Shortly before 4 a.m., Blair pushed his 17-year-old son, Brett, in the chest at the family's home. When the boy tried to walk away, Blair grabbed him, punched him in the face and put him in a choke hold, making it tough for him to breathe. Then Blair turned his attention to his 12-year-old son, Bradley.He grabbed the boy by the throat and punched him in the head, leaving a mark.........here
Conservative powerbroker Ralph Hughes, who spent millions of dollars promoting his anti-tax, small government causes and his favored political candidates, died owing the federal government tens of millions of dollars in taxes, according to the IRS.......here
He aggressively supported county commissioners Jim Norman and Ken Hagan, as well as former commissioners Brian Blair and Ronda Storms.
The eight-foot alligator opens its jaws wide and hisses in the dark at Julie Harter, who takes a few steps closer and dangles a lasso just like the kind that rodeo cowboys use..........more
Other board members sat silently as Commissioner Rose Ferlita got up to ask a clerk to replay Beckner's opening comments over headphones...........here What Has Rose Ferlita Ever Done For Us?
Tampa's mayor has decided not to honor a controversial Muslim civil rights group this year. Mayor Pam Iorio said Thursday she made the decision after hearing from people who complained that the Council on American-Islamic Relations has ties to terrorist groups.......more
"He said, 'Well, if you're ever looking for a job, I could use you up here. That is, if you don't mind hanging with Democrats for a while,'" said Baker, a Republican.............here
Thinking about a vacation? Be sure to consider Brooksville, Florida In addition to everything else Brooksville has to offer -- three city parks, a nine-hole golf course, and "an excellent library" -- Brooksville can now assure visitors that each and every one of its city employees will be wearing underwear while on duty........here
E-mail pictures 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........here
Commissioners, Almost 80% of the VOTERS MANDATED you levy the one-cent tax to buy land through ELAPP. You have no decision-making on this issue…you have a mandate from the voters. We recognize, and you should too, that this land preservation program is the best growth management tool you have in this county. The decision is out of your hands – JUST DO IT! Trust me, if you don’t listen to what your VOTERS have asked, when election time comes we will remember.
Residents of this contentious beach community in attendance at Sunday’s Tampa Bay Rays game against the Washington Nationals were surprised to see a former commissioner standing with a group of beach mayors on the field.........more
The recession is hurting U.S. cities at "radically varying levels," which will lead to an uneven economic recovery, according to a new study by the Brookings Institution.......here Via....Tim In Tampa
I had my own concerns with two of her minions getting these raises. Lucia Garsys is listed in the Times article as a “former planner,” yet she makes even more money than the head of The Planning Commission. How can Bean justify this, and more importantly how can Commissioners let her get away with this? Especially with elections nearing?........Kevin Beckner
Two dozen Yorkshire Terriers will go up for adoption Thursday at Hillsborough Animal Services. The dogs were confiscated from a suspected puppy mill being run by a mother and son out of two locations in Seffner and Tampa..........here
In keeping with the growing worldwide celebration of Juneteenth, WMNF is, in its second year, embarking on pre-empting its regular broadcast to provide a full day of African American programming on Friday, June 19, 2009 commencing at 4:00 AM until 6:00 AM on Saturday, June 20, 2009..........here
I wasn’t the only one that thought something smelled funny about this Cone Ranch deal, a recent proposal by
Commissioner Ken “Half Truth” Hagan
(to subdivide and sell public land to private investors) and in the process serve up millions to Republican donors for brokering the deal..........here
These words were written in 2004. I see the same things happening now that have happened the last few years in our party. It angers me and it saddens me. Those who spoke truth are seldom heard, and those who push a rather pandering sort of middle ground get all the attention...........madfloridian
The federal probe of former Hillsborough Elections Supervisor Buddy Johnson led agents two months ago to the chic, South Tampa offices of Schifino Lee Advertising & Branding.......here The contract signed by Johnson and one of the firm's presidents, Ben Lee, limited the firm to no more than $40,000 of work. Yet the company billed taxpayers $643,016
The Club for Growth, the bane of Republican moderates, takes another shot at Florida GOP Gov. Charlie Crist, this time nominating him for its May "Comrade of the Month" Award........here
Is Rose Ferlita, current Hillsborough County Commissioner, and maybe a Tampa Mayoral candidate of the future, an anti-railer trying to sneak under the wire and gain Tampa's top spot, potentially undoing everything the current Mayor Pam has worked so hard for?...........here
Congratulations to the residents of FishHawk Ranch, on becoming the first green certified community in Hillsborough County and the largest in the Tampa Bay area...........here