🌱 Tampa Riverfest 2022 + Tampa Man Sentenced Over Baby Shaking

Get on up, Tampa! Let's get you all caught up to start this Thursday, March 31st off on an informed note. These are the most important things happening today in Tampa.

First, today's weather:

Winds subsiding and humid. High: 84 Low: 72.

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Here are the top stories in Tampa today:

1. Tampa Riverfest 2022 is returning and will take place Friday, May 6th, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday, May 7th from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The festival includes the events Taste of Riverwalk on Friday night and TacoFest on Saturday. There will also be a full concert series of local bands and a balloon glow at sunset both nights. (That's So Tampa)

2. After a one-month hiatus, recycling collection is set to resume on April 4th in the western part of Polk County, according to officials. County leaders say customers serviced by FCC Environmental Services will begin to see an every-other-week recycling collection. (WTSP)

3. Despite telling Tampa City Council members to not use their personal phones for city business, City Attorney Gina Grimes used hers to stay in regular contact with attorney Ethan Loeb during hours of phone calls between December and March of this year, according to documents obtained by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Loeb sued former councilman John Dingfelder just months ago, in a saga that led to Dingfelder's resignation from the Tampa City Council and community outcry. (Creative Loafing Tampa)

4. A Tampa man convicted of shaking a 3-month-old baby, fracturing her skull and permanently disabling her, will spend the next 25 years in prison. Demarcus Johnson was sentenced by Judge Christopher Sabella on Monday. State guidelines recommend at least 6.5 years in Florida State Prison. The maximum sentence is 30 years. (Tampa Patch)

5. Florida's Board of Governors confirmed Rhea Law as the University of South Florida's eighth president on Wednesday, also approving a contract that would make her one of the highest paid public university presidents in the country. Her base salary will be $655,000 with an additional $131,000 to be added to a deferred compensation plan every year of the contract. She could also make up to $300,000 a year in bonuses. (Tampa Bay Times)

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Today in Tampa:

• Tampa Bay Taco Week. (10:00 AM)
• Art on the House at Tampa Museum of Art. (5:00 PM)
• Evening Story Time at Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative. (6:00 PM)
• Guest Artist: Kelly Cuppett, Piano at The University of Tampa College of Arts And Letters. (7:30 PM)
• Disney's Frozen at Straz Center For The Performing Arts. (7:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Humane Society of Tampa Bay is officially in "Kitten Season" which means they need help from people with big hearts to help bottle feed baby animals. 🐈 Volunteers can reach out the organization. (Facebook)
• Tampa Police Chief O'Connor sat down one on one with FOX 13's Kelly Ring to discuss her goals and priorities for the department. (Facebook)
• Graduate programs at USF Health-University of South Florida just made significant gains in U.S. News and World Report's 2023 Best Graduate Schools list, with programs from USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, USF College of Nursing, and USF College of Public Health all moving up in ranks. (Facebook)

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Events:

• Inverso: 2022 MFA Graduation Exhibition (April 1)
• Help these Hialeah kids go to Worlds (April 1)
• 22nd Annual Seminole Heights Home Tour (April 3)
• Taxes in Retirement Webinar on 5/5 & 5/6 (April 5)
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For sale:

• Rare St Pete Beach Lot: Open House (Details)
• Electric Bike (Details)
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Thanks for following along and staying informed! 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.