News & Public Affairs
Mel Martinez on vice president choices listen
08/22/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Mel Martinez, 2008 election, Barack Obama, John McCain, Charlie Crist
WMNF Spoke with Republican Florida Sen. Mel Martinez, this morning, before his Senate colleague Barack Obama announced his choice of running mate.
Photo by Seán Kinane/WMNF (May 2008)
Be the first to commentAnderson focuses on Human Rights listen
08/22/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Rocky Anderson, human rights
Former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson was known as one of the most progressive mayors in the country. His second term ended earlier this year and he chose to not seek a third.
Anderson is currently president of the advocacy group High Road for Human Rights. WMNF spoke with Anderson last week at the Florida Conference of Cities meeting in Tampa. We asked why he has decided to focus on human rights.
“There has been so little done in this nation to help stop major human rights violat...
Be the first to commentSocialist Party candidate on Ohio ballot listen
08/22/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Brian Moore, 2008 election, 2008 Presidential Election, socialism
Hernando County resident Brian Moore is the Socialist Party USA’s nominee for president. Like candidates from other alternative parties, Moore has had trouble gaining ballot access. But in a major victory yesterday, a U.S. District Court Judge told the state of Ohio that Moore’s name must appear on the state’s ballot.
WMNF spoke to Moore by phone from his home in Spring Hill last night.
“…They should enable us to be qualified on the [Florida] ballot for the general election in November...
1 commentsMcKenzie accuses Rouson of receiving aid from pro-voucher group listen
08/21/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: District 55, Darryl Rouson, Charles McKenzie, 2008 election, school vouchers
Florida courts have struck down certain voucher programs in the past because the state constitution prohibits taxpayer funding from being used “directly or indirectly” to aid religious institutions. But constitutional amendments on November’s ballot could change that and the amendments have become an issue in a local race for the state Legislature.
The Group All Children Matter – Florida has sent out mailers publicizing the accomplishments of State Representative Darryl Rouson, who is runn...
5 commentsReport on 9/11 disaster released listen
08/21/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: World Trade Center, September 11
Federal investigators issued a report today concluding that fires brought down a skyscraper next to New York's twin towers on Sept. 11, refuting conspiracy theorists who have long believed that explosives somehow caused the collapse.
Scientists with the National Institute of Standards and Technology say their three-year investigation of the collapse of the 47-story World Trade Center next to the twin towers was the first known instance of fire causing the total failure of a skyscraper.
...
Be the first to commentMitchell campaign attacks Dicks' character listen
08/21/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Bill Mitchell, John Dicks, Anita DePalma, Gus Bilirakis, 9th Congressional District
A story that has hovered in the background in the Democratic Congressional race in Florida’s 9th District burst into the open five days before voters go to the polls.
Today, a man who claims he was the victim of financial mismanagement by former Plant City Mayor John Dicks 19 years ago, blasted the Democrat, calling him a "con artist." Gary Giridhar of Ridgewood, NJ, said he invested $55,000 with Dix when he was working as a financial advisor years ago.
Giridhar spoke to local reporters...
Be the first to commentChannelside residents balk over high taxes listen
08/21/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Channelside District, special assessments, HART, homestead exemptions
During the boom of the early part of this decade, new condominiums were built in downtown Tampa and the Channelside District at an rapid rat,e with the promise to new urban dwellers that they would be pioneers in a burgeoning part of the city.
But that’s hardly proven to be the case. The Tampa Tribune reported this morning that five developers have either filed for bankruptcy or walked away from projects in the area.
For those residents who did and still do live in downtown or Channel...
Be the first to commentWest Point grad blasts 'Endless Wars'
08/21/08 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Thursday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: War
Good Afternoon, Welcome to Radioactivity on WMNF. I’m Rob Lorei. Coming up, a former soldier and a conservative Catholic who is a staunch critic of the Iraq War and the easy willingness of the U.S. to go to war since World War II.
