Writer and Co-Founder of The Dispatch, Brandon has been covering news for over tens years, starting and writing for several different websites, covering topics from politics to religion to movie and entertainment news.
The Florida Aquarium opened today after nearly two months, welcoming a smaller crowd of guests with a smaller staff of masked employees, with a message: “Welcome back, the animals missed you.” Reopening the aquarium is one of the first large attractions in the Sunshine State as the ‘Safer-at-home’ ordered endedContinue Reading
A 5-year-old boy died yesterday afternoon at All Children’s Hospital from a gunshot wound, according to St. Pete Police. Ja’cari Ellis, was found by officers at the 3738 18th Ter. S residence after responding to a 911 call in the afternoon, around 2:27 p.m. The boy had been shot andContinue Reading
For over 65 years, the Tampa-Hillsborough area has been synonymous with the 813 area code. That is about to change. On Thursday, the State of Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) announced a new area code for Hillsborough County: 656. The county’s new 656 area code overlaps with the same geographicContinue Reading
Barbershops and salons are allowed to reopen in most counties in Florida tomorrow, Monday, May 11, but getting a haircut will certainly be different than the last time you got a snip. Governor Ron DeSantis issued the following guidelines for those opening on Monday: -All customers will be by appointmentContinue Reading
Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be featured in five prime time games as well as four “games of the week” in the 4:25 p.m. time slot for the 2020 season. Tom Brady’s arrival into Tampa has elevated the team to the national spotlight by luring Rob Gronkowski out of retirement asContinue Reading
Official explained firefighters in the Florida Panhandle have been battling wildfires that forced some 1,600 people to evacuate from their homes, and a stretch of Interstate 10 remained closed in both directions Thursday afternoon due to smoke. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said in a news conference Thursday afternoon that fireContinue Reading
Organizers announced today that MegaCon has been canceled for 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “Based on development globally and in Florida that COVID-19 continues to present, we’ve made the decision to cancel MegaCon Orlando 2020,” MegaCon said in a statement. The 2021 MegaCon event is now scheduled to takeContinue Reading
The Hillsborough County commission voted on spending the $257 million received from the federal government in Cares Act coronavirus aid. Metropolitan Ministries, Feeding Tampa Bay and Career Source Tampa Bay top a list of wide-ranging assistance programs which will see money to help in the months ahead. Ron Barton, assistantContinue Reading
The COVID-19 death toll in Pinellas County is now at four after the Florida Department of Health released new data Saturday morning. The new deaths include an 83-year-old woman, a 64-year-old man and a 52-year-old man. Mayor Rick Kriseman tweeted Saturday that realtor Bob Barnum was among those who have died. “COVID-19 hitting closer and closer to home. BobContinue Reading
Repticon brings the amazing world of reptiles and exotic animals back to Tampa on February 22 & 23, 2020, opening to the public at 10 a.m. with a fun and educational exposition suitable for all ages and personalities. A truly family-oriented event, Repticon’s reptile and exotic animal shows are heldContinue Reading
A Lakeland school principal recently earned a state-wide “Principal of the Year” award, praised for his inclusion of technology into the daily learning processes. Lawton Chiles Middle Academy Principal Brian Andrews told Bay News 9 that he’s always reading technology-related news stories, searching for new ideas and devices that studentsContinue Reading
January was a cold month for Florida’s wildlife and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says 35 manatees were killed because of cold weather Jan. 1 through Jan. 26. Overall, January 2018 was the deadliest for manatees in years, with 87 dying, the majority of which was from cold stress.Continue Reading
Florida Neo-Nazi group leader Brandon Russell was sentenced to 5 years in prison on weapons charges. Russell, 22, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Tampa. U.S. District Judge Susan Bucklew expressed concern for public safety when she sentenced Russell. Russell has been charged with storing explosives and having aContinue Reading
While voters will take to the polls in Pinellas, Manatee and Polk counties to cast ballots for mayor and/or various referendums, the big race in the area is in St. Pete: Rick Kriseman, the mayor of St. Petersburg versus the former mayor Rick Baker taking back the office. The two candidates have raised $2.6 millionContinue Reading
University Area Community Development Corporation (UACDC) will break ground for the seven acre Harvest Hope Park on Wednesday, March 8 at 13704 North 20 St., Tampa, 33612, in the heart of the University Area Community. All are welcome to attend this free event, which will be begin at 9:30 a.m.Continue Reading
St. Petersburg Mayor, Rick Kriseman has declared the Pinellas County community a sanctuary city in response to President Trump’s plans to crackdown on immigration. “While our county sheriff’s office is ultimately responsible for notifying the federal government about individuals who are here illegally, I have no hesitation in declaring St.Continue Reading
Investigators with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office have issued an arrest warrant in connection with last month’s murder of a Tampa Bay area woman whose body was found in a ditch. Evelyn Woodham’s body was found in a ditch in Palm River, the first of November. The woman’s body wasContinue Reading
Police arrested and chared a woman with DUI early Sunday after she drove the wrong direction on U.S. 19, barely missing some of the other vehicles headed directly towards her. Anna Marie Sosa, 43, was driving north in the southbound lanes near Klosterman Road. Police released a video of the incident on Facebook. SosaContinue Reading
Thousands of fans converge on the Convention Center as Tampa Comic-Con celebrates the various fandoms of pop culture and at the top of that heap is Star Wars. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace co-stars Ray Park and Ian McDiarmid spoke before fans, speaking on everything from time inContinue Reading
Parents across Florida shopping for the upcoming school year get a smaller, shorter back-to-school sales tax holiday than last year. The Florida 2016 Sales Tax Holiday is only this weekend as legislators rejected Gov. Rick Scott’s plan for ten full days. Florida state officials also recently voted to cut allowances on clothing,Continue Reading
Move over Tampa, St. Petersburg looks like the front-runner to become home to the first Cuban consulate in the United States in more than five decades. The Cuban Consular General and his deputy from the embassy in Washington, D.C. visited St. Petersburg over the weekend, but they did more than justContinue Reading
