/The Tampa Bay Times asked two area lawyers for tips on identifying and avoiding workplace discrimination. As Florida businesses reopen after coronavirus-related closures, some older workers are grappling with the decision of whether to return to work and may be concerned that employers could use the pandemic as a way to unload older staffers? Some employers, meanwhile, are concerned about bringing back workers, including older ones, for whom the coronavirus is especially dangerous. Can or should businesses make special concessions for employees 60 and older?The Tampa Bay Times asked...…/The Tampa Bay Times asked two area lawyers for tips on identifying and avoiding workplace discrimination. As Florida businesses reopen after coronavirus-related closures, some older workers are grappling with the decision of whether to return to work and may be concerned that employers could use the pandemic as a way to unload older staffers? Some employers, meanwhile, are concerned about bringing back workers, including older ones, for whom the coronavirus is especially dangerous. Can or should businesses make special concessions for employees 60 and older?The Tampa Bay Times asked...WW…

Our coronavirus coverage is free for the first 24 hours. Find the latest information at . Please consider or . The 2.5 mile “victory march” promoted unity and strength within the city's Black community.ST. PETERSBURG — Rapper Lil Baby’s The Bigger Picture blared from a boombox on wheels as about 15 people marched through the city.“It’s bigger than black and white / It’s a problem with the whole way of life / It can’t change overnight / But we gotta start somewhere.”The Atlanta rapper’s two-minute protest anthem played over and over — at least 10 times, maybe more — as the group of about 15...…Our coronavirus coverage is free for the first 24 hours. Find the latest information at . Please consider or . The 2.5 mile “victory march” promoted unity and strength within the city's Black community.ST. PETERSBURG — Rapper Lil Baby’s The Bigger Picture blared from a boombox on wheels as about 15 people marched through the city.“It’s bigger than black and white / It’s a problem with the whole way of life / It can’t change overnight / But we gotta start somewhere.”The Atlanta rapper’s two-minute protest anthem played over and over — at least 10 times, maybe more — as the group of about 15...WW…

/Florida's COVID-19 infections have continued to climb, including in long-term care facilities. The doors to the independent-living center at St. Mark Village in Palm Harbor have been open for pre-approved visits for a few weeks. But the visits are hard to come by.Doug Fresh, the CEO of St. Mark, approves some visits for residents’ with loved ones passing through town, including one for a woman whose daughter does her taxes.“It’s kind of like a hall pass,” Fresh said. “They’re not for pure pleasure yet. We’re very careful who we let in, even in the independent living.”Several Florida...…/Florida's COVID-19 infections have continued to climb, including in long-term care facilities. The doors to the independent-living center at St. Mark Village in Palm Harbor have been open for pre-approved visits for a few weeks. But the visits are hard to come by.Doug Fresh, the CEO of St. Mark, approves some visits for residents’ with loved ones passing through town, including one for a woman whose daughter does her taxes.“It’s kind of like a hall pass,” Fresh said. “They’re not for pure pleasure yet. We’re very careful who we let in, even in the independent living.”Several Florida...WW…

/1926-2020: Nathaniel Storms was born in Zephyrhills, but spent most of his life teaching agriculture and volunteering in Brandon.“Uncle Nat” delighted fair-goers at the Florida State Fair in Tampa in the 1990s, playing his harmonica and telling stories about farm life. The retired high school agriculture teacher would coax city folks into milking cows and pepper them with questions like, “How much fat is in 2 percent milk?”Then he’d award them a tangerine and a prize ribbon that said, “I had an Ag Adventure.” He was at the fairs every day from opening to ending for a decade, said his...…/1926-2020: Nathaniel Storms was born in Zephyrhills, but spent most of his life teaching agriculture and volunteering in Brandon.“Uncle Nat” delighted fair-goers at the Florida State Fair in Tampa in the 1990s, playing his harmonica and telling stories about farm life. The retired high school agriculture teacher would coax city folks into milking cows and pepper them with questions like, “How much fat is in 2 percent milk?”Then he’d award them a tangerine and a prize ribbon that said, “I had an Ag Adventure.” He was at the fairs every day from opening to ending for a decade, said his...WW…

/At Central Station Barbershop & Grooming, Antonio Brown mentors and reads with kids every Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. as they get their hair cut. Clumps of hair pile on the floor as R.J. Franklin reads The Same Stuff as Stars from the barber’s chair. He sounds out words, slowly making his way though’s young adult novel. Cassiopeia. Briefcase. Anxious.“Do you know what that word means?” barber Antonio Brown asks. “Anxious.”“When you’re angry?” the 10-year-old asks.“It’s when you’re kind of nervous and eager,” Brown explains. “So if your dad says, ‘Hey we’re going to Orlando, you better...…/At Central Station Barbershop & Grooming, Antonio Brown mentors and reads with kids every Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. as they get their hair cut. Clumps of hair pile on the floor as R.J. Franklin reads The Same Stuff as Stars from the barber’s chair. He sounds out words, slowly making his way though’s young adult novel. Cassiopeia. Briefcase. Anxious.“Do you know what that word means?” barber Antonio Brown asks. “Anxious.”“When you’re angry?” the 10-year-old asks.“It’s when you’re kind of nervous and eager,” Brown explains. “So if your dad says, ‘Hey we’re going to Orlando, you better...WW…

