Some current favorites include an Italy Segreta feature on the history of the right to divorce in Italy, a Poynter piece on the UK’s most interesting local news start-up and an Italy Segreta researched column on why Italy’s women writers are so dark. (And click here for my 2024 round-up of my favorite stories!)
Features
Is Sarasota changing for good?, Sarasota Magazine
Inside New College of Florida’s radical transformation, Sarasota Magazine
As philanthropy spends big to fight news deserts, 3 frontline news outlets share what they need, Poynter
How a youth-focused experiment queued up The Washington Post to cover an unprecedented election, Poynter
Everything you need to know about parmigiano reggiano, Italy Segreta
Becky Ayech fights for Old Miakka’s rural way of life, Sarasota Magazine
Behind the glitz and glamor: the real lives of Italy’s nobility, Italy Segreta (reported in Italian)
The strange surrealist magic of Dora Maar, Smithsonian Magazine
Spoken Latin is making a comeback, Smithsonian Magazine
What it’s like to live in a state run by politicians you disagree with, Teen Vogue
What it means to be a Florentine, Italy Segreta, reported partially in Italian
Italy’s uninhabited islands: is abandonment a blessing or a curse?, Italy Segreta, reported in Italian
For aspiring and early-career journalists, is 2023 a breaking point?, Poynter
Florida is Ground Zero for so many youth movements, Teen Vogue
A day in the life of a trans student in Sarasota County, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Why journalists are leaving their full-time media jobs to go freelance, Poynter
Pine View graduate Zander Moricz challenged his school and his state over LGBTQ rights, Sarasota Magazine
The hyperlocal meme accounts making Gen Z feel less alone, Mashable
How running a popular Instagram helped launch a political career, Teen Vogue
Here’s one man’s struggle to get through Florida’s unemployment process, Tampa Bay Times
‘The Octopus and Me’: One-on-One With Mote’s Curious Mollusk, Sarasota Magazine
A hard-won Master’s degree and Guide dog becomes companion for a remade life, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Analysis
What does that DOP sticker really mean?, Italy Segreta (reported partially in Italian)
Is Italy’s infrastructure laying a track for the country’s future?, Italy Segreta
What will get Americans interested in international news?, Poynter
Can local news be saved?, Poynter
As independent local news publishers reimagine business models, they face a fresh set of challenges, Poynter
Social media platforms and voting: Do registration efforts actually work?, Teen Vogue
Instagram’s become an essential tool for activists. But it’s a double-edged sword, Mashable
What do Italians think of the war in Ukraine?, Wanted in Rome (reported in Italian)
On being young and creative in Puglia, Italy Segreta (reported in Italian)
Dear Abby, how have you stayed popular for so long?, Poynter
When climate change denial becomes impossible, Teen Vogue
What it’s like to have a breakthrough COVID case, Teen Vogue
Don’t read the comments? For news sites, it might be worth the effort, Poynter
Why did it take so long to vote a woman into the White House?, Tampa Bay Times
LGBTQ students deserve a voice. Here’s how education reporters cover them, Poynter
How Sarasota restaurant owners are navigating a labor shortage, Sarasota Magazine
History
Rome’s talking statues have served as sites of dissent for centuries, Smithsonian Magazine
To divine the future, the ancients relied on these chance-based fortune-telling tools, Smithsonian Magazine
Echoes of empire and war: The Italy-Kefalonia link, Italy Segreta
Why has a reckoning with Christopher Columbus skipped Italy?, Italy Segreta
Andrea Palladio: “The father of American architecture” was from Veneto, Italy Segreta
A brief history of Christmas markets, Smithsonian Magazine
A brief history of how Carnival is celebrated around the world, Smithsonian Magazine
In search of the authentic Ernest Hemingway, Smithsonian Magazine
How the Sarasota Woman’s Club transformed our city, Sarasota Magazine
What’s so special about Vermeer?, Substack
Can Greece and the U.K. finally broker a deal to return the Elgin Marbles to Athens?, Smithsonian Magazine
Constitutional originalism: What is it and how does it impact the Supreme Court?, Teen Vogue
Is it time for St. Petersburg to get rid of the green bench name?, Tampa Bay Times
Last meal of sacrificial bog body was surprisingly unsurprising, researchers say, National Geographic
UT’s distinctive minarets loom over the city of Tampa’s skyline. A reader wondered: Why?, Tampa Bay Times
How did St. Petersburg’s Coffee Pot Bayou get its name?, Tampa Bay Times
How did a small town become the unlikely subject of a hit song?, Tampa Bay Times
Commentary
Does ‘Emily in Rome’ get Rome right?, Italy Segreta
Meteoropatia: Why Italians’ sensivity to weather is actually the right way to live, Italy Segreta
An expat in Rome: Will the Eternal City ever be knowable?, Italy Segreta
How much tourism is too much?, “Quotidian Vignettes” Substack
Journalists need to rethink their relationship with corrections, Poynter
Siesta Key is leaving Sarasota behind, but it never got our city right anyway, Sarasota Magazine
It’s not a shopping addiction if I can afford it, right?, Glamour
I’m in my 20s. Here’s why I love watching shows about women in their 40s and 50s, The Washington Post’s The Lily
How I’m changing my rocky relationship with horoscopes, The Washington Post’s The Lily
Don’t dismiss young voices. Here’s why, Tampa Bay Times
I’m 25 and I’m sick of spending so much on friends’ weddings, Tampa Bay Times
I lost my grandmother during coronavirus. I don’t know how to grieve. Tampa Bay Times
Don’t judge Florida by its worst behavior, Tampa Bay Times
Siesta Key doesn’t reflect reality in Sarasota — but that’s OK, Sarasota Magazine
What it’s like to be a millennial and a boomer in the time of ‘OK Boomer,’ Tampa Bay Times
An ode to Lido Beach, Sarasota Magazine
How pinball forced this millennial to look up from my phone, Tampa Bay Times
How selling old stuff gave me a sense of community during coronavirus, Tampa Bay Times
