First Black female high school principal in Pinellas County shaped generations
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In 1991, Barbara Shorter surprised her former classmates at Gibbs High School when she became principal of their alma mater. “They used to say, ‘Oh, little Barbara Cubby, who would have thought you would be principal?'” she said, laughing. But Shorter was not...
Teen TikTok Mob Swarms Brandon’s Urban Air, HCSO Pulls The Plug
What started as a busy Saturday at the Urban Air trampoline park in Brandon turned into a crowd-control headache when hundreds of teenagers flooded the venue, prompting staff to close early and call in a sizable Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office response. Deputies ordered the crowd out, moved people into the...
8 arrested after TikTok trend leads to law enforcement being called
BRANDON, Fla. — Eight juveniles were arrested after a TikTok trend led to law enforcement being called to a Brandon trampoline park. It happened last Saturday at the Urban Air located at 179 E. Bloomingdale Ave. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said hundreds of kids "overwhelmed" the business, forcing...
St. Pete novelist Benjamin Kirby creates a vivid Western world
Growing up in suburban Little Rock, Arkansas, Benjamin J. Kirby dreamed of being a novelist. As a teenager he virtually inhaled all the classic Stephen King books, one after the other. “And I thought, this is what I’m going to do,” Kirby remembers. “I want to be Stephen King.”...
Staffing costs rise in St. Petersburg as council weighs $2M increase
St. Petersburg City Council will take up a $2 million staffing increase, a South St. Petersburg land-use change and an early-stage infrastructure partnership when it meets April 2, offering a clear look at how the city is managing daily operations while planning for longer-term capital needs. The meeting begins at...
Skyway Marina District affordable housing funding approved
The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved land acquisition funding Tuesday for a new affordable housing project in St. Petersburg’s Skyway Marina District. Nashville-based Elmington Capital Group’s Skyway Flats development, at 3600 34th Street S., will feature a five-story building with...
Mahaffey Theater and longtime management company prepare for new acts
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It's the end of an era at the Mahaffey Theater, but the CEO of its management company said he wants it to be the start of a new act for the arts in St. Petersburg. "It's bittersweet. I tried to negotiate with the city. We...
Veterans find support at Bay Pines VA’s Stand Down event
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System hosted its annual Homeless Veteran Stand Down on Saturday. With more than 70 vendors, this event helps veterans with anything they may need, from legal services to offering clothes. Barber student Derrick Rayner is one of many helping veterans...
Proposed Coquina Park kayak zone heads to committee
A proposal to designate part of Coquina Park’s lagoon as a non-motorized boating zone is moving forward, as St. Petersburg City Council voted Thursday to send agenda item G-2 to committee for further discussion. The measure, brought forward by District 6 Council member Gina Driscoll, would establish the lagoon...
Husband arrested after hitting wife with car: PCSO
LARGO. Fla. - A man was arrested after hitting his wife with a car, according to the Largo Police Department. LPD says they received a 911 call on Friday morning for battery on Ulmerton Road. Investigators say they learned a woman was intentionally struck by a vehicle that was driven by her husband, Dervante Stubbs....
