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Tampa Bay Times
Man charged with murder after Hernando jail inmate dies, sheriff says
An inmate at the Hernando County Detention Center was charged with second-degree murder in connection with another inmate’s death over the weekend, officials announced Tuesday. William Harrison Gillespie, 35, kicked Jory Linn Van Antwerp, 49, several times in the head Friday morning, Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said at...
McDonald’s worker shoots at customers after drive-thru dispute, Florida police say
A customer complaint at a McDonald’s drive-thru erupted in “McMayhem” when a worker pulled a gun and started firing shots, according to police in Florida. The customers escaped unharmed by speeding away in a vehicle as the worker stood in the parking lot shooting at them, Lakeland police said in a news release Monday.
Crash on Howard Frankland Bridge causes major delays for morning commuters
A crash on the Howard Frankland Bridge was causing major delays for morning commuters Tuesday. The crash was reported about 8:45 a.m. near mile marker 37 on the westbound side of the bridge, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. Three left lanes were blocked. As of 10 a.m.,
Live updates: Florida State vs. ACC lawsuit hearing in Tallahassee
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State and the Atlantic Coast Conference are in the Leon County Courthouse again today for the latest court hearing between the Seminoles and the league. The case management conference could last until 5 p.m. Judge John C. Cooper is expected to hear arguments on the ACC’s...
Woman, 25, fatally shot at St. Petersburg apartment complex
St. Petersburg police are investigating the fatal shooting of a woman at a Pinellas Point apartment complex. Police responded just before 6 a.m. Tuesday to a call of a person shot at the Reserve at Lake Point apartments, 5640 Lynn Lake Drive, according to a news release from St. Petersburg Police Department.
Let’s protect the Gulf of Mexico Rice’s whale now
Now that summer’s here, folks are heading out to enjoy our beaches and Gulf of Mexico waters. A growing group of citizen advocates and scientists will also be looking out for one of the rarest residents in those waters — the Gulf of Mexico Rice’s whale. Fewer...
Tampa Bay to join ‘world’s largest’ swim lesson for kids
Four city pools in Tampa will join with thousands of others around the world at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 20, for the World’s Largest Swim Lesson, an event centered around water safety. It has been going on since 2010 in an effort to build awareness about the fundamental importance of teaching children to swim.
Florida universities continue to battle over campus free speech
The big story: The fight over academic freedom continues to embroil Florida’s colleges and universities long after state lawmakers adopted a law restricting the things instructors may say in classes and the types of programs schools may offer. A group of professors has challenged the laws in federal court,...
On climate, DeSantis is full of contradictions
At a campaign stop in September 2018, soon-to-be Gov. Ron DeSantis laid out his plans to restore the Everglades, adapt to rising sea levels and combat toxic algae blooms. But he stopped short of mentioning climate change. “I’m not in the pews of the church of the global warming leftists,”...
Text message claims Tampa’s Italian Club destroyed Black, Cuban cemetery
TAMPA — Who erased College Hill Cemetery and its more than 1,200 graves for early Black and Cuban residents?. The answer might be in a text message from a retired city employee to a friend. Some time after 1941, the cemetery disappeared. According to property records, it was located...
Tampa Bay ship pilots raise concerns over safety guidelines
The 21 harbor pilots who work in Port Tampa Bay are tasked with using their knowledge of local waterways to navigate the area’s narrow channels to dock more than 2,000 massive ships each year. When a ship nears port, the pilots clamber aboard ships that often stretch over 1,000...
Yup, Florida school board bans a book about banning books
The headline that made its way around the world last week looked like a joke:. “Florida school board bans book about book bans”. The story couldn’t have been more meta. Or more Florida. I half-hoped it was satire, but having covered this state’s increasingly ridiculous education priorities in recent years, knew it wasn’t.
Rays’ Aaron Civale having better success doing things his way
MINNEAPOLIS — Aaron Civale is very detailed, specific and thorough in his preparation and breakdown of the opposing hitters for each start. But at the suggestion of pitching coach Kyle Snyder, Civale recently made a slight change in approach to be more proactive in attacking hitters, with an increased emphasis on the strengths of his six-pitch repertoire.
‘Imminent risk of collapse’: Miami apartment building engulfed in flames to be razed
A South Florida apartment building consumed by flames last week — leaving more than 40 residents without a home — is on the verge of “imminent” collapse, officials said. Taking precautionary action, the city of Miami will demolish the structure Tuesday. The city’s announcement Monday comes...
Rays’ Double-A team will step into baseball history at Rickwood Field
When base-stealing phenom Chandler Simpson was promoted in late May from the Rays’ Class-A Bowling Green team to Double-A Montgomery, he had plenty of things to learn and adjust to. Then a couple weeks ago he discovered another: the chance to be part of baseball history. Simpson and the...
Professors push back on state argument that professor speech is government speech
After a hearing last week where the state argued that public university professors’ speech is government speech, the professor plaintiffs in the case to overturn the Intellectual Freedom, or Stop WOKE Act, are pushing back. Jennifer Sandoval, a communications professor at the University of Central Florida, said many of...
Black history museum would be built in Tampa historic church
The Tampa Housing Authority and the Tampa Bay History Center announced on Monday a joint effort to curate the first Black history museum in Tampa. The museum would be located at the former St. James Episcopal Church, which has been restored to its historic structural origins, in the Encore neighborhood.
Deputies investigating homicide on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard
Deputies are investigating a homicide on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard on Monday afternoon. Shortly before 3 p.m., deputies responded to reports of a person dead after gunshots were fired in the roadway on the 19000 block of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard at Regents Park Drive, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Pasco man burned bodies of missing couple, 2 children, deputies say
A Pasco man charged with murder in connection to the disappearance of a family of four told deputies he killed the couple and burned their bodies and those of their two young children, records show. Deputies have been searching since last week for Rain Mancini, 26; Phillip Zilliot II, 25;...
Publix has an ice cream truck and it’s touring Tampa Bay
Ice cream trucks scream summertime and Publix has one that is making the rounds locally. Best of all, scoops of the ice cream are free. The cute white truck is adorned with the slogan, “Savor the Summer” and the store’s logo in green. It will visit Sparkman Wharf in downtown Tampa on June 30 and the St. Pete Pier on July 4.
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