Breaking News
Founding Member of Chi-Lites Dies at 67
Robert "Squirrel" Lester died January 21 from Cancer. Visit Chicago Sun Times to read more.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
Haitian TPS applicants get help from 5 bay area agencies
Then “Gulfcoast Legal Services has announced the immediate availability of processing and support services to income-eligible Haitian applying for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The agency will hosts multiple intake sessions over the next several weeks. Dates so far in place include St. Pete office M-TH 1/25-1/28 from 9A-12P. Sarasota office Tu. 1/26 from 9A-12P. No appointment necessary. Must bring proof of Haitian nationality (passport of birth certificate), and proof of residence in the US (paystubs, utility bills, school records, tax records). Also required is 2 passport photos. Any criminal convictions will require court records concerning the disposition of the charges. More intake times will be added weekly. FMI: 727-821-0726 ext 376.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
Governor Crist Welcomes Merlin Entertainments' LEGOLAND to Florida
Governor Crist announced this January that Merlin Entertainments will make a multi million investment to open a LEGOLAND® theme park in Winter Haven, Florida, on the site of the Cypress Gardens. When? By late 2011.
In addition to the windfall of new jobs and income to the Central Florida region, LEGOLAND could open new doors for local suppliers to do business with Merlin Entertainment. For more details on how to become a supplier or partner visit Merlin Entertainment.
Category: Entertainment Share on Twitter!
“Tampa Bay Black Heritage Team says VOTE for Felicia Wintons-Taylor for Wall of Fame
The team at the Heritage Festival issued the call this week for their large circle of friends and family to vote for Felicia Ann Wintons-Taylor. She was known to seek out African American bookstores wherever she traveled and eventually opened Books for Thought, which gave several budding authors an opportunity to publish their books. Please join with us in honoring a local legend. Click here to cast your vote.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
NYOIL, Queen YoNasda, Head Up HipHop4Haiti National Fundraiser
Queen YoNasda, granddaughter of Nation of Islam founder Louis Farrakhan, has teamed with rapper NYOIL and a number of organizations to create Hip Hop 4 Haiti. HH4H is a nationwide fundraising event that will take place January 30th in 10 major cities across the United States. For full story go to AllHipHop.com.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
ABA to Add Tampa Bay in 2010
The American Basketball Association announced that it will add a team in Tampa Bay for
the 2010-2011 season. "We are very happy to be returning to the Tampa area," stated Joe Newman, ABA CEO. Sports Equity Partners, LLC is the ownership group that will operate the Tampa team. This
is the first of ten ABA teams that will be owned and operated by SEP in the Southeast.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
New Mayor Announces Eight ‘Mayor’s Night Out’ Community Meetings
Majort Bill Foster will host Mayor's Night Out meetings throughout 2010. This program includes holding eight evening meetings out in the community – one in each council district. These meetings will enable citizens to meet with Mayor Foster and other members of the city's management team to respond to questions and assist them with their service needs. Meeting dates amd locations are listed.
February 11 District one JW Cate Gym, 5801 22nd Ave. N., March 11 District two Sawgrass Lake Elementary, 1815 77th Avenue N., April 8 District three Willis Johns Gym, 6635 M.L. King St. N., May 13 District four Roberts Rec Gym, 1246 50th Avenue N., August 12 District five Lake Vista Gym, 1401 62nd Ave. S., September 9 District six Frank Pierce Gym, 2000 7th St. S., October 14 District seven Childs Park Gym, 4301 13th Ave. S., November 4 District eight Gladden Park Gym, 3901 30th Ave. N.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
Stress for spouse caregivers increases their stroke risk
A study published in the February issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association (Vol. 41 #2) reports that the strain associated with caring for a disabled spouse can significantly increase the caregiver’s risk of stroke. The association and risk was especially elevated for African-American men who were spouse caregivers. Entire article can be found here.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
Florida's film industry pushes $225M tax credit incentive plan
The push to turn incentives for Florida's film industry from direct payouts to tax credits has begun with the filing of House Bill 697 in the Legislature Tuesday. Read more at CREATIVETAMPABAY.com.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
Holy Hip Hop Gaining Ground?
10,460. That’s the number of people who tuned in for 100 performances in 12 hours of the on-line fellowship. That is a 25% increase from last year’s viewership. 2010 marked the 10th anniversary of the Holy Hip Hop Awards. It was an exciting and important milestone in the focused trek to higher ground. In 2011, during the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, they will bring more good news. Visit Holy Hip Hop to learn more about the Holy Hip Hop Awards.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
The White House is in Need of Creole Speaking Medical Professionals
Any medical professionals who speak Creole can sign up. Individuals can go online and fill out a form here, ignoring the SEIU specific questions: http://action.seiu.org/
Category: General Share on Twitter!
