TIDBITS By Peter Roos
NATIONAL
Each year February serves as a symbolic month of reflection and acknowledgment of the impacts, contributions, and successes of Black Americans in all spaces—both visible and unknown.
Black environmentalists and organizers have achieved victories that are rooted in our mission to rededicate ourselves to uprooting environmental racism, breaking boundaries in the outdoors, and achieving collective liberation. Learn more about the impacts of Black activists and environmentalists in the outdoors, in the halls of power, and beyond.
The US formally rejoined the Paris Agreement, just over four years after Donald Trump declared his intention to abandon it. “It’s an important first step,” writes Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune. “But to meet the agreement’s goal of preventing climate catastrophe, the Biden administration will have to take ambitious climate action here at home, and inspire and enable other countries to do the same.”
How to start? If you are interested in environmental news and how you can help, membership in the Sierra Club and/or Greenpeace is a great start. Their online newsletters are rewarding.
PINELLAS COUNTY
We signed up and drove to the Orange County Civic Center and had our second vaccinations by press time. Folks we have spoken to from locals to Midwesterners were mostly still waiting for their first. Things seem to be loosening up though. I suspect everyone that wants one can get their shots by summer.
For more information on vaccinations in Pinellas County, please visit www.covid19.pinellascounty.org/vaccines.
Tampa International Airport adds new service–Frontier crew base
Frontier Airlines announced it’s establishing a new crew base at Tampa International Airport (TPA) opening this May. Approximately 250 flight attendants and 140 pilots will be based in TPA. Silver Airways has announced nonstop service to four destinations–Charleston, SC; Columbia, SC; Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (March 21); and Savannah, GA (April 2). JetBlue launched new nonstop service to Raleigh-Durham, NC, four times weekly.
Delta Airlines continues blocking middle seats
As the only carrier in the US still blocking middle seats, Delta Airlines announced this week it will continue blocking middle seats and limit capacity on all flights departing through April 30.
Allegiant announced a new nonstop route to St. Pete/Clearwater International Airport (PIE) from Little Rock, Ark., beginning May 27. The new seasonal nonstop service will operate twice weekly and is the 53rd non-stop Allegiant route into PIE. PIE also reported its January passenger traffic being down 41% with a total of 96,645 passengers.
PSTA unveils new electric buses in St. Petersburg
Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) introduced 4 new electric buses to its fleet to kick off February 2021. About half of PSTA’s fleet is now electric or hybrid.
PSTA hopes to eliminate all diesel buses from its fleet within the next decade.
I remember when we had to demonstrate to get the board to even consider electric instead of diesel.
Their six battery-powered electric buses produce zero emissions. Each electric bus is powered by a rechargeable, environmentally-friendly battery averaging 180 miles or about 14 hours of operating time on a single charge. PSTA will save about $20,000 a year in diesel fuel costs with each electric bus, $240,000/bus over 12 years.
ST. PETERSBURG
Rainwater Rebate Program
Rebates up to $300 are available to St. Petersburg’s utility customers when they install rainwater catchment devices such as rain barrels, rain totes or rain gardens. To qualify you must:
1. Be a St. Petersburg storm water utility customer in good standing (no pending payments over 30 days late).
2. Obtain and submit an application signed by the property owner or representative designated by the property owner.
3. Provide required documents for verification.
4. Meet additional requirements of the specific rebate device, as detailed in the Program Guidelines.
Preserve the Burg is happy to introduce long-time board member Harry Heuman as the new President.
As always, your support is instrumental in PTB’s efforts. Whether you work directly with them, speak up at City Council meetings, do your part to educate friends and neighbors about historic preservation, or choose to donate or become a member, you are a critical part of what makes Preserve the ‘Burg successful!
Read their blog to learn more about Harry’s background and his exciting vision for our organization’s future!
www.preservetheburg.org/Advocacy-Main
info@preservetheburg.org
Maternity Tours @ BayCare
While in-person tours have been temporarily canceled during the global pandemic, BayCare offers detailed virtual tours for all seven of its maternity hospitals. The virtual tours include information on the private labor and delivery suites, spacious and private mom and baby rooms, high risk maternity units, neonatal intensive care units, hospital lobbies, gift shops and more. BayCare also offers a variety of podcasts and online maternity resources, which can be accessed from the comfort of your own home. Podcast and online handout topics include pregnancy nutrition, postpartum pelvic pain, breastfeeding tips, self-care after pregnancy and safety tips for babies and kids. www.BayCareMaternity.org.
Spring Training kicked off Feb. 28 with 28 of the 30 Major League Clubs in action for Cactus and Grapefruit League games. Cactus League Clubs will play 28 games in 30 days (Feb. 28th-March 29th) and Grapefruit League Clubs will play a regionalized schedule to mitigate travel.
Clubs on the East Coast of Florida will play 24 games in 30 days, Clubs on the West Coast will play 28 games in the 30 days. Select Spring Training games will be played at Major League ballparks on Sunday, March 28th, and Tuesday, March 30th. The complete 2021 Spring Training schedule, subject to change, is available at www.MLB.com/springschedule.
SOUTH PASADENA
Marquise Café’ near Lou’s Florist on the Corey Causeway says there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The proprietors report that Paradise NEWS readers have begun to reserve the entire restaurant for parties of 10-12 for COVID-19 vaccination celebrations with friends. They said our comments about how much we have enjoyed their French breakfasts and fresh French croissants has helped them survive the pandemic.
ST. PETE BEACH
Southwest Little League and the City of St. Pete Beach cut a ribbon Feb. 20th on the baseball diamond at Hurley Park in St. Pete Beach’s Pass-a-Grille, and played their season opener there. The park had been loaned to the road-building contractors as a staging area for pipe, gravel, equipment and more for several years as rebuilding was done on Pass-a-Grille Way.
The St. Pete Beach PIO invited the media with a teaser that a local celebrity was expected. It turned out to be the award–winning Tampa Bay Ray’s mascot, Raymond.
Jones and Hitt, the law firm that has provided wills, trusts, and estate planning for generations of families in the same location since the early 1950s at 433 76th Ave. in St. Pete Beach is being renamed Generations of Trust. Attorney Victoria Waller says “Plans for a ribbon-cutting celebration are underway, even if it needs to take place virtually. We owe much to the St. Pete Beach community for the growth of this law practice and I hope to reach out to all the families we worked with and everyone who contributed to our success over the years.” Generations of Trust is encouraging people to share their stories and photos on Facebook or by contacting the office by mail or email.
For more information, visit the website www.GenerationsofTrust.com or call 727-367-1976.
TIERRA VERDE
There’s a year of construction yet to come, with the construction of a round-about, landscaping and more yet to come, however, the long-awaited fixed-span raised Tierra Verde bridge has opened to vehicles. To celebrate, the Tierra Verde Partnership is throwing their 9th annual Premium Classic Car Show on Saturday, April 3rd from 8am-3pm. It’s just $20 to compete with forms online at www.premiumcarshows.com
TREASURE ISLAND
Clothes To Kids (CTK) has a huge need for gently used kids pants, shorts, shirts, jackets, shoes and socks, Mitchell Shenkman of Gulf Beaches Rotary reminds us. Please go through your closets and donate any gently used school clothing and shoes for children PreK-4 to 12th grade, St. Pete Store, 2168 34th St. S, St. Pete 33701. www.clothestokids.org/back-to-school-bags.