Sarasota Herald Tribune articles from April 2003

Sarasota Herald Tribune archives from April 2003

Acosta fights restitution order.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: SCOTT CARROLL scott.carroll@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- John Acosta refuses to pay $5,211 to the family of James Brier, the boy Acosta killed in an after-school fight. Acosta was ordered to pay the money to cover Brier's...

Foundation chairman retires.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- Attorney Leo Wotitzky, chairman of the board of the Charlotte County Foundation since its inception in 1995, retired from the organization on April 21. The foundation was organized with a...

NEWS OF RECORD; DIVORCES; MANATEE COUNTY; APRIL 16-22.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Becsey, Steven H. and Silvia Liliana Cabral. Belawske, Kurt Wayne and Wendy Ellis. Bische, John A. and Patricia M. Klein. Braunstein, Bruce A. and Kristine. Brooke, Charles Lee and Candice Marie. Bryant, Leonard and...

Thunder improves on last season's first appearance.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT TALLAHASSEE -- The Out-of-Door Academy girls tennis team won't win the Class A state tennis championship but already the trip here has been much more successful than it was a year ago. Last year, the Thunder...

A study in museum design; USF architecture students suggest designs for Ringling galleries.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: CHAD BINETTE chad.binette@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- The planned new art galleries at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art took on a modern look in many designs suggested Tuesday by University of South Florida graduate...

SEEN & HEARD.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Senator or president? U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez, who is considered a potential contender for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democrat Bob Graham, was gently chided when he misspoke before an audience...

Evening Under Stars to feature movie tunes.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT LAKEWOOD RANCH -- The annual Evening Under the Stars concert May 10 will feature tunes from the Silver Screen. The Foundation for Manatee Community College is sponsoring the concert featuring Leif Bjaland and...

Venice avenges earlier losses.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: CHAD BROCKHOFF CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Venice High avenged two earlier losses to Valrico Bloomingdale with a 3-2 victory on Tuesday in the Class 6A-District 5 semifinals at Sarasota High's Ronald K. Drews Field. Indians...

OBITUARIES; SARASOTA COUNTY.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
April 30, 2003... Robert E. Blanchong Robert E. Blanchong, 83, North Port, died April 27, 2003. He was born Jan. 6, 1920, in Toledo, Ohio, and came to North Port in 1997 from Marblehead, Ohio. He retired in 1983 as a machinery construction...

Proposal would double fees; The plan would seek to extend a hike in impact fees to municipalities, county commissioners say.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: SCOTT CARROLL scott.carroll@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- A tax on new construction could double under a county proposal to pay for new roads and parks needed to accommodate the 7,000 people who move here each year. ...

State budget negotiations break apart; The stalemate will force Gov. Bush to call a special session.(A SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: LLOYD DUNKELBERGER and GARY FINEOUT CAPITAL BUREAU TALLAHASSEE -- The 2003 session of the Florida Legislature collapsed Tuesday, as lawmakers quit work on their $53 billion budget and threatened to leave most other major issues...

Young authors at conference.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... The Young Authors Conference at East Elementary School in Punta Gorda covered a variety of aspects about being an author. Coordinator Ada Hernandez tried to stretch the imagination and skills of all the students. From Shakespeare to...

MAKING A DIFFERENCE.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Name: In 1975, Linda Caviness moved from Binghamton, N.Y., to Port Charlotte. After working as a certified legal assistant for 26 years with several local law firms, she became a licensed mortgage broker and is a loan officer with CTX...

Fresh Del Monte Produce reports record profits in first quarter.(BUSINESS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT Fresh Del Monte Produce, Port Manatee's largest tenant, said that it had record profits in the first quarter of $88.1 million, or $1.55 per share. That compared with $61 million, or $1.10 per share, during the...

Sarasota's Ritz-Carlton may get high-rise neighbor.(A SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: KEVIN McQUAID kevin.mcquaid@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- A Fort Lauderdale developer intends to file plans with the city today for a new $100 million condominium tower that would replace the Inn By The Bay. Developer...

SCTI student tests positive for TB.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: LISA RAB, PATTY ALLEN-JONES and CHAD BINETTE STAFF WRITERS SARASOTA COUNTY -- Health Department employees on Tuesday began giving tuberculosis tests to Sarasota County Technical Institute students and staff who might have had...

IN BRIEF.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Teacher's trial date set in sex case PUNTA GORDA -- The trial of the Port Charlotte High School physical education teacher accused of a three-month sexual relationship with a student is scheduled to begin July 15. Kenneth M. Swencki,...

