On Wednesday the City of St. Petersburg announced a ten-year plan to increase the availability of affordable and workforce housing; Mayor Rick Kriseman unveiled the plan during a press conference in a newly-constructed apartment building in the Historic Kenwood neighborhood. “Our plan, if not the many details, is simple. Housing for all from all. It’s… Read more »
Radioactivity with Rob Lorei Listen Here: Select 07/23/19 from the drop down menu Radioactivity: Interviews & Live Call-In Intro: Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. Coming up we’ll speak with a local elected Republican who has been critical of the chants last week at the Trump campaign rally following President Trump’s tweets last… Read more »
Several Tampa Bay area elected officials weighed in on criminal justice reform; they spoke about solutions to problems like disparate sentencing of convicted criminals and restoration of voting rights to felons who have served their sentences. It happened in a forum at the Tampa Tiger Bay Club on Friday July 19. Members asked questions of… Read more »
On Friday a member of the Tampa Tiger Bay Club confronted Republican State Senator Jeff Brandes in order to get his response to the chant and to Trump’s tweet saying four members of Congress should “go back” to where they came from. “So, here’s what I’ll say. I think that at the end of the… Read more »
Tampa Electric company wants to convert part of its Apollo Beach plant from one fossil fuel to another: from coal to methane gas. But the move is opposed by many environmental groups. They point out that renewable energy, like solar, would be cheaper and not contribute to climate disruption. In January both Tampa Electric and… Read more »
The United States of America (u.S) is affectionately known as the “Land of The Free“ and “Home of the Brave”. This famous phrase is known to be authored by Francis Scott Key in the early 1800s and is presently sung as part of the National Anthem of the United States of America,“The Star-Spangled Banner.” In… Read more »
A year ago this Friday, a black man was shot and killed outside a convenience store in Clearwater after shoving, then backing away from, a white man who was yelling at his girlfriend. Michael Drejka’s shooting of Markeis McGlockton was caught on camera. On Friday, civil rights groups will hold a memorial and vigil for… Read more »
Radioactivity with Rob Lorei Listen Here: Select 07/17/19 from the drop down menu Radioactivity: Interviews & Live Call-In Intro: The Miami New Times reports the Homestead detention facility for child immigrants — 3,200-bed facility — the nation’s only for-profit child detention center — is not licensed or overseen by state child-welfare workers, and at least… Read more »
Radioactivity with Rob Lorei Listen Here: Select 07/16/19 from the drop down menu Radioactivity: Interviews & Live Call-In Intro: Good morning- welcome to radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. Coming up- a new study looks at what might be the worst corporations in the world. It’s a corporation that once had strong ties to the Tampa Bay… Read more »
Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Tsunamis are some of the world’s most powerful and dangerous natural disasters. And although we often focus on the destruction that often accompanies these natural disasters, there are many ways that they have proven to be beneficial to our environment. It has been said that natural disasters are mother nature’s way of… Read more »
This is an editorial statement from the Nathan B Stubblefield Foundation Board of Directors The current treatment of migrants and asylum seekers by our national government has reached the point of cruelty and human rights abuses. Daily, we hear the stories of families separated, children deprived of basic sanitation, and people locked in crowded spaces for weeks on… Read more »
Radioactivity with Rob Lorei Listen Here: Select 07/10/19 from the drop down menu Radioactivity: Interviews & Live Call-In Intro: Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. A scientist in Switzerland says there may be a low-tech solution to solving the world’s CO2 problem- which is causing the climate crisis—we’ll talk with him in a moment… But first-… Read more »
This Friday in Ybor City is a demonstration called Lights 4 Liberty Tampa, which is described on its Facebook event page as part of a nationwide protest against human rights abuses of migrants at the border. Lights 4 Liberty Tampa is this Friday at Centennial Park in Ybor City (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.). Joining us… Read more »
Human rights observers have reported on poor conditions at migrant detention camps near the border – some people are calling them concentration camps. Many young migrants are being detained in Homestead, Florida; WMNF asked a Tampa resident, Marina Welch with the new group Witness for Homestead, what she saw when she traveled there recently. “I… Read more »
Radioactivity with Rob Lorei Listen Here: Select 07/02/19 from the drop down menu Radioactivity: Interviews & Live Call-In Intro: Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. Coming up—The Tampa bay times has revealed the existence of a long forgotten African American cemetery in an area a few miles north of downtown Tampa. We’ll talk… Read more »
On Tuesday afternoon, nearly 90 people held signs saying things like “Dictators build walls” and chanted “Close the Camps” outside the Tampa office of Democratic Congress member Kathy Castor. It was part of a coordinated nationwide demonstration against the Trump administration’s treatment of migrants. Ann Preus is a retired school teacher. “I’m here because of… Read more »
Both of Florida’s U.S. Senators are Republicans; the governor and two of the three other members of the state cabinet are Republicans; on MidPoint we heard from the only Democrat elected statewide in Florida: Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried. It’s from a recent speech at the Tampa Tiger Bay Club where… Read more »
On Thursday afternoon in St. Petersburg the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club hosted a discussion about race and the legacy of racism in the city. Topics like reparations, gentrification and the racist symbolism of St. Petersburg’s segregated green benches came up. It was held at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, which used to exclude African-Americans. WMNF… Read more »
In a tweet this week, President Donald Trump announced that ICE will start deporting millions of people from the U.S.; that’s not the only thing upsetting advocates for immigrants. There’s also the Trump administration’s family separation policy and the recent trial of a man in Arizona who provided humanitarian aid to people traveling through the… Read more »
Late Tuesday a judge ruled that Hillsborough County’s one cent sales tax surcharge for transportation is legal. But the judge negated some of the voter-approved charter amendment’s language about spending allocations and restrictions. To find out what it means for transportation spending in Hillsborough, WMNF spoke with Tyler Hudson, chair of All For Transportation, the… Read more »
Radioactivity with Rob Lorei Listen Here: Select 06/18/19 from the drop down menu Radioactivity: Interviews & Live Call-In Intro: Good morning, welcome to radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. Coming up—we’ll speak with a former Republican legislator who is now a political independent and a newspaper columnist. Our guest is Paula Dockery. We’re going to talk about… Read more »
Update (18 June) – The city voted 5-0 to support the Ready for 100 initiative. The Pinellas County city of Safety Harbor will vote Monday on transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy. The discussion and vote will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Safety Harbor City Hall, which is at 750 Main Street. If it advances,… Read more »
What is democratic socialism? On WMNF’s MidPoint we heard sections of a speech from independent Senator Bernie Sanders who is running for president as a Democrat. He spoke last Wednesday (June 12, 2019) at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. We also heard a critique of democratic socialism from Florida’s senior U.S. Senator, Marco Rubio…. Read more »
“You need to know…perhaps forewarned if you can’t take the raw honesty of her emotions she expresses so readily.” Says Life Elsewhere host, Norman B. Adding, “Listen carefully, you’ll be captivated, but be prepared to moved.” He is referring to Kristin Hersh, most recognized as the front person for the influential art-punk band, Throwing Muses… Read more »
This month the Trump administration took away more freedoms from Americans to travel to Cuba, including banning all cruise travel. WMNF spoke with St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, who was on a cruise to Cuba when the policy was announced and was diverted away from the communist island. “I was on a cruise ship with… Read more »
