Category: Uncategorized

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

BY MARK WOLFENBARGER NNB Student Reporter TAMPA – In another life, Bobby Thompson was named John Donald Cody. As Cody, he was a Harvard-educated lawyer and former Army intelligence officer in Phoenix. As Thompson, he was a con man and federal fugitive who was living in a rundown duplex in Tampa’s Ybor City. That is… Continue reading Con man leads Times researcher and FBI on hunt

BY EMILY WEHUNT NNB Student Reporter ST. PETERSBURG – When the Sweetbay Supermarket pulled out of Tangerine Plaza in February 2013, business at Meme’s Beauty Gallery came to a screeching halt. Business at the beauty shop had been booming, said owner Jamekka Harris, 39. She had seven employees and a steady flow of traffic, most… Continue reading Beleaguered beauty shop tries to bounce back

BY MATTHEW LIDDELL NNB Student Reporter SARASOTA – Joey Panek may be on the Monday noon news like many others, but he’s far from an ordinary reporter. “I don’t really want to have, like, a news voice,” he told his assistant recently as they prepared to shoot a segment by the Ringling Bridge in Sarasota.… Continue reading He covers health, food and society with a Florida spin and a smile

BY KIM DOLEATTO NNB Student Reporter ST. PETERSBURG – The homeless guy throwing the hotel room parties had amazingly fresh breath. His Social Security checks financed both the parties and his disability: alcoholism. His drink of choice? Mouthwash. Another man lived in a 6-by-8-foot hole in the ground because, he told the reporter, “it just… Continue reading Veteran Times reporter shines a light on the solemn and the silly