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Gail E. Davis...candidate for OSHNA Secretary
2008-09-23 01:07:00
Greetings Old Seminole Heights neighbors, allow me to introduce myself to you. I am Gail Davis and I am running for the position of Secretary of board of our association. This is the first time in my life I have ever attempted to run for any kind of office although I have been a long time resident of Seminole Heights. My husband and I moved to Seminole Heights 23 years ago and love living here in our 1923 bungalow where we also started a business here. Being a resident here during these many years, I have witnessed first hand many changes in the area seeing how Seminole Heights has grown to be the friendly, diverse, important community it has become. I became one of the first members of OSHNA 20 years ago when the association was just forming with a small group of concerned residents who wanted to join together to try and make a difference so our area of Tampa would be a more positive, safer, place to live. I am very proud to see how far our small band of original neighbors has grow...
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New Hillsborough County Logo
2008-09-19 06:45:00
Based on the decision by the Board of County Commissioners to rename the Moral Courage award, the Ralph Hughes award, it is time to unveil the new Hillsborough County logo.
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Giddens Park in the Big Picture
2008-09-14 22:34:00
Long long time ago...kind of reminds me of a certain Don McClean song. The City of Tampa launched the Greenprinting Initiative. A partnership of the city, the Mayor's Beautification Program and the F.E. Lykes Foundation to target 10 city parks for upgrades at the rate of 1 per year. The project was to be seeded with funds from the foundation which offered $75,000 for each park. The first up was supposed to be Southeast Seminole Heights ' Giddens Park . As the program draws to the end. The first hasn't been finished. The second in Tampa Heights was to center on Lake Robles and Robles Park but it is still in the design stage. Third is Curtis Hixon Park, a downtown Riverfront park. Now the city of Tampa has likely spent over the last 20 years more money on that piece of land than all the other urban core parks combined. And the plans of Mayor Iorio will make it so if it isn't already."It's functional," Debra Evenson, the beautification program's executive director, said of the foun...
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Are Paula and Randy White Unchristian?
2008-09-14 19:59:00
Today the Tribune had an article about Paula and Randy White trying to revive their Without Walls International Church. A section in the article caught my attention:"Those who study evangelicals say it's common for prosperity preachers such as Paula to embrace a gospel of materialism. "It has been easy for those so inclined to further de-emphasize the spiritual aspects of Christianity in favor of legitimizing full-bore materialism," said Bill Martin, a Rice University professor. "In such a climate, a growing number of preachers see ? and experience ? no problem with acknowledging that many people regard them as motivational speakers or life coaches first, and preachers second."This contrast with what the AP reported Pope had to say recently:"Pope Benedict XVI condemned unbridled "pagan" passion for power, possessions and money as a modern-day plague . . . "Has not our modern world created its own idols?" Benedict said in his homily, and wondered aloud whether people have "imitat...
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Jim Norman's Lack of Moral Courage
2008-09-14 03:24:00
Commissioner Jim Norman is proposing renaming the Hillsborough County Moral Courage award after the late Ralph Hughes.The perception by most people is that when he was alive, Ralph Hughes owned most of the County Commission. Now the perception must be that even while dead he still owns them.Ralph Hughes, his developer cohorts and his pet commissioners are the reason the Moral Courage award exist. To name this award after him would be the same as renaming the Nobel Peace Prize after Slobodan Milo?evi?.
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Join us for the "Friday Night Movies"
2008-09-02 21:32:00
When: Friday 7pm 9/5/08Where: The Metro Center 6421 N. Florida Ave.Tampa, Florida 33604Can the love between two people ever be an abomination? Is the chasm separating gays and lesbians and Christianity too wide to cross? Is the Bible an excuse to hate?Through the experiences of five very normal, very Christian, very American families -- including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson -- we discover how insightful people of faith handle the realization of having a gay child. Informed by such respected voices as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard's Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and Reverend Jimmy Creech, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO offers healing, clarity and understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and sexual identity.
