I was disappointed that committee meetings held me in Tallahassee last week for the announcement at Cypress Gardens. As we knew, the news coming from the sale to Merlin confirms: this is a big deal. Initial reports in The Ledger boast 1,000 new jobs, although reports from folks who attended the news conference indicate as [...]
Central Florida band Juniper RED contacted Lakeland photographer Tom Hagerty about shooting a few photos for the band. Saturday morning Tom and the band wandered around Lakeland's Starry Way and the Polk Theater shooting a few dozen shots. Check the full article for more shots...
In the education post both Carol and I start with this Gallup poll that shows a very high satisfaction rate (77%) with how schools are educating children. Parents generally think their child is getting a good education. But those other kids? The poll shows that only 46% are satisfied with education in the country. What [...]
This week, I am sharing a very personal poem, which later turned into a song, I wrote for my son while he was in the St. Joseph’s Women Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (St. Joe’s NICU). My son, Li Alexius Santiago, was born at 24 weeks, and he only had a 30 percent chance of survival.
Recently a woman I was dating dragged me to torturous evening event in town. The scene was a hot dark room where someone ordered me to put my body into strange positions....
This week Alex Santiago looks into the second annual Banned Books “Read Out” event at USF Polytechnic
It's an action, comment, or attitude. It's something we just can't accept. It's a "deal breaker." Chris Craig looks into deal breakers today in Religion in the City
Alex Santiago shares some of the Central Florida events for Hispanic Heritage Month...
Today, I am sharing my most meaningful and personal work. After writing this piece, my life officially shifted and my views and intentions for living changed.
Chris Craig writes about the tastes and smells that serve as keys to open our memories....
New contributor Alex Santiago understands the Central Florida music scene. A member of 48StatesAway, Santiago has played, promoted, or attended shows in most of the independent venues in the region. Each Saturday, Santiago will bring you the past, present, or future of the local music scene.
Saturday afternoon, the players at Joker Marchant Stadium looked younger than usual. Find out why inside...
In this week's Religion in the City column, Chris Craig speaks of love....
In the social service world, one of the greatest challenges is finding the energy to delineate which clients are in true need of help and which ones are simply sponges of the social service wheel. Take a look inside to find one of Craig's inspirations that helps him in his work...
Bio: I’m a Christian, a husband, a father, a son, a real estate consultant, and now, an amateur writer. As well, I am a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing District 63, or parts of Polk and Hillsborough Counties. My goal in this space is to provide my insight and comment on events shaping our larger region. I hope to consistently remind my community that we live in a connected world and that our commitment to being a player in the Metro I-4 super-region will make all the difference in the world. Selfishly, I also hope to further develop my skills as an amateur writer - a muse with which I’ve always tinkered but, until now, never published. I hope you find depth in my insights and sincerity in their offering. And I hope you’ll let me know how I’m doing… email: mckeel@metroi4news.com