🌱 Happy MLK Day + Seniors Turn To Rideshare Jobs As Costs Rise + TSA Mask Lawsuit

Good morning, people of Tampa! Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The civil rights icon who made a difference in the fight for equality will be celebrated nationwide today. It's me again, Carlos Hernandez, your host of the Tampa Daily.

First, today's weather:

Breezy with clouds and sun. High: 66 Low: 45.

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Here are the top stories in Tampa today:

1. The University Area Community Development Corporation hosted 200 volunteers for the 10th annual "Paint the Town" event to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Saturday. (Fox 13 Tampa)

2. 16 years after being rescued as a 2-month-old critically injured, orphaned calf, Winter the dolphin returned to the sea on Thursday. The ashes of the dolphin were encased in a Himalayan sea salt urn. Caretakers from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium carried the urn aboard a 45-foot U.S. Coast Guard response boat. Coast Guard C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft performed a solemn flyover. (Clearwater Patch)

3. A Florida man suing the Transportation Security Administration over the mask mandates in airports has made the case climb to the U.S. Supreme Court. The man claims his son is autistic and cannot wear a mask and now wants the Supreme Court to repeal the airline mask mandate altogether. (Fox 13 Tampa)

4. As costs rise, some seniors have turned to gig driver apps like Uber or Lyft to afford life in Tampa Bay. Senior citizens and older drivers make up a slightly larger slice of drivers in Tampa Bay when compared to drivers nationwide. 51-year-old Yvonne Brockington says, "The price of everything is going up ... all weekend long I’m either driving or sleeping." (CBS Miami)

5. The CDC allowed the mask mandate for cruises to expire on Saturday. It is now up to cruise lines to determine whether or not people on ships must wear a mask. Most cruise lines will keep mask mandates through the end of January. The Omicron variant has disrupted cruise travel in Tampa and at other ports around the state. (NBC Miami)

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Today in Tampa:

• 42nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Breakfast at Tampa Marriot Water Street. (6:45 AM)
• MLK Dream Big Parade at 3rd Street And 1st Avenue South. (11:00 AM)
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade Tampa at Cuscaden Park. (12:00 PM)
• Cirque Italia: Water Circus at Westfield Brandon. (1:30 PM)
• Muhammad Ali (2021) at Tampa Theatre. (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Tampa Pride is looking for entertainers for the Main Stage and inside the Cuban Club Cantina for its Pride Festival on March 26th, 2022. (Facebook)
• Chef Liam Mullen discussed at Café con Tampa how Tampa Bay will earn its first Michelin Star. (Twitter)
• Check out this photo of the Ft. Myers tornado on Sunday morning. It sucked debris into the storm. (Twitter)
• Mayor Jane Castor presented the Key to the City to His Holiness Dr. Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, toured the masjid, and met members of the community on Saturday. (Twitter)

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• Extreme Communication ~ Connecting to the other side (January 23)
• Social Security Seminar (January 24)
• Social Security Seminar (January 25)
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That's it for today! I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow morning with your next 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.