Wakeboard enthusiasts can still catch competitive action at McCormick’s Cable Park
Chris Girandola McCormick's Cable Park is just a short drive down the road from the Hard Rock Casino, downtown Tampa and Brandon. Loved the Red Bull Wake Open and still want to see spectacular stunts on the water? Get out to McCormick's Cable Park in Seffner and check out local athletes compete in the tournament…
Seminole Hard Rock expansion is a big deal
The casino will soon have created 1000 construction and hospitality jobs.
Adult Swim Singles debuts a new track from Flying Lotus with special guests
So what do you get when you put together a producing mastermind who specializes in ambient beats and an 18-year-old rapper fresh out of a therapeutic retreat for at-risk boys in Samoa? I'm still not quite sure, actually. "Between Friends" is the newest single from Flying Lotus, the experimental multi-genre producer behind much of the…
McCain, Lindsey Graham & possible VP pick Kelly Ayotte to come to CAMLS in Tampa to discuss looming defense cuts
Kelly Ayotte Nearly a year ago, Congress voted to expand the nation’s debt ceiling in order to avoid going into default. The deal authorized a bipartisan committee to find ways to cut $1.2 trillion from the deficit over the next 10 years, but the panel was unable to reach an agreement. The automatic cuts, known…
Shooting down a sense of Self
“Dream Momma, Had a bad breakup recently with a guy named Tony (not his real name). In the dream I am knocking on the door of an apartment like mine. To my right is someone with keys shaped like a gun. To my left is someone trying to get out (possibly a cleaning person) of…
National petition launched to get Jennifer Carroll to apologize for anti-gay remarks
For 80 years (1889-1969) Florida never had a Lieutenant Governor's position. Based on the actions of the last person to own that seat as well as the current one, one wonders if there's any renewed sentiment in Tallahassee to eliminate it again? That's because LG's are rarely seen or heard from, it seems, unless they've…
Wengay Newton not feeling vindicated yet about St. Pete Pier
Wengay Newton A public hearing will be held next week to determine the language that will be placed on the November ballot regarding whether or not to replace the St. Pete Pier as it is currently structured. Last week the Council voted 5-3 to hold that public hearing, making it apparent that they have been…
Gingrich begs for himself & Sarah Palin to get speaking gigs at Tampa RNC
Last week Peter Boyer in Newsweek reported that currently there are no plans for Sarah Palin to speak at the Republican National Convention in Tampa next month. That could be awkward, considering that the former Alaskan Governor is scheduled to be in Tampa that week, having spent $4,500 to reserve space at Channelside Bay Plaza…
Mitch Perry Report – Florida Republicans worried about Crist?
Even though Governor Rick Scott has another year before talk seriously begins about his chances for re-election in 2014, there aren't really any Democrats out in the hinterlands that make the GOP quake in their boots. South Florida state Senator Nan Rich is the only declared Democrat so far, and one poll showed her actually…
New study says NRA members support some gun control measures
According to a study unveiled at the Center for American Progress' offices in Washington on Tuesday, 82 percent of 945 self-identified gun owners said they support requiring criminal background checks for gun purchasers. The sample was divided evenly between gun owners who were current or lapsed members of the NRA and non-NRA gun owners. 74…
Protestors gather again in Pinellas to rally to raise minimum wage
Kate Feldman Protesters join outside Congressman Bill Young's office to rally for a higher minimum wage. Erica Poinelli earns $7.67 an hour. The mother of two, 31-year-old Poinelli works at Checkers for minimum wage. About a year ago, she and her children, one 10 and the other 2, had to move back home with her…
HART, PSTA go forward on possible merger
In a rare joint meeting, the complete boards of HART and PSTA voted Monday to approve a consultant for a state-mandated report that will investigate the pros and cons of the two local transit agencies merging together. Last winter the Florida Legislature passed a bill sponsored by Clearwater state Senator Jack Latvala that would force…
New music Tuesday (July 24): The Gaslight Anthem, Passion Pit, The Antlers & more
It's more new music releases for July! I've included info and links for the ones you want to know about most below, plus some other ones you may not have heard of (but should know), with audio & video for your listening and viewing pleasure. Click here to check out releases that dropped over the…
Adding to Sally Ride’s legacy
The untimely passing of Dr. Sally Ride, the first female astronaut in space, as well as a renowned teacher, mentor, and scientist, struck a chord with many Americans this week. Those of us fortunate enough to have been able to witness that memorable shuttle mission in 1983, will not forget the thrill of seeing a…
Piers Morgan blows up at anti-gun control advocate
The Brit TV host then channeled his inner Will McAvoy …
Mitch Perry Report: The return of Pam Iorio
Plus: RNC in St. Pete, HART and PSTA merging and more …
Rowdies reap revenge on Islanders, move up in standings
MATT MAY/TAMPA BAY ROWDIES Rowdies forward Matt Clare fires a left-footed shot on goal in Tampa Bay’s 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico last Saturday night at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg. Tampa Bay captain Frankie Sanfilippo admitted his eyes grew quite wide when a lofted crossing pass from Mike Ambersely filtered towards him in…
RNC Security plan closes Selmon Expressway and other Bay area arteries
Plan for the coming gridlock with this handy guide.
