UT Fall Semester Begins + Rolling Stones' Concert Back On + Mask Fight Continues

Good morning, neighbors! It's me again, Carlos Hernandez, your host of the Tampa Daily.

In this issue, you'll learn about the continued fight over mask mandates, a tragic COVID-19 community death, back to school for University of Tampa and St. Leo University, and more. Now, let's get started.

First, today's weather: Humid and mostly cloudy throughout the day. High: 89 Low: 79.

Here are the top stories in Tampa today:

1. The Rolling Stones’ concert in Tampa will go on as planned this fall on October 29th. Original drummer Charlie Watts died recently at age 80. Tickets are still available. (Creative Loafing Tampa)

2. Governor DeSantis has vowed to appeal a ruling the struck down his school mask mandate ban. DeSantis says the ban will return after the appeal. More than half of Florida's students attend schools in districts opposing the ban and counties has discussed a lawsuit against the state. (Florida Politics)

3. The United States Department of Education announced that it is investigating five Republican-led states with universal mask bans after President Joe Biden asked the department to explore taking legal action. The discussions hit a fever pitch as Republican governors attack mask mandates. The department’s Office for Civil Rights sent letters to education heads in Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. It could lead to sanctions including a loss of federal education funding. (WTSP)

4. The husband of a Polk County educator died from COVID-19 six days after his wife. According to a Facebook post from Purcell Elementary School, he regularly would help his wife at school and was well-known in the community. Norma and Elio Reyes Sr. had been married for 26 years and were not vaccinated. (WFLA)

5. The fall semester for the University of Tampa started on Monday. UT will not be offering emergency remote teaching anymore in the new year. Health experts say there is a big concern for COVID-19 spread among college-aged students, the university is going back to mandatory mask requirements in indoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status. (ABC Action News)

6. Saint Leo University welcomed its largest number of new students for the fall 2021 semester on Saturday in Pasco. More than 1,100 new campus students are joining the Saint Leo community. 25% of percent of incoming students are from 50 international countries and 16% are from out of state. (Tampa Patch)

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Today in Tampa

• 25th Annual Fall Golf Classic Committee Meeting. (3:00 PM)
• Florida Museum Of Photographic Arts Members Show. (5:00 PM)
• Slow Art Tuesday. (6:00 PM)
• Mini Fuzzy Shark Fundraiser. (6:00 PM)
• Music At Stones Throw Every Tuesday. (7:00 PM)

Tampa Patch Notebook

• Tampa Bay Rays: "Clinched a winning record but that's just the beginning" (Facebook)
• City of Tampa: "#Champabay is on a roll again! This past Saturday, the Tampa Mayhem Rugby team won the USA Rugby League National Championship here in our own city! Congrats to the whole team and their hard work! You are making Tampa proud!" (Facebook)
• Tampa Museum of Art, Inc.: "Thank you Tampa Bay for making Pride & Passion: Neon Jungle a success!! A special thanks to this year's Chair, Nicholas Catania NHIE Guys, and the tireless work from our dedicated committee of volunteers from the LGBTQ+ community ..." (Facebook)
• Tampa International Airport: "The City of Tampa is holding its first-ever Hispanic Heritage Celebration Poster Contest! The posters must include the theme "Hispanic Heritage Celebration" and submissions will be accepted until Sept. 3. Winners will have their work dis..." (Facebook)
• Midtown Tampa: "Join us this Thursday evening for our first Sunset Market at Midtown Tampa! instagram.com/marketsatmidtowntampa Date: Thursday, Sept. 2nd Place: Midtown Commons located at 3654 Midtown Dr, Tampa, FL 33607 Time: 6PM to 10PM Local Makers..." (Facebook)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Tuesday. I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow with another update! If you're enjoying these newsletters, consider bringing some more friends and neighbors on board. 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.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Tampa Daily? Contact me at carlosreportsnews@gmail.com.