Tag: St. Petersburg
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MLK Day Of Services Summary
BY: Haley Jordan, Corey Mapp and Kelli Carmack, Neighborhood News Bureau
Martin Luther King Day brought the community of St. Petersburg together with a Day of Services to benefit the residents of the city. Murals were painted to brighten up the streets. Fraternities and sororities handed out food and family care packages. Information booths were set up to provide new moms and dads with support. People helped paint the city, tend to the community garden, volunteer at the animal shelter, and more.
This story was originally published by The Weekly Challenger on January 18, 2018. Click on the link below to read the full article:
http://theweeklychallenger.com/mlk-day-of-service-events/
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Through her eyes: The MLK Candlelight Vigil Summary
By Kay-Kay Smith, Neighborhood News Bureau
Kenadi Smith is a second grader who attends the annual Candlelight Vigil honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American History Museum. There, she watched the performances of two young African-American’s, Maya Stevenson and Aleisha Mandela, along with the Florida Orchestra. While watching the Florida Orchestra, Smith noticed the one African-American woman who played the violin next to all white males. While Smith is not old enough to have experienced racial segregation, she understands that life should be full of love, peace, unity, and harmony.
This story was originally published at The Weekly Challenger on January 18, 2018. Click on the link below to read the full story:
http://theweeklychallenger.com/through-her-eyes-the-mlk%E2%80%88candlelight-vigil/
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Lead results in Midtown homes raise health concerns
By Andrea Perez
The Environmental Protection Agency says that lead levels below the action level don’t require public action, but 45 homes in the St. Petersburg Midtown area tested positive for lead in the water.
Most of the homes that were tested contained very low traces. However, according to the EPA, any amount of lead is dangerous, especially for young children under the age of six.
A journalism class, the Neighborhood News Bureau (NNB), class from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP) St. Petersburg worked with students at Academy Prep to conduct the testing in the fall of 2016. Each student took home vials to collect water with specific instructions based on a protocol developed by the same Virginia Technological University’s laboratory that tested the water of Flint, Michigan during the water crisis.
The analysis was conducted by Kelly Quinn, a research associate at the USF College of Marine Science. The chosen method was much more rigorous than St. Petersburg’s program, which tests 50 homes at random every three years based on a contested EPA protocol. St. Petersburg was one of the cities exposed by a report published by The Guardian on June 2, 2016 as one of the cities “cheating” on water testing protocols.
Academy Prep students visit the Oceonagraphic Recent Center in USF St. Petersburg to learn more about the process for water testing the samples they gathered in their homes. Neighborhood News Bureau. Students at Academy Prep were asked to acquire three draws from their homes and their neighbors’. The first draw required the water to be unused for six to eight hours, which gives an accurate indication of how much lead accumulates in the water as it sits in the pipes. The other two draws measure lead levels after water has been flushed.
Kevin Riskowitz, the interim manager of the city’s environmental compliance division said that the city’s lead testing program only takes one draw. The EPA typically only tests water using the first draw as well.
The EPA says that concerned homeowners can test their own homes, which ranges from $20 to $100 in cost.
“As Midtown fits with the characteristics of most of the communities affected by lead poisoning in their tap water, I believe that it would be good to make sure children (and adults) were not in danger”, said Dr. Bernardo Motta, a USFSP assistant professor who initiated the collaboration between the Neighborhood News Bureau class and Academy Prep.
Sources of the toxic metal can be found in water that travels through lead pipes, which are common in old homes, and in pipes that contain parts made of or welded with lead, which can be found in homes built until 1986. The natural corrosion of these pipes compounds the issue. The result is water containing a trace amount of lead in consumable tap water.
To alleviate the problem, John Palenchar, the interim director of St. Petersburg’s Water Resources says that the city uses corrosion control. This method of water treatment creates calcium buildup in the pipes. Calcium helps to slow the corrosion process.
Palenchar attributed the problems in Flint, Michigan, to the lack of proper corrosion control.
In 1986 lead piping installation and repairs nationwide were banned under the amended Safe Drinking Water Act, but many homes in St. Petersburg still have old piping systems held together by lead solder.
