Interactive Narratives

Since it opened in 2007, Pinellas Hope has grown into Pinellas County's primary way station for the homeless. Spread out on 13 acres in an isolated, industrial area near Pinellas Park, it is run by Catholic Charities and receives more than $1 million in public funding each year. It holds about 300 people at capacity and roughly 800 pass through a year. That's large by shelter standards,but only puts a dent in Pinellas County's overall homeless population, estimated at 7,000. Nicknamed "Tent City" by residents, it offers centralized services: Laundry, computers, telephones, GED classes, medical check ups and caseworkers who guide residents through the ropes. But admission comes with a price. No alcohol, no drugs, no families, though couples are allowed. More…

An interactive tour of the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure. If you choose to take our Wizarding World challenge, you will be tested with a series of questions worthy of O.W.L. accreditation. As you answer the questions you will be granted a sneak peak at the new attractions - photos, video and highlights for the real HP fan just dying to dive in to Hogwarts. So go on, dust off your wands, conjure your best spells and see how well you measure up. But beware! We're not entirely sure what will happen should you fail. More…

In the early 1900s, at a time when most waterfront cities had ports and industrial plants, a crusading editor named W.L. Straub pressed this city to make its waterfront a public park. Today, 100 years later, St. Petersburg has the third largest waterfront park in North America behind only Chicago and Vancouver. A spiky skyline has taken shape with six new condo towers rising in the last decade alone. So we wondered, with so many new skyscrapers and such varied architectural styles, did we do a good job of framing the unique waterfront park that Straub and other city pioneers left us? More…

The Florida panther is in worse shape than ever. Although there are now 100 of them, thanks to a bold genetic experiment in 1995, the panthers are crowded into a smaller area than ever. Officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have never blocked any development that wipes out panther habitat, even manipulating numbers and using flawed science to justify saying yes to projects. As a result, genetic defects and other problems are now cropping up, leading to predictions that the state animal is just a dead cat walking. More…

For teenagers at a school for troubled girls, etiquette classes open another world. A job at the mall. A first dress and high heels. The courage to look in the mirror. The girls had grown up poor, lost their parents to drugs and jail and God knows what. They emerged from childhood uncouth and unrefined. Most had never eaten at a nice restaurant, set a table or put on makeup. Not one of them had ever walked in heels. More…

What's happened to the Antarctic silverfish, which has gone missing from much of its range along the Antarctic coast? How has this disappearance affected the Adelie penguin, one of the silverfish's primary consumers in the food chain? Are both of these events connected to the effects of global warming on animals? Dr. Joseph Torres, a University of South Florida marine biologist, is leading a team of scientists intent on answering these questions. The investigative mission is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. More…

The St. Petersburg Times commissioned independent testing of samples of kid-friendly apple juice boxes. That testing found levels of arsenic in some samples that surpass the Food and Drug Administration's "level of concern" for heavy metals in juices. Federal officials have said they found no reason for parents to worry, but some scientists say the results are worrisome. How concerned should you be? You be the judge. The Times paid for the testing of two samples each of eight national brands, plus two samples from a local company that supplies public schools throughout the Tampa Bay area. More…

One wily monkey's ability to elude trappers for more than a year as it traipsed across the Tampa Bay area is drawing legions of curious spectators and adoring fans. Authorities have tried luring him into traps with fruit, grabbing him as he scrambles a few feet away and twice shot him with tranquilizer darts. All to no avail. The monkey can cover vast distances quickly, which explains why it has been seen in three counties and covered hundreds of miles in a year. It is shy and not considered a threat to humans. Still, it's a wild animal and could attack if it feels threatened, officials warn. Trappers are trying to capture the monkey mostly for its own protection. More…

The Tampa Museum of Art is a new art museum in Tampa, Florida. It is designed by Stanley Saitowitz, a San Francisco architect who has designed distinctive architecture in San Francisco and other cities. The Tampa museum's opening shows feature art by Henri Matisse. Prints, paintings and sculpture by Matisse are included. The Tampa Museum of Art also will have contemporary art from the Margulies Collection, photographs by late 20th-century photographer Garry Winogrand, 20th century paintings by famous modern artists and Greek and Roman antiquities. The lobby's showpiece is an 800-pound mobile by Alexander Calder, the only art displayed on the ground floor. More…

Leonardo da Vinci wasn't just interested in anything. Da Vinci was fascinated with everything. The human body and nature. Physics and mechanics. Military engineering. Music. He wrote fables and was a philosopher. Now da Vinci's thoughts, sketches and words come to life in this interactive exhibit, one of the largest ever shown at MOSI. Look inside the mind of a genius in this interactive exhibit that will appeal to adults and children. More…