With an approaching rainstorm, the runners are on their way down Beautiful Bayshore Blvd in Tampa Florida. The temperatures were cool, but the spirits were high as thousands made their way to Macdill Air force Base for the turnaround point..........more
Fifteen of the area's pre-eminent middle schoolers gathered at Saturday's spelling bee at Admiral Farragut Academy to compete in the art of reciting letters from memory...........more
Mike Higgins brings the hose to his mouth and inhales one deep puff. He blows out, and a cloud of watermelon-flavored smoke floats, then dissipates above him. He leans back against the plush red couch, putting his feet on the edge of the coffee table where his hookah is gurgling..........more
On the front porch of a boarded-up bungalow in the shadow of downtown Tampa, a woman using a rucksack for a pillow and a thin blanket against the night chill sleeps on.........more
This event even has party in its name, Fiesta Day in Ybor City! This is the time to tear yourself away from the Tampa Bay area beaches and head over to historic Ybor City! It all happens this Saturday, and here are the details.........more
"It was the day of the inauguration," recalled the 37-year-old, who requested the use of her nickname instead of her real name, due to the backlash she's received from some not-so-pleasant animal activists. "I had been looking for a home for both of my dogs together for over four months. My house was in foreclosure, and I knew it was a bad time.".............more
Strong words from one of the greatest congressional douchebags of the last decade, but Tom DeLay blames Charlie Crist for Florida’s fiscal tanking...........more
Councilwoman Mary Mulhern Says the Iorio administration should adopt new policies giving locals preference over out-of-town firms on bids for good and services. "We need to change the way we look at the local economy," she said at today's council workshop. "There is growing consensus that local is what's going to save us."............more
In 2008, Big Brothers Big Sisters matched 2,250 children with mentors in Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties. With the economic downfall in the last year, it has left many more children, approximately 800 and counting, stuck on this waiting list........more
Sylvia Martinez-Hasque didn't have to travel 2,500 miles to Hollywood to experience the glitz of Oscar night. She stayed in her hometown instead, bought a VIP ticket to the Tampa Theatre's Oscar Night Party tonight and became a celebrity for the 30 seconds it took to sashay down the red carpet..........more
Thinking about running for elected office? If public service appeals to you, but you're unsure if you have what it takes to be a viable candidate and do what it takes to run a successful campaign, this workshop is for you............more
The Studio @ 620, 620 First Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida
Adam Putnam, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Tom Rooney, Mario Diaz-Balart, Ginny Brown-Waite, Cliff Stearns, John Mica, and Bill Posey...........here
It looks like the saga of Batman and Robin verses the Tampa Police Department may be over, for now at least. Batman was in court on Monday to face charges of wearing a mask in public and guess what? He won! That's right. There is justice after all............more
Please pass along to all family, friends, co-workers - spread the word and help find these two adorable labs a home. You never know who may want to adopt them or who may know someone that does.........more
At $18.95, the ticket price includes both the extensive Body Worlds exhibit but also, for a limited time, one standard IMAX® Dome Theatre film. You will want to make a day of it, as MOSI, the IMAX Dome and the Body Worlds exhibit are all quite robust, and you'll want to devote as much time as you can to each exhibit.........more
Major General George A. McCall wrote of his experience as a young officer working to open a military road from Tampa Bay to what is today Ocala in Marion County. This was the Fort King Road, traces of which can still be seen through central Florida's palmetto and pine forests...........more
Tampa's Federal Courthouse is making people sick, Florida Senator Bill Nelson announced today. Nelson surveyed the damage and declared the problem goes beyond malpractice. It was "bordering on criminal."........more
For the third consecutive year, Tampa BayCycle, an initiative that encourages commuters to cycle to work, school, for errands or play, will hit the streets of the Bay area, this year during the month of March, Florida's Bike Month...........more
Actor in a Leading Role: Mickey Rourke Actor in a Supporting Role: Josh Brolin Actress in a Leading Role: Kate Winslet Actress in a Supporting Role: Amy Adams Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire Art Direction: Changeling Cinematography: The Dark Kniight Directing: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
A very common occurrence in Tampa, that being the busted electric driver’s side window (the girl driving the car has the door open because the window won’t roll down due to an electrical failure)...........more
With 165 parks and beaches within the city limits of Tampa, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the temperate climate, sea air and sand between your toes. You’re not likely to miss a meal with the multitude of fine dining options before or after enjoying the exciting nightlife or fun attractions............more
Thousands of boaters might have to settle for fewer fishing spots after Hillsborough County Public Works officials issue a stern warning against boaters going under the dilapidated Friendship Trail Bridge..........more
This morning I ventured to the Hillsborough County Commission meeting to see what action the commissioners would take about extending the Upper Tampa Bay Trail seven miles and extending it to the Suncoast Trail. Don't hold your breath, folks........more
Last month, Hillsborough County's public affairs television producers taped an interview with former state Sen. Les Miller for a 30-minute program on blacks in politics..........more
Kathy Lovelace lost her job and was about to lose her house, too. But then she made a seemingly simple request of the bank: Show me the original mortgage paperwork.........more
Why would a Republican congressman potentially on track to be speaker of the House leave Washington for one of the lowest-profile posts in Tallahassee? Ask Adam Putnam, a political wunderkind elected in 2001 at 26 who stepped off the leadership path and launched a bid this month for state agriculture commissioner........more
United Citizens Action Network (U-CAN), a citizen-led government watchdog group, is calling for the investigation of Hillsborough County Commissioner Al Higginbotham and his aide, Jess Johnson, for their actions relating to the County Charter..........more
Since moving to Tampa, Florida five-and-a-half years ago, I've played tour guide to numerous family and friends seeking inexpensive family vacations. It's been a fun adventure to be a hometown tourist..........more
Hillsborough County Judge John Conrad today dismissed two misdemeanor charges Tampa police lodged against Walsh Ian Nichols when he refused orders to take off his Batman mask........more
The FBI has opened an investigation into the office of former Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson, hauling away documents related to a blistering audit that revealed Johnson had overspent his budget by almost $1 million..........more
Tampa Bay Water's 15-billion-gallon reservoir is about a month from being drained dry, a sign of just how dire the region's drought has become...........here
Just weeks into his presidency, President Barack Obama has moved right past the should-we-drill-offshore question and plunged into a new debate about how best to tap resources on the Outer Continental Shelf...........more