Ask the Locals: Kevin Beckner
A trailblazing politician who’s still making things better for Hillsborough.
Ask the Locals: Scott Wagman and Beth Houghton, St. Pete power couple
Scott Wagman and Beth Houghton are business leaders, community activists, philanthropists and longtime champions of St. Petersburg. They met as undergrads at Tulane University in the 1970s and moved to St. Petersburg more than three decades ago. Wagman, 61, turned his family’s small Sarasota paint manufacturing company, Scott Paint, into a multi-million-dollar enterprise. As president…
Ask the Locals: Jesse Thelonious Vance, noise artist
Jesse Thelonious Vance catapulted himself to the front of St. Pete’s young artist counterculture when he established The Venture Compound two and half years ago in the Warehouse Arts District. The grungy 3,000-square-foot compound hosts experimental art, music and film events, including the St. Pete Noise Fest, a two-day cacophony of sound that each fall…
Ask the Locals: Brad and Monica Culpepper, Survivor stars
Last year, when Tampa heavyweights Brad and Monica Culpepper appeared together on the CBS reality show Survivor: Blood vs. Water, neither spouse was new to the spotlight. Brad, 45, is a former defensive tackle who played nine seasons in the NFL, most notably for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s now best known as one half…
Ask the Locals: Manny Kool, record store impresario
Manny Kool is the manager of Daddy Kool Records in downtown St. Petersburg. If you’re wondering how married to the business he is, you need only know his real name: Manny Matalon. Years ago he stopped using his surname in exchange for the store’s name. He calls it his “nom de guerre.” Kool, 45, has…
Ask the Locals: Fawn Germer, author, speaker and Dogedin fan
Fawn Germer is a self-help author, international leadership speaker and a four-time Pulitzer-nominated journalist. She shot to self-help superstardom when her first book, Hard Won Wisdom –– a collection of stirring interviews with 50 high-powered women –– landed on Oprah’s radar over a decade ago. A former correspondent for the Washington Post and U.S. News…
Ask the Locals: Erin Cardinal, beautiful mover
Erin Cardinal is the co-artistic director of Moving Current, a collaborative dance collective that presents modern and aerial dance performances across Tampa Bay. If you attended Creative Loafing’s Sensory Overload at the Glazer Children’s Museum in 2011, you probably saw the lithe mother of two performing an aerial feat in the museum’s rain exhibit. Cardinal,…
Ask the Locals: Hal Freedman & Willi Rudowsky, couple about town
When Hal Freedman and Willi Rudowsky moved from San Francisco to St. Petersburg 14 years ago, their friends took bets on how long they’d stay. Freedman and Rudowsky –– urbanites with eclectic and cosmopolitan tastes –– didn’t exactly fit the typical Florida retiree profile. Freedman, 72, was a Manhattan native who worked in real estate,…
Ask the Locals: Maryann Ferenc, hospitality honcho
Maryann Ferenc is the CEO of Mise en Place, the posh South Tampa restaurant that's been named No. 1 on USA Today’s list of “Best Foodie” spots in Tampa Bay. Regarded as one of the Bay area’s early pioneers of New American cuisine, Ferenc grew up in the restaurant biz. (Her parents owned a Detroit…
Ask the Locals: Dr. Gary Mormino, Florida’s historian
Dr. Gary Mormino is a history professor, newspaper columnist, highly regarded author, avid gardener, Italian foodie and venerable expert on anything and everything Florida. He is currently the scholar in residence at the Florida Humanities Council. An Old Northeast resident, Mormino spent 35 years in the history department at the University of South Florida in…
Ask the Locals: Gina Vivinetto, writer/professor/proto-hipster
Gina Vivinetto is like the Chuck Klosterman of Tampa Bay. A former music critic and pop culture writer for the Tampa Bay Times, Vivinetto is a zingy, tongue-in-cheek commentator with a keen eye for absurd details and a soft spot for punk music and celebrity kitsch. She grew up in St. Petersburg and graduated from…
