🌱 Voices Of Women Festival Returns + LEGOLAND Summer Celebration

Good morning, everybody! It's Friday in Tampa and I'm back in your inbox to get you caught up on all the most important things happening in the community today. Keep reading for the latest.

First, today's weather:

A heavy t-storm in the p.m.. High: 90 Low: 77.

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Here are the top five stories today in Tampa:

1. Hillsborough County Public Schools students outperformed students across Florida in mathematics and sustained scores in English language arts, according to newly released results from the state. The performance comes despite pandemic challenges. (Tampa Patch)

2. Powerstories' second annual Voices of Women Festival is happening July 19 through June 24. The event will be held online and in-person and will showcase eight plays by nine local and national playwrights. (Creative Loafing Tampa)

3. LEGOLAND Florida Resort is offering a summer celebration deal on annual passes for families. For a limited-time, families can purchase three LEGOLAND Florida Awesomer or Awesomest Annual Passes and get the fourth one free. (Bay News 9)

4. Clearwater police say an investigation is underway into a shooting in Safety Harbor involving a Pinellas deputy. A spokesperson says the incident happened shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon near Philippe Parkway and Enterprise Road. (Fox 13)

5. SharkCon is returning to the Florida State Fairgrounds for a two-day event July 15 and 17. Guests can enjoy over 150 shark-related vendors as well as speakers from this year's National Geographic's SHARKFEST as well as scientist and personalities from Aquariums, Field Research, Shark Week and Animal Planet. (That's So Tampa)

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See important Reg A Disclosures

Today in Tampa:

• Skydive City's Annual 4th Of July Celebration Event. (9 a.m.)
• 4th Of July Weekend at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. (10 a.m.)
• Couples Cooking: Mexican-Style Comfort Food at Publix Aprons Cooking School Of Citrus Park. (6 p.m.)
• SEVEN KINGDOMS at The Orpheum. (7 p.m.)
• 'Top Gun: Maverick' at Tampa Theatre (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Three cases of monkeypox are confirmed in Tampa Bay area including in Pinellas and Polk County. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention activated its Emergency Operations Center to respond to the 2022 monkeypox outbreak on Wednesday as part of the national response. (WFLA)

• According to a new report from ApartmentList, Tampa rents have gone up nearly 2% month-to-month, and 20.5% compared to the year before. It is the 6th straight month of rent increases. (WFLA)
• CareerSource Tampa Bay is offering certificates in Digital Marketing with classes starting as soon as July 7. Young adults ages 18 to 24 interested in enrolling or learning more can visit for an ACE information session. (Tampa Bay Newswire)
• The University of South Florida's performance places second among all state universities, according to new data presented this week to the Florida Board of Governors (BOG). Since the state implemented the performance-based funding model in 2014, USF is the only university to finish in the top four every year. (Tampa Bay Newswire)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• The Market Elaine (July at The Grove) (July 1)
• Estate Planning Webinar (July 12)
• Add your event

Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow morning with your next 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.

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