The Tampa Museum of Art opens Saturday after 10 years of controversy and setbacks. That saga is ended; let’s close the book.

Time to begin a new story, one better suited to a museum: the story of its life.

A museum’s most obvious job is to showcase art. Director Todd Smith has assembled an impressive lineup of exhibitions for the inaugural season. The centerpiece, taking up 50 percent of gallery space, is a large show of prints, paintings and sculpture by Henri Matisse. The museum’s fine permanent collection of antiquities has been reinstalled and photographs from Garry Winogrand’s “Women are Beautiful” series, also from the permanent collection, will be displayed for the first time as a group. Other galleries are devoted to mid-20th century abstract paintings from the Bank of America collection, contemporary art on loan from the famous Margulies Collection in Miami as well as a video art installation.

Full story

Florida public schools ranked 8th overall in Education Week magazine’s annual Quality Counts, a report card that grades states on education performance and policy. Florida earned top marks for its Teaching Profession (ranked 4th in the nation); Standards, Assessments, & Accountability (5th); and K-12 Achievement (7th).

Full story

Cast your vote with AmericanStyle magazine to keep St. Petersburg featured as a Top 25 Arts destination in the country for a ninth straight year. Tampa is also included on the list. Votes are being accepted through February 26 and survey participants are automatically entered into a drawing for a $500 travel certificate.

Vote here

Companies whose social investments focus on women in developing economies help not only the recipients but also themselves.

IBM  unveiled a new experiential exhibit at Disney’s Epcot Resort, which explores the idea of building a “smarter planet.”

The exhibit is powered by a new Smarter Data Center, providing a real-life demonstration of optimized computing that reduces energy costs by up to 25%.

SmarterPlanet offers visitors a “behind-the-scenes” glimpse of how technology is helping solve the world’s most complex problems–from reducing road traffic and city crime to improving food safety and local water supplies.

Full story

A new program offered through the Pinellas County in partnership with the University of Florida Extension Service, now provides a green designation for local businesses. After completing a self-evaluation checklist through the Extension’s website, Pinellas County staff provides support in implementing many green practices and to help maximize the ability of businesses to operate in a sustainable way, resulting in a Green Business Partnership award.

Click here to learn more

The electric hybrid system allows the man-lift to operate without running the diesel engine. In addition, the electric motor provides a reduction in noise, making it ideal for early morning or late evening operations.

These trucks are estimated to use up to 60 percent less fuel for utility type applications and 30 – 40 percent less fuel while driving. They also will require up to 87 percent less idle time and their regenerative braking feature captures energy to charge the battery that would normally be converted to heat and waste. In summary, more than $5,000 annually will be saved per vehicle.

One of these vehicles will be on display at the E3:  Energy, Environment and Economics Regional Forum held tomorrow (Jan. 29) at the St. Pete Times Forum in downtown Tampa.

While these are Hillsborough County’s first heavy duty hybrid-electric vehicles, they are not the first alternative fuel vehicles in the fleet. Hillsborough County Fleet Management Department’s 18 existing alternative hybrid vehicles include one Honda NGV, 10 Toyota Prius hybrids, and seven Ford Escape hybrid SUV’s. In addition, Hillsborough County has a large number of flex fuel vehicles that are capable of operating on either gasoline or E85 Ethanol.

Hillsborough County Fleet Management continues to implement green initiatives that have already earned them national recognitions over the past two years. The County’s fleet has been reduced by more than 380 vehicles and pieces of equipment, and this fiscal year, fuel usage is expected to reach its lowest since 2002. A reduction of 264,000-gallons in fuel was realized in FY09 with a recently implemented utilization and fuel conservation program.

The installation of on-board oil filtration technology systems eliminates the need for oil changes on certain pieces of heavy duty vehicles and equipment used in Fire Rescue, Solid Waste Management and the Sunshine Line. Among its many benefits, this system, allows for a longer engine life, improved fuel economy, reduced consumption of petroleum based products, reduced downtime, and a 90 percent reduction in waste oil generation, handling and storage. Fully implemented, this project is projected to save up to $1.5 million over the useful life of the participating vehicles, which does not include the cost and ongoing liability associated with handling up to 1 million quarts of waste engine oil over the lifecycle of these vehicles. In addition, preventive maintenance service intervals have been extended on light and medium duty vehicles to maximize oil usage and minimize waste oil generation, resulting in $235,000 in annual savings.