Ask the Locals: Wilton Morley of Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Wilton Morley is the co-owner of Mad Dogs and Englishmen, a South Tampa pub and restaurant inspired by Morley’s native England, his theatrical roots and London in the swinging ’60s. A 62-year-old Seminole Heights resident, Morley grew up in show business. He is the son of the late English actor Robert Morley, an Oscar-nominated character…
Ask the Locals: Okesene “Okie” Tilo of the RITZ Ybor
Okesene Tilo is the director of public relations, marketing and events at the RITZ Ybor. He arrived at the storied theater in 2008 after it had undergone a transformation from seedy nightclub to hip new concert venue. Tilo –– known as “Okie” among Tampa Bay artists, musicians and Ybor clubbers –– is a 34-year-old social…
Ask the Locals: Jerome Ritchey & Wendy Ryan, TV twosome
Wendy Ryan and Jerome Ritchey are Tampa Bay broadcasters. Ryan is the co-anchor of the evening editions of ABC Action News and Ritchey is an on-air personality at HSN and the former co-host of WTSP-TV morning show Studio 10. The couple met in 2001 when they were working at separate TV stations in Illinois. Ritchey,…
Ask the Locals: Rhonda Shear, lingerie mogul
Rhonda Shear is the CEO of Shear Enterprises, a multi-million-dollar lingerie company that gave rise to underwire’s worst enemy: the Ahh Bra. Shear, a comedian, actress and former Miss Louisiana, hatched the business 11 years ago out of her Los Angeles apartment with her high school sweetheart Van Fagan, whom she later married. It began…
Ask the Locals: Sharon E. Scott, actress and singer
Actress Sharon E. Scott is an acting legend in Tampa Bay. If you’ve seen her sing, chances are you’ve given her a standing ovation. Her megawatt voice and larger-than-life performances bring down houses. In April, her sharp-tongued Evillene ran away with The Wiz at American Stage in the Park. A New York native, Scott arrived…
Ask the Locals: Sebastian Coolidge, mural master
Sebastian Coolidge’s impressive body of work spans St. Petersburg office buildings, cafes, shoe stores, barbershops, alleys and roofs. Chances are you’re more familiar with Coolidge’s street art than you are with Coolidge. The 25-year-old artist does the majority of his painting at night. Although most of his murals are big, bold and attention-grabbing, Coolidge is…
Ask the Locals: Jeannie Pierola, inventive chef
If Tampa Bay had a cooking reality show, Jeannie Pierola would lord over the judge’s table. Not only is she one of the area’s most revered chefs, she’s a no-nonsense, self-taught cook who can just as easily discuss the culinary merits of a $100 chateaubriand steak as she can a $5 cheeseburger. Pierola is the…
Ask the Locals: Pete Guzzo, Tampa filmmaker
Pete Guzzo is Tampa Bay’s jack of all filmmaking. A 35-year-old Harbour Island resident, he pulls double duty as a commercial director, producer and indie filmmaker with over a dozen IMDB credits to his name. Currently the director and creative producer for HSN’s original content division, he conceptualizes, writes, manages and directs on-air campaigns and…
Ask the Locals: Brian Bailey and Dexter Fabian, the boys who love the ’Burg
Brian Bailey and Dexter Fabian are the founders of iLovetheBurg.com, the website created by ’Burg lovers for ’Burg lovers. They live in downtown St. Petersburg and spend most of their time frequenting and championing local businesses. Bailey, 45, steers the marketing, advertising and social media side of the site, while Fabian, 37, manages the graphic…
Ask the Locals: Melissa Carroll, yoga poet
Melissa Carroll is something of a renaissance woman. She’s a freelance writer, published poet, college instructor and highly sought-after yoga teacher. She sometimes sings backup for local musicians and emcees Rock the Park concerts in Tampa. A 30-year-old West Tampa resident, she teaches yoga at Yoga Loft Tampa and Yoga Downtown Tampa. Each week she…
Ask the Locals: Peg Wesselink, Tony Dodson and Doug Dozark, first family of food and beer
Peg Wesselink and Tony Dodson are college professors-turned-restaurateurs. They spent the 1990s and early 2000s teaching weighty subject matter –– political science, world ideology, women’s studies, international relations and environmental science –– at the University of South Florida and later SUNY Potsdam in Upstate New York. In 2004, after earning their tenure at Potsdam, they…
Ask the Locals: David Downing, tourism whiz
