🌱 Hillsborough Co. NAACP Meets Over Survey + Raising Cane's Opening

Hello all. I'm back with your fresh copy of the Tampa Daily. Here's all the local news you need to know right now. In today's issue, you'll find news about these stories and more:

• Hillsborough County NAACP met this week with police leaders to discuss a controversial survey conducted by police that questioned political candidates over their support of Black Lives Matter and police misconduct accountability.
• A teacher in Zephyrhills was recently arrested and charged with child abuse in a case involving a student.
• Raising Cane's is coming to Clearwater, with more expansions planend soon for Tampa and St. Petersburg.

But first, today's weather:

Cooler with clearing. High: 55 Low: 36.

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Here are the top stories today in Tampa:

1. Hillsborough County NAACP and members of the Black law enforcement community and leaders of the Tampa Police Benevolent Association met this week to discuss a controversial survey that questioned political candidates on their support for Black Lives Matter and accountability for police misconduct. The controversy comes amid turmoil at Tampa Police Department including the resignation of former Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor, which broke national headlines and ensnarled Tampa Bay in public scrutiny. (WTSP)
2. Zephyrhills Police Department has arrested a teacher who allegedly pushed a student's head into a desk and injured them. Police said that on Dec. 12, 2022, Victoria Ashley Neault, 23, of Wesley Chapel pushed the back of the student's head and caused it to hit his desk, injuring his lip. Neault was charged with child abuse on Jan. 6. (WFLA)
3. Tampa Water Department crews and contractors are hard at work addressing nearly 300 service calls and 100 pipe repairs from the cold spell in late December of 2022. There are more than 140 restoration projects that need to be completed that will require multi-person work crews with heavy equipment as of Friday. (Tampa Patch)
4. Popular chicken concept, Raising Cane's, is expanding to 2525 Gulf to Bay Boulevard in Clearwater on Tuesday, Jan. 31. The company announced a flagship location in Miami’s South Beach at the end of 2022 with more expansion plans ahead including plans for Tampa and St. Petersburg locations. (That's So Tampa)
5. Tampa's King State's Lagerfest is returning on Thursday, Mar. 9 with over 35 different breweries from around the county. King State will also have a coffee bar available on-site. The event will be held at King State's brewery concept called The Brutalist, located at 1776 11th Ave. N. (Creative Loafing Tampa)

Today in Tampa:

• 4th Annual Sarasota Beer & Burger Festival at The Mall At UTC. (noon)
• Second Saturday at Big Easy Ybor City. (1 p.m.)
• Men's Basketball: Eckerd vs. Tampa at The University of Tampa Athletics. (4 p.m.)
• "The Wolves"at Stageworks. (7:30 p.m.)
• My Year Of Saying No at Carrollwood Cultural Center. (8 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers shared: "We had a blast raising the flags with the Krewe at our drive-thru event at Raymond James Stadium 🚗 📸: bccn.rs/3Zyek5T" (Tampa Bay Buccaneers via Facebook)
• Tampa International Airport shared: "RUN ON THE RUNWAY - Registration for our 5K on the Runway opens Sunday. Prizes and raffles include roundtrip flights and so much more. Spots are limited, so be sure to sign up soon. Register here: www.tampaairport.com/5k." (Tampa International Airport via Facebook)
• Hillsborough County Public Schools shared: "We are so grateful for the tremendous amount of feedback we have received from our parents and community members regarding the proposed boundary scenarios with more than 295,000 webpage visits, 108,000 address searchesand more than 11,000 map comments on the boundary webpage." (Hillsborough County Public Schools via Facebook)
• Tampa General Hospital shared: "Tampa General Hospital’s expanding Cancer Institute and Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute will offer the region’s first Proton Therapy Center in the heart of Tampa Bay’s Medical & Research District." (Tampa General Hospital via Facebook)

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Events:

• HOWL - Film Fundraiser for Friends of Jack Kerouac (January 15)
• Breast Ultrasound Screening Coming Direct to You! (January 20)
• Rum Appreciation & Certification Class (January 26)
• Junkfest Explosion 2023, 7th Annual (February 4)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Saturday! I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow morning with 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.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Tampa Daily? Contact me at SouthTampa@Patch.com