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Trapnell kids Lincoln students get wet and wild take stage for Evening at Water Day. of Expression/Arts.
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gone too soon by Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor
Murder victim had Plant City ties Ni’Kosi Williams was manager at the local Sonic for five years and had gained a reputation as a responsible leader and caring friend.
+ Plant City YMCA to honor Banning The Plant City Family YMCA announced last week George Banning as the recipient of its 2014 Strong Leader Award. Banning will be honored at the 12th annual Strong Leader Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26, at the HCC Plant City John R. Trinkle Center, 1206 N. Park Road. After serving as a U.S. Air Force captain in the Vietnam War, Banning formed a real estate company, specializing in industrial and commercial real estate. In 1980, Banning partnered with Dave Thomas’ daughter and son-in-law to develop new Wendy’s restaurants in East Central Florida. In 1992, Banning and a friend bought Wendy’s restaurants in Lakeland and Bartow. Banning has served on the Plant City Y’s Board of Directors and sits on the United Food Bank of Plant City’s Board of Directors. He also has served as president of the Plant City Daybreak Rotary Club and as district governor of Rotary West Central Florida. Table sponsorships are available for $1,000 and include a table of eight. Individual tickets are $75 per person.
De’Nena Dempsey sat surrounded by pictures, flowers and cards at her home. She clutched the red Tshirt her son Ni’Kosi Williams wore to the Florida Strawberry Festival, when he was just 3 years old. She has kept everything over the years. She’s thankful she did. Williams was shot to death, along with Danyala Smith and Miranda Mims, over Memorial Day weekend. It was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Williams was visiting the two women at their Lakeland home,
when Smith’s brother, David, killed them. David Smith had a history of mental illness. He fled to Tennessee, where he died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after calling authorities on himself. When Williams didn’t return home that night, Dempsey knew he had been killed. The 25-yearold always called to say he was staying over. His family reported him missing May 25. Trying to come to grips with where her son was, or what had
happened to him, she prayed to God in her back yard. She needed a sign that he was gone and at peace. Within 15 minutes, a friend called and said that they had spotted Williams’ truck parked outside of his friends’ home. It didn’t take long for investigators to put the pieces together after that. Now, Williams’ little red pickup is parked outside of his family’s home. For five years, that truck also parked at the Plant City Sonic
Amber Jurgensen
De’Nena Dempsey knew something was wrong when her son, Ni’Kosi Williams, didn’t return her SEE WILLIAMS / PAGE 4 messages.
IT’S READ EVERYWHERE
+ Stage set for dinner theater Plant City’s Mystery Dinner Theater will return with a two-night run of “A Dangerous Night on a Desert Isle.” Shows will take place Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7, at HCC John R. Trinkle Center, 1206 N. Park Road. Doors open at 6 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 per person and can be purchased at the following locations: Sunshine State Federal Savings & Loan, 112 E. Baker St.; Regions Bank, 2303 Thonotosassa Road; and Holiday Inn Express, 2102 N. Park Road.
, 3&
This week’s winner is
Jasmine Hungerman
See her photo on PAGE 15.
A dream to start his own strawberry crop led Chiranjeet Baruah, a resident of Dibrugarh, Assam, India, to Plant City. He visited the community in May and brought a copy of the Plant City Times & Observer back home. Here he is in one of his town’s tea plantations. “I would like your readers to know about my town,” he said.
I
t seems Plant City’s sweetness can — and does — attract visitors from far and wide. The Plant City Times & Observer received a letter this week from Chiranjeet Baruah, who lives in Dibrugarh, Assam, India. “In 2012, I decided to plant a few
strawberry plants,” Baruah wrote. “Before planting, while researching for strawberry culture methods, I came to know of Plant City. Wikipedia informed me that Plant City is called the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World. As I delved a bit deeper, I was sur-
STAY COOL by Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor
City welcomes summer season with kickoff bash The city’s first event in Midtown will feature a movie, bounce houses, barbecue and more. As the summer temperatures climb into the 90s, Plant City is organizing a new event to not only welcome the summer season but also keep residents cool. Inspired by Disney’s “Frozen,” the city’s Summer Kick Off party June 6 will feature plenty of family friendly fun. The party will take place from
5 to 10 p.m. Friday, at the site of the future Midtown Parking will be at the old police department, and guests can enter off Collins Street, south of Alabama. Then, they can cross Evers Street to the area where the activities will be held.
SEE SUMMER / PAGE 4
prised to discover that my town and Plant City were almost on the same latitude, and there was no significant difference in elevation from the mean sea level,” he said. “Also, the average monthly high and low temperatures were very similar. Annual precipitation rate was, however,
IF YOU GO PLANT CITY SUMMER KICK OFF WHEN: 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 6 WHERE: Midtown, west of Collins Street and Alabama Street. DETAILS: Event will include a screening of Disney’s “Frozen,” free popcorn and frozen drinks, hula hoops, tug-of-war, arts and crafts, and more. INFORMATION: plantcitygov.com
about half of our town. Altogether, it seemed to me that, climatically, my town is very similar to Plant City, and, therefore, I felt I would get a roaring crop of strawberries. Unfortunately, that was not to be.
traffic pattern by Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor
Construction begins on S.R. 39 turn lane A turn lane on James L. Redman Parkway should be finished in about three months. A city project to construct a northbound right turn at one of Plant City’s busiest intersections began last week. The work at the intersection of James L. Redman Parkway and Alexander Street East began May 27, with the relocation of Tampa Electric
INDEX Calendar.......................2
SEE INDIA / PAGE 4
and Verizon utilities. The turn lane will help keep traffic flowing by directing it onto Alexander Street East. “The intersection fails the level of service at the peak hour for this intersection,”
SEE S.R. 39 / PAGE 4 Vol. 1, No. 44 | One section
Crossword...................15
Obituaries...................10
Neighborhood...............7
Sports.........................11
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