Zach Railey Profile

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MAN ARRESTED IN BURGLARY, SEXUAL ASSAULT Deputies have arrested a man suspected of slipping into the home of a 57-yearold Palm Harbor woman around 2 a.m. Friday through an unlocked door, binding her hands, beating and kicking her Granado in the face with enough force to break bones, and raping her. Christopher Lee Granado, 40, of 706 Sparrow Ave., Palm Harbor, was arrested about 9 p.m. Friday near the Pinellas-Pasco county line. He was charged with sexual battery with intent to commit great bodily harm, burglary and false imprisonment. The victim’s adult daughter was also struck after walking in on the assault, Pinellas County Sheriff officials said. Granado was being held in the Pinellas County jail, with bail set at $500,000.

pinellas.tampabay.com

Sunday, July 27, 2008

CLW

Consolidate fire departments? For the sake of efficiency, fire chiefs and county officials appear to be more willing to compromise. BY LORRI HELFAND

Times Staff Writer

Two weeks ago, Pinellas County officials said full funding for paramedic services next year was in jeopardy because of Amendment 1. Last week, county commissioners solved the problem by voting to tap into about $970,000 in emer-

gency medical services reserves. With the bump from reserves, county funding for first responders next year is about $41-million, which is generated by a separate EMS property tax. Commissioners didn’t stop there. To make the system more efficient and less costly, officials

plan in coming months to review the first-responder program and EMS transports and start talking about consolidating services, interim County Administrator Fred Marquis told commissioners last week. And in October 2009, the county plans to terminate all the five-year contracts it signed with

Interim County Administrator Fred Marquis: A review and talks about consolidation are planned.

cities last October and renegotiate future contracts. Paramedics respond to medical emergencies from 19 fire agencies, and Sunstar Emergency Medical Services has an exclusive contract with the

county for its ambulances to take people to the hospital. The St. Petersburg Times reported in April that officials acknowledge that the current system of sending both fire-rescue and private ambulances to virtually every medical call is costly. Sending fewer fire units to minor medical calls could save up to $10-million over a decade, advocates say. The possibility of changes — especially the idea that fire .

See FIRE, 5

At age 8 his dad put him in a sailing class to keep him out of trouble, now this 24-year-old is …

CLEARWATER

Event for homeless needs 500 helpers Organizers of Project Homeless Connect are looking for 500 volunteers to participate in a one-day effort Sept. 27 to help those on the street and those in need. The one-day service fair will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Harborview Center, 300 Cleveland St. Its goal is to connect the homeless and others in need with professionals who can provide services such as medical and dental screenings; job and housing assistance and social, legal and transportation services. Volunteers must attend one of six training sessions prior to the event. Visit www. pinellasconnect.org for the schedule or to register as a volunteer. For information, call Betty Moran at the American Red Cross, (727) 446-2358. LARGO

Green Armada needs helpers, too If you’d rather volunteer for an environmental cause, the nonprofit Green Armada, along with the city of Largo and River Quest, is looking for people to help clean up the shores of the Largo paddling trail Aug. 9. The event is scheduled for 8 a.m. at the Largo Central Park Nature Preserve, 150 Highland Ave. SE, south of East Bay Drive and behind Everest University. Volunteers are urged to bring their own kayaks or canoes, but organizers do have 77 seats available on vessels for those who don’t have their own. All volunteers are asked to register at www.GreenArmada.org. To reserve a seat, call Joe Gonzalez toll-free at 1-800496-9161; press 1 for Tampa Bay, then 3 to volunteer. CLEARWATER

Saturday picnic celebrates cultures The city of Clearwater is hosting a multicultural backto-school picnic that will combine school supplies, hot dogs and traditional cultural arts into an exercise in community-building. The free picnic will be from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Glen Oaks Park, 1345 Court St. One of the goals is to celebrate the diverse population of the East Gateway District, which is between Drew and Court streets and Highland and Missouri avenues. The picnic will feature performances by Sundrummers drumming circle and the Folklorico Mexico dance troupe. Children’s activities will include the art of papel picado, or paper cutting, T-shirt tie-dying and games. School supplies will be distributed to children while they last and there will be drawings for prizes. For information, call (727) 5624047 or visit www.myclear water.com/eastgateway.

Courtesy of Zach Railey

Zach Railey, 24, who first learned to sail at the Clearwater Yacht Club, will represent the United States at the Olympics in China this summer.

Setting his sights on the gold BY JACKIE ALEXANDER | Times Staff Writer

I

n the U.S. Olympic sailing trials, there are only two options. ¶ Win or go home. ¶ At Olympic trials last October in Newport Beach, Calif., Zach Railey won, realizing a dream he first had a dozen years ago. ¶ Now the 24-year-old Clearwater native is in Qingdao, China, making final preparations to compete in the Finnclass sailing race on Aug. 9. Only the top American sailor in the Finn, a heavyweight single-man boat, gets an Olympic berth. Railey will face a field of 25 sailors from around the world, including 2004 gold medalist Ben Ainslie of England and current world champion Jonas Hoegh-Christensen of Denmark. Railey said a dozen sailors have the mettle to win one of the three medals.

And he thinks he is one of them. ••• Railey’s sailing career started at age 8. His father, Dan, said he was sitting in the chair of the family dentist. “What are the children doing for the summer?” dentist Pete Crawford asked Dan Railey. .

See SAILING, 5

Courtesy of Zach Railey

Railey, who is 6 feet 4, will go up against 24 other sailors on Finns, heavyweight single-man boats. He says he’s lost 20 pounds in preparation for the Olympics.

The race before the race Three Democrats in the August primary fight to run against Gus Bilirakis in November. BY RITA FARLOW

Times Staff Writer

A decade ago, during his first campaign for the state legislature, a volunteer came up with U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis’ slogan: Gus is for Us. It may not be the sexiest motto, but Bilirakis said he’s kept it because it speaks to his primary mission: remembering the con-

stituents back home each time he steps on the House floor to cast a vote. “I want to continue to live up to that because it means I’m fighting for the people in my district,” Bilirakis said. In the freshman incumbent’s bid to retain his seat, Bilirakis has name recognition on his side. His father, Mike, held the

seat from 1983 to 2006. But Bilirakis, 45, could have some heavy competition this year in U.S. House District 9, which covers northern Pinellas, western Pasco and suburban Hillsborough counties. John Dicks, 55, has caught the attention of Democratic Party strategists. First the former Plant City mayor will take on Tampa lawyer Bill Mitchell and Hispanic advocate Anita de Palma in next month’s primary. But Bilira-

Congressional District 9

Bilirakis (R)

de Palma (D)

kis’ name recognition — and the money he’s been able to collect — could prove to be the greatest hurdle for challengers in this historically conservative district. Based on the June 30 campaign reports, Bilirakis has raised $1.05-million in contribu-

Dicks (D)

Mitchell (D)

tions. Dicks has brought in $104,651 and loaned himself another $320,000. Mitchell has collected about $70,000 in contributions and loaned his campaign another .

See PRIMARY, 6