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Tuesday, December 11, 2018

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Rays reject Ybor City stadium, remain committed to Tampa Bay

Principal owner Stu Sternberg and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred reject the county’s deal. Local officials say the real problem is the Rays’ reticence.

Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital [SCOTT KEELER | Times]

Top All Children�s executives resign following Times report on heart surgeries

�The events described in recent news reports are unacceptable,� the hospital�s parent company said.

BRONTE WITTPENN | Times
Shakayla Denson walks escorted toward her defense attorneys during the pre-trial detention hearing at Hillsborough County Courthouse in Tampa on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. Denson is being charged with first-degree murder after leaving her four-year-old daughter Je’Hyrah Daniels to drown in the Hillsborough River on Thursday, August 2.

Tampa mom accused in girl's drowning deemed incompetent to stand trial

Shakayla Denson, accused of leaving her 4-year-old daughter to drown in the Hillsborough River, will undergo treatment in a state hospital before the case against her can continue.

TAILYR IRVINE | TimesRon DeSantis reacts to a high five during the DeSantis rally at the DeSantis and Scott Hillsborough County Campaign Headquarters on November 2, 2018 in Tampa.

3,400+ Floridians ask Ron DeSantis to address climate change

In previous statements the Governor-elect has said he is unclear on the cause of climate change (the majority of scientists say its from fossil fuels burned by humans), although he sees the effects…

A National Transportation Safety Board hearing was held Tuesday in the Jan. 14, 2018, fire aboard the casino boat Island Lady that led to the death of a passenger. [Courtesy of Robert Handzus]

Tropical Breeze, Coast Guard criticized in fatal casino boat fire

The January fire saw 53 passengers and crew jump into shallow water to escape the burning vessel. But a 42-year-old mother of two later died at a hospital.

Tampa man charged in fatal September shooting of 18-year-old Tesean Blue

Police said Misael Mora knew Blue but have not said what led to the shooting.

Woman run over repeatedly on I-95 was on a first date with man on motorcycle, lawyer says

A woman who was run over several times on I-95 early Friday was on a first date, and somehow fell off a motorcycle, according to her family.

Hurricane Michael insured damage totals hit $4.3 billion

As of Dec. 7, about 131,500 claims were filed from the storm, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

Nobahar Dadui, left, and Jerome Sordillon play Crystal and her love interest in Cirque du Soleil’s 2018 show on ice, Crystal. It runs Dec. 19-23 at Amalie Arena in Tampa. (Photo by Matt Beard)

For the first time since acrobat’s death, Cirque du Soleil is back in Tampa

The troupe takes its show to the ice. But grief over an acrobat’s death lingers.

Last year's Gasparilla Bowl wasn't the exactly the prettiest game. It's a sign that the bowl system needs a revamp. [ OCTAVO JONES | Times ]

Five ways to revive a boring college football bowl season

College basketball has an ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Why not do something like it for football?

Latest

Tampa mayoral candidates agree: City's streets must be made safer

Boys basketball: Wesley Chapel remains unbeaten

High school scoreboard for Tuesday, Dec. 11

Rays keeping conversations going

Bucs� DeSean Jackson: Thumb injury from opener to blame for recent layoff

Rays reject Ybor City stadium, remain committed to Tampa Bay

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Spotlight

Dr. Traci Ryan explains the intake patient process during a tour of Bayfront Health’s new free-standing emergency department in Pinellas Park. The facility opens today. [TAILYR IRVINE | Times]

No hospital, just an emergency ‘department’. They’re popping up all over.

As the health care industry evolves, free-standing “emergency departments” are adding to the range of options for patients. They’re more convenient and people are using them, but …

https://www.tampabay.com/storyimage/HI/20181204/ARTICLE/181209908/TS/1/TS-181209908.jpg

Will prosecutors lose a key witness in the John Jonchuck case? Defense attorneys say they should.

A psychiatrist is at the center of the latest delay in the John Jonchuck trial. Lawyers say she has troubled them before.

Students leave John Hopkins Middle School after the final bell Friday. The school district this week removed Dallas Jackson as principal of the St. Petersburg school, an unusual move during the middle of an academic year. Officials cited ongoing problems, including continued complaints. [DIRK SHADD | Times]

Students failed, teachers left, parents complained. Now John Hopkins Middle has a new principal.

Principal Dallas Jackson had a troubled tenure at St. Petersburg’s John Hopkins Middle School before being removed this week. Now he will lead Pinellas County’s teacher recruitment…

The USDA is recalling another 5.1 million pounds of raw beef products, expanding a previous recall to more than 12 million pounds. (Karin Hildebrand Lau/Dreamstime/TNS)

From beef to romaine to eggs, here’s why 2018 had so many food scares.

Why was 2018 a record-setting year for foodborne illness outbreaks? There’s good news and bad news.

