News & Public Affairs
Sink: Budget crisis may require special session listen
11/14/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Florida economy, sales tax, Legislature, Alex Sink
Because of the depressed economy, Florida is not taking in enough sales tax and other revenues to balance its budget. Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink is asking for a special session of the state Legislature to deal with the revenue crisis.
“We do have a key date coming up, a week from today actually, next Friday. The governor’s economist is required to come and make some estimates about what she sees the revenue coming in. So we’ll have some more specific numbers. And I think t...
Be the first to commentBlair considers filing complaint against Beckner listen
11/13/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Politics, Hillsborough County, Kevin Beckner, Brian Blair
Last week, Democrat Kevin Beckner soundly beat incumbent Republican Brian Blair to win a seat on the Hillsborough County Commission. This afternoon at the County Center in downtown Tampa, Blair held a press conference to call attention to what he called the Beckner campaign’s “blatant lies.”
Blair charged Beckner with crossing an ethical line. But in doing so, Blair may have crossed that line himself.
Flanked by his wife and a handful of county employees, former Commissioner Brian Blai...
Be the first to commentTampa City Council lukewarm on community garden listen
11/13/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Community Garden, Tampa City Council
An attempt led by Tampa City Councilwoman Mary Mulhern to get a community garden built in East Tampa was slowed down today at the Council’s Community Redevelopment meeting.
Last month, Mulhern convened a workshop on community supported agriculture, and at today’s Community Redevelopment Area meeting (CRA), she hoped to begin such a garden in economically troubled East Tampa.
Mulhern said she hoped the success of the Sweetwater Organic Community Farm in Northwest Hillsborough County co...
Be the first to commentJeff Madrick on the case for big government: Part II listen
11/13/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Jeff Madrick, government, politics
In former New York Times columnist Jeff Madrick’s new book, The Case for Big Government, he writes about the diminishing quality of life for most Americans over the past three decades.
“Some new evidence now suggests that relatively few Americans are able to rise above the socio-economic level onto which they born that was once the case.”
Madrick then asks: " Is this a national tragedy? The fact that many think this is not suggests an age of national limits.” Written before the c...
Be the first to commentLatinos vote in record numbers in 2008 listen
11/13/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: 2008 election, Barack Obama, immigration, Latino voters
Latinos in the U.S. took into consideration harsh rhetoric about undocumented immigrants, and that played a part in their strong support of Barack Obama in last week’s election.
That was the message issued by a group of officials in Washington today.
Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, a relatively new organization advocating for comprehensive immigration reform, said that has been a lack of political will by Washington-based elected officials. He blamed it on faulty ...
Be the first to commentTampa officials outline plan for dealing with foreclosures
11/13/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Neighborhood Stabilization Program, Hillsborough County, Tampa, mortgage crisis, foreclosure
The city of Tampa will get $13.6 million from a federal grant to purchase and refurbish approximately 100 homes in Sulphur Springs and West Tampa.
The funding comes from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, passed by Congress and signed by President Bush to deal with the foreclosure crisis.
According to new statistics issued today by RealtyTrac, Florida posted the third-highest foreclosure rate in the nation in October, with one in every 157 housing units receiving a filing. Foreclos...
1 commentsRuth talks about his years at the Tribune
11/13/08 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Thursday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: newspapers, downsizing, media conglomeration, Tampa Tribune, Daniel Ruth, layoffs
I'm Rob Lorei, welcome to WMNF's Radioactivity program. In the latest wave of layoffs, 18 employees were laid of this week from the Tampa Tribune. Among those laid off were editorial page editor Rosemary Guidreau, feature writer Phillip Morgan, and longtime columnist Daniel Ruth.
Ruth joins us right now.
Be the first to commentHaitan residents organize for Democracy In Haiti
11/12/08 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Wednesday) Listen to this entire show:
Good afternoon,
Welcome to WMNF's Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. Coming up today: we’ll hear how the jobs at a local auto plant are being shipped to Mexico. And we’ll also hear about an event this weekend organized by members of Tampa’s Haitian community to celebrate Haiti’s independence.
But first a listener comment about yesterday’s interview with Eugene Hairston, the Vietnam veteran who suffered from PTSD, who was homeless and who also had substance abuse problems. We heard the stor...
Be the first to commentVouchers get boost from ex-union leader listen
11/12/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Education, school vouchers, corporate school tax
A former teacher’s union leader is now a top advocate for school vouchers. Doug Tuthill was hired in August as president of the Florida School Choice Fund. That group raises money for the Florida Corporate Tax Credit Scholarship and gives vouchers to low-income children.” Tuthill spoke today at the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club in St. Petersburg.
When he was president of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association in the early 9...
Be the first to commentFCC Commissioner awaits new leadership listen
11/12/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday
Tags: FCC
FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps is visiting the Tampa Bay area this week as part of an extensive nationwide initiative the FCC has launched to increase awareness about the upcoming transition to digital television next February.
Late this afternoon, WMNF spoke with Commissioner Copps. We began by asking him if he thought the Bush Administration might try to push last-minute legislation through the FCC in its last days.
Copps will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting on the digital televisio...
1 commentsClark looks forward to new term on Pinellas School Board listen
11/12/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Pinellas County School Board, Janet Clark, Nina Hayden, Robin Wikle
In last week’s election, incumbent School Board member Janet Clark beat her challenger Jennifer Crockett by a margin of 53 to 47 percent. Today Clark discussed how she felt about the victory.
“I am very pleased and relieved. It was a tough campaign, I had a tough opponent. … I’m really looking forward to us going forward.”
Nina Hayden and Robin Wikle were also elected to the School Board.
Be the first to commentHillsborough GOP consultant reviews Obama shift listen
11/12/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Politics, Hillsborough County, GOP, David Storck, Mark Proctor
Last night we reported that Hillsborough County Republican Party Chairman David Storck will not run for re-election to his party post next month.
That has led to a number of potential successors, including GOP Political Consultant Mark Proctor. He’s thinking of putting his hat in the ring to run for the County Party Chairmanship.
Be the first to commentFormer NFL players and military hold joint fundraiser listen
11/12/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Gridiron Greats, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, NFL, football, health care
Over the past couple of years, many retired professional players have clashed with current players over pension and disability payments that the retirees have criticized as unfairly low, if they qualify for them at all.
In an effort to increase awareness of their plight, today that group announced a partnership with the U.S. Military Special Operations Community. The partnership will share in joint fundraising efforts for the former players, and for the group that pays for scholarships fo...
Be the first to commentSDAT tours Hillsborough River listen
11/11/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Hillsborough River, Hillsborough River setbacks
This week, a team of volunteers from around the country is assembling in Tampa to give advice on how the city can plan and design a more sustainable community. This afternoon, two members of that team joined a dozen community leaders and environmentalists in a kayak trip through parts of the Tampa along the lower Hillsborough River.
One of the participants is Mary Hooper, the mayor of Montpelier, Vermont. Hooper was just elected as a Vermont state Representative. She is part of the Sustai...
Be the first to commentGOP consultant says Obama team outworked Republicans in Hillsborough listen
11/11/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: 2008 election, Hillsborough County, GOP, Democrats, David Storck, Deborah Cox-Rousch, Mark Proctor, Sandy Murman
Hillsborough County Republican Party Chairman David Storck intends to step down from his leadership position next month.
Last month, Storck was involved in a controversy over an email he received from a volunteer regarding people voting for Barack Obama that was considered to have racist undertones.
April Schiff is a Republican Party political consultant based in Tampa. She says it's no surprise that Stock intends to leave at the end of his three-year term. She says the email was not h...
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