News & Public Affairs
Tampa City Council delays decision on electronic billboards listen
12/03/09 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: John Dingfelder, Tampa City Council, Billboard ordinance
Tampa City Council will put off any decision about electronic billboards until after the release of a federal report about safety concerns. In a workshop today Council member John Dingfelder said he was not pleased with a draft ordinance under consideration.
Dingfelder: "It appears that the industry sort of drafted this and handed this to the city as a, quote, compromise. It is a compromise of what? So I say that we should now take the reins and draft or continue in the process of draf...
Be the first to commentWorld Peace March comes to Pinellas on Saturday
12/03/09 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Thursday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: non-violence, World March for Peace
A world-wide event involving participants in 35 countries and on 4 continents that started in early October has now made it's way to the United States, and is coming this Saturday to Pinellas County. It’s the World March For Peace. It’s national spokesperson is Chris Wells.
Robin Saenger, Vice Mayor of Tarpon and Melissa Baird joined us for the second segment from 1:20-1:31PM.
See more at http://www.worldmarchusa.net.
Locally the event has been endorsed by the City of Ta...
Be the first to commentMedia reform/labor groups want Comcast/NBC mega merger quashed listen
12/03/09 Lisa MarzilliWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: CWA, Free Press, Consumer Federation, Comcast, General Electric, NBC Universal, FCC
General Electric and Comcast announced a joint venture on Thursday that will give the cable company eventual control of NBC Universal. Earlier this week GE, which already owned 80% of NBC Universal, agreed to buy the remaining 20% from French media giant Vivendi. Worth nearly $6 billion dollars, the deal would allow GE to create an entertainment joint venture controlled by Comcast, the nation’s largest cable TV provider. Media reform groups across the county are organizing to try to block ...
Be the first to commentCounty Commission moves forward on transit listen
12/02/09 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Hillsborough County Commission, Mass Transit, Transportation, Transit Referendum, public transportation, Rose Ferlita, Al Higginbotham, Kevin White, Jim Norman
Today the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners moved a step closer to letting the public decide if it will fund transportation. If adopted, the referendum would add a one cent sales tax to fund the multi-billion dollar transit overhaul, which would include light rail. The board passed the resolution 5 to 2. Commissioners Jim Norman and Al Higginbotham staunchly opposed the move.
Norman, challenging county staff on the feasibility of the project, reiterated his stance that this is ano...
Be the first to commentTampa Police denied pay raise listen
12/02/09 Concetta DeLucoWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: unions, Tampa City Council
As Tampa faces harder economic times, it seems Tampa Police are going to have to pay. After months of debate in deciding whether to give Tampa Police an annual salary raise, the city council came to a decision today.
In a 5 to 1 vote, the City Council denied Tampa Police the request for a pay raise this year. Councilman Joseph Caetano was the odd vote. The police union and Mayor Pam Iorio hit an impasse in negotiations this past summer. Iorio has argued against the pay increase due the de...
Be the first to commentBrooker Creek Corridor approved for Hillsborough County ELAPP acquisition listen
12/02/09 Joshua Lee HoltonWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: County Commission, land purchases, Brooker Creek Corridor
Today the Hillsborough County Commission voted unanimously to acquire nearly 1700 acres for preservation in the Brooker Creek Corridor, along with the approval of selling for bonds for environmental land acquisition. Proceeds from the bonds will be used to purchase environmentally sensitive land under the county's Environmental Land Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP).
After...
Be the first to commentNew report says oil drilling will harm Florida coasts listen
12/02/09 Lauren MartinezWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: oil drilling, Sierra Club
The 3 to 10 miles the Florida Legislature controls off the state’s coastline has caught the attention of oil lobbyists who want to remove the drilling ban. Environment Florida and the Sierra Club today held a news conference discussing their new report regarding this debate, [Oceans under the Gun](http://www.environmentamerica.org/home/reports/report-archives/ocean-conservation/ocean-conservation/oceans-under-the-gun-l...
