Tropical Storm Fred + Mighty Quinn's BBQ + School Mask Debate

Good morning, Tampa! Let's get this Thursday, August 12 started. Here's what's going on around Tampa today.

In this issue, you'll learn about Tropical Storm Fred, an Italian tavern coming to town, Hillsborough County unable to enforce masks due to an order from the state, and more. Now, let's get started.

First, today's weather: Humid and partly cloudy throughout the day. High: 92 Low: 77.

Here are the top stories in Tampa today:

1. Tropical Storm Fred is expected to impact Florida starting Friday. It is the 6th named storm this hurricane season. (Miami Patch)

2. A new Italian tavern called Bonu’ Taverna is coming to downtown St. Pete in the spot that was previously occupied by Cider Press Cafe. Guests will find numerous shareable items and entrees to enjoy when they open their doors in 2022. The specialty menu item will be their pinsa romana. (St. Pete Rising)

3. A Hillsborough County Schools district spokesperson says the schools cannot enforce the use of masks in schools due to an order signed by Governor DeSantis that threatens to defund them if they do. (WTSP)

4. Mighty Quinn's BBQ, a fast casual urban barbecue concept founded in New York City, is coming soon to Tampa Bay. It plans to open several locations over the next few years (Tampa Patch)

5. “The Women of Summer Art, Glass and Jewelry” summer exhibit is bringing together women from all across the United States to Tampa Bay. (WFLA)

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Today in Tampa

• Big Hands, Little Hands: Felt Pencil Case. (all day)
• Coffee with Chris | 2021 STCOC Chair of the Board. (9:30 AM)
• School Board Workshop - Hillsborough County Schools (9:30 AM)
• Grand Opening of Joffrey's Coffee & Tea Company flagship location at Midtown Tampa. (11:00 AM)
• Thirty on Thursday - Art and Perception: Kim Anderson, Libbi Ponce, and Jill Taffet. (12:30 PM)
• Access to Capital to Export - South Tampa Chamber of Commerce. (2:00 PM)
• Access, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (ADEI) in Cultural Organizations: For the Love of Humanity. (2:00 PM)
• Paws for Literacy at Humane Society of Tampa Bay. (2:45 PM)
• Tampa Theatre's Summer Classics Series. (3:00 PM)
• Tampa Museum of Art - Art on the House. (4:00 PM)
• School Board Meeting - Hillsborough County Schools. (4:00 PM)
• Get Crafty: Perler Bead Headphone Cases. (6:00 PM)
• Dog Jog With Union Three. (7:15 PM)
• Music At M.Bird Rooftop. (9:00 PM)

Tampa Patch Notebook

• St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman: "Attention, downtown @StPeteFL residents and workers and everyone else: Save the date of Sunday, Aug. 22 to receive a COVID-19 vaccination at City Hall in exchange for 1 month of FREE parking at any of our downtown garages. More details soon. Stay healthy, St. Pete." (Twitter)
• Tampa Bay Times: "“At no point shall I allow my decision to be influenced by a threat to my paycheck,” Miami-Dade's superintendent said..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "On average, between 25 percent and 40 percent of hospitalizations in all Pinellas hospitals are COVID-19 patients. Th..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Both Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott tried and failed to include amendments to the legislation." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "DeSantis' executive order said there wasn’t “scientific justification” to mandate mask-wearing by children. That rate..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "It would have been simple to hold on to masks in schools a little longer and provide a united front, writes Stephanie..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "An expert at the VA explains how the delta variant works, why it's so dangerous and how to beat it." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Archaeologists suggest a further investigation into the field's parking lot, plus a survey of neighboring property fo..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "A St. Petersburg man will be the oldest person competing in the Ironman World Championships." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "The Rays score four in the ninth inning to beat the Red Sox 8-4." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Brightline also eventually plans to open a line between Orlando and Tampa." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Officers found several thousand dollars of cash and several thousand dollars worth of wigs in the cars." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Can a New York barbecue joint find success this far south?" (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Odalys Marino opened Nory's Design in Tampa five years ago, inspired by and named after her mother. As a girl in Cuba..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Pinellas County students returned to classrooms this morning as one of 10 Florida districts starting the new academic..." (Facebook)
• Tampa Bay Times: "Sometimes, bigger isn't better in residential development, Hillsborough commission decides" (Facebook)

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Events:

• Free Estate Planning & Living Trust Online Webinar (Live Q&A) 3PM EDT (August 13)

Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Thursday. I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow with a new update! If you're loving these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to follow along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— 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.

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