Creative Loafing Tampa

Tampa Tea Party member says she's been negatively affected by IRS on two separate occasions

Mitch Perry — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:50:00 -0400

Before it was revealed earlier this month that the IRS has been scrutinizing conservative groups seeking a tax-exempt status, the biggest issue the agency has dealt with in the past year is refund fraud and identify theft — a problem that has exploded in the Tampa Bay area.

As a co-founder of the Tampa 9-12 Project chapter, Karen Jaroch has already gone public about the ordeal she felt her group underwent when applying to the IRS three years ago.…

HART to use $1.2 million to add bus hours on nights and weekends

Mitch Perry — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:13:00 -0400

Talk about doing more with less.

The proposed fiscal year 2014 operating and capital budget for Hillsborough County's transit agency will come in nearly 27 percent lower than last year.…

Pet-A-Palooza 2013: Pics from the pet party

Chip Weiner — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:47:32 -0400

Cute and cuddly were everywhere Saturday at Pet-A-Palooza, held at Raymond James Stadium. Pet challenges included Twiggy the water-skiing squirrel and a dog diving dock.…

Middle fingers fly as American Idiot invades the Straz Center

Brian Frederick — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:27:00 -0400

Between the head-banging, strobe lighting and angst-filled lyrics, American Idiot might be better suited to an arena rock setting than the musical theater. But punk rockers are wont to rock where punk rockers choose, especially if the setting is less than appropriate.…

Mitch Perry Report: The President's agenda wasn't in good shape before Benghazi/AP/IRS …

Mitch Perry — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:06:00 -0400

Can we end the pretense espoused by such conventional wisdom proprietors as MSNBC's Joe Scarborough that the various problems hitting the Obama White House "threaten" his second term agenda? With the exception of immigration, Republicans (particularly in the House) have not really shown any interest in working with the president whatsoever (though on budget issues they're sort of forced to) since his re-election.…

The Amazon Trail: Fleeing Flatonia

Lee Lynch — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:50:00 -0400

We fled Flatonia, Texas like it could pursue us.

We’d be back home in the Pacific Northwest in just a few days and, we hoped, bed bug-less.…

All scandal, all the time for the next month in Washington?

Mitch Perry — Sun, 19 May 2013 13:02:00 -0400

Scandals like the I.R.S. targeting the Tea Party in recent years are custom made for cable news and its network equivalents, the Sunday morning talk shows. Add in the revelation about the Justice Department's seizure of the records of nearly 100 people at The Associated Press, and oh yes, Benghazi, and let's just say that programming decisions weren't a challenge for Sunday show producers this week.…

Hands Across the Sand draws a line against oil drilling and fracking

Terrence Smith — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:25:00 -0400

At the Bilmar Beach Resort on Treasure Island, hundreds gathered for the fifth edition of Hands Across the Sand, a gathering of those opposed to offshore drilling and and the use of dirty fuels. The event was one of four in the Bay Area.…

Adamo Drive Mural almost ready to be unveiled

Nicole Abbett — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:26:00 -0400

Join Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Tampa community leaders this Tuesday, May 21, to celebrate the newly finished Adamo Drive Mural. The dedication is taking place at 2 p.m. which will include a preliminary session with the artist, Michael Parker, and a reception afterward.…

The Office ends on a high note

Erik Hahmann — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:14:00 -0400

I’ve watched a lot of shows to completion. All of them have one thing in common; I used DVD or Netflix to finish them.…

Harvey Milk Festival set this weekend

Tiffany Razzano — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:16:00 -0400

This weekend, Sarasota once again celebrates the life of the first openly gay politician with the fourth annual Harvey Milk Festival.

The three-day event espouses the late Milk’s ideals by showcasing emerging musicians and artists who support diversity and reject discrimination, while promoting equality for the LGBT community.…

Conservative group rallies in Florida to keep ban on "avowed" gay Boy Scouts

Mitch Perry — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:27:00 -0400

Boy Scout delegates will decide next week if the ban on gay Scouts remains or not. Supporters of the ban held rallies in 40 cities on Friday, including Tampa, urging delegates to "Keep sex and politics out of the Boy Scouts" and vote no on the resolution.…

Renoir paints a beautiful picture

Joe Bardi — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:11:00 -0400

The Tampa Theatre imports a little summer counterprogramming from France. by Joe Bardi French import Renoir, opening this weekend at the Tampa Theatre, is the anti-summer blockbuster. A stately period piece set in the French Riviera, the movie is a slow, quiet look at the relationship between painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Michel Bouquet), his son Jean (Vincent Rottiers) and the actress Andrée Heuschling (Christa Theret).…

Hillsborough County homeless population drops dramatically

Mitch Perry — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:44:00 -0400

The Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County announced today that the number of homeless people in Hillsborough stands at 2,275 — a 47 percent decrease from the 2011 count of 4,681.

