Sarasota Herald Tribune articles from August 2003

Sarasota Herald Tribune archives from August 2003

Summer fare: Celebrations and theater events for all ages.(B SECTION)(Column)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Linda Salisbury The play has become the thing during the summer in Charlotte and Englewood. The Society for Entertainment and Arts Development, the Cultural Center of Charlotte County and the Summer Youth Drama Workshop, part of...

The Dead, Dylan captivate crowd.(TICKET)(Review)
August 1, 2003... Byline: WADE TATANGELO CORRESPONDENT TAMPA -- Bob Dylan and his formidable four-piece band began Wednesday evening's marathon of music at 6 p.m. sharp with a 60 minute-plus tour de force that included fiery rock, stone-cold country and...

A taste of heaven, New Orleans-style.(TICKET)(Review)
August 1, 2003... Byline: TERI M. GRIMES CORRESPONDENT BRADENTON -- There's a taste of New Orleans in west Bradenton, but you wouldn't know it from the unassuming look of Jonathan's, a storefront restaurant in the Northwest Promenade Shopping Center on...

Charlotte back-to-school bash to combine fun, safety, information.(TICKET)
August 1, 2003... Byline: STEVE HEISLER CORRESPONDENT PORT CHARLOTTE -- A summer-ending, back-to-the- classroom bash in Charlotte County promises plenty of fun and information on Saturday. In the planning process, a pairing of social services turned into...

Sudden death; Rebels, Cobras ousted from 14-under AAU tournament.(SPORTS)
August 1, 2003... Byline: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- The Florida Rebels ran out of miracles and the Sarasota Cobras fell short of fresh arms as both were eliminated Thursday in the Sudden Death round of the AAU 14 & Under National Baseball...

'This Thing' is watchable, but frustrating.(TICKET)(Review)
August 1, 2003... Byline: JOEL WELIN joel.welin@heraldtribune.com Editor's note: Reviewed as part of coverage of the 2002 Sarasota Film Festival. Bobby Biaggio, Austin Palermo and Nick Santini have a plan to pull off a major heist, make themselves rich...

Filmmaker John Schlesinger championed the underdog.(TICKET)(Primal Screen)(Column)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Amanda Schurr As the country and global community mourn the passing of legendary entertainer Bob Hope, one would be hard pressed to find a Hollywood icon more contrary to Hope's Everyman optimism than filmmaker John Schlesinger,...

'Winged Migration': Come fly with me ...(TICKET)(Review)
August 1, 2003... Byline: AMANDA SCHURR CORRESPONDENT For 80 million years, birds have ruled sky, sea and land, spanning vast distances each spring and fall in what Jacques Perrin terms a "fight for life." The product of four years of following these...

Teenager arraigned in armed robbery.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT PUNTA GORDA -- One of five teens linked to an armed robbery of a convenience store earlier this year is expected to plead no contest to the felony charge later this month. Andy R. Balmir, 19, of Port Charlotte,...

Scaled-down Roc The Mic Tour rolls into Tampa.(TICKET)(Review)
August 1, 2003... Byline: MARY AWOSIKA mary.awosika@heraldtribune.com TAMPA -- Since June, for the price of one ticket fans could see Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliot, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent, Fabolous and Sean Paul at the "Roc The Mic Tour." And there...

Arts center opens its doors, and Stump Pass reopens.(B SECTION)(In the Loop)(Column)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Ann Henderson Charlotte County Performing Arts Center opens Hundreds of Charlotte County residents came to the opening of the new Charlotte County Performing Arts Center, next to Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda, and they...

Cunningham's 51-pound king is Catch of the Week.(SPORTS)(Fishing)(Column)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Steve Gibson Catch of the Week honors goes to Tony Cunningham of Potter, Ind. Cunningham caught a 51-pound kingfish on a live Spanish sardine while fishing at the D-6 artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico with guide Rob Roberts...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
August 1, 2003... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Richard F. Burget Richard F. "Dick" Burget, 78, Punta Gorda, died July 30, 2003. He was born May 20, 1925, in Gary, Ind., and came to Charlotte County in 1981 from Joliet, Ill. Before retiring, he had been a high...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Police: Man sexually abused two women SARASOTA COUNTY -- A North Port man was arrested Wednesday and accused of sexually abusing two elderly women. Cletus Geiger, 51, employed as a caregiver by Quality Health Care in North Port, was...