Seven of the homes tested by Academy Prep students that came back above 1 part per billion were built before 1986.
At 2.1 parts per billion on average, the amount of lead found in St. Petersburg’s water supply is low. The EPA’s guidelines mandate that action is taken if levels are found to be above 15 parts per billion.
Even the house with the highest amount of lead in the water tested below the EPA’s action level with 13 parts per billion in the first draw.
Per EPA standards, the city must take action if five or more of its 50 samples come back above the action level of 15 parts per billion.
According to the EPA, in children, low levels of lead exposure are linked to damage to the nervous system. Symptoms and permanent health effects include learning disabilities, impaired hearing and impaired function of blood cells.
“It doesn’t matter what level is found on the sample tests, my main concern is always numbers,” said Cynthia Keeton, a lead poisoning prevention coordinator for the Florida Health Department in Hillsborough County.
Although blood lead concentrations below five micrograms aren’t recognized as threatening to the body, Keeton believes that such levels should be lowered to zero in all children’s cases.
The Academy of Pediatrics recently reported that cognitive deficits and behavioral problems can occur at blood lead concentrations below that level, making the case for preventive measures at home even more urgent.
“Food is the thing that gets the lead out of a child’s body. They need to eat rich foods in iron and calcium. You have to put that back in the body. There’s no quick fix unless this child’s blood lead level gets to be 45, they have to go to the hospital. Otherwise, a crucial diet is the solution,” Keeton explained.
Children enrolled in Medicaid receive a blood lead screening test at 12 and 24 months, and those who are between 3 and 6 years of age must also be tested if they haven’t before.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, blood tests that monitor for lead levels range from $10 to $75.
Young children, in many cases, tend to be picky eaters, which makes the absorption of lead higher, due to an empty stomach. Keeton details that in the end, her main responsibility is to educate parents as key players against lead poisoning, even if it’s challenging.
“You got to get parents to do their part. It takes a parent who has had a lead poisoned child, and knows what it does to the families, to take action sometimes,” she said.
The city’s Community Redevelopment Plan (CRA) currently offers funding programs to property owners who want to upgrade old plumbing systems. Only properties that are considered “affordable housing,” or where an income by a number of people living in the household is between $33,050 to $69,856, can qualify to receive the grant. According to the Funding program, the minimum investment must start at $10,000.
Based on data collected by Neighbourhood News Bureau student’s in 2016 and 2017 last year, many properties can be individually eligible for the grant. However, in order for seven house pipe systems, built before 1986, to be replaced, homeowners would have to invest in the project privately. To apply for the grant, homeowners need to have the full money for the job and then use the grant for reimbursement.
Moreover, replacement of corrosive pipelines may also be covered by an income-based mortgage loan through the city Housing and Community Development division, which has primarily worked on roof repairs, lead-based paint mitigation, and electrical hazards.
There are many options besides pipe repair and replacement to reduce the amount of lead found in water. For most homes with low-level lead-contaminated water, a filtered pitcher will suffice. According to the EPA, one of these simple pitchers costs about $20 but requires maintenance at various time intervals to ensure that the filter’s quality doesn’t degrade over time.
In October, Keeton visited A Perfect Start Early Learning Childcare Center located in Tampa, as part of the National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week program. Children between the ages of four and six asked her about the toxin, as she guided them through preventive steps to take in their homes and avoid consuming lead at all costs.
Although she’s currently the only staff member of the Childhood lead poisoning and healthy homes program visiting child care centers in Hillsborough County, and orienting children and parents about prevention methods, she explains she’s able to work efficiently because the County facilitates a lead poisoning screening map that identifies 25 zip codes across high-risk areas.
“Inner cities always have more lead because of the age of the houses. The zip codes tell me exactly where I need to be going. I target certain zip codes at certain times of the year too, like in the summer when children are more prone to be outside, they are very much exposed to lead”.
According to Hillsborough County’s Reportable Diseases Frequency Report, powered by the Florida Department, 79 cases of lead poisoning have been confirmed in 2018. Last year a total of 132 cases were reported, and four were identified in minors varying from newborns to four-year-olds.
Unlike the Hillsborough’s preventive program, the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas does not follow up with lead cases based on screening maps.