Obama re-elect team bashes Romney on foreign policy on eve of his overseas trip
After speaking Tuesday in Reno, Mitt Romney will embark on a six-day, full schedule, listening tour to England, Israel, and Poland. The Obama re-election team used the eve of the trip to question what Romney will say and do overseas, since much of his foreign policy rhetoric to date has been that whatever the president…
Antiwarpt III Must-See Video Spotlight: Florida Night Heat
In the weeks leading up to Antiwarpt III, Creative Loafing has teamed up with fest organizers and St. Pete Beat/Creative Motion Inc. to produce a series of videos spotlighting our favorite must-see acts playing the third edition of the downtown St. Petersburg alternative-to-Warped Tour-festival. This year's edition brings more than 99 indie performers to town,…
Deifying Politicians
The hagiographies of Catholic saints provide an insightful and useful blueprint to dissecting the populistic veneration of political figures when their biographies get a revisionist treatment. However, potential Catholic saints are scrutinized on the merits of their wonders before their canonization as a bona fide Saint. If the Pontiff is swayed by the empirically fuzzy…
Conservative group fears “defense of marriage” won’t make it into GOP platform at RNC
Tony Perkins heads the Family Research Council The platform committee for a political convention consists of party officials who decide on the official positions of the party, which then go before all of the delegates to vote on. In some previous GOP conventions, abortion rights has been a heated issue during the platform debate. This…
GOP asking for input on their platform to be written before Tampa Convention
Weeks before the Platform Committee of the Republican Party gathers before the Republican National Convention in Tampa to discuss what will go into the party platform, the Republican Party has set up a website, called GOP Platform 2012. The site encourages members of the public to "share ideas you support, propose ideas and supply constructive…
Mitch Perry Report 7.23.12 – Rising over the dark night
I attended the 1:15 p.m showing on Saturday of the The Dark Knight Rises at the big Imax screen in Channelside. As the lights went down I noticed a Tampa Police officer standing in front of one of the two exits of the screening room, which I admit made me feel slightly enervated, mainly because…
Not every elected official afraid of talking about gun regulations
The conventional wisdom just hours after the country learned about the horrifying outburst of gun violence in Aurora, Colorado was that although it was indeed tragic, nothing could be done legislatively to insure that such an incident could be stopped in the future. One voice in American political culture dared to differ – New York…
Oral arguments
Married eight years and the boredom is creeping in.
Jessica Ehrlich on Bill Young, a woman’s right to choose and when (or if) the U.S. should go to war for humanitarian reasons
Jessica Ehrlich & Mitch Perry at Studio@620 in St. Petersburg 7/19/12 Last Thursday night District-13 Democratic Congressional candidate Jessica Ehrlich spoke on a variety of subjects in our a conversation moderated by this reporter at Studio@620 in St. Petersburg. The event organizers say they invited Bill Young to attend, but he did not make an…
Photo review: Dave Matthews Band with Tower of Power at Ask Gary Amphitheatre, Tampa
Some shots from Wednesday night's show at 1-800-Ask-Gary-Amphitheatre featuring world-fusion jam pop rock heavyweights Dave Matthews Band and old school brass-fused R&B, funk, soul and jazz purveyors, Tower of Power. Tracy May Dave Matthews Band Tracy May Dave Matthews More photos after the jump…
Now that you’ve seen The Dark Knight Rises…
Let’s nitpick Batman’s big moments — major spoilers included!