Incomplete answers; President must still explain the misuse of intelligence.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
August 1, 2003... President Bush on Wednesday took reporters' questions about his publicly stated rationale for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Bush finally stopped the buck at the presidential podium, after previously allowing the CIA to take the blame for an...

Accident results in injuries.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... MANATEE COUNTY -- Albert Nelson, 66, the driver of a 1995 Chevrolet pickup involved in a Thursday morning accident that left the driver of another car hospitalized, is carried by emergency personnel. Sherrie Schoenberger, 50, of Ruskin, was...

'American Wedding' displays more crust than pie in this, the final slice.(TICKET)(Review)
August 1, 2003... Byline: GEORGE MEYER CORRESPONDENT Another slice of "American Pie?" Of course, but only if you liked the first two movies. The ingredients for No. 3 are much the same: A handful of gross-out here; a D-cup of gratuitous nudity...

Panel rejects ethics complaint; Allegation by a former detective that Sheriff Bill Clement misused funds is dismissed.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA michael.scarcella@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- The state Commission on Ethics announced this week that it has dismissed a complaint against Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Clement that alleged he...

Manatee snapshots; Brief comments on life and times in our county.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
August 1, 2003... No, let's tone it down Much of Monday night's School Board meeting was devoted to the subject of prayer. But at times the discussion sounded like a briefing at the Pentagon. The board is facing the possibility of a lawsuit over its...

Fishin' Frank's tournament offers chance at big bucks.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Byline: STEVE GIBSON steve.gibson@heraldtribune.com If you don't have anything pressing and a few dollars in your pocket, you might want to try your luck in Fishin' Frank's biannual Shark, Sailcat and Stingray Tournament. Winners in...

Family-run finance scam ends in four convictions; The Pizzo family defrauded homeowners all over the region.(A SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Byline: MIKE SAEWITZ mike.saewitz@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA COUNTY -- The East Coast Exteriors Inc. salesman had an answer for everything. Mortgage refinancing? We're on it, he said. A new roof, done. All you have to do is sign on the...

Kids get wet and wild at Colossal Camp Day.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... It's something you don't often see -- 800-plus kids, and not one complaint that there was nothing to do. It was Colossal Camp Day, sponsored by the Charlotte County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, and buses of campers...

Advanced studies; Summer programs should ease demands of third grade, middle school.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
August 1, 2003... Sarasota County schools won't open until Aug. 11, but a lot of new third- graders and middle-schoolers have already passed their first tests. They've completed summer programs designed to help them succeed as they begin particularly...

Portrait time.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Billie Sitter paints a portrait of Miranda Ellis, left, and Farihah Singh during open portrait studio at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda on Thursday. The open portrait studio is open to art guild members every Thursday from 9 a.m. to...

Business Buzz.(BUSINESS)
August 1, 2003... Anexio lands contract with school Anexio Inc., a Sarasota-based technology service provider and consultancy, has been hired by the Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences, 645 Central Ave., to install cables for a new computer network. The...

Good business sense is key to launching Web site.(BUSINESS)(Sand & Silicon)(Column)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Dwayne Fatherree The Internet has changed many businesses and even more of the processes that businesses use. Unfortunately, there are still misconceptions that keep some companies from truly grasping the promise of Web-based...

Unraveling a secret of the sea; Gulf experiment seeks to explain the Bermuda Triangle.(A SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Byline: MITRA MALEK mitra.malek@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON BEACH -- Some scientists wonder if giant gas bubbles could be sucking ships beneath the Bermuda Triangle. A Hollywood special effects master, armed with a physicist, air...

