One Woman’s Mission to Raise Awareness in Our Community

When Beth Vivio thinks about people in our community going to bed hungry each night it makes her sad. “We see food everywhere we look: restaurants, specialty food stores, advertisements and TV food shows.” Yet as many as 17% of residents in the Tampa Bay area go to sleep with empty stomachs.

Beth and her husband are originally from Ohio, but moved here in 2011 from Texas with their two sons. Beth works as a full-time volunteer and got involved at the boys’ new school, Shorecrest Preparatory, right away.  Beth is on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, the All Children’s Hospital Foundation board, as well as the Shorecrest board of trustees.… Read More

They are the greatest generation. No doubt about that. They came out of the worst of the Great Depression of the 1930s, then went to war to defeat two totalitarian regimes in World War II. After that, they went on to build a great America in the 1950s and beyond.

We still commemorate Veteran’s Day on November 11. Among local heroes are names like Bill Priest, subject of the November/December 2005 issue of the Northeast Journal, and Charles O’Neil, brother of Judge David O’Neil who served in the Korean war, subjects of the August/September 2015 issue. For this November/December issue, another hero is commemorated: Andrew H.… Read More

Listed as one of the top 52 places to visit in 2014 by the New York Times, our once sleepy little city is waking up and turning heads. While the natural beauty of white sandy beaches, dramatic splashes of purple, red, and orange sunrises and sunsets in our tropical paradise clearly warrant attention and attract tourists, the revitalization of our downtown area, growing culture, art, and food scenes, are opening eyes everywhere.

The dance community has a new champion in Helen Hansen French, an Old Northeast native. Her simplest movements are graceful, seemingly choreographed to flow delicately with her melodic voice which is replete with crescendos and diminuendos.… Read More

Do you remember a time when your local mom-and-pop corner store was clean, had something for everyone, and employed a warm and friendly staff who cared about its customers and community? These attributes for the recently opened BP Old Northeast General Store were the dream for owner Steve May. His dream has been realized.

Steve grew up in rural Ohio where the local general store played a huge role. Steve recalls, “It’s where we bought our bottles of Coke and penny candies. And where people were friends and neighbors before they were customers, and where a sense of community was supported.… Read More

A 1961 Times editorial entitled “Everybody’s Target: Al Capone,” stated “St. Petersburg and Pinellas County have been fortunate over their lifetime because our citizens have elected sheriffs and appointed police chiefs who have seen to it that racketeers moved on and never got a start here. That’s the way the citizens wanted it when Pinellas broke away from Hillsborough 50 years ago and that’s the way they want it today. In their heyday Al Capone, Johnny Torrio and other gangsters came to St. Petersburg, but their welcome was so cold and their stay so brief that the incident is hardly a footnote to history.”… Read More

This old Florida boy trembled a bit as I strode into the St. Petersburg Museum of History. I pride myself on being able to occasionally talk or write about history – mostly about Tampa – that I have observed, being an almost-native Floridian. I say “almost” because I was already an eight-year-old when my family moved here from ‘the big-city’ Atlanta.

The trembling was the result of realizing I had been asked to write about a real student of Florida history, Dr. Will Michaels. You have seen his knowledgeable, thoughtful, and well-researched stories in every issue of the Northeast Journal since the first one in September 2004, always ‘below the fold’ in its prominent location at the bottom of page one.… Read More

Escape reality and experience international time-travel right here in St. Petersburg. For free! A little-acknowledged, outdoor treasure, suited for all ages, has always been readily available, on the waterfront, right on North Shore Drive – all thanks to the generosity and devotion of one of our own.

On a recent morning while strolling the garden along the waterfront, my husband and I encountered people touring on Segways, groups of runners, acrobats with a photographer, families on bikes, squirrels, blue jays, butterflies, and, of course, lizards. All of them were enjoying the shady, brick walkways, the wide pergola, restful benches and water fountains in the Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum.… Read More

Started Painting at 83 and Writing at 87

Joan Collins doesn’t look 87 – 72 seems more likely – but she does look like an artist. Today, she wears brown leather sandals, slate-blue Capri pants, and a periwinkle short-sleeved shirt that matches the hue of her lipstick and of her glass necklace. Compact spectacles frame her bright eyes, and her hair, a yin yang of white and gray, is worn short and stands a bit more than five feet above the ground.

Collins appears to have followed the artist’s way for much of her life. Yet she took it up only four years ago.… Read More

Hey mister, where can you find waves around here?” That’s the question I hear nearly every time I’m loading or unloading my standup paddleboard (or SUP for short) at one of our local beaches. I explain that you don’t need waves; you stand on top of the board and paddle it. Then the questions come in a fury: “Is it hard? Do you need to have great balance? Aren’t you afraid of sharks?” I smile and answer all the question that come my way. No it’s not that hard; you don’t need great balance, especially on the calm water in the bay; and I’m not afraid of sharks, because if you’re going in the water… there are going to be sharks.… Read More

Over the years, there have been numerous rumors, reports, and stories about Al Capone in St. Petersburg. This article is an exploration and new look at those stories.

“Al Capone Pays Vist to the City” reads the caption on the front page of the St. Petersburg Times on February 10, 1931. The article reported, “Al ‘Scarface’ Capone, reputed king of Chicago’s gangland, paid a visit to Pinellas County Monday, spending a few hours in St. Petersburg and later motoring to Tarpon Springs, where he spent considerable time looking over the sponge industry. Capone, with a party of five, including one woman, was seen here by several persons.… Read More