Metro I-4 News

You are browsing the archives of Sticks of Fire.

When I was in high school, my friends and I walked about a mile from my home to the bus stop.  That was from 1982 to ‘85.  It was dark, and seemed like a long walk to us, but three to five of us walked together, and got used to it.  At the end of [...]

We recently mentioned the low voter turnout for the primaries in Pinellas and Hillsborough, and suggested that you just don’t care about picking a leader.  But was that a fair statement?
Creative Loafing’s Wayne Garcia weighed in on the sorry turnout for voting in the primaries, calling it “crappy.”  He says the “circumstances” include (my highlights):
few [...]

As long as there are other places to go– places with higher wages, better education, cultural opportunities, a more congenial political environment, a less stultifying built environment– the Tampa Bay area’s creativity drain will probably continue. Accelerating the process may be:

The inevitable long-term rise in the cost of commuting. It is unlikely that oil prices [...]

I made a donation to the Kevin Beckner campaign for Hillsborough county commission. As Tommy pointed out,
Brian Blair is the Republican incumbent for countywide District 6, and will be faced by Democrat challenger Kevin Beckner.
If you don’t know why I’d support Beckner over Blair, you must be new around here. Blair hands out political favors [...]

Here’s one small way to get youngsters involved in civic life.
The City of Tampa is now recruiting for the 2009 Mayor’s Youth Corps.
According to the City of Tampa, the Mayor’s Youth Corps
provides young people with a voice, helps them be more involved in decisions that affect their lives, and strives to advance their [...]

Introducing a new feature here at the Sticks, rankings of all the Division 1-A (or Bowl Championship Division as the NCAA now calls it) college football teams for Florida. Have a disagreement with the rankings? Throw ‘em in the comments.

1. Florida (2-0)
For three quarters Miami came close to knocking off the Gators but one quarter [...]

OK, I admit it - I don’t get out much anymore.  Three kids under seven at home will do that to a couple.  But sometimes you just need to get out of the house.
I am a long time karaoke junkie. I’ve been haunting the best (and worst) karaoke bars in the Bay Area for 12 [...]

I love making predictions, especially with the Bucs. Never mind that most of the time they are wrong. So here are my educated guesses on the season for our local NFL collective…
JON GRUDEN WILL KEEP HIS JOB
No subject more sharply divides Bucs fans than their opinions on the head coach. And while I understand where [...]

I’m leaving very soon for a month in China and parts east!
Please don’t tell me (like everyone does) that I’ve missed the Olympics.  My favorite part of the Olympics is still to come.
The Paralympics are the Olympic Games for physically disabled athletes. They are always held in the same city, at the same venues as [...]

Did you happen to notice your property tax notice? 
As a Trib editorial says As Tax Notices Arrive This Month, Homeowners Find Ugly Shock.
It ain’t much lower than what it was 2 years ago.  When campaigning, Governor Charlie Crist promised to deal with the rising cost of insurance as well as property tax increases.  Neither [...]

There are 150 days until the Super Bowl kicks off in Tampa.
Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee - Super Bowl XLIII
In 2009, the road to NFL greatness leads to beautiful Tampa Bay and Super Bowl XLIII. Our community is excited to welcome you and hope you’ll enjoy our rich history, year-round sunshine, white, sandy beaches [...]

As an elected official, the Supervisor of Elections administers all elections in your county, conducts voter registration and issues voter information cards, updates voter registration lists and provides for absentee registration and voting. The Supervisor of Elections is also responsible for qualifying candidates for county office and receiving candidate campaign finance reports and financial disclosure [...]

But not for the great state of Florida!
Gotta love those Tribune editorial stances.
When they complain about federal spending that is distributed across the nation, it’s pork.
When those bills bring the bacon to Florida, it’s “right.”
When that spending ends up in Tampa, it’s necessary earmarks.

First off, what does a Property Appraiser do?

The Hillsborough County Property Appraiser is an elected official charged with the duty and responsibility to appraise all of the property in the County. This includes real estate and tangible personal property (the equipment, machinery and fixtures) of businesses. The Property Appraiser prepares the tax roll, but does [...]

About the Hillsborough County Commission, and how to find your district.
The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners is made up of 7 officials. The first four each represent a different district within Hillsborough County. Depending on where you live, you could expect to speak to (and therefore vote for) any one of 4 different commissioners. [...]