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Janelle Irwin - page 144

Janelle Irwin has 1517 articles published.

Janelle Irwin has been a professional journalist covering local news and politics in the Tampa Bay area since 2003. She also hosts a weekly political talk show on WMNF Community radio. Janelle formerly served as the sole staff reporter for WMNF News and previously covered news for Patch.com and various local neighborhood newsletters. Her work has been featured in the New York Daily News, Free Speech Radio News and Florida Public Radio and she's been interviewed by radio stations across the nation for her coverage of the 2012 Republican National Convention. Janelle is a diehard news junkie who isn't afraid to take on big names in local politics including Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, the dirty business of trash and recycling in St. Pete and the ongoing Pier debacle. Her work as a reporter and radio host has earned her two WMNF awards including News Volunteer of the Year and Public Affairs Volunteer of the Year. Janelle is also the devoted mother to three brilliant and beautiful daughters who are a constant source of inspiration and occasional blogging fodder. To contact, email [email protected].

Survey shows overwhelming support for holding referendum on Pier choices

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

St. Pete voters overwhelmingly think the city should place a referendum on the ballot to pick a new Pier, according to a new survey from St. Pete Polls. When asked whether City Council should “call for a referendum where the voters would decide their favorite of the top two designs” more than 63 percent indicated “Yes” on the question while only 32 percent said they didn’t want a referendum. The information comes as City Council prepares to vote on the…

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Pier Park criticism is reminiscent of 2013 Lens saga

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Supporters of Destination St. Pete Pier are gearing up for a fight Thursday as the City Council prepares to approve another design, Pier Park, instead of their favorite. Last month, the Pier Selection Committee ranked Destination St. Pete Pier behind Pier Park in its final ranking, even though a series of public surveys showed broad support for Destination. Since that vote, frustration has spiraled into outrage with a flurry of attacks on both the Pier Park design and the city’s…

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Community activist Aaron Sharpe to challenge Lisa Wheeler-Brown for St. Pete District 7

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

The race to replace St. Pete’s District 7 City Councilman Wengay Newton just got its second candidate. Financial businessman and longtime community activist Aaron Sharpe has jumped into the ring to challenge the popular and well-endorsed Lisa Wheeler-Brown. Sharpe is the current founder and president of a new nonprofit called Volunteer Society of America and currently runs his own consulting firm, Sharpe Companies. He worked previously in various management positions with Fifth Third Bank. Sharpe is also the chair of…

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Proposed county funding for Community Redevelopment reduced by more than $6 million

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Pinellas County commissioners Tuesday approved moving forward with a plan that would allocate funding to some of St. Petersburg’s most impoverished areas. The city is prepared to reduce the amount of monetary contributions from Pinellas County into an already established Tax Incremental Fund by nearly $6.3 million to make that happen. Under a proposed deal Pinellas County would go from contributing 95 percent of the annual increment to just 85 percent under a planned negotiation between the city and the…

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Universal curbside recycling is so close, bins already rolling out in St. Pete

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

A bunch of St. Pete residents had new recycling carts delivered to their homes Monday. People living in single and multi-family residences in the eastern part of the city south of about Fifth Avenue North may have already received bins and others will soon. But, just because the shiny new carts are landing in driveways doesn’t mean they’re ready for use. The city will not begin service until July. Residents in Zone one as well as in seven other recycling…

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Bill Ballard letter to City Council lays out argument for Destination St. Pete Pier

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Bill Ballard, an outspoken advocate for saving St. Pete’s iconic inverted pyramid, has sent another letter to St. Pete City Council urging them to vote down the final ranking of three concepts for a new Pier. In the letter obtained by SaintPetersblog Ballard seeks to lay out the “subversion of the selection process” and includes a variety of videos containing statements supporting his claim. In one of them, three committee members, Mike Meidel, Melanie Lenz and Gary Mitchum, all say the…

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City of St. Pete email quietly calls for Pier peace

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman’s administration is getting out ahead of an expected vote Thursday. City Council will hear a staff presentation regarding the Pier Selection Committee’s final ranking in which Pier Park came out on top. “We established a pier process that citizens on every side of this issue agreed would result in a fair and objective decision,” Kriseman wrote in a statement emailed to residents subscribed to citywide email updates. “I am proud that we have stayed true…

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The end for SaintPetersBlog

Ever since I acquired the rights to the perfect domain for my efforts — FloridaPolitics.com — I knew that one

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