On April 9, the Sugar Hill Group announced its plans to bring at least 115 affordable housing units with an average of 80 percent median income and a 10,000-square-foot grocery store to the empty Tangerine Plaza site. Left, Pastor Louis Murphy and Roy Binger of Sugar Hill Group. BY RAVEN JOY SHONEL | Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG — In 2017, Walmart closed its neighborhood market at Tangerine Plaza, and the 40,000-square-foot building has remained empty ever since, creating what the federal government calls a food desert. On Tuesday morning, the Sugar Hill Group and partner New Urban Development ..read more

‘I commend Principal Gil and her team, as well as the scholars, parents, and volunteers working to ensure Boca Ciega continues to navigate sailable waters in their quest for excellence,’ said Dr. Goliath Davis about Boca Ciega High School’s leader.  GOLIATH J. DAVIS, III, Ph.D. | Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG — My day started as usual. I was up at 4 a.m., watched a news channel for an hour, showered and prepared to travel to Boca Ciega High School. I arrived at the school at 6:45 a.m., checked in at the desk and greeted the principal’s assistant, who assigned a scholar (Journey) to escort m ..read more

Tamisha Darling-Roberson, president and CEO of the Pinellas County Association of Realtist will host the NAREB Building Black Wealth Tour in Pinellas County in Partnership with McCabe United Methodist Church and Senior Pastor Jana Hall-Perkins on April 13 at McCabe United Methodist Church, 2800 26th Ave. S, St. Petersburg. ST. PETERSBURG — The National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) aggressively seeks to bolster Black homeownership with initiatives that can connect with the more than 2 million African-American mortgage-ready renters who are not yet homeowners and other families and ..read more

Dear Reader, I’m not sure how my words will find you when you read them, but I pray that they find you well and bring you hope and perspective. Life is a journey with its ups and downs, and we all have a unique story to tell. There are days when time seems borrowed and moments when the future seems uncertain. However, faith and belief can help us navigate through these challenging times. It’s important to remember that life is not a race or competition, but more so a course that we can conquer by taking things one step at a time. While some may have longer chapters in their life story, and oth ..read more

Rev. Robert A. Vinson, Jr. became the 17th pastor of Bethel Metropolitan Baptist Church on Jan. 21.  ST. PETERSBURG — Rev. Robert A. Vinson, Jr. was installed as the senior pastor of Bethel Metropolitan Baptist Church on Jan. 21, where clergy came as far away as Philadelphia to witness him take his place as the 17th spiritual leader since the church’s inception in 1903. A native son, Pastor Vinson, is married to Tiffani Vinson and has two lovely children (Teniyah and Robert Vinson III). He served as the senior pastor of Faith Memorial Missionary Baptist Church for seven years, where he su ..read more

Janice Starling-Williams experienced the care and compassion of Suncoast Hospice in her father and mother-in-law’s final days. BY KAREN DAVIS-PRITCHETT, M.Ed. | Empath Health Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion For more than three years, I have been privileged to inform readers about the care and services Empath Health and its affiliate organizations provide to the community. I thought it might be meaningful for the next few articles to let those who have benefited from those services share their stories. Deacon Jimmy Lee Starling Sr. Geraldine George Williams Today, I’d ..read more

On Feburary 20, the Baptist Ministers Conference of St. Petersburg tour Next STEPP Center to discuss the center’s programs, services, and goals ST. PETERSBURG — The Next STEPP Center hosted members of the Baptist Ministers Conference of St. Petersburg to discuss the center’s programs, services, and goals. The conference includes more than a dozen pastors and preachers throughout Pinellas County. The Next STEPP Center recently celebrated the nearly 30,000 lives touched and changed since its inception in 1994. Over the past three decades, the center has expanded its services to offer STI testing ..read more

The following commentary is provided by the Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative (MMERI) of Florida A&M University. STATEWIDE — Heart disease is the primary cause of death in Florida and disproportionately affects the African American community, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its known causes include smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, and physical inactivity. Individual lifestyle choices play a significant role in prevention, including the use of cannabis. Dr. Shamarial Roberson and Dr. Kyron Tamar share concerns about cannab ..read more

Organizations and their leaders often reward technical prowess while neglecting to recognize the art of leading and nurturing effective teams. BY MICHAEL F. BROOM, Pd.D. | CEO, Center for Human Systems Last month, a young man complained to me about getting passed over for a leadership position. He told me how hard he worked and that he was the best engineer in the entire company. I asked him about his relationship with his boss and colleagues. He said he just focuses on his work—that his work should speak for itself. I’m sure his work spoke for itself but did not speak for the quality of relat ..read more

The Woodson African American Museum of Florida celebrated Women’s History Month by honoring six trailblazing women as First Ladies in African American History on March 23 at the James Museum of Western Art in downtown St. Pete. BY RAVEN JOY SHONEL | Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG – The Woodson African American Museum of Florida pulled out all the stops to celebrate Women’s History Month. The March 23 event marks the 10th anniversary of honoring local First Ladies in African American History. From humble beginnings in the Legacy Garden of the Woodson Museum to the posh James Museum of Western ..read more