Headbangers ballin’ with a free double feature
See Heavy Metal and Heavy Metal Parking Lot on June 26.
Review: Roger Waters brings his epic tour of The Wall to Amway Center Arena, Orlando
So, an AARP-eligible musician performs the second leg of a massive tour strictly focused on a 32-year-old record he crafted with the band he's not even a member of anymore. That sounds bad doesn't it? If computers had smell-o-vision, the musky notes of aging desperation might billow from that sentence. But, when it's Roger Waters…
Bob Henriquez says he’ll be Hillsborough County’s next property appraiser
Bob Henriquez The local dailies are featuring stories regularly about the Rob Turner-Ronda Storms battle royale to be the GOP nominee for property appraiser. Turner, the incumbent, looked liked toast when revelations surfaced about an embarrassing "sexting" scandal involving his former human resource manager and ex-girlfriend. But he has announced he will run for re-election…
Another poll shows majority of Floridians love Stand Your Ground
Florida Congressman Frederica Wilson There are many reasons Democrats sometimes feel disaffected living in the Sunshine State (and not just after every election — that is, when they actually field a candidate). The latest Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday morning brings us a couple of other reasons why alienation occasionally surfaces among progressives. Democrats (and some…
Gin and Tonic Creamsicle Ice Cream Recipe
Arielle Stevenson Gin and Tonic Ice cream is the perfect boozey summer treat. Ah, summer in Florida. Even this native is frantic from the sweltering inferno outside. Frozen goodies are needed to quell heat-induced anger. I'm a G+T girl, so when I saw a recipe for Gin and Tonic ice cream I knew I needed…
LeMieux quits Senate race – says without ads or debates “our message cannot be heard”
Bowing to the fact that he is being killed in the polls, Florida GOP Senate candidate George LeMieux has thrown in the towel and is dropping out of the race. He made the announcement via a video message on the Internet:
Jim Frishe- Jeff Brandes race heating up
It's only been a few weeks since it was established that in the newly constructed Senate District 22 race, Republican House members Jim Frishe and Jeff Brandes would be challenging each other to move up to the Legislature's upper body. The 36-year-old Brandes is an Iraq war veteran who ousted Democrat Bill Heller in one…
Mitch Perry Report: Buckhorn’s summer gift
Get ready for a completed Riverwalk.
Huge crowd in Ybor waits for Obama tickets
The idea that there's a lack of enthusiasm for Barack Obama among his liberal base? Not the case in Ybor City. Free passes for the president's scheduled appearance at Hillsborough Community College this Friday were distributed at four locations in Hillsborough County and St. Petersburg at 5 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. The line for tickets…
Coalition of voting rights groups the latest to sue Rick Scott on voting purge
Maria Rodriguez with the Florida Immigrant Coalition Today several civil and voting rights groups filed lawsuit in the Federal District Court in Southern Florida on behalf of two Miami-Dade County eligible voters who were directly affected by Governor Rick Scott's voter purge program. This is the third separate lawsuit challenging the state regarding the controversial…
SEIU launches ground campaign in support of Obama
Barack Obama wants to woo the working class. On Tuesday, the Service Employees International Union announced the launch of a ground campaign in Colorado, Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Virginia that aims to re-elect Obama and other candidates who support working people.
Mitch Perry Report 6.19.12: Obama confirmed for Tampa this Friday
President Obama will be in Tampa Friday afternoon, appearing before adoring fans, no doubt, at the auditorium on the main campus of Hillsborough Community College. CL had earlier reported that the president would be in town on Friday, traveling west on I-4 from his appearance at NALEO, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed…
Hillsborough County DEC votes to change its by-laws, but not everyone is on board
Hillsborough DEC Chair Chris Mitchell Saying that the Florida Democratic Party is weak and moribund is not exactly breaking news, and that often translates to the local level. Hillsborough Democrats also don't have a lot to show for themselves in the upcoming local elections. Republican County Commissioners Sandy Murman and Victor Crist are on the…
New music Tuesday! (June 19): Justin Bieber, Delta Rae, Smashing Pumpkins, Fiona Apple & more
Music releases out this week, with lots of video.
Obama to appear at Hillsborough Community College Friday afternoon
We reported last Friday that President Obama would be in Tampa this Friday for a private fundraiser. Now we have information that he'll be appearing before the public as well, , where you don't need $20,000 to get inside. The president will appear at Hillsborough Community College's Dale Mabry Campus sometime "late" Friday afternoon. That's…
Pinellas transit agency moving forward on possible rail initiative
Transit advocates flooded the PSTA meeting There has been a lot of criticism among Pinellas County Tea Party members about the penny sales tax referendum for a light rail initiative that could come before county voters in the next year or two. That's why there was an effort made by pro-rail advocates to attend in…
Marlon and Shawn Wayans weigh in on comedy career
Marlon and Shawn Wayans may be best known as their characters in films like Scary Movie and Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, yet they will soon come to Tampa performing as themselves.
