Small Business is Big News at 2012 RNC

Small business has been a major theme both inside and outside the Tampa Bay Times Forum this week.

Small business has been a major theme both inside and outside the Tampa Bay Times Forum this week. With events tied to the 2012 Republican National Convention taking place in all parts of the Tampa Bay area, many local business owners prepared to have the biggest money making week of their year. At the beginning of the convention, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and the 2012 Tampa Host Committee projected a $150 – 175 million boost to Tampa’s economy because of the 2012 RNC. "The way the City (of Tampa) and the Downtown Partnership put it out, we'd have 50,000 visitors and we'd be swamped," said Marc Zolkowski earlier this week. Zolkowski is the co-owner of the Metro Lounge and Restaurant in downtown Tampa. His neighboring business owner, …

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Bulldog

8:43 am on Saturday, September 1, 2012

Definitions: Liberal: Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded. Tending to give freely; generous: a liberal benefactor. Generous in amount; ample. Conservative: Favoring traditional views and …   more ›

Protesters' Paltry RNC Presence Surprises Some

Few demonstrations have been held since the Republican National Convention began on Monday. It ends today.

Blame it on Monday's gloomy weather. Or the sizzle of the August heat after the sky cleared on Tuesday. Whatever the reason, protesters in downtown Tampa haven't shown up in droves as city officials expected during the Republican National Convention. Those who ventured away from Romneyville - a makeshift headquarters for protesters - toward the Tampa Convention Center have gathered in pockets at intersections, gripping Ron Paul signs or chanting in groups. Last night, protesters taunted officers by dangling doughnuts on sticks. Some, like Doug Marris, chose the lone wolf route. On Thursday morning, Marris, a 55-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran, held a white sign bearing a plethora of hand-written phrases and acronyms like "domestic spying" …

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Best RNC Headlines From Around the Web (Day 4)

We've compiled some of the best, funniest, oddest or most interesting Republican National Convention stories from Patch and other local and national media.

Are you a political junkie? Can't get enough of all the headlines about the Republican National Convention? Patch is bringing you hyperlocal coverage of the RNC, from the floor at the Tampa Bay Times Forum and from local angles in 23 different Patch towns across the region. We're also pulling some of the best, funniest, oddest or most interesting RNC stories from around the web and compiling the links here for your convenience. Below is just a sampling that we'll continue to update, and if you find an RNC-related link that's interesting, feel free to post it in the comments section at the bottom. Patch: Other Local Media: National Media:

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Local Baker Fills Tall Order for RNC

Jacquie MacDonald rented out the kitchen of Sweet Caroline's bakery in Palm Harbor, so she and her team could fulfill a large order of more than 15,000 baked items for the Republican National Convention.

We've all probably baked a couple dozen cookies. How would you feel about baking more than 15,000 items? That's the tall order received by Jacquie MacDonald, owner of Jacquie's Smart Foods, a company that bakes health-conscious treats. MacDonald's baked goods are sold at Fit Life Foods, a new company that sells "grab and go" health-conscious, pre-packaged meals and snacks at its stores, including the Clearwater location on McMullen Booth Road.  Fit Life Foods is supplying the Republican National Convention with snacks, which is how Jacquie got the big order. Over the past few weeks, MacDonald, of Dunedin, rented out the kitchen of Sweet Caroline's bakery in Palm Harbor, so she and her team could fulfill the large order. MacDonald does not …

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Tales From the Field

RNC Day 1: Lone Protestor, Dashed Dining and Sweaty Armpits

Clearwater Patch Local Editor Jared Leone shares his adventures reporting from the Republican National Convention.

Tropical Storm Isaac kept me in Clearwater on Monday. But aside from the heat, it was all politics Tuesday. I fought traffic to make it to meet with my colleagues in Seminole Heights; Chris Taylor, Crystal Lauderdale, Jason Bartolone and Camille C. Spencer. From there we made our way to the epicenter of THE political event in Tampa’s history, the Republican National Convention where Mitt Romney would get the party’s nomination for president. I am helping AOL/Huffington Post with its coverage of the Republican National Convention this week. Still, my thoughts are in Clearwater, so I'm sharing with you what it is like on the ground floor. From the outset, the story seemed to be downtown Tampa: the latest ghost town.  The briefcase city that …

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Clearwater Production Company Helps Bring RNC Live to the Web

Ozona's Buddy Winsett and his Clearwater-based company are handling the sound for live web reports from Tampa, but his main focus is an independent film about the prescription drug abuse epidemic.

An Ozona man's production company is helping to bring coverage of the Republican National Convention to web users around the world. Buddy Winsett's Chameleon Filmworks is handling the sound for the Huffington Post's live reports from the RNC in Tampa. On Tuesday, he stood offstage as a political correspondant chatted with HuffPost Live from a posh yoga and massage spot set up for politicians and media members in Channelside. Winsett's been in the business for more than three decades, and his Clearwater-based company does it all, from satellite uplinks to transmission to video production. However, "independent filmmaking is what we focus on," Winsett said. As an example, Winsett points to an upcoming project, "RX The Movie," which is …

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Clearwater High Grad Helping RNC Goers Chill Out

Lynn Truong is at the Republican National Convention in Tampa this week showing off an app that helps people reduce stress.

Lynn Truong isn't very impressed with the big political names who've been wandering around Tampa for this week's Republican National Convention. "I saw 50 Cent at a trade show, so it's nothing exciting for me," said Truong, 30, who works in sales and marketing. The Clearwater native and Clearwater High grad is spending the week at a posh yoga and massage station set up inside Aja Channelside and sponsored by The Huffington Post, dubbed the "Oasis." Truong's job is to help politicians, reporters and, yes, celebrites, try out an app called "GPS for the Soul" that measures your heart rate, displays soothing pictures and plays music to help reduce stress. Catherine Calarco works for HeartMath Inc., which helped design features for the app. She…

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