News & Public Affairs
Zero-energy home's cracker roots
07/23/12 Jon ButtsSustainable Living and Alternative Health Listen to this entire show:
Tags: zero energy home, efficiency, Venice, solar energy, solar power, Florida Solar Energy Center
Our first guest on today’s program is the director of buildings research at the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa. Rob Vieira talked a little about the history of FSEC and some of the projects he’s presently involved in. In the 1990 Rob took part in a Cracker Home design contest. Cracker Houses used innovative passive cooling techniques to keep them livable before air conditioning was available. Rob talked about the house orientation, porches for shading, high...
Be the first to commentWorld's Seed Heritage at Risk
07/23/12 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Monday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: seeds, Janisse Ray, GM food, corn, The Seed Underground, Monsanto, Irish potato famine, WMNF, Rob Lorei
Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I'm Rob Lorei. Coming up an interview with author Janisse Ray about her new book The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food. From the book's publicity release: "Part memoir, part botany primer, part political manifesto…[by which] even couch potatoes will be enthralled," (Publishers Weekly, starred review) Ray's informed and impassioned plea on behalf of seeds—and therefore our future food—is compelling and vitally important.
Seeds.
T...
Be the first to commentCould the Gun Violence in Aurora Colorado Been Prevented?
07/23/12 Robert LoreiLast Call Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Aurora massacre, gun violence, automatic weapons, Ladd Everitt, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Rob Lorei, WMNF
Good afternoon, welcome to WMNF's Last Call. I'm Rob Lorei. Coming up we're going to talk about the massacre in Colorado with Ladd Everitt who is communications director for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. In the wake of the shootings the Coalition issued a statement saying: "Reports indicate that the shooter, 24-year-old James Holmes wore body armor and was armed with two Glock handguns, a tactical shotgun, and an AR-15 style assault rifle. He also released some ty...
Be the first to commentTeen shot by Tampa Police leaves witnesses outraged listen
07/23/12 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Javon Neal, race, African-American, police shootings
An African-American teenage boy was shot and killed by two Tampa Police officers Sunday night in Tampa Heights. Police reports say sixteen-year-old Javon Neal was armed with a gun, but some witnesses are disputing that claim. Today some activists called on the community to demand justice for the slain boy. Life Malcolm said residents of predominantly black communities should think twice before calling the police for help.
4 comments“Because their way of solving our problems is leaving one of our...
Law enforcement agencies release list of road closures for Republican Convention in Tampa
07/23/12 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: RNC, Tampa, roads, transportation, St. Pete
Late Monday law enforcement agencies released a list of roads that will be closed and other transportation limitations in Tampa and St. Petersburg during August's Republican National Convention.
According to the document (which can be found below) many downtown Tampa roads, including the Selmon Expressway, will be closed for a week. Pedestrians will be restricted south of Brorein St.
Across the bay in St. Pete, many roads will be closed for several blocks around Tropicana Field for part...
Be the first to commentCity council member Bill Jonson and homeless advocate Sarah Snyder weigh in on Clearwater's new laws targeting the homeless
07/20/12 Lisa MarzilliLast Call Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Clearwater, Bill Jonson, homeless ordinances, Sarah Snyder, Pinellas County Homeless Leadership Board, homelessness
Good afternoon and welcome to Last Call, I'm Lisa Marzilli, joined by engineer Alvaro Montealegre. Today we’re going to talk about a set of laws unanimously approved by Clearwater city officials this week that specifically target the homeless. They range from tightening the city’s current ban on panhandling (adding more banned areas and replacing the current punishment of a fine with arr...
Be the first to commentTaxes and fluoride in the drinking water command debates from Pinellas County Commission candidates listen
07/20/12 Liz McKibbonWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Neil Brickfield, Charlie Justice, Janet Long, Nancy Bostock, Pinellas County Commission, Tiger Bay, 2012 Elections, fluoride
Three Pinellas County Commission seats are up for grabs in November. The Suncoast Tiger Bay Club met at the St. Petersburg Marriott Clearwater to size up the candidates in two of those races.The four contenders argued about taxes and fluoride in drinking water.
Incumbent Nancy Bostock says even though she typically has a ...
Be the first to commentConservation group wants Endangered Species Act protection for reptiles and amphibians listen
07/20/12 Olivia KabatWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: reptiles, amphibians, Henry Mushinsky, Center for Biological Diversity, USF, Endangered Species Act, habitat loss, climate change
Earlier this month the Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition to receive Endangered Species Act protection for rare amphibians and reptiles. The goal of this petition is to save 53 species across the country, 10 of which live in Florida.
