A Candidate with More Dazzle Than Barack Obama?
Well, she must be. She's 31 yrs old and a political novice, running for a city council seat in Tampa, yet she's apparently so breathtakingly promising that a couple dozen employees of a car dealership in town (and some of their relatives, even) have all donated the maximum $500 each to her campaign, despite the…
Morning Roundup
Been a busy morning: Very useful tips on how to avoid vomiting when the President speaks tonight. CL Best of the Bay Award winner Jim Johnson (The State of Sunshine blog) has a new corporate gig.
Getting Rid of Chief Harmon
In the wake of today's homeless story revelations in the St. Petersburg Times (Mayor Rick Baker says he didn't know of the tent-slashing raid in advance; it was a police major who came up with the idea of using box cutters to destroy personal property), it is clear that St. Pete Police Chief Chuck Harmon…
Commending Robert E. Lee?
Sorry for the lateness of this post, but I didn't want to let the whole Lee commendation by the Hillsborough County Commission get by without reprinting the eloquent statement made to them by attorney Clinton Paris: Good morning. I think I've met most of the county commissioners, and some of you may not recognize me…
Nothing More Dangerous Than a Pissed-Off Used Car Salesman
Brady Dennis has a helluva scoop today on how one Tampa car dealership, Kuhn Honda-Volkswagen, and its employees, families and friends donated more than $20,000 to the campaign of first-time City Council candidate Julie Brown. In the political biz, this is called bundling. Kuhn accounted for nearly one-third of Brown's $76,000 in contributions, according to…
The Vagina Dialogues
Media General’s faux-alt weekly Orange hit the newsstands a day late last week because of a single word that caused a pressroom ruckus: cunt. A fashion story about an artist and her online store, The CUNT Shop, written by freelancer Greg Caracci, was pulled from the issue after the papers were on the press, according…
News Media Job Opening
Tampa Bay Business Journal publisher Arthur Porter is stepping down and will return to his native England. More here.
“Dr. Dino”‘s Prison Ministry Will Be 10 Years Long
Pensacola's Kent Hovind, who was convicted in November of tax evasion associated with his certainty that all of his income and possessions belonged not to him but to the Lord [The F State, 11-3-2006], got 10 yrs on Friday, and was described as somewhat contrite in court (though he still prefers his interpretation of the…
Concert Wrap Up: Gil Mantera’s Party Dream, Saturday, January 20, Crowbar
Photo by Philip Bardi We missed the…
Morning Roundup
Go Colts: Two good transportation stories, first by Rich Shopes on what our state could look like by 2025, and then, have you ever seen tap-dancing like this, from the interim head of the Sprawlway Authority? Romney vs. Brownback. Comprehensive set of links in the Rachel* homeless controversy (and some self-propping by linking you to…
Coach out
"Coach" Bob Henriquez made it official today; he's out of the Tampa City Council District 6 race. I taped a segment of Brendan McLaughlin's Flashpoint with Coach yesterday and he told us that he wouldn't make the run. Henriquez didn't feel a passion for the city job, and he'll focus on coaching Tampa Catholic's football…
Tim and Rachel gone horribly wrong
"Sir, the peasants are revolting.""I'll say, they stink on ice." — Mel Brooks, responding as King Louis XVI in History of the World Part I I was trying soooooo hard to avoid writing about Tim the taxi guy's racially insensitive outburst this week, but then rachel* had to go and take on the homeless and…
Public Defender Says He Told Jimmy Ryce’s Killer to Lie
Juan Carlos Chavez, convicted killer/dismemberer of young Jimmy Ryce in 1995 [that would be the sex-offender-legislation-inspiring Jimmy Ryce], is making his way through his deck of defense cards, hoping to find one that will at least save him from Florida's unique lethal torture-injection. The latest up is that his murder-trial lawyer, former Miami public defender…
Sounds Straight Out of a Carl Hiaasen Novel
Wheeler-dealer political consultant Doug Guetzloe, who has been among the players under investigation in questionable deals of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (among other cases), is clearly a man who knows, as they say, where the bodies are buried. And now one of central Florida's great newshounds, intrepid Tony Pipitone of WKMG-TV, owns 80 cartons…
Morning Roundup
It's a good Thursday: For Dylan lovers and hatas alike. Great scoop; poorly written. Pizza delivery problems for the man they call bad meat. It's bad enough to have to read her in Orange; now the fickle young sparrow is going to post regularly to Sticks?? George still loves Mel. Back story here. Biting the…
The Green Thorn Apple
Name of Kama Sutra Position: The Green Thorn Apple Getting into the position: Crush milky chunks of cactus with sulfur and realgar. Dry this mixture seven times until it can be easily turned into powder. Add in a monkey turd and sprinkle mixture over your lovers head. On a scale of 1 to 10 how…
“Would I have won? Yeah, I think so.”
