Dignitaries celebrate tungsten maker’s local expansion

Pinellas County is at the center of what local, state and German officials believe is a transformative moment for the tungsten manufacturing industry in the United States.

Largo-based Astaras provides exclusive forms of tungsten heavy alloys in the Americas and celebrated the opening of an advanced manufacturing facility Wednesday at 11625 54th St. N. Tungsten is a rare, difficult-to-process metal formed from cosmic dust.

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Trop repair price tag increases by $15.74 million

St. Petersburg has now allocated nearly $60 million to repair Tropicana Field. That amount will increase again in September, and officials have no choice but to foot the bill.

City council members approved an additional $15.74 million allocation Thursday in a 7-1 vote. Administrators, as recently as April, have maintained a $55 million estimate established after Hurricane Milton decimated the stadium in October 2024.

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