USF students, faculty balk at idea to develop untouched land near campus
The university is asking developers to submit plans for the 769-acre parcel, but opponents say the land is more valuable as a preserve.
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The USF Forest Preserve, north of the university s Tampa campus, is home to a cypress flood plain. Critics of a plan to seek developer interest in the preserve say the habitat is important for clean drinking water, flood mitigation and greenhouse gas emissions storage in Tampa Bay. [ Courtesy of Jeannie Mounger ]
Updated Yesterday
Ryan Hurley was stunned when he saw a recent Facebook post with the news that the University of South Florida is thinking about building on a huge swath of largely undeveloped land it owns just north of its Tampa campus.
Screen capture from video of Lebanon s Public Works Minister Michel Najjar. (YouTube)
Lebanon’s outgoing minister of public works said Monday that he has signed a decree that would increase the area claimed by his country in a maritime border dispute with Israel.
Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz responded by accusing Lebanon of “blowing up” negotiations between the two countries to resolve the issue.
Lebanese Public Works Minister Michel Najjar told reporters that he has signed an amendment of the decree that would formally extend Lebanon’s claims by 1,430 square kilometers (550 square miles).
In addition to angering Israel, the unilateral move was likely to also annoy the US, as neither of the allies are expected to recognize Beirut’s extension of the disputed area.
UpdatedWed, Apr 7, 2021 at 11:13 am ET
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Council Member Costa Constantinides announced that his second-ranked vote for mayor will go to Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia. He already endorsed Comptroller Scott Stringer as his first vote in 2020. ((Lindsey Green))
ASTORIA, QUEENS After endorsing Comptroller Scott Stringer s mayoral bid at the end of 2020, Queens city council member Costa Constantinides announced Tuesday that his second vote will go to former Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia.
Constantinides, who represents District 22 in Astoria and chairs the council s Environmental Protection Committee, told Patch that he chose to rank Stringer first, followed by Garcia, because of their climate plans.
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04/06/2021 04:45 PM EDT
2021-04-06T04:45-0400
As one mayoral candidateattended the nationally televised trial about police misconduct in Minneapolis today, another stayed in town to roll out a plan for boosting the NYPD amid a spike in gun violence.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who retired as an NYPD captain in 2006 to run for the state Senate, said his opponents are avoiding a discussion of the increase in crime across the five boroughs something voters have been citing as a concern in recent polls. He lamented the deafening silence from his Democratic rivals in the race to succeed outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio as he stood outside Bronx Supreme Court earlier today. (One of candidate
Astoria councilman to step down following bout with COVID, no special election planned Michael Gartland
After suffering a long and difficult battle with COVID, City Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) announced Wednesday he’ll be stepping down from elected office to take a job heading a non-profit.
Constantinides, the head of the Council’s Environmental Protection Committee, came down with coronavirus early on in the pandemic. Since then, he has been open with his struggles with the disease, as his wife has also faced her own health challenges.
“My time in office has not been without heartbreak and challenges at home. My wife has not been well for a long time and her condition has deteriorated over the last seven years,” the Queens councilman said Wednesday. “I am thankful for her love and support despite the challenging personal health struggles she has gone through.”