New law chips away at homeowners' right to sue; Absence of the key word "rejected" in negotiations over construction defects can derail lawsuits.(A SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL POLLICK michael.pollick@heraldtribune.com ***** CORRECTION: The following correction appeared on Saturday, August 2, 2003: Correction: Because of an editor's error, state Sen. Michael Bennett's party affiliation was...

Merger activity may signal recovery.(BUSINESS)
August 1, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL BRAGA michael.braga@heraldtribune.com Merger and acquisition activity in Florida remains depressed. But a sudden uptick in dealmaking across the country has some investment advisers predicting the three-year bear market is...

A cool way to finish.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Venice High School band members got a cool surprise from the Venice Fire Department on Thursday during band camp. At the request of band officials, the fire department soaked the sun-drenched students as a reward for their hard work during the...

Early hours for three local restaurants.(SPORTS)
August 1, 2003... Byline: DOUG FERNANDES doug.fernandes@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Three area establishments are planning to cater to Tampa Bay Buc fans who will be out and about at 5 a.m. on Saturday. And not just scooping up the newspaper from the...

Clubland chatter -- the lowdown on the high life.(TICKET)(The Noise Ordinance)(Column)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Dawn E. Scire Nightclubs age similarly to canines -- one "club year" equals several of ours. With zoning, health/fire codes, insurance, publicity, maintenance, inventory, vendors, staff, security, entertainment, liquor, drugs,...

Ringling students to create mural for Anchin Pavilion.(B SECTION)(Column)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Suzanne Marschner A group of incoming Ringling School of Art and Design students will be busy this fall sharing their creativity and talent with the community. Under the direction of Rachel Levey, Ringling's coordinator of...

Business tough post 9/11.(BUSINESS)
August 1, 2003... Byline: KEVIN McQUAID kevin.mcquaid@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Fewer customers. Less revenue. High owner expectations. Welcome to the wonderful world of airport retailing, post-Sept. 11, 2001. For airport concessionaires like...

OBITUARIES.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
August 1, 2003... MANATEE COUNTY Walter R. Beedenbender Walter Raymond Beedenbender, 69, Palmetto, died July 30, 2003. He was born Oct. 30, 1933, in New York City and came to Palmetto in 1978 from Gales Ferry, Conn. He was a senior piping designer....

Speedcom's would-be buyer still in the red.(BUSINESS)
August 1, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL POLLICK michael.pollick@heraldtribune.com Speedcom's announced merger partner, P-Com Inc., on Thursday reported reduced sales of telecommunications gear during the latest quarter and continued red ink instead of profits. ...

Stingers just 2 wins shy; St. Pete club faces Elite today in the semifinals of the tournament.(SPORTS)
August 1, 2003... Byline: BRIAN NEWBERRY CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- The St. Petersburg Stingers are within two wins of a National Championship. The Stingers, with players from Sarasota and Manatee County, defeated the NWCBA Diamonds 2-0 before rolling...

State constitution might be right place for proposal to stunt rapid growth.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Rod Thomson There are a significant number of folks in Florida who are angry and fearful at the rate of growth in some parts of the state, including the moderately growing Sarasota area. A few of them are ready to take matters into...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
August 1, 2003... SARASOTA COUNTY Zachary Allen Boynton Zachary Allen Boynton, 19, Venice, died July 23, 2003. He was born June 17, 1984, in Charlevoix, Mich., and came to Venice in 1986 from Michigan. He graduated from Venice High School in 2003....

Authorities arrest trio in tiki bar thefts.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT ENGLEWOOD -- Burglars apparently hit the tiki bar at the White Elephant Pub one too many times. Authorities arrested three area residents early Thursday in connection with several recent break-ins in which alcohol...

City will propose new bypass route; The proposal calls for a new southbound route that would go around the U.S. 41 Bypass.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Byline: EARLE KIMEL earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com VENICE -- Business owners along U.S. 41 Bypass have known for years they may be displaced once the state widens the highway from four lanes to six. This week, though, city officials...

