Fetish Con finds acceptance in hip, trendy St. Petersburg and other top stories.

• Fetish Con finds acceptance in hip, trendy St. Petersburg

  

  ST. PETERSBURG Murdoch Tremblay recently made the 29-hour drive from Kansas to Florida for what he calls his annual family reunion. Not his actual family, but an extended family of thousands who gather each year at Fetish Con, united by their enjoyment of costumes, role-playing and tying each other up. The 48-year-old, who goes by the alias "Tater Salad," has only missed Fetish Con once since attending his first in 2004. He's a rope guy — bringing a travel bag filled with dozens of handmade rope..

  >> view original



• St. Petersburg's 40th Avenue Bridge closed for emergency repairs

  

  ST. PETERSBURG — The 40th Avenue Bridge, which connects the Northeast Park neighborhood and Shore Acres, was closed Friday for emergency repairs after an inspection revealed "accelerated deterioration" of the support structure, according to the city. The bridge is expected to be closed for about two weeks, and traffic will be rerouted to the Snell Isle Boulevard NE Bridge south of the closure or the Bayou Grande Boulevard access from 62nd Avenue N. The closing will not impact boaters this weeken..

  >> view original



• Upscale Beach Drive in St. Petersburg gets its first mural

  

  >> view original



• Police: St. Pete man arrested for abusing 5-yr-old boy causing him to ...

  

  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A St. Petersburg man has been arrested after he reportedly punched a 5-year-old boy he was caring for, in the head and abdomen, causing severe injuries. John Gerald Whelan, 41, was charged with aggravated child abuse with great bodily harm and child neglect. Fire rescue and police were called to a home in St. Pete at 7:42 p.m. on Thursday, August 10 for a 5-year-old boy having medical issues. The child was transported to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital where doctors..

  >> view original



• Engine Rose in St. Petersburg has closed

  

  Engine Rose, the sister restaurant to St. Petersburg burger joint Engine No. 9, quietly closed Aug. 9. The restaurant in the Grand Central District was originally opened in 2012 by Jason Esposito, the owner of Engine No. 9 and son of Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Tony Esposito. On Facebook Aug. 9, Jason Esposito indicated that when it came down to the lease renewal, Engine Rose declined. "We enjoyed the three years there and all the great people we got to serve," Esposito wrote. "Rents are chan..

  >> view original



• Editorial: St. Petersburg can't ignore Midtown's decline

  

  There is no way to sugarcoat it. St. Petersburg's poor, predominantly black neighborhoods south of downtown remain headed in the wrong direction. They have not benefited from downtown's revival or the overall economic recovery. Reversing decades of generational poverty remains a challenge in most major cities, and it will take a renewed commitment from the next mayor as well as more investment from both the public and private sectors to create more positive trend lines. By virtually every measur..

  >> view original



• Here's how TBBJ readers would vote today in the St. Petersburg ...

  

  >> view original



• St. Pete police conduct mock armed gunman drill at mall

  

  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – St. Petersburg police were preparing for the worst when they took part in a mock drill at the Tyrone Square Mall. Their mission in this simulated exercise was to find an armed gunman. Even though it was a practice round, St. Petersburg police know this could happen at a very public place anywhere around the city, including the mall. At around 6:30 a.m., police cruisers sped into the mall’s parking lot and descended on the mall. Thoughts, no doubt, racing thr..

  >> view original



• St. Pete eyes Latin American tourists with La Cita conference

  

  >> view original



• Bill Edwards hires outside firm to manage Sundial St. Pete

  

  ST. PETERSBURG — Sundial St. Pete is under new management. Chicago-based JLL, a property management firm, is taking over day-to-day management for the downtown St. Petersburg shopping center. Sundial owner Bill Edwards, who also owns the Tampa Bay Rowdies among other interests, said in a statement Friday that he has "invested a great deal of time, energy, money and passion into making Sundial the heart of downtown St. Pete." Edwards bought Sundial in 2011 after an earlier outdoor retail mall ..

  >> view original

St. Pete-based Newport Organization buys Mass. seafood company .	3 teens in stolen SUV killed in crash near St. Petersburg ... .
St. Pete sends Pinellas request to add millions to pier project .	Ex-CIA Chief Reveals Mounting Concern Over Trump Campaign and Russia .