News & Public Affairs
Tampa Mayor Buckhorn says region needs transit options including rail listen
03/26/13 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Bob Buckhorn, Tampa, RNC, rail, transit, transportation
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn gave his annual State of the City address Tuesday morning.
He used the example of a squirrel causing a power failure at a water treatment plant last month resulting in a city-wide boil water notice to emphasize the importance of investing in infrastructure.
Buckhorn said Tampa Bay should be a region with a first class transportation system with mobility options.
“That means bus rapid transit, that means HOV and it darn sure means rail.”
Buckhorn also sai...
Be the first to commentMemorial for former Florida Supreme Court justice and Hillsborough County administrator Fred Karl listen
03/15/13 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Fred Karl, Tampa, Hillsborough County, KKK, Leroy Collins, education, Brown v Board of Education, integration
The memorial service for former Florida Supreme Court justice and Hillsborough County administrator Fred Karl was this afternoon at the Tampa Convention Center. Karl died earlier this month.
His son, Fred Karl Jr. relayed a story about when his father represented West Volusia County in the Legislature at a time that the KKK was active and Governor Leroy Collins vetoed a bill that would have closed all public schools if the state enforced the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown versus Board of Educa...
Be the first to commentSeminole Heights Walmart? Residents say no!
03/15/13 Janelle IrwinLast Call Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Walmart, local business, Health Mutt, The Refinery, Tampa, business, Seminole Heights
The City of Tampa has approved waivers for Walmart to build driveways at a property on Hillsborough Avenue West of 22nd St in the Seminole Heights neighborhood. Some local businesses aren't worried about the impacts to their bottom line, but residents say they'll shun the big box store.
Be the first to commentWalmart in Seminole Heights? Doesn't matter much to some local businesses listen
03/14/13 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Walmart, local business, Health Mutt, The Refinery, Tampa, business, Seminole Heights
Documents have surfaced that suggest Walmart might open a store in Tampa’s Seminole Heights neighborhood. But some locally owned businesses in the area aren’t sweating it. The big-box giant is feared in some communities for its propensity to put the little guys out of business. But Kendra Bailey, owner of Health Mutt on Central Avenue, said they can survive because they offer things Walmart doesn’t.
Be the first to comment“What we do is we have a niche product. I know that Cleanse also has a Niche product. ...
Tampa will celebrate Women's History on March 19 listen
03/08/13 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: women, Wome's History Month, International Women's Day, IWD, women's issues, Tampa, Tampa City Council, City of Tampa
The City of Tampa will celebrate Women’s History Month on March 19 at the Tampa Convention Center from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
On Thursday Tampa City Council member Mary Mulhern recognized the Women’s History Month Committee and their incoming chair, Jillian Howard.
1 comments"During Women's History Month we recognize the national theme: Women inspiring innovation through imagination. Celebrating women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Tampa strives to be a place of growth for fem...
Tampa City Council wants more solutions for pedestrian safety listen
02/28/13 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: biking, pedestrians, safety, traffic, Tampa, bicycle, Tampa City Council, Florida DOT, FDOT, Florida Department of Transportation, transportation, roads, transit
Tampa is consistently ranked in the top five most dangerous metropolitan areas for bicycle and pedestrian deaths.
A recent accident where a child was killed crossing a section of Busch Boulevard that lacks crosswalks prompted a discussion on safety at Tampa City Council Thursday morning.
Tampa City Council member Mary Mulhern questioned Debbie Hunt from the Florida Department of Transportation.
Be the first to commentUpdate on timeline of last week's water pressure failure and boil water notice in Tampa listen
02/28/13 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: water, City of Tampa, Tampa, Tampa City Council, TECO
Last Friday the City of Tampa lost power to a water treatment plant.
It caused a loss of pressure and a precautionary boil water notice that lasted until Sunday morning.
Thursday morning Tampa City Council members heard a revised timeline of how the problem developed from Tampa Water Department director Brad Baird, beginning with what happened after a squirrel chewed through a power supply line and the water treatment plant had to draw all of is electricity from a second power line.
Be the first to commentFlorida Senate committee puts domestic partner registry bill on hold listen
02/19/13 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Florida Senate, domestic partners, domestic partnership registry, LGBT, marriage equality, Steve Kornell, Tampa, St. Petersburg
A bill to extend some rights to domestic partners was put on hold Tuesday in the Florida Senate Children and Families Committee.
During public comment, St. Petersburg City Council member Steve Kornell asked senators to support it.
Some of the Republicans who oppose the domestic partnership registry bill said they support expanding rights, but this bill goes too far and is too similar to marriage.
The bill’s sponsor Senator Elanor Sobel, a Democrat from Hollywood, said she would brin...
Be the first to commentTampa officials break ground on renovation to old downtown courthouse listen
02/13/13 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: historic structures, downtown development, Tampa, federal courthouse, Le Meridian
Tampa officials broke ground on renovations to the more than one century old federal courthouse in downtown Wednesday. After a lot of debate over what to do with the historical structure, Mayor Buckhorn got the wheels rolling in 2011 by asking for proposals to turn the building into a high-end hotel. Today, Buckhorn is celebrating what will soon become Le Meridien.
Be the first to comment“I couldn’t be more excited. It’s been vacant and boarded up for ten years, at least. It is the most magnificent structur...
Callers aren't sold on need for new Rays stadium; mixed opinions on gun control
01/30/13 Seán KinaneLast Call Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Rays, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa, St. Pete, Tropicana Field, Hillsborough County Commission, Pinellas County Commission, guns, gun control, NRA
Where will Tampa Bay’s Major League Baseball team play a decade from now?
The team seems to be saying it wants out its lease of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg but wants to stay in the region.
St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster wants the Rays to stay in his city.
This week Pinellas County officials said they are open to the team considering regional options.
The Rays spoke with Hillsborough County Commissioners last week.
We heard from listeners about their opinions.
We also con...
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