Links from the Times for April 1: After stand-off, house is empty

After 7-hour stand-off, surrounded house was empty
Pinellas deputies believed they had two armed robbery suspects cornered in a home Tuesday. They summoned the SWAT team and stood guard outside.After a stand-off lasting longer than seven hours, SWAT finally went into the home Tuesday night. The house was empty. It was unclear Tuesday how the suspects slipped away from deputies. | Video | Gallery

Mom of handcuffed kindergartener to sue Pinellas School Board
Four years after a video of police handcuffing a 5-year-old St. Petersburg girl made worldwide news, her mother has filed suit against the Pinellas County School Board. The suit accuses school officials of mishandling the situation when the girl threw a violent tantrum in class at Fairmount Park Elementary. | Story | Video

How will Tampa Bay's new watering rules affect you?

[The fountain in Hyde Park Village only operates from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Martha Rial | Times]

State regulators today approved new watering rules that could cost 347 jobs and $20 million in lost sales in the Tampa Bay area.

The new restrictions for Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties take effect Friday and run through the end of June. The rules reduce hours for lawn sprinkling; ban ornamental fountains, residential pressure washing and car washing; and require buildings that use water cooling towers for air conditioning to set thermostats at 78 degrees or above. Meanwhile, bookmark our new water crisis special report page for the latest water use restrictions for your area, as well as continuing coverage of the water shortage.

Florida's drought is hitting us all in some way. We'd like to know how these new rules will affect you personally, at your home or business.

Also, as new questions are submitted, we will attempt to update with answers at our water crisis special report page.

Pine Tree Night Heron spotted at Indian Rocks Beach

Mitch Clemmons of Glen Ellyn, Ill, shot this photo of a Pine Tree Night Heron at Indian Rocks Beach park.

What kind of Florida wildlife have you spotted lately? E-mail your photos to submit@tampabay.com with your name and photo details in the body of the message. Then view your photos in tampabay.com's Wildlife Photo Gallery and vote for your favorites.

You also can join tampabay.com's Community Photo Gallery and upload your own photos.

Your views: It's all about image for Scientology

An It's Your Times member, Gargy, writes about Scientology and its drive to spin the image of the church.

"Why did the struggling church just spend $40 million dollars on a gaudy, and very expensive, renovation of their Fort Harrison Hotel?" Gargy asks.

Why did the church over-react to the leak of the infamous Tom Cruise video? Their reaction did far more damage to the church than the actual leak ever would have.

"It's all about image."

Read the piece on It's Your Times and share your views.

Links from the Times for March 31: Murder-suicide in Largo

Murder-suicide in Largo preceded by months of conflict, family says
A man who shot three people and then himself this morning was in a months-long battle to evict the victims from his Largo home, his daughters and ex-wife said Monday.
Video: Murder-suicide suspected at Largo home

Green iguana hides out in Big Pine Key

Tampabay.com reader Glenn Jaeger shares this photo of a green iguana hiding out in Big Pine Key.

What kind of Florida wildlife have you spotted lately? E-mail your photos to submit@tampabay.com with your name and photo details in the body of the message. Then view your photos in tampabay.com's Wildlife Photo Gallery and vote for your favorites.

You also can join tampabay.com's Community Photo Gallery and upload your own photos.

Fewer potent pills go to youngest patients

[SpongeBob SquarePants freezes Robert Bartlett, 4, in his tracks. Diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder, he needs antipsychotic drugs, his mom says. Melissa Lyttle | Times]

Florida health officials last year began requiring doctors get approval before giving antipsychotic drugs to kids on the Medicaid program. That step prompted a seismic change. The number of prescriptions of these potent drugs to kids plummeted nearly 75 percent. | Special report: Pushing drugs to market

Links for Times for March 30: Did Florida trooper mishandle I-275 death?

Dark Highway: How did Kevin McGinley die?

FHP has released its own 10-month internal investigation of their trooper's mishandling of Kevin McGinley's death on I-275 in downtown Tampa 11 years ago.

• The Florida Highway Patrol's new 76-page internal investigation into its handling the of Kevin McGinley traffic homicide case. (PDF)
• The cover letter that Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Inspector General Laurence Noda sent to Hugh and Jill McGinley yesterday along with the new report. (PDF)
• Dark Highway: tampabay.com special report on the McGinley case.
  

Photo: Edmund D. Fountain | Times

Links for Times for March 30: Tampa Bay watering regulations

Graphic:  Ways to make your home sip, not guzzle, water

Every drop counts: Do your part to conserve water

Tampa:
City water rules
Partial recording of the restrictions: (813) 274-8032
Customer service: (813) 274-8121
Report suspected violations: (813) 274-8036, please leave a detailed message including location, day, time and type of violation.

Hillsborough County:
Water restrictions
Recording of the restrictions: (813) 275-7094
Customer service: (813) 272-6680
Report suspected violations: (813) 224-8993

Readers share MacDill AirFest photos

Thousands of airplane lovers crowded MacDill Air Force Base to watch planes dip, dive and tear through the skies at AirFest 2009. And tampabay.com readers shared some cool photos from the weekend event.

Bernard V. Moore II shared the above photo of an Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II, "more commonly called a Warthog, for obvious reasons," he wrote. "Looks hungry as it sits in the sun on the flight line at MacDill AFB."

Were you there? E-mail your photos to submit@tampabay.com with your name and photo details in the body of the message. Then view your photos in tampabay.com's Community Photo Gallery.

Eyes to the sky: View AirFest images by St. Petersburg Times photographers.