David Downing is interim executive director of Visit St. Pete Clearwater, the official tourism and marketing engine for Pinellas County. A former editor for Zagat Survey and Fodor’s Travel Publications, Downing joined the VSPC staff in 2007 as its director of public relations and was promoted to deputy director within 18 months. Since he took…
Ask the Locals: Carlton Ward Jr., Florida eyewitness
If the images in Carlton Ward Jr.’s portfolio were all you knew of Florida, you might think we live in an enchanted watery frontier. An eighth-generation Florida native, Ward has captured almost every stitch of the Sunshine State’s undeveloped land. His work as an environmental photojournalist has cast a spotlight on conservation efforts in his…
Ask the Locals: Ken Welch, Pinellas politico
Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch grew up in South St. Petersburg. His grandmother lived off 22nd Street South, a historic business district that was a mecca for famous jazz musicians and African American business owners and leaders back in Welch’s parents’ day. Welch, 49, graduated from Lakewood Senior High School, where he says he was…
Review – The Knick, Episode 1, “Method and Madness.”
Believe it or not, white New Yorkers in 1900 were pretty racist!
Fluffy family read: The Art of Adapting by Cassandra Dunn
I don't like fluffy reads. When I pick up a book, I want to be gutted, exhilarated, titillated, saved. I want to find myself asking questions I didn't even know to be asking before opening the cover. And once inside, I want my characters to struggle, suffer and endure. I want them to get dirt…
Mitch Perry Report 8.14.14: PSTA retreats (again)
A day after the Tampa Bay Times editorial page slammed PSTA for its new policy regarding public records requests, Executive Director Brad Miller reversed himself on Wednesday, and will no longer list the names of those who make such requests on the agency's website. Miller could have gone two ways after the Times editorial — hunkered…
Alma relaunches at John’s Pass
Scott and Thorn Vogel’s Alma restaurant opened in its Madeira Beach digs.
Tonight in live music: Summer Nationals Tour with The Offspring, Bad Religion, Pennywise, Stiff Little Fingers
As a teenager, I rocked the hell out of The Offspring’s 1994 third album Smash, especially “Bad Habit,” which schooled me on road rage before I knew how to drive and stoked my angsty brow-furrowed attitude. I saw them later, in ’01, when the SoCal skate punk-howling alt rock foursome hit the 98Rock Livestock stage,…
Meet the Brewers: Casey Hughes of Coppertail Brewing Co.
"I like to drink beer.” That’s Casey Hughes’ mantra; the Coppertail brewer says it several times over the course of a tour of the Ybor City brewery’s still-under-construction facility. His more than 20 years of brewing have done nothing to dampen his enthusiasm for downing a beer or three. It’s what drives him to create…
Do This: Envision the Enclave
The facility will provide studio and event space for exhibiting artists.
Ms. Lauren Bacall — a woman ahead of her time
She may have emerged during Hollywood's golden age, but Lauren Bacall didn't want to be pigeonholed as just another starlet. She was neither a femme fatale nor a darling ingenue. Bacall was an individualist. The husky-voiced legend, who married a 45-year-old Humphrey Bogart at age 20, died of a stroke yesterday in her home in…
DACA Forum to take place Thursday night in Plant City
Two years ago, President Obama executed Deferred Action for Childhood Removals (DACA), which allowed hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children permission to remain in the country without fearing deportation. It was a major executive order and certainly helped expand his support amongst Latino voters just months before the 2012…
Bird’s eye view of revitalized Water Works Park
Before yesterday's ribbon cutting ceremony of the newly revamped Water Works Park, my photog friend Ryan Seybold and I decided to have a little fun and create a bird’s eye view of the park. The video is a combination of time lapse footage and aerial drone video footage. The occasion was quite meaningful to Tampa…
Video: Benjamin Booker slays Conan, hits Paris for La Blogotheque, plays Seattle’s KEXP video stream series, too
Tampa boy done good releases his ATO Records debut next Tuesday.
