A golden performance [Times photo: Bill Serne] A Minnesota band's persistence pays off when it wins first place in Saturday's Festival of States parade.

Plan would beautify Gulf Boulevard
Planners hope to gussy up Gulf Boulevard, creating a unified theme from Pass-a-Grille to Clearwater.

Lights, cameras, infraction
A pilot program could put equipment at intersections to capture images of those running red lights.

Leftover campaign signs still litter landscape
Re: Campaign sign litter.

New council starts on positive path
St. Petersburg voters will spend the next two years reaping the harvest of political decisions made in March. They got a taste of things to come last week when the new City Council convened for the first time. If that meeting (which, by council's standards, was marked by startling brevity at just under three hours) presages the next two years, positive change could be coming.

What's up on campus?
Eckerd College

Ruling fails to appease City Hall deal critics
The state attorney finds nothing improper with St. Pete Beach's new City Hall deal. But there's a call for a higher ruling.

No light for tricky Eckerd intersection
The volume of traffic at the 54th Avenue S intersection just is not enough to warrant a signal, say state officials.

Zoning board rejects plan for new apartment complex
The Pinellas Park panel sides with neighbors who say the area is too congested.

Government calendar
Monday

Architects selected for water station
Wedding, Stephenson and Ibarguen Architects of St. Petersburg has been selected to design a $1-million waterfront research and educational facility for Tampa Bay Watch, an organization which monitors water quality for the bay area. Plans include a marine science station, a classroom building, a boat maintenance facility and a caretaker's cottage. It will be located on a half-acre of property on Cunningham Key, near Fort DeSoto Park.

Paint of contention
"Who picked that color?" In St. Petersburg, bold paint jobs of purples, yellows and browns draw wrinkled noses.

City may try to condemn beach property for park
So far, the man who controls the half-acre site has been unwilling to sell it to Treasure Island.

Dealership zoning approved
PINELLAS PARK -- The zoning board unanimously approved a request to build a Crown Honda in the northeast end of the city.

DOT staff to answer queries
ST. PETE BEACH -- Joseph Hitterman, Department of Transportation project manager for the Blind Pass Road widening, will be at the North Beach Civic Association meeting, 7:15 p.m. Monday at Legion Hall inside St. Pete Beach City Hall, 7701 Boca Ciega Drive.

Additions should blunt storms' impact on park
ST. PETE BEACH -- Hurricane Gordon did such a number on Sunset Park last year that some people mistook the area for a beach bar's spillover parking lot.

Clouds don't overshadow outdoor play's opening
Every year the heart-stopping question: Will rain wash out the opening night gala for American Stage's Shakespeare in the Park? It's the perennial worry. But never has the party been canceled due to rain, and so it was not on Thursday evening even though black clouds loomed. Actually, the cloud cover was like a giant awning shielding us from late afternoon sun during pre-show cocktails. Then the sun set and a breeze stirred the palms behind the stage at Demens Landing, a nice riff for Love's Labour's Lost.

Public invited to anti-drug march
ST. PETERSBURG -- Historic Kenwood neighbors and the city's Neighborhood Partnership Office are inviting the public to participate in an anti-drug march each Monday this month. The campaign kicks off at 7 p.m. Monday at Albright United Methodist Church, 2750 Fifth Ave. N. Marchers will walk down Second and Third avenues N in an area the city has identified for drug activity, said Neighborhood Partnership director Susan Ajoc.

Shelter provides a way off streets
A new shelter in the Lealman area gives women and children a place where they can turn their lives around.

Neighborhood briefs
Area Agency on Aging offers free job training

In Pinellas, it's lights out for I-275 drivers
Jessie thinks our state roadies are trying to keep us in the dark.

Involve child in reading to make book time fun
The mother was frustrated. She wanted to read aloud to her son but the 19-month-old just wouldn't sit still for a book.

Plan for cross-shaped cell tower withdrawn
Nextel representatives say the company has found a tower 1 1/2 miles southeast from the church site.

Forums will help chart city's growth
ST. PETERSBURG -- The city starts shaping its future this week.

New Outback plan gets panel's okay
The EDC approves a plan to convert Bradford Coachhouse into an Outback Steakhouse.

Chief frowns, but reverses officer's punishment
PINELLAS PARK -- Officer Cynthia Martin's behavior was inappropriate during a morning roll call last month, police Chief Dorene Thomas said, but a one-day suspension without pay was unwarranted.

Ex-volunteer criticizes police
It's an understaffed and overburdened department and officers face situations without backup, Cliff Smith says.

PAL director, a good friend to community, is ready to retire
The Police Athletic League director used to take off his gun belt to play basketball with kids on gritty, outdoor courts.

Shelter helps women, kids off streets, back on feet
A new shelter in the Lealman area gives women and children a place where they can turn their lives around.

Lake Vista goes home with lots of hardware
The Lake Vista program captured two championships and a runners-up trophy in the Florida Youth Basketball State Tournament.

SPJC coach building a baseball powerhouse
The St. Petersburg Junior College baseball team sent a loud message during its recent three-game series against Suncoast Conference opponent Manatee Community College.

Upper Pinellas prep league gives everyone a chance
Palm Harbor University High sophomores Kelly Fecke and Teresa Scanlon are a "team."

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