The Cinderella phenomenon: Why we can’t get anything done until we get everything done, “What should I browse this week?” Substack
How I feel about the death of J. Crew, “What should I browse this week?” Substack
Science/Climate
Will Americans change their daily lives to acknowledge climate change?, Teen Vogue
Extreme heat in Europe: Soaring temperatures and the heatwaves to come, Teen Vogue
My European summer starter pack, “Quotidian Vignettes” Substack
Thousands of palm trees are dying from a new disease. Tampa is ‘ground zero.’ Tampa Bay Times
Youth climate activists say community helps with mental health strain, Teen Vogue
Radical Climate Action: From hunger strikes to lawsuits to community care, Teen Vogue
Could research in the Florida Keys give coral the second chance it needs?, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
‘It’s gross’: A summer of red tides piles up 600 tons of dead fish on Florida beaches, The New York Times
Hurricanes are getting worse because of climate change, Teen Vogue
What climate change looks like around the world, Teen Vogue
What’s going to happen with Piney Point’s toxic wastewater? and Are the public’s concerns about the future of Piney Point being heard?, Sarasota Magazine
What is red tide? Florida’s algae blooms may have a climate change link, Teen Vogue
Sarasota-Manatee health experts weigh in on new CDC mask guidance, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Sarasota County healthcare workers find a path to COVID-19 vaccination, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Irma slowed after landfall, sparing Sarasota and Manatee counties, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Mote’s Hatchling Hospital gives baby sea turtles a second chance, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
A record-breaking swordfish was caught after an 8-hour fight. It’s legal, but is it right? Tampa Bay Times
Policy
The SEE Alliance is working to mobilize Florida’s young voters, Sarasota Magazine
Overtourism in Spain leads to mass protests in Barcelona, Mallorca, Teen Vogue
Government suppression of protests in U.S. history, from Occupy Wall Street to George Floyd, Teen Vogue
DeSant-O-Meter: Tracking DeSantis’ campaign promises, PolitiFact
What are “15-minute cities” and why are conspiracy theorists worried about them?, Teen Vogue
Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill means stigma and risk for LGBTQ students, Teen Vogue
Florida bill could obliterate the state’s up-and-coming solar industry, Canary Media
Abortion access around the world: What reproductive rights look like, Teen Vogue
‘Birds Aren’t Real’ started as a joke, but its founders want real change, Teen Vogue
Here’s why Florida should ratify the Equal Rights Amendment | Editorial, Tampa Bay Times
Is this the year Florida lawmakers stop diverting affordable housing money to other uses? | Editorial, Tampa Bay Times
Why aren’t LGBTQ protections part of our Civil Rights Act? | Editorial, Tampa Bay Times
Fashion industry emissions are a focus for Congressman Ro Khanna, Teen Vogue
Sarasota school superintendent asks district’s PR firm to resign, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Arrest in Haiti assassination leaves some baffled: ‘Nobody ever heard of him,’ The New York Times (contributing)
‘We can’t let it happen again,’ Gov. DeSantis of Florida says, The New York Times
Education
Despite progress, Sarasota schools achievement gap remains an issue, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Why did the tale of a reformed white supremacist not survive in Sarasota? Sarasota Herald-Tribune
How Sarasota County schools earned a landslide election win, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Is Sarasota County Schools overcharging for public records? Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Is virtual reality the next frontier for Sarasota students? Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Business
Why every checkout counter in America sells those $14 magazines, Poynter
How Paideia and Mater Dei are shaping the future of private healthcare in Italy, Wanted in Rome, reported in Italian
Two trailblazing tech pioneers are working to seed the Texas-India business connection, Dallas Morning News
Company introduces co-living to the region, Business Observer
Builders give first-time buyers a second look, Business Observer
How a St. Petersburg-based real estate firm makes money off of troubled loans, Business Observer
How to turn your own success and experience into a career coaching gig, The Penny Hoarder
Here’s how and where to score good deals on furniture, The Penny Hoarder
When you love your dog but your insurance company doesn’t, The Penny Hoarder
Social Trending
How Lithuanian singer Popa is transforming Italian pop, Italy Segreta
Meet Kacie Rose Burns, the Florence-based TikTok star, Wanted in Rome
How Florida are you? How many of these essential Florida things have you done?, Tampa Bay Times
How much does the Tampa Bay area love Tampa International Airport? Let us count the ways, Tampa Bay Times
We asked, you answered: What brought you to the Tampa Bay area?, Tampa Bay Times
‘I am now in St. Petersburg,’ Katherine Heigl says in Instagram video, Tampa Bay Times
A New York Times crossword clue weighed in on the Cuban sandwich war. Guess what? Tampa won, Tampa Bay Times
Fashion + Beauty
What makes a store succeed in 2020?, “What should I browse this week?” Substack
Here’s how 3 vintage clothing businesses built their brands, The Penny Hoarder
The 25 Best White Sneakers for Women to Wear to the Office, the Gym, or Brunch, Self
How to identify vintage costume jewelry and make money from it, The Penny Hoarder
Designer Carley Holtsinger brings her beachy, ‘Florida grandma chic’ accessories to Sarasota, Sarasota Magazine
When shopping becomes an addiction, “What should I browse this week?” Substack
Where to shop for men’s clothing in Sarasota, Sarasota Magazine
We declare the return of low-rise jeans an affront to all, Tampa Bay Times
Mote, Waterlust partner to create eagle ray-themed workout gear, Sarasota Magazine