Regal Empress to be sold at auction; A federal magistrate also rules that the 326 crew members should be repatriated soon.(BUSINESS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL BRAGA michael.braga@heraldtribune.com TAMPA -- A federal magistrate ruled Tuesday that the Regal Empress, a 900-passenger cruise vessel seized by U.S. marshals on Easter weekend, should be sold at auction within 15 to 30...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Toddler found in pool dies in hospital VENICE -- A 19-month-old boy found floating last week in the family pool died over the weekend at All Children's Hospital. Flown by helicopter to the St. Petersburg hospital last Wednesday, the...

School officials seek more space; Staffers say that as the district grew by 10,000 students, almost no new office space was built.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: LAURA GREEN laura.green@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- Trying to find a space in the lot of the school administration building is like looking for parking at a mall during the holiday season. The school system's two...

Bush, Congress clash on HOPE VI.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: CORY REISS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration stood its ground Tuesday under intense criticism of a plan to eliminate the troubled HOPE VI public housing program. They say the program is beyond repair. ...

A phony rescue; Legislators should be ashamed for threatening medically needy.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
April 30, 2003... Florida House Speaker Johnnie Byrd and Senate President Jim King risked dislocating their shoulders this week as they strained to pat themselves on the back for rescuing the state's Medically Needy Program. Apparently they expect the public...

Ex-boyfriend accused of rape, kidnapping.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT PORT CHARLOTTE -- Cedrick L. Wilson jumped on top of his sleeping ex-girlfriend, pulled out a hunting knife and raped her, detectives said. Then he forced her to drive him to the Alabama hotel where they first...

POLICE BLOTTER.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Compiled from Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and Punta Gorda police reports filed through April 29. PORT CHARLOTTE Hollis Avenue, 4200 block, April 28. Donald E. Blackie, 54, was charged with sexual battery of a child under 12....

Sarasota's Houser holds Gaither.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: CHAD BROCKHOFF CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- James Houser, Jake Hlavach and Kyle Allen combined on a two-hitter, and Ian Desmond was 3-for-4 with five RBI in Tuesday night's finale for top-seeded Sarasota (23-6). Desmond had a...

Police searching for robber.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT SARASOTA -- Police are searching for a man who robbed a customer at gunpoint inside a SunTrust Bank on Tuesday. No one inside the bank at 3300 North Tamiami Trail knew what had happened until the robber ran away...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Girl seriously hurt after SUV hits her PORT CHARLOTTE -- A 9-year-old girl was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries Tuesday after her family's sport utility vehicle ran over her. Authorities said the girl was helping her...

Browning leads the way for DeSoto.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT SEBRING -- Senior leftfielder Jarrett Browning went 3- for-3 with a double and three RBI for DeSoto in a Class 3A-11 district tournament win over Lake Placid Tuesday night. Sophomore catcher Trey Hill went...

Two men killed in Interstate 75 crash.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: TOM KIM tom.kim@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- Two men were killed after a van overturned Tuesday morning on Interstate 75 just north of the Interstate 275 exchange. Orlin Acosta Maldonado, 20, died at the scene,...

North Port advances; Mantas eliminated.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com FORT MYERS -- The North Port High baseball team received its first taste of district play, and then some. The Bobcats got a complete-game performance from freshman Jesse...

Today is last day on job for sheriff's captain.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: JENNY LEE ALLEN jenny.allen@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- Capt. Dave Lucas, a Sheriff's Office veteran who rose through the ranks, weathered seven bosses and at one time was second in command, is retiring after 30 years...

Leaders call for veto of state Glades bill.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: VICTOR HULL victor.hull@heraldtribune.com TALLAHASSEE -- Congressional leaders and Florida officials continued their game of chicken over the Everglades on Tuesday, a showdown with billions of dollars and the Everglades' health...

Mooney blasts Dunbar.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: MIC HUBER mic.huber@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Ashley Congdon did something she had never done in her four years at Cardinal Mooney and the Lady Cougars accomplished something they have done regularly for more than a decade....

MAKING A DIFFERENCE.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Names: Norman and Marjorie Morrison Organization: Myakka River Elementary School Each Wednesday morning, the Morrisons spend an hour with students from Diane Bouwma's first-grade class, listening to them read and helping them with...

Agency penalizes county over grant; It didn't meet the terms of a 1998 housing grant, the state says; a housing official gets suspended.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: JAMIE MANFUSO jamie.manfuso@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- The housing coordinator for Charlotte County recently was suspended for a week without pay, after a state agency penalized the county for failing to meet the...

BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Resurfacing program disrupts trash pickup NORTH PORT -- An ongoing street resurfacing program has trash and recyclables pickup service off-schedule in some area neighborhoods. According to the city, the resurfacing equipment is...

Hospital won't host Bayflite.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT LAKEWOOD RANCH -- The Lakewood Ranch Medical Center has decided against hosting Bayflite, the air transport emergency service in the region. Hospital officials, who announced in December they were considering...

H.E.A.T., Falcons, Blazers move on.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: TOM BALOG tom.balog@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Saint Stephen's exploded as a No. 1 seed should, needing only five innings to dispose of Bradenton Christian 10-0 Tuesday in in a first round game of the Class 1A-District 11...

MAKING A DIFFERENCE.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Sean Murphy to host 2003 Men Who Cook on May 10 The 13th Avenue Community Center will host its 2003 "Men Who Cook" fund-raiser May 10 at 6 p.m., at the Bradenton City Centre at City Hall. Local celebrities, chefs and restaurants...

SEEN & HEARD.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... That's quite a promotion U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez, who is considered a potential contender for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democrat Bob Graham, misspoke before an audience of his fellow Republicans...

Mustangs edge Charlotte.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: BRIAN NEWBERRY CORRESPONDENT BRADENTON -- Lakewood Ranch did not let a chance at a district title slip away. The Lady Mustangs found a way to brush off defensive mistakes in the Class 5A-District 11 semifinals and defeated...

Program to focus on affordable housing.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT SARASOTA COUNTY -- Affordable housing will be the subject of a daylong conference sponsored by the Sarasota Office of Housing and Community Development. The program will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday in the...

Sarasota Ballet wraps up season.(FLORIDA WEST)
April 30, 2003... Byline: BARBARA LEVERONE CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- A promising premiere by guest choreographer Ricardo Bustamente's "Dvorak-American" opened the final concert of the season for the Sarasota Ballet. Bustamente captured the energy of...

Prosecutor: Cook had 2 sides; She says three former students will testify about the educator's public face and private behavior.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: ROBERT ECKHART robert.eckhart@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Boys who needed love and support clung to Mark Cook, the affable teacher and principal of Garden Elementary School in Venice. But some of the boys paid a price for...

Bradenton officials urge public to help solve recent shootings.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: MITRA MALEK mitra.malek@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Government and police urged residents on Tuesday night to unite and help solve the recent killings in east Bradenton and stop more from happening. "I've heard people say...

Past experience has Lightning angling to even series with Devils.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: JODY ROYCE jody.royce@heraldtribune.com TAMPA -- Game 3 was important for the Tampa Bay Lightning just to get back into its Eastern Conference semifinal series with the New Jersey Devils. Game 4 tonight at the Times Forum...

OBITUARIES; CHARLOTTE COUNTY.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
April 30, 2003... Francis J. Gilday Francis J. Gilday, 83, Venice and formerly of Port Charlotte, died April 27, 2003. He was born May 14, 1919, in Manhattan, N.Y., and came to Venice in 1960 from Port Charlotte. He came to Port Charlotte in 1958 from...

Pierogies and frikadeller push readers' buttons.(FLORIDA WEST)(Sampler)(Column)
April 30, 2003... Byline: Linda Brandt Pierogies and frikadeller have officially joined the ranks of Cobb salad, Cornish pasties, beaten biscuits, Brunswick stew, Cincinnati chili and New England clam chowder. All have at one time been mentioned in this...

Bayshore stays alive with 9-inning win.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT PALMETTO -- Winning ugly this time of the season can be a beautiful sight. Just ask the Bayshore High softball team. The Lady Bruins had to fight from behind all game before emerging with a 7-6...

Blazers, Panthers cruise.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: PHIL DENIS CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- All three opening-round games of the lass A-District 11 softball tournament were shortened by the 10-run mercy rule Tuesday at The Out-of-Door Academy's Ulhlein Athletic Field. No. 2...

District rushes to prepare reading camp; The summer camp is for third-graders who scored low on the FCAT and who could be held back.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINA DeNARDO christina.denardo@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- School officials are rushing to design a summer reading camp aimed at improving skills for third-grade students who scored low on standardized tests and...

SEEN & HEARD.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Long live the Queen Royalty, absent from the city of Venice since the Dairy Queen shut down to make way for the widening of U.S. 41 Business, may return to the city if the owners of Venice Commons Shopping Center have their way. ...

