Politics reporter Kirby Wilson and health reporter Sam Ogozalek talk about how kratom, a psychoactive powder that’s been linked to hundreds of overdose deaths in Florida, is regulated. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Data editor Langston Taylor and investigative reporter Hannah Critchfield talk about the mysterious supply chain fueling the rise of kratom, a dusty green psychoactive powder that’s been linked to hundreds of overdose deaths in Florida over the past decade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Food and dining critic Helen Freund and health reporter Sam Ogozalek talk about the danger lurking in kratom, a dusty green psychoactive powder that’s made its way from the leaves of a Southeast Asian tree to gas stations, smoke shops and Kava bars across Florida and the U.S. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hillsborough County reporter Sue Carlton talks about what a recent attack in Tampa's Hyde Park tells us about a Canadian man’s descent into mental illness and homelessness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tampa City Hall Reporter Olivia George talks about what she discovered when she dug into claims by Tampa’s mayor about what the city was doing about affordable housing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Health and medicine reporter Chris O’Donnell discusses what’s next for Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital after a jury awarded a massive $210 million in damages to Maya Kowalski in the case made famous by the Take Care of Maya Netflix documentary. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Extreme tropical weather, treacherous conditions and deadly wildlife make the Darién Gap one of the most dangerous places in the world. Times immigration reporter Juan Carlos Chavez talks about three Tampa Bay residents who survived their journey across the mud-slicked mountainous jungle connecting Colombia and Panama on their way to reach the U.S. border. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Times education reporter Jeffrey S. Solochek explains what’s behind the growing popularity of vouchers and the flow of tax money from public schools to private schools and homeschooling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Health and medicine reporter Chris O’Donnell explains why there’s a growing danger of flesh-eating bacteria. Over the past couple of decades, warmer coastal waters have spread the bacteria farther north and infections have continued in the Gulf of Mexico, including one Florida woman who lost her leg. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc Topkin, the Tampa Bay Times’ longtime Rays beat reporter, broke the news that the club had reached a deal for a new stadium in St. Petersburg. He talks about why the team decided to stay in St. Petersburg and what it will take to close the deal that will reshape the core of downtown for generations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tampa Bay Times real estate reporter Rebecca Liebson talks about the company hired to redevelop the Tropicana Field site: a global real estate firm from Houston with long-established ties to the Tampa Bay Rays. Does this firm have the track record to reimagine the 86 acres that will redefine St. Pete’s downtown? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When news of a deal that would keep the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg broke in September, all eyes fell upon St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch. His three predecessors had been unable to do what Welch seemingly accomplished after he reframed the project as one that included affordable housing. City Hall reporter Colleen Wright talks about Welch’s role in driving the deal so far and what he needs to do to close it.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The coral reefs along the Florida Keys have long been a destination for tourists from around the globe and a significant economic driver for the state. But in recent years, mounting heat stress from climate change has bleached the rainbow-colored corals white, a sure sign of a larger ecosystem calamity. Environmental reporter Max Chesnes talks about why the fate of these underwater domains means so much to Floridians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beaches have long served Florida as buffers against hurricanes. But amid the rising temperatures of climate change, erosion has grown only more severe. A change in how the federal government pays for beach renourishment complicates how beaches can be saved in the future. Pinellas County reporter Jack Evans discusses the changing calculus with beach erosion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For more than a century, Tampa Bay has been spared a direct hit by a hurricane. As temperatures continue to rise and fuel more powerful storms, is our luck running out? Weather and breaking news reporter Michaela Mulligan discusses how warmer water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico may be changing the calculus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.