The dream was to live in a quiet suburb and commute to work. Is that dream turning into a nightmare? Bedroom Community Affected by Gas Costs

Students are finding that they don’t have to drive to class. What will that do to the give-and-take many students need to learn? Online-Class Enrollment Accelerates Into Fall

Bonus:

The Ledger asks Can a Black Man Win Florida?

The Sentinal thinks State leaders need to get their commuter-rail act together now

If you’re near Valencia Community College on Tuesday you can attend a public forum hosted by Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Indialantic to Learn about proposal to drop Florida school tax

These aren’t your grandfather’s summer rains: Microbursts: Small summer storms can hit hard

Guess what those summer storms bring? Not May flowers: Heavy Rains Lead to a Mosquito Baby Boom

heaven knows we shouldn’t help our city buses. The price of gas is so low: No penny gas tax to help Lynx, Orange leaders decide

It’s that time of year. Be careful! Thrill rides can be dangerous! stories. Thrills And Spills – Caution Key To Theme Park Safety

Bonus:

A pair of Tribune editorials: 401(k) Rule Finally Reveals Hidden Fees and Erase Political Favoritism From Legislative Redistricting

Speaking of tourists: A whole suitcase of challenges selling tourists on Florida visits

They call them Lexus Lanes. And you thought America was a classless society. Pay-as-you-go express lanes could be headed to Orlando area

Remember: If you cut property taxes, your officials will find the money somewhere else, or cut important important services: Property-tax rate headed for increase and Polk’s Schools Brace for Cuts

Bonus:

Lakeland to Hire Lawyer for Train Issues Ahead

Negligent Florida Let Criminals Infect Mortgage Industry

Speaking of homes: Building in a Niche: Smaller Houses Sell

This may shock some but there is Proof there were tourists before there were theme parks

CSX looks to lobby and public relations to argue case: Kassab: Railroad carries new message, but how lean is lean, and how green is green? And is it worth the money taxpayers must invest in the billion-dollar a year company?

Bonus: Regulators Raid Wachovia’s Hub

Yes – that headline says April 15. Your tax forms must be in the mail by midnight tonight.

Apopka Cops say that the house being used for a reality show was once used to broadcast live sex acts for an adult entertainment Web site. Can’t you imagine the idiots behind this? “Hey, we got this house sitting here – we need to use it to get rich and famous!”

In Haines City, work on the North Sixth Street streetscaping project has been postponed because of paperwork requested by Florida’s Department of Community Affairs. Meanwhile in Winter Haven, Third Street between Avenue A Southwest and Avenue E Northwest is undergoing a face lift as part of that city’s continuing effort to improve the downtown. The work is expected to take the rest of the year.

Mulberry Police Deputy Chief Jody Beaudry was arrested Monday on charges of sexual battery and engaging in unlawful sexual activity with a minor. FDLE investigators say in 2004, Beaudry threatened to revoke a 16 year old girl’s probation if she did not have sex with him. Sounds like rape to me.

A Ledger editorial notes the Bush Administration’s terrible EPA record.

Compared to 2007, Sun ‘n Fun President John Burton said that daily attendance during the week was down 5 percent or 6 percent each day for the first four days of the six-day event. There was no dropoff in deaths surrounding the event.

Media General’s Florida Communications Group is offering voluntary buyouts to about half its 1,326 employees, including those with The Tampa Tribune and WFLA, News Channel 8. They are trying to reduce staff and other costs in a difficult economic environment in the Tampa Bay area, said John Schueler, president of Florida Communications Group, which oversees the operation of The Tribune, WFLA, TBO.com and other Florida media outlets.

The book The Land is about the son of a prosperous landowner and a former slave whose white father raises him openly in post-Civil War Georgia. The book includes use of the N-word. After a parent’s complaint, a committee of school administrators, parents and teachers from Turner Elementary School in northeast Hillsborough County said The Land by Mildred Taylor was “above the maturity level of elementary students” and will donate the book to a middle school, school officials said Monday.

Tampa Tribune Editorial: In scoring and hosting championship games, Tampa has been outstanding. But Orlando is investing a billion dollars in sporting venues and other facilities, and are on the way to building commuter rail. Tampa needs to stay ahead of Orlando.

That’s it for now. Feel free to go finish your taxes.

