News & Public Affairs
Sex offenders anger Palm River neighbors listen
03/06/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Palm River, sex predators, Florida Justice Transitions
Hillsborough County commissioners asked County Attorney Renee Lee to explore how the county could help shut down a mobile home park for sex offenders in Palm River after several members of the community came before the Board this morning.
A nonprofit group called Florida Justice Transitions has been allowed to house nine convicted sex offenders in a mobile home park, much to the anger of local citizens.
Cindy Lamoureux of the group the Public Against Predators says it’s unacceptable. ...
Be the first to commentWhat a billion Muslims really think
03/06/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Religion
In the new book, Who Speaks for Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think? authors Dalia Mogahed and John Esposito use interviews from tens of thousands of residents of more than 35 nationas that are predominantly Muslim or have large Muslim populations.
Among the questions that Gallup poll posed were: Is Islam to blame for terrorism? Why is there so much anti-Americanism in the Muslim world? What do Muslim women really want?
Author John Esposito writes that Westernized advocacy of ...
Be the first to commentHot political topic: Separation of church and state
03/05/08 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Wednesday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Religion
The Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United For Separation of Church and State, joined us for this part of the conversation. He addressed the upcoming vote in Florida on whether a ban on gay marriage should be enshrined in Florida's Constitution.
Lynn says it elevates a particular religious doctrine, ascribed to by some but not all religions, into law. That, he says, is never good for freedom of religion. Lynn, an ordained minister, also addressed controversies involving Br...
Be the first to commentObama supporters react to Texas, Ohio results
03/05/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Election
The Tampa Bay O-Train is a group supporting the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama. They say that there were more than 40 house parties organized in the Tampa Bay Area to watch last night’s election returns on television that raised about $12,000 for the Obama campaign.
WMNF attended the house party hosted by Pat Kemp, who was elected to be a Hillsborough County Obama delegate if Florida’s contingent is seated at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Kemp is the wife of WMNF’s ...
Be the first to commentWill Tampa raise solid waste fees?
03/05/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio met with City Council members this morning to brief them on four of the city’s Enterprise Funds. They agreed to discuss a proposal by the Iorio administration that would raise fees for solid waste collection at tomorrow’s City Council.
The increased fees may be necessary because, according to Steve Daignault, Tampa’s administrator of Public Works and Utility Services, without any changes, revenue for the Solid Waste Department will dip below expenditures beginning thi...
Be the first to commentIs hyper-consumerism hurting our democracy?
03/05/08 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Wednesday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: consumers, Dr. Benjamin R. Barber
LAcitybeat.com says of our next guest: "In his new book Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults and Swallow Citizens Whole, (Benjamin R.) Barber argues that American youth culture has metastasized, infecting society as a whole with a bad case of Peter Pan syndrome, an induced childishness easily manipulated by ideologies of privatization, branding, and homogenized tastes.
This phenomenon of "kidults" and "rejuveniles" gathers steam even as the country's population sk...
Be the first to commentCrist upbeat in state's annual report card listen
03/05/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Economy, Charlie Crist
Last night Gov. Charlie Crist delivered his second State of the State Address in Tallahassee.
Even with lawmakers cutting more than half a billion dollars from this year’s budget and more than $2 billion from next year’s, the governor oozed optimism.
Aubrey Jewett is a professor of Political Science at the University of Central Florida. He said there’s something to be said for the governor’s style, but says there is no doubt that he will have to make hard decisions this year.
Be the first to commentHARTLine board reverses funding decision listen
03/05/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Transportation
Reacting to criticism, the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit agency, also known as HARTLine, today reversed its decision to use nearly $1-million on bus service instead of extending the Tampa streetcar line into downtown.
The $900,000 federal grant was originally intended to go toward extending the 2.4-mile streetcar line from the Convention Center to Whiting Street in downtown. Instead, the Hartline board voted in February to use the grant to buy another bus and increase service on Neb...
Be the first to commentDemocratic leaders react to "State of the State" listen
03/05/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Economy
Last night we aired a large portion of Gov. Charlie Crist’s State of the State Address. Immediately afterward, the Democratic leaders in the Senate and House responded.
Sen. Steve Geller of Halledale Beach reacted first. Geller said it when it comes to cut, everything needs to be looked at, not just reducing spending. He said these are complex problems, and can’t be solved by bumper sticker solutions.
Senate Democrats will oppose any broad tax increases, Geller said, but he thinks tax...
Be the first to commentGroups back alternatives to incarceration
03/04/08 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Tuesday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: prisons
Finn Kavanagh, vice president and regional director of Phoenix House, and Sara Romeo, executive director and CEO of Tampa Crossroads Inc. joined us to discuss an alternative to building more state prisons. It's being backed by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist.
Here's how The Florida Alchohol And Drug Abuse Association described it: "Florida finds itself in an untenable situation; there are not enough state resources to support the prison construction needed over the next five years. Today ther...
Be the first to commentSeniors learn money-saving ideas listen
03/04/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: consumer protection, South St. Petersburg, senior citizens
This week is National Consumer Protection Week, which highlights education about consumer protection. This morning at the Enoch Davis Center in South St. Petersburg, the Florida Public Service Commission offered a program geared toward teaching seniors how to save money.
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) is the state agency that regulates investor-owned utilities such as phone, electric and water companies. Dick Durbin is a regulatory consultant with the PSC.
“What we’re comi...
Be the first to commentConsultant: Now is time for third party candidacy
03/04/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday
Doug Schoen was a campaign consultant for more than 30 years, and has just published a book arguing for a third party presidential candidacy. The book, called Declaring Independence: The Beginning of the End of the Two Party System.
WMNF spoke with Shoen last week, and asked about his book, and how he sees the presidential race unfolding.
Be the first to commentBoard of Governors opposes amendment proposal listen
03/04/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Education
A day after a legislative committee approved a bill that could cut more than $90-million from state universities and colleges, the State Board of Governors announced today it will fight hard to stop a proposal to be introduced in the Legislature this week that the Board says will severely impact its influence and the quality of higher education over all in the state.
At issue is a proposed constitutional amendment that would strip the board of much of its power, including its authority to ...
Be the first to commentThe art of living deeply
03/03/08 Robert Lorei and Dr. Carol RobertsRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Friday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Tina Amorok
Today's guest is Tina Amorok co-author of Living Deeply.
Amorok is with the Institute of Noetic Sciences.
For more information, visit www.noetic.org.
Be the first to commentAffordable green home unveiled in West Tampa listen
03/03/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: green building, Pam Iorio, John Dingfelder
Today developers unveiled what they are calling Tampa’s first affordable green home. It’s located on Spruce Street in the Old West Tampa National Historic District.
Former Hillsborough County Commissioner Ed Turanchik is a partner with InTown Homes, the developer that built the home incorporating environmentally sustainable design elements. Turanchik said a green home like this would typically cost $600,000, but affordability was a priority.
Turanchick gave Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio a tour...
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