News & Public Affairs
Hillsborough activists organize to advocate for mass transit listen
01/29/13 Ella WindWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Transit, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Referendum
Pinellas County transit leaders recently sent a referendum for the 2014 ballot to county commissioners for a sales tax to fund light rail. Community leaders and activists from Hillsborough County met in downtown Tampa yesterday to plan a movement for mass transit in their county.
Thirty local activists and representatives from unions, environmental groups, city administration and others met to begin a plan for a political movement to demand that Hillsborough move forward with planning a...
Be the first to commentLabor unions hard at work at Pinellas HOPE on Labor Day weekend listen
09/06/11 Josh HoltonWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: labor, labor unions, Labor Day, labor movement, homeless, Homelessness, pinellas, Pinellas Hope, Pinellas County, Pinellas Park, homeless shelter, unions
Many Americans marked Labor Day weekend as a start to the football season, a day to fire up the barbeque, and enjoy a national holiday away from work. But the holiday began to honor labor unions that fought for 8 hour work days, a minimum wage, and an end to child labor. Last Saturday the executive vice president of the labor union visited Pinellas Park, calling on local labor unions to help some of Florida’s unemployed get back to work.
Many...
Be the first to commentPSTA approves rate hike for bus system for people with disabilities listen
03/23/11 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Pinellas, transit, PSTA, transportation, disabilaties, busses
Disabled bus riders who rely on Pinellas County’s on-demand bus system to get around will have to make a little more room in their budgets if they want to keep riding. The county’s transit board raised the system’s fares by 50 cents in what they’re calling a stop-gap measure to help deal with massive revenue shortfalls.
Pinellas Park activist Marshall Cook said he uses Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s Demand Response Transportation, or [DART](http://psta.net/da...
Be the first to commentTampa Bay area transit officials and business leaders hope to resuscitate rail listen
11/17/10 Kate BradshawWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: HART, TBARTA, Hillsborough County, penny transit tax, Mark Sharpe, Pinellas, Ed Turanchik, No Tax for Tracks
Looking to raise rail from the ashes of the November Second vote, Tampa Bay area transit leaders met at the Straz Center this morning to reflect on what they’ve learned. They discussed possible reasons the penny transit tax withered on Hillsborough’s ballot, and speculated possible strategies for its future success.
Officials say there’s no silver bullet that nails the reason Hillsborough County voters didn’t buy into funding rail, bus and road improvements with a penny from every dollar t...
1 commentsNina Hayden loses to Jack Latvala in Florida Senate Race listen
11/03/10 Jamie KidderWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: election, Nina Hayden, Pinellas, Democrats, Jack Latvala, 2010 election
Nina Hayden lost by about 19,000 votes in Pinellas and by around 17,000 in Hillsbourough, her district split between the two counties.
When asked about the possibility of running again, Hayden was vague about what was in store for the future.
When she called Jack Latvala, the winner of the race, to congratulate him, she made it clear that she wanted to stay involved with the community.
According to Hayden, Latvala expressed regret that money was so essential when running a campaign.
Be the first to commentGoodwill Is Looking For Some Good Guide Mentors
09/22/10 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Wednesday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: mentors, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Goodwill
Goodwill recently launched a teen mentoring program called GoodGuides. The program helps teens who face risk factors such as school failure and juvenile delinquency by pairing them with volunteer mentors -- caring people who can offer support and guidance. The goal is to encourage these young people to finish school and make choices that will lead to successful futures.
Unfortunately, the number of teens who want and need mentors currently exceeds the number of mentors. We're joined by Ste...
1 commentsPlanning 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 commentsFertilizer 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 commentLow-interest car loans in Pinellas listen
11/13/09 Andrea LypkaWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: car loans, family service centers, pinellas
Low income families can have a hard time getting back on track. But a Pinellas County nonprofit is trying to help them. The Ways to Work/Partners in Self-Sufficiency program offers low-interest car loans so that parents can keep their jobs.
When Phyllis Cahan- Gaines found a new job as a youth care worker in January, she needed a reliable transportation to get to work. The divorced mother of two was low on cash and the chances for her to get a car loan were slim.
“I felt a little hop...
Be the first to commentPinellas Living Green Expo
05/05/08 Jessica GlenzaWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: green, pinellas, expo, sustainable
Last weekend marked Pinellas County’s third annual Living Green Expo. Designed to raise public awareness about climate change and the availability of local green resources, the expo featured more than 100 exhibitors and vendors.
On Saturday the Living Green Expo hosted the signing of the Mayor’s Green City Action Accord, where 19 mayors gathered, committing to more sustainable practices. Pinellas County is officially the state’s first green county, and St. Petersburg is the state’s first ...
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