Pitch for new interstate is just an idea, not a case of crying 'wolf'.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Jeff Schweers Manatee County Commissioner Ron Getman doesn't want to be mistaken for the boy who cried "wolf." We all know the story. A shepherd boy got a kick out of crying wolf when there wasn't one, just to draw attention...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... ***** CORRECTION: The following correction appeared on Saturday, August 2, 2003: Correction: * A barge hauling millions of gallons of treated industrial waste made its fourth trip to the Gulf of Mexico early Friday morning. Because of a...

Post 24 ready for state play; Area team will battle Hillsborough today in tournament opener.(SPORTS)
August 1, 2003... Byline: BRIAN NEWBERRY COREESPONDENT BRADENTON -- Most of the players on Kirby Stewart Post 24 have already played in an American Legion state championship game. Now they would like the championship trophy. Post 24 hopes to start...

Bennifer, Jenjamin aren't enough to save 'Gigli'.(TICKET)(Review)
August 1, 2003... Byline: PHILIP BOOTH CORRESPONDENT Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, now engaged, fell in love on the set of "Gigli," the romantic comedy-crime thriller with a title pronounced similar to "really," according to Affleck's character. So...

Tait tops Newsong's Summer Jam.(TICKET)(Review)
August 1, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINA COX CORRESPONDENT PALMETTO -- When one-third of the Christian rock group dc talk started his own band, the music industry sat up and took notice. What they saw was four young men playing rock 'n' roll and having fun....

Real to reel.(TICKET)(Column)
August 1, 2003... Byline: Joel Welin SARASOTA -- Danny Provenzano was in Los Angeles this past week for the screening of his film, "This Thing of Ours." The film, a mob-meets-modern-technology thriller (See Page 19), is the first to be released by...

Poor air quality delays opening of Head Start; Problems that made some employees, students sick haven't been resolved.(A SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Byline: SELINA ROMAN selina.roman@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- Nearly 200 children who were set to begin Head Start preschool will have to stay home because of continuing air quality problems at the Palmetto and south Manatee...

Campers spread some compassion.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Byline: DEBI SPRINGER debi.springer@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- A group of teens spent part of their summer break passing out sodas to parched pedestrians, cleaning windows at a trailer park, and mowing lawns. And they paid to do...

Workers' comp rates may drop by 14%.(BUSINESS)
August 1, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL BRAGA michael.braga@heraldtribune.com Workers' compensation insurance rates went up by an average of 13.7 percent in April, but they might be coming down by 14 percent in October. That will provide some relief to...

School Board endorses budget; The proposal includes a $2 million spending increase over last year.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINA DeNARDO christina.denardo@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- After a public hearing at which no member of the public spoke, the Charlotte County School Board gave preliminary approval to a proposed budget Thursday....

Our Community.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Traffic stop leads to drug arrest PUNTA GORDA -- Police arrested a Kissimmee man Thursday after a traffic stop led to a search that turned up cocaine, a ski mask, and nearly $2,000. Sufian A. "Sammy" Hatel, 30, was charged with...

Judge won't lift site-plan stay; A higher court will now review whether Charlotte County must OK plans for a concrete-paver plant.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Byline: JAMIE MANFUSO jamie.manfuso@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- A court order for the county to approve site plans for a concrete paver plant will remain on hold while a higher court reviews the case, a circuit judge has ruled....

Type-A(isha) Tyler performs at McCurdy's.(TICKET)
August 1, 2003... Byline: AMANDA SCHURR CORRESPONDENT ***** CORRECTION: The following correction appeared on Saturday , August 2, 2003* : Correction: Aisha Tyler is scheduled to perform Thursday through Aug. 10 at McCurdy's Comedy Theater in Sarasota....

News Updates.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2003... Keating Center construction begins SARASOTA -- Construction has started on a New College of Florida building that will house the school's foundation, alumni association and library association. The $1 million Keating Center, named...