Tampa police K-9 Officer Ryan Flannigan is seen with his K-9 partner Chesney during a water training exercise. A week before he was set to retire, Chesney's vet told Flannigan the nearly 10-year-old German Shepherd likely had cancer. Photo courtesy of Ryan Flannigan

A week before his K-9 partner was to retire, Tampa police officer must say goodbye

Officer Ryan Flannigan hoped his partner Chesney would get to enjoy retirement as a family pet, but it didn't turn out that way.

Editorials | Opinions

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri chairs the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission. After studying the shooting this year, Gualtieri thinks Florida should consider allowing more school employees to carry guns, including teachers. [AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee]

Editorial: Florida schools don’t need more guns

Buccaneers defensive back Andrew Adams (26) sits after a New Orleans fourth-quarter touchdown Sunday in the Bucs' 28-14 loss at Raymond James Stadium. TAILYR IRVINE | Times

Why this is the worst era in Bucs history

John Romano - Times Staff Writer

Times Staff Writer

Tampa Bay wants to keep the Rays? Time to get desperate

Graham Brink - Times Staff Writer

Times Staff Writer

Fewer underwater mortgages in Florida, but challenges remain

John Romano - Times Staff Writer

Times Staff Writer

Romano: Welcome to Congress, Rep. Spano. Now please resign.

Tom Jones - Times Staff Writer

Times Staff Writer

Tampa Bay is home to the greatest show on ice

In Case You Missed It

PolitiFact’s Lie of the Year: Online smear machine tries to take down Parkland students

Parkland students Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg are interviewed on CNN. (Screengrab)

Two nuns stole $500,000 for trips to Las Vegas. But the church doesn't want them prosecuted.

Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper and Sister Lana Chan [screenshot, ABC news]

Former Miss Kentucky charged with sending nude photos to 15-year-old ex-student

Miss Kentucky Ramsey Carpenter participates in the Miss America Shoe Parade at the Atlantic City boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J., in 2014. A former Miss Kentucky who is a teacher in West Virginia has been charged with sending nude pictures to a 15-year-old former student. News outlets report that 28-year-old Ramsey Carpenter Bearse was arrested Friday, Dec. 7, 2018 and charged with four felony counts of distributing or displaying obscene matter to a minor. [Associated Perss]

A blood clot formed in the exact shape of a man's lung passage - then he coughed it up

Screenshot, New England Journal of Medicine Twitter account

Special Reports

In 2017, the heart unit at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital performed worse than any other Florida children's heart surgery program. [SCOTT KEELER | Times]

State, federal officials missed warnings at All Children�s heart unit

Lawmakers are now asking questions about what happened.

https://www.tampabay.com/storyimage/HI/20181125/ARTICLE/181129803/AR/0/AR-181129803.jpg

Blood and truth: The lingering case of Tommy Ziegler and how Florida fights DNA testing

In 1976, a jury convicted Tommy Zeigler of four murders. He has been trying to convince the state of Florida to allow for full DNA testing, but it has refused. Again and again.

Patrick and Lakesha Anding stand with their son, DáVeon, 9, near their home across the street from Stephen Foster Elementary in Tampa. Patrick Anding was angry when he learned that the district kept lead test results from parents and teachers.

The Hillsborough School District found lead in its water. It didn't tell parents for a year.

The Hillsborough County School District didn’t tell parents for more than a year that it was discovering high levels of lead in some schools’ drinking water, a Tampa Bay Times…

https://www.tampabay.com/storyimage/HI/20181121/ARTICLE/181129912/AR/0/AR-181129912.jpg

The campaign is over. The candidate might be dead. But the spending never stops.

In their political afterlife, former politicians and their staffers are hoarding unspent campaign donations for years and using them to finance their lifestyles, advance new careers and pay family…

A Tampa Bay Times investigation found a documented history of drug and alcohol abuse in the department and drug policies that lag behind other Florida fire rescue departments.

Overdoses, DUIs, stolen drugs: Florida’s third-biggest fire rescue department has a problem

A Tampa Bay Times investigation found dozens of drug and alcohol incidents among Hillsborough County Fire Rescue employees and policies that lag behind other departments

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News

Harry Cohen, city councilman, answers a question during the Mayor's candidate forum on Dec.11 at Sparkman Wharf. The candidates discussed different topics related to Transportation.

Tampa mayoral candidates agree: City's streets must be made safer

Marquez Davon Roberts, 19, left, and Dontae Lamar Hopkins, 17, have separately turned themselves into police in connection with the July 20, 2018, shooting death of Nicholas Mortazavi outside a South Tampa McDonald's restaurant.

