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 request. ​The...

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 was a scam....

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 progressives running for...

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 lot higher than a...

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 Xi Jinping,...

Woodson leader issue last calls on Jazzy juneteenth ticket sales, event nears sell out (Woodson African American Museum of Florida) The Woodson African American Museum of Florida announced today that the popular Jazzy Juneteenth Jubilee is officially almost sold out. The museum’s executive director, Terri Lipsey Scott, describes it as an “extraordinary evening of culture, celebration, and community,” and urged supporters in an email this week to secure tickets “before the SOLD OUT banner is...

Mequela Moreno, environmental affairs manager for ECOncrete, is passionate about protecting marine environments, education, and providing much-needed Black representation in a typically homogenous field. Photo courtesy of Mequela Moreno. Mequela Moreno is on a mission to reshape concrete jungles into marine sanctuaries, while proving that protecting coastal communities starts with breaking barriers in and outside of the lab. ​Moreno, environmental affairs manager for ECOncrete, is now...

The Black Money Movement is a political action organization supporting community wealth and economic circulation in the South St. Petersburg area, including Cash Mob advocacy for Black-owned businesses. Pictured: Cash Mob at Juggs Soul Food Kitchen, St. Pete. Photo by Jabaar Edmond. Following the reported mistreatment of resident Carlisa Wilson and neighborhood children on September 8, 2025, the South St. Petersburg community moved to boycott the Snax Convenience Store. This 30-day protest...

From left: David Thompson, director of government affairs and co-chair of St. Petersburg’s AI Task Force, City Councilmember Copley Gerdes, and Mayor Ken Welch. Photo: City of St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg officials believe artificial intelligence can, potentially, revolutionize city operations, municipal service delivery, and workforce productivity. But first, they need more information on the rapidly evolving technology. ​Mayor Ken Welch’s administration has issued a formal request for...

Rooted in the founders’ Zimbabwean heritage and Shona background, EnnYe brings together print, color, and everyday wearability. Photo retrieved from @ennye_collection Black designers have long shaped the language of fashion, from the way trends move through communities to the way culture shows up in texture, color, silhouette, and storytelling. Still, their presence inside the broader fashion industry remains limited. Essence reported that only 7.3 percent of American fashion designers are...

Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency Chair Naya Young (right) and fellow City Councilmember Lynn Hurtak announced on Tuesday that a new apartment complex will now offer workforce housing. Photo: City of Tampa. A recently completed apartment building in downtown Tampa will now offer workforce housing thanks to a $4 million investment from the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). ​The funding, announced on Tuesday, will support the conversion of 22 market-rate apartments within The...

Graduates of the Applied Mental Health Advanced Technical Certificate for First Responders program at St. Petersburg College in 2025. Area stakeholders will celebrate this year’s cohort at 3 p.m. on Monday, May 18, at the Clearwater Campus. Photo: SPC. ​A unique collegiate program designed to help first responders cope with the emotional toll that results from years of experiencing humanity’s worst continues uplifting agencies and, in turn, communities throughout Tampa Bay. ​Suncoast Police...

Will Conroy, founder and president of Backstreets Capital, called downtown St. Petersburg’s Mirror Lake neighborhood “one-of-one” due to its historic character and natural amenities. All photos by Mark Parker. Construction has commenced on The Cade, a boutique condo building that stakeholders believe honors St. Petersburg’s history while representing its ongoing evolution. ​St. Petersburg-based Backstreets Capital is behind the approximately $20 million redevelopment and renovation project...

The David L. Tippin Water Treatment Facility will house the world’s largest Suspended Ion Exchange system at 7125 N. 30th St. in Tampa. Photo: Carollo Engineering. Tampa is proactively and decisively addressing what Mayor Jane Castor believes will soon become a pervasive global health issue, particularly within disadvantaged communities - a lack of clean drinking water. ​Plans to build the world’s largest Suspended Ion Exchange (SIX) water treatment system are now in the design phase. The...

Marvin Ellison, the first Black CEO of Lowe’s, is doubling down on efforts to address the nation’s critical shortage of skilled trades workers. Photo: Lowe’s. While many corporations invest billions into artificial intelligence, home improvement behemoth Lowe’s is betting on blue-collar workers. ​CEO Marvin Ellison recently announced that Lowe’s is committing $250 million to help train and develop 250,000 tradespeople by 2035. The construction industry needs 349,000 new workers to meet demand...

Clyde Best (right), a pioneering soccer star in England and Tampa Bay, with actor Tony Head, discusses a new documentary that chronicles his journey after a special screening on Friday at the Palladium Theater. Photos by Mark Parker. A new documentary is providing a long-overdue look at how Clyde Best overcame incessant racial bigotry to become England’s first Black football superstar and a soccer legend in the United States. ​In 1968, a 17-year-old Best left his native Bermuda to play for...

Muralist ZuluPainter stands with his work during the 2025 GBTB annual exhibit. Image courtesy of Green Book of Tampa Bay. Green Book of Tampa Bay (GBTB) and The Studio@620 will present the 6th Annual Art Opening Exhibit, Blooming in Black, on Saturday, May 30, from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Studio@620. The exhibition commemorates Juneteenth through art, live performances, and conversation with artists whose work reflects identity, heritage, imagination, and possibility. Featuring Green Book-listed...

The 2026 Fabulous Five Females, from left: Jounice Nealy-Brown, attorney and shareholder with Gunster; Jennifer Yeagely, CEO of the St. Pete Free Clinic; Kay Bronstein, chair of the education committee at the Dali Museum; Delquanda Turner Smith, senior program officer at Pinellas Community Foundation and chief operating officer at Inclusivity LLC; and Lisa Brody, chief operating officer and general counsel for the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. All photos: Academy Prep Center of St....

From left: City Councilmembers Corey Givens Jr., Brandi Gabbard, and Deborah Figgs-Sanders discuss St. Petersburg’s proposed fiscal year 2027 operating budget on Thursday. Image: Screengrab. St. Petersburg is tightening its fiscal belt, as Mayor Ken Welch’s administration has tasked departmental leaders with submitting proposals for 3% and 5% budget reductions. ​Assistant City Administrator Tom Greene began an extensive city council workshop on Thursday by noting that the decreases have...

Olusope Otuyelu poses in front of her selection of loose-leaf tea. Image courtesy of Olusope Otuyelu. Discover an elevated drinking experience when you shop at Ojà Wellness Foods. Through their wide selection of loose-leaf teas that offer health-based benefits, Tampa Bay residents can be sure to find a satisfying cup of tea with Ojà Wellness Foods. Olusope "Show-Pay" Otuyelu co-founded the tea shop along with her sister, Mobolaji. Through her role, Otuyelu is responsible for leading product...