🌱 Tampa Bay Jewish Food Festival Coming Soon + Westfield Shooting Update + Amazon Pasco

Happy Thursday, people of Tampa! Here's everything you need to know today in town.

I also wanted to give a special shoutout to some of our Patch Supporters, Janice Jones and Tina Wolter. Thanks for helping make local news happen in Tampa! If you want to support local news in Tampa, Click here to learn more about becoming a Patch Supporter.

First, today's weather:

Times of clouds and sun. High: 72 Low: 56.

Are you a local business owner or marketer in Tampa? We'd love to start connecting local businesses with our amazing readers. Learn more about how it works.

Here are the top five stories today in Tampa:

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback Tom Brady has not said whether he will retire or play the final year of his three-year contract with the Bucs next season. He suggested that he will retire soon though. (Tampa Patch)

2. The Tampa Bay Jewish Food Festival is returning to Clearwater on Sunday, February 27th. The event will be drive-thru only and food orders must be placed online by Monday, January 31st. Orders will be picked up from Temple B'nai Israel at 1685 S Belcher Rd. from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on pick-up day. (Creative Loafing Tampa)

3. An employee at Cheesecake Factory at Westfield Mall in Brandon said she was sitting in her car on Monday afternoon, preparing for her shift when she heard gunshots ring out and one of those bullets hit her car. The gunshots were from an undercover operation police were working to catch a illegal gun sale that went wrong. The worker said now she is afraid to drive to work. (WFLA)

4. Amazon has announced plans to open a second distribution site in Pasco County located at the Eagle Industrial Park off State Road 52. The 517,220-square-foot site will support a 100% robotics-based sorting system, also known as an Amazon Robotic Sortation Center (ARSC). (Fox 13 Tampa)

5. Raising Cane's chicken chain is looking at Tampa, Clearwater, Brandon and Carrollwood as areas of interest for future locations. A location in Clearwater is already planning to open next year. (Tampa Bay Times)

From our sponsor:

Hey Tampa, are you looking to buy a house, refinance or just explore your options? Check out the new Patch Mortgage Center for all your home financing needs!

Today in Tampa:

• Tampa City Council Workshop Meeting at Old City Hall. (9:00 AM)
• Art on the House at Tampa Museum of Art (4:00 PM)
• Creating Resumes at Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative (6:00 PM)
• Date Nights In The Heights at Armature Works. (6:30 PM)
• Tampa Bay Lightning Vs. New Jersey Devils at Amalie Arena. (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Traffic is expected to be very heavy around Bayshore Boulevard and downtown Tampa this weekend during Gasparilla. Barricades and signs will be in the area to assist with traffic flow. (WFLA)
• Several City of Tampa projects have been nominated for the Tampa's Downtown Urban Excellence Awards including Madison Street Park and the Lights On Tampa Circles Unity art installation. (Facebook)
• The University of Tampa is welcoming back the Ben Rosenblum Trio — made up of award-winning jazz pianist, composer and accordionist Ben Rosenblum; bassist Marty Jaffe; and drummer Ben Zweig for a concert on Wednesday, January 26th. (Facebook)
• The Tampa Museum of Art will be closed for the Gasparilla Pirate Festival on Saturday, January 29th. (Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Sol y Luna Tantric Shamanic Festival (English/Spanish) (January 27)
• Cornhole Tournament (January 28)
• St. Petersburg Seafood & Music Festival (January 28)
• Taxes in Retirement Seminar (February 8)
• Add your event

For sale:

• Rad Rover e-bike for sale (Details)
• Add your item

Loving the Tampa Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Become a supporter (there are perks!)
• Get your local business showcased in front of readers
• Send me a news tip or suggestion at carlosreportsnews@gmail.com

You're all caught up for today! 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.