Local crime, high school sports, county politics, events tonight, and business closings — the daily Tampa Bay report from HERE Tampa.
From the HERE City National DeskCINCINNATI — Todd Benzinger, the first baseman whose catch in foul territory ended the Cincinnati Reds' four-game sweep of Oakland in the 1990 World Series, has died at age 63, the Reds announced Thursday. The club said Benzinger died Wednesday. No cause of death was…
From the HERE City National DeskPHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The Philadelphia 76ers fell behind by 29 points in their home opener Thursday night and still walked off the floor winners, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106. Cleveland owned the first half, scoring 35 points in the opening quarter and 34 more in…
From the HERE City National DeskCHICAGO, Ill. — Caleb Williams outdueled Drake Maye on Thursday night, throwing for 308 yards and two touchdowns as the Chicago Bears beat the New England Patriots 30-24 at Soldier Field. Williams hit on 22 of 33 throws, his second start since returning from a…
From the HERE City National DeskMILWAUKEE — Three players who will not be in uniform for the Brewers-Rays World Series will still be part of it: Major League Baseball said Thursday that Boston pitcher Payton Tolle, veteran infielder Miguel Rojas and Toronto's Ernie Clement will work as player correspondents. Tolle…
From the HERE City National DeskNEW YORK — Sarah Strong of UConn and Southern California guard Watkins, the last two national players of the year, top the preseason All-America women's basketball team released Thursday by the national media panel. Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo, Texas forward Madison Booker and Vanderbilt…
From the HERE City National DeskPHILADELPHIA, Pa. — LeBron James brushed aside President Donald Trump's latest attack Thursday night, laughing off the criticism after the Philadelphia 76ers rallied past Cleveland and suggesting it must have been a slow day for news. Earlier Thursday, Trump posted a video on social media…
From the HERE City National DeskMILWAUKEE — The Brewers and Rays open the World Series on Friday night with a labor fight hanging over the sport: if owners and players cannot agree on a new contract, these could be the final big league games for months. The current five-year collective…
From the HERE City National DeskBATON ROUGE, La. — Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, in his first season as head football coach at Southern University, has disclosed that he is living with Parkinson's disease. Faulk, 53, revealed the diagnosis as a guest on The Caring Neurologist, a podcast…
From the HERE City National DeskNEW YORK — JJ Watt is staying in the top chair. The former Houston Texans star signed a multiyear agreement Thursday that makes him the permanent lead analyst on his network's No. 1 NFL broadcast team, next to play-by-play voice Jim Nantz and sideline reporter…
From the HERE City National DeskCLEVELAND — Two right-handed relievers who spent part of 2026 in the Cleveland Guardians bullpen are heading to the open market. Minor league transaction records show Connor Brogdon and Carlos Hernández both opted for free agency this week, shortly after Tampa Bay eliminated Cleveland in…
From the HERE City National DeskKANSAS CITY, Mo. — Arizona men's basketball coach Tommy Lloyd believes the NCAA is content to let the fight over player eligibility stay messy, arguing the disorder helps the governing body lobby for a federal law. Speaking at Big 12 media days this week, Lloyd…
From the HERE City National DeskINDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — As a new college basketball season tips off, teams across the country are chasing a bigger prize: the NCAA's men's and women's tournaments will each grow from 68 teams to 76 in 2027, and nobody yet knows exactly which schools the extra…
Education
TAMPA, Fla. — A Hillsborough County family whose nonverbal autistic son was allegedly struck by a school bus aide is now suing the county School Board in Tampa, arguing the district fell short in how it hired, trained and watched over the man assigned to keep children safe on the…
Business
TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa's tourism business is in better shape than a quick look at the hotel numbers suggests, according to a report Visit Tampa Bay presented to Hillsborough County commissioners this week, though the region is running short on places for visitors to sleep. Santiago Corrada, the agency's president…
Politics
TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County could soon have its own rules on 7-OH, a concentrated chemical tied to kratom products, after county commissioners meeting in Tampa voted without dissent Wednesday to move a proposed ordinance forward. The compound's full name is 7-hydroxymitragynine. It is made by the kratom plant but…
From the HERE City National Desk
WASHINGTON — New Hampshire can turn away student IDs as proof of identity at the polls in next month's midterm election after the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday set aside a lower-court order in the state's voting dispute. In a short unsigned order, the justices put on hold a ruling…
From the HERE City National Desk
PHOENIX — Outside groups have poured roughly $18.8 million into the general election fight for Arizona's 1st Congressional District, one of the state's two most competitive House seats, with most of it aimed at helping Republican Jay Feely. Feely, a former Arizona Cardinals kicker and a longtime friend of President…
From the HERE City National Desk
LYON, France — Health officials in France have confirmed the first known human infection with Shamonda, a virus that until this year had only been documented in animals, mainly cattle. The patient had a badly weakened immune system and was being treated for a serious illness at the Hospices Civils…
From the HERE City National Desk
KINSHASA, Congo — The Ebola outbreak centered in Congo keeps widening, with confirmed cases now above 9,600 and the disease reaching an eighth Congolese province as well as a new country, Nigeria. World Health Organization figures through Oct. 19 count 9,637 confirmed cases and 4,646 confirmed deaths since the outbreak…
Reach thousands of engaged Tampa Bay readers every day — section sponsorships starting at $149/month