"Gussie" Busch compound in Pass-a-Grille is up for sale again! Price tag: $6.5 million

We saw on the news that the Gussie Busch house in Pass-a-Grille is up for sale again. No Buschs have lived there for a very long time and these days it's known as Bird of Paradise Resort but locals who've been around any length of time know it as the compound once owned by August "Gussie" Busch, who built the beer brewing company started by his grandfather. Story on Fox 13 said the place rents out for $3,500 to $5,000 a night. So, if you're in the market for a slightly used. famous 1950s bayside compound consisting of three houses and lots of amenities, this may be your place. Price tag: $6.5 million. Make 'em an offer.

Eckerd scientist gets a grant to study effects of climate change, acidification on corals

Did you see the recent good news for Eckerd College scientist Dr. Cory Krediet and Mote Marine Laboratory scientist Dr. Emily Hall, who received a grant to study ocean acidification and climate change conditions on corals? They'll be using  a sea anemone as a model organism. Funding is coming from the Protect Our Reefs license plate fees. Important work. Scientists tell us that we've lost 50-80 percent of our coral cover in the Caribbean and the waters off Florida in the last 30 years. The causes: some natural occurrence but also the impact of climate change, ocean acidification, pollution, and more. The video above is from ABC Channel 7 in Sarasota.

Huge restaurant project for Maximo Marina is fabulous news for the whole community

Wow! Kudos to Skyway Marina District and their efforts to raise the level of our community. Did you see the big write-up in the Tampa Bay Times about the plans by the owners of The Getaway on Gandy Boulevard to create a second restaurant in the old yacht showroom at Maximo Marina? It's expected to be a huge place – 12,000 to 13,000 square feet. This will be a welcome addition to the dining options in the district. We noticed that Tom Ando over at Broadwater Civic Association was quoted in the article as was our city commissioner, Steve Kornell. The video above offers a architectural rendering walk-through of what the project might look like. Enjoy. Read the article, and join us in the anticipation.

What goes around comes around, especially when it's a good thing from the GetGO!

There's something going round in Gulfport, and we hope it's contagious. We're pretty sure it is because volunteerism has been going strong in our favorite little bayside town for a long, long time. The latest incarnation of this inclination to give back to the community comes in the form of a free ride around town in the GetGo vehicle. The Gabber spotted that at the Pink Flamingo Tour of Homes and gave it a good write-up. It's another reason we love our community. The people are so giving.

Stetson Law student wants to represent small business, backbone of our economy

We noted with interest and admiration the other day the video interview with Stetson Law Student Bar Association President Diriki Geuka, who used to be a teacher but decided to pursue a law career instead. His reasons for doing so are inspiring. Diriki wants to practice business law and represent small business, which are the backbone of our economy. Thank you to Stetson Law for all you contribute to the betterment of our community.

A community that stays in touch with its past has great prospects for the future

Lynn Taylor had a nice write-up in The Gabber about the celebration at Island Fest this year, marking the 60th anniversary of the City of St. Pete Beach and the 100th anniversary of the building in Pass-a-Grille that houses the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum. That's a picture of Pete Mickunas in front of the museum building that once served as a church and later as a private home. It's important for a community to stay in touch with its roots, and we're more than pleased to see that happening in Pass-a-Grille. Grow old with me, poet Robert Browning said. The best is yet to be.

Students at Eckerd College have plenty of good reasons to Think Outside, don't they?

Eckerd students are so fortunate. The waterfront location and the top notch sailing program make it a remarkable place to go to school. The program added a third sailboat, a Colgate similar to the one in the picture, allowing much more flexibility. Eckerd's student newspaper, The Current, just published a feature about the program, and in particular about the new addition. A student sailing instructor, Geoffrey Nelson, told the newspaper: “Colgates are fantastic teaching boats. They have so much room, and it’s the best boat you can have for teaching.” With a campus right on Boca Ciega Bay, students have plenty of opportunity to get outside on the water. Another reason the school uses the slogan Think Outside. If you doubt it, just look at the video below posted by Eckerd.

