Category: MIDTOWN NEWS

BY MATTHEW LIDDELL NNB Student Reporter GULFPORT – It was Mother’s Day 2010, and families and friends gathered to visit the graves of their loved ones. Some of them were stunned at what they found: Lincoln Cemetery was in shambles. Six-foot-tall grass and weeds. Broken headstones. Graves that could not be found. The historic African-American… Continue reading The legacy of loved ones: missing graves and broken headstones

BY TAYLOR WILLIAMS and IAN MacCALLUM NNB Student Reporters ST. PETERSBURG – On one side of the window, a woman and three small children were digging through a dump outside an abandoned factory. On the other side, a woman with a gin and tonic in her hand sat by the pool of a five-star hotel.… Continue reading A glance out the window changed her life

BY TAYLOR WILLIAMS NNB Student Reporter ST. PETERSBURG – She spent months helping create a lush, beautiful garden out back for meetings and parties. At Christmas time, she and friends took 12 little girls to have lunch with the mayor, get their hair and nails done and spend the night at a downtown hotel. And… Continue reading Museum or community center? Potential changes spark controversy

BY KARLANA  JUNE NNB Student Reporter ST. PETERSBURG – The streets are quiet. Moisture hangs heavy in the morning air and dark clouds loom on the horizon. Many houses in this neighborhood are dilapidated, their paint peeling, their yards neglected. A small group gathers in front of a humble blue and yellow house. Its windows… Continue reading They want to build hope in Midtown, Childs Park

BY JENNIFER NESSLAR NNB Student Reporter ST. PETERSBURG – The front window of the house was shattered. Broken glass lay piled around an upside-down bucket, which made neighbors believe the vacant house has been broken into. When Gina Hartzig, St. Petersburg police District 1 officer, entered the house with colleague Ryan Clark, she noticed a… Continue reading Police work is something she “always wanted to do”

BY ELLIE OHLMAN NNB Student Reporter ST. PETERSBURG – “Call me from booking, baby! I love you!” Police officer Rich Thomas looked up momentarily, then resumed putting Edelmiro Nadal into the back seat of his cruiser. Nadal, 53, was being arrested on a warrant for outstanding drug charges. The snitch who turned him in? His… Continue reading Officer has seen a lot, but never had to fire his weapon

BY EMILY EVANS NNB Student Reporter ST. PETERSBURG – In a quaint corner toward the back of the consignment store, there’s a fashion mannequin wearing the latest work-in-progress blouse. An electric sewing machine ticks away and spools of color-coordinated thread line the walls. Virginia Bautista hunches over the sewing machine, with hands weary of needle… Continue reading Seamstress spins cloth and care into custom-made wedding gowns

By TAYLOR WILLIAMS NNB Student Reporter DUNEDIN – Light rain sprinkled from the dark gray clouds billowing over Florida Auto Exchange Stadium on a humid summer night. On the field, the Dunedin Blue Jays were playing the Daytona Cubs. In the broadcast booth, play-by-play announcer Tyler Murray was calling the game with one eye on… Continue reading He calls the action and dreams of making the big leagues

BY JENNIFER NESSLAR NNB Student Reporter ST. PETERSBURG – Just before the 8:30 a.m. start of the St. Petersburg City Council meeting, reporter Kameel Stanley took a seat in the corner labeled “Press.” She pulled out the huge agenda package, which warned the meeting would last a long time. A council member walked by. “I… Continue reading Young journalist multitasks through marathon meetings

BY IAN MacCALLUM NNB Student Reporter ST. PETERSBURG – Ron Brackett’s work day starts about 9 a.m. with a cup of coffee and an email check. Then he surfs the websites of major national newspapers to check on their big stories of the day. A coworker pops her head into his office. “President Bush jumped… Continue reading Veteran editor leads Times through terror, wars and deaths