🌱 Amanda Hurtak Added To City Council + Gudes Fights Harassment Claim

Hey, Tampa! Here's everything you need to know to get this Wednesday started. Here's everything you need to know about what's happening today in Tampa.

First, today's weather:

Breezy and humid. High: 85 Low: 74.

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Here are the top five stories today in Tampa:

1. During a special meeting Tuesday morning, the City Council voted to have Amanda Lynn Hurtak fill the remainder of former council member John Dingfelder's term as a representative of District 3, a citywide seat. Hurtak was selected out of 25 candidates and has served on the city's Charter Review Board and the variance review board. Dingfelder's term ended in controversy and a battle between the city council and government over a developer. (Tampa Patch)

2. The attorney for the woman who recently accused Tampa City Council member Orlando Gudes of sexual harassment released a statement on Monday accusing Gudes of waging "war with alternative facts" in his attempts to defend his action. Gudes has refused to resign from the Council despite last week’s release of an independent investigation that found 18 out of 19 sexual harassment claims against him by a former legislative aide were credible. (Florida Politics)

3. Some Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) employees will soon receive a 5% pay increase. The change comes after a Creative Loafing Tampa Bay story about high employee turnover at the agency. Union members will not be included in the increase, as they fight for their own contract. (Creative Loafing Tampa)

4. Japanese foodie hotspot Noble Rice finally opened its doors at Sparkman Wharf to the public on Tuesday, April 5. The menu includes sushi, ramen, yakitori, and high-end Omakase. The restaurant is being run by Executive Chef Eric Fralick. (That's So Tampa)

5. Two convicted Tampa men will spend time in federal prison after pleading guilty to a series of armed robberies in Tampa, FishHawk and Riverview. U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday sentenced Jeffrey Davis, 24, to 24 years in federal prison and Tyee Spike, 19, to 26 years and three months in prison for robbing multiple stores at gunpoint. (Tampa Patch)

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Today in Tampa:

• Bay Area Renaissance Festival. (10:00 AM)
• The Basics of Microsoft Office at Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative. (2:00 PM)
• After School Art at Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative. (3:30 PM)
• Tour of Historic St. Pete High School Restoration at St Petersburg High School. (6:00 PM)
• Run Club at Armature Works. (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Plans to connect Tampa to Orlando with a high-speed passenger rail are still underway. Relieving traffic along Interstate 4 between Tampa and Orlando has been in the works for years. (WTSP)
• A first-grade class in Tampa is raising money for Ukraine by selling blue and yellow bracelets. The money will be donated to a Ukrainian church in St. Petersburg with a direct line to send aide to the country. (WFLA)
• Two-day tickets to Sunset Music Festival in Tampa are on sale today at 10 a.m. (Twitter)
• Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Austin Meadows is heading to Detroit in exchange for infielder Isaac Paredes and a draft pick. (WTSP)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Spring Fling Market in Seminole Heights (April 9)
• 4-Course Dinner & Auction to benefit Wheels of Success - presented by Santander Consumer USA (April 11)
• Open House: St Pete Beach Home for Sale (April 13)
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Announcements:

• Where To Buy Rear Window Decals For Cars In Tampa? - Defy Decals (Details)
• Find A Female Therapist In Tampa (Details)
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You're officially in the loop for today. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— Carlos Hernandez

About me: Hello my name is Carlos Hernandez and I am a food writer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. I write the food blog Carlos Eats (http://www.carloseats.com) and also contribute to several newspapers and magazines with food-related blogs and articles.