News & Public Affairs
BayWalk protesters demand free speech not corporate bailouts listen
10/19/09 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Baywalk, ACLU, St. Pete for Peace, Uhurus
On Friday night, over 80 free speech activists demonstrated at BayWalk to protest the St. Pete City Council’s decision to give away the sidewalk in front of that failing entertainment complex.
Two weeks ago, after an earlier vote where the City Council refused to give the public sidewalk away, the activist group St. Pete for Peace said they would not protest there for a year as a good-faith gesture. But following Thursday’s reversal by City Council, that group, as well as others including...
Be the first to commentNew political books at Tiger Bay Club listen
10/16/09 Joshua Lee HoltonWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: politics, State politics, Florida
The Tiger Bay Club of Tampa met today, showcasing two new books that are concerned with the lapse of integrity in today’s political system. Former State Senator Robert McKnight and Bill Williams introduced their latest books at the presentation.
McKnight was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1974. He was reelected to the House in 1976, and defeated two state senators to win a four-year term in the Florida Senate in 1978. McKnight talked abo...
Be the first to commentNuclear Regulatory Commission says planned Levy nuclear reactor has flaws listen
10/16/09 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: nuclear power, Florida Power & Light, Progress Energy, Levy County
Yesterday the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the design chosen for nuclear power plants at two sites in Florida is unacceptable because it cannot withstand hurricane winds. Two Florida companies are proposing to build new nuclear power plants designed by Westinghouse.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission wrote in a letter to Westinghouse yesterday that the design requires modifications before it is considered safe enough to meet reg...
1 commentsProtesters Will Gather Friday to Protest Private Sidewalks At Baywalk listen
10/16/09 Arielle StevensonWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Baywalk
Yesterday, the St. Petersburg City Council voted 5-3 to privatize the sidewalk in front of BayWalk. A fight broke out between two men in the meeting, and emotions ran high.
The vote reversed a decision made two weeks ago. Last week local activist group St. Pete for Peace, which has protested frequently at BayWalk, agreed to postpone any future protests for the next year, as a good faith gesture towards the city council. But when the council changed their decision last week,
St. Pete f...
Be the first to commentBroward County murder will not be tried as hate crime listen
10/16/09 Lisa MarzilliWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Craig Cohen, Scott Hall, Broward County Sheriff Dept., Cmdr. Rick Wierzbicki, Oakland Park
Craig Cohen was walking home from a local diner in Oakland Park, just north of Fort Lauderdale, last April when he was attacked by a group of men. He was pushed to the ground and repeatedly kicked in the head until his skull was crushed. Cohen spent the next six months in a brain damaged coma and died Oct. 7th, never having regained consciousness. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said this week it will not investigate his death as a hate crime, despite requests from the man’s friends an...
3 commentsThe Experience Of American Combat Soldiers In Iraq
10/15/09 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Thursday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Iraq war, surge, sanitized war
Good afternoon, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. Coming up a look at the realities of the war in Iraq with Washington Post writer- David Finkel. He’s written a new book called The Good Soldiers.
But first some listener comments about yesterday’s program. Yesterday we featured an interview with commentator Jim Hightower. At the end of the program we heard from Tim Curtis- a local organizer with Tampa912- who challenged what Hightower had to say- especially about single payer healt...
Be the first to commentTampa City Council delays vote on digital billboards listen
10/15/09 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: digital billboards, Tampa City Council
Tampa City Council today delayed a decision about allowing digital billboards in the city. It will hold a hearing and vote on a settlement agreement between the city and two billboard companies in three weeks. It also scheduled a December workshop on a proposed ordinance change allowing digital billboards.
Council member Linda Saul-Sena says the council should not feel rushed by the billboard companies.
Linda Saul-Sena: ...
Be the first to commentDan Gelber campaigns in Tampa listen
10/14/09 Joshua Lee HoltonWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Attorney General, state senate, State politics
One of the two Democratic candidates for Attorney General, Miami State Senator Dan Gelber, campaigned in Tampa today.