That was Dick Greco's assessment of his chances in a campaign against incumbent Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio. But in the end, as every journalist gathered in the room already knew, the 50th and 56th mayor of Tampa took a pass on the opportunity to go Grover Cleveland one better by having a third non-consecutive turn…
Minarcin Sues Again
Former Tampa Tribune special projects editor Pat Minarcin has sued his former employer, as he did his previous boss before that, Channel 10. Check here for more.
All Hail King Football at Miami Northwestern Senior High
The Miami-Dade school district police ordered a report (subsequently leaked to the Miami Herald) accusing officials at that school of covering up, for almost 3 months, the September alleged statutory rape of a student by another, with the alleged perp being the all-world football player Antwain Easterling, who led the school to the state 6A…
Goodman and Giuliani
Is Tampa-based media consultant Adam Goodman still in his longtime client Rudy Giuliani's inner circle? The Washington Post isn't certain but offers evidence that he is no longer on the list of those driving the former mayor of New York's presidential run, as The Fix chronicles: One thing Giuliani's team currently lacks is a pollster…
Morning Roundup
My kingdom for a story: Tribune advances Greco's announcement and speculation about Sykes running instead. (Greco ain't running; Sykes is rumored to be having a newser on Thursday.) Good piece from Mark Holan on a new/old ethics proposal for Hillsborough County Commissioners. The Times feels the love between the city of Tampa and the Hillsborough…
The Ed Sullivan Shows
Elvis Presley
Tequila Lary
One trip to Mexico and suddenly he’s creeping me out
Yeast of Eden
Wash down some flavorful pub grub with a variety of outstanding brews
What’s old is new
The Good German
CL previews upcoming shows
Dinosaur Jr., Pierce Pettis, Eric Taylor
Evolution of a beautiful friendship
Wolf to Woof
Rigorous Art
Special Events/Dances
Defying the skeptics
Clearwater’s homeless programs could set an example for Tampa and St. Pete
Upcoming Concerts
Claire Lynch Band w/Jack Williams; The Fray w/Mute Math; Red Hot Chili Peppers; others
The Democrats’ game plan
Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-Weston
CL‘s must-do list for the week of
Thurs., Jan. 18-Wed., Jan. 24
The sweet spot
Where the grapes grow best
Capsule reviews of recently released movies
The Hitcher, The History Boys
War zones
Fusing horror and fantasy, Pan’s Labyrinth is a masterful fairy tale for adults
The seat of heat
COMEDY
Events around the city
Wine tastings and dinners
Hooptie heaven
Tampa Bay’s first Kings of the Street event brings out the ‘hood’s flashiest rides
Party like it’s 1982
MUSIC
Milestone Profiles
Sonny Rollins / Jimmy Scott
Baring it all
Bobby Bare Jr. w/The Heathens/The Diviner; Brett Dennen; Cowboy Mouth w/ Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk
Wincing the Night Away
THE SHINS
No fossils here
A reunited Dinosaur Jr. has a thing or two to teach the kids
The Best Reporter
The media speak out on the media
Writing and Readings
Literature
Twisted
Del Amitri
Inspirational Speechifying
Lecture
Take a Peep
ART
Who likes short shorts?
Insurance, Lost and ass-less chaps
Double up
Talking with curator Jade Dellinger about the return to Tampa of the wild ‘n crazy Art Guys
What’s it all about?
Bapbomb will leave viewers puzzled
How might a troop-level increase in Iraq affect U.S. military operations elsewhere?
Your War Questions Answered
Bayshore mornings
Reflections on the 364 days of the year when pirates aren’t invading the longest continuous sidewalk in the world
Unity
Frank Wright
Changing policies
Consumers are expected to win this week’s insurance tug-of-war — for now