Adrian Wyllie picks his running mate in Florida gubernatorial election
Demanding to make the Florida political establishment take his third-party candidacy seriously, Libertarian Party of Florida gubernatorial candidate Adrian Wyllie has named Pasco County insurance agent Greg Roe as his nominee for Lt. Governor and running mate. "We're going to be dealing with dramatic issues with health insurance, flood insurance , property insurance and so…
Local wood-carving artist featured in national magazine
Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts picks up a cool how-to from Glenn Fry.
Integrate This: Give bees a chance
Scientists, nutritionists and government agencies recognize bees’ contributions, though extinction is a threat.
Restaurant review: Public display of affection at Local
Pearl in the Grove’s Curtis Beebe expands his farm-to-table flair to San Antonio with Local Public House.
Consensus forming on Riverfront Park redesign?
With just one more public meeting scheduled regarding the redevelopment of Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in West Tampa, a clearer picture about what the new park will look like is emerging. "What we think we're hearing is that people want this to be a community park for families, kids, picnicking, walking in the park…
St. Pete musician LeRoi DuVal dies
The warm and witty musician was an avid supporter of the Pinellas arts scene.
Mitch Perry Report 8.13.14: Charley, 10 years later
In a just world, the people who run insurance companies would have a moral compass, and they wouldn't be able to gouge raise property insurance rates as dramatically as they have over the past decade. But that's not the way it works. To wit, it's been nearly nine years since Hurricane Wilma slammed South Florida in October of…
Tonight in live music: Yarn at Dunedin Brewery
Plying a poignant, rays-lit mix of roots rock, alt country and jamgrass music is Yarn from Brooklyn, helmed by singer, songwriter and guitarist Blake Christiana. John Oates co-wrote and appeared on two tracks in Yarn’s 2013 latest, Shine the Light On, and has given the sextet his seal of approval: “From the first time I…
Hillsborough County one step closer to putting transit tax on 2016 ballot
Saying that they are looking to create a transportation plan that doesn't reflect politics but a sound policy, Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill today received unanimous approval from the TED (Transportation Economic Development) Policy Leadership Group to begin public outreach to the community over the next two months. The outreach program will seek to figure out…
The Laugh Tract — who’s bringing the funny
Sullivan & Son is loaded with stand-up talent, and they'll hit the stage at Tampa Improv Tuesday night. After last week's wild comedy schedule, we're back to normal this week with television stars, comedy hypnotists and local favorites. There are plenty of options, including a little clean comedy. Here are your best bets this weekend:…
Art as survival — Against All Odds: The Art of the Highwaymen at Tampa Bay History Center
These landscapes and their creators speak volumes about Florida’s complex history.
Water Works Park makes a splash in Tampa Heights
The revamped park offers scenic recreation along Tampa’s riverfront.
In Tampa, top CDC official says U.S. needs more work getting young people the HPV vaccination
The first time many Americans ever heard of the HPV vaccination was when it was shrouded in a political controversy. Texas Governor Rick Perry issued an executive order in 2007 mandating that the vaccine be given to 11- and 12-year-old girls (an action that was overridden by the Texas legislature). Only a year earlier, the…
Throwback eats: Mellow Mushroom revists 1974
Chow on menu items Mellow Mushroom offered 40 years ago at original prices.
