🌱 Kojak's Reopens Tuesday + Westfield Brandon Shooter Arrested And Charged

Good day, people of Tampa! Carlos Hernandez here with the Friday edition of the Tampa Daily. Grab your coffee and let's get this day started right.

First, today's weather:

A shower in spots. High: 66 Low: 45.

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Here are the top five stories in Tampa today:

1. Save A Lot stores in Tampa have collectively donated more than 8,200 bags of groceries to Feeding Tampa Bay, a local organization that fights to end hunger in the community. The store that made the most donations with 4,128 bags is located at 2271 East Bearss Avenue. Save A Lot is making an additional financial contribution of $45,560 worth of food and financial contributions to Feeding Tampa Bay. (Tampa Patch)

2. 19-year-old Jaycob Riley was arrested late Wednesday night, wanted for shooting at deputies outside Brandon Westfield Mall on Monday. Riley has been taken into custody, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office says. He faces 5 counts of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer and shooting into a vehicle, as well as charges of robbery with a firearm and felon in possession of a firearm. (Tampa Bay Times)

3. A Clearwater Police officer was arrested Thursday on multiple charges including false imprisonment and domestic battery, according to the City of Clearwater. 42-year-old Jason Lambe took his ex-girlfriend's cell phone and refused to let her leave a home for multiple days. Police say he battered the woman and threatened to kill her and then himself. (WFLA)

4. A former Steinbrenner High School band director in Lutz pleaded guilty to three charges related to having unlawful sexual activity with an underage student on Tuesday. 37-year-old Jason Allgair was sentenced to four years in prison with 10 years probation as a sexual offender for the three first-degree felony counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor while being an authority figure of the minor. (ABC Action News)

5. Kojak’s House of Ribs, which operated in South Tampa for 44 years and closed after a developer acquired the property, will reopen in Seffner at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, February 1st, 2022. The new location is at 1809 South Parsons Avenue. Call ahead orders can be made to (813) 324-8371 to avoid long waits. (Creative Loafing Tampa)

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Today in Tampa:

• Café Con Tampa - Tampa Union Station: What Does The Future Hold for This Downtown Tampa Landmark? Jackson McQuigg, Friends of Tampa Union Station at Oxford Exchange. $12 with breakfast included. (8:00 AM)
• Mardi Gras at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. (12:00 PM)
• Shipwrecked Music Festival 2022 - Gasparilla Weekend at Circulo Cubano De Tampa. (5:00 PM)
• Rough Riders Gasparilla Pre-Invasion Party - Open to All at Sail Pavilion. (7:00 PM)
• Pre-Gasparilla Party & Burlesque Show at 82 West Distilling. (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Know where to consume alcohol during Gasparilla. Alcohol can ONLY be consumed in approved wet zone areas along the parade route. There is no drinking in the neighborhoods. (Facebook)
• The immersive art exhibit by Lucy Sparrow is open now until February 20th featuring 50k+ hand-crafted artworks. (Facebook)
• On April 4th, 1919, on the grounds of the Tampa Bay Hotel, George Herman "Babe" Ruth hit what was reported to be the longest home run of his career. That baseball is now a part of the Henry Plant Museum's collection. (Facebook)
• Get the opportunity to network while immersing yourself in art and culture at the Tampa Museum of Art on February 17th. NextGen offers people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, the chance to explore the museum's two newest exhibitions: Verde: Poetics of Shade and Paul Jenkins: From America’s Heartland to an International Journey, and provide a space for conversation and new connections. (Facebook)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up 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.