“For children normally pediatricians routinely screen for lead at their 12 and 20-month visit”, explained epidemiologist Rebecca Bohinc. According to Bohinc, who’s in charge of all reportable lead cases through the County’s Disease Control and Health Protection Division, even if a child lives in a high-risk area that isn’t monitored, pediatricians will normally conduct blood tests.
In Pinellas County, between 2017 and 2018, 23 cases have been confirmed and only two cases of lead poisoning have been traced back to newborns up to the age of four.
Keeton’s recent visits to the Tampa neighborhoods coincide with a recent amendment of the Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act of 2017 (S.1854). The bill, which excludes lead found in tap water, aims to protect children living in federally assisted housing from lead-based poisoning.
The bipartisan bill, if passed, would require Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to ensure mandated risk assessments for lead-based hazards in low-income housing constructed prior to 1978 before a family moves in.
The Childcare Center on East 21st Ave is neighboring with older houses built pre 1978 that have lead-based paint, as Keeton explained. Three blocks south from the Center, two uninhabited houses showed noticeable paint chips and lead dust on their walls and railing.
“If I were to go up here and touch this area, that’s where the lead is. A family probably lived here, in this condition and moved recently”, she said referring to an uninhabited house on 14th Ave, just a few feet away from the highway traffic of I-4.
Pinellas County, however, has not been nearly as proactive as Hillsborough. Pinellas doesn’t have a counterpart for Keeton’s position or a process for mitigating lead poisoning that resembles Hillsborough’s current program.
Ryan Callihan and Evy Guerra contributed to this story.
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Who’s Got the Power?: Duke Energy Struggles to Turn On St. Pete
By Eillin Delapaz
Source: Duke Energy Florida Atlantic hurricanes have been the strongest and most destructive on record according to Weather Underground. Irma, the season’s second hurricane not only made landfall in Florida as a category 4, but caused severe flooding and left millions of people without power— the Tampa Bay Times reports a total 62 percent of the state to be exact.
Duke Energy, which provides power for 1.8 million customers across Florida, had 1.2 million homes and businesses experience power outages for days. The Tampa Bay Times reports more than half of Pinellas County’s Duke customers were still without power late Tuesday, Sept. 17. Many people showed their frustrations with Duke, lashing out across social media and complaining about the lack of communication and timely restoration.
“We lost power for about a week,” SPC student and Midtown resident, Brandon said in the wake of Irma, “it wasn’t until the following Friday that I got full power, since we only had half power.”
For Brandon, partial power meant that his family had to travel between other family members’ homes to cook food and take hot showers. Although some rooms in his house had lights, the refrigerator was one of the main appliances affected and all of the food within was lost.
Half power -otherwise known as partial power or “brown-outs”- can leave only 120-volt outlets working, meaning larger appliances which require 240-volt service might be inoperable, according to Florida Power and Lighting’s Frequently Asked Questions page.
Duke Energy’s website explains that they will not accept responsibility for “spoiled food and other losses caused by the storm,” and advises customers to seek assistance from individual insurers and/or FEMA.
A majority of Midtown stores closed for days, and those that did open were mainly fast-food restaurants with massive lines. As a student, Brandon found the partial power the most frustrating aspect of dealing with the effects of Hurricane Irma.
“There were a lot of assignments that I could not get done,” Brandon added.
Many news organizations have stated that hurricane Irma has caused the largest mass evacuation in U.S. history – nearly 6 million Floridians ordered to evacuate. While many fled to northern counties, others fled the state all together. Many St. Petersburg residents are left feeling concerned about the city’s overall preparedness and are questioning whether or not their city could actually survive an intense hurricane with the same magnitude as Irma or stronger.
Midtown resident and cyclist Mike faced different problems during his evacuation to North Florida. As a cyclist, planning where to go and how to get there was only the precursor to excessive traffic and confusion on the roads in the days leading up to Irma.
“I’m on a bike; I can’t just crank up and leave. If I know people, I can call them [for help]; you [aren’t] prepared like that,” Mike said.