Tea Party of Florida backs Higginbotham, Stacy White & Paula Meckley in Hillsborough races
Although the Tea Party is considered more of a movement than an actual political party, there is an official Tea Party of Florida, and today they announced their endorsements in two GOP primary races for Hillsborough County Commission, as well as making a selection in the one countywide school board race. The group likes Al…
Mitch Perry Report 8.12.14: Remembering Robin Williams in ’80s SF
Stand-up comedy truly broke out massively in the 1980s in America, and living in San Francisco at the time I was lucky enough to witness many comedians who would go on to become big deals on stage and in the movies. I'm talking about people like Dana Carvey, Bobby Slayton, Kevin Pollack, Kevin Meaney, Tom…
Tonight in live music: Kishi Bashi, Miniature Tigers, Big Data, Andy T-Nick Nixon Band
A four-pack of super intriguing live music is occurring this Tues., Aug. 12, and you can jump around and see at least three of these four shows, if you're feeling really industrious. Kishi Bashi with Tall Tall Trees, Sunbears! Some of the most delightful and surprising music I've heard in a while comes from Kishi Bashi:…
New Music Tuesday! (August 12): Sinéad O’Connor, The Gaslight Anthem, The Underachievers & more
Releases out this week; audio & video included.
Remembering the joy of Robin Williams
Robin Williams died tonight at age 63. That’s by far my least favorite sentence I’ve ever had to write. Being a relatively young man the first word that comes to mind when thinking about Robin Williams is “happy." So damn happy. Only now do we know how tortured he was internally. Williams was one of,…
Ed Narain blasts Sean Shaw for mailer that accuses him of being a “Rick Scott Republican”
In the heavily Democratic precincts of Florida's House District 61 (which encompasses Ybor City, East Tampa, Seminole Heights and West Tampa) calling someone a "Rick Scott Republican" is not a term of endearment, so you can bet that that Ed Narain is not pleased about the mailer distributed this past weekend to households in the district…
Tampa Bay’s weekly literary happenings
Author Mark Powell will discuss his fourth novel, The Sheltering, at Inkwood Books on Tuesday, Aug. 12. Spark your creativity at Tampa Free Skool’s Writing in the Moment Workshop at the Mermaid Tavern in Tampa Tuesday, Aug. 12, 6:30 p.m. Led by Cole Bellamy, an instructor of English and creative writing at St. Leo University,…
DIY goodbye: Tampa Bay Bike Co-op starts new chapter
A barbecue and bike sale to happen during the Tampa-based co-op’s final open shop hours.
George Sheldon calls for halt on seismic testing off of Atlantic coast
Locked in a tight battle with House Minority Leader Perry Thurston for the Democratic nomination for Florida attorney general, George Sheldon announced this morning that he opposes seismic testing off the Atlantic Coast of Florida, countering the recently announced plans to do such testing by his former boss, President Obama. “This testing will lead to…
Benjamin Booker to appear on Conan tonight
Photos from Booker’s Lollapalooza 2014 set included.
No Tax for Tracks calls for PSTA head’s firing over DHS funding issue
Earlier this month, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority Executive Director Brad Miller returned $354,000 to the Department of Homeland Security after the federal agency said that a series of Pinellas transit ads financed with those funds did not meet the requirements for an "anti-terrorism" campaign. It was a humbling moment for the head of the Pinellas transit…
Photo review: Linkin Park with Thirty Seconds to Mars and AFI at Steinbrenner Field
A look back at the “Carnivores Tour” stop in Tampa
Crist & Scott spend more money on new ads bashing each other
We're 85 days away from the general election, plenty of time for Rick Scott and Charlie Crist to alienate more voters with their incessantly negative TV ad war campaign. Crist's new ad is called "Shady," which should give you fair warning that it's not going to be a feel-good message about hope and change coming…
Fetish Con 2014 in photos: They came to play
The expo showcased lifestyles of the free-spirited and adventurous.
Mitch Perry Report 8.11.14: The most unpopular woman at Hillsborough County School Board debates
With early voting officially beginning later this week in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, some of the most interesting contests on your local ballot involve the school board. The candidates are talking about universal issues — Common Core standards (most don't like them); parental involvement (or lack thereof); the emphasis (or over-emphasis) on standardized testing. But…
St. Pete Second Saturday Art Walk discoveries
Highlights from Strands of Sunshine, Galerias Bohemia and Blue Lucy.
