News & Public Affairs
Atheists Not Happy With Council Prayer Vote listen
03/18/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: atheists, John Dingfelder, Tampa City Council, Religion, forced prayer, Atheists of Florida
The question over whether the Tampa City Council should stop praying before each meeting came to a head this morning. The council unanimously adopted an informal resolution to continue reciting prayer at the beginning of each meeting.
The debate that has raged at 315 East Kennedy Blvd. for countless meetings brought out preachers and atheists, who would have their say during public comment. At times the debate morphed into a theological discussion, with Christian leaders insisting on God’s...
Be the first to commentDespite Community Pleas, City Council Approves 150-foot Cell Tower listen
03/18/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: cell phone tower, cell phone towers, sunset park, John Dingfelder, Charlie Miranda, Gwen Miller, Mary Mulhern, Joseph Caetano, Tom Scott, Stacy frank
Earlier this week, WMNF reported on South Tampa residents who protested a proposed cell phone tower slated to go up on Henderson Boulevard. Earlier today, Tampa City Council took up the issue in a lengthy public hearing. When all was said and done, those against the project did not leave happy.
The tower will be more than 150 feet tall. It will stand near a bank, a doctor’s office, and the Sunset Park Condominium complex. And the council, despite the more than a dozen people spoke against...
Be the first to commentCommissioner Mark Sharpe speaks to Hillsborough Planning Commission listen
03/18/10 Rob PiccirilloWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Mark Sharpe, Hillsborough Planning Commission, Third Thursdays, TBARTA, Referendum, The Blueprint
“Patton was a great planner! And a do-er.” That’s what Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe says in his transit presentation called, ‘The Blueprint.’ WMNF’s Rob Piccirillo reports.
Yesterday the county commission approved language for a transit tax referendum that could go on November’s ballot. One of its supporters, Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe, spoke this afternoon to the Hillsborough Planning Commission.
Sharpe says he supports the referendum that will s...
Be the first to commentPlanning the future of mass transit in Pinellas County
03/18/10 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Thursday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: psta, Karen Seel, Tim Garling, light rail, Mass Transit, Pinellas
Yesterday the Hillsborough County Commission approved language for the November ballot that will ask citizens whether they want to raise the countywide sales tax by a penny on the dollar. The money would be used for transportation- roughly $0.75 for mass transit and 25% for road improvements. Frank Hibbard, the mayor of Clearwater spoke to the county commissioners about the importance of their decision.
Whether or not voters will approve the tax remains to be seen. But if Hillsborough buil...
1 commentsAre cell phone towers dangerous?
03/18/10 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Thursday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: cell phone towers, cancer, wireless internet, wifi, sleeplessness, fertility
Welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. On today’s program we’ll hear about an upcoming meeting in Pinellas County that will look at what kinds of mass transit will best serve the County’s residents in the future.
But first cell phone towers. They are a hot issue at school boards and local governments as some people are questioning their safety. 3.5 billion people use cell phones around the world. Those billions of phones require millions of cell phone towers. We’re joined now by filmmak...
Be the first to commentCastor reacts to Kucinich announcement and Grayson health bill listen
03/17/10 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: health care reform, kathy castor, Alan Grayson, Dennis Kucinich
In January, Tampa-area member of Congress Kathy Castor told WMNF she would vote against the Senate’s version of health care reform.
“I could not vote for the Senate bill. No, I could not vote for the Senate bill. But I think we're going to see some concessions from the Senate bill”
We spoke to her again today, when it looks likely the Senate version will be deemed to be passed by the House of Representatives later this week.
We began this interview by asking Representative Castor ...
1 commentsDecison on Bean Lee and Barnes delayed by Hillsborough Commission listen
03/17/10 Kate Bradshaw & Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Hillsborough County Commission, Mark Sharpe, Kevin White, Pat Bean, Renee Lee, Kevin Beckner, FDLE
The Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners has put off a decision to fire three top administrators. Commissioner Ken Hagan wants to get rid of County Administrator Pat Bean, County Attorney Renee Lee, and internal performance auditor Jim Barnes.
Commissioner Kevin Beckner wants answers to who requested emails to or from his office regarding a Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) investigation of raises for Bean and Lee.
But Commissioner Kevin White, who has been at odds wi...
