News Watch for Monday, April 14, 2008
From east to west, here are the stories found in your local newspapers:
The St. Pete Times tells us about an attempt to make sure all Hillsborough County voices continue to be heard. Community activist Gerald White says African-Americans would see their voices weakened by a concentration of power if the county charter changes to elect a single county mayor.
You already know that the Tampa Bay area is one of the nation’s costliest places for getting to work. Those families who make $20,000 to $50,000 a year use a third of their income for commuting. The Tampa Tribune says there is a new website to help find your costs based on your neighborhood. Drive on over to http://htaindex.cnt.org, choose your metro area, then find your specific neighborhood.
The Tribune also says Forbes magazine ranked the Tampa-St. Petersburg area No. 8 on the list of America’s Cleanest Cities. Florida’s biggest cities are among the top ten; Orlando ranked #4 on the list, while Miami ranked as the cleanest and Jacksonville came in third.
The St. Pete Times says a Clearwater developer wants to build a 230-foot tower and a 200-foot tower on the southeast corner of Hwy 60 (Adamo Dr.) at US 41 (50th St.). The development will tower over the area around it. This on the heels of the 350,000-square-foot Ikea furniture store approved for Hwy 60 at 22nd Street.
If you are in the mood to check out some art, don’t forget that most of your local libraries include displays of local artists’ works.
The State of Florida has been focusing on property tax relief, and the value of your homes have been dropping. Still, The Ledger reports that the Polk County appraiser says you may see 3 percent increase anyway.
Engineers have come up with two options for a connector highway linking I-4 and US 27 to State Road 417 and the Bee Line Expressway. The four-lane highway would be expandable to six lanes, and would run through portions of Polk, Orange and Osceola counties. The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority may choose to build one or both in the future.
The Orlando Sentinel reports on a reality show gone wrong, and that there will be more clowns than usual in Lake Buena Vista.
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