For her 18th birthday, Wifey and I took the High School Senior to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casin o. She had gotten some birthday spending money from friends and family, and I thought it would be a good idea to teach her how to effectively make it disappear at the slo t machines.

As we showed her the ropes, she learned there is a lot more than just

• a. insert money
• b. place bet
• c. pull handle
• d. repeat until broke

For instance, the Degenerate Gamblers Rewards Gimmick.

Before you sit down at your first machine, you gotta visit the Degenerate Gamblers Rewards Gimmick Concierge Desk (they MIGHT call it the Players Club or something like that). Give ‘em your name and ID, and they give you a plastic card that can track how much you lose play at the place. Each time you play at a table or any machine, you rack up points, and after 20 years or so, you will have enough points for a free soda or something.

So the 18 year old became a member of the Degenerate Gamblers Rewards Gimmick, and after a small handful of visits to the Hard Rock, she has earned at least a couple of points. But yesterday we learned that she has only FOUR DAYS to redeem those rewards.

You see, Governor Crist gave the Seminoles permission to add some Vegas Style Table Games, and convert all those Bingo Based Slots to real Vegas Style Slot Machines. In exchange, the Seminoles agreed to disallow those under 21 to play with these more official gam bling options.

In preparation for that upgrade, Doug Hoppe, VP of Sales & Marketing of the SHRH&C sent out a letter to the High School Senior, explaining that as of April 1, she is no longer welcome as a member of the Degenerate Gamblers Rewards Gimmick. She is no longer welcome to play those one-armed bandits. (She can, however, continue to play poker.) She is no longer welcome to collect points, redeem offers, participate in any promotions, or redeem points.

Of course, the minute she turns 21, all bets are off (so to speak), and she will be reinstated as a full member of the Degenerate Gambler’s Society.

But in the meantime, these sharks have given her 4 days’ notice to find time to get to the glorified Bingo Palace, redeem her points, and get that free piece of Hard Rock Candy (or tiny trinket, or cash, or whatever) she so richly deserves.

By the way, SHRH&C PR guy Gary Bitner says some Vegas Style Slots could be in the Tampa casino as soon as June 1. We’re betting (ha!) that you will see some in there by mid-May.

Florida Suncoast Dome
St. Pete began construction on the giant round tent in 1986 in the *hopes that a Major League Baseball team would come to Tampa Bay. The Chicago White Sox used St. Pete and the Florida Suncoast Dome as leverage to get Chicago and the State of Illinois to replace Comiskey Park.

Florida Suncoast Dome was opened to the public on March 3, 1990, at a cost of $138 million, but still had no tenants. The Seattle Mariners were rumored to be moving there in the early 1990s, and the San Francisco Giants flirted with the area in 1992. St. Petersburg was a finalist in the MLB expansion for 1993, but they lost out to Miami and Denver.

In 1990, Davis Cup tennis was played at the dome, with a record crowd of 53,150 attending the three-day event. Later that year, 25,710 NBA fans saw the Chicago Bulls play an exhibition game against the Seattle Supersonics. In August of 1990, the largest crowd ever to visit the dome (47,000+) appeared to see the New Kids on the Block in concert. In 1991, the building got its first regular team sports tenant, the Tampa Bay Storm.

ThunderDome
After playing their first season at Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds, the Tampa Bay Lightning moved into the facility in 1993, and the venue was renamed the Thunderdome. The building was huge by NHL standards, so NHL attendance records were set between ‘93 and ‘96, including the greatest sporting event ever attended by Joel. The first-round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Regionals were held at ThunderDome in 1994.

When MLB expanded again in 1995, St. Petersburg was finally awarded a team to play at the venue. The Lightning and the Storm both moved to the Ice Palace in 1996, and Tropicana Field closed its doors in October for a 17-month, $85 million facelift.

Tropicana Field
Naming rights for the refurbished stadium were sold to Tropicana Products, who call the place Tropicana Field, and the arena re-opened when again hosting NCAA Men’s Basketball Regional and semifinal games in 1998. The first regular season baseball game took place at the park on March 31, 1998, when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays faced the Detroit Tigers, losing 11-6.

Tropicana Field also hosted the 1999 Final Four, featuring Duke, Ohio State, Michigan State and eventual-champion Connecticut, and drew capacity crowds of 40,632 and 39,113 on March 27 and 29.