Tonight in live music: Soundgarden and Nine Inch Nails at the amphitheater
Two behemoths that came up in the ‘90s and made separate and distinctive impacts on alternative music — Soundgarden and Nine Inch Nails — hit town on their current co-headlining tour. Both can also be credited with forever impacting and influencing my musical taste in dark-hued and sometimes saturated black musical territories, introducing 14-year-old me…
LocalShops1 celebrates local businesses
Best in Biz Awards reminds us to “Buy Local”
GOP Senators say Iraq militants could attack U.S.
U.S. air attacks continued in northern Iraq on Sunday, where militants have surrounded and threatened to kill as many as 40,000 members of the minority Yazidi sect. President Obama announced on Thursday that the U.S. was getting back into Iraq, but only on a limited basis – to protect American personnel and to help Iraqi forces…
What makes the cronut crush-worthy?
The Feed and its foodie hosts delve into popular trends infiltrating the culinary world.
Hillsborough School Board candidate Dipa Shah attacked by negative mailer
Last week, Brandon-based attorney Dipa Shah announced that she had become the first candidate running for a seat on the Hillsborough County School Board this year to raise over $100,000 in advance of this month's primary election. Shah is a first-time candidate running in the ultra-competitive District 6 race, which includes incumbent April Griffin and…
A look back at the Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival
A first for Tampa Bay, the second annual laugh-a-thon offered some absurd shtick on and offstage.
Do This: The Weekend Top 10
Best of the best local art, kink, great films and more.
This weekend in live music: DJ Spinna, Crosby Stills & Nash, Linkin Park & 30 Seconds to Mars + more
Lots of diverse live music happening on both sides of Tampa Bay. A breakdown for Saturday and Sunday below… SATURDAY, AUGUST 9 Crosby, Stills & Nash I’ve never been filled with as much delight, amusement and downright love from a Late Night bit as I was when David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash joined…
Democrats, LGBT groups blast Pam Bondi’s decision to kick gay marriage issue to U.S. Supreme Court
Pam Bondi's announcement late Thursday that Florida should stop fighting the gay-marriage battle at the state level and wait until the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately contends with the issue isn't going down well in certain quarters today — namely among Democrats and activists in the LGBT community. The Florida Attorney General's statement was issued in…
Best selling author David Epstein to be keynote speaker at the BayCare Sports Medicine Conference
Midway through my phone conversation with author David Epstein, the thought came to mind: How is this guy not a doctor in physiology or sports psychology or orthopedics or all of the above? Phrases like transcendent athleticism, self-regulating behavior, and sports specialization were just a small sampling of the discussion about the foundation of greatness…
CL roasts tonight’s Oddball Fest headliners
We didn’t score an interview but we’re giving the comics some publicity — the CL way.
Rick Scott to meet with scientists to discuss climate change on August 19
Rick Scott will meet with climate scientists on August 19, when they hope to make him understand that climate change is very real. "I would like to hear from the Governor that he recognizes that climate change science is legitimate," said Ben Kirtman, Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Miami, at the…
Merchandise offer another taste of After The End with stream of “Green Lady”
Tim Saccenti It's August, and that means local music fans have less than a month to wait for Merchandise's debut LP for famed UK-imprint 4AD (Cocteau Twins, Red House Painters), which sees its release on August 25. The Tampa-based outfit has already given us tastes of two of the album's tracks ("Little Killer," "Enemy"), and…
Tonight in live music: Memphis Music Fest with Booker T. Jones, and more
Concerts, Fri., Aug. 8
Movie review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Michael Bay-directed TMNT reboot ignores self-awareness to its detriment.
Sixth craft brewery approved for St. Pete
Pinellas Ale Works is the newest kid in St. Pete’s craft neighbrewhood.
Mitch Perry Report 8.8.14: What will the limit be for new U.S. action in Iraq?
