Florida's 15-week abortion ban would affect families like this one

Tampa school takes action after student complaints; Florida leaders send a message at Republican convention; Grand Prix of St. Petersburg sees record crowds

View on the web Go to our home page Subscribe to the Times Monday, February 28, 2022 Forward this to a friend Subscribe to more newsletters It's Monday. This week starts off noticeably cooler with a high of 77, a low of 58 and partly cloudy skies. But the reprieve from the heat won't last.   In the newsletter: Hundreds gathered in St. Petersburg on Saturday to show support for Ukraine; the source of the messaging for Florida’s “don’t say gay” bills might surprise you; and a local woman pulls off a double win at the Gasparilla Distance Classic. [IVY CEBALLO | Times] After 22 weeks of pregnancy, these Florida parents made a life-changing decision Danielle and Jason Tallafuss always wanted two kids. But after the 20-week anatomy scan during Danielle’s pregnancy, the couple learned their son, Nathaniel, would be born with a serious heart condition that would require multiple surgeries.   Faced with a difficult decision, they opted to get an abortion.   The 15-week abortion ban bill being debated in Tallahassee this legislative session would likely take that decision out of the hands of parents like Danielle and Jason.   Read reporter Kirby Wilson’s story. Dive deeper into your favorite local subjects 📨 Our free email newsletters bring the best of the Tampa Bay Times to your inbox every week. Explore all of them here. BRIGHT SPOT [SHARON KENNEDY WYNNE | Times] Go inside Disney's new Star Wars hotel Ready to board a spaceship in the Star Wars universe? When Galactic Starcruiser opens Tuesday, it will be an immersive — and quite expensive — two-night experience. We toured the hotel last week, getting a first look at the futuristic accommodations. Here's what the place is like. AROUND THE BAY Verdict in Curtis Reeves trial: A jury finds the retired Tampa police captain not guilty on all charges in the Wesley Chapel movie theater shooting case. While Reeves is free to go, Chad Oulson's widow remains distraught.    USF fraternity gets museum invite: The Florida Holocaust Museum invited Pi Kappa Phi, which is accused of antisemitic acts, to tour its facility and speak with a Holocaust survivor.   Asthma's racial disparities: The results of a study led by a researcher at the University of South Florida could help address the disease's historic racial gaps.    A global health champion: Brooksville's Dr. Paul Farmer was an internationally-renowned physician, humanitarian and professor who helped millions across the world. He died earlier this month at age 62.   Local reactions to Ukraine crisis: Tampa nonprofit Project Dynamo is hoping to help at least 1,000 Americans and NATO allies stuck in Ukraine amid the Russian invasion. On Saturday, hundreds gathered in Vinoy Park to show their support for Ukrainians.    Uncertain future: The Tampa Bay Youth Football League has called a Tampa park home for decades. That isn't the case any longer, after Hillsborough County ended the league's field-use agreement over safety concerns.   Showmen's Rest to stay a cemetery: City Council denied a land-use change for the Tampa Heights site, preventing a portion of it from becoming townhomes.   Just bead it: There's still time to celebrate Mardi Gras in Tampa Bay. Check out these events.   Legendary visit: Actor Neil Patrick Harris was just in town. His local travels took him to St. Pete Beach — and the top of a new roller coaster. FEATURED [ARIELLE BADER | Times (2021)] Blake High officials take steps designed to better address student concerns A Tampa Bay Times investigation chronicled serious flaws in the handling of sexual harassment complaints at Tampa's Blake High. Now, students are seeing action from administrators. The school's recent efforts have included holding sexual harassment training and a forum. So far, students say they've appreciated the approach. CORONAVIRUS DEVELOPMENTS UPDATES AT TAMPABAY.COM/CORONAVIRUS Weekly update: Florida added 25,640 cases and 888 deaths in the past week. Daily caseloads have fallen to 3,700 a day, suggesting the omicron wave may be nearly over.    New masking rules: The CDC's new measures allow healthy Americans to take a break from masking in areas where COVID-19 is posing a low or medium threat to hospitals. According to the agency's risk map, that's more than 70 percent of the U.S. population. Vaccine doses: See how Florida compares to other states. POLITICS Behind "don't say gay" messaging: In the days after Florida Republicans began pushing the bills meant to prohibit LGBTQ+ classroom discussions, a three-word phrase surfaced and reframed the debate. It came from an unlikely source.   Ken Welch visits schools: Students at Melrose Elementary and Madeira Beach Fundamental schools got a special guest recently when St. Petersburg's first Black mayor showed up to celebrate Black History Month.    Clearwater mayor won't seek reelection: Frank Hibbard said he'd always planned on only running for one term, but he didn't want to dampen his time in office. This leaves the 2024 mayoral race wide open.   Call to action: At this year's Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Republican leaders including Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida's U.S. Senators hammered a message of an all-out fight for American culture, saying conservatives must "take our country back."   High court nomination: President Joe Biden's pick for the U.S. Supreme Court has ties to Florida. Here are five things to know about Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, and the next steps that await her. 🏈 Relive Tom Brady's Tampa tenure The Tampa Bay Times has a new 160-page hardcover book for your coffee table. Brady by the Bay commemorates the GOAT's legendary career and his heroics in a Bucs uniform. Preorder this keepsake today at a discount. OPINION AND COMMENTARY Florida's Medicaid debacle: While the estimate does not include a state-by-state breakdown, a Georgetown study suggests that the state could be "on the high end" of coverage losses, writes the Times Editorial Board. SPORTS IndyCar opener winner: New Zealand native Scott McLaughlin won the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He held off the reigning series champion to take the checkered flag in front of the biggest crowd in event history.  Bolts' cool victory: In a 3-2 win, the Lightning beat the Predators in the Stadium Series outdoor game at Nissan Stadium on Saturday. See a few notable numbers from the series and read about the fun had by the team, their families and fans.   Gasparilla Distance Classic recap: St. Petersburg's Christina Welsh won the 15K and half-marathon on back-to-back days. Oldsmar's Dylan Nolan won the men's 8K and 5K race and a double amputee runner sets a world record. Oh, and the race weekend saw historical figures and fun costumes, too.  Marpet stuns Bucs: After only seven seasons and with two years remaining on his $20 million contract, Pro Bowl guard Ali Marpet will retire at age 28.  2022 could look oddly different: Whether you blame MLB's owners or players, the impact of a shortened season for the second time in three years will be real for the Rays and others. TODAY'S TALKER [DIRK SHADD | Times] St. Petersburg mom turned a fledgling interest into a bees-iness 🐝 How's Your Day Honey owner Elisha Bixler removes unwanted bees and relocates them to her eight apiaries around Florida. She's also TikTok famous. Columnist Stephanie Hayes went with the local beekeeper on a rescue mission — and things got wild.   Saving the bees: Get an up-close look at Bixler's work. Today's DayStarter was compiled by Meaghan Habuda, Carly Thompson, Anila Lijo, Rachel Adamson and Joshua Gillin. Did someone forward this to you? Get DayStarter in your own inbox next time. It's free to subscribe. Sign up here. Contact us Privacy policy Terms, conditions & copyright Standard of accuracy © 2022 • All Rights Reserved Tampa Bay Times • 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 To ensure this email is delivered to your inbox, add custserv@elist.tampabay.com to your address book. You are receiving this email because you signed up for the "DayStarter" newsletter from the Tampa Bay Times. If you'd prefer not to receive updates, you can unsubscribe from this email.