The St. Petersburg Little Theater and Woodson Museum Remember Black History
On February 21, 2010 the St. Petersburg Little Theatre, in cooperation with the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum, will participate in Black History month by remembering a legacy, The Miss Black St. Petersburg Pageant. The first ever Miss Black St. Petersburg pageant took place on May 31, 1975. Almost 35 years to the date, the St. Petersburg Little Theatre will be resurrecting and showcasing a new modern beauty pageant, “My Black Is Beautiful” in celebration of Black History Month. For more information contact Sylvia Russell at 727-768-1654 or via email missblackbeauty2010@yahoo.com.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
New Low Mortgage Rate For First-Time Homebuyer Program
The Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County announced a new low interest rate of 5.375 percent for its First-Time Homebuyer Home Key First Mortgage Program. A first-time homebuyer is an individual who has never owned a home, who has not owned a home in the last three years or who is a veteran. The program is available in Pinellas, Polk and Pasco Counties. In Pinellas County, down payment and closing cost assistance is also available through the Home Key Second Mortgage Program. Up to $6,500 is available at 0 percent interest. The second mortgage is deferred until the home is sold, transferred or refinanced. Certain income and purchase price limits apply. For more information, call 727-464-8210 or visit www.pinellascounty.org/
Category: General Share on Twitter!
Florida State Fair Announces Heritage Wall of Fame Recognition
The Florida State Fair Authority will honor outstanding African American and Hispanic individuals at the 2010 Florida State Fair who exemplify a commitment to excellence and enhancing Tampa or Florida’s rich heritage and culture within their respective communities. There are five nominees in each category. The top three nominees will be recognized on the Heritage Wall of Fame in the World Village area of the 2010 Florida State Fair. The public is encouraged to vote for the individual that they feel best reflects a positive contribution to their community. Click here to vote online. For more information about each nominee visit http://www.floridastatefair.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
Ja Rule In Court Over Gun Facing 3 1/2 Years
Ja Rule could spend three years in prison due to a 2007 gun possession charge in Manhattan. The rapper lost his bid to have the case tossed this morning (January 20) in Manhattan Supreme Court. Ja Rule’s lawyer Stacey Richman argued that police had no just cause to search his Maybach after a concert at the Beacon Theatre that featured Kanye West and Lil Wayne. Read more at allhiphop.com.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
City Launches New Online Guide for Small Businesses
The city of St. Petersburg unveiled a new one-stop online reference guide for small businesses, www.StPeteSBR.org, designed to help business owners easily access city assistance programs, business incentives, marketing tools, databases, and more.
Mayor Bill Foster was on-hand as the new online guide was previewed to an audience of more than 60 business owners attending "Destination Retail," the last in a three-part series for retail business owners that was held today at St. Petersburg's Palladium Theater.
The online guide at www.StPeteSBR.org lists more than 150 links covering topics such as city assistance, business services, database sources, and local, state, and national resources. In addition, the city's Business Assistance Center services and program offerings are featured.
"This city has been built on the backs of small businesses, and the city is committed to working to retain and strengthen our small businesses. We hope business owners will find the new online reference guide an important tool for doing business - and succeeding - in St. Petersburg," stated Mayor Bill Foster.
Learn more at www.StPeteSBR.org or contact Kimberly Bailey, Economic Development Coordinator, at 727-893-7784.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
Excitement for 'Jamaica Farewell' play builds!!
Jamaica, Farewell, by Debra Ehrhardt, the writer/performer’s true story of how she escape revolution in Jamaica in the 1970s. Her play has received terrific reviews from across the country: “Debra Ehrhardt possesses a rare ability to mesmerize that would have kept ancient Grecians sitting around the fire for hours,” wrote a critic for the Washington Post, and a New York Times writer called it “exuberant” and “high comedy.“ See article at the Orlando Sentinel.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Gaines Adams Dies of Cardiac Arrest at 26
Gaines Adams, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive End, who was traded to the Chicago Bears in October, died Sunday morning of an enlarged heart. Visit The St. Petersburg Times to read more.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
Florida Plans Census Marketing Blitz Targeting Minorities
Florida will be facing major challenges in the 2010 Census,'' said Clyde Diao, Gov. Charlie Crist's census liaison. He cited factors such as poverty, rising unemployment, language barriers, a growing minority population and a housing foreclosure crisis that has displaced many people from their homes. Visit the Miami Herald to read more.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
Obama Goes Grassroots With ‘We Want Our Money Back’ Campaign
President Obama announced a proposed Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee on the country's largest banks. The fee would recover every penny loaned to Wall Street during the financial crisis and stop the reckless abuses and excesses that nearly caused the collapse of our financial system in the first place. But the banking industry -- among the most powerful lobbies in Washington -- is already launching attacks to stop Congress from enacting the proposal. To have your voice heard, click here.
Category: General Share on Twitter!
