Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • 7

mM We tell you what you need to know ahead of AirFest 2009. 33 TAMPA BAY LOCAL STATE BUSINESS tampabay.com Friday, March 27, 2009 IB Ju 0 mm mm Governments in the region are giddy over getting money to improve efficiency. Stimulus fund breakdown Funding is based on population and energy use. Region Funds our intersections changed out right now. I'd love to jack that up," Lee said.

"LED traffic signal conversion has a relatively quick payback." Hillsborough Cpunty could use the money to install solar panels on top of the old courthouse, now under renovation. County energy manager Randy Klindworth said the project would cost about $2.1 million and be capable of providing about half of the building's electricity. A portion of the money could also See ENERGY, 8B BY CRISTINA SUVA AND JANET ZINK Times Stuff Writers TAMPA A solar-powered county courthouse. Energy-efficient street lights and air conditioners. Uncle Sam has opened his wallet, and the Bay area is ready to spend.

The White House announced $23.9 million in stimulus money earmarked for energy efficiency and conservation grants for the Tampa Bay area Thursday. Hillsborough County was promised the largest chunk of cash, followed by Pasco and Pinellas counties. Tampa stands to receive $3.7 million, and St Petersburg could get $2.4 million. Thom Snelling, who oversees the Tampa's green initiatives, said he was doing cartwheels in the hallway when he learned Thursday of the appropriation. Tm thrilled to death," he said.

"We have a heck of a wish list, and quite a bit of it has to do with energy savings." Many of those projects would go unfunded without the stimulus money, Snelling said. Among them: replacement of 30-year-old heating and cooling systems at police headquarters and City Hall. Both projects could begin this summer and would create 50 jobs, according to city documents. Tampa public works director Irvin Lee said the money could pay for replacing incandescent traffic lights with LED signals that use up to 80 percent less energy. "We've only got about a quarter of $3.7 million $2.4 million $1.1 million $719,200 $215,000 $149,500 $7.7 million $4.2 million $3.8 million Tampa St Petersburg Clearwater Largo Pinellas Park Dunedin Hillsborough County Pasco County Pinellas County overs teste don'ifljf A defense witness says "rockets" he made to duplicate FBI tests didn't perform well.

"I '-v a a Youssef Megahed and a friend were stopped for speeding in South Carolina. BY KEVIN GRAHAM Times Staff Writer TAMPA A sugar rocket enthusiast pitted his experience and field testing against that of an FBI chemist and federal explosives expert Thursday in evaluating the danger posed by PVC pipes and chemicals recovered at the time of Youssef Megahed's arrest After the prosecution rested its case in U.S. District Court, one of the first defense witnesses was James Yawn, the Career Resource Center coordinator at Santa Fe College in Gainesville. Yawn also teaches a two-day class called "Rocket Science 101." He said building model rockets has been his hobby for over 30 years. He spent much of the day tes- tifying about his attempts to duplicate tests FBI experts did on replicas of the PVC pipes found in Megahed's car.

He was called to demonstrate that the chemicals in the car are commonly used to propel model rockets. The FBI had used the same material to show that it could be used as an improvised bomb. Jurors saw about a dozen short video presentations See MEGAHED, 3B DANIEL WALLACE Times Steve Fisher, 50, left, and Rose Figga, 44, install a portion of a new exhibit at Busch Gardens, celebrating the first 50 years of the theme park. Old costumes worn by the performers will be showcased, like a red belly dancer outfit from the 1970s. ParKs proud legacy gives Tiny ps heart eis To mark its 50th birthday, Busch Gardens displays five decades of park memorabilia.

f'7 I 1 Future unclear Owner InBev is mum on the company's plan for its theme parks. 7B Share your memories Go to links.tampabay.com to i upload photos and tell stories about Busch Gardens visits. Video animation Watch how the new 2 Heart attack victims can be stabilized for complex surgery. BY IRENE MAHER Times Staff Writer TAMPA A miniature pump, so small it can be threaded through an artery and placed inside the heart, offers new hope to critically ill heart attack and heart failure patients who have run out of options. The Abiomed Impella 2.5, is making its Tampa Bay area debut at the Pepin Heart Hospital at University Community Hospital.

