Tampa City Council passed the mayor’s $804.4 million dollar budget at yesterday’s council meeting, with one dissenting vote. The budget goes into effect Monday. The city’s tax rate will stay about the same.

Plant City police have arrested a Bloomingdale High School teacher in a murder-for-hire plot. 55 year old James Pepe was taken into custody on solicitation of first degree murder charges Thursday when someone contacted police to tell them Pepe had spoken to him about killing a former teacher at the school, Robert Meredith.

 More railroad track repairs on 66th Street North at 90th Avenue North in Pinellas Park will make a mess of traffic for the next week. The area between Bryan Dairy Road and Park Boulevard will be closed this morning. They hope to have the work completed and the intersection reopened a week from today. 

The NFL’s regular refs were back on the field last night for the first time since the lockout…and received a standing ovation. They were at the Browns/Baltimore game; Baltimore won that contest 23-16. Thanks to the NHL lockout, all the remaining preseason games have been cancelled.

The Rays continue their winning ways – now eight in a row – with a 3-2 win over Chicago last night.

The Bucs are home for a game this weekend against Washington at 4:25 pm. Yes, it’s blacked out. But some big news for two former Bucs; Warren Sapp and John Lynch are 2013 nominees for the NFL Hall of Fame.