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Even odder: Oddball Comedy invades Tampa on Oct. 3

Things are about to get odd. Last year's Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival made a stop in Tampa, and earned a thumbs-up from concert-goers who saw the likes of Louis C.K., Marc Maron and Jeff Ross, in addition to dozens of other nationally-known and local comedians. Another year, another tour: Funny Or Die put another…

by Michael Murillo

Bush not so good with the whole diversity thing these days

Not that we expect former Florida Governor Jeb Bush to spend his presidential politickin' days headlining Black Lives Matter rallies and marching for equal pay, but he's definitely been asserting his tendency toward (how shall we put this?) ethnocentricity in recent days. In an interview that will air Friday on Sirius XM’s POTUS Channel 124, according…

by Kate Bradshaw

St. Pete Dist. 7 race follows predictably contentious course

The two candidates running for St. Pete City Council's Dist. 7 seat, which covers much of south St. Pete, have a bit in common when it comes to what they want to achieve on issues like education for southside students, police-community relations and a plan to aggressively develop the economy in the district. Where Winthrop…

by Kate Bradshaw

WMNF awarded sizable county grant for tower

Community radio station WMNF — 88.5 FM on the dial — doesn't have the kind of budget at its disposal as its corporate counterparts have. (Disclosure: this reporter is a former employee of the station.) It relies on listeners as well as grants from government and corporate entities to cover the small staff, pay the…

by Kate Bradshaw

Local leaders start the “minimum wage challenge”

Imagine you make $300 a week, most of which goes to your rent and bills. Now imagine trying to navigate life — emergencies, birthday gifts, education, your kid's school uniform — with that pittance. Many people are stuck in low-wage jobs because they don't have the same advantages as others, not because they lack smarts…

by Kate Bradshaw

Sh*t happened 9/28/15: Boehner bails, mega moon (sort of)

This past weekend was brought to you by the color burnt sienna. Although we don't often get to glimpse the hue in its autumnal context like our northerly neighbors do right about this time of year, the color and its like shades appeared everywhere over the past few days, from our television screens to the…

by Kate Bradshaw

RumFish gets Tanked again with Wayde King and Brett Raymer

For a fully immersive dining experience, RumFish Grill is the perfect place to get on island time and truly feel like you are underwater, without having to get wet if you don’t want to. As you may know, last year Animal Planet’s hit series Tanked stars went all out to create a 33,500-gallon aquarium inside…

by Caitlin Albritton

The Weekend Shift: On the subject of tumble weaves

Of the many distinctions that mark urban life, one of the most infinitely mysterious is the tumble weave. Looking so forlorn and discarded, you just gotta wonder about the circumstance that led to the fallen hair soldier that ends up laying in a stagnant puddle alongside floating cigarette butts and a baby doll leg. Tumble…

by Amy Beeman

Do This: The Weekend Top 10

It may be September, but it’s Oktoberfest time! Plus Heights Unites, Chalk Walk, Museum Day Live!, Carmada, Gigi Lage’s solo show, movies, Andrei Codrescu and more.

by Julie Garisto

Castor, Nelson have awesome responses to Boehner announcement

News of U.S. House Speaker John Boehner's departure was a surprise to many, given its abruptness, and in its wake the obligatory flurry of analysis and speculation has ensued. Congressional leaders from Florida have weighed in on the big news as well, including U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor. All offer a…

by Kate Bradshaw

Despite controversy, key Lisa Wheeler-Brown supporters stay committed

You may have heard about the flurry of negative press around St. Pete Council candidate Lisa Wheeler-Brown's campaign, namely that she paid for dental work out of her campaign fund and used office space that was not reported as an in-kind contribution. Both stories were originally reported in the past week or so by SaintPetersBlog/Florida…

by Kate Bradshaw

No more tears: Boehner resigns as speaker, Floridians react

In the wake of U.S. House Speaker John Boehner's abrupt announcement that he will be forfeiting his speakership as well as his Congressional seat, there was a flutter of perspective and analysis, some meaningful, some clever. Over the past half-decade or so, since the GOP's winning back of the U.S. House, Boehner became known for…

