Esther Eugene News Today

Black student-athletes should reconsider attending public colleges and universities in Florida, the NAACP said in a letter to NCAA President Charlie Baker on Monday.

More than a hundred Black residents, community leaders and activists traveled to Tallahassee on Wednesday to voice their concerns about several bills under consideration.

Pinellas Redistricting Board announces public input sessions

St. Petersburg to require developers who get city money to provide community benefits The plan requires developers who get significant city funding to reinvest in the community.   Updated Earlier today ST. PETERSBURG — The City Council on Thursday approved a “community benefit agreement” that would require developers who get significant city funding to reinvest in the community. Depending on the amount of funding received, the requirements can include building new affordable o...

St. Petersburg City Council moves ahead on community benefit agreement Council members also heard a report on building inspections and lowered the cost threshold for contracts to be subject to their approval.   Published Yesterday ST. PETERSBURG — City Council members on Thursday moved forward on a measure that would require developers who get significant city funding to reinvest in the community. Council voted unanimously to hold a July 22 public hearing on a proposed “community b...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — They came together late last year, about a dozen Black residents of St. Petersburg, to talk to each other and to the Tampa Bay Times about generational wealth. Generational wealth — financial assets passed down through generations of a family — has traditionally been more difficult to accumulate for minority families. Many factors go into that, including access to ...

Pinellas school contract with police agencies raises concerns Civil rights attorneys fear the new agreement would strip students of protections from over-policing.     Pinellas School Board member Caprice Edmond, seen here while campaigning last year, is pressing the district to take a closer look at its contract with local police agencies. [ MARTHA ASENCIO RHINE | Times ] Updated Feb. 8 Attorneys and civil rights leaders are scrutinizing an agreement between the Pinellas County school ...

The St. Petersburg NAACP is getting a new president. Meet Esther Eugene Eugene, 45, steps into the role at a turbulent time during a pandemic disproportionately affecting people of color in Pinellas and amid community unrest following a string of shootings in St. Pete.   Published Dec. 24, 2020 The following first appeared in the Regarding Race newsletter, a biweekly look at race, identity and culture issues in Tampa Bay from engagement producer Monique Welch and other Times staffers. To su...

St. Petersburg’s Black community searches for answers after shootings Activists ask what can be done to help a community reeling from a deadly November and a fatal police shooting.   34 of 34 Family and friends of Dominique Harris react to the news that Harris had died after being involved in a shootout with police on Wednesday afternoon, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020 in St. Petersburg. [ MARTHA ASENCIO RHINE | Times ] 1 of 34 A St. Petersburg police officer and another person were wounded ...