Bobby Finke stunned swimming fans around the world when he came from the middle of the pack of swimmers in the men’s 800-meter freestyle race to capture an Olympic gold medal in a final, thrilling sprint at the end. He went on to repeat the breathtaking, gold-medal-winning finish for the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle race a few days later. The 21-year-old Clearwater native who grew up swimming at North Shore Aquatic Complex has since been called the greatest long-distance swimmer in the world.

Even his journey home was memorable. While connecting through Newark airport, Bobby’s carry-on luggage triggered a security alert with the TSA.… Read More

This year is the Diamond Jubilee of the St. Petersburg-Takamatsu, Japan, Sister City Partnership. Sixty years ago, some in St. Petersburg were not all that enthused about becoming a Sister City with any Japanese city. 1961 was only sixteen years after the end of World War II. Many still had bitter memories of Japan from the war. On the other hand, Takamatsu had bitter memories as well, especially dating from July 4, 1945, when about 80% of Takamatsu was destroyed by US bombing.

The Sister Cities Program was founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956. Eisenhower envisioned a network of sister cities that would be a “champion for peace and prosperity by fostering bonds between people from different communities around the world.”… Read More

Disgraced ex-police detective Jane Byrne is on the run. After surviving a brutal excessive-force civil lawsuit that scarred her with PTSD, she blows into New Orleans on her Ducati motorcycle looking for a fresh start, never expecting to uncover a hate-crime serial killer targeting NOLA’s inclusive LGBTQ community.

After reading this description of the fictional crime thriller, Love Power, I’m intrigued to meet the author, Martha Reed, who lives in Crescent Heights and retired last year as a senior project consultant for a local financial services firm.

It’s hard to imagine working in the financial world by day and writing mystery and crime fiction by night.… Read More

Thomas Maloney and fiancée Sonya Sarkar left New York City in the midst of the pandemic to create a new life in St. Petersburg. Young and ambitious millennials, they caught the city’s entrepreneurial vibe and recently opened their own business, Paradeco Coffee Roasters, St. Pete’s newest coffee shop and cool place to hang out. The venue, at 111 2nd Avenue NE, adds new life to the Plaza Tower & Courtyard Shops downtown.

Over the last decade St. Pete’s demographics have changed considerably, with the average age dropping significantly. The pandemic seems to have further accelerated that trend, with more young people than ever moving here to start over, drawn by the sunshine and opportunity.… Read More

Eric Swanson waited for his wife Heather Graeme at the VA hospital where he was being seen for high blood pressure. After an unrelated Urgent Care visit out of town, he was advised to have his blood pressure checked by his hometown physician, as it seemed the medication he was previously prescribed was no longer adequate. When Heather entered the room, Eric’s eyes uncharacteristically welled with tears when he saw her. He immediately blurted out, “I have PKD.” At that time, she didn’t know what it was, or how it would change their lives forever. PKD is short for polycystic kidney disease.… Read More

Summer in the Old Northeast: the shouts of kids splashing in swimming pools, the howl of leaf blowers, the hum of mosquitoes, and the song of the ice cream truck – warbled by the humid air. In summer, there’s plenty of parking on Beach Drive and you don’t need a reservation. But a lot of our neighbors beat the heat by disappearing north. A few years ago, we decided to join the club.

It wasn’t retirement that afforded my family the chance to spend summers in a cooler climate. Our life changed five years ago, when I spent much of the summer of 2016 hospitalized from a series of major medical events.… Read More

Robert (Bob) L. Ulrich served as mayor of St. Petersburg from 1987 to 1991. Ulrich, now 87, continues to be engaged in the city he loves. He is a zealous protector of the Downtown Waterfront Parks and an active member of the Waterfront Parks Foundation. One of his other passions is baseball. He closely follows the current negotiations over the future of the Rays. As mayor, he played a major role in bringing Major League Baseball to St. Petersburg.

At the time he became mayor, the city already had made the bold decision to build a stadium without obtaining any assurance of a baseball franchise to play in it.… Read More

Even with all their complexities, families are a blessing of permanence that give children an advantage in life. But not everyone is given this opportunity, especially those in foster care. As program director of the Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco, Patsy Stills is hoping to change that.

A program of Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services, “the Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco is dedicated to increasing the number of adoptions of local children in foster care,” said Patsy. Since it was established in 2006, the nonprofit organization has found forever homes for 390 children. But many more need help.… Read More

Residents of St. Petersburg have long admired the iconic property at 2221 4th Street North with the English-cottage style architecture. Over the years, it’s housed many landmark institutions, including the popular French restaurant Rollande et Pierre and the Melting Pot, famous for its fondue. Local history buffs will also recall that from 1940 to 1959 the venue was The Earl Gresh Wood Parade Museum, a well-known Florida roadside attraction that showcased the wood carvings of the colorful St. Pete character Earl Gresh. Now, new owners plan to transform it once again, this time as a craft beer pub restaurant and brewery called Sesh.… Read More

From December to May, it’s not uncommon to see Hilda Neily with her easel and palette of paints on the sidewalk of one of Crescent Heights brick-paved streets. She’s an impressionist plein air painter in the style set forth by master impressionist painters like Monet and Renoir. Plein air is a French term for ‘in the open air.’

In fact, Neily invites anyone who enjoys painting outdoors to come and join her. “The Impressionists often painted together,” she says. “You can learn from each other, see something different.”

Neily has the distinction of being one of the most prominent painters today in the Cape School of Art tradition.… Read More