All Tampa Water Department customers are eligible to receive a free rain barrel and a free Water Conservation Kit for attending a Hillsborough County Extension Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Rain Barrel Workshop.........here
Come out and join the Tampa Adventure Group as we meet up for our monthly rock climbing event on indoor rock climbing walls...........here
The city is trying to bring green to the Channel District. It is negotiating to buy vacant property at Washington and 12th streets to build a half-acre neighborhood park............more
This place has been closed for months. Why is the sign still on every night?
Pork Chops
The spill happened at 11 a.m., when a barge making for the Port of Tampa was having some difficulties with its propulsion unit and struck a tugboat pushing a barge. The waste oil poured into the bay from a fourteen-inch gash in the gut's side..........here
Pam Iorio’s top priority for her second and final term appears to be close to getting a shot at the voting public. On Wednesday, Hillsborough County Commissioners unanimously asked their county attorney to start drafting ballot language for a 1-cent light-rail transit tax, which would go to a referendum in 2010..........more
You get two scenarios: A honk with a thumbs-up or a honk with a middle finger 
A television station in the Florida Panhandle is not going to air a new variety show hosted by Ozzy Osbourne and his family because it contains profanity and adult content. The head of Panama City Fox affiliate WPGX says he watched a six-minute preview of "Osbournes: Reloaded" and found that the time slot for the show makes him uncomfortable.............WPGX General Manager David Cavileer
Former Florida governor Claude Kirk knows it isn't a good idea to accept rides from strangers and quickly realizes his mistake as soon as he does. The driver begins waving a gun while talking angrily on a cellphone to a diamond thief trying to kill him. The driver, it turns out, is insane and responsible for a string of gruesome murders. Not to worry: the car ride is fictional, and so is the dangerous man behind the wheel - but not Kirk............more
Meet Ann And Gerald
In 2000, with the last embers of his namesake punk-rock band finally extinguished, Joe Popp left Tampa Bay for New York City’s greener creative pastures. Joe Popp, the band — which included bassist Martin Rice and late drummer Jeff Wood — was perhaps the last local rock group to pack ’em in at venues like the State Theatre............more
Yes, my droogies, there was a time when having civic pride in Tampa Bay meant a whole lot. When we were innocent enough to care that Tampa was awarded the “All America City” designation. When the meaning of civic involvement was broader than just whining on a blog about local government.........more
Lynn Kessel's Table Scraps
“It’s time to call in the cavalry. Deliberations in Tallahassee may seal the fate of this beloved historical island. Letters and calls to legislators are needed now if we are to muster the support to
Back in the days before the Kennedy administration slapped an economic embargo on Cuba, Tampa shipping agent A.R. Savage & Son was at the forefront of a lucrative trade with the island. The Tampa area was a major supplier of cattle, and ships brought tobacco for the local cigar industry.............here
Pork Steak
A rookie police officer accused of slamming a 10-year-old boy against his cruiser for skateboarding in the street has received a two-day suspension and ordered to attend anger management classes.........here 
Socially-conscious and politically provocative music, talk, and info on street actions and needed resources during these trying times. Produced and hosted by peace and social justice advocates/activists.............here
Do Your Part. Make Some Noise. Light Up The Night And Keep Out The Darkness 
There are times when the sound of the gulls echoes just right; when the humidity, temperature, and strength of the breeze is just right; or when perhaps you see some little visual reminder; and, you remember just where you are, living on a peninsula between a huge bay and an even bigger gulf..........more
Opera Tampa Apprentices hosted by Sherrill Milnes presents The Opera Prelude Series: Faust April 2, 7 p.m.
Stan Good, is surrounded by clocks, watches and a tsunami of antique fans at his namesake shop on S MacDill Avenue in Tampa.........more
New York Yankees first-baseman Mark Teixeira stepped to the plate with a stickball bat and rubber ball in hand. In his first at-bat playing the urban game, Teixeira asked how many swings he would get. The crowd of players standing on an Ybor City cobblestone street Friday afternoon, in unison, yelled, "One!".........more
The very first community gardening group in Seminole Heights. Join in and grow your own too!...........here
Ropa Vieja
The election of a new president always gets the connection game rolling. And Tampa has its distant claim to Barack Obama via the Rev. Mike Young, a former Tampa pastor who conducted the December memorial service for Madelyn Dunham, the president's beloved 86-year-old grandmother.........more
The 40-something blogger founded the most-often-cited independent Tampa Bay news blog, Sticks of Fire, in Feb. 2004, and the site, without much financial assistance from advertising, is still going strong today with a stable of more than a dozen regular contributors.........more
There are as many types of tattoo enthusiasts as there are tattoo designs, and that is evident at the 10th Annual Tampa Bay Tattoofest. Held this weekend at the Double Tree Hotel, 4500 West Cypress Street, Tampa............more
