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News at noon: Courtney Campbell Causeway closed after crash with critical injuries; tropical depression likely to develop in Gulf of Mexico this week from unlikely place; and more

 
Check tampabay.com for the latest breaking news and developments.
Check tampabay.com for the latest breaking news and developments.
Published July 8, 2019

Here are the top five latest headlines and updates on tampabay.com.

Courtney Campbell Causeway closed after crash with critical injuries

The Courtney Campbell Causeway is closed to traffic in both directions because of a crash that resulted in critical injuries, Tampa police said. Police announced in a tweet just before 11 a.m. that westbound lanes had been closed on the upper Tampa Bay crossing that links Clearwater and Tampa. A later tweet said lanes are closed in both directions.

Tropical depression likely to develop in Gulf of Mexico this week from unlikely place

An area of low pressure currently moving over Georgia is likely to become the next named storm of the 2019 hurricane season according to the latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters said the system has a 10 percent chance of organizing into a tropical depression or system over the next two days, but as it gets fueled by warmer-than-normal waters in the Gulf of Mexico, the chance increases to 80 percent.

Old rail tracks near Pinellas Trail spark legal battle

Land around rusty, broken railroad tracks near Tropicana Field forms a makeshift walking path toward the Pinellas Trail, and the City of St. Petersburg wants to connect it. But the city is battling to block the owner of the half-mile railroad land, CSX, from selling it. Late last month, St. Petersburg filed a complaint in federal district court asserting that the city has the right to the land, which is next to municipal property.

U.S. women's soccer team's next foe is injustice

Do not stop cheering, John Romano writes. Not today, not tomorrow, not until the United States Women's soccer team completes the job. Yes, the women won a second consecutive World Cup title on Sunday in France. Yes, they dominated everyone they faced, never trailing for even one second in their seven games. But one opponent still remains, and the stakes are as high as ever: The national team needs to kick the U.S. Soccer Federation's butt.

Meet our new food critic at this free event on July 11

Do you like free snacks? Happy hour drink specials? Getting to know our new food critic? We've got an event for you. On July 11, we're welcoming new critic Helen Freund with a free event at Pete's General in St. Petersburg's Historic Uptown neighborhood. Think casual happy hour, with discounts on beverages and some food samples Freund and food editorMichelle Stark are working on with the folks at Pete's. You'll also have a chance to ask Freund questions — or tell her where to find your favorite meal in Tampa Bay.

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