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Drug Dealing and The Wire
2008-09-01 01:28:00
In a prior post on Prostitution dolphin makes a good point about calling TPD about drug activity. Being part of Neighborhood Watch before, I listened to TPD officers tell us how the drug dealers operate, for example how they will keep their stash in a paper cup or paper bag in the weeds or gutter, rather than on their person. I did not get a full understanding of that until I watched the first season of The Wire . This show or The Corner should be required watching for NW members because it gives be very insights at to how the street level drug dealers operate.Thankfully we have better police department than that on The Wire .
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Searching for Prostitutes
2008-08-31 20:06:00
Part 2 of What can be done about the prostitutes on Nebraska Avenue? Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Getting a big lead on being accurate when providing information to the police, is knowing who is doing the activity. Many of the prostitutes are regulars. The SESH Vehicle patrol created a book we kept in our cars that showed the photos and names and arrests for the regular prostitutes. There are several ways of getting this information. 1. Join a NW Watch group that a...
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What can be done about the prostitutes on Nebraska Avenue?
2008-08-31 19:57:00
This is the first of a multipart series on the topic. My ability to speak on this topic is due to my participation in the Southeast Seminole Heights Neighborhood Watch, The Exercise Club, and SESH NW Vehicle Patrol and for moderating the Prostitution Task Force (for which I and others did extensive research.) To deal with this problem requires cooperation and commitment on the part of the residents. There are 5 core strategies in dealing with the prostitutes and their Johns. ReportingDisruptionArrestsTreatmentEconom ic change of the community These strategies requires a commitment on the part of the residents, where they need to become part of the system instead of relying on the system. This is the essential in fact of community policing. The community has a role in effective policing. Reporting The most basic element is observing and reporting the behavior. To effectively deal with any criminal problem, the police need information about the problem....
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A correction
2008-08-30 18:05:00
In my July posting on the Hampton Terrace debate, I took issue with the the Creative Loafing article about the HTPRO spokespeople residing in the neighborhood (see the link).This morning at Starbucks Gail confront me and challenged my assertions and challenged me to make a retraction. I will gladly accept that challenge, if what I post is shown to be inaccurate I have no problem retracting anything. So I again went looking in regard to the property owned by Gail Davis.For whatever reason the property appraiser's site does not pull it up under her name but when I search Mohawk I did find the homestead under her and her husband's name.Gail consider this my retraction.
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"His heart, home are in Seminole Heights"
2008-08-21 15:34:00
There is a great article in the St. Pete Times about Greg Barnhill."Seeing Greg Barnhill, professional looking in khakis and a button-down dress shirt, it's hard to imagine him as a country boy on a farm outside West Union, Ohio. That's exactly what Barnhill was, though, and he still has great regard for the small-town way of life. It's evident in his passion for the older homes and sense of community in Seminole Heights , where he helped organize the neighborhood's first home tour and has been integral in restoring its garden center building." (more)
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Candidate Forum
2008-08-15 03:10:00
From South Seminole Heights email:Please join us ?. . . as Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa ( MCC Tampa) will host our 2008 ?Meet the Candidate s? Forum on Monday, August 18, 2008 . This event is being sponsored by:The Tampa/Hillsborough County Human Rights CouncilEquality FloridaSouth Seminole Heights Civic AssociationOur event schedule is as follows ?6:30p ? 7:00p ~ Informal Meet & Greet with Hillsborough County Judicial Candidates, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Election Candidates, and Hillsborough County Property Appraiser Candidates7:00p ? 7:10p ~ Introductions of Media Representatives and Program Format7:10p ? 7:30p ~ Hillsborough County School Board, District 1 - Q&A7:30p ? 7:55p ~ Hillsborough County School Board, District 7 - Q&A7:55p ? 8:15p ~ Hillsborough County Commission , District 2 (R) ? Q&A8:15p ? 8:35p ~ Hillsborough County Commission , District 6 (R) ? Q&A8:35p ? 8:55p ~ Hillsborough County Commission , District 6 (D) ? Q&A8:55p ? ...

