Friday, May 24, 2013
The reading and math scores are in for Pinellas County. Here's a look at the results for the county and some St. Pete elementary schools.
More than half of Pinellas County's third-graders read at or above grade level – at 56 percent. They were just one percentage point behind Florida third-graders as a whole, according to FCAT results released Friday. Only 48 percent of the district's third-graders scored at or above grade level on the math portion of the FCAT, lagging 10 points behind their peers across the state. A pair of North St. Pete schools pulled ahead of the county as a whole in reading, with Shore Acres and North Shore both showing 58 percent of third-graders reading at or above grade level. Also, Woodlawn Elementary was among more than a dozen schools with double digit gains in reading, with a 16 percent increase. Here is a look at the percentage of third-graders …
The St. Petersburg mansion also starred in some gangster scenes in the recent 'Spring Breakers' movie.
A St. Petersburg mansion built by baseball great Gary Sheffield and used for scenes in "Spring Breakers" is up for sale. The Pinellas Point estate, with three bars, gym and resort-style lagoon pool with waterfall, will be sold at auction in June, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports. The price: $3.3 million. Just what do you get for the money? According to Zillow, the property at 850 Pinellas Point Drive is a seven-bedroom, six-bath home with a four-car garage. The home also has a hydro-massage machine, billiards/game room, glass office andhuge master suite overlooking the water. Oh, did we mention the tennis and basketball courts, too? The Tampa Bay Times says the 1997 estate has been known for its parties through the years. According …
Sylvia's is set to open in October inside the historic Manhattan Casino in St. Petersburg. The second floor event space at the casino will open in July.
Sylvia's Restaurant will be opening in October inside the first floor of the Historic Manhattan Casino at 642 22nd St. S. St. Petersburg city officials, civic leaders and Sylvia's ownership were on hand during a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday afternoon to celebrate the start of construction of the soul food restaurant and the renovation of the Manhattan Casino. "This is one of the most exciting things that we have going in St. Petersburg and it’s been a long time coming," said Mayor Bill Foster. "(Sylvia's) will be a destination restaurant for all of Tampa Bay." "It's been a long hard, slog but we’re here and we are doing this," said Larry Newsome with Urban Development Solutions. The original, and only other Sylvia's, opened 1962 in …
What are you doing this weekend, St. Pete?
1. Rays vs. Yankees The Tampa Bay Rays are back in town this weekend to take on American League East Division rivals that New York Yankees. Friday's game begins at 7:10 p.m., Saturday's game at 4:10 p.m. and Sunday's game at 1:40 p.m. The brief five-game home stand also brings the Miami Marlins to town Monday and Tuesday. Tickets to the games can be purchased online. 2. Last weekend of 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' This weekend is your last chance to catch American Stage Theater's presentation of 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' in Demens Landing for its annual theater in the park. "Six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that …
Thursday, May 23, 2013
From Memorial Day parades to holiday fender benders, this live map shows delays and diversions on St. Petersburg-area roads right now.
If you're on a mobile device, click here to view the map. When you're done getting gas and packing the car, check out the live results from MapQuest above to see what's standing between you and the start of your three-day weekend. Mapquest scans for parade routes, ongoing construction, block parties and traffic jams. If your route is green, you're good to go. If it's red, you may be headed into a line of rubbernecking fools. Good luck! Get the St. Petersburg Patch newsletter delivered to your email.
Cigar City Brewery has found a way to stand out as a unique brand in a diverse and fast growing craft beer market. Sponsored by Grape-Nuts.
About this sponsorship: In honor of the 60th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s historic ascent of Mount Everest, Patch and Grape-Nuts are teaming up to highlight those who inspire people around them to climb their own mountains. In just four years time, Joey Redner has gone from beer enthusiast and upstart brewer to an award winning craft brewer that will produce 25,000 barrels of ale in 2013. Son of the famous Mons Venus owner, Joe Redner, the 40-year old craft beer connoisseur has taken his sales and his connections with the beer community to the next level in recent months. Last March, he visited the nation's capital in an effort to lobby lawmakers for a tax cut for brewers that would save him around $100,000 this year, money that …
As our armed forces come home from the Middle East, the local Veterans Affairs benefits office is being stretched.
Our veterans are now facing a new enemy at home – long wait times for disability claims. The waiting times started increasing in 2010 when U.S. troops were withdrawn from Iraq, causing a dramatic uptick in first-time filers, according to the Center for Investigative Reporting. The data found that in most regional VA offices, not only did waiting times increase, but they vary dramatically by location: about a year and five months in Baltimore, Maryland compared to four months in Fargo, North Dakota. The national average now stands at about 11 months, which is dramatically higher than in 2009 when it was four months. The backlog of veterans at the St. Petersburg area office waiting on a disability claim to be reveiwed has increased from no …
A new video aims to teach people about the need to turn off their vehicles and take their keys with them, when they run into shops or stores in their neighborhood.
A new public service effort by St. Petersburg Police highlights a sharp increase in auto thefts in 2013 and the need for people to take their keys with them when they leave their cars – even for a moment. From January-April 2013, auto thefts in St. Petersburg increased 43 percent from the same time period last year, police report. In most cases, the victims left their keys in the ignition, often with the car running. (See the St. Petersburg Crime Map and click on the green icons to see auto thefts for the first two weeks in May.) On Thursday, police launched a public education effort that will feature a series of videos starring the hapless fictional resident Willie Everlern, "who seems to always find a way to become the victim of a crime…
A son found his 63-year-old mother severely beaten and unable to speak following the home invasion, police said.
Three suspects have been charged with attempted first-degree murder and home invasion robbery after police said a woman was critically beaten and her home ransacked for valuables. Jihi McEvoy, 63, of the 200 block of 79th Avenue Northeast, was found by her son around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday severely beaten and unable to communicate what had happen to her. According to St. Petersburg Police, she was transported to the Bayfront Medical Center with severe upper body trauma and is currently listed in critical condition. Police say her son, Mickey White, was led away from the home around midnight by an acquaintance, Carrie Marcink, while two other suspects invaded the home. Marcink, according to police, asked White to come with her to an ATM so …
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office wants to ensure that background checks are done on buyers, as required by county law.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office plans to monitor sales at a Largo gun show this weekend to ensure that mandated background checks are conducted. The enforcement results from a series of articles by the Tampa Bay Times that looked at how Pinellas and other counties with mandates in place do not routinely ensure the background checks are carried out. Do you think that background checks should be conducted at private gun shows like the one this weekend in Largo? Let us know in the comments below. Admission is $9 to the Two Guys Gun Show to be held Saturday and Sunday at the Minnreg Building, 6340 126th Ave., Largo. According to an announcement for the show, it will feature "nearly 300 available tables of guns, knives, and accessories." …
Dolly
8:00 pm on Friday, May 24, 2013
Congrats to the family. more ›