Issue #394: Juneteenth Festival in Tampa | Viral Zebra Found | Stanford’s AI for Docs | Rays Face Stadium Crunch

In this issue of NewTampa | WesleyChapel
Local Pulse

Our Event Calendar - FIXED

WEATHER 

Local News

— Tampa Honors Freedom with Juneteenth Flag Raising & Festival

OMG!

— Social Media Star Ed the Zebra Finally Caught in Christiana

Medical News

— New AI Tool From Stanford Speeds Up Chart Reviews

Sports

— MLB’s October Dilemma: The Rays and the Stadium That Isn’t

🎵 Useful Arts & Entertainment Event Links

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Tampa Honors Freedom with Juneteenth Flag Raising & Festival

The City of Tampa, in collaboration with the Tampa Bay Juneteenth Coalition, will host the 6th Annual Juneteenth Flag Raising & Festival on Friday, June 13, from 5:00–8:00 PM at City Center at Hanna Avenue. This free, family-friendly event commemorates Juneteenth, the federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the U.S., and offers an evening of culture, unity, and celebration.

The festivities include live performances from the Bay Area Drum Academy and Majorettes, the Tampa Fire Rescue Hometown Heroes Chorus, and a ceremonial presentation by the Blake High School Color Guard. A highlight of the event is the honoring of local Juneteenth Queens and the raising of the Juneteenth flag.

Mayor Jane Castor emphasized the event’s significance in honoring history and unity. Attendees can also enjoy free food (while supplies last) and browse booths from Black-owned businesses, artists, and designers throughout the Tampa Bay area.

Read More: tampa.gov

Certainly! Here's an astonishing but lesser-known fact about Juneteenth:

Although Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865, slavery was still legal in two Union states—Delaware and Kentucky—until December 6, 1865, when the 13th Amendment was ratified.

So while Juneteenth marks a powerful moment of emancipation, it did not fully end slavery across the entire United States. In fact, more than 100,000 enslaved people remained in legal bondage in Union-loyal states for nearly six more months. This nuance is often overshadowed in mainstream discussions of Juneteenth but highlights how freedom was a staggered, uneven process even after the Civil War.

Social Media Star Ed the Zebra Finally Caught
in Christiana

"Ed," the runaway zebra who captivated Middle Tennessee for over a week, has been safely captured and returned to his owner. On Sunday morning, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office coordinated the animal’s dramatic rescue from a field in Christiana. A helicopter crew from Texas-based Tango 82 Aviation dropped a net over Ed and airlifted him to safety, much to the surprise of local residents David and Judy Ball, who watched the scene unfold behind their home.

Ed had escaped on May 30 and quickly became a viral local celebrity, with community members tracking his movements and sharing sightings across social media. The zebra was eventually located near the Balls’ home in the Buchanan Estates neighborhood and transported via trailer back to his owner.

Neighbor Summer Swallow summed up the local excitement: “People on Facebook were saying, ‘Let’s saddle up and go catch the zebra!’” Ed’s unexpected journey made him a temporary folk hero in Middle Tennessee.

Read More: abcactionnews.com

New AI Tool From Stanford Speeds Up Chart Reviews

Stanford Medicine has launched a pilot of ChatEHR, an AI-powered tool designed to help clinicians streamline the chart review process by allowing them to ask natural-language questions about a patient’s medical record.

Much like using ChatGPT, clinicians can type prompts like “What are this patient’s allergies?” or “Has a colonoscopy been performed?” and receive answers directly drawn from the patient's electronic health records. Currently, 33 healthcare professionals at Stanford Hospital are testing the system’s performance and accuracy.

Dr. Nigam Shah, Stanford Health Care’s Chief Data Science Officer, emphasized the tool's integration into clinician workflows and its security. He added that ChatEHR is not a diagnostic tool but an information-gathering assistant to support decision-making.

This pilot reflects a broader trend of AI adoption in healthcare, including Stanford's partnerships with Samsung and AI Medical Service, as well as other players like Layer Health, aiming to modernize data handling and care delivery.

Read More: mobihealthnews.com

MLB’s October Dilemma: The Rays and the Stadium That Isn’t

As the Tampa Bay Rays contend for a postseason berth, Major League Baseball faces an unprecedented challenge: where would the Rays play their home playoff games?

Currently in a three-way tie for the AL Wild Card with the Twins and Blue Jays, the 35–30 Rays haven’t played a true home game this season due to Hurricane Milton damage at Tropicana Field. Instead, they’ve been hosting games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees’ spring training facility in Tampa, which seats only 11,000 fans.

MLB officials remain optimistic about returning to the Trop in 2026, but that’s little help come October. The league may need to consider alternate postseason venues, such as Marlins Park in Miami or even neutral sites like Atlanta’s Truist Park.

With playoff implications looming, MLB is under growing pressure to finalize contingency plans by mid-August, ensuring both fairness and capacity standards are met.

Read More: sports.yahoo.com

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Best Live Music & Concerts in Tampa Bay
Upcoming - (posted 060425)

Source: tbnweekly.com

Top Things to do Around Tampa & WC
6/12 - 6/18
Source: tampabeacon.com

Useful Arts & Entertainment Event Links

The Arts
- USF College of the Arts
- USF Steinway Piano Concert Series

Theater
-NTPAC - New Tampa Performing Arts Center
- New Tampa Players
- USF School of Theatre & Dance
- Wesley Chapel Theater Group
- Carrollwood Players Theatre

Misc

- The Krate, WC
- The Shops at Wiregrass, WC
- visitflorida.com

For Kids
- Fun4TampaKids

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