Ode to Nebraska Avenue
2008-08-14 14:15:00
According to her stepdaughter, Maggie Council (aka Dipietra) has a released a new record called Not In The House. Interestingly she says about her album "Nebraska Avenue ? Ode to southeast Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa. Every word is true. All the extraneous sounds are actually from on or near Nebraska Avenue, where Robert hung out with a field recorder. " Aside from being a musician, Maggie has a long association with WMNF radio which resides in Southeast Seminole Heights.Other comments about the album "Not In The House ? OK. I was watching a Jeff Berlin bass instructional video and reading a book about using words to frame arguments called ?Don?t Think of an Elephant? while wondering what would happen if the single mom with 4 kids I saw at the Laundromat [on Nebraska Avenue] ever became President."Here is the first track called Nebraska Avenue. Listen for the sounds. Copies of the CD can be ordered from her CD website for $12.97.

Save the Whaleys (for Seminole Heights)
2008-08-11 15:01:00
The Official Unoffical Seminole Heights blog has a campaign for Whaleys to come to Seminole Heights, which New Heights Magazine fully supports: http://seminoleheights.blog.com/3496517/# cmtsIn our search we realized that Whaley's has let go of their web domain (www.whaleysmarket.com). We have purchased it to save it from competitors' clutches and will give it to them free when they reopen (anywhere), BUT will include a FREE website AND FREE advertising if they move their location to Seminole Heights.We are still in search of a phone number for Todd Whaley, but have written him suggesting several locations in Seminole Heights, including Sem-Hi Center and the Van Gogh signs location currently up for sale. There is also a great "grocery store-looking" location across from Bali Bay that's for lease (although it's bigger than what they are probably looking for).Please help spread the word to Whaleys that they'll have a lifelong partner with Seminole Heights residents and New Heights ...
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Schwan's Hangs at the Corner
2008-08-10 19:54:00
Driving through Seminole Heights, I noticed at the SE corner of Hillsborough and Nebraska in the Auto Parks store parking lot, sat a Schwan's truck, (noted for home delivery) selling its products, out of the back of the truck, with signs like this. *Note they also take EBT. Interesting economic turn of events for that company.
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Southeast Seminole Heights Kiosk
2008-08-10 19:39:00
From the SESH email list: " For those of you who have not seen it.........check out the fabulous KIOSK built by Glenn Cable and Buddy Williams (so how could it be anything but fab!) It is not finished as it rains every day but you can see what it looks like........ ....right now it is holding a banner for NNO, but it is meant to hold a glass front message board which will be installed as soon as it's back ordered self comes in! Note on the back of the KIOSK is a place to pick up a newsletter and to drop a flyer you want to have considered for posting on the message board!"
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Vote for Seminole Heights
2008-08-08 17:29:00
From Rich on the SESH email list:Dear Seminole Heights Neighbors, Just wanted to remind you about the Creative Loafing Best of the Bay Voting. Below is a link: posting.tampa. creativeloafing. com/gbase/ BestOf/BestOf You have a limited time to vote by August 13th , so please do not delay. Here are some of my suggestions: 1. Best Local TV Newsperson: Brendan McLaughlin ? Let?s not forget that he has done so much in promoting our neighborhood and getting our voices heard. Besides, he is the best. 2. Best Theatre Troupe: Stageworks ? Stageworks is not only a wonderful theatre troupe, they also do community outreach programs for underprivileged teens and children. Season tickets on sale now for $103 for 5 shows?call me for tickets. 3. Best Kept Secret: Stageworks Rainbow Tribe Outreach Program for Kids at Risk 4. Best Local Politician: Rose Ferlita ? Let?s not forget how she got us a 4-Way stop at Chelsea and 12th when no one else ...
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Doggie Door Allows Unexpected Visitor
2008-08-08 16:00:00
According to the Tribune, a homeless man, 25 year old Jason Dennis, used a doggie door to sneak into the Seminole Heights home of Linda Marsh and when she came home she "he was wearing the woman's husband's clothing and had helped himself to some loose change,". He was arrested.Children have died because of doggie doors. Families have them so dogs and cats go into the backyard and the child crawls out and drowns in the backyard pool, thus bypassing other pool security measures.
