Thursday, December 13, 2012
Florida is poised to become the first state to have issued 1 million concealed gun permits. Why?
As Florida is poised to become the first state to have issued 1 million concealed firearm permits, Patch wants to know: Why are there so many guns here, and is there such a thing as too many guns? Florida had issued more than 993,000 active permits as of Nov. 30, Bloomberg.com reports. Adam Putman, Florida’s commissioner of agriculture and consumer affairs, said at a news conference Wednesday that the state will pass the 1 million mark next week. “Floridians have a great respect and appreciation for their Second Amendment rights,” Putnam said. The news comes just days after a shooting spree at an Oregon mall left two people dead, as well as a murder-suicide by an NFL player, which prompted some high profile calls from the media for gun …
Friday, December 7, 2012
Recent reports about kittens in a freezer and a dog who took an ax to the face have the Tampa Bay area buzzing about animal cruelty laws. What's your take?
Two high profile incidents of animal abuse have sparked a strong reaction from Patch readers and community members about what should happen to those found guilty of animal cruelty. In St. Petersburg, a man was accused of wrapping four kittens in sandwich bags and sticking them in his freezer. Three of the kittens are recovering in Largo, while the fourth didn't survive. And in Bradenton, a dog was found last month walking through a neighborhood after taking an ax or machete to the head and face. Local animal services officials called it the worst case of animal cruelty they had seen out of "hundreds of cases a year." The pit bull mix, named Axel, is doing well, and several rewards have been offered to help find his attacker, including $10,…
Monday, September 17, 2012
Love 'em or hate 'em, the candidates' visits to the Tampa Bay area probably won't stop anytime soon. What do you think of politicians coming to your town?
With Florida a battleground state – and Tampa Bay considered key to the presidential election – campaigning has been nonstop in 2012. The showdowns started with the Florida Primary in January, when Republican presidential hopefuls started descending on Tampa Bay. They intensified when the Republican National Convention came to town last month, with GOP nominee Gov. Mitt Romney and his crew bringing major buzz and more than a little disruption to downtown Tampa. Things heated up again recently, as President Barack Obama stopped in Seminole, Ann Romney came to Largo and Paul Ryan, Romney's VP pick, visited Oldsmar Saturday. Campaign visits: Love 'em or hate 'em, but don't expect them to end anytime soon. No, with Florida a critical state in …
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Should Mitt Romney have to release more financial records?
Earlier this week, we asked Tampa Bay area residents to chime in with their thoughts on Mitt Romney's tax returns. While there have been calls for Romney to release more than just his 2010 and partial 2011 returns to the public, Patch readers had mixed feelings. Here’s what one Seminole Heights Patch reader had to say: Bryan Gifford in today's media and data age, failure to disclose says you have something to hide. What do you think? Let us know in the comments section.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Amid calls for Mitt Romney to reveal more financial information, should presidential candidates be required to disclose their income tax returns?
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has released his 2010 tax return and an estimate of his 2011 return, but for some critics, that's not enough. From a recent Washington Post editorial to President Barack Obama's campaign ads, the calls for Romney to reveal more of his financial information have gotten louder as the campaign season continues. Presidential candidates aren't required to disclose their tax returns, as Reuters points out, although it's become common practice. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have released tax returns dating back to 2000, and Romney's father, George, released 12 years of returns when he ran for president back in 1968. What's your take? Should Romney and other presidential candidates be forced to …
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
After the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case and what seems like an epidemic of crimes in Florida and nationwide, how concerned are you about child sex offenders living in your community?
The child sex abuse scandal at Penn State and last Friday's guilty verdict against former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky have shed the national spotlight on child predators and sex crimes against kids. But residents of Florida are unfortunately no stranger to these types of cases. There are the shocking and high profile incidents, like the 2005 murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford by a convicted sex offender in Citrus County. And there are the commonplace crime stories, like a Largo man who was arrested last week on child porn charges, just a few weeks after he was accused of traveling to a local park to have sex with a teenager. Even when they're caught before harming anyone, the seeming preponderance of would-be child predators…
George Straight
7:15 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013
Absolutely Not. It's sad to see what this Country and Gun issue has turned into. We're losing all our rights and letting our government control everything we do. Wake up people... more ›