A Chicago arts program preserves the city’s most famous music. It causes the most ardent supporters of arts in the schools to hesitate: “We want to give your children the blues.

”In what may initially seem a backwards idea, the Chicago School of Blues has couched a message of positivity in a program that combines the history, music, and movement associated with the blues. The traveling program has been taking this message to Chicago-area schools, cultivating the self-expression and freedom that is so often lost with shrinking arts budgets. In the process, it is preserving an art form that is forever woven into the historical fabric of the city.

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Without an Internet connection or robust smartphones, many people around the world don’t have access to instantaneous information. Question Box–a mobile phone connected to an operator–can help villagers from settling bar bets to answering serious questions about health and farming.

Ask, and you shall receive. When it comes to information in much of the developing world, this simply isn’t true. Connectivity is like air in industrialized nations: We take it for granted that we can go online with a question in mind and search a good portion of human knowledge to find the answer.

But the next time you’re in a bar settling an argument by checking IMDb on your smartphone, think about how people in other parts of the world have to resolve these questions, or even more important ones. Rural areas without decent roads or schools, never mind an Internet connection, have little to link them to the outside world. For these places, there is now Question Box.

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Begun with one Pinellas County school in 2003, the TBARTA School Pool program has grown more than 20 percent in the past year and is now offered at 37 schools in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. More than 1,200 families participate.

“The School Pool program is one of our most successful initiatives and it is absolutely free to schools and parents who want to participate,’’ said TBARTA Executive Director Bob Clifford.  “We have agreements with schools in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties but would like to expand the program to schools in all seven TBARTA counties.’’

TBARTA works with school principals and parent-teacher organizations to set up the program. Parents who are interested in carpooling register with their school and are provided matches using TBARTA’s computerized ridesharing software. TBARTA has applied for grant funding to eventually offer online registration and ride matching, as well as matches for children who bicycle or walk to school.

Parents who participate in School Pool save money on gas, as well as wear and tear on their cars.  Fewer cars around school campuses reduces congestion in drop-off and pick-up zones and improves air quality through reduced emissions.

At Clearwater Fundamental School, more than 200 families participate in the program.

“With no district-provided transportation, some of our families travel close to 40 miles per day driving their child to school,’’ said Principal David Rosenberg. “Thanks to TBARTA, parents are able to easily form carpools, allowing three or four families to share the responsibility of driving. Without this service, many of these families would be forced to move to a different school. The positive impact for us cannot be discounted.”

More information on the School Pool program, as well as other TBARTA Commuter Services, is available at www.tampabayrideshare.org. Principals or parent-teacher organizations who are interested in starting a School Pool program are invited to contact TBARTA at 800-998-RIDE.

A clean energy-powered concrete canopy with curving walkways and an underwater reef has won an international design competition to replace an aging pier in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The concept, by L.A. starchitect Michael Maltzan and Oakland-based Tom Leader Studio (the landscape architects behind this great railroad park in Birmingham), is expected to supplant the funky inverted pyramid (some say eyesore) that has presided over St. Pete’s waterfront for nearly four decades. The pyramid sits atop a pier that has declined in recent years. Rather than shell out for a retrofit, the city wants something fresh that can “redefine what the [pier] should be, and give it a new identity within the framework of an evolving downtown edge.”

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Siesta Beach in Sarasota boasts that it has the finest and whitest sand in the world, and I cannot argue with this claim; the powdery sand is nearly pure quartz crystal.  The beautiful blue-colored water is clean and clear, making it so inviting to bathers and swimmers.  The beach is hundreds of yards wide, attracting volleyball players and beachcombers as well as those who just want to find their place in the sun.  Waves at Siesta Beach are normally measured in inches and the beach gradually slopes into the Gulf waters, making it a very safe area for children.

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St. Petersburg came in at #1 in the mid-size cities category last year, with Tampa at #7. In the small cities category, Sarasota was #5, Bradenton #10 and Naples #18.

Together they developed seven stations where anyone with a cell phone can learn more about many of Tampa’s downtown treasures – from a three-diamond rated floating restaurant, to a  Native American settlement, parks, museums, performing arts centers, the Aquarium and the gateway to Tampa’s future.

