Jilted Lover, Growing Companies, Hurricane Harvey

Patch operates 24 daily news sites in the Tampa Bay area and surrounding counties. The following are some of the top stories from the past week:

Jilted Lover Charged In Man’s Murder: Deputies

A 32-year-old Port Richey man faces murder and domestic battery charges following the Saturday stabbing death of the man Pasco County deputies say was his live-in girlfriend’s other lover. He also stands accused of battering his girlfriend moments before the fatal stabbing occurred.

Florida Has 30 Of America’s Fast-Growing Companies

With the American economy on an upswing, it shouldn’t be surprising that many companies across the nation are growing by leaps and bounds. Many of the country’s fast-growing firms, as it turns out, happen to be in the Sunshine State.

Professor Blames Hurricane Harvey On GOP Vote, Gets Fired

University of Tampa students enrolled in Kenneth Storey’s sociology classes have a new instructor in the room following a brouhaha that erupted on Twitter over the weekend. Storey reportedly tweeted that the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey was “instant karma” for the state of Texas because of its Republican leanings.

Man Accused In Double Stabbing Captured By Trooper

A 46-year-old man named as a suspect in the Wednesday morning stabbing death of his own aunt has been hospitalized after being brought into custody by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper.

Snooty’s Death: Staff Knew Panel Was ‘Askew,’ Officials Say

Less than six weeks after the death of iconic Snooty the manatee, the South Florida Museum has released an expert’s report highlighting measures that may have prevented the tragedy. Museum officials have also confirmed that staff at the Parker Manatee Aquarium knew the panel to an underwater plumbing area was loose. That oversight enabled Snooty to swim into the area where he became trapped and drowned just days after turning 69 years old.

Deadly Florida Seawater Bacteria Claims 3rd Life

The Florida Department of Health on Thursday confirmed the third Vibrio vulnificus bacteria-related death in 2017. Fifteen other people have been sickened by the seawater bacteria in counties across the state since the year began.

Missed Runway Leads To St. Pete Water Landing

Two people were rescued from water near St. Petersburg’s Albert Whitted Airport after a Friday morning crash landing.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Sets Tampa Tour Stop

Summer may not be officially over, but the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is already gearing up to help folks get in the holiday spirit. The orchestra has announced a Tampa stop on its upcoming “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve” winter tour.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Highway Patrol