Post 24 tops Tampa Terrier in State opener.(SPORTS)
August 2, 2003... Byline: BRIAN NEWBERRY CORRESPONDENT BOYNTON BEACH -- The Kirby Stewart Post 24 hitters found the perfect time to break out of a slump. Post 24 used a 13-hit attack to take its opening game of the American Legion State baseball...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
August 2, 2003... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Bessie I. Gibbens Bessie I. "Betty" Gibbens, 98, Punta Gorda, and formerly of Englewood, died July 29, 2003. She was born April 25, 1905, in Nez Perce, Idaho, and came to Charlotte County in 1970 from Miami. She...

Police searching for home invaders; The two robbers posed as officers to gain entry to the residence.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2003... Byline: TOM KIM tom.kim@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Two men who reportedly tied up a teenager while posing as police officers prompted a manhunt that brought out the county's SWAT team armed with tear gas grenades and rifles. In...

Districts rush to hire teachers; State schools must fill 22,000 teaching positions.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2003... Byline: KIM HACKETT CORRESPONDENT With teachers scheduled to report to work Tuesday, Sarasota County school leaders are still scrambling to fill dozens of teaching positions. As of midweek, about 50 of a record 400 openings were...

Sacked out in the sand.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2003... Danielle Young, 7, doesn't seem too concerned about being buried in the sand by her best friend, Katie Moran, 7, at Englewood Beach on Friday. The two were enjoying an outing at the beach with their mothers. CAPTION(S): STAFF PHOTO /...

Father-son match nets a return.(PLAY!)(Go!)(Column)
August 2, 2003... Byline: THOMAS BECNEL PORT CHARLOTTE -- We left for the tennis court with three rackets, two cans of balls and one tape measure. "I have this thing," my dad explained, "about the height of the net." He's retired now, at 69, which...

slam; With a soar and a smile, Sarasota's Trevor Anderson finds spotlight in TV sport.(PLAY!)
August 2, 2003... Byline: THOMAS BECNEL Orlando -- Last year Sarasota's Trevor Anderson was an Arena Football League journeyman teaching junior high school English. This year he's a rookie SlamBall star who steals the show in a TNN documentary promoting...

New doctors' building coming; tenants sought.(BUSINESS)
August 2, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL BRAGA michael.braga@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- A new 31,000-square-foot medical office building soon will rise on Manatee Avenue where Ironworks Motorcycle Co. once stood. The old motorcycle shop has been torn down...

Classrooms full at nursing schools; Demand is so high that many would-be students are put on waiting lists or simply turned away.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINA DeNARDO christina.denardo@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- Southwest Florida is responding to the nursing shortage by enrolling in nursing programs, but the increased demand is forcing many schools to turn students...

Superb Brooksville course fits Lee to a tee.(PLAY!)
August 2, 2003... Byline: DAVID GRIMES STAFF WRITER BROOKSVILLE -- I've always been a big fan of golf courses designed by Joe Lee. Locally, he did the Lakes course at Palm-Aire Country Club and Gator Creek Golf Club, both of which are eminently...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2003... Woman who caused crash gets a citation ENGLEWOOD -- A woman who caused a one-car accident, injuring herself and her two passengers Monday, was issued a traffic citation Friday. Nicole Virgin, 21, of 6510 Manasota Key Road, was issued a...

CONGRATS.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2003... Corporate partners The Van Wezel was presented with a $15,000 check from Wilde Automotive Group for its support of Friday Fest on the Bay. Other corporate sponsors for the free summer music festival are Brighthouse, City of Sarasota,...

Man convicted for shaking child to death sentenced to nine years.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2003... Byline: ROBERT PATRICK robert.patrick@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Fernando Alejandro, convicted of manslaughter in the December 1999 shaking death of his girlfriend's son, was sentenced Friday to nine years and three months in prison....

Our Community.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2003... City responds to EPA request for records VENICE -- City officials responded last week to the second subpoena issued by a grand jury in an ongoing federal investigation of the Eastside Wastewater Treatment Plant. The 35 pages of...

Cigarette butts are growing problem; A Punta Gorda council member suggests certain businesses should set up outdoor ashtrays.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA michael.scarcella@heraldtribune.com PUNTA GORDA -- City officials are talking trash. More businesses downtown means more pedestrians. And some of those folks, it can be assumed, are going to be carting packs...

