I haven’t heard Charlie deliver a stump speech in a while, but I can’t believe he’s still pushing the “Adam is my grandfather…” spiel. This is the same thing he said ten years ago when I worked on his first run for the U.S. Senate.
Every day, thousands cross between our two counties to live and work. And while we often host those who govern our home turf, it’s time to invite Tampa’s popular and powerful leader, Mayor Pam Iorio, into the Den. Approaching the end of her time in the Mayor’s office, she has had a largely successful run. Her popularity has remained high as she focused on “nuts and bolts” issues such as infrastructure repair, code enforcement, and crime prevention. Some even mention…
From Aaron Shrockman: Is Deveron Gibbons a bad driver? The political blog What’s Wrong With Deveron? sure wants you to think so. The blog, maintained by Peter Schorsch and created to bash Gibbons, contends that the first-time candidate has had his driver’s license suspended at least seven times. “His driver’s license was suspended as recently as December 1, 2008, only one month before Gibbons filed to run for mayor of St. Petersburg,” Schorsch wrote on the blog. “Dating back to…
From The SPTimes: The Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office won’t prosecute Brian Blair on child abuse charges. Blair was arrested on Father’s Day after a confrontation involving his two sons. In a memorandum, Assistant State Attorney Rita Peters characterized the scuffle between Blair and his 17-year-old son Brett as “discipline,” given the history between the two.
From the Tampa Trib’s Sunday editorial page: The Rays know what’s needed for success. Kalt and his associates have been researching stadium designs, profitable ballparks and baseball’s economic reality. Of course, this doesn’t mean they should get what they want right away. Public officials need to safeguard tax dollars, especially during the recession, when the city can’t be expected to invest in a new facility. But St. Petersburg and Pinellas officials need to be ready when the economy picks back…
Blair, 52, was arrested shortly after 5 a.m. following an altercation at the family’s home in the Forest Hills area of Tampa, sheriff’s Deputy Larry McKinnon said. An arrest report said Blair, a former professional wrestler who is 6 feet tall and weighs 235 pounds, pushed his older son Brett, 17, in the chest around 4 a.m. The teen tried to walk away, but Blair grabbed him and punched him in the face with a closed fist, leaving a red…
The unemployment rate in the Tampa Bay area rose to 10.6 percent in May, while Florida’s jobless rate hit 10.2 percent, according to state figures released Friday. Both figures are notable increases over April’s unemployment rate and could frustrate hopes that the job market is improving. The previous unemployment report issued a month ago showed a slight drop in unemployment. According to new figures from the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, the Bay area’s unemployment rate rose .4 percent from…