Beer fans love brew pubs
The Bay area beer bar scene has blossomed in recent years.
Rob Wallace says John Logg needs to resign from House seat
Rob Wallace Senate District 17 GOP candidate Rob Wallace is calling on one of his opponents in the August 14 primary – Pasco County House Representative John Legg, to resign from his House seat, for not living in his district. Wallace served in the House for 8 years (1994-2002), but is definitely not the establishment…
The Elephant Walk Dispatch: RNC FYI
On Aug. 26, the Republican National Convention is hosting its official 2012 Kick-Off party at Tropicana Field. The St. Petersburg City Council has approved the first reading of an ordinance to create an event zone in St. Petersburg that regulates what you can carry, what you can wear and places you can go inside the…
Two Big Mouths #109 Rewind Now Live
[audio-path:http://archive.org/download/TwoBigMouths109/Tbm07-12.mp3] Yes, yes, yes friends. The Main Mouths are getting crazy, rounding out the summer with some partying, some intellectual pursuits and some shopping. While they take some more R and R, here's a rewind of the super show that was show number 109. Enjoy and we'll see you live next week. CLICK HERE TO…
Two Big Mouths #109 Rewind Now Live
[audio-path:http://archive.org/download/TwoBigMouths109/Tbm07-12.mp3] Yes, yes, yes friends. The Main Mouths are getting crazy, rounding out the summer with some partying, some intellectual pursuits and some shopping. While they take some more R and R, here's a rewind of the super show that was show number 109. Enjoy and we'll see you live next week. CLICK HERE TO…
Code Pink books their trip to the RNC
Group president Medea Benjamin plans training sessions in Tampa in August.
The Gaily News: Anderson Cooper’s upcoming tour includes a Tampa stop
Tickets have gone on sale for Anderson Cooper's "360 World View" tour's Tampa stop. He'll be appearing at the Straz Center on Sept. 23. The evening will include a lecture by the CNN anchor and talk show host on his coverage of worldwide major news events, such as Hurricane Katrina, the war in Iraq, and…
Mitch Perry Report 7.20.12 – Will “The Lens” crack?
After this reporter returned back from a Christmas vacation in California in January of 2011, I wrote a story about an effort by a Safety Harbor citizen named Tom Lambdon who was against efforts to raze the iconic St. Pete Pier. His effort seemed a bit quixotic, but he was very much on to something.…
Batman’s final bow
The Dark Knight Rises is a weighty, exhilarating conclusion.
Farewell to the citrus king
Remembering Orange Blossom Groves’ Al Repetto.
Chick-fil-A has beef with homosexuality (video)
What theocracy has to do with those scrumptious waffle fries is beyond me, but once again Chick-fil-A is in the hot seat for its affiliation with anti-LGBT groups. More alarmingly, Dan Cathy, its president and COO, recently outed the fast food joint as supporting “the biblical definition of the marriage family unit.”
Antiwarpt III Must-See Video Spotlight: RedFeather
In the weeks leading up to Antiwarpt III, Creative Loafing has teamed up with fest organizers and St. Pete Beat to produce a series of videos spotlighting our favorite must-see acts playing the third edition of the downtown St. Petersburg alternative-to-Warped Tour-festival. This year's edition brings more than 99 indie performers to town, with a…
St.Pete City Council to consider referendum vote on The Pier
The St. Petersburg City Council voted on Thursday to consider an ordinance that will add a public referendum question regarding the fate of the St.Pete pier onto the November Ballot, thanks to the petitioning efforts of a local citizens action group. The vote passed 5-3. Save the Pier citizen group, led by Safety Harbor resident…
Tampa City Council to investigate conditions of Occupy Tampa’s encampment in West Tampa
This is what Voice of Freedom Park now looks like Occupy Tampa moved into West Tampa last December, and though there has been some discomfort among residents of the working class neighborhood about the activist's establishing an encampment there, it has only been over the past month that those complaints have gone public. A meeting…
Whale in the Living Room
“Dear Dream Momma, I was in the ocean with a large whale. The weather was gloomy, the sun was not shining. The ocean started to get choppy so the whale started to swim with me holding onto it. It started getting darker and the whale began to swim faster with me tightly holding on. Picking…
Articulate amps up arts coverage in Pinellas County
Seven months ago, Pinellas County began an experiment in nurturing the arts. Following the dissolution of its traditional grant-making arts council, Pinellas County Cultural Affairs, due to budget cuts in late 2010, the county made plans for a successor agency intended primarily to generate attention for Pinellas artists and arts organizations rather than funding them.…
The tortured souls of Closetland
Jobsite’s latest is an intense, intelligent and pungent thriller.
