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From left: Sakeya Donaldson, founder of the Science of Beauty; Mayor Ken Welch; Robyn Donaldson, founder and CEO of STEM Xposure; and Dr. Sheron Brown, director of education and youth opportunities for the City of St. Petersburg. Photo: City of St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg has made a $750,000 investment in its youth after selecting a local nonprofit to design and deliver a new hands-on afterschool experience - the Genius Lab. ​City council members approved a three-year con

Nancy Dunham, known throughout the community as Fancy Nancy, is the owner of Fancy Nancy’s Professional Services and Fancy Nancy’s Bail Bonds. In Pinellas County and surrounding communities, she is known as a connector and resource for families and individuals. Photo retrieved from Fancy Nancy’s Facebook page. An arrest can throw a family into panic before they even know what questions to ask. There is paperwork to understand, money to gather, and a loved one waiting to come

First elected to Congress in 2004, Wasserman Schultz's switch to run in Congressional District 20 gives her a stronger chance of winning re-election, but would dilute Black representation in the U.S. House ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — Florida’s 20th Congressional District has been represented by a Black American for more than 30 years. Whether it will be in future is an open question, now that Wasserman Schultz has entered the chat. Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

The Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition has received approval to build a small business village out of shipping containers in the North Greenwood Community Redevelopment Area. Image: CULC. A nonprofit dedicated to uplifting a long-neglected, predominantly African American community in Clearwater has received the green light to create a culturally rooted economic engine out of shipping containers. ​Tentatively dubbed The Village, the Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition’s (

If you live in zip code 33712, you could be eligible for up to $10,000 in home renovation support, the Pinellas County Urban League (PCUL) announced on Wednesday. The funding is part of the Home Resilient & Ready Collective (HRRC), an initiative led by the PCUL and funded by Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. The goal of the initiative is to make the city’s homes and neighborhoods safer and healthier. The HRRC will support home improvements such as repairing roofs and

Stetson Law Pathways to Justice Academy for teens application is now open to students ages 15 to 17 in the Tampa Bay area. Photo courtesy of Stetson University College of Law Stetson University College of Law’s Pathways to Justice Academy youth summer application is now open to students ages 15 to 17 in the Tampa Bay area. Local high school students will have the chance to participate in this immersive, hybrid program that provides real-world experience in the legal system an

Video of a Hillsborough County teacher hanging a Black doll from a television on Monday has since gone viral. Images: Screengrabs, Facebook. An art teacher in Hillsborough County has been removed from her classroom following a disturbing incident where she appeared to wrap a charger cord around the neck of a Black doll and hang it from a television. ​The incident, which occurred on Monday, was captured on video by a student and subsequently shared by their mother on Facebook

The Tallahassee resident and Parliament-Funkadelic superstar takes on a music industry giant George Clinton, the funk pioneer who has called Tallahassee home for more than three decades, filed a federal lawsuit on May 15, against UMG Recordings, alleging the record company unlawfully froze more than $1.1 million in royalties owed to Clinton. The 20-page complaint — available at via Music Business Worldwide — accuses UMG of breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant

From left to right: Christian Pyror Hurst, Mendee Ligon, Tamisha Darling-Roberson, Carolyn Brayboy, and Shawntavia Turner at Black Leaf Cigar & Wine Lounge for W.I.R.E. Photo by J.A. Jones. Last month, the Pinellas County Chapter of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) hosted the W.I.R.E. (Women Investing in Real Estate) event at Black Leaf Cigar & Wine Lounge in St. Pete. Pinellas County Association of Realtists (PCAR) President Tamisha Darling-Roberson m

Darlene Hill (fourth from left), founder and CEO of the Wesley Chapel Black Chamber of Commerce, and the organization’s board at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in March. Photos: WCBCC. The Wesley Chapel Black Chamber of Commerce has officially launched, serving as a critical conduit between underserved entrepreneurs and essential resources in one of Tampa Bay’s fastest-growing communities. ​Founder and CEO Darlene Hill said the chamber has already attracted over 30 members in less