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Kevin Denies
2008-08-08 14:00:00
In stories in the Tribune and the St. Pete Times, County Commissioner Kevin denies any deal in accepting illegal contributions. Kevin says "Cox's allegations "the jailhouse ramblings of a reputed con man." and "Let me assure the residents of Hillsborough County as well as the city of Tampa that at no time was there any deal cut by myself and now-convicted felon Matthew Cox, nor any other contributor for that matter," " He also says "It's another jailhouse snitch trying to get his sentence reduced by making false allegations against an elected public official," said White, now a Hillsborough County Commissioner. "I guess I am the target."Kevin's aunt and his campaign opponent in the City Council race says ""The most recent allegations about Kevin, if true, suggest a pattern of unethical and illegal actions over the years," White-King said. "Sometimes it takes time for the truth to surface. But it usually does.""Current City Council member Tom Scott says ""I would not want to be in...

Kevin White - getting more tarnished
2008-08-07 04:00:00
In a St. Petersburg Times article, a convicted swindler, Matthew Cox, has made allegations that Hillsborough County Commissioner and Seminole Heights resident, Kevin White accepted illegal campaign contributions from him when Kevin White ran for City Council. Reportedly the FBI is investigating."Records show that at least $8,000 was channeled into White's campaign from Cox connections, many from people who confirmed that the contributions were solicited, reimbursed and thus illegal"Kevin White denies the allegations.Meanwhile the sexual harassment suit against Kevin by a former aide, Alyssa Ogden, has been moved from State Court to Federal Court.Update: the Times has a more details to the story including letters.

Tampa Transit: 10 years from now, 75 years ago
2008-08-02 08:24:00
The chatter over rail in Tampa has finally began to heat up (albeit a couple decades late) as the Trib's front page story earlier this week indicates, and even though it's hard to get excited about something that might take at least a decade to get rolling, if it gets rolling at all, I have to hand it to Iorio for her commitment to lighting a fire under the bureaucracy and generally being fed up with the lame feet dragging and lack of vision. The voter referendum is still a ways off, and there's a lot of "ifs" floating around this town, but it's not too early to speculate about how rail could affect Tampa and Seminole Heights in particular if Pam's "starter line" from USF to downtown to Westshore ever gets built. Will there be a Seminole Heights station? Where would the best location be? Here's some comments the mayor made recently in Creative Loafing about the development of such a rail stop:In the other cities I have visited, it is very clear that there is transit-oriented d...
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New Heights | mid-May/mid-July 2008 issue
2008-07-31 19:52:00
CLICK to see our full eNewsletter.Heights HeightlightslUCky dogs - Dog-friendly Urban CorridorNew Heights takes you on a tour of the UC's shade covered sidewalks, its dog-loving restaurants and retail shops, and its dogparks to prove the UC area may be Tampa's dog-friendliest.Plus: Photos & Results of our UC's Cutest Dog/Owner Contest!--------------------------------- ------------------Food & DrinkOur expert food critic gives downtown's Fly Bar & Restaurant a second look and discovers that small plates can satisfy big appetites (even at small prices, if your timing is right!).Then, white or red? NH's critically acclaimed sommeliers recommend both can be enjoyed when sipping this summer.---------------------------------- -----------------Health & BeautySummer is Bridal Season. So for those of you who plan on soon saying "I do," we're providing a Beauty To-do Checklist to help your day be as grand as possible.Meanwhile, NH's health columnist explains how acupunctu...
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The By-Law discussion...
2008-07-31 05:21:00
Over on the Official Unofficial Seminole Heights blog, the post on OSHNA nominations has become more of a debate on the by-laws. My blog already states my views. That post is restated below.There is an extensive revision to the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association (OSHNA) by-laws. Naturally I have some opinions here. I strongly encourage a NO vote for the long term health and vitality of the organization.I have reviewed the by-laws in detail. I still have a saved copy of the by-laws from when I first went on the board. Packed away in boxes notes on the first major re-write was back in 1994. I have copies of subsequent revisions. It is one thing to make corrections of spelling, grammar and such was a comprehensive revision. It is quite another to ram through a variety agenda driven changes in one big package. That is the kind of BULLSHIT Congress does to pass what could never stand on it's own merits. That is, in my opinion, what the By-law Committee and it's Chairperson...