Hot dog history
Mel’s Hot Dogs’ owner switched from woodwinds to wieners nearly 40 years ago.
Rob Wallace vs. the RPOF establishment (contd.)
Rob Wallace In Wesley Chapel last week, Republican state Senate candidate Rob Wallace unveiled what he is calling his Florida Family Economic Health in State Budgeting Act. “No bill with an economic impact in Florida should be passed without analyzing and predicting the change in the tax burden to the typical Florida family of four,"…
Let Kiley Garden grow
Tampa’s famed Dan Kiley-designed park gets no respect from city officials.
Mitch Perry Report 7.19.12 – Mitt to wait out the media?
Beginning with the caveat that it's only mid-July and therefore polls shouldn't be taken that seriously, have you seen the New York Times/CBS News poll on the presidential race? It shows Mitt Romney has a slight lead (45-43 percent) nationally. Does that seem like the attacks on how long Romney worked at Bain Capital and…
Clobbering the Court
The right-wing, Scott-approved campaign to oust the Florida Supreme Court’s moderate justices.
The sweetest thing
If only life were like a box of William Dean Chocolates.
Crocodiles rock
The San Diego-Berlin-NYC-London five-piece hits town behind a third full-length, Endless Flowers.
The Chop Tops rock the Local 662 + Anders Osborne, WMNF Levon Helm Tribute & more in Tampa Bay area live music
THURSDAY, JULY 19 The Chop Tops w/Danny B Harvey/The Strikers/Radio Threat Hailing from the town I was born, Santa Cruz, Calif., The Cop Tops formed in 1995 as a pomade-sporting rockabilly three-piece (drums, guitar, upright bass) with crystal-clear psycho, surf and punk tendencies as displayed in the frenetic-paced “Chicks Smicks, Food Smood, Beer Yeah!,” its…
Picturing Paris at night
The French capital in the 1930s is revealed through a series of photos on display in Tampa.
Live & Local Spotlight: King of Spain
I had my first audience with King of Spain sometime around the middle of last decade, back when the local atmospheric pop act was a monarchy reigned by Matt Slate. Familiar to many as a bartender at the Tampa Independent, Slate created music that sounds bigger than one might imagine possible from one musician. Not…
Hillsborough BOCC discussion turns to synthetic drugs
Les Miller The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners unanimously moved on Wednesday to draft an ordinance that would address the growing use of synthetic drugs such as “K2” and “Spice”, those herbal smoke blends that are often legally and readily sold as an alternative to marijuana. “This is a grave, grave, grave issue in…
Tiger Bay debate: Chris Ingram vs. Tom Trento on the “evils” of Islam
Chris Ingram In the first few years after the 9/11 attacks, debates about whether Islam was a religion of peace or something more malevolent could be frequently found on cable television, talk radio and other public forums. That debate sort of died down, but still reemerges at times, such as during the "discussion" two years…
First major poll of Asians in Florida shows strong pessimism and support for Obama
Asian-Americans have been called the stealth swing vote of the 2012 election, yet a recent poll shows that this demographic is still largely ignored when compared with other U.S. ethnic groups. The survey, conducted by the Democratic-leaning Lake Research Partners, shows that Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders are more politically divided in Florida than in other…
Herman Cain, Michelle Bachmann to appear at Tea Party rally before Tampa RNC
23 sponsors have lined up for the event to be held at raymond James Stadium.
Live Florida, drink Florida
SEAN NORDQUIST Among the plethora of Florida breweries making a name for themselves in recent years, one in particular has been growing and evolving since 1999. The Florida Beer Company, located in Melbourne, has gone through changes and acquisitions in recent years, but has begun to establish a new identity rooted in Florida-centric, “drink local”…
The Amazon Trail: What gays do on vacation
I love my uber-friendly dentist’s office. They are totally modern and pain-free in every way. The doctor loads up his iPod with cool tunes and docks it in his sound system. He could have a show on a West Coast public radio station with his eclectic mix of rock, folk, blues and jazz. The receptionist/scheduler…