Gelber spoke about the economic and political challenges that Florida faces, and what changes he wants to see. Gelber harshly criticized the Republican leadership in Tallahassee. According to Gelber, the current economic hardship facing Florida is due to the fact that the state relies too much on the housing and development industry.
Speaking to a group of about 20 peo...
Be the first to commentJim Hightower on Health Insurance Reform, Afghanistan Escalation, and Banking Regulation
10/14/09 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Wednesday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Medicare for all, health insurance reform, Governor Rick Perry, Afghanistan escalation, campaign finance reform, health insurance lobby, credit default swaps
Our guest today is populist and former Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Hightower.
Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the book, Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go With the Flow. (Wiley, March 2008) He publishes the monthly "Hightower Lowdown," co-edited by Phillip Frazer.
Be the first to commentSupporters call for continued Florida Forever funding listen
10/14/09 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Florida Forever, Conservation, Pam Iorio, Bob Martinez
A host of supporters, including several former Governors, are calling on the State Legislature to resume funding for the conservation program known as Florida Forever. Former Governor Bob Martinez says that because of bonding, it will only take a small investment to fully fund the program.
Bob Martinez: “It is no a large amount of money. It’s $15 million to get $300 million. growth is paying for it by virtue of paying the documentary stamps. We know that last year was a tough year in ...
Be the first to commentTent City for Hillsborough County listen
10/13/09 Mark AndersonWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Homeless Hillsborough County
Early last year, the Catholic Charities for the Diocese of St. Petersburg began seeking approval to construct a camp for the homeless in Hillsborough County. The planned facility, known as “Hillsborough Cares,” would use a Church-owned 12 acre parcel to accommodate 250 residents in a combination of tents and wooden sheds, known as Casitas. The Hillsborough County Commission convened today in a land use meeting, to vote on whether or not to allow the homeless camp to proceed.
Today’s h...
Be the first to commentDavid Swanson on the Imperial Presidency
10/13/09 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Tuesday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Afghanistan War, health insurance reform, single-payer health care; auto industry, campaign promises, Barack Obama, impeachment, George Bush, Dick Cheney, Fox News
On the first part of today’s program we’ll hear from author David Swanson, who’s written a new book called Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union (Seven Stories Press; September 15, 2009). Swanson is a former communications director for Dennis Kucinich’s 2004 presidential campaign and a founder of After Downing Street, a group that charged the Bush administration was not honest with the American public regarding the reason...
1 commentsFord and Foster face off in St Pete Mayoral debate listen
10/13/09 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Kathleen Ford, Bill Foster, St. Petersburg mayor's race
The two candidates for Mayor of St. Petersburg faced off in a debate last night at the Palladium Theatre in downtown. Kathleen Ford and Bill Foster were asked about five categories: budget, crime, economic development, the Rays’ stadium, and what the organizers called “leadership style.” That’s a favorite criticism of Ford by her detractors, including the editorial writers of the St. Petersburg Times, one of the sponsors of the debate. In defining his leadership style, Foster channeled a favo...
1 commentsBill Nelson chastises insurance study on healthcare bill listen
10/13/09 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Bill Nelson, health care reform
Florida Senator Bill Nelson voted with all the other Democratic members of the Finance Committee, and Republican Olympia Snowe, for the health care overhaul bill.
Nelson used to be Florida’s Insurance Commissioner. He criticized the insurance industry’s report released Sunday night that claimed the bill would increase the cost of insurance to families.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office said today the full Senate will begin debate on this issue during the week of Oct. 26.
Be the first to comment2009 Bike Bash by the Bay listen
10/12/09 Joshua Lee HoltonWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Yesterday afternoon, South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers (SWFBUD), held their 4th annual Bike Bash at Straub Park in St. Petersburg. The event was intended to encourage an expansion of bicycling in the region, while raising awareness about safety and the benefits of cycling.
Rachel Van Slyke rode her bicycle to Tampa from Gainesville to perform at the SWFBUD Bike Bash this year. SWFBUD is a Tampa Bay coalition of eight bicycle stores and a legal team that are dedicated towards creati...
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