Mike Mikurak (right), interim CEO of the Juvenile Welfare Board, has threatened to sue the agency. Photo: JWB. With a high-stakes leadership vote looming, the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County now faces a $100,000 ultimatum. Interim CEO Mike Mikurak also wants the agency to scrap its search process and extend his contract by a year. ​The taxpayer-funded board, which distributed $133 million to youth-focused nonprofits in 2025, has spent the past several months embroi

Nearly 400 people attended the “Ocean of Support” fundraiser for the USF College of Marine Science on Friday evening at the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub. Photos by Mark Parker, unless otherwise noted. While years of invaluable research went up in flames earlier this month, an “Ocean of Support” is proving that St. Petersburg’s marine science sector is too vital to stay submerged for long. ​Nearly 400 people attended the Ocean of Support benefit on Friday evening at th

The decline is Black voter registrations is worst in St. Petersburg, but affects all of Pinellas County Most readers have already heard about the body blows suffered by Black and Democratic voters in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais late last month. In Florida, that devastating loss was accompanied by a successful sneak attack — led by Gov. Ron DeSantis and backed by the majority-Republican legislature — to further gerrymander the state’s

On May 6, American Express announced two programs focused on AI training and workforce development American Express issued a press release in early May announcing partnerships with two nonprofits — Generation and Scholarship America — to introduce new artificial intelligence (AI) education initiatives designed to help small businesses and their employees integrate AI into their day-to-day operations. Jennifer Skyler, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at American Express, noted

A damaged burial vault spray-painted with the words “Ron DeSantis” at the Old Memphis Cemetery in Palmetto. All images: Screengrabs, YouTube. Police are still searching for suspects after vandals damaged 17 gravesites at a historic Black cemetery in Palmetto, roughly 25 miles south of St. Petersburg. ​The vandalism included broken and toppled headstones and caused significant damage to burial vaults at Old Memphis Cemetery, which opened in 1904 to serve African American resi

From left: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Hillsborough County Commission Chair Ken Hagan, and Ken Babby, CEO of the Tampa Bay Rays, celebrate the negotiating parties reaching a memorandum of understanding on Friday afternoon. Photo: City of Tampa. ​A memorandum of understanding between the Tampa Bay Rays and local government representatives now caps the public contribution toward the cost of a new stadium at $976 million - nearly $100 million less than the initial $1.065 billion

Dwight Hudgins and Sharon Young’s notoriety has recently increased after multiple local television shows featured the couple. Photo: Barbara’s Kitchen. An affinity for catching and smoking wild game made Dwight Hudgins, also known as the Dreaded Fisherman, a natural to compete on Food Network’s new series, Chopped Castaways. ​However, landing a spot to compete for $100,000 against 12 chefs on a deserted island was so unexpected that Hudgins didn’t reply to what he thought wa

Kyandra Darling is a proud fourth-generation native of St. Petersburg and a lifelong Democrat (Kyandra Darling) The announcement came on Friday that U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has endorsed St. Petersburg-based Kyandra Darling for Florida House district 62 - an open race for a seat currently held by State Representative Michele Rayner. The senator from Vermont posted the news to his social media channels on Friday morning, writing “Today, I am proud to endorse 61 progressive

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — American Stage is turning up the heat this summer with The Hot Wing King, the Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy-drama by acclaimed playwright Katori Hall, running June 3–28, 2026. Set in Memphis, Tennessee, during the annual "Hot Wang Festival," the play follows Cordell Crutchfield and his partner Dwayne — along with their culinary crew, The New Wing Order — as they chase a crispy crown. But when Dwayne takes in his troubled nephew, the stakes get a whole lo

Akayla Gardner is an award-winning journalist who has covered President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris (Akayla Gardner) On Tuesday of this week, President Donald Trump called MS NOW reporter, Akayla Gardner, “a dumb person” for pointing out that the cost of his hoped-for ballroom had doubled since he first announced the project. The incident happened on the South Lawn of the White House prior to the president’s departure for a summit with