🌱 Tampa Bay Rays Jean Ramirez Dead At 28 + NBA Player Donates $2M To Tampa Catholic

Happy Thursday, people of Tampa! Here's everything you need to know about what's happening locally today.

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First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny. High: 69 Low: 56.

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Here are the top five stories in Tampa today:

1. Tampa Bay Rays bullpen catcher Jean Ramirez died on Monday at the age of 28, the team announced. No additional details were provided, but the team says it was an "unexpected and difficult loss." Ramirez was born in Puerto Rico and went to college at Illinois State. (WFLA)

2. The Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival Music Fest is returning to Curtis Hixon Park this weekend. More than 20 performances are expected over the 2-day period including artists, bands, DJs, spoken word, dancers and more. Organizers say there is still time to sign up as a vendor or volunteer for the weekend event. (Fox 13 Tampa)

3. Florida reported the most child drownings since at least 2009 in 2021 with 98 deaths. Twenty-four of those children drowned in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Hernando, Sarasota and Manatee counties. The pandemic could be to blame for a rise in deaths. (WUSF)

4. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis voiced support Wednesday morning for a Republican-led bill that would ban most abortions in Florida after 15 weeks of pregnancy and signaled that he would sign it if it landed on his desk. (Click Orlando)

5. NBA Player Kevin Knox II of the New York Knicks has donated $2 million to fund the Kevin Knox II Fieldhouse at Tampa Catholic High School. He is a 2017 graduate of the high school. Knox said, "I was inspired to give back to Tampa Catholic, as they helped me become the person and player I am today." (Tampa Patch)

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Today in Tampa:

• Art On The House at Tampa Museum Of Art. (4:00 PM)
• Babor, Beauty and Bubbles at JW Marriott Tampa Water Street. (6:00 PM)
• Math Homework Hotline at Hillsborough County Schools. (6:00 PM)
• Haunted Factory Tour at J.C. Newman Cigar Company. (7:00 PM)
• Music at M .Bird Rooftop. (9:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have activated OLB Shaquil Barrett from the reserve/COVID-19 list amid a round of moves that also included the placement of CB Richard Sherman on IR, the return of WR John Hurst to the practice squad and the activation of K Jose Borregale. (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Lightning has reassigned forward Remi Elie to the Syracuse Crunch. (Facebook)
• Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is kicking off days of Mardi Gras fun this Friday to Monday. (Facebook)
• February registration is now open for City of Tampa's composting pilot program. Single-family residential customers with a yard can sign up to complete a required virtual workshop & receive a free bin. Space is limited. (Facebook)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Thursday off right! I'll see you soon.

— 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.