At each stop between Channelside Bay Plaza and the Patel Conservatory, a sign prompts visitors to call a special number where they will hear brief descriptions of the surrounding points of interest in a voice familiar to many Tampa Bay residents, News Channel 8 anchor Gayle Sierens.

Once connected, they select from a menu of choices and get informed about such highlights as the Yacht StarShip restaurant, Tampa’s earliest settlement Cotanchobee Ft. Brook Park, the Sail Pavilion, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Glazer Children’s Museum and even USF Park among many others.

Katya Torres, a business management major who graduated in December, junior and communications major Maishia Yang, senior and finance major Thao Tran and Yazhuo Liu, a graduate student in industrial management systems engineering comprise the team that was instrumental in making this new project a reality. They will stand with Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, SIFE advisor Dameion Lovett who serves as assistant director of University Scholarships and Financial Aid Services and executives from major sponsor, Verizon, to launch the new service Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. at MacDill Park, located at 100 N. Ashley Drive.

The research that went into the project provided an education. “I was surprised to see that there’s such a wonderful small business community in downtown Tampa,” Torres said. “I learned that they really help each other and work together. I was also struck by how much they are involved with civic organizations and charities.”

Two years in the making, the idea began taking shape between former SIFE president and chapter co-founder Ferdian Jap and Friends of Riverwalk Executive Director Roger Kurz. With help from Lee Hoffman, the City of Tampa’s development manager who supported the project with the colorful signage everything looked promising except for one key ingredient – money.

SIFE members had to get creative. They came up with a charity event during Gasparilla but it wasn’t until Verizon stepped in with a sizable donation that the project reached completion. “Verizon’s involvement really got things moving,” said Torres. “The project is pretty much self-sustaining and really low-maintenance. The Friends of Riverwalk board of directors will oversee things long after we’ve all graduated and gone on to pursue our careers.”

Working on the project helped reinforce Torres’ decision to plan to continue living in Tampa as she makes plans to attend law school. “This is a wonderful city, a growing city and a truly great canvas for entrepreneurs,” Torres said.

According to Torres, “We form lifelong friendships, we connect with local businesses, we get tremendous mentoring from experienced entrepreneurs in addition to learning about how to raise money. And one of the most satisfying parts is getting involved with educating the community about financial issues and finding ways to make sustainability a winning proposition for businesses.”

Many cities in America are facing the slow decline of their main streets and shopping areas. But a new program in Oakland might be the key to reviving vibrant, local commercial centers. All it takes is a little free rent and some entrepreneurial spirit.

Old Oakland, a historic district in downtown Oakland, California, has long struggled in its quest for vibrancy. It’s not that the neighborhood is in an inconvenient location; it’s close to the Oakland convention center and multiple transportation hubs. And it’s not because the area is ugly–it contains some beautiful buildings. But the combination of a down national economy and Oakland’s local struggles (the city has a 16% unemployment rate) have left retailers scared to open new shops and restaurants in the area.

Local entrepreneur Alfonso Dominguez has at least three reasons to be passionate about the area–he owns a taqueria, a restaurant, and a bar in the district. After spending too long staring at empty storefronts (and storefronts taken up by offices), he decided to do something.

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Usually when you see someone holding a cardboard sign in St. Petersburg, they are asking for money, food or work. But this past Saturday (Jan. 21), a slew of signs around downtown read “FREE HUGS.” As part of the annual National Hugging Day, Keep Saint Petersburg Local organized the Free Hugs Fest, which had locals embracing all along Central Avenue, Beach Drive and at the Saturday Morning Market.

Even St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster was on deck with arms outstretched.

“Today is national hugging day and we are out supporting local businesses,” Foster said. “As mayor, this is just fun.”

Foster later added that he even showered and put on some “good smelly stuff.”

Free Hugs Fest was the brainchild of Sheri Kendrick, owner of Enchanted Forest Photography and a Keep Saint Petersburg Local board member.

“I saw some YouTube videos of other National Hugging Day events,” Kendrick said. “I was so moved with the whole thing.”

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A new, permanent art installation called “Agua Luces,” Spanish for “water lights,” is planned in Tampa.

The project, an extension of the city’s “Lights on Tampa” installation, will permanently light four bridges with low-energy LED lighting, a statement from the city of Tampa said.

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