Booker eliminates Bayshore; 'Noles win.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: JODY ROYCE jody.royce@heraldtribune.com DUNEDIN -- Junior right-hander Tim Schalch tossed a six-hitter, pitching effectively out of jams, as the Tornadoes ousted Bayshore High 5-1 Tuesday in a Class 4A-District 11 first-round...

Lancers fail to clinch berth.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT NEW PORT RICHEY -- The Manatee Community College junior college baseball team dropped a 2-1 decision to host Pasco-Hernando CC Tuesday, preventing the Lancers from clinching a berth in the state tournament. ...

Group praises county's 2050 plan.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: DALE WHITE dale.white@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA COUNTY -- Environmentalists and controlled-growth factions claim it's flawed. Yet a national organization of more than 2,300 architects, planners and developers couldn't disagree...

Finding his bearings; Manatee connections help a Slovakian businessman.(BUSINESS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: RICH SHOPES rich.shopes@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Less than 0.1 percent of Slovakia's exports are sold in the United States, but Vladimir Blaskovic is trying to change that. From his first-floor office at 3643 Cortez...

County opposes off-road trail at Myakka forest.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: EARLE KIMEL earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com ***** CORRECTION: The following correction was published on Thursday, May 01, 2003: There are only three designated areas in the state of Florida where people can ride off-road...

Youngsters enjoy egg hunt at Gulf Cove United Methodist Church.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Gulf Cove United Methodist Church, 1100 McCall Road, opened its Easter egg hunt to the public for the first time. Sunday school superintendent Doreen Alvarez was thrilled with the number of children who showed up. While the eggs were...

Mustangs win strange game.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: DOUG FERNANDES doug.fernandes@heraldtribune.com LAKEWOOD RANCH -- Host Lakewood Ranch had the proper incentive to rally and defeat the Manatee Hurricanes 7-3 on Tuesday night. Manager Dave Moates would have blown a gasket had...

MAKING A DIFFERENCE.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Resker loves to share her gardening knowledge Florida newcomers are Joan Resker's favorite kind of visitor at the Florida House of Learning Center where she volunteers every Thursday. "I try to help them have a happy, healthy garden...

OBITUARIES; MANATEE COUNTY.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Ralph L. Burton Ralph L. Burton, 69, Palmetto, died April 26, 2003. He was born Sept. 14, 1933, in Lyons, Ga., and came to Palmetto in 1992 from Bloomington, Ill. He was a core bake operator for MoDines Corp. He was a member of...

Venice, Sarasota ousted from tourney.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: PERRY D. PENTZ perry.pentz@heraldtribune.com RIVERVIEW -- Pitchers dominated as Venice and Sarasota High were knocked out of the Class 6A-District 5 softball tournament Tuesday at Hillsborough Riverview High. Bloomingdale's...

NEWS OF RECORD; DIVORCE PETITIONS; SARASOTA COUNTY; MARCH 17-30.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Baghi, Hassan and Melissa. Bechler, Daniel and Catherine. Borkowski, Danuta and Krzysztof. Bourque, Nanci and Gary. Bryant, Melissa and Frederick. Bundy, Yvonne and Glenn. Cannon, Candace and Mark. Carlson,...

Hotel plan back on county panel's agenda; A developer wants to build a three-story hotel, which neighbors say will bring unwanted traffic.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: KARA CHALMERS kara.chalmers@heraldtribune.com ENGLEWOOD -- A hotel proposal that was sent back to developers last year for more work is back on a Charlotte County panel's agenda for final approval on Thursday. New...

Rising Stock; Charlotte High's Westley Stockbarger is eyeing 200 feet in the discus event.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com PUNTA GORDA -- Since he began throwing as a sixth-grader, Westley Stockbarger has transformed his technique in the discus and shot put events to the point where he wouldn't...

Time-saving trade-offs; When choosing convenience foods, take a look at their ingredient lists. Some additives and preservatives aren't bad at all, but it's hard to be comfortable with names you can't pronounce.(FLORIDA WEST)(Recipe)
April 30, 2003... Byline: LINDA BRANDT linda.brandt@heraldtribune.com Remember when a model homemaker and hostess was someone who vacuumed the house wearing a shirtwaist dress, heels and pearls? Remember that by opening three cans and a box she could...

Man gets probation in sex case.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- An Englewood man accused of molesting two teenage girls at a Gulf Cove recreation center was sentenced to two years' community control followed by three years' sex-offender probation. ...

Imagine Manatee closer to final draft.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: DALE WHITE dale.white@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- The vision is coming into sharper focus. In a Tuesday night forum at Bayshore High School, county planners and consultants organizing the Imagine Manatee project...

