🌱 Women In Aviation GALA Raises 20K + FRESHforce Barista Program

Hey, Tampa! Let's get you all caught up to start this day off on an informed note. Here's everything you need to know about what's happening in town today.

First, today's weather:

Thunderstorms, severe early. High: 73 Low: 59.

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Here are the top five stories today in Tampa:

1. Aviation enthusiasts from the Tampa area came together Friday to support Women in Aviation at the first GALA event in partnership with Tampa International Airport, raising more than $20,000 in the process. The Tampa Bay Chapter of Women in Aviation will manage and distribute the scholarships raised from the funds. The keynote speaker was retired NASA astronaut Nicole Stott. (Tampa Patch)

2. Feeding Tampa Bay is teaming up with Starbucks as part of its FRESHforce Barista program. The free program offers a week of training to learn the basics of being a barista. Students are also paid a stipend while attending training. Applications are open for the next round of training, which will take place in Pinellas and Pasco counties. (ABC Action News)

3. Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, made a huge donation to Habitat for Humanity and some of that money came to Tampa Bay. Scott donated $436 million to Habitat for Humanity International and 84 of its affiliates. Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco received $11 million, which is their largest single gift in their history. Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County received $7.5 million. (99.5 QYK)

4. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has scheduled a public meeting to discuss plans to improve U.S. 301 between Fowler Avenue in Hillsborough County and State Road 56 in Pasco County. The meeting will take place today from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at FDOT District 7 headquarters, 11201 N. McKinley Road, Tampa. The public meeting is being held in person and virtually. (Tampa Patch)

5. Christopher Hill of Tampa Bay was nominated by President Joe Biden in October for U.S. ambassador to Serbia and was confirmed by the Senate in March. Hill owns a home on Treasure Island and has previously spoken at USF events about diplomacy. (Tampa Bay Times)

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Today in Tampa:

• Thirty on Thursday: The Sphageion at Tampa Museum of Art. (1:30 PM)
• UT Press Fair at The University of Tampa College of Arts and Letters. (4:00 PM)
• T(w)een Book Club at Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative. (6:00 PM)
• Queens & Cocktails at Sparkman Wharf. (6:00 PM)
• Music At M.Bird Rooftop (9:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Florida's first neuropsychiatric hospital for women will be built in Tampa. The Mariposa Women's Neuropsychiatric Hospital will be a 24-bed facility located at Gracepoint’s campus in East Seminole Heights. (Tampa Bay Times)
• Tampa General Hospital has made a huge step in its $550 million master facility plan with the opening of a brand new 16,000-square-foot central energy plant. (Facebook)
• It's time to gather the crew for the Tampa Bay Lightning's inaugural Bolts Hockey Fest this April 16 and 17. Sign up today online. (Facebook)
• Applications for the Tampa Bay Rays' Community Fund Grant Program close next week. Learn more: mlb.com/rays/community/grant-program. (Facebook)
• Silvia Tcherassi, the featured designer for CITY: Fashion+Art+Culture 2022, came by the Tampa Museum of Art to imagine how she will transform the space into an amazing production. Guests at CITY will enjoy a spectacular presentation of Tcherassi’s runway collection and an appearance by the designer, whom Forbes named one of Colombia's 50 most powerful women of 2020. (Facebook)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you around.

— 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.