Last night President Obama announced from the White House that he has authorized "limited airstrikes" against Islamic militants in Iraq, essentially to stem the fall of the Kurdish capital of Erbil, as well as protect the thousands of Yazidi minority civilians trapped on Mount Sinjar, also located in northern Iraq. “I know that many of…
This Week @ The Movies: TMNT, The Hundred Foot Journey, Boyhood goes wide and more …
It's August, a month that traditionally serves as a dumping ground for summer blockbuster also-rans. Face it, if the Hollywood suits really thought a movie was good, they would have released it back in May at the height of the frenzy. Take Michael Bay's reboot of 80s/90s comic book phenom Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which…
Pinellas County School board candidates debate at Tiger Bay Club
In what several of the candidates said was their biggest public event so far in this campaign, the men and women running to serve on the Pinellas County School Board later this year gathered this afternoon in St. Petersburg at a forum hosted by the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club. After hearing the introductory speaker cite…
Exploring the Case for African-American Reparations in St. Pete
On my way back from grabbing some smoked mullet at the Saturday market, in Williams Park, I looked down at the yellow flyer and thin newspaper I was handed by an older white lady who wanted more time than I had to give. The flyer said: “Omali Yeshitela Speaks,” in all caps and had a…
Indulge at Summer of Rum Fest, make Bloody Jerrys at home
Ybor City’s historic Cuban Club honors America’s first spirit next weekend.
Q&A: Ahmed Ahmed, on tour with Sullivan and Son
The comedian and actor talks’ ego, humility and what’s right and wrong with comedy today.
Movie review: The Hundred-Foot Journey, starring Helen Mirren, sets a familiar table
The director of Chocolat creates another feast for the senses.
Poet’s Notebook: Accidental lives
…because his father asked which way was west because his father found the sea a way of life because his father met in hannover a buxom peasant girl… For over four decades, Jeanne’s been making gingerbread constructions, admired by the neighborhood. By now it’s a family tradition — but it all started by accident. One…
Say Hello to Summer!
The Street Team has kicked it into full gear for August—we’ve been busy, busy, busy! Tonight, we’re celebrating our new Neighborhood Issue with a release party at Beach Haus on Beach Boulevard in Gulfport. Out today, the latest CL issue features the best of the best when it comes to the Gulfport area. Make sure…
St Pete City Council to put charter amendment on ballot to allow them more say on high-level appointments
Frustrated by their lack of influence in the recent hiring of new police chief Tony Holloway, the St. Petersburg City Council this morning voted unanimously to place a measure on the ballot this November calling on voters to change the city's Charter, to allow them to give their opinions about key hires by the mayor.…
Tonight in live music: Rock the Park, Daikaiju
A few shows this Thurs., Aug. 7 that are spaced just right and located near enough to each other that you can start at one, then end your night at the other… Rock the Park: UNRB, Kenosobi with Gwan Massive, Boxcar Motel The free monthly concert showcase in downtown Tampa delivers its usual eclectic array…
The Gulfport Neighborhood Guide: O’Maddy’s, oh, man
A few nights of adventure at Gulfport’s storied karaoke destination
The Gulfport Neighborhood Guide: Small city, big profile
Gulfport’s on the rise, and not just downtown.
The Gulfport Neighborhood Guide: Secret no more
Celebrating Gulfport’s openness with award-winning local artist Stephen Oliver.
The Gulfport Neighborhood Guide: Destinations
From restaurants and shops to art galleries, events venues, accommodations and more, here's your guide to where to go in Gulfport.All area codes 727 unless otherwise noted EATS & DRINKS Backfin Blue Café Gulfport comfort food, literally and metaphorically. The crabcakes are still the best around (much more crab than cake), the wine prices are…
Savage Love: Married Ladies
Savage Love columnist Dan Savage dishes on married sex.
The Gulfport Neighborhood Issue: It takes a village
It’s Creative Loafing’s comprehensive guide to southern Pinellas County’s eclectic, artistic and laid-back beach ‘burg.
Owen Pach: Gulfport’s godfather of glass
A visit to the glass master’s studio at the Industrial Arts Center.
The Gabber — “hyperlocal” news from the ‘hood
Where Gulfport gets its community news.
Album review: Luxury Mane, Gold Standard
The album release party is held this Saturday at Venture Compound (audio).