Be the first to commentHillsborough County Commission passes transit ballot question language listen
03/17/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Al Higginbotham, Kevin Beckner, Kevin White, Mike Merrill, Rose Ferlita, HART, Jim Norman, Frank Hibbard
After months of debating how to ask voters to approve a one-cent sales tax increase to fund transit, the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners has approved language for the November ballot.
They were given three wording options. Option A left out the percentage of the revenue that would go toward public transit vs. road projects. B and C didn’t. They went with option C, which Commissioner Rose Ferlita proposed because of its structure.
Al Higginbotham was one of two commissioners ...
Be the first to commentFlorida's AG Threatens to Sue Federal Govt. Over Health Care Reform listen
03/16/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Bill McCollum, Bruce Jacob, health care, health care reform, US House of Representative, Dave Aronberg, Jay Wolfson, Agency for Health Care Administration, constitutional rights, Stetson College of Law
As the bill that would overhaul health care pushes through Congress, Republicans are fighting it on nearly all fronts. Today, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum reiterated his plans to sue the federal government if it passes.
Attorney General McCollum says that the both the House and Senate versions of the bill are unconstitutional. Why? He says they violate the Interstate Commerce Clause. Mc...
3 commentsCell phone tower protest in south Tampa listen
03/16/10 Rob PiccirilloWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: south tampa cell phone tower protest, Stacy frank, Tampa City Council, Todd Marks, Clearwire
“Stop the political favors!” That was the battle cry yesterday afternoon for some concerned South Tampa citizens protesting a 150-foot cell tower going up in Sunset Park. WMNF’s Rob Piccirillo reports.
A group of South Tampa neighbors and business owners gathered at a strip center along Henderson Blvd. to protest the city’s plans to locate a 150-foot cell tower at the entrance of Sunset Park. Bill Cook is spokesperson for Responsible Tower Placement of Tampa, who commented that “the cit...
Be the first to commentChild abduction prevention bill moving through Florida Legislature listen
03/16/10 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Children's issues, Florida Legislature
A bill making its way through the Florida Legislature has the goal of cutting down the number of child abductions in the state. Its author is Pinellas resident Carolyn Ann Vlk.
Advocacy website for Florida Child Abduction Prevention Act
1 commentsScience Cafe connects science with everyday life listen
03/16/10 Matthew CimitileWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
How is science experienced in everyday life? To answer that question, a science education professor held a "science cafe" at USF St. Petersburg earlier this month.
From medicines that cure illness to communication lines and satellites that transect the globe, routine days are made possible by science and technology. Science connectivity to everyday life is what experts cite as the importance of learning basic scientific principles, and was the theme of a discus...
Be the first to commentReproductive Rights Under Heavy Attack in Tallahassee listen
03/15/10 Lisa MarzilliWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Florida Planned Parenthood, Stephanie Kunkel, Charles Van Zant, Mike Fasano, William Snyder, Florida Legislature, Tenthers
Barely two weeks into the 2010 state legislative session and pro choice advocates could have cause to worry; this session brings with it no less than seven anti-choice bills. And according to one Tallahassee lobbyist, three of the most egregious are likely to gain strength.
Stephanie Kunkel is director of the [Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates](http://www.floridaplanne...
Be the first to commentMeek Campaign Manager Says Ballot Signature Drive is Amping Up listen
03/15/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Kendrick Meek, Charlie Crist, Marco Rubio, Maurice Ferre, 2010 Senate Race, 2010 Senate Primaries, 2010 General Election, Abe Dyk
As things heat up between Marco Rubio and Gov. Charlie Crist ahead of the GOP Senate primary, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek is the Democrat many expect will face one or both of them in November. But he has to get on the ballot first. Today, his campaign manager said Meek is hitting the home stretch.
Democratic U.S.Senate hopeful Kendrick Meek is taking a different route to getting on the 2010 ballot. Inst...
Be the first to commentHolistic Health Expo in St. Petersburg showcases alternative medicine listen
03/15/10 Joshua Lee HoltonRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Friday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Holistic, Health, alternative medicine
As Americans struggle to get essential health services many people are now looking to alternative approaches to pair with preventative care. Last Saturday, there was a Holistic Health Expo at First Unity Church in St. Petersburg where nearly a hundred people sought to look at their health on a deeper level.
Hand drummers, massage therapists, fruit smoothie makers and alternative-health businesses brought together the holistic health community last weekend. Ven...
3 comments
