Many new things are coming in 2025, including a new director at the St. Pete Museum of Fine Arts. I recently caught up with Klaudio Rodriguez after his return from Art Basel to learn more about him and the future of the MFA.

Rodriguez is a good fit for a multicultural encyclopedic museum like the MFA. “My mother is Croatian, and my dad is Nicaraguan. They met in Rome, Italy and after they married, returned to Nicaragua. However, during the political turmoil there, we came to Miami. I was six years old and the only things we had, came in the suitcases that we brought with us.” … Read More

Monica Kile is a household name for many in St. Pete. You may know her from her time as Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Eckerd College, or perhaps for her work as Executive Director of Preserve the ‘Burg. As a reader you likely have enjoyed her articles in Green Bench Monthly, I Love the ‘Burg, and our own Northeast Journal. You might have seen her running along the waterfront as she trains for yet another marathon, or possibly you know her as Mangrove Bay Middle’s newest librarian. But, most likely, you know her face from the many historic tours she has led within this city over the past 20 years.… Read More

Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend area on September 26, one of the strongest and deadliest storms ever to hit the southeastern United States. A once-in-a-lifetime storm.

Less than two weeks later, the second strongest hurricane ever recorded in Gulf of Mexico hit just south of Sarasota, near Siesta Key.  

Few of us in the Bay Area were completely untouched. If it wasn’t our family or our home, it was someone we love or work alongside. It was the shared hurt of knowing a block, a neighborhood, a business, a community, that would simply never be the same.  

It is amazing that in just the last edition of the Northeast Journal we explored the impact of Tropical Storm Debby on St. Petersburg and the state of city flood control planning. We ended that article with the observation that “while the storm served as a good test of the extensive city storm and wastewater improvements to date, it also served as another warning of the urgent need to fully implement the Stormwater Master Plan with all deliberate speed, and to accelerate planning for mitigation of major storm surge.”

Little did we know how soon the next tests would come. 

Tropical Storm Debby impacted St.… Read More

What is the antithesis of last-minute scrambling to buy your family Starbucks and Amazon gift cards for the holidays? Shopapalooza. 

Shopapalooza is a giant, two-day outdoor market in Vinoy Park, packed with local vendors, artists, and cuisine. This year it runs from Saturday, November 30 and Sunday, December 1, 10 am to 5 pm. 

Just a few days after Thanksgiving, Shopapalooza is a chance to support local businesses, and get holiday shopping under wraps, but the very best part? Partial proceeds benefit non-profits for kids in Pinellas. 

This fall, the Northeast Journal celebrates its 20th anniversary of bringing readers the “good news” stories that make St. Petersburg such a special place. It’s a remarkable accomplishment.  What’s been the secret to success? It’s the NEJ’s mission – the celebration of community and connection, with stories about friends, neighbors, colleagues, and acquaintances who are making a difference.  

“When the personal story can be told and readers can feel the common humanity, that’s what makes the NEJ successful,” said publisher Jen MacMillen. “With every story, we can’t just take the obvious top layer. We have to go deep. Why does that person volunteer at CASA?… Read More

We are again in the thick of the hurricane season and, while St. Petersburg has not had direct hit since the devastating Tarpon Springs Hurricane in October 1921, there have been many near misses: Hurricane Irma (Cat 5) in 2017, Hurricane Ian (Cat 5) in 2022, Hurricane Idalia (Cat 4) in 2023, and already this season Tropical Storm Debby, which evolved into a Category 1 after its center passed approximately 100 miles west of St. Pete. Even glancing blows from these storms caused significant damage to our city, particularly Hurricane Idalia, which flooded approximately 1400 homes though it made landfall 150 miles north. … Read More

Picture your favorite park in St. Pete. Chances are, there’s a lake or pond right in the center of it. While we are best known for our beautiful beaches, these humbler freshwater features are hidden gems, reflecting our polychrome sunsets, soothing our spirits, and hosting a diversity of wildlife. Keeping these waterways clean and healthy is a big job – one that requires love, labor, and, sometimes, a little bit of SoUL. 

Stewards of our Urban Lakes, that is. The nonprofit organization, whose origins date back to 2007, works to improve the water quality and restore the natural habitat of urban lakes through education and community engagement, hosting regular clean-ups and educational events at eight local lakes – including Crescent, Round, Mirror, Jungle, Winston, Pasadena, Eagle Crest, and Meadowlawn – and counting.… Read More

A new mural in St. Pete’s Edge District promises to be more than just a pretty picture: Two hands reach toward each other; one releases butterflies that gently flutter toward the lotus flower clutched in the other’s hand. An inscription reads, “Compassion in action.”

The work was commissioned by the Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services, a not-for-profit organization that helps people “of all ages, faiths, cultures, and lifestyles” across a vast spectrum of challenges, to celebrate the org’s 50th anniversary theme. Gulf Coast JFCS Communications Manager Hana Cowart explains that the mural was “inspired by our mission,” and was “painted to life by clients, staff, donors, funders, and community supporters.”… Read More

Halley’s comet last appeared in 1986 and will next appear in 2061. The celestial body appears cyclically every 75 to 79 years and has been observed and recorded as early as 240 BCE. But it was not until 1705 that astronomer Edmond Halley determined the cyclical appearances were reappearances of the same comet. And thus, the comet was named after him. The comet itself is composed of a nucleus described by some scientists as a “rubble pile” of ice, dust, and frozen methane, and a “coma” or tail composed of volatiles like water, methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide.

In 1986, Soviet probes Vega 1 and 2 made fly-bys of the comet and took the first images of its nucleus.… Read More