Philanthropists Jeff and Penny Vinik have given $5 million to the Tampa Museum of Art towards its new education center, which will be known as the Vinik Family Education Center. It is part of the museum's ongoing $100 million Centennial Campaign for Renovation and Expansion. In 2019, the Vinik family gifted $5 million to endow the position of executive director. The education center opened on May 16, and will serve as the temporary entrance to the museum while additional renovations are completed on the west side of the building
Following a 2-0 victory over the Florida Panthers Monday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning are just one playoff series away from their third-straight Stanley Cup Final. Goalie Andre Vasilevskiy led the way for the Lightning, stopping all 49 shots that came his way. The Panthers led the NHL scoring but could muster only three goals on Vasilevskiy, who blocked the last 88 shots he faced. The score remained tied at zero until the third period thanks to successive scoring challenges by the Panthers. Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov each had goals taken away following official reviews in the second period. Lightning left wing Pat Maroon made one count at 6:16 in the third, and Ondrej Palat added an empty-netter to ice the game with under 30 seconds remaining on the clock. Tampa Bay will now get some much-needed rest before facing the winner of the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes series.
All neighborhood seasonal pools in St. Petersburg will open to the public on Saturday, May 28, according to the city.
Pinellas County's April 2022 unemployment rate has set a new record at 2.1%. The last record low was 2.2% back in April 2006. The new rate represents a drop from 2.4% in March, and a 4.2% increase in the labor force over the past year.
Time has named the longtime LGBTQ rights advocate Nadine Smith as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Smith, a Black, queer woman, has served the Tampa Bay LGBTQ community for over 30 years, speaking out against discrimination. Smith is the executive director of Equality Florida, which is based in St. Petersburg, and is an award-winning journalist. She also led the charge against the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, according to her profile. Read the full Time 100's list here.
Following a dominant 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Sunday, the Tampa Bay Lightning took a commanding 3-0 series lead they will look to finish at home Monday night. While the Panthers finished the regular season as the NHL’s highest-scoring team in 26 years, the defending champs have held them to just one goal in each of the series’ three games. Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov finished with a four-point game Sunday with seven goals in the series alone. Beating the Panthers on their home ice Monday night would earn the Lightning some much-needed rest before the Eastern Conference Finals as they look to win three straight Stanley Cups. The puck drops at 7 p.m. in Amelie Arena.
The Pinellas County Jail is on lockdown until June 6 due to a sharp increase in Covid cases. According to a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, 26 inmates recently tested positive for the virus. The trend mirrors an uptick in the county, as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported 3,930 new Pinellas County cases over the last week. The organization rated Pinellas as a medium level of community impact. The sheriff’s office did not provide details on the severity of the inmates’ illnesses. The last time Covid forced the Pinellas County Jail into lockdown was in January.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Florida’s Middle District recently indicted a North Redington Beach man on several charges related to financial fraud schemes. Alexander Leszczynksi, 22, allegedly received $195,910 from a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program application. Authorities also accuse Leszczynski of operating a fictitious charity, Love & Bliss Inc., as part of a $2.7 million money-laundering operation. After federal officials froze $337,000 in a bank account Leszczynski controlled, he produced a fake presidential pardon he claimed was signed by the former presidential administration.
Every year, the city participates in a neighborhood awards ceremony where members vote on awards recognizing positive impacts resulting from dogged advocacy. The winners in the following categories, according to the City of St. Petersburg:
Students from three area high schools start their summer breaks with an extra $500 in spending money thanks to an innovative initiative that rewards educational improvement. With funding from Chargebacks911, Paid for Grades rewards high school freshmen with $500 for improving their reading skills and grade-point average. During a ceremony at Hollins High School Wednesday night, 123 Hollins, Lakewood and Boca Ciega students received their checks and recognition. The 123 ninth-graders that completed the program mark the largest class in the initiative’s 10-year history. Paid for Grades also rewards those that support the students, as their mentors receive $400, and their respective schools get $100 for each student that completes the program. Paid for Grades awarded $123,000 this year. The program is privately funded by Monica Eaton-Cardone and Tampa Bay-based fintech company, Chargebacks911. Paid for Grades has provided over $1 million to area students, teachers and schools over the last decade.
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has designated Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital as a Level 1 children’s surgery center. Johns Hopkins All Children’s is the third children’s hospital in Florida and the only one in Tampa Bay to achieve the Level 1 verification, according the hospital's news release. “Level 1 verification for children’s surgery tells families and physicians that a center has the expertise, facilities, capabilities and processes to provide safe, high-quality surgical care to children,” Paul Danielson, chair of the department of surgery at Johns Hopkins All Children’s, said in a statement. “The verification program is based on other nationally recognized American College of Surgeons programs that have measurably improved surgical quality and have prevented complications, reduced costs and saved lives.” Less than 50 hospitals in the U.S. have achieved this designation.
In a release Wednesday, Pinellas County announced its emergency management department updated evacuation zones ahead of the 2022 hurricane season. The changes affect nearly 48,000 households and 93,000 people. The county adopted the new evacuation zones based on the latest storm surge data models from the National Hurricane Center and more accurate elevation data. According to the release, the updated data helps determine where storm surge poses the greatest threat to life. Over 34,000 addresses moved from a lower-risk zone to a higher-risk zone. Pinellas officials encourage residents to check their evacuation zones by looking up their addresses at storm.pinellascounty.org.