You may not be familiar with that 4,681 number, since the Coalition announced in 2011 that there were over 17,000 homeless people in the county, a stunningly high number that seemed to indicate that the problem here was worse here than anywhere else in the nation.…

Mitch Perry Report 5.17.13: TPD being questioned (again) in Al Fox DUI case

Mitch Perry — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:51:00 -0400

Two newspapers are reporting this morning that Al Fox, best known for his passionate advocacy for liberalizing relations with Cuba, was pulled over after driving past the speed limit on Dale Mabry Highway back in February, and then tested for a D.U.I. Reportedly Fox failed a field sobriety examination, though when when he was given a Breathalyzer, his blood-alcohol level tested at 0.000.

Nevertheless he was busted and held overnight in jail, before being released the next day.…

Get out your LGBT weekend calendar

Tiffany Razzano — Fri, 17 May 2013 05:41:00 -0400

If you're still looking to make weekend plans, there are plenty of LGBT events in the Tampa Bay area.

The Tampa Museum of Art, 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza, hosts its eighth annual Pride & Passion event on Saturday, May 18 starting at 8 p.m. The event features cuisine from Timpano Italian Chophouse, complimentary cocktails and beverages, entertainment and gallery admission.…

Tampa goes green

Linda Saul-Sena — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:05:00 -0400

A community comes together to create a pathway connecting Tampa’s greenspaces. by Linda Saul-Sena Imagine walking with friends under shady trees, protected from motorists, en route from the community garden to the neighborhood cafe. Ahh!…

Jon & Jen take a musical trip through the decades

Mark E. Leib — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:04:00 -0400

freeFall Theatre’s latest production is a lovely but superficial tour of American life from the ’50s to the ’90s. by Mark E. Leib John & Jen is a lovely but mostly superficial tour of American life from the ’50s to the ’90s. Nicely performed and sung by Katie Zaffrann and Chris Crawford, it offers intelligent lyrics, pleasant but forgettable music, and a storyline so hurried that there’s never much opportunity to think about the momentous years it references.…

Race headlong fearless

Peter Meinke — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:03:00 -0400

The legacy of Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. by Peter Meinke You gave us a vision of grace a Greek statue cast in Africa touched to life…

Speculation on gay marriage from the perspective of an unmarriageable lesbian

Alicia Deer — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:21:00 -0400

Gay marriage is now legal in 12 states. Rhode Island, Delaware and Minnesota recently hopped the short fence to land on the right side of history.…

EMILY's List highlights Jessica Ehrlich in her 2014 race against Bill Young

Mitch Perry — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:13:00 -0400

Last night, the D.C.-based group EMILY's List named six Democrats running for Congress next year as "On The List," including Jessica Ehrlich in St. Petersburg and Gwen Graham in Tallahassee. Both will be running against Republican incumbents next year, and this mention can only help them gain recognition as they gear up their campaigns.…

Tampa nears enacting ordinance to reduce car-stereo noise

Mitch Perry — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:28:00 -0400

The City of Tampa is less than a month away from enacting an ordinance designed to crack down on motorists who refuse to turn down the volume on their car stereos, with repeat offenders looking at a possible jail sentence.

The Tampa City Council, upon its first reading, approved a proposed ordinance that will outlaw car noise that can be heard from 50 feet away or more.…

Tampa cyclists ride for safer streets

Chrystal Tacker — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:44:00 -0400

Cyclists gathered at Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa sporting Wednesday night wearing reflective gear, helmets, and lights. These bicyclists decided to join the ride throughout downtown in an effort to raise awareness for bicycle and pedestrian safety on the roadways.…

Mitch Perry Report: Tribune urges Rick Scott to veto study of HART/PSTA merger

Mitch Perry — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:20:00 -0400

The Tampa Tribune's editorial page today is coming out forcefully in advocating that Governor Rick Scott veto the $200,000 added into the state budget by Clearwater area GOP state Senator Jack Latvala for a new "desk study" evaluating the prospects of a merger between HART & PSTA, the two respective transit agencies for Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.

The paper notes the $100,000 study conducted by the agencies last year (that one paid by the agencies - this one would be paid for by Tallahassee, or you could say, taxpayers).…

Seminole Heights residents speak up on potential dog park

Terrence Smith — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:17:00 -0400

The city of Tampa's Parks and Recreation Department sought the locals opinion about a potential dog park added to Henry and Ola Park Wednesday night at the Seminole Garden Center.

Karen Cashon and Heather Wolf-Erickson presented a concept for the park, which would be a fenced-in area in an undeveloped part of Henry and Ola Park.…