HART says yes to mobile app, no to WiFi
How One Bus Away looks on a smartphone At a recent discussion with young professionals in Tampa, Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe remarked that Hillsborough's County's bus system agency (HART) needs to provide more incentives for people to take the bus. He said one way would be to make sure that WiFi was included on…
Beer here: at Tampa Theatre and Carmine’s this Saturday
… For the World Drinking Games and Tampa Theatre’s The Big Lebrewski.
Make it your mission to visit the Tampa Bay History Center
Assignment: see Spies, Traitors, Saboteurs: Fear and Freedom in America if you haven’t already.
Set your DVR: Seminole Heights Bicycle Club on TV
Pedal America TV, a national PBS TV show about bicycle riding, spotlighted a Tampa neighborhood bicycle club last December and dispatched the show's host Ira David to the historic residential district of Central Tampa. It will be aired this morning on Monday at 9 a.m. on PBS station WEDU Plus (605 on Bright House, 203…
Mitch Perry Report 6.18.12 – Pinellas Democratic Congressional Primary back on?
It was a big weekend of elections around the globe, as voters in Greece, Egypt and France all went to the polls with heavy issues on their minds. In the U.S., the issues were a bit less weighty, such as debating whether to watch the U.S. Open in prime time last night vs. Game 3…
Conservatives say Romney needs to come out in support of Rubio bill on immigration – even though it doesn’t exist
President Obama's chief political strategist, David Plouffe, made the rounds of most of the Sunday public affair shows to talk up the president's agenda — and that meant defending the Obama administration's announcement that it would stop deporting illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as a child. The announcement was a political home…
Truckin’ in the veggies
A documentary proves you can grow anything anywhere — including the back of a truck.
Actress Kerry Washington stumps for Obama in Tampa
Kerry Washington fires up the Obama troops in Ybor City The campaign to re-elect President Obama dubbed this weekend the "Gotta Vote Weekend," an effort by Obama For America (OFA) volunteers to register new voters some four and a half months before the general election. Hillsborough County is a crucial area for Team Obama if…
CL on the Road: Backstage at Bonnaroo, Part One (with photos, video)
Deborah rocks it like a VIP and offers her wrap up of the Tennessee music fest, days 1 and 2, with photos & video
Mitt Romney still wouldn’t raise a dollar in taxes for $10 in cuts
Remember that GOP debate earlier this year when all of the presidential candidates said they wouldn't agree to raising $1 in taxes if they could get $10 in budget cuts? It was taken by Democrats as a manifestation of how the Republican party's zealous stance against tax increases of any sort precludes a bipartisan deal…
Stop the purge
There’s a better way to ensure accurate voter rolls.
Beef up Father’s Day
Sweetbay’s Eric Cloward will help you manage your meat.
Get the message
Is it now acceptable to end a relationship via text?
Ich bin ein currywurst
How to make Germany’s fast food fusion favorite.
Obama announces halt to deportations of some young undocumented immigrants
Republicans (predictably) freak out.
Judge grants Nina Hayden temporary injunction, meaning she’s back on the ballot
Nina Hayden It's been a crazy week for Pinellas County Democratic congressional candidate Nina Hayden. After being ruled off the ballot earlier this week by Secretary of State Ken Detzner, Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis today granted Hayden a temporary injunction and said she should be put back on the August 14 ballot, where she…
Review: Maynard James Keenan reveals his Puscifer side at the Straz Center, Tampa
Puscifer is the musical creation of Maynard James Keenan, lead singer of better known alt metal bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. It's an art rock project with constantly changing guest musicians, like model/actress Milla Jovovich and Primus drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander, and an always evolving sound and direction. Because Keenan is the only permanent…
Interview with the ‘Angry Stripper’
diaryofanangrystripper.com Sarah Tressler led the kind of double life that reads like the premise of a graphic novel. By day she reported on high society for the Houston Chronicle, rubbing shoulders with the city's elite. By night she ripped off her reporter's garb to explore the darker, sexier side of Houston's social scene as her…
Mitch Perry Report 6.15.12 – Obama coming to Tampa for fundraiser soon?
