Sunset Beach Reopening

The dune restoration is complete on Sunset Beach on Treasure Island, and will reopen Saturday morning. City crews are wrapping things up and making sure the parking lots are in good shape after all the heavy equipment was on the site for the emergency work. Funding was provided by Pinellas County and Visit St. Pete/Clearwater. There’s another project underway on Treasure Island, with the announcement that HGTV’S “Rock the Block” has begun shooting the new season there, which is scheduled for air in March of 2024.

The Skyway 10K will start taking registrations this Monday at 8 am for the 8,000 available spots, but the won’t be using the lottery system any longer. General admission will cost runners $125 per person, and for VIP registration is $300, but only open to for the first 500 who register. The old lottery system won’t be used this year, so when those spots are gone, they’re gone. 100% of the proceeds from the Skyway 10K benefit the Armed Forces Family Foundation.

Pinellas County school teachers will receive a 4.5% raise after Board approved the increase last night by a vote of 6-0. The state had proposed a 1.41% raise. That will mean an extra $1,000 to $2,600 in paychecks starting next year.

Airbnb is using a new weapon to crack down on people who leave the rentals trashed after illegal large parties - artificial intelligence. The system will identify renters in advance that could be a problem across the US and Canada. With Halloween weekend here, they’d like to avoid problems before they start.

The popular Sylvan Ramble Lights show in South Tampa has become a victim of its own success. The Johnson family in South Tampa said their home’s light show has drawn large weekend crowds, and not all the neighbors are happy about that. This year will be the last after seven years, with charitable contributions reaching $40,000. The full story is in the Tampa Bay Times.

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