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SESHCA seeks beautification of Nebraska Avenue
2008-07-30 17:29:00
From the SESH email list:"We met with the City of Tampa this morning regarding the Beautification of Nebraska Avenue . The meeting was very productive and positive. Funds will be made available for this project; however, the city and state have to go through their respective processes and we, as an association, have our work to do in order to put the project in motion. The state showed some concerns about other situations where Civic Associations have failed in their quest to maintain sections of roadway but Shannon Edge, Director of Community Relations was very quick to applaud SESCHA as . . . . . . . . passionate and active association in the City. I know many of you have expressed a desire to get involved in the project. . . . . . . The goal is to have our section of Nebraska Avenue finished by Super Bowl in January. While that may seem like a lot of time, there is much to do behind the scenes."

Seminole Heights to get New Library
2008-07-30 15:14:00
According to the Trib:""I'm very happy to tell you that in our capital fund budget, we have marked $7.3 million to replace the current library," he said.While the county commission's 2009 budget must survive two more public hearings in September before it is fully approved, he said he didn't expect anything to change. "We've worked really hard on this," he said, adding that it is possible to be building by late 2011 or early 2012 if the budgeted funds are approved.
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Patriotism
2008-07-28 04:22:00
A worn out American flag with that of a beaten enemy, and that's supporting our troops?
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U Got Skillz
2008-07-25 00:23:00
From South Seminole Heights email alert:Please see the information below from Common Ground about a family event in our neighborhood:"On Aug. 2, 2008 from 9 a.m. till 2 p.m., we will be offering our first ever sports and art camp, called ?U Got Skillz Camp?.This will be free to our community, and we are looking for people who can help with refreshments, soccer, basketball, and art. We will also be preparing to give over 300 backpacks away to the students who attend this event. If you would like to volunteer, please fill out the volunteer form and bring it to the church. For Kids (requires 2 forms to attend) Registration Form: Click Here Medical Release: Click Here Other links Poster: Click Here Volunteer Form: Click HereU Got Skillz Prep Meeting July 30th, 7:00 PMPlease mark your calendars if you have signed up to help. We will walk through basic flow of the event and schedule for this event with all workers. Volunteers will work with their teams and areas they signed up for."Contac...

Join ?The Impromptu Players!?
2008-07-24 03:27:00
Have you always wanted to be involved in the Tampa theater community but didn?t think you had the time or the talent?Join ?The Impromptu Players !?Stageworks ?Staged Reading Production Company!?Be a part of this great tradition we have started of fun evenings of theater for a cause! Purpose: To develop a base of committed, talented people and form a mini production company to serve as a foundation for the productions. The productions are fundraisers for Stageworks? Outreach Program for At-Risk Kids. Background: We have based our Staged Reading Comedy Series on a group called "The Back Porch Players", a group we organized several years ago for our theater-loving friends. Impromptu Players rehearse and produce a show in one week, utilizing non-traditional venues such as back yards and front parlors.How We Operate: We will produce 3 ? 4 shows a year, as fundraisers for Stageworks. Two weeks before: Tech meeting for Producer, Director, Asst. Director, Stage Manager and Lighting and S...

Practice Field moved
2008-07-23 13:57:00
According to Kathy Steele of the Tribune the park at 22nd Street will not be used as a practice field"That's good news to the North East Tampa Pirates, a Pop Warner football team that has been seeking to relocate from Temple Crest Community Center for nearly five years. The team's proposal to build three practice fields with volunteer labor at 22nd Street Park was met with little enthusiasm from neighbors.""MacDugal Park, off Sligh Avenue between 12th and 13th streets, popped up as an alternative and received approval recently from city parks and recreation officials." (more)So what should be done with the 22nd street park?
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The Confederate battle Flag Is Not my flag - Call For artists
2008-07-23 04:28:00
From the Alley Cats website"The Confederate battle Flag Is Not my flag .... so the Alley Cats are issuing a call to artists to create flags that represent an inclusive vision of our shared Southern heritage and express hope rather than hate. The local media reports about the flying of a large Confederate battle flag over I4 and 75 outside Tampa have given a disproportionate share of public attention to a divisive and ugly symbol. This is a conversation that is taking place all over the South -- several states have had public discussions in recent years about the Confederate flag. The Alley Cats want to fly a different Southern flag -- yours! We?re accepting artists? submissions in both digital format and as physical fabric art creations. We?re going to create an art exhibit that combines displaying the fabric art flags with large-scale projections of the digital creations. We will be accepting artwork and forming alliances with...
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