News & Public Affairs

Despite objections, St. Pete officials move forward with plans to replace the Pier listen

06/14/12 Janelle Irwin
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Tags: Pier, inverted pyramid, The Lens, Michael Maltzan Architecture, St. Pete, Steve Kornell

City officials in St. Petersburg are moving closer to finalizing plans to replace the pier and its iconic “inverted pyramid.” Thirty-five people showed up Tuesday night in South St. Pete to one of several information-gathering public meetings about the future of the downtown pier.

After years of consideration, St. Pete City Council voted in May to approve a contract with Michael Maltzan Architecture for the construction of an all-new structure. Jason Jensen, an architect with the company...

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St. Pete's going green with solar water heaters listen

05/29/12 Janelle Irwin
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Tags: solar, energy, sustainability, efficiency, Bill Foster, Kathy Castor, St. Pete, solar power

St. Petersburg officials are celebrating the completion of a federally funded energy efficiency program. A new solar water heater on the roof of the city’s Coliseum and twenty others will save the city more than $22,000 a year. But U.S. Representative Kathy Castor said saving money isn’t the program’s only benefit.

“Created jobs by putting solar panels on the Coliseum and many city of St. Petersburg facilities like City Hall. It updated the air conditioning systems at community centers...

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Students in south St. Pete learn about healthy eating while growing their own food listen

05/09/12 Seán Kinane
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Tags: gardening, sustainability, education, St. Pete, Edible Peace Patch, farming, food, vegetables

Students at two south St. Petersburg schools are learning about healthy eating by growing their own food. Organizers hope the knowledge the kids get will help them continue to make smart food choices as they grow up.

An organization called The Edible Peace Patch has helped to create gardens at Lakewood Elementary and Sanderlin IB World School in areas of south St. Petersburg facing economic challenges. The gardens manager, Erin Mattick, says students don’t normally get a chance to grow the...

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New electric vehicle charging stations installed in St. Petersburg listen

05/09/12 Olivia Kabat
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Tags: energy conservation, environment, electric vehicles, St. Pete, USFSP, USF, charging stations

Several electric vehicle charging stations have recently opened in St. Petersburg. Two charging stations are open at the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus and ten other stations have opened throughout downtown and the Grand Central district.

Now electric vehicle motorists can charge their cars for free in St. Pete. The installation of the new charging stations creates opportunities for residents to use alternate energy sources instead of fossil fuels as a way to promote ...

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Live preview of new Salvador Dali Museum opening in St. Pete listen

01/10/11 Seán Kinane & Janelle Irwin
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Tags: Dali, Salvador Dali, Dali Museum, art, architecture, St. Pete

Tomorrow the new Salvador Dali Museum opens to the public in St. Petersburg. Our reporter, Janelle Irwin just toured the museum and is live on the scene.

"Hi Sean, I'm here in front of the new Salvador Dali Museum in downtown St. Petersburg. Beautiful building overlooking Tampa Bay that is set to open tomorrow beginning with a procession from the old building that will end here at the new building at around 10 a.m. They also have a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for noon tomorrow that ...

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Peace activists protest Gen. Petraeus in St. Pete listen

01/14/10 Tom Baur & Seán Kinane
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Tags: St. Pete for Peace, David Petraeus, peace, St. Pete

Today peace activists from St. Pete for Peace and Veterans for Peace protested outside an event hosted by the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, where the keynote speaker was Gen. David Petraeus.

The groups were rallying to "support the troops who refuse to take part in war crimes,” as well as protesting Gen. Petraeus' appearance and the Chamber of Commerce's push to curtail civil liberties at BayWalk.

We will bring you a full report tomorrow.

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PETA activist sheds clothes in protest listen

06/10/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: PETA, St. Pete, Pier

Today on the St. Petersburg Pier, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) held an eye-catching demonstration against the use of exotic animal skins. A nearly naked woman painted to look like a spotted yellow and black snake lay on the sidewalk. Her fully-clothed counterpart, Cassandra Curbelo, works with PETA’s International Grassroots Campaigns Department.

Fred Snook owns The Hideout, a shop in the Pier that sells products made from animal skins that was a target of the PETA p...

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