Head Start center to stay open; Air contamination is not bad enough to close it.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: SELINA ROMAN selina.roman@heraldtribune.com PALMETTO -- Despite the sick employees and children and high levels of bacteria and fungus, Manatee County Head Start leaders say the Palmetto center will remain open unless conditions...

Saving a marsh and a culture; Effort to restore Iraq's ancient wetlands may help shape a better future.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
April 30, 2003... Thomas L. Crisman hopes he'll be on the way to Iraq in the next few weeks to assist in restoring a huge expanse of marsh and, with it, a culture stretching back 5,000 years. Crisman is director of the University of Florida's Howard T....

ONE MORE BITE.(FLORIDA WEST)
April 30, 2003... Moxley's makes I Hate the French Vanilla, Iraqi Road, Nutty Environmentalist and Smaller Governmint ice creams for special orders. Owner Tom Washburn says he'd be happy to make ice cream for liberal causes as well. It's available at...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Mote will release dolphin on Thursday SARASOTA -- After two months of rehabilitation at Mote Marine Laboratory's Dolphin and Whale Hospital, a dolphin found ill in Crystal River in March will be released back into the Gulf of Mexico...

Saint Stephen's in a tie for second place after first day.(SPORTS)
April 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT TALLAHASSEE -- The Saint Stephen's boys tennis team is in a tie for second place after the first day of the Class A state tournament held here Monday. The Falcons are tied with Saddlebrook with nine points,...

Witnesses ID man as shooter.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT BRADENTON -- The man charged with the Jan. 11 shooting death of Samuel Rush was picked out of a photo lineup by Rush's girlfriend, court records show. Ezekiel Garza, 17, was charged with murder and remained at...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Scientists to tag redfish for research MANATEE COUNTY - Starting today and running through Tuesday, state scientists will tag 30,000 to 40,000 redfish at the state's hatchery near Port Manatee. The fish are scheduled to be released...

State begins tracking how schools spend FCAT dollars.(A SECTION)
April 30, 2003... Byline: CHRIS DAVIS and MATTHEW DOIG STAFF WRITERS For the first time since Florida schools started getting cash awards for high performance, state educational officials are trying to find out how millions of taxpayer dollars have been...

Buck O'Neil wows 'em at Sports Night.(FLORIDA WEST)
April 29, 2003... Byline: Marjorie North Sarasota son Buck O'Neil -- 91 and counting -- was honored during Sports Night for the Boys & Girls Clubs the other night and is one of the few people I know who could upstage host Dick Vitale and capture the...

Teen accused of buying stolen item.(B SECTION)
April 29, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT PORT CHARLOTTE -- A Florida Preparatory Academy student was arrested Monday after he reportedly bought a stolen computer from a suspected New Age Mafia gang member there. Christopher Ryan Johnson, 17, of the...

Cliches go by in 'Two Weeks Notice'.(FLORIDA WEST)(DVD WATCH)(Column)
April 29, 2003... Byline: Philip Booth Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant are attractive opposites in "Two Weeks Notice" (Warner, $27.98), a middlebrow entertainment that dares to go where both stars, and so many, many others, have gone so many, many times...

Venice wins, 11-3; Riverview ends season at 12-17 after being shaded 2-1 by Tampa Gaither.(SPORTS)
April 29, 2003... Byline: CHAD BROCKHOFF CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Led by the hitting of A.J. Hiner and Steve Strausbaugh, Venice High defeated Hillsborough Riverview 11-3 Monday night in the first round of the Class 6A-District 5 baseball tournament at...

Front Porch council sets meeting.(B SECTION)
April 29, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT BRADENTON -- The public is invited to the Bradenton Front Porch Revitalization Council's Health and Safety Committee meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The meeting will be in the Bradenton Housing Authority...

Jeb's sharp budget knife gets dull when FCAT excess is on the table.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
April 29, 2003... Byline: Tom Lyons Gov. Jeb has been admirably tough each year at budget time about cutting pork-barrel and vanity projects, no matter which legislators get irked. I love that about him. But can he apply the same no-nonsense,...

Policy unveiled to contact parents about illegal drinking.(B SECTION)
April 29, 2003... Byline: PATTY ALLEN-JONES patty.allen-jones@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA COUNTY -- While high school students are planning after-prom and graduation parties, law enforcement officials are pledging to crack down on minors drinking alcohol...

Dusty a deadeye from the foul line.(SPORTS)
April 29, 2003... Byline: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Dusty Carpenter calls foul shots "easy extra points." For the 9-year-old Pine View School student, going to the foul line is like taking a free trip to Disney World. She wants to make the...