At Eckerd College, an African princess studies, and plans to work for world peace

The Weekly Challenger had a delightful story the other day about a young lady who ought to be an inspiration to us all. She's Noela Lokolo. She's a junior at Eckerd College, and she's an African princess. She speaks five languages and is majoring in international relations and global affairs. She also is earning a double minor Chinese and political science. She has set her sights on peace building and peacemaking, and one day hopes to work at the United Nations. All the best to Noela.

When the computer isn't working, you'll want to know a fellow like Andy Glynn

If you spend any time on a computer these days, there's one person you're going to want to get to know. The one who fixes them when they don't work. At Eckerd College, that's Andy Glynn, the manager of desktop services in the Information Technology Services Department. The student newspaper, The Current, did a feature about Andy recently. That's Andy's picture above inset into a photo of all the laptops lined up and ready to go for the beginning of the semester. Andy manages a team of four who keep the computers running at Eckerd.  “My favorite thing to do is to try and get it set up to where nobody has to think about it,” he told The Current. “They show up, and then they think about their work, they think about what they have to do and they don’t have to worry about what happens in the background to make it happen.” Lucky Eckerd!

Well-known artist Gilbert Young is featured in 2nd annual Black Arts and Film Festival

He Ain't Heavy by Gilbert Young

It shows the calibre of an event in our community when it draws such a renowned and talented artist as Gilbert Young, who has a lifetime of amazing work to his credit but is, perhaps, best known for his painting, He Ain't Heavy, which is been reproduced countless times and has been printed on t-shirts worn by well-known public figures.

 The Black Arts and Film Festival is in its second year, and it showed no shortage of fine works by immensely talented people. Probably the most well known of those people was Young, who lives in Atlanta and is originally from Cincinnati, where he served for almost three decades as conservator and director of the University of Cincinnati Fine Art Collection.

 In his years, as an artist, Young has built a reputation as a gifted and innovative artist. During a live performance on stage, he once painted Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra to create a commemorative work.

He has received many awards over the years. To have him in our community was such an honor. In the video, you can see an interview with him by Allen Buchanan of The Weekly Challenger.

LIFT Academy is a fine example of the great people who live in our community

You saw the big write-up in The Gabber, didn't you, about We noted with delight the other day the project of the LIFT Academy, the day non-profit day school for special needs children. What an inspiring undertaking. Kudos to artist Caroline Duvoe, who took the lemons of her own life and turned them into lemonade. Lynn Taylor's story tells about how Caroline didn't let a setback of losing her job several years ago keep her from pursuing her passion and turning it into something positive for the community to help students like Jordan Drewes (shown in the picture with her abstract art work.) Another reason why we love our community.

The Blueberry Patch is becoming "a local hub for the literary arts" and we're thrilled

We couldn't help but notice the delightful story in The Gabber the other week about one of our favorite places in our community, The Blueberry Patch. We've included it here before, some say, in glowing terms. And no wonder! It's just a very comfortable place to be. So, it was with delight that we noticed the nice feature story Lynn Taylor had in the paper about the venue becoming "a local hub for the literary arts." Indeed, that's been coming on for awhile and, frankly, we're glad to see it. If you haven't been to The Blueberry Patch, you owe to yourself to go.

Last year Haven Allard was an Eckerd student but now his job is to help students

Haven Allard has a great job, and he knows it. He just graduated from Eckerd College and now he has a terrific job – at Eckerd College. He's the Coordinator of Recreation and Wellness Programs at Eckerd, and in his job he helps Eckerd students get relief from the stress of academia. He got a big write-up in the most recent issue of The Current, the official student newspaper of Eckerd College. Angelique Herring's feature offers a peek into the life of this young man, who just last year was a student. Haven plans to go to medical school eventually. In the meantime, he's reveling in his good fortune to find the perfect job.