Hillsborough County Fleet Management maintains more than 3,800 vehicles and pieces of equipment used by more than 25 departments. It has been named the No. 1 public sector fleet department in North America by Government Fleet Magazine for the past two years, and has earned the Environmental Protection Commission’s Green Star Certification for implementing best management practices and pollution prevention strategies.

For more information on Hillsborough County’s Fleet Management Department visit www.hillsboroughcounty.org/fleet

The full contest details are here: http://www.magnetic.com/contest/

Landscape 911, a fundraiser for the non-profit 3D arts teaching facility, is open for entries now until March 31. The grand prize winner will receive a professional landscape plan by Christopher Ross plus a few gifts to get them started. In celebration of Earth Day 40, the winner will be announced on April 21st. The contest is open to homeowners in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties.

To enter, homeowners are asked to send 250 words about why their landscape needs help. The short essay should be accompanied by up to five supporting documents such as photos, complaints from neighbors or code violations. A panel of judges, including Ross, will choose the grand prize winner. The entry fee is $25.

The grand prize will be a professional consultation and custom landscape plan valued at more than $1,000, donated by Ross, a well known local landscape architectural designer and consultant. Lots of prizes will be awarded in a random drawing from all entries at the conclusion of the contest, including gardening gift certificates, Industrial Arts Center memberships, Blow Your Own Glass Masterpiece certificates, and hand-blown glass art.

Christopher Ross ASLA is a landscape architectural designer and consultant with a 25-year “hands on” practice in residential landscape design and installation. Predominantly working within the Tampa Bay area, Ross holds a unique background as a fourth generation native Floridian who travels the state as a historic preservation specialist.

The Grand Prize is a professional consultation and custom Florida friendly landscape plan that includes Ross’ advice on installation and planting. This includes the initial site visit and consultation to evaluate the site, the condition of the landscape, and to discuss the winner’s lifestyle and dreams for their external space. There will be two follow-up visits. One to discuss the her initial concept for the plan and the second to present the final design. Installation and materials are not included, except those donated by event sponsors.

Entries may be mailed to the Industrial Arts Center at 2902A Beach Boulevard South, Gulfport, FL 33707. For more information, please call the Industrial Arts Center online at www.IndustrialArtsCenter.org or call 727-289-9365.

For information about participating as a sponsor, please call Amy at the Industrial Arts Center 727-289-9365. Sponsors will be featured on all printed promotional materials, mass emails, and posted on the Industrial Arts Center website.

Hillsborough County’s Affordable Housing Department will be releasing $1.18 million on Friday, Feb. 5, to help eligible residents in unincorporated Hillsborough County, Temple Terrace and Plant City buy their first home through its First-Time Home Buyer Program.

The First-Time Home Buyer Program provides income eligible residents with deferred payment loans for downpayments and closing costs and helps residents get mortgage financing with private lending institutions.

As is standard procedure, only eligible lenders, not residents, must submit applications in person to reserve a portion of the funds.  The application will be available at the Affordable Housing Department office at 1208 Tech Blvd., Suite 300, in Tampa on Friday, Feb. 5, beginning at 8:30 a.m. No email, telephonic, or fax submissions will be accepted. The lenders can then assist residents that they applied for complete the program.  Applications are approved on a first-come, first-served basis.

To be eligible to participate in this release of funds, lenders must attend a mandatory Certified Lender Partner Workshop, offered at the Cooperative Extension offices at 5339 S. County Road 579 in Seffner, Florida, on Thursday, Feb. 4, from 2-4 p.m.  Applications will ONLY be received from lender organizations designated as a Certified Lender Partner, as a result of attending the mandatory workshop.

Additional program details and requirements will be covered at the Lender Workshop and are listed on the Affordable Housing First Time Home Buyer Program website at: http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/affordablehousingoffice and then click on “First Time Home Buyers.”

For more information, contact Judy Jones of the Affordable Housing Department at 813-272-6680 or via email at jonesj@hillsboroughcounty.org.