But first two listener comments about yesterday’s program discussing labor issues with several local union activists.
Our guest today, Andrew Bacevich is a conservative; he graduated from West Point, served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and in Southeast Asia ...
Be the first to commentTampa City Council discusses windmills listen
08/21/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Solar power, Tampa City Council
The Tampa City Council today discussed the issue of windmills and how high they are allowed to go inside the city’s limits.
City Councilman John Dingfelder said that the city should be looking at various sources of power, but his concern was that too many windmills could create blight or noise problems, and he wanted to see the city create an ordinance to regulate them.
Catherine Coyle with the Land Development Department said accessory structures are limited to 15 feet in height, and ...
Be the first to commentHillsborough suspends backflow enforcement listen
08/20/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Hillsborough County Commission, backflow valves, Confederate flag, affordable housing, water
At today’s Hillsborough County Commission meeting, the Board decided to temporarily halt enforcement of residential backflow prevention violations. Eight Sun City Center residents spoke in favor of the county suspending enforcement.
Many of the residents who spoke had received notices of violation because they do not have backflow valves that prevent the lake water they pump for irrigation from contaminating the drinking water supply. Expensive backflow pumps are required, even at houses w...
4 commentsUnion activists discuss labor in Tampa Bay area
08/20/08 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Wednesday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: unions, employee free choice act
Good Afternoon, welcome to Radioactivity. I'm Rob Lorei. Labor Day is coming up in less than two weeks and today we're joined by several labor activists: Robert Ray, president, West Central Florida Federation of Labor & member of IBEW Local 915; John Murphy, business agent, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 108, which represents employees of TECO and Johnson Controls & others; Mike McCoy, president, Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1593, which represents drivers a...
Be the first to commentHillsborough rejects offer from Calvary Church listen
08/20/08 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Hillsborough County Commission
In 1953, Hillsborough County deeded a piece of land on Fowler Avenue, just east of where USF now stands, to a church. According to the deed, ownership of the land would revert back to the county if it were ever to be used for something besides nonprofit religious purposes.
The church that owns the property wants to sell it to a developer and only give the county a portion of the purchase price, a proposal that was rejected by the County Commission today.
The property was purchased in 1...
Be the first to commentEmily's List Poll: Obama doing well with women listen
08/20/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: 2008 election, Barack Obama, John McCain, pollsters, women voters
The women’s Political Action Group Emily’s List has conducted a poll of female voters, and they say it indicates that Barack Obama has more support from women right now than the last two Democrats running for president.
Pollster Geoffrey Garin said he surveyed women from different generations, including those under 28 years of age.
Throughout the summer, the commonly expressed line has been that the public knows who John McCain is but not Barack Obama, and therefore he needs to reassu...
1 commentsBetty Reed defends her record listen
08/20/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: District 59, Warren Dawson, Betty Reed
Last night WMNF spoke with Warren Dawson, a Democratic candidate for Florida House District 59. Tonight we speak with his opponent, the incumbent, Betty Reed.
Reed has worked in education for much of her career before being recruited to run for the state House two years ago when she defeated Dawson and Hakim Acquil.
We asked her today what surprised her upon being elected to Tallahassee?
The winner of next week's Democratic primary will go to Tallahassee as there is no Republican see...
Be the first to commentHillsborough Dems lament their candidate in House race listen
08/20/08 Mitch E. PerryWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: House District 56, Lewis Larrichia, Trey Traviesa, Rachel Burgin
Last week, Tampa bay area House Republican Trey Traviesa stunned the Florida political world when he announced that he would not seek re-election in November.
The Hillsborough County Republican Party scrambled to find a new candidate for the House District 56 seat, and ultimately selected Traviesa’s 26-year-old legislative aide Rachel Burgin. She does not even live in the district, which includes part of South Tampa and large parts of eastern Hillsborough County.
Democrats should have b...
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