It is a new type of pump that assists the heart's main pumping chamber to drive blood through the body. While it is in place for hours or days, a seriously damaged heart gets crucial time to recover. Or, BY MARK ALBRIGHT Times Staff Writer TAMPA A seat from the Python was retrieved from a coaster museum. The painted gremlins from the Gnome Village were scrounged from doorstop duty in corporate offices. The belly dancer costume came from a snake charmer now working as an accounting clerk.

Busch Gardens Africa put out a plea "for anybody with historic old memorabilia to bring it in, and people really responded," said Rose Figga, a design technician at the park. That memorabilia and more dug out of prop warehouses, backstage file cabinets and company archives go on display to celebrate the park's 50th birthday on Tuesday. The exhibit, whicn is still seeking unusual contributions, runs at least through the end of the year as part of Busch Gardens' lI device does its job at links.tampabay.com. 3 birthday celebration promotions. One of thousands' of locals who worked part time at Tampa's top tourist attraction as students, Mayor Pam Iorio kicks off festivities at a Monday media event She's handing over photos of her toiling in the Zagora Cafe and handling the mike as announcer on the steam-engine train.

The 100-foot memory wall traces in photographs, postcards and souvenirs the evolution of what started See BUSCH GARDENS, 8B it can give doctors time to perform procedures such as opening blocked arteries, which might otherwise kill the critically ill patient Dr. Reynaldo Mulingtapang, an interventional cardiologist with the Pepin Heart Hospital, says heart attack and heart See PUMP, 7B DANIEL WALLACE I Times The Anheuser-Busch corporate eagle topiary inside Busch Gardens in Tampa has been replaced by a brand-neutral butterfly. Watch for speeding golf carts More drivers are taking to Sun City Center streets in souped-up carts. Unnecessary 911 calls end wit Ei a trip to jail Evon Cavett, 43, was charged with misuse of the 911 system and resisting arrest HCC and Ybor's design rules The City Council seeks an attorney general's opinion on whether the college has to follow Ybor City design guidelines. 3B Deputy shoots man near school The man was carrying what appeared to be an assault rifle, a Sheriffs spokeswoman says.

It turns out to be a toy. 3B Correction Rebecca Aragon's Bad Hair makeover will air during Live with Regis and Kelly at 9 am today Thursday gave the wrong channel. 'He just took my beer' BY KEVIN SMETANA Times Staff Writer SUN CITY CENTER It was a year and a half ago when the driver of what resembled a red 1950s Ford pickup truck first got the attention of Deputy Rob Thornton. Positioned along Del Webb Boulevard with his radar gun in hand, Thornton checked for drivers who dared go faster than 30 miles per hour. His radar gun flashed 28, but there wasn't a vehicle on the road.

The old Ford look-alike, driven by Richard Mooney, was actually a souped-up golf cart In Sun City Center, golf carts can travel surface roads as long as drivers don't go faster than 19 See GOLF CARTS, 8B Police warned the woman not to misuse the system. BY ROBBYN MITCHELL Times Staff Writer TAMPA The 911 caller early Wednesday morning boiled the emergency down to one'slurred word: "beer." The 911 operator fielding the call asked the woman to describe her problem, and she went through a rambling description of some kind of argument with her roommate. The operator asked what the argument was about, "Beer," she said. Then elabo- To hear the 911 calls, go to links. tampabay.com.

rated. "He just took my beer out of my hand." The dispatcher said help was on its way. "Please hurry" the woman SKIPO'ROURKE Times Golf carts are allowed on surface roads in Sun City Center as long as drivers dont go faster than 19 miles per hour. Between 4,000 and 6,000 area residents own carts, a deputy says..