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Also on today's calendar: Free Dog Training Class and 11 more events.
Today's riddle: Why did the girl pig break up with the boy pig? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. Tampa police reclassify shooting investigation to homicide after man dies (fox13news.com) — Tampa police have reclassified a late‑September shooting on Nebraska Avenue near McEwen Avenue as a homicide after the victim, a Black man in his early 60s, died at the hospital. Detectives released video of a suspect on a red mountain bike and are urging anyone with information to contact Tampa Police or Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay.
2. Florida retiree lives by candlelight as power bills soar among the nation's highest (thecooldown.com) — Rising Tampa Electric Company bills are forcing some Tampa renters, including a 75-year-old veteran, to cut back to candlelight evenings as power costs eat into fixed incomes. Consumer advocates say complex fees and fuel surcharges now make up a large share of bills, pushing many local older adults and low-income residents above accepted energy-burden thresholds while regulators and utilities debate reforms.
3. New bus route from St. Pete to TPA starts Sunday. What to know (tampabay.com) — Starting Sunday, a new 727 Airport Express bus will run 15 daily trips between downtown St. Petersburg and Tampa International Airport, using express lanes and charging about $2.25 each way. The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority warns the route, and possibly other services across Tampa Bay, could be cut as soon as June if voters approve a large homestead tax exemption in November.
4. Pinellas urges residents to do their part as dengue grows (baynews9.com) — Health officials across the Tampa Bay region, including Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, are extending emergency efforts as dengue fever cases climb to 179, though no West Nile infections are yet reported in the Tampa area. Pinellas Mosquito Control is ramping up spraying, trap monitoring, and public alerts, while urging residents to dump standing water, cover up outdoors, and use EPA-approved repellents to curb mosquito-borne disease risks.
5. Florida Player Wins $1.1M Jackpot at Hard Rock Tampa (playusa.com) — A St. Johns County visitor recently hit a $1.1 million jackpot while playing Dragon Link Panda Magic at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, marking the property's seventh million‑plus Dragon Link win this year. The casino highlights the streak as proof of its "Luckiest Casino in the U.S." branding and notes it has paid multiple seven‑figure jackpots across 2026.
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-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: "Why did the girl pig break up with the boy pig?" — Because he was such a boar! (Thank you Theresa H. for sending it in!)
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