Good morning, Tampa Bay. Here’s what you need to know today.
Your Weather Planner
It will be a cool start to Tuesday, but we will warm to near 80 in the afternoon.
A sea breeze will keep the coast a bit cooler.
We will see mostly clear skies at night with lows falling to the low 60s.
High: 80
Low: 61
Rain Coverage: 0%
Check your hour-by-hour forecast here | Share your weather photos
Around Tampa Bay
1. Polk County urges public to follow burn ban amid brush fire uptick
Polk County leaders are urging the public to follow its countywide burn ban after experiencing a recent uptick in brush fires.
2. Stronger seawalls: St. Pete wants community input before launching master plan
The City of St. Pete wants input from the community before moving forward with creating a plan that would strengthen 15-miles of city-owned seawall.
3. Sarah Branyan helps fellow veterans with her personal story of recovery
A Bay Area veteran is using the personal trauma she suffered and her resulting downward spiral to help other vets at the C.W. Bill Young Veteran’s Medical Center in Bay Pines.
4. Polk County looking for alternative water supplies as community grows
Polk leaders recently approved a nearly $2-million contract for a new water well supply in the northeast part of the county.
5. Florida A&M University awarded stewardship of historic Chinsegut Hill
A new partnership is reshaping the future of one of Hernando County’s most historic landmarks during Black History Month.
6. Is it cheaper to rent or own across Tampa Bay?
Data from the U.S. Census compares the price of renting and buying in eight Florida counties.
Around the Nation & World
1. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after King, has died at 84
2. 3 killed, including suspect, in shooting during Rhode Island youth hockey game
3. Nancy Guthrie kidnapping investigators work with Walmart after identifying suspect’s backpack
4. Epstein files fallout continues
Quote of the Day
For years, it was a daily McDonald’s trip for a cup of coffee with 10 sugars and five creams. Later, it was Starbucks caramel macchiatos with almond milk and two pumps of syrup.
Coffee has been a morning ritual for Chandra Donelson since she was old enough to drink it. But, dismayed by rising prices, the 35-year-old from Washington, D.C., did the unthinkable: She gave it up.
“I did that daily for years. I loved it. That was just my routine,” she says. “And now it’s not.”
Years of steadily climbing coffee prices have some in this country of coffee lovers upending their habits by nixing café visits, switching to cheaper brews or foregoing it altogether.
Coffee prices in the U.S. were up 18.3% in January from a year ago, according to the latest Consumer Price Index released on Friday. Over five years, the government reported, coffee prices rose 47%.