We're still trying to get confirmation on this, but CL does hear that Barack Obama will be in Tampa next week for a fundraiser. Remember you read it here first… In Florida campaign news: Lots of talk this week about Jim Norman dropping out of his bid for re-election for state Senate as the Florida…
Rob Wallace tells SD-17 voters to ignore Florida GOP establishment
It's all happened rather quickly, hasn't it? Less than a month ago, Pasco County GOP Representative John Legg was still running for the Senate District 18 seat (the seat being vacated by term-limited Mike Fasano that encompasses West Pasco and portions of Hernando and Sumter counties). He looked to be facing a tough battle against…
Rock out or walk out?
Rock of Ages delivers as advertised, but is unlikely to convert new fans.
That’s My Boy: Raunch dressing
Sandler and Samberg have foul-mouthed fun.
Hysteria delivers a climax
But this story of the creation of the vibrator lacks romance.
Nina Hayden files suit to get back on the ballot in Pinellas County
Pinellas County Democratic Congressional candidate Nina Hayden, who was declared ineligible to appear on this August's ballot in Florida's 13th Congressional District because of an error in her paperwork when filing for office, is now suing to regain access to the ballot. In Tallahassee today, an attorney for Hayden went before a judge to fight…
Open art operation
Dalí masterworks undergo public maintenance in St. Pete.
The man who framed Dalí
A proud daughter celebrates a twice-in-a-lifetime honor in time for Father’s Day.
Man v. Food’s Adam Richman, food truckin’ through Tampa
Arielle Stevenson Adam Richman holding his "Crouching Red Stag Hidden Cherry" dish. The Man of the Travel Channel's Man V. Food is in town this weekend, bringing bourbon-infused cuisine to the huddled masses. Richman is here with Jim Beam's Red Stag for a national food truck tour. He designed the menu, featuring honey tea, spiced…
Maryann Ferenc has some sympathy for frustrated Tampa area businesses who’ve yet to get some from the RNC
Mise en Place co-owner Maryann Ferenc As the proprietor of Mise en Place restaurant, the Sono Café at Tampa Museum of Art, and now First Flight, the wine bar at Tampa International airport, Maryann Ferenc is a busy woman. Add the fact that she serves on a slew of different boards having to do with…
Chris Hayes on David Brooks, climate change and the Occupy movement
Chris Hayes Although Chris Hayes' career has had a meteoric rise in recent years, he stubbed his toe on national television last month. On his weekend MSNBC program Up w/Chris Hayes on the day before Memorial Day, the 33-year-old Hayes discussed his discomfort with the word “heroes,” saying that it is marshaled “in a way…
Mitch Perry Report 6.14.12 – How ’bout that Rubio alternative to the Dream Act?
I've gotta give it up to the Tampa Bay Times today. The daily is chock full of important interesting stories, particularly on their front page this morning. For my money, the best is Alex Leary's story on Marco Rubio's so-called alternative bill to the Dream Act, which has a small problem with it. It doesn't…
The Food Issue: World’s Fare
How to dine your way around the globe without leaving Tampa Bay.
12-plate program
A night full of new tastes at SideBern’s.
Well, hello, lola
Discovering Filipino home cooking in Pinellas Park.
Good morning, Little Vietnam
All things Vietnamese in a strip mall in Pinellas Park.
The joy of snackage
A fan’s guide to chowing down while cheering on.
Traveler’s delight
The food at Tampa International Airport gets a fresh local twist.
Seeing Flynn
Acclaimed poet/memoirist Nick Flynn talks about having one’s life turned into a movie.
Amish paradise
Take a drive down to Bahia Vista Street in Sarasota.
Creative Loafing Beer Fest 2012:
The Art of Beer
Middle Eastern European
A tasty trek from the Baltic to Beirut.
Home sweet home
TampaWorks highlights local authors writing about the Bay area.
See you on the Boulevard
That’s Boliche Boulevard, aka the Cuban corridor of Tampa’s Columbus Drive.
It’s all Greek for you
A trip to the Tarpon Springs sponge docks.
Italian revolutionaries
Authentic Italian is resurgent in Tampa Bay’s culinary scene.
Thai another?
If you like Royal Palace Thai…
Where else can I eat Chinese?
If you love Yummy House …
Eclectic Avenue
A night out with The Armenia Avenue Restaurant Gang.
Crowd-sourcing
To get the skinny on these neighborhoods, we needed a little help from our Friends.
High school confidential
Two students seeking culinary adventures for 10 bucks or less.
Stirring up bargains
Comparison shopping at Oceanic and Whole Foods.