Collette Giese is an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity who specializes in reptiles and amphibians. She says species like the Florida Scrub Lizard and the Apalachicola King Snake can only be saved if they’re protected under the Endan...
Be the first to commentGreenpeace Calls on Major Companies to Reduce Reliance on Coal and Chris Hedges Speaks Out Against Wall Street Arrogance
07/19/12 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Thursday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: coal, Christine Lin, Chris Hedges, Powell's Books, Goldman Sachs, On Coal River, the could
Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I'm Rob Lorei. Coming up today we'll look at two issues. We'll talk first with Greenpeace's Christine Lin about the showing of a film called On Coal River tonight at Sacred Grounds in Tampa. Greenpeace is trying to pressure large companies such as Apple and Microsoft to switch from coal-generated electricity to more sustainable forms of energy.
Later we'll listen to a talk...
Be the first to commentRepublican convention protesters unveil threats of violence against them listen
07/19/12 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: RNC, ResistRNC, Republican National Convention, Romneyville, terrorism
An organization planning to protest at the Republican National Convention next month is claiming they are the target of violent threats. The group ResistRNC has listed several quotes they claim came from direct messages to their website.
Most of the alleged emails warn members of the group not to use violence during their demonstrations. But Amos Miers, one of ResistRNC’s organizers, said some of them are nothing more than threats – like this one:
1 comments“It’s from Nick Athan and the subjec...
City Council weighing options for Occupy Tampa encampment in private park listen
07/19/12 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: RNC, 2012 RNC, Tampa, Occupy Tampa, Occupy Wall Street, Clean Zone, Tampa City Council, code enforcement
Some residents of West Tampa are trying to get the Occupy Tampa encampment to clean up its park. But this morning city staff told Tampa City Council that, while neighbors may consider the privately-owned land to be an eyesore, there’s not much that can be done. Dennis Rogero, the city’s director of budget and neighborhood empowerment, said when code enforcement visited Voice of Freedom Park, they found no violations that warrant a citation.
2 comments“We have found nothing that warrants a citation,...
Hillsborough School Board member April Griffin criticizes high-stakes testing
07/18/12 Seán KinaneLast Call Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Hillsborough School Board, April Griffin, FCAT, education, schools
Today on Last Call we talked about education with Hillsborough School Board member April Griffin.
There are four School board races on next month’s primary ballot, incumbents Susan Valdes, Jack Lamb, Doretha Edgecomb and Carol Kurdell face opposition.
We spoke about how the expected low turnout of a primary election might affect those races.
Griffin has been critical of high-stakes testing like the FCAT.
On Tuesday the board took shots at the way grades are passed out to schools ...
Be the first to commentPinellas and Hillsborough beach goers warned about high bacteria counts
07/18/12 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: beaches, Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, health
Update Wednesday 25 July:
Hillsborough County has lifted its beach advisory for all five beaches.
Update Friday 20 July:
After re-sampling these five locations, the Pinellas County Health Department has lifted its saltwater beach advisory for
Honeymoon Island, Dunedin
Sand Key Park, Clearwater
Indian Rocks Beach (1700 Gulf Blvd.)
Madeira Beach, Archibald Park
Redington Shores near 182nd Ave. W.
They have "received lab results with moderate or good readings...
Be the first to commentTampa's Romneyville is the new Hooverville for Republican Convention listen
07/18/12 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Romneyville, Hooverville, Occupy Tampa, RNC, Republican National Convention, homeless, poverty
Another activist encampment has popped up in Tampa ahead of next month’s Republican National Convention. Supporters of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign are slowly setting up a camp they’re calling Romneyville. Bruce Wright is leading the effort to make the area accessible to protesters and safe for people seeking refuge.
1 comments“A lot of the homeless community and poor people are going to be displaced and persecuted anyway during this time frame and so this is also a safe have...
TB Outbreak; Saving the Middle Class; and New Welfare Reporting Options for States
07/18/12 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Wednesday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: TB, Marc Yacht, AG Holly Hospital, middle class, Stan Greenberg, James Carville, free trade, productivity
Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. Coming up we’ll talk with Democratic Pollster Stan Greenberg about how to improve conditions for America’s Middle Class and we’ll talk about the recent reports of a tuberculosis outbreak in Florida. But first some listener comments about yesterday’s show. We had open phones. And the discussion largely centered on the economy. Here’s what two listeners had to say.Tape.
We’ll open the phones in a few minutes and take you calls- but first...
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