Beyond the News WFLA Interviews

Your old documents, your old computers, your old phones, and even your old gaming consoles could leave you vulnerable to identity theft. Hillsborough County is giving residents the chance to destroy that information Saturday morning. Listen to Consumer and Veterans Services director Eric Olsen to find out more about Shred Fest.

Hillsborough County holds its annual Neighborhoods Expo Saturday morning (March 1st). It gives county residents the chance to meet with county departments and services. We speak with county neighborhood liaison Stephanie Agliano.

City of Tampa and Hillsborough County officials will be on hand Wednesday morning as a historic marker is dedicated to Zion Cemetery. The first cemetery for Tampa's Black residents during the segregation era was sold and erased from maps and public knowledge, even though bodies were found at the site decades later. Part of the graveyard was incorporated into the Robles Park Village public housing complex. Its rediscovery in 2019 led to a campaign to uncover the area's hidden Black gravesites of the 20th century. We speak with Fred Hearns, Black History Curator at the Tampa Bay History Center, and president of the Zion Cemetery's preservation society about the site's past and future.

The Grapefruit League plays its first game Friday, and major league baseball teams that spend spring training in Florida are starting games over this weekend. Teams on Florida's west coast include the Yankees, Pirates, Orioles, Braves, Rays and Red Sox. We speak with Jennifer Grondahl, VP of Communications with the Baltimore Orioles, about spring at Ed Smith Stadium and how the O's bring year-round economic impact to Sarasota.

The SS United States, formerly the world's fastest transatlantic passenger liner, is about to become the world's biggest artificial reef. Later this week, the liner will be towed on its last voyage from Philadelphia to Mobile, Alabama, where it'll be stripped of fuel and other biohazards. Then it will be towed to waters off Okaloosa County, which bought the ship to give both sea creatures and divers a refuge. The county also plans a land-based museum honoring the ship's legacy. We speak with Alex Fogg, who's in charge of natural resources for the county.

February 14th is a day for the heart, Valentine's Day, but it's also a day for other organs as well. It's National Organ Donor Day. We talk with Tampa General Hospital nephrologist Dr. Pranjal Jain about becoming a living organ donor. You may be eligible even if you think you aren't.

Last year many seasonal residents of Manatee County watched helplessly from their summer homes as Tropical Storm Debby, and Hurricanes Helene and Milton did a number on their properties. Many snowbirds aren't sure how much hurricane prep they're allowed to do before heading north. Manatee County is holding a Q-and-A sessionFriday (2-14) aimed at those folks. We speak with Manatee County Public Safety Director Jodie Fiske.

The Florida State Fair opens its 12-day run Thursday (6th) in Tampa. We speak with Fair CEO Cheryl Flood about what to expect.

It's sort of like the day the steel mill closed in Allentown. HSN, once one of the Tampa Bay area's largest employers, is closing its St. Petersburg studios and moving operations to Pennsylvania. Home shopping on TV was born in Pinellas County (on the radio), then went nationwide and worldwide. We speak with the first salesman-host, Bob Circosta, about HSN and its legacy in the region.

Pinellas is among Florida counties seeing a spike in flu cases as the season nears peak. We speak with Dr. Eric Shamas, an emergency room physician at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital in St. Petersburg.

A case so unusual it made it to the medical journals. Dr. Kostas Marmagkiolis, a cardiologist with Tampa Heart and Vascular who's affiliated with Tampa General Hospital, co-wrote an article for JAMA Cardiology about a local patient. The man had a yellow rash on his hands and feet that the doctor identified as a sign of extremely high cholesterol. Listen to find out what drove his levels so high.

A 63-year-old who runs a property management company in New Port Richey is accused of ripping off absentee property owners by depleting escrow accounts. We speak with New Port Richey police detective Joe Ioppolo.

St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport is celebrating National PIE Day Thursday. Spokesperson Michele Routh explains why and talks about other events at the airport.

The end of January is the deadline for Hillsborough County high school seniors to apply for a wide range of college and vocational scholarships offered through the Hillsborough Education Foundation. We speak with the foundation's Angie Anthony about what's available.

BREAKING NEWS: Governor DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in North Florida ahead of a winter storm bringing snow and sleet and more. We recorded an interview Monday with Okaloosa County Emergency Management Director Patrick Maddox.

St. Petersburg city officials and the Bay Area Apartment Association are staging a Hurricane Recovery Rental Housing Fair Wednesday (22nd) to help people displaced by the hurricanes find a permanent residence. We speak with the city's Housing and Community Development Director, Dr. Avery Slyker.

Newsradio WFLA's Read Shepherd talks to Whit Blanton, Executive Director of Forward Pinellas, about plans and a grant to design 8th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King St as two-way in downtown St. Petersburg.

The Tampa Bay area law school that graduated incoming President Trump's nominee for Attorney General is looking forward to a bump in prestige pending her confirmation. We speak with Stephanie Vaughan, Stetson College of Law alumna and law professor, about another Stetson Law alum, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi., who appears before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday (15th) (Photo Credit: Getty Images/Canva)

Newsradio WFLA's Read Shepherd talks with Ragan Whitlock, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. He's reacting to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's decision to deny "endangered" status for the Florida manatee, and keep the status as "threatened."

FEMA officials have been renewing (and non-renewing) temporary housing assistance for people who can't live in their homes because of damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. We speak with FEMA's Wesley Thompson about what recipients need to know whether their vouchers have been renewed or not.