News & Public Affairs
In Tampa demonstrators rally in solidarity with Egyptian people listen
01/31/11 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Tunisia, St. Pete for Peace, Tampa
Egypt State TV says President Hosni Mubarak has sworn in a new Cabinet, following days of massive demonstrations calling for him to step down. An opposition figure, Mohamed ElBaradei joined protesters in Tahrir Square in Cairo yesterday. He called for Mubarak’s ouster.
The news network Al Jazeera English says six of its journalists have been released from custody, but their equipment was confiscated, after Egyptian authorities ordered their Cairo office closed.
Obama administration offi...
Be the first to commentHillsborough EPC reluctantly approves New Tampa bridge permit listen
01/27/11 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: New Tampa, Bruce B. Downs, overdevelopment, Tampa, Kevin Beckner, Victor Crist, Ken Hagan, wetlands
Despite years of public outcry from some local residents, the City of Tampa wants to build a bridge that would link New Tampa and Commerce Park Boulevards. The county board overseeing environmental issues gave the city permission to move ahead on the project today, but with some reluctance.
It’s a battle that’s been dragging on for about three years. The city of Tampa sees the bridge as a means of easing congestion on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, a New Tampa thoroughfare that can often look l...
Be the first to commentTampa Bay Water gets 90 million gallon/day permit listen
01/25/11 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Tampa Bay Water, SWFWMD, Southwest Florida Water Management District, water wars, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Odessa, water
The board that oversees water usage in the Tampa Bay area has granted Tampa Bay Water permission to withdraw 90 million gallons of water per day for another ten years. This means the area’s biggest supplier of water can continue withdrawing the vital resource from area lakes, streams, and the rich aquifer that underlies much of the Sunshine state. Today water manager Alba Mas told the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s governing board the agreement comes with several conditions. ...
Be the first to commentFour Tampa mayoral candidates talk about their visions for the city listen
01/19/11 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Tampa Mayor's Race, Bob Buckhorn, Dick Greco, Rose Ferlita, Ed Turanchik, Tom Scott, Arthur Richardson, Tampa
This year’s Tampa City election has a crowded ballot. Even the mayor’s race has six qualified candidates. WMNF spoke with several of them today about what kind of Tampa they want to see, both short term and long.
The local election season may not be as long and drawn out as that of last year’s midterms, but they do share one similarity. That is, candidates still have to grapple with the question of how to make Tampa competitive on the global stage while dealing with high unemployment and a...
Be the first to commentA Retired Marine Fights To Reveal The Truth About Water Pollution At Camp leJeune
01/13/11 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Thursday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Camp LeJeune, Marine Corps, contaminated drinking water, Jerry Ensminger, Tampa
Good afternoon, welcome to WMNF's Radioactivity. I'm Rob Lorei.
Our first guest is Jerry Ensminger who spent almost 25 years in the US Marine Corps. Part of that time he was stationed at Camp LeJeune, NC. Ensminger says he believes that his nine year old daughter died as a result of being exposed to contaminated drinking water on the base. In 1997 he learned of the contamination at the base -- long after his daughter had died. Now he's on a mis...
Be the first to commentBill Nelson: Florida will get $342 million more for high-speed rail listen
12/09/10 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: high-speed rail, transit, transportation, Lakeland, Orlando, Tampa, FDOT, Bill Nelson
Florida may be getting more money for its proposed high-speed train. And it’s thanks to some states rejecting the federal funds. Federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has told Florida’s Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Nelson that Florida will get some of the money rejected by Wisconsin and Ohio. Recently elected Republican governors in those states have said they did not want high-speed rail projects.
1 comments"Florida is getting an early Christmas present. We just got $342 million more for ou...
Local charity experiencing high volume of need, not donations, ahead of holidays listen
11/24/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Metropolitan Ministries, homelessness, unemployment, Tampa, holiday charity, poverty, food
Food pantries across the Tampa Bay area are experiencing shortages just ahead of the holiday weekend. One Tampa nonprofit is experiencing a swell of people in need this year, including former donors and volunteers.
The rows of donated non-perishables are set up like grocery store aisles. Here, those who’ve signed up with Metropolitan Ministries’ holiday food program weave their shopping carts throughout rows of cereal, pasta, and canned goods. Katherine from Tampa is poring over boxed grai...
Be the first to commentHillsborough continues talk of countywide panhandling ban listen
11/10/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Homelessness, Hillsborough County, Tampa, Panhandling
With no relief for rampant unemployment and underemployment in the Tampa Bay area, many jobless and working poor take to curbsides and medians in the hope that enough passersby will spare a dollar or two. Many see it as a hazard, which is why Hillsborough County is considering revamping a countywide ban on the practice. Today Tampa and county officials held its second workshop to kick around possible ways of curbing the practice.
Assistant Tampa Police Chief John Bennett says a recent ag...
23 commentsTampa City Council approves voluntary wellness centers for employee health care listen
10/28/10 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Tampa, Mary Mulhern, Charlie Miranda, health care, wellness centers, Pam Iorio
City of Tampa employees will have the option to attend a wellness center instead of their regular doctor under an agreement approved today by the City Council. The city’s director of human resources, Kimberly Crum, says the voluntary program will cut costs and improve the health of Tampa employees and retirees.
Be the first to comment"The benefits to employees include convenience, each visit they make to a voluntary wellness center will be zero cost payments as well as zero co-payment for generic prescriptions ...
Castor - new bill would pay seniors in lieu of cost of living increase listen
10/27/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Kathy Castor, Mike Prendergast, Social Security, seniors, Tampa, Florida Politics, 2010 election, Obamacare
Earlier this month, the US Social Security Administration announced that, once again, it won’t increase payments to seniors to reflect the rising cost of living. One US Member of Congress from Tampa is pushing for funds to help offset the increased cost of living for seniors – if it can escape Republicans.
For the third year in a row, the Social Security Administration won’t budge on the amount it pays out to seniors and others who rely on the system. US Member of Congress Kathy Castor sa...
2 comments