With spreading oil polluting the Gulf of Mexico, some groups say this July the US should declare its independence from dirty fossil fuels by using policy to develop clean and renewable energy. The gulf-wide impact of the massive oil spill drew clean energy advocates to St. Pete Beach to offer their alternatives to oil, as… Read more »
As oil from the underwater geyser has now reached all five of the Gulf states, the Coast Guard monitors the scope of the spill. WMNF took off from the US Coast Guard Clearwater Air Station last Saturday to get a look at how close the spill is to reaching more of Florida’s coastline. As Florida… Read more »
Today, protesters gathered in St. Petersburg to rally against oil giant BP for its role in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig blast that resulted in an uncontrolled oil leak. WMNF’s Joshua Holton reports. More WMNF coverage of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: BP’s track record on safety and are the chemical dispersants harmful to the… Read more »
The U.S. Coast Guardand BP are still struggling to contain an oil spill that started leaking thousands of gallons into the Gulf of Mexico. This began after an explosion last week, that sank Transocean’s Deepwater Horizon Drilling Rig. The Coast Guard Estimates that over 42,000 gallons of oil are draining into the gulf daily, and… Read more »
A Pasco County resident had his case against the county’s Sheriff dismissed in Dade City today. But New Port Richey resident Dan Callaghan says he plans to file again. He’s upset with a new policy by the Sheriff which forbids jail inmates from receiving letters in envelopes.
Traffic congestion may never fully ease in the Tampa Bay area, but regional transit officials want to do something about the clogged highway system, by providing some alternatives to cars. Today in Tampa, the Board of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority presented its transportation plan for the next 50 years. If you don’t… Read more »
Today more than a dozen small business owners gathered to hear financial advice form the state’s Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink. At the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Sink heard some of their struggles and optimism, while giving suggestions for improving Florida’s economy, and galvanizing job creation. Small businesses play an important part in Florida’s… Read more »
For fifty years Helen Thomas has reported on more U.S. presidents than any living journalist. She is famous for her phrase, “Thank you Mr. President,” which she has said at the end of White House press conferences. Last night, Helen Thomas visited Orlando to promote her new book, “Listen Up, Mr. President: Everything You Always… Read more »
There’s confirmation today that US soldiers are operating in Pakistan. Yesterday three U.S. troops were killed by a suicide car bomb in Pakistan, revealing a secret U.S. operation in the country. This is in contrast to claims last year from U.S. special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, who maintained that there were no… Read more »
Water restrictions, a spike in population, below-normal rainfall – these are just a few of the reasons Tampa Bay is in the midst of what some USF professors are calling a “water crisis”. Last night, at the USF College of Public Health Auditorium, a group of concerned scholars met to present their research on one… Read more »
President Obama answered questions from the audience during his speech today at University of Tampa. USF student Laila Abdelaziz asked Obama the first question. Laila Abdelaziz: “Hello Mr. President, my name is Laila Abdelaziz. I’m a student at the University of South Florida.” President Barack Obama: “Hey Laila” [crowd boos] President Barack Obama: “Uh oh,… Read more »
President Barack Obama announced that thirteen major corridors will receive awards today to help develop new high-speed rail infrastructure or begin the transition to high-speed rail. Obama visited Tampa today with Vice President Joe Biden to announce his plans for rail, economic recovery and jobs following last night’s State of the Union address. Obama plans… Read more »
Florida’s economy is known for its housing market, which takes tons of concrete to maintain. Roads that span the state also require limestone for construction, but environmentalists say there’s a high cost of mining the rocks for housing and highway projects. Swamp lands in South Florida are cheap. They aren’t ideal for commercial development, and… Read more »
Limestone rock mining in Florida provides critical components for housing and highway construction. But environmentalists have some concrete concerns as rock mining impacts the Florida Aquifers and Everglades restoration. Earlier this month Obama administration officials attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Picayune Strand Restoration project. It will attempt to restore a natural water flow through… Read more »
While many may enjoy artistic expression simply for its own sake, others use art for the greater good. This spring Eckerd College is hosting a series of forums as part of its initiative called “The Plight and Promise of Africa.” The college has set up a photography exhibit at the Poynter institute in St. Petersburg… Read more »
A new civil rights group for Muslims sponsored a showing of the new film “Inside Islam: What a billion Muslims really think.” The film was at USF in Tampa last Saturday night, and was designed to challenge the notion that Islam and the West are on a collision course. Muslims in 40 countries participated in… Read more »
East Carolina coach Skip Holtz will be the next head coach for the USF Bulls, accepting USF’s offer this morning. The University has been looking for a coach since firing Jim Leavitt last Friday. The lawyer for USF football player Joel Miller is asking Ex-USF football coach Jim Leavitt to apologize for hitting him, the… Read more »
Yesterday members of Tampa’s Haitian community coordinated relief efforts for Tuesday’s deadly earthquake in Haiti. Although contact is not yet established with the quake victims, local groups are planning their next steps. In recent years, Haiti has endured four hurricanes, a political coup de’tat, and a severe corrosion of basic infrastructure. But this week’s earthquake… Read more »
Today at The Tampa Bay Catostrophic Planning Summit, disaster experts from nine counties considered what would happen if the Tampa bay region were hit by a category 5 hurricane as harrowing as Katrina. If Tampa sustained a category 5 hurricane, experts predict $250 billion in losses to property and infrastructure. Hurricane Phoenix may be a… Read more »
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina still haunts America, as many recall the failure of FEMA, the levees, and government response to the disaster. Now other coastal cities like Tampa are learning from the tragedy, and are investigating how to prevent a similar collapse of communication and infrastructure from happening in the future. Today planning officials… Read more »
Tampa City Council passed an ordinance today which would amend the city’s Human Rights Ordinance to add “gender identity and expression” as a protected class. The amendment will now include transgender-identified individuals as a recognized group to be considered for equal treatment under the law. Philip Dinkins is the Chair of the City of Tampa… Read more »
As part of the International Day of Climate Action, local activists rallied on Saturday in Tampa. According to the website http://350.org, people in 181 countries held 5200 events for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet’s history. They were asking national leaders from all over the globe to take a strong stance… Read more »
Congress is not expected to vote on a major health care overhaul until after they return from an August recess. This morning in New Tampa, U.S. Representative Kathy Castor announced details of an amendment she has proposed. If it’s included in the bill known as America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, the amendment would… Read more »
Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker debated the history, culture, and characters of the two cities on April 22 at the historic Centro Asturiano Theatre in Tampa. The Florida Humanities Council sponsored the Tale of Two Cities event. The moderators were historians and directors of the Florida Studies Program at University… Read more »
A Lake Worth city commissioner was arrested on Monday during a protest outside the Israeli Consulate in Miami. Commissioner Cara Jennings and 35 others were protesting the actions of the Israeli Defense Forces, who shot American Tristan Anderson in the head last Friday in the West Bank village of Ni’lin. WMNF spoke this afternoon with… Read more »