5 commentsObama announces plans to increase US troop presence in Afghanistan
12/02/09 Robert LoreiAlan Watts
Tags: Afghanistan War, Taliban, Al Quaida, Northern Alliance, Pashtun, Tajik, Hamid Karzi
Last night the President announced plans to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, and at the same time he announced that the combat soldiers will not stay indefinitely; he'll begin withdrawing them in 2011.
Joining us now is Robert Naiman. Naiman is policy director of Just Foreign Policy and co-creator of the website http://NoEscalation.org, which enables Americans to track where their representatives in Congress stand on military escalation in Afg...
Be the first to commentState Legislature begins special session on rail transport
12/02/09 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Wednesday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: special session, Florida high speed rail, CSX, stimulus money, oil drilling near Florida's coast
Good afternoon, welcome to Radioactivity. I'm Robert Lorei. According to the Associated Press:
Be the first to commentFlorida House Speaker Larry Cretul has refused to delay a special legislative session that will conflict with the annual meeting of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators.
The Ocala Republican on Tuesday rejected a request by House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands of Weston to postpone the start of the session on rail transportation until next week.
The black lawmakers' meeting...
Obama escalates Afghanistan War listen
12/02/09 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Barack Obama, Afghanistan War
Last night President Barack Obama announced a plan to quickly escalate the war in Afghanistan. He spoke at the United States Military Academy at West Point before a national television audience.
“And as Commander-in-Chief, I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home. These are the resources that we need to seize the initiative, while building the Afghan capacity tha...
Be the first to commentEnvironmental groups want more protections from pesticides listen
12/02/09 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Linda Saul-Sena, Tampa City Council, pesticides, EarthJustice, EPA
According to the Tampa Tribune, Tampa City Council member Linda Saul-Sena wants the city to ban a type of pesticide. Saul-Sena wants Tampa to forbid the use of Curfew, made by Dow AgroScience, which is used to kill tiny worms on the lawns of city parks and golf courses. The pesticide, which contains the chemical 1,3-dichloropropene, has been banned in some northern states and in Miami-Dade County because it might contaminate drinking water.
In other pesticide news, a coalition of nonprof...
Be the first to commentFertilizer ban in Pinellas County listen
12/01/09 Mark AndersonWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: pinellas, environment
The Pinellas County Board of Commissioners met today to discuss a proposed new ordinance aimed at reducing nitrogen levels in the Tampa Bay area. The Board voted to hold a public hearing on January 19th, and took a step toward strengthening the ordinance during the meeting.
Environmentalists are concerned that fertilizer runoff is a major contributor to pollution in Bay area waters. The proposal is centered around controlling fertilizer use during the rainy summer months. Fertilizer...
Be the first to commentElectronic billboard moratorium in Pinellas listen
12/01/09 Mark AndersonWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Pinellas Board of County Commissioners
Today, the Pinellas County Board of Commissioners discussed a proposal to put a moratorium on all new electronic signs in Pinellas County. The commission will hold a second public forum on December 15th, prior to voting on the measure.
Some experts are worried that bright flashing electronic signs distract drivers and lead to crashes. The Federal Highway Administration is conducting a study on billboard safety, due in April 2010. Pinellas County administrators have requested a 12 month ...
1 commentsPalestinians fight occupation with nonviolent action listen
12/01/09 Doris NorritoWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Palestinians, demonstrations
In the Palestinian village of Bil'in, a heavy gate and thick coils of razor wire separate Israel from Palestinians living a few meters away. The small village has become a model and inspiration for a growing number of nonviolent demonstrations springing up throughout the occupied territories.
Each Friday, armed only with banners, Palestinian flags and a bullhorn, several hundred villagers are joined by Israeli activists and international supporters. Together they march to protest the wall...
Be the first to comment'Family of Secrets' - a look at the Bush dynasty
12/01/09 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Tuesday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: JFK, George W. Bush, military industrial complex
Good afternoon, welcome to Radioactivity. I'm Rob Lorei. Tonight President Obama will announce that he is sending an additional 30,000 American troops to Afghanistan. That news is disappointing to peace activists, budget hawks and others who thought he would begin to wind down the wars started by the Bush Administration in the early part of this decade.
Our guest today is investigative reporter Russ Baker, who's new book is *Family of Secrets: The Bush Dynasty, The Powerful Forces That Pu...
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