Good morning!
How ’bout that mini hurricane that blew through yesterday? Parts of Ruskin reportedly received more than 4 inches of rain. If nothing else, summer in Florida is rarely boring.
Today’s weather: Look on the bright side! The sun is shining right now! From the National Weather Service Office in Ruskin:
“Scattered showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 104. Southeast wind around 6 mph becoming north northeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%.”
Overnight? Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11 p.m. then mostly cloudy and a low around 75. Wait. Did they say 75? An overnight cold front!
Personal forecast: A day so bright you gotta wear shades. And tennis shoes in case you have to flee from a fast arriving storm (like yesterday).
Eye on the tropics: You can’t beat this one. From the National Hurricane Center:
For the North Atlantic…Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 5 days.
What to do?
At the SouthShore Regional Library: We have the normal run of Baby Time, Toddler Time and Story Time, beginning at 10 a.m. At 2 p.m. attend a class on “How To Create A Resume.”
Also at 2 p.m. is a pretty cool sounding class on how to build your own solar-powered oven, using boxes, plastic wrap, paper, tape and chewing gum (yes, I added that last one).
The SouthShore Regional Library schedule is found here: http://hcplc.evanced.info/signup/calendar?lib=10
Check out a Broadway Show: Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” will be playing at the Straz Center July 11 to July 16. Tickets start at $38. For more information visit: http://www.strazcenter.org/Events/Straz/Shows/1617_Broadway_Encores/Disney-s-The-Little-Mermaid
Busch Gardens in Tampa celebrates “Summer Nights” with extended hours.
MOSI, the Museum of Science and Industry, 4801 E. Fowler Ave. in Tampa is offering free admission to exhibit galleries to active duty military personnel and up to five immediate family members from today through Aug. 13. Proof of service is required. https://www.mosi.org/explore-mosi/plan-your-visit/special-offers/
Check out what’s playing at the Ruskin Family Drive-In.
Happenings in Hillsborough:
We’re going to try something new. How ’bout I provide stuff for tomorrow so…say…you don’t have to get speeding tickets to make it to the “Red Light Ticket Court Hearing.”
So on Wednesday, the county will host 1 Million Cups Tampa at 9 a.m. at the Entrepreneur Collaborative Center. This is a great networking opportunity to engage and connect with entrepreneurs in the community.
Then stick around for “The Inventor’s Roadmap to Success” at 10:30. Visit: http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/calendar/02-business/2017/20170712-inventors-roadmap-to-success
Finally at the Entrepreneur Collaborative Center on Wednesday is a course on cyber security at 1 p.m., designed to help businesses understand potential computer security threats with guidance on how to protect your data on everything from servers to mobile devices. Visit: http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/calendar/02-business/2017/20170712-cyber-security
All are free events. You can’t beat that.
Check out the Hillsborough County calendar here: http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/calendar
If you live in Sun City Center, consider attending the SCC Emergency Squad open house at 6 p.m. Talk about a great organization with incredible people, all volunteers. And check out Lois Kindle’s story about them in this week’s Observer News, landing on driveways beginning this afternoon.
Happenings in Manatee:
Manatee County is packing a lot into a Wednesday. The county calendar is located here: https://www.mymanatee.org/home/county-calendar.html
The print edition of The North Manatee Observer News also contains numerous things to get you out of the air conditioning and into the beauty of Manatee County.
News to know:
The Observer News website contains only a small portion of what is in the print editions (yes, there are four editions!). Pick one up. If you can’t find one (well, you won’t find one in Ohio or West Virginia or some place like that (actually, you might)), then email me and I’ll help.
And, in the end:
This day in 1184 BC, wasn’t a good day to be in Troy. The city was sacked and burned during the Trojan War. Although I have no idea how anyone could possibly know that. We can’t even read 51/4 floppy disks anymore.
On this day in 1998, Compaq Computer paid a then record $9 billion to acquire Digital Equipment Corporation (known to us old geeks as DEC). What? You’ve never heard of either of them? That’s because neither exist anymore. Throw $9 billion here, toss $9 billion there and before long you are talking real money.
And finally, on this day in 1982, the nation fell in love with a cute little alien who kept asking people if he could borrow their cell phones — but unfortunately, he arrived roughly a decade early. E.T. opened in theaters, another summer blockbuster in an era of blockbusters.
And…on that note… Perhaps consider “phone home.” Say hi to Mom. She’d probably like it.
Have a great day!
Observer Today is a morning briefing out (usually) by 7 a.m. (or so) and updated until around 10 a.m. Do you have news tips or suggestions for this feature? Please email or leave a comment.