Wholly, Pinellas County is a flood zone with coastal mandatory evacuation zones only 11 feet above sea-level maximum. Not to mention, Florida is known to be extremely susceptible and vulnerable to severe coastal flooding. Fortunately for St. Petersburg, Irma shifted away from the city, not causing any flooding for coastal properties this time.
But the city shouldn’t be so placid. According to The United States Landfalling Hurricane Web Project co-authored by scientific experts from Colorado State University and Bridgewater State University, the 50 year probability of 1 or more named storms making landfall in Pinellas County is as high as 88.1%.
According to Climate Central, since 1998 atmospheric temperatures have continually risen – every year breaks a record and 2016 ranks as the hottest year yet.
Source: Climate Central “10 Hottest years on Record”
The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory states that “Anthropogenic warming by the end of the 21st century will likely cause tropical cyclones to have substantially higher rainfall rates than present-day ones, with a model-projected increase of about 10-15% for rainfall rates averaged within about 100 km of the storm center.”So, what is St. Petersburg’s plan?
Hurricane preparedness and disaster prevention are critical topics for Floridians, and Mayor Rick Kriseman has been preparing a plan, but was unavailable to provide us with specific insight and preparedness in the wake of Hurricane Irma. However in 2015, the City Council Committee voted to make St. Petersburg the first Florida city to commit to 100 percent renewable energy and reduce its carbon footprint.
This plan has been in the works for two years, it has become somewhat of a ghost story: residents are not aware of the parameters of the plan and have not physically seen any of its results.
When asked what he had seen so far implemented around the city in regards to this plan, Brandon divulged that it was the “first time [he] had heard about it.”
Laterally, the city is a participant of the STAR rating community system which is the United State’s first in depth plan created by local governments themselves to rank local environmental and sustainability measures. It allows communities to also record and compare their efforts to other communities while establishing such objectives. As of December 2016, St. Pete received a 3-STAR community rating out of the possible five.
In 2015, the city also adopted the “Peril of Flood Act” — an extensive plan with many goals intended to protect the city and its residents from disaster hazards. As outlined in the 2017 workshop established by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, the statute must include six main components:
- Include development and redevelopment principles, strategies, and engineering solutions that reduce the flood risk in coastal areas which results from high-tide events, storm surge, flash floods, stormwater runoff, and the related impacts of sea-level rise.
- Encourage the use of best practices development and redevelopment principles, strategies, and engineering solutions that will result in the removal of coastal real property from flood zone designations established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
- Identify site development techniques and best practices that may reduce losses due to flooding and claims made under flood insurance policies issued in this state.
- Be consistent with, or more stringent than, the flood-resistant construction requirements in the Florida Building Code and applicable flood plain management regulations set forth in 44 C.F.R. part 60.
- Require that any construction activities seaward of the coastal construction control lines established pursuant to s. 161.053 be consistent with chapter 161.
- Encourage local governments to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to achieve flood insurance premium discounts for their residents.
On Oct. 19, a city council meeting took place with HERS, Health, Energy, Resiliency & Sustainability Committee. Covered was the city of St. Petersburg’s Integrated Sustainability Action Plan which includes tasks for greenhouse gas inventory and energy data, 100% clean energy road map and resiliency/vulnerability assessment among other tasks.
Sharon Wright, the city’s Sustainability & Resiliency manager stated that the 100% Clean Energy Roadmap would actually be the first step towards that initiative and explained that the action plan in its entirety would help the city move towards a 5-STAR rating.
As for resiliency and vulnerability, “we’re partnered with the county and they’re in the final stages hopefully of signing their contract with their consultant to model vulnerability as – storm surge, sea-level rise, and how critical infrastructure and vulnerable populations would be affected”, said Wright.
Watch the full city council meeting below.
Duke Energy’s stance
Following Hurricane Irma, Duke Energy Spokeswoman Ana Gibbs said the utility company has yet to establish a communication and social media plan that would work to improve the issues faced during the mass power outage caused by Irma. However, she says that Duke Energy “maintains an extensive storm plan that is regularly reviewed, drilled and revised to ensure that all employees are poised to spring into action when the time comes.”
In regards to future plans, she states that “the company is also investing in advanced technologies to transform the energy grid into a dynamic system to automatically detect, isolate and reroute power when a problem occurs.”
