Thursday, February 14, 2013
The International Olympic Committee’s executive board wants to boot the sport from the 2020 games. We’d like to hear your thoughts on this, Tampa Bay!
High school wrestling and Tampa Bay practically go hand in hand. From Brandon High School’s championship-winning program to Clearwater Olympian Jared Frayer, the sport and its loyal athletes make headlines both on the local and national level. Now, the International Olympic Committee wants to drop this sport from its 2020 roster. The IOC’s executive board decided on Feb. 12 it no longer wanted to see Greco-Roman wrestling in the games. While the executive board’s decision could be overturned later this summer, ESPN is reporting that isn’t likely to happen. The problem, ESPN reports, is that wrestling just doesn’t have the following other sports do. Wrestling tickets didn’t sell out during the 2012 London Games and television audience …
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
We are planning a lot of fun for the 3rd Annual Tampa Bay Support the Troops event. If you have someone in the military (or not) and want to have a blast showing them you care, you won't want to miss this event.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
President Barack Obama has the authority to set policy, but some say he’s abusing it to skirt Congress. We’d like to hear your thoughts on the issue, Tampa Bay.
One of the perks of sitting in the Oval Office is having the authority to set national policy on topics as far ranging as civil liberties and gun control. The executive order is a tool afforded to the president that has long been used to direct government agencies to do certain things. While the Constitution doesn’t specifically grant this authority, according to a 1999 report prepared for Congress, presidents from George Washington forward have used orders to conduct business. President Barack Obama’s use of the executive order, however, has drawn fire from critics. In some cases, false claims have been made about the number of orders he’s issued since taking office. One rumor, which has been squelched, claimed Obama had signed 900 …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
While the national organization debates the merits of lifting the ban on gay participants, we want to get your take on the issue.
As the Boy Scouts of America celebrate their 103rd birthday Friday, Feb. 8, a heated dispute is likely putting a damper on any celebrations. The national organization was expected to take up the issue of removing a ban on gay participants recently. It, however, delayed taking action until May “due to the complexity of this issue,” according to the Chicago Tribune. Even if the national council votes in favor of lifting the ban, local chapters would retain their right to keep it in place. Some members and supporters of the private organization designed to teach boys life, citizenship and leadership skills say it’s time to end the ban on gay participants. Others are staunchly opposed to the notion. Should the organization lift its national …
Monday, February 4, 2013
The Major League Baseball team says it needs a new stadium to be successful in the Bay area. Some St. Petersburg leaders insist they must stay in the city. We want to hear what you think should happen.
It’s no secret that the Tampa Bay Rays have been talking with government officials outside of St. Petersburg about the need for a new stadium. They’ve gone on a road show of sorts, talking with officials on both the Hillsborough and Pinellas county commissions. Team management has made it clear that attendance numbers need to rise for the Rays to remain viable in the Tampa Bay area. They’ve also made it abundantly clear that Major League Baseball has lost its faith in Tampa Bay. While Hillsborough and Pinellas county officials want to lend a hand to restore that faith – and possibly a location for a shiny new stadium in their own backyards – St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster is adamantly opposed to letting the team out of its contract to play at …
Thursday, January 31, 2013
As Florida Gov. Rick Scott calls on state legislators to increase funding for school by $1.2 billion some are skeptical about his intentions. We’d like to get your take on the governor’s proposals, Tampa Bay.
Florida school districts that have struggled with multi-million-dollar budget cuts and teachers who’ve gone years sans raises are being offered some hope courtesy of Florida’s Republican governor. Rick Scott is calling on the state’s legislature to approve a budget that includes an extra $1.2 billion in funding for public schools. Some of that money would help fund across-the-board raises of $2,500 for the state’s teachers. The overall plan would also boost per-student funding by about 6.5 percent, according to TBO.com. "Investing in our teachers and in our education system is the key to our state's continued economic growth," Scott said in the TBO piece. "We made the hard choices to recover and get back on track — now we must make the …
Monday, January 28, 2013
As President Barack Obama kicks off his second term in office, the often prickly issue of immigration reform has come to the forefront. We’d like to get your thoughts on America’s immigration policy and the need for reform, Tampa Bay!
After tackling health care in his first term, it looks like President Barack Obama has set his sights on waging another big battle in his second term in office – immigration reform. The president is expected to discuss his plans for reform on Tuesday during a trip to Nevada, but a bi-partisan group of Senators intends to beat him to the punch. The group of eight Senators includes Florida’s own Republican Marco Rubio, according to the Huffington Post. Their plan, which will be more fully announced today, Jan. 28, calls for a multifaceted approach to reform with such prongs as: The Senate group, however, wants to make sure the first two points are adequately addressed by the country before the pathway opens. "Once the enforcement measures …
Love crepes and homemade soup? Consider Salt N Pepper Bistro on Clearwater-Largo Road for lunch.
Soup and a sandwich or soup and a salad are popular lunchtime specials. At the Salt N Pepper Bistro patrons have the unique opportunity of ordering soup and a crepe. The Clearwater-Largo Road restaurant's lunch special is the 3-Cheeses Crepe with the soup of the day for $8.95. Lunch is served Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The cheesy-square-shaped crepe filled the plate and came with a hearty crock of tomato bisque soup. The tomato and cheese combo brought back childhood memories of grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup. Chef J.C. Lepretre has been making crepes and other French cuisine for more than 50 years. Lepretre loves the diversity of crepes. "It's a breakfast food. It can be a fancy dinner food. It's …
Friday, January 25, 2013
A 5-year-old kindergartener was suspended for 10 days for what school officials labeled a “terrorist threat.” Her crime: saying she wanted to shoot a classmate and herself with a Hello Kitty bubble gun. Have we gone too far, Tampa Bay?
Making sure public schools across the Tampa Bay area are safe, welcoming places where learning is priority No. 1 is a concern on most parents’ minds – especially in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in December. Bay Area residents have spoken out on the need for enhanced security in schools. And, they’ve weighed in on gun control issues. But, as we rush to shore up our schools’ defenses to prevent a repeat of Sandy Hook from happening here in our backyard, is anyone asking how far is too far? The story of a 5-year-old girl’s suspension from a Pennsylvania elementary school after she said she wanted to shoot a classmate and herself with a Hello Kitty pink bubble gun puts a spotlight on just how serious some adults are …
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says it’s time to remove the combat ban on women in the military. Do you agree with the move, Tampa Bay?
Female soldiers will no longer be relegated to supporting roles in America’s military. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta plans to overturn a 1994 rule that prohibits women from taking positions in combat units. Described as a “groundbreaking move” by The Huffington Post, Panetta’s decision opens up hundreds of thousands of front-line jobs for women in the military. It’s also possible that women will find themselves eligible for elite positions in America’s special forces. The changes, expected to be announced more fully today, Jan. 24, won’t come quickly, however. Military branches are being asked to create plans to open the doors for women to serve. Some of the new jobs might open up later this year, but branches will have until January 2016…
Who is WILLIAM BINNEY?
9:05 am on Saturday, February 16, 2013
I love how they blame ratings when the coverage is a joke. Thankfully we do not have cable, but that doesn't mean I am not aware of the joke that is the Olympics on NBC. With the technology today, we should be able to view more events than we are shown. We should be able to watch events in real time, not 17 week tape delayed. We should be able to watch more coverage of more sports......not forced… more ›