Tropicana Field underwent a further $25-million facelift prior to the 2006 season, thanks to the Devil Rays. And another $10 million in improvements was added during that season. The Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall-of-Fame moved to Tropicana Field in 2006. In 2007, the team upgraded video boards, and in the offseason changed the name of the team to the Tampa Bay Rays.

*The nonsense that local baseball boosters had to deal with to get a baseball team here could fill a book. In fact, Bob Andelman wrote a book about it, “Stadium For Rent: Tampa Bay’s Quest for Baseball.” It’s a good breakdown of the entire 20+ year process, and you can find it online through independent bookseller Inkwood Books.

FX International offered up bigger stars, was less crowded, and had a congenial staff. Katie Jarvinen, the general manager of the con, personally worked with me to get me what I needed, smoothed out issues over the phone and through email, and was always polite and helpful, even when she was busy with keeping celebrities happy at the event’s autograph alley. I felt like a valued guest of the event.

From Megacon, I received one generic email.

While FX was centralized, Megacon was spread out over two floors. And then, there were the scheduling conflicts.

I joined up with One World by Night, a Live Action Roleplay group I’m a member of. In the convention program, the group was scheduled until 1:30 a.m. all three nights of the con. Before midnight on Friday, we had security guards telling us to leave, even after we showed them our scheduled time in the event’s official booklet. Saturday was worse, with a security guard asking if we were in a seance and having a party and then readjusting our lighting to full bright before 11 p.m. Anyone who’s LARPed or table topped before will understand why some angry members who traveled across the country to attend Mega just to game asked for their money back. For everyone else, imagine a security guard turning on the lights during a play or movie and asking the audience why they’re all sitting around.

There were also problems securing passes for game staff and the expected annoyance of paying $6-$10 for a day’s worth of parking. Fortunately, myself and others staying at the Days Inn across the street could walk to the convention center in around 10 minutes. Note to anyone attending a conference or convention at the Orange County Convention Center: the Days Inn is a good choice for a price that shouldn’t eat your wallet.

For me, there were three highlights to the con. There was a miniature game piece painting room, which offered up free classes and free miniatures to paint for different games. I spent at least an hour painting a tiny warrior woman brandishing a pair of swords. There were also a number of people carrying around ball-jointed dolls (china dolls that can be posed and which can cost thousands of dollars when fully painted and accessorized). I even got to hold one, realizing they’re much creepier in person. There were also belly dancing lessons and performances throughout the day. I’m not sure how they fit into the overall theme of the event, but they were fun.

There are more cons coming up this year. Here’s a brief rundown of those closest to us.

Jacon

This is a 24-hour anime con in Orlando. Their guest of honor is Tara Strong and features anime related attractions, from artists to musical guests. They have some guest related info up, but the site’s a little sparse on details.

Oasis 21

Authors and artists will be on hand for the Orlando Area’s Science Fiction Society’s convention. The con runs May 23-25 and has David Gerrold and Paul Vincenti as guests of honor. Their website has a full listing of guests and events.

Metrocon

Tampa’s anime convention is being held July 18-20 at the Tampa Convention Center. Expect a bunch of otaku (hard-core anime fans) in costume. There are also costume contests, a human chess match, a masquerade, and a host of other visual draws. Check out the Metrocon site for more info.

Necronomicon

Necronomicon has had some problems in the past, partly because of rowdy con attendants and overflow from Guavaween. This year, the horror party is going to be at the downtown St. Pete Hilton Oct. 10-12. I’ve always liked Necro for not overlooking literature, as other cons usually do. This year the guests of honor are Frederick Pohl, Julie E. Czerneda, and Rick Wilber (who, for reasons of disclosure, is a former professor of mine.) Necro is another RPG friendly con. Necro’s site has a few tidbits about this year’s events.

Screamfest

Screamfest is another horror fest in October, but this one’s in Orlando. It runs from Oct. 17-19 and has a line up of film festivals and bands as well as stars and writers in attendance. The site doesn’t have much info yet, but if you’re interested bookmark it and check it out in a few months.

FX 2009

Yes, next year’s FX in Orlando is already in the works. The website already has a few juicy tidbits about next year (including info about a poker game where comic book professionals raise money for a good cause) but won’t be up in its full glory for at least a few months.

Dr. Beach told you that years ago. He also said that Caladesi Island is number two.