Paul Rudolph topic of speech.(HOME & REAL ESTATE)
August 2, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT Joseph King, author and co-curator of the exhibit "Paul Rudolph: The Florida Houses," will present a lecture at 2 p.m. Sunday at the South Florida Museum, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton. Admission is free with admission...

Rape case yields 10 years in prison.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2003... Byline: ROBERT PATRICK robert.patrick@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- A Bradenton man who pleaded no contest to the rape of a child, but wouldn't admit any guilt, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday. Prosecutors accused Pedro...

Voting error message; Threat of computer fraud demands rigorous inspection and testing.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
August 2, 2003... After the disaster of the 2000 Florida elections, computer voting systems have grown in popularity across the country with the promise of exterminating hanging, pregnant and dimpled chads. In 2002, Sarasota County went from punch cards --...

Man tied to 2nd sexual assault; Darrell Lee Shafer may have also attacked a 59-year-old woman.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2003... Byline: TOM KIM tom.kim@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- A man charged with the rape of his former roommate was charged Friday with the July sexual assault of a 59-year-old woman after DNA linked him to the crime, the Manatee County...

West Florida PHRF gets its act together.(PLAY!)(Sailing)(Column)
August 2, 2003... Byline: Morgan Stinemetz The history of handicap sailboat racing on the West Coast of Florida under the aegis of the Performance Handicap Rating Fleet (PHRF) system has had a few potholes in the highway of transition. Now, however, it...

Owner of mall wants ad discount; Long contract talks with Sarasota County have been costly, Coyote Management says.(BUSINESS)
August 2, 2003... Byline: LAUREN MAYK lauren.mayk@heraldtribune.com A free or discounted ride on a Sarasota County Area Transit bus could help smooth over lengthy contract talks between Sarasota County and the company that owns Sarasota Square Mall. ...

Same-sex marriage is no threat.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
August 2, 2003... Byline: Barbara Peters Smith No question about it; these are dark times for homophobes. Altersexual acts and attitudes are in your face just about everywhere you look these days, from that new TV show where a gay posse teaches straight...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
August 2, 2003... MANATEE COUNTY Margaret Maria Barbour Margaret Maria Barbour, 84, Bradenton, died July 31, 2003. She was born July 29, 1919, in New Castle, Pa., and came to Manatee County in 1986 from Sharon, Pa. She retired as an engineering...

Florida Elite wins national championship.(SPORTS)
August 2, 2003... Byline: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Florida Elite won its third straight come-from-behind game to capture the 14-Under National AAU baseball tournament, Friday at Ed Smith Stadium. Andrew Cobb smashed a one-out double in the...

CONGRATS.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2003... Veterans honored The Clyde E. Lassen Memorial VFW Post 10178 Ladies Auxiliary honored veterans in a ceremony July 4 at Gulf Pines Memorial Park, 2401 Englewood Road, Englewood. A Buddy Poppy memorial wreath was placed in the cremation...

Briefs.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2003... High schools to hold meetings on diplomas MANATEE COUNTY -- School administrators will host a meeting for parents and students interested in learning more about a new high school diploma option. The meetings will be 7 to 8 p.m. Aug. 19...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2003... Main breaks cut off water for 7 hours SARASOTA -- More than 750 county water customers south of Sarasota were without service for seven hours Friday. In a news release, the county Health Department recommended that they boil their...

FROM YOUR READER ADVOCATE.(A SECTION)
August 2, 2003... Advocating is a real balancing act. Most requests are direct: "I'd like to stop my paper and restart it in two weeks when I return from Minnesota." "What's Katherine Harris' local phone number?" Those are easy to take care of, using...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
August 2, 2003... SARASOTA COUNTY Henry Richard Berry Henry Richard Berry, 70, Columbia, S.C., and formerly of Sarasota, died July 30, 2003. He was born Sept. 20, 1932, in Sarasota and moved to Columbia in 1959 from Sarasota. He retired as an...