In the following days and then weeks after Hurricane Irma, Duke made thousands of automated calls to customers with vague updates about the surrounding counties, but no specifics. Residents were often unable to get into contact with actual operators for more information.
“My mom called them twice; I called them twice, but we kept getting the automated messages,” Brandon said, lamenting about not even getting an option to speak to an operator.
Mass e-mails were sent out to the universal client list before and after the hurricane as well. The final e-mail sent out Sept. 28 explained the “unanticipated challenges in [their] communications technology” which kept them from disseminating the “real-time information” expected of them. In addition, they listed the donations and grants put into play to “fundamentally improve [their] ability to keep [customers] informed.”
Source: Duke Energy However, while Duke’s donation of $1 million in the aftermath of the hurricane seems a grand total, when put into perspective of the total costs of preparations and recovery efforts–the amount falls short of spectacular. According to U.S. News, as of midway through September, preparation and restoration efforts had totaled $273,522,000: Duke Energy’s input totals only 0.0037%. Considering their total assets as of 2016 totaled over $132 billion, according to their annual reports, the funds Duke “allocated” and “awarded” were simple platitudes for their majority incensed clientele.
But how does Duke stack up next to the city’s renewable energy commitment?
Source: Duke Energy [Left] Duke Energy’s Florida settlement agreement will take effect January 2018 and will allow the city and its customers to transition to the renewable energy technology that is necessary for the city to become self sustainable.
The utility company has been working on advancing towards a renewable energy future. Duke Energy Florida is partnering with various Florida universities to further their research and development by installing 100-kilowatt solar PV systems, locally funding a $1 million solar PV installation at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg with a new solar energy storage system in the 5th Ave South Parking Garage.
On Aug. 29, 2017 right before hurricane Irma, Duke Energy Florida filed an improved settlement agreement with the Florida Public Service Commision (FPSC).
The shared news release states three main initiatives:
- Investments in grid modernization, smart meters, solar, electric vehicle charging stations, battery storage, and new programs to enhance customer choices
- Four-year plan to add 700 megawatts (MW) of solar energy including its next 74.9-MW universal solar power plant in Hamilton County
- To end the Levy Nuclear Project with no further charges to customers
Duke’s overall solar power installation plan for its Florida customers is to have 12 universal solar power plants totaling 718 MW by 2023.
“Duke Energy Florida will also provide more than 500 electric vehicle charging stations throughout our communities, along with the infrastructure with grid communications as part of a five-year pilot program,” Gibbs said.
Source: Duke Energy However, their 2016 annual report reveals their use of fossil fuels is still much greater than their use of renewables. Most of their current plans advertise a more sustainable future, but the numbers suggest that future is much further off than their public announcements impress. Their hydro and solar power maxed at 1% of their total generated power–a infantile number in comparison to the 35% coal and 35% nuclear power Duke was responsible for.
Edited by: Nicolet Hartmann and Karrah Johnson
Lastest edit: Andrea
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Cooking with Chef Collins: BBQ Cooking Class
By: Alyssa Fedorovich
At the St. Pete Culinary Center, Chef Patrick “PT” Collins was the guest chef at their BBQ cooking class. Chef Collins is an entrepreneur and owner of Deuces BBQ in Midtown, St. Petersburg. As guest chef, he taught the students the importance of cooking as a trade as well as the art of cooking of BBQ. The program is designed to help at-risk youths learn a trade that is in demand as well as assist them in finding a job in the culinary industry. The video covers Chef Collins class as he taught the youths to cook BBQ.
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Campaign revolutionaries: Two radical candidates hope to shake up St. Pete politics
By Indhira Suero Acosta
Eritha “Akile” Cainion, running for City Council 6, and Jesse Nevel, for Mayor, addressed the Tropicana Field’s future and housing issues during a rally held on April 9, 2017, at the St. Petersburg Uhuru House.
Eritha “Akile” Cainion, a 20-year-old activist who works as a cashier at a local shoe store, launched her campaign for St. Pete City Council’s District 6 seat on March 6 in front of the recently shuttered Midtown Walmart Neighborhood Market.
