Catching you up on overnight happenings, and what you need to know today.
7 Months Ago
7 Months Ago
7 Months Ago
• It should continue to be unseasonably warm today, and until a front moves through on Thursday, according to 10Weather WTSP. That means highs in the mid- to upper-80s. It’s still February, by the way.
• As you head out for your morning commute, check out our live blog for the latest traffic updates and road conditions across Tampa Bay.
• President Donald Trump’s first address to Congress tonight gives him a welcome opportunity to refocus his young administration on the core economic issues that helped him get elected — and, his allies hope, to move beyond the distractions and self-inflicted wounds that have roiled his White House. Republicans hope Trump arrives on Capitol Hill armed with specifics on replacing the "Obamacare" health law and overhauling the nation’s tax system. More broadly, some Republicans are anxious for the president to set aside his feuds with the media, the intelligence community and the courts, which have overshadowed the party’s policy priorities.
• St. Petersburg’s Northwest sewage plant is undergoing $16 million worth of upgrades to prevent anything like the 58 million gallon spill last year that released waste into nearby neighborhoods and Boca Ciega Bay. Residents will find out more at a 6 p.m. meeting. Read Charlie Frago’s story at tampabay.com to find out more.
• Speaking of sewage, residents voiced their anxiety during a forum Monday night about whether city officials will be able to avert a repeat of the last two summers of spills and discharges that have accompanied heavy rain events. Read what they had to say first thing this morning at tampabay.com. Charlie’s been busy.
• The Pinellas County Commission is set to meet at 9 a.m. today with the county’s five constitutional officers to figure out a strategy for hiring a new county attorney. However, they’ll also be discussing the perks that retiring County Attorney Jim Bennett has been getting since 2008. Follow Mark Puente at @MarkPuente for updates.
• The day before he almost died, he had seen his older sister overdosing in a recliner. He had watched his neighbor, a nurse, give her a shot of Narcan, the drug that lifts addicts from the brink of death. He had seen the paramedics cart her away. Michael Dingman knew people who had died from overdoses. He liked to boast that it couldn’t happen to him, that he knew the limits of his addiction. It was a lie. Times staff writer Dan Sullivan catches up, one year later with a recovering heroin addict. Read the story this morning on tampabay.com.
• Compared to 10 years ago, fewer people have a savings plan, are saving money at work,or even know their own net worth. Tampa Bay Times Business Columnist Robert Trigaux checks out the latest sobering stats that show many of us haven’t been paying attention to all the urging to save — or are just financially unable to do so. Read more at tampabay.com/business.
• From the Times editorial board: Florida’s child welfare system is underfunded by at least $100 million. Money is tight in the upcoming state budget, but failing to adequately fund this effort leaves helpless children as the casualties. Read the editorial and today’s letters to the editor at tampabay.com/opinion.
• We’ve had a front-row seat to the rise of Twenty One Pilots over the past five years, from their early days opening festivals and packing clubs to their sold-out concert tonight at Amalie Arena.
Click here for details as pop music critic Jay Cridlin shows how, by several measures, this is one of the group’s best markets in America.
• Food critic Laura Reiley checked out the Asiatic Street Food & Noodle Bar that debuted in December, offering Ybor City a new dinner and date-night option.
• Today is Fat Tuesday, better known as Mardi Gras. Here is a roundup of the biggest parties in the area including an elaborate parade in Dunedin and an Ybor block party.
• Here are the top things to do today in Tampa Bay including a concerts by Less Than Jake, Twenty One Pilots and Lordi, Finland’s answer to Gwar.
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