by Kate Bradshaw

Sh*t happened 9/25/15: Hulk suit, Buckhorn vs. City Council take 7

It's Friday. In other parts of our great nation, leaves are changing color, brisk breezes cool the end of the day, and ruddy-faced children pick apples in the burnt orange of the fading late-afternoon light. Here, on the other hand: Several media companies, including the Associated Press, have requested that certain legal records pertaining to…

by Scott Harrell

Ask The Locals: Evan Longoria

The Tampa Bay Rays’ Evan Longoria is regarded as one of the best third basemen in Major League Baseball. Drafted nine years ago by the Rays, the 29-year-old “Longo” is the longest tenured player currently on the team. In 2012, he signed an unprecedented six-year $100-million contract, reinforcing his mug as the face of the…

by Heidi Kurpiela

After outburst, Tampa Council goes for compromised police review plan

After months of chanting the words "shut it down" at demonstrations throughout the area, progressive activists proved they aren't screwing around at Tampa City Hall Thursday. City Council members elected to suspend a meeting for 3.5 hours after critics of the Mayor Bob Buckhorn's approach to a civilian review board on police matters shouted "no…

by Kate Bradshaw

Ask The Locals: Ya La’ford

Artist Ya La’ford is a whirlwind of positivity and ideas, dashing to and fro like the unique shattered-glass-like patterns she paints on walls and murals. Involved with several civic arts projects, the affectionate and gregarious artist most recently contributed “The Sunnel” to the SHINE Mural Project. The underground tunnel between Ferg’s Sports Bar and Tropicana…

by Julie Garisto

Ask The Locals: Mark Sforzini

As executive and artistic director of St. Petersburg Opera Company, Mark Sforzini has successfully banished the notion that opera is stuffy. He enjoys sending up the art form with events like the Opera Therapy series, in which he literally puts opera characters on the couch; gets up-close-and-personal with fans in Mornings and Evenings with the…

by David Warner

Ask The Locals: Rick Martinez

As a third generation Tampanian, Sweetwater Organic Community Farm founder Rick Martinez is a water guy. He grew up along the river, and he’s always had a fondness for the region’s waterfront, from Bayshore Boulevard to Weedon Island. Martinez — who now has a lake right outside his pad in Odessa — graduated with an…

by Meaghan Habuda

Dark & Sinful: Watching Carson

I didn’t know black people could be Republican until the 1988 election, the first time I had any real interest in politics. Bush. Dukakis. Jesse Jackson’s occasional two cents. My brother and I watched the DNC live from Atlanta, hoping a C-SPAN camera would land on our grandmother, who worked for the Michigan Democratic Party,…

by Erica Dawson

Ask The Locals: Dwight and Mary Rachel Dudley

It seems like many of Tampa Bay’s power couples work in similar circles, be they local politics or the arts. Longtime St. Petersburg residents Dwight and Mary Rachel Dudley break that mold. She is an actress in film and television with a growing resume; she counts Fantastic Four among her recent titles. She auditions for…

by Kate Bradshaw

BOTB 25: Partying with the Best of the Bay

Wow! What an amazing night! Last night a HUUUUGE crowd of the area's Best, Brightest and Beautifulest crowded into the Mahaffey in St. Pete to celebrate Creative Loafing's 25th Annual Best of the Bay Issue — and more to the point, find out who won. Along with my lovely co-host, Jenn Holloway of WFLA and…

by David Warner

Immigration supporters announce plans to prepare Hispanic community for 2016 elections

With anti-immigration rhetoric reaching extreme levels in the early stages of the Presidential race, reaching its ugliest incarnation when a certain Republican frontrunner characterized undocumented immigrants as “criminals” and “rapists,” it comes as no surprise to see supporters of immigration reform and the Latino community in general begin to organize their influence and fight against…

by Terrence Smith

Best Do-It-Yourself Beach Party

There are many reasons to buy a boat, and perhaps the simplest and most satisfying one is for the purpose of getting away from everyone — or at least everyone who doesn’t have a boat. The big sandbar northwest of Fort De Soto that grows and shrinks with the tides is rarely totally deserted, but…

by CL Staff

Best of the Bay 2015

I was asked the other day, “How has Best of the Bay changed over its 25 years?” Not having been at CL for that entire quarter century, I can’t say, but I do know there was a time (I remember a similar task at the paper where I worked in Philly) when these kinds of…

by David Warner

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