Governor Scott signs homeless youth bill in Tampa
Governor Rick Scott was back in Tampa Wednesday morning for the second time in two weeks, this time signing the Homeless Youth Act, which will make it easier for homeless and unaccompanied minors to access their birth certificates. “Without this document, homeless youth face insurmountable hurtles,” said Scott at a Homeless Youth Forum, presented by…
World Refuge Day to be observed this Saturday in Tampa
World Refugee Day will be celebrated around the globe on Saturday, and locally the Tampa Bay Area Refugee Task Force will observe the day with an event at Jefferson High School in Tampa at 10 a.m. This year’s theme is “It takes the WHOLE Community: Wealth, Health, Opportunity, Literacy and Education.”
New Yorker outs the clout of ultra-conservative talk show host Bryan Fischer
Conservative talk show host Bryan Fischer Although Ryan Lizza's lengthy piece about what a second Obama term might look like takes up a significant amount of real estate in the current issue of the New Yorker, another story in the June 18 edition deserves attention going into this fall's election. The story, titled "Bully Pulpit,"…
Your psychedelic breakfast
Start your day with a meal and playlists inspired by a Pink Floyd classic.
Dystopia or utopia? Some thoughts on PlanIt
The PlanIt Valley community project is gadget geek’s — and sustainability activist’s — wet dream.
Daily Show takes on Florida voting purge issue
The Daily Show sent "correspondent" John Oliver to the Sunshine State to report on the voting purge story.A particular highlight is the interaction with conservative reporter/commentator John Fund. The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook
Pam Iorio says the purge of non-citizen voters in Florida “concerns me greatly”
Although some Republicans seem absolutely baffled why anyone would question what the problem would be in scrubbing non-citizens from Florida's voting rolls, there is precedent when it comes to supervisors of elections getting faulty lists from the state's Division of Elections. Or have you forgotten all about the 2000 presidential election in Florida, when thousands,…
The Southern Revival, an interview Jeff McInnis and Sean Brock
Jeff McInnis (Yardbird, gigi, and Top Chef), and Sean Brock (Husk) recently teamed to create a 1800s inspired dining experience.
Ideas worth sharing
Impressive guests and deep thinking highlight TEDx in St. Pete.
Mitch Perry Report 6.13.12 – The Norman Conquests?
Plus: ALF-CIO to start “voter protection” program.
Are you kidding? Columbus Drive Bridge to be closed for ANOTHER month
Remember in the weeks leading up to the closure of the Platt Street Bridge, the fears among residents and commuters around Davis Islands and those who commuted via Bayshore Boulevard into downtown Tampa? If you might recall, there were headlines (in the South Community News for example) of "Carmegeddon" coming to South Tampa. It wasn't…
Pinellas County School Board postpones vote on modified dress code
It may be all khakis and collars in the fall. The Pinellas County School Board on Tuesday discussed a nine-school mandatory modified dress code policy. Nine schools, three elementary and six middle, are considering a modified dress code that would put its students in polo shirts and khaki, blue or black pants. The schools include…
Limited Supply: Cucumber Saison at Cigar City Brewery
Cigar City Brewery’s Cucumber Saison is the perfect summer beer.
New music Tuesday! (June 12): Hot Chip, Dent May, Guided by Voices, Metric, The Tallest Man on Earth & more
Round two of new releases in June. 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…
Jim Norman quits state Senate race
Is his political career over?
Kerry Washington: From Scandal to star
The actress talks about her hit show, crisis management and working with Quentin Tarantino.
Hillsborough County development regulations under review by new economic stakeholder committee
Sandra Murman The Hillsborough County Economic Prosperity Stakeholder Committee (EPSC) held its second meeting Monday afternoon. EPSC was created in March to examine "the County’s regulatory structure and make recommendations to ease the burden and cost of regulatory oversight on economic development, while maintaining the County’s commitment to quality of life and responsible environmental stewardship,"…
Florida will be one of 6 states to be part of AFL-CIO Voter Protection effort
The NAACP's Ben Jealous Ben Jealous, the President and CEO of the NAACP, doesn't think much of what Governor Rick Scott is trying to do to insure that non-citizens don't vote this year in Florida. At a press conference in Washington this morning, Jealous called Scott's actions in suing the Department of Homeland Security to…
The Single Most Important Father’s Day Gift
Dear Dad, we need to chat.
CL on the Road at Bonnaroo 2012
On-site coverage of the mega music fest.
The Amazon Trail: Viral victimization
Tyler Clementi was a freshman at Rutgers University when he jumped off the George Washington Bridge to his death. He took his life after his roommate filmed and webcast his intimate encounter with another man in their dorm room. I always thought I’d suffered my first few weeks of college. It was horrible. I was…
Prompting Greg Proops
The Whose Liner performs in Treasure Island on Fri., Feb. 10.
