Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

37, of Dania Beach, Fla.

assigned to
1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy; died July 23 in Sarobi District, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were Sgt. Travon T. Johnson, Pfc. Adam J. Davis and Pfc. Jessy S. Rogers.

Curry graduated in 1987 from Hollywood Hills High School and immediately enlisted, relatives said.

When he took a job at a Dania Beach Winn-Dixie and insisted on not only saving most of the money but separating a portion of it to give as allowance for his two sisters, his family said.

what is this?

If you buy your bread at Publix, you may want to read this.

Did you know that Sara Lee makes some of Publix Brands breads? Did you know that some Sara Lee bread contains bits & pieces of metal? Not on purpose, but apparently there was a mishap down at the Sara Lee factory, and some of their loaves are being recalled.

Not a huge story, I know… But Publix is one of the most popular grocery stores around these parts. And if you shop at Publix, odds are good that you pick up their brand of bread once in a while. So, if you think about making a ham sammich tonight with that Publix Bread, you may wanna check those bar codes.

Check the Tribune for the complete list, but here is a partial listing of other brand names you might be familiar with:

• Golden Bake Wheat Bread
• IGA Wheat
• Great Value Split Top
• Great Value Wheat Sand
• Piggly Wiggly Wheat Bread
• Publix Honey Wheat
• Publix 100% Stoneground
• Publix Wheat
• Publix Stone Ground Wheat

You may have read that the agreement to take the Ft. Homer Hesterly Arm ory and renovate it into a significant retail/activity center was finally signed. The process has been going on for a long time and is now poised to begin some actual work. Construction should be underway before the next Super Bowl visits Tampa Bay.

The improvements are estimated to cost almost $100 million, and will feature a 300 room hotel, and a marketplace, along with cafes, restaurants, and boutiques. A museum dedicated to Old West Tampa, a day spa, and lots more are expected to be included in the development. You can see the entire proposal at TampaGold.com.

The property is located just North of Kennedy, South of I275, and between Armenia and Howard Avenues is the Gateway to the South Howard Avenue (SOHO) area. We have been yelling from the roof tops about this project for a long time and it seems no one has been listening. THIS PROJECT WILL CHANGE WEST TAMPA!

In addition, the project will help build the synergy along with residents clamoring for the city to preserve the Centro Espanol building, just a few blocks north.

It’s that time again.

Every four years there are several people who come to me for a job. Well not only me, but I am one of the few people who take the selection process seriously. Not as seriously as some people take voting for American Idol or the Last Comic Standing, though. Hey, no one is perfect.

This year I have a cornucopia of people to choose from. It seems that everyone wants to work for me. We have a Mormon, a middle-aged woman, some guy with a Islamic middle name, and two people who tend to give me their resume more often than I have given mine to Creative Loafing (passive aggressive attempt number 4). There’s also a cross dresser, and let’s not even discuss Fred Thompson’s deal.

I have a few pointers for the job applicants.

I hope I have caught you early enough so that you don’t make any dreadful mistakes. Let’s start with the obvious. I know that this must come as a great shock to some of you.

If you have applied for the same job every four years for over a decade and have yet to get hired then you will not get hired unless A) the rapture happens, B) Paris Hilton wins a Grammy award, C) Michael Richards wins the NAACP image awards and D) Mel Gibson gives a speech on behalf of the anti-defamation league - upon the steps of Anne Frank’s House. Don’t worry, you can always sell Viagra later.

If you are a republican and you have worn more dresses than Benny Hill and RuPaul combined and you live in New York you are One Crazy Bastard. I can’t say that you would lose. I will say that you can get a job at any Mac cosmetics counter anywhere in the continental U.S

If your name is Hillary Clinton - you voted to outlaw flag burning? - You voted for a war (mistakenly)? and every one of your public appearances seem as though you are condescending or simply bothered by your future employer, lets just say that the Decider is more elect-able than you are right now.

The Jury is out on Barack and his fuzzy math. And thus far no-one has been caught having sex with anybody’s intern. And noone has disappeared mysteriously. Except Chris Dodd’s chances of winning.

I am hopeful some of you will get the bugs out. Or just leave quietly. I am looking at you, Tommy Thompson. And you Mr. Richardson.

Don’t worry, Hillary. I don’t burn flags. I do burn job applications, though.

This is a story about history and culture. A history so rich, that many Tampa residents’ lives were changed forever because of a building.

This is also a story about city, county, state, and federal money going to many places, but not necessarily to every place it should.

The building is located on North Howard Avenue, just a few blocks north of I275. It was built in 1912, and the place was a community center for the West Tampa neighborhood. The building and the community created an atmosphere of afternoon strolls with dances, evening socials, nights at the theater, music performances, art showcases and lots more. This magical place is called El Centro Español de West Tampa.

