🌱 Tampa Mayor Castor Heads To Israel + Selmon Extension Reopens

Happy Friday, Tampa! Here's everything you need to know going on today.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny and beautiful. High: 74 Low: 57.

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Here are the top five stories today in Tampa:

1. The Selmon Extension reopened for the evening rush hour on Thursday after closing earlier this week when a routine inspection revealed two horizontal wires had come loose from their anchors. The extension is designed to have maintenance and repairs done inside the roadway with live traffic overhead. (Tampa Patch)

2. A teacher in Hillsborough County, 33-year-old Matthew Hike of Livingstone Academy in Seffner, is accused of showing pornography and inappropriately touching a student, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Hike was also an assistant football coach at Bloomingdale High School. (WFLA)

3. City of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor will spend next week in Israel with other American mayors in a trip organized by the American Jewish Committee. Castor will meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders during her trip and learn about the Jewish homeland. The trip was originally postponed due to COVID-19. (Tampa Bay Times)

4. A 59-year-old Hillsborough County man died Wednesday night after his vehicle struck an 11-foot alligator laying in the road. Police say John Hopkins' car struck the alligator at approximately 12:30 a.m., while driving eastbound on C.R. 672, about two miles west of C.R. 39 in Lithia. Hopkins was pronounced dead at the scene. (Creative Loafing Tampa)

5. A 34-year-old man from Tampa is accused of running naked across the fairway of the Innisbrook Golf Course during the Valspar Championship last weekend. Pinellas County deputies arrested Mark Taylor Lynn and he is facing a charge of disorderly intoxication. (Fox 13 Tampa)

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Today in Tampa:

• Café con Tampa: How To Fix Our Transportation Problems Without Raising Taxes at Oxford Exchange. (8:00 AM)
• The People Power Environmental Justice & Energy Symposium at The Reed At Encore! (9:00 AM)
• Crochet 101: Learning Basic Stitches at SouthShore At John Crawford Art Education Studio. (2:00 PM)
• Fourth Friday Along Tampa Riverwalk. (5:00 PM)
• ESPORTS Gaming Lounge Grand Opening at Emanuel P. Johnson Recreation Center. (5:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Join Tampa Pride Saturday in Ybor for a celebration of love, inclusion, and community at the annual Street Festival and Diversity Parade. Info: http://tampapride.org/ (Facebook)
• Wednesday, City of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor welcomed Rear Admiral Sara Joyner and over 75 U.S. Navy Sailors to our city for "Tampa Navy Week." (Facebook)
• This month's Bolt Jolt ⁠— a latte with oat milk ⁠— is available now at participating Tampa area Dunkin' locations. The drink is part of a partnership with the Tampa Bay Lightning. (Facebook)
• It's time for baseball season.🥜 Mark your calendars for the Tampa Bay Rays home opener at Tropicana Field on Friday, April 8. (Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Jazz on the Lawn @ Riverwalk STEM Academy (March 27)
• Estate Planning Webinar 3/28 & 3/30 (March 28)
• Social Security Seminar on 3/29 & 3/31 (March 29)
• Taxes in Retirement Seminar on 3/29 & 3/31 (March 29)
• Creating Income in a Low Interest Rate Environment (March 29)
• Breast Ultrasound Screening Coming Direct to You! (March 30)
• Heal for Humanity at St. Pete's first Heal Fest (April 2)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Friday off right! I'll see you around.

— 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.