Two arrested in connection with July fatal shooting at South Tampa McDonald’s

Patrick O’Brien, guitarist for the death metal band Cannibal Corpse, was arrested in the Northdale area Monday on charges of burglary and aggravated assault. [Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office]

Cannibal Corpse guitarist jailed in Tampa on burglary, assault charges

The Hernando County Government Center in downtown Brooksville. [JUSTIN TROMBLY | Times]

Commission denies commercial fishing expansion in Hernando Beach

Citizens Property Insurance weighs 8.2 percent rate hike

The topmost steel beam, draped with the American, Seminole Tribe of Florida and Florida state flags, is hoisted amid fireworks Tuesday during a “topping out” ceremony at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa. The new 15-story hotel tower is a key part of a $700 million expansion now underway at the casino. [OCTAVIO JONES | Times]

Tampa Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino tops out hotel tower as part of $700 million expansion

https://www.tampabay.com/storyimage/HI/20181211/ARTICLE/181219929/TS/1/TS-181219929.jpg

Police investigate death of Temple Terrace girl, 3, as murder-suicide

Sweet Paprika and Tomato Stew. [MICHELLE STARK | Times]

From the food editor: Warm Sweet Paprika and Tomato Stew, plus three things to serve with it

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue lieutenant Tavoris Allen, 36, was arrested Dec. 10 after deputies say he converted marijuana into homemade cannabis oil inside a fire station. [Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

Hillsborough firefighter used 'Magical Butter' machine to make cannabis oil in a fire station, deputies say

Pam Houston will be closing speaker at Writers in Paradise in January

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Sports

Wesley Chapel senior guard Donte Sol drives to the hoop during a tough battle with Gulf on Tuesday night. (SCOTT PURKS | Special to the Times)

Boys basketball: Wesley Chapel remains unbeaten

USF tight ends coach Justin Burke (left) is expected to call offensive plays for USF coach Charlie Strong (right) in next week's Gasparilla Bowl. [CHRIS URSO | Times]

USF tight ends coach expected to call plays in bowl game

Rays enior VP Chaim Bloom addressing reporters in the team suite during the winter meetings. [MARC TOPKIN | Times]

Rays keeping conversations going

Bucs wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) runs drills during practice. (MONICA HERNDON | Times)

Bucs� DeSean Jackson: Thumb injury from opener to blame for recent layoff

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon looks to the field before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Winter meetings journal: It�s just another season for Joe Maddon

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) could return to play for Thursday's matchup against Toronto. DIRK SHADD | Times

Path appears clear for Andrei Vasilevskiy to return for Lightning

Wesley Chapel senior guard Donte Sol drives to the hoop during a tough battle with Gulf on Tuesday night. (SCOTT PURKS | Special to the Times)

Boys basketball: Wesley Chapel remains unbeaten

High school scoreboard for Tuesday, Dec. 11

Rays enior VP Chaim Bloom addressing reporters in the team suite during the winter meetings. [MARC TOPKIN | Times]

Rays keeping conversations going

Bucs wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) runs drills during practice. (MONICA HERNDON | Times)

Bucs� DeSean Jackson: Thumb injury from opener to blame for recent layoff

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon looks to the field before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Winter meetings journal: It�s just another season for Joe Maddon

Sports on TV/radio for Wednesday, Dec. 12

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Arts & Entertainment

Sisters in the cast of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley include (from left) Courtney Anne McLaren as Lydia Wickham, Sadie Lockhart as Jane Bingley, Brooke Tyler Benson as Elizabeth Darcy, and Jenny Lester as Mary Bennet. The show runs Nov. 30 through Dec. 30, 2018. [Joey Clay Photography]

American Stage charms with ‘Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley’

Chris Isaak performs Dec. 12 at the Capitol Theatre.
Credit: Ruth Eckerd Hall (2016)

Top things to do in Tampa Bay for Dec. 12

The recall affects 23.4 oz pouches of Jimmy Dean Heat ?n Serve Original Sausage Links. [USDA]

Jimmy Dean frozen sausage links recalled, possible metal inside

John Prine will perform at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater on Dec. 7, 2019. Photo: Danny Clinch

John Prine, Sarah McLachlan coming to Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater

For music planner on 1/12, handout photo of Tedeschi Trucks Band, headlining the Sunshine Music Festival on 1/14 in Vinoy Park. Credit; On Tour PR.

SoundBytes: Vince Staples, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Dane Cook, Hozier, JoJo Siwa and more

Slayer's farewell tour will hit Tampa's MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre on May 10, 2019. Photo: Gene Ambo.

Slayer's farewell tour coming to the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa

Bloomingdale's Malik Womack (27) watches the game in the fourth quarter against Palmetto at Bloomingdale High School in Valrico on Friday, November 16, 2018.

All Eyes gallery: An intern�s view of Tampa Bay

People walk around the destroyed portion of Alligator Drive in Alligator Point on October 12, 2018. Alligator Drive, along with several structures were destroyed in when Hurricane Michael hit the area.

All Eyes gallery: Tailyr Irvine�s favorite photos of 2018

Shutterstock

Real ice rink will open in downtown St. Petersburg park on Saturday

Boats leave from the Treasure Island Yacht Club for the Treasure Island Boat Parade. (Times (2011))

Top things to do in Tampa Bay for the week of Dec. 10-16

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