Jesse Nevel, the national chair of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement — a group of white activists that supports the efforts of the African People’s Socialist Party (a.k.a. the Uhurus) — entered the race for mayor, on March 8, 2017, standing in front of Tropicana Field.
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Academy Prep Sixth Grade Students on Water Conservation & Lead
Academy Prep St. Petersburg (APSP) sixth grade students tested the water in Midtown St. Petersburg to check for the presence of lead in the water. They made a few discoveries and wrote a water conservation article in Steam Magazine and broadcasted their reports.
“Lead is severely dangerous. It is dangerous because it can hurt people in many ways. For many adults, lead can cause high blood pressure and memory problems (“Lead Poisoning and Health,” 2016) For children, this can cause behavior disorders, effects on brain development, anemia, and hypertension (“Lead Poisoning and Health,” 2016). Lead can be found in paint and water. It is dangerous when found in the water because people cook and drink the water. Water needs to be clean because that’s the main resource and used to keep people healthy and hydrated.”
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Having the ‘Talk’: Help Us Help U provides sex education to young adults in poor communities
Listen to the audio file here:
By Devin Rodriguez
Pinellas County is ranked number one in Acute Hepatitis C in Florida. It’s ranked number seven for HIV infections, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Sexually transmitted infections disproportionately affect low-income areas, like Midtown or the greater Southside of St. Petersburg, in part because of poor education and a lack of consistent health care.
Two employees for Help Us Help U, an education program in Pinellas County, are trying to reach out to young people and provide them with reasons to care about their health.
Loreal Dolar (left in photo above) and Maureen Oginga (right in photo above) often visit community centers, like local public libraries, with food to draw young people into an educational workshop they call ‘Say It Straight.’ Not only do the two discuss proper STD prevention, but also provide information about positive relationship behaviors. These workshops are targeted to people 13-24 years old.
“We really believe that that is a really important age group because they’re the one’s that can start from the ground up and learn more from the community,” said Dolar. “We really want to help them make a better stance in the people that they interact with and encourage more educational behavior when it comes to health education.”Help Us Help U works in part for the Pinellas Substance Abuse HIV Awareness Responsibility Program (SHARP). SHARP provides both HUHU and the Pinellas Ex-Offender Reentry Program (PERC) which provides education and community resources to people recently released from correctional facilities.
Dolar and Oginga said that they have seen first-hand the need for these programs in poor communities. While education is an important resource for prevention, HUHU also provides testing and information about living with an STD.
One of the biggest issues we’re facing is when individuals end up testing positive, they have a hard time finding health care services and health resources,” Dolar said. “A lot of them may be uninsured; some don’t know where to go.”
Health care has drastically improved over the past decade, but HIV infections are still rising, according to the CDC. HUHU and the greater Pinellas SHARP program consider educating youth in the community to be paramount to lessening the chance of infection.
“Our biggest goal is [to reduce] the cases of substance abuse for HIV infections. So, increase HIV testing and basically pushing for prevention within the community,” Oginga said.
Both Dolar and Oginga are USF alums. Dolar was a graduate student, and Oginga an undergraduate who was recommended to apply by a professor she kept in touch with. Oginga said that she is excited about the responsibilities.
“This is my first job doing actual public health work,” Oginga said. “I didn’t know anything jumping off my degree, and this falls way above my expectations. I’m working with youth and doing outreach, also the analytical side of public health, so I got way more than I expected.”
The hardest obstacle, Oginga said, was connecting with youth. Since the two center their message on health education and behavior, it can be difficult to draw in young adults.
“Youth, they’re not particularly too excited about learning about their health. That’s always a challenge, finding people who are kind of standoffish,” said Oginga. “That’s a very big challenge, we try to do as much as we can, show our face every so often, go to different locations to make those type of connections. Initially, it’s kind of challenging but once we get past that barrier, it becomes [easier] to deal with.”
To find out more go to huhuinc.org.
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NNB in the media: Midtown comes into focus as USFSP students share neighborhood stories
NNB was featured on 83 Degrees Media in a story by Janan Talafer and photos by Julie Branaman. Please read the full story here.
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