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Kristen Hare - Times Staff Writer
Kristen Hare

Times Staff Writer

I’ve been a journalist since I was a junior in high school in Springfield, Mo. I took a two-year break after college for the Peace Corps, where I served in Guyana. Since, I’ve covered features, race, immigration, the census, aging and now local news for the Poynter Institute.

  1. Former St. Petersburg Times news artist saw, and made, art everywhere
    Sept. 16• Pinellas
    Joseph Tonelli came to the St. Petersburg Times as a news artist in 1962, and he worked bringing the news to life there for 30 years.
  2. Remembering Largo’s hot dog man, who built a delicious portal to Chicago
    Sept. 5• Arts
    Bruce Karlin, owner of Bruce's Chicago Grill & Dog House, ran the restaurant for decades in Largo until it closed last year.
  3. Eat at Bruce’s Chicago Grill & Dog House in Largo? Help us remember the owner.
    Aug. 26• Pinellas
    Pictured in 2010, Bruce Karlin of Bruce's Chicago Grill & Dog House holds the loaded Chicago hot dog, left, and the Italian beef sandwich. His restaurant was filled to the rafters with Chicago memorabilia.
  5. Tampa judge Ralph Steinberg brought humor and humanity to the courtroom
    Aug. 19• Life & Culture
    Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Ralph Steinberg was counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until his retirement Dec.31, 2000. Steinberg, who was known for his humor and for treating everyone fairly, had been on the bench for 23 years.
  6. At The Tampa Tribune, Jack Butcher went from paperboy to publisher
    Aug. 5• Life & Culture
    Jack Butcher was interviewed by a reporter in 1997 for a profile about him and his retirement from The Tampa Tribune. Butcher worked for the Tribune for more than 50 years, from paperboy to publisher.
  7. Carrollwood mother and son made each other stronger
    July 22• Life & Culture
    Marilyn Wittner with her son Fred Wittner. Fred was diagnosed with a brain tumor at 2 and had surgery that removed part of his brain. "Fred had a life apart from Marilyn," said her sister, Betty Tribble. He drove, worked and maintained some independence. "But he knew that his mother was always there for him if he needed her."
  8. Doctor built first hand centers in Tampa Bay and at home in Jamaica
    July 15• Life & Culture
    Cecil Aird, pictured in 2000, prepares to start surgery at the Tampa Bay Hand Center. Aird spent his career in Tampa and Jamaica helping people regain use of their hands.
  9. Mark Noll was the connective tissue of St. Petersburg’s arts community
    July 8• Life & Culture
    St. Petersburg Artist Mark Noll was a multitalented artist who worked across various media. An enduring part of his art was the skull, which he carved smaller and smaller. Here he displays work at a Día de los Muertos show he curated at Florida CraftArt in 2018.
  10. Groundbreaking red tide researcher who lived in Tampa Bay dies at 84
    June 24• Life & Culture
    Karen Steidinger stood for a portrait in the shallow water near North Shore park in St. Petersburg in 2006. Her life's work has formed the foundation of our understanding of Red Tide. "As much as she was a teacher, she was also, for her whole life, a student, too," said Leanne Flewelling, a former student and colleague. "She loved to learned about what you knew."
  11. Mary Wyatt Allen made volunteering in St. Petersburg her life’s work
    June 17• Life & Culture
    Mary Wyatt Allen, pictured here in 1999 at a fundraiser for nonprofit groups and establishments, sat in a trolley car from the old trolley that once ran on Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg at the St. Petersburg Museum of History.
  12. St. Petersburg social worker loved, prayed and fought for her place
    June 10• Life & Culture
    Harriet Singletary Rayner was among the early Black graduates of the University of South Florida and built a career and family in St. Petersburg.
  13. Former owner of Ralph’s San Ann Liquors and Restaurant in Pasco County was ‘beloved’
    June 3• Life & Culture
    In 1982, San Antonio, Fla., officials were sworn in to office. From left: Ted Schrader, Marguerite Limbrechet and Ralph Jones. Jones was born and raised in San Antonio and, after returning from the Korean War, developed several businesses that still operate today.
  14. Former Clearwater Sun editor made journalism better in Tampa Bay and beyond
    May 13• Life & Culture
    Mike Pride grew up in Clearwater, where he also started his journalism career.
  15. At her Clearwater delis, ‘she was everybody’s mama’
    April 30• Life & Culture
    Nunziata Bowers has a conversation with a customer in 2006. She was known as "Mama" by her regular customers. SCOTT KEELER | Times
  16. For generations, Helen Cabrera’s Tampa shop was the place to say yes to the dress
    April 23• Life & Culture
    Approaching her 91st birthday, Helen Cabrera, pictured in 2014, prepared to close her dress shop at 5110 Armenia Ave. in Tampa, ending four-plus decades of dressing Tampa's fashionable ladies.
  17. Pioneer Jane Davis Doggett made Tampa International Airport easy to use
    April 16• Life & Culture
    Jane Davis Doggett worked with architect Roy Harrover and his team to bring graphic design and a process of moving people through large spaces, later called wayfinding, beginning in the late 1950s. Her favorite airport was Tampa International, which she worked on in the 1970s.
  18. As owner of Pinellas County restaurants, Greek chef cultivated old-world food
    April 10• Life & Culture
    Arthur Alimonos and his wife, Angeliky, had four children, all of whom took part in their businesses.
  19. This bodega owner left home in Cuba and made one in West Tampa
    March 26• Life & Culture
    José Alvarez and his wife, Hortensia, ran La Loma market for more than 40 years in West Tampa. Alvarez loved to work, took pride in his knife-sharpening skills and made sure his customers and community had enough.
  20. Largo music teacher died during the pandemic. Next weekend, she’ll be remembered.
    March 19• Life & Culture
    Harryette Williams led numerous church choirs around Tampa Bay.
  21. St. Petersburg lawyer led the fight for wildlife and wild places
    March 11• Life & Culture
    Environmental lawyer Tom Reese is pictured in May 2000 in his home office.
  22. Joe Testa-Secca spent decades making art in Tampa. Here’s where you can see it.
    March 5• Life & Culture
    Joe Testa-Secca, pictured in the St. Petersburg Times in 1965, grew up in Tampa and returned to teach at the University of Tampa. He spent his career creating art for public and private clients.
  23. West Tampa plumber ‘was able to achieve a lot by being kind’
    Feb. 26• Life & Culture
    Pete Busto, 82, of Tampa built a successful business and helped support a generation of business owners. "I hope that his impact will be that we remember that we can all be kind and generous to each other," said friend and Tampa City Council member Bill Carlson.
  24. Here are Winnie Foster’s lessons on fighting for what you believe in
    Feb. 12• Life & Culture
    Winnie Foster was escorted across the street by a St. Petersburg Police Officer who asked her to get back on the sidewalk. "I told him I'm willing to get arrested today," Foster said, as she was there protesting Gov. Rick Scott in 2011. The governor was addressing the annual Florida Society of News Editors conference during a luncheon at the Vinoy.