Over the years, money from various federal grants and loan guarantees have been provided for maintenance of the building. Recently the building as taken back from the Urban League by the City in the name of historic preservation. It seems the Urban League had put way too much money (for them) into the building. Charges of mismanagement surround this issue as well. The City is now seeking ideas of what to do with this building.

Several key problems exist. The roof is in need of repair - approx cost $$326,000. Cost to renovate the theatre - over $1 million. The building - over 15,000 sq ft - could be sold, but if so, over $2 milion in federal grants would have to be repaid.

Over 60 residents appeared at a public meeting to provide input and suggestions, and every speaker spoke with fondness about the history and were concerned about the preservation of the building. One suggestion to create a culinary school along with the establishment of a restaurant was extremely well received.

But most suggestions focused on community involvement. The discussion was a clear focus on heart but short on finances. Barbara Baker of the newly rehabilitated Baker & Co Antique Emporium expressed a clear need to save the building but was concerned about the historic preservation rules hampering an individual as she had been hampered at her location. She told us that the historic rules had caused her projected cost of her own place to nearly double.

Intown Homes President and former County Commissioner Ed Turanchik called for significant pressue to be placed on the County and City elected officials to find the funds required to repair the roof and building. Many speakers expressed concern about respecting the original integrity of the building.

Mark Huey with the City indicated that their concern was to provide a catalyst for improving the neighborhood. Residents echoed that sentiment, specifically pointing out the need for youth recreation opportunities to help stem gang involvement in the neighborhood.

One possible option is to place the building in a “mothball” status, meaning to secure it for some future purpose. While this was not the first choice among the attendees, it seemed very viable rather than an improper use or incomplete restoration. A plan for the city to request further proposals was the most business logical approach.

Jeanette LaRussa Fenton is the Manager of Drew Park & West Tampa Redevelopment for the City of Tampa. She is now taking the suggestions to help determine the next step. You can reach her at 813.274.7427 or jeanette.fenton[atsign]tampagov.net.

This process will take some time. Watch for more community meetings before a plan is finalized. But this public meeting was a good first step. It was great to see the amount of residents that took the time to attend and speak up. While their were some differing opinions, the genuine concern about preserving the building was unanimous.

20, of Orlando, Fla.

assigned to 401st Military Police Company, 92nd Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas; died July 17 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed was Pfc. Ron J. Joshua Jr.

Bobb spent three years at Memorial High School (Port Arthur, TX) before moving to Florida after Hurricane Rita forced his family to relocate.

Bobb graduated from high school in Riverview, south of Tampa, where family members said he excelled in his studies and was in the National Honor Society.

He was an avid athlete and enjoyed track, football and basketball. A kind and mature young man, he was a mentor to the younger children in his family, said his mother, Paula Bobb-Miles of Port Arthur.

what is this?

You already know that the former Heidt property (currently occupied by Whiskey SOHO, Tampa Digital Studios, and Schifino Lee) is heading toward demolition. Those tenants have been told to move by Nov. 1, 2007, in preparation for the bulldozers. Tampa Digital Studios already announced plans to move to Centro Ybor.

On the old SoHo land, Post Properties (yep, those guys again), have plans to build luxury rental apartments above, with retail space on the bottom floor.

With Buccaneer training camp set to begin tomorrow we are finally getting out of the doldrums of summer baseball season, which around Tampa Bay means watching the Rays again battle for the worst record in the league. Although, as Tommy touched on, maybe suckitude is a right of passage for local teams.

• (Ten Years of Suckitude) Rays Index presents us with their all time Devil Rays roster, which in true Devil Rays fashion highlights such luminaries as Greg Vaughn, Vinny Castilla, and Joe Kennedy. The Professor hits the nail on the head when describing this all time Rays team, “Think of it as similar to the New York Yankees monument park, only the exact opposite and with headstones instead of plaques.”

• (The Ultimate Bulls Preview) Sunday Morning Quarterback shares with us everything you could possibly want to know about USF’s football team this season. SMQ, who is never short of words, writes of the local college football collective, “Oh yeah, South Florida’s all grown up, filled out, hanging with hotter friends, looking pretty good in the right circumstances. You know you could pick USF if you wanted, dude. No one would judge you.“

• (It’s Just the Best Bucs Blog Ever) On the eve of training camp yours truly shares five position battles to watch over the next month, none of which include Jeff Garcia, Chris Simms or Jake Plummer. And maybe it’s just me but I start getting the shakes every time I type the words “Bucs” and “training camp” in the same sentence.

• (Congrats Erin) It’s rare for a blogger to actually get paid for what they do and even rarer (if not unheard of) for a blogger to get the chance to work for the team they write about. So a big congrats to Bolts blogger Erin for her new job with the Lightning, even if she is a bit hesitant to share what that new job will entail.

(Note: the cheesecake above is Natalie Pandorf, who’s picture SHOULD have been posted earlier in the week.)