The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act provided federal civil rights safeguards for people with physical and mental impairments. But in the years since numerous pieces of federal and state-level legislation have determined exactly how those protections are enacted. Florida’s guidelines for transportation compliance often encourage going beyond minimum standards, including putting budget concerns in the… Read more »
Here is a link to many coronavirus resources Here’s the COVID-19 update for 16 November 2020 as provided by the Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center: Nov. 16 County Commission COVID-19 Summary: Resolution Advocates for Routine Staff Testing at Senior Care Facilities, Other Congregate Homes COVID-19 coronavirus Update No. 239 Hillsborough County, Fla. (Nov. 16, 2020)… Read more »
The announcement of Joe Biden as president elect of the 2020 presidential race did not settle well with many Americans and resulted in protest around the nation due to what many felt was a rigged presidential race that led to Biden’s victory. Post election blues and waging protests against sitting president, presidential candidates, or presidential-elect… Read more »
November 12, 2020 Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. President Trump and his allies—including most of the top elected Republican officials in Florida are refusing to concede that Democrat Joe Biden has won the presidential election. The President is challenging some results in courts but so far the courts have dismissed his claims… Read more »
Joe Biden is the President-elect of the United States, even as some election officials count votes in states where victory seems assured but it is too close the call. In Florida though, President Donald Trump’s victory was swift and decisive. A group of panelists at a Tiger Bay meeting considered whether Florida can be considered… Read more »
Faculty at Saint Leo University in Pasco County are worried about job security and other protections after a surprise decision from the school’s board of trustees stripped them of union protection. The university’s announcement came after the National Labor Relations Board ended oversight of faith-based universities. LISTEN: The news came as a shock to Valerie… Read more »
Much of the area is under a Hurricane Watch due to Eta. Hurricane Eta downgraded to a Tropical Storm Wednesday afternoon southwest of Tampa Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. It is expected to make landfall north of the Tampa Bay region Thursday. The following counties are under a Tornado Watch until 5:00 p.m. Wednesday:… Read more »
The Pinellas County School Board Tuesday voted to continue its COVID-19 mandatory mask policy. The decision came after hours of discussion and opposing public comments from parents and students. One parent was arrested during the meeting. LISTEN: For more than an hour, speakers — mostly parents — railed against the school district’s mandatory mask policy…. Read more »
On Tuesday, both of Florida’s Republican U.S. Senators released statements seeming to sow seeds of doubt on the recent general election. Independent observers confirmed that the elections were free and fair and that Joe Biden is president-elect. But in a video, Marco Rubio seems to falsely suggest that unnamed entities are forbidding recounts or President… Read more »
The man who pulled a gun on Black Lives Matter protesters in St. Pete last month has been identified as Lawrence Arnold Davis. An investigation is ongoing, but lawyers representing a woman who Davis allegedly pushed to the ground before pulling the gun are calling for the lead prosecutor to recuse himself. LISTEN: When Kimberly… Read more »
Dozens of people gathered across from St. Petersburg City Hall Saturday afternoon. It came hours after the Associated Press and several other news organizations projected that Joe Biden would earn more than 270 Electoral College votes and therefore has defeated President Donald Trump. At the street party in downtown St. Petersburg, Joan Thurman said her… Read more »
For the last four years on his nightly MSNBC show, Brian Williams has counted down the days of the Trump presidency. As November 3, 2020, drew closer, the polls and the pundits were giddy with excitement as they predicted a blue wave. Of course, true to form as in any soap opera or reality TV… Read more »
The University of South Florida has suspended activist organization Students for a Democratic Society for violating its policy on face-to-face events amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But the group’s members are saying this is the university attempting to suppress their voices. LISTEN: For Taylor Cook, a member of USF’s Students for a Democratic Society, or SDS,… Read more »
Saturday is a national day of action for groups pushing for, in their words, a “national celebration of the values underpinning our democracy: counting every vote, a peaceful transition of power, and putting and maintaining power in the hands of the people.” There are events in Tampa and in St. Petersburg. WMNF interviewed one of… Read more »
Experts are urging Americans to remain calm as votes in crucial states continue to be counted in a heavily contested presidential election. There’s no evidence of fraud or tampering, despite President Donald Trump’s premature claim of victory. LISTEN: The Red Mirage It’s being called the ‘Red Mirage,’ an effort by the Republican Party to give… Read more »
With 97 percent of precincts reporting at the time of publication, Donald Trump is leading Joe Biden in Florida 51 to 48 percent. The AP called victory for Republican Scott Franklin to Congress in Florida’s 15th District that covers parts of Polk and Hillsborough Counties. He defeated Democrat Alan Cohn and will replace Ross Spano… Read more »
November 3, 2020 Good Morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. Zach D Roberts is an investigative photojournalist who covers far-right extremism, and voter suppression in America. He is famously known to go to the epicenters of hell to get his story. For the past two years, he’s been traveling–sometimes openly, sometimes under cover–with the… Read more »
Florida experienced record early voting this year with early-in-person and mail-in voting ballots nearly surpassing the total number of ballots cast in 2016. With most votes being cast early, even historically busy polling sites around Tampa Bay are seeing light turnout. LISTEN: Jeremy Gloff stood just outside St. Petersburg’s Coliseum Tuesday, a usually bustling home… Read more »
A video showing the arrest of a Clearwater man during a political rally in Palm Harbor has raised concerns over a deputy’s use of force. The video shows deputies punching a Joe Biden supporter in the head and elbowing him in the back multiple times as he’s being held to the ground. LISTEN: Whitney Wentz… Read more »
A Facebook user, Kiana Lynn, posted video Sunday that shows Pinellas County Sheriff’s Deputies restraining and repeatedly striking Scott Lee Rexroat in Palm Harbor. He was seen carrying a sign opposing President Donald Trump. Here’s the video. Below is the description posted by the Facebook user: Here’s the post by Facebook user “Today in… Read more »
In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, we asked a panel of distinguished guests to share their opinions on the outcome. Dr. Jennifer, Mercieca, professor of communications at Texas A & M University questioned the media’s involvement, “They put the camera in front of Donald Trump for a year and a half and they gave… Read more »
October 29, 2020 In her latest article for Right Wing Watch, “Disinformation, Coronavirus, and the 2020 Presidential Election“, Melissa Ryan writes: In the 2016 presidential campaign, a robust disinformation effort fueled by Russia’s intelligence agencies provided a new turn in the narrative of United States politics. Now, as the 2020 presidential election approaches in a… Read more »
In his 1841 essay,“Compensation”, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “In the order of nature we cannot render benefits to those from whom we receive them, or only seldom. But the benefit we receive must be rendered again, line for line, deed for deed, cent for cent, to somebody”. Emerson’s words are a great summary of the… Read more »
A panel of professional performers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic joined Congress member Charlie Crist Wednesday to announce support for the Save Our Stages Act. The bill would provide relief to independent venues around the country that’ve been forced to close or limit operations during shutdowns. LISTEN: The White House listed ending the COVID-19 pandemic… Read more »
October 28, 2020 In 2008, Steve Schale directed the Obama/Biden campaign in Florida, leading the largest political operation in Florida history to a win for President Obama, and in 2012, served as a Senior Advisor to the re-election. Earlier in his career, Steve ran the Florida Democratic Party’s House Democratic Caucus, during which Florida Democrats picked… Read more »
