News & Public Affairs
Backyard drilling may be coming soon to a Naples neighborhood; residents fear fracking listen
06/10/13 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Monday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Naples, fracking, hydraulic fracturing, oil, drilling, Preserve our Paradise
A Texas-based company has filed an application with the state to drill just outside a residential neighborhood in Naples. People who live in the Golden Gate Estates neighborhood in Collier County want the project moved out of their backyard. Jaime Duran owns the closest home to the proposed oil and natural gas well. He said he and his wife knew nothing of the proposal until they received a letter asking them for household information.
1 comments“She told us that they were putting together a conting...
Some of Hillsborough's 2,225 homeless receive assistance at annual veterans outreach event listen
06/07/13 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: homeless, homeless coalition, poverty, Hillsborough County
Volunteers from all over the state joined forces today to help struggling Hillsborough County residents get off the streets. As many as 400 homeless veterans and civilians had access to services from more than 30 agencies during an annual outreach event in Tampa today.
Edi Erb is the development manager for the Hillsborough Homeless Coalition. Erb was one of the lead organizers of the annual Stand Down and Health Fair at the Hyde Park United Methodist Church.
Be the first to comment“This is our annual Stand ...
Poynter Institute hosts Tedx event on the future of journalism listen
06/07/13 Samuel JohnsonWMNF Drive-Time News Friday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Poynter Institute, journalism, Ted Talks, social media
The future of journalism was the theme of a version of the popular online Ted Talks series Friday at the Poynter Institute in downtown St. Petersburg. A crowd of mostly media insiders listened to topics ranging from copyright issues and viral media to fact checking and the role of new media.
Poynter is borrowing a style of engagement from the popular Ted Talks that focus on new ideas in varied industries including technology. The Poynter Inst...
Be the first to commentTampa Dream Defenders criticize Governor Scott for vetoing bill to make it easier to get licenses listen
06/06/13 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Tampa Dream Defenders, Rick Scott, immigration, deportations, driver's licenses, immigrants, Kathy Castor, Florida Legislature
This week Florida Governor Rick Scott vetoed a bill passed by the Legislature to make it easier for undocumented Floridians to get identification documents like driver's licenses.
Thursday afternoon the Tampa Dream Defenders held a press conference to criticize Gov. Scott for his veto.
I interviewed Marisol Marquez about her concerns.
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Red light cameras in St. Pete will stay, for now listen
06/06/13 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: red light cameras, St. Pete City Council, Bill Dudley
St. Pete City Council scheduled a public hearing about whether or not to implement a controversial new rule on red light camera tickets. It would give drivers the chance to challenge a citation sooner, but resident Matt Florell who has long been critical of the program says it could also make it harder for drivers to win an appeal because there are very few checks on who can oversee the hearing.
Be the first to comment“It could be a lower-level city employee, an electrical engineer from a code enforcement board...
As Andrea bares down, St. Pete officials boast hurricane preparedness listen
06/06/13 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Tropical Storm Andrea, Jeff Danner, Wengay Newton, St. Pete
As parts of Florida continue to take a pounding from Tropical Storm Andrea, St. Petersburg City Council members unanimously voted to make this June hurricane awareness month. The measure was brought forward by council member Wengay Newton and referenced superstorm Sandy that devastated parts of the Northeast last year.
Be the first to comment“Drove a catastrophic storm surge into New Jersey and New York coastline – preliminary U.S. damages estimated at nearly $50 billion, making Sandy the second largest cyclone...
Referendum to kill the Lens needs a name listen
06/06/13 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: The Lens, The Pier, Stop the Lens, St. Pete City Council
The new St. Pete Pier design known as the Lens will have its fate decided by voters in August. But first, city council members will have to decide how the measure will appear on the ballot. A question proposed by the group Stop the Lens asking whether the city should cancel its contract with Michael Maltzan Architects was not challenged during a meeting Thursday, but the title was. Critics of the Lens are proposing a 30-word title that includes the name of the design. The city is proposing a ...
Be the first to commentHillsborough County Commission ditches ban on sponsoring gay pride despite pleas from conservatives listen
06/05/13 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: LGBT, equality, Hillsborough County Commission, Kevin Beckner, Les Miller, Mark Sharpe, Gay Pride
Hillsborough County Commissioners unanimously repealed a policy Wednesday that barred the board from promoting or participating in gay pride events. The ban had been in place since then-Commissioner Ronda Storms suggested it. Openly gay county commissioner Kevin Beckner started the conversation by recapping Storms’ 2005 motion.
1 comments“Board members, I move that we adopt a policy that Hillsborough County government obtain from acknowledging, promoting and participating in gay pride recognition ...
Who pays to clean up from the effects of climate disruption? listen
06/05/13 Seán KinaneWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: climate change, global warming, NRDC, Tropical Storm Andrea
The band of heavy rain and Tropical Storm force winds from Andrea's approach of Florida from the tropics could be a reminder of the extreme weather expected to become more frequent with climate change.
But who pays the costs of these climate disasters?
To answer that, I interviewed Bob Deans, director of federal communications with the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington.
In the second half of this interview where we look at some ways to mitigate the cost of climate dis...
Be the first to commentConstruction will begin on Kennedy Bridge over-water segment of Tampa Riverwalk listen
06/04/13 Roberto RoldanWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Tampa Riverwalk, Hillsborough River, Bob Buckhorn, Aloft hotel
When it’s finished the Tampa Riverwalk will extend 2.6 miles miles from The Tampa Bay History Center to Water Works Park, but there are still some segments that have not been constructed.
A ceremony Tuesday morning in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park was the first step in completing an important link, a span covering 1460 feet of the Hillsborough River including underneath the Kennedy Boulevard Bridge.
Tampa’s current Mayor joined the city’s last five mayors to unveil a map of the propose...
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