Beyond the News WFLA Interviews

The Tampa Woman's Club is offering "good food and warm words" to South Tampa residents struggling after Hurricane Helene. It's offering spaghetti box dinners to Helene survivors Monday afternoon. We speak with the club's 3rd VP, Gina Roth about their efforts and Helene's impact in Tampa.

A week after Hurricane Helene, Pinellas beaches are open but cleanup is continuing and most hotels and businesses are closed. How does the tourist agency that markets what it calls "America's Best Beaches" talk to visitors when the beaches are closed? We speak with Visit St Pete - Clearwater President and CEO Brian Lowack.

A new state law goes into effect today (Oct. 1) banning the homeless from sleeping in public spaces after dark. Agencies that serve the homeless have been rpeapring for the law. We speak with Maggie Rogers, CEO of the Pinellas HOPE and Tampa HOPE shelters.

Hurricane Helene's storm surge is expected to follow the example of Idalia and other summer and winter storms and do some damage to Gulf beaches in Florida. The U.S. Geological Survey was predicting most beaches on Florida's west coast would be inundated by Helene, but the forecast looks better south of Tampa Bay. We speak with USGS's Kara Doran, who's actually based in St. Petersburg with the USGS Coastal and Marine Science Center. (Photo: NHC/NOAA)

Newsradio WFLA's Read Shepherd talks with Marci Andino, VP-Elections Infrastructure, Information Sharing and Analysis Center, about the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the 2024 elections.

The US House task force investigating the two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump holds its first public hearing Thursday (September 26th). We speak with one of the task force members from the Tampa Bay area, U.S. Representative Laurel Lee.

With Potential Hurricane Helene aiming for the Gulf with a possible Florida landfall, the Tampa Bay area could again get a brush with a hurricane.  We spoke with Sean Johnson of FPL, which serves Manatee and Sarasota counties, earlier this year on how they've worked to make the system in those counties more hurricane-resistant. (NOTE: This was recorded in June, prior to rain impacts from Debby.)

The federal government has added Hillsborough and Pinellas counties to the list for primary assistance following Hurricane Debby, which didn't make landfall in the Tampa Bay area but did
present heavy rain and flooding. This also means access to Small Business Administration loans for physical and economic damage to businesses and nonprofits, and low-interest loans to homeowners. We speak with Timothy Watson of the SBA. (Photo: Canva)

Two cases of the dengue virus reported in west Pasco County. Symptoms include fever, chills, rash and vomiting. We speak with Adriane Rogers, executive director of the Pasco County Mosquito Control District, about what's being done and how to protect yourself.

Newsradio WFLA's Read Shepherd talks to Freddy Barton from Safe & Sound Hillsborough about the rash of on-line threats against schools--in the wake of the deadly shooting in Winder, Georgia.