/ As pandemic meets hurricanes, seniors must decide whether to leave home.The coronavirus pandemic. The hurricane season.One encourages staying in place. The other may require you to leave your home.Floridians have a difficult decision every year about whether to stay home or leave when a hurricane is approaching. But for older residents, who are more at risk from the coronavirus, the decision this year is even more agonizing. In Florida, 85 percent of COVID-19 deaths have involved people 65 and older.Staying home won’t be possible for people struggling financially, who can’t afford to...…/ As pandemic meets hurricanes, seniors must decide whether to leave home.The coronavirus pandemic. The hurricane season.One encourages staying in place. The other may require you to leave your home.Floridians have a difficult decision every year about whether to stay home or leave when a hurricane is approaching. But for older residents, who are more at risk from the coronavirus, the decision this year is even more agonizing. In Florida, 85 percent of COVID-19 deaths have involved people 65 and older.Staying home won’t be possible for people struggling financially, who can’t afford to...WW…

/Federal and state restrictions loosened this month to allow more normal visitation after more than a year of pandemic-induced lockdowns The state Agency for Health Care Administration announced on Tuesday that it was removing restrictions on residents of long-term care who want to visit with their loved ones.The move came more than a year after the coronavirus pandemic forced nursing homes and assisted-living facilities to close their doors to the outside world. The state restrictions were put in place in March 2020, with the goal of keeping the disease out of care centers, and to allow...…/Federal and state restrictions loosened this month to allow more normal visitation after more than a year of pandemic-induced lockdowns The state Agency for Health Care Administration announced on Tuesday that it was removing restrictions on residents of long-term care who want to visit with their loved ones.The move came more than a year after the coronavirus pandemic forced nursing homes and assisted-living facilities to close their doors to the outside world. The state restrictions were put in place in March 2020, with the goal of keeping the disease out of care centers, and to allow...WW…

/Hillsborough County’s vaccination phone line was receiving an estimated 2,000 phone calls per minute at midday, a spokeswoman said. Websites and phone lines were down for hours. Ruth Kern began refreshing the Pinellas County health department website minutes before the vaccine registration portal went live at noon Monday. She couldn’t get through.The 66-year-old retired Gulfport resident was eager to sign up for a coronavirus vaccine, and Monday was supposed to be when she and other seniors across Tampa Bay finally could.But the day left local seniors feeling no closer to receiving...…/Hillsborough County’s vaccination phone line was receiving an estimated 2,000 phone calls per minute at midday, a spokeswoman said. Websites and phone lines were down for hours. Ruth Kern began refreshing the Pinellas County health department website minutes before the vaccine registration portal went live at noon Monday. She couldn’t get through.The 66-year-old retired Gulfport resident was eager to sign up for a coronavirus vaccine, and Monday was supposed to be when she and other seniors across Tampa Bay finally could.But the day left local seniors feeling no closer to receiving...WW…

//After weeks of being able to cast vote-by-mail ballots, Floridians in most counties started voting in person Monday.Thousands of voters flocked to cast ballots Monday on the first day of early in-person voting in Tampa Bay, with record turnout just the latest sign of this presidential election’s intensity.Both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties reported unprecedented numbers for first-day early voting, even with some heavy afternoon showers. Hillsborough had more than 24,000 voters come through its early voting sites, with more swinging by to drop off mail ballots. That’s compared to...…//After weeks of being able to cast vote-by-mail ballots, Floridians in most counties started voting in person Monday.Thousands of voters flocked to cast ballots Monday on the first day of early in-person voting in Tampa Bay, with record turnout just the latest sign of this presidential election’s intensity.Both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties reported unprecedented numbers for first-day early voting, even with some heavy afternoon showers. Hillsborough had more than 24,000 voters come through its early voting sites, with more swinging by to drop off mail ballots. That’s compared to...WW…

//Those who voted at Amalie Arena Monday got Tampa Bay Lightning “I voted” stickers and photo ops with hockey’s most-prized trophy. An election during a pandemic in a city still celebrating a Stanley Cup win. It was peak 2020 at Amalie Arena on Monday as mask-clad voters flocked to the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the start of early voting.This is the first time Amalie Arena in Tampa has been used as an early voting site, and voters who showed up were treated to more than just a sense of accomplishing a civic duty — or a sticker.Lord Stanley’s Cup held court from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. so...…//Those who voted at Amalie Arena Monday got Tampa Bay Lightning “I voted” stickers and photo ops with hockey’s most-prized trophy. An election during a pandemic in a city still celebrating a Stanley Cup win. It was peak 2020 at Amalie Arena on Monday as mask-clad voters flocked to the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the start of early voting.This is the first time Amalie Arena in Tampa has been used as an early voting site, and voters who showed up were treated to more than just a sense of accomplishing a civic duty — or a sticker.Lord Stanley’s Cup held court from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. so...WW…