surprise to many Catholics in Tampa Bay. 'I never thought I'd see that,' said Jesuit High School Assistant Principal Brian Greenfield. 'Excitement, shock, curiosity.' Greenfield explained that, he hopes, having a pope from the U.S. will have a positive impact on the nation. 'Hopefully in America, where we need a little more inspiration, faith inspiration, so hopefully this pope will enliven us, inspire us and call us to more,' he said. So why is everyone so shocked the new pope is American? News Channel 8 went to USF Associate Professor James Cavendish to find out. 'The United States is a world power, and to also have the pope from the United States seemed like it was just too much of a consolidation of global power for the United States,' he explained. But Cavendish said, in this case, he doesn't think that's true. 'It seems like he may have spent as much time outside of the United States than inside the United States, so he's very much of a global figure,' he explained. If you'd like to send Nicole a tip, you can fill out the form below. Submit a form. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
