Sarasota Herald Tribune articles from August 2005

Sarasota Herald Tribune archives from August 2005

A silver lining to storms of 2004: better ability to predict losses.(A SECTION)
August 1, 2005... Byline: LAUREN MAYK lauren.mayk@heraldtribune.com The hurricanes of 2004 cost Florida power companies more than $1 billion, but gave them something that could prove priceless. The four storms provided precious data on what...

Northeast arrivals find area amenable; 'Yankees' drawn by home prices, culture.(A SECTION)
August 1, 2005... Byline: TOM ARTHUR tom.arthur@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- Someone with an entrepreneurial spirit might consider opening a restaurant in Manatee County that specializes in Philly cheesesteaks or clam chowder. They could feed a...

Shrinking buffer; 100-mile limit might not be enough to protect Florida's Gulf coast.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
August 1, 2005... Gov. Jeb Bush said last Wednesday that he will push federal officials to impose a ban on oil and gas drilling within 100 miles of Florida's coastline. That's welcome news -- as far as it goes. But such a ban would leave much of the...

Worst-case water; Tapping reserves is no way to boost region's supplies.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
August 1, 2005... How do we pump up the volume? That's the question facing water managers at the Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority. The authority's members are close to reaching a deal that provides the most obvious answer -- an expansion...

Devil Rays complete 8-2 homestand.(SPORTS)
August 1, 2005... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com ST. PETERSBURG -- Mark Hendrickson had put so much effort into getting physically prepared in the four days leading up to his starts, he took the mental part of the process for...

Forget jinxes; Clayton doesn't believe in second-year woes.(SPORTS)
August 1, 2005... Byline: TOM BALOG tom.balog@heraldtribune.com LAKE BUENA VISTA -- If he needs one, Michael Clayton already has a built-in excuse. Should he fail to duplicate his record-setting rookie year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' second-year wide...

LaMar can't find trigger.(SPORTS)(Comment)(Column)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Doug Fernandes SARASOTA -- Chuck LaMar had a chance to partake in the trade of the century. A real mega-deal, involving one of the greatest run producers baseball has witnessed. But with his cup already runneth over, the...

Braden River in LL state Senior finals.(SPORTS)
August 1, 2005... Byline: BRIAN NEWBERRY CORRESPONDENT FORT LAUDERDALE -- Braden River used an unconventional method to reach its goal for the weekend. The locals went undefeated in pool play but had to sweat each game out in doing so. Braden...

Rays remain tradeless at deadline.(SPORTS)
August 1, 2005... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com ST. PETERSBURG -- All froth and no beer. The non-waiver trading deadline came and went without the Rays making a move. This year, Tampa Bay general manager Chuck LaMar...

Bush not first with nicknames.(FLORIDA WEST)(Column)
August 1, 2005... Byline: David Grimes About a dozen newspapers pulled or edited a recent "Doonesbury" comic strip in which President Bush refers to his political adviser Karl Rove as "turd blossom." Rove, of course, has been called far worse things by...

Key Camp; A week with Mote Marine in the Florida Keys sets some students on a lifelong path.(FLORIDA WEST)
August 1, 2005... Byline: SHARYN LONSDALE sharyn.lonsdale@heraldtribune.com For 12-year-old Mikka Knapp of Sarasota, summer camp at Mote Marine Laboratory opened "a whole new world." And that world was not at the Sarasota headquarters of the facility,...

WAMR's call letters and format have changed.(FLORIDA WEST)(ON RADIO)(Column)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Dawn E. Scire Dear Radio Babe, Subject: WAMR. What happened, why did they change formats? -- R.K. Dear R.K., Radio Babe posed your question about the former sports-formatted WAMR 1320 AM directly to the source -- Clear Channel...

County to remove 'bandit benches'; Unpermitted seats with ads targeted for removal.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2005... Byline: JAMIE MANFUSO jamie.manfuso@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- For many businesses here, roadside benches are an effective advertising tool. They're cheaper than billboards, sit just feet from busy roads, and their messages...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
August 1, 2005... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Sue Ann Clutter Sue Ann Clutter, 70, Englewood, died July 20, 2005. She was born Jan. 4, 1935, in East Liverpool, Ohio, and came to Englewood in 2003 from Homosassa. She retired as a bookkeeper. Survivors...

Bait shop almost ready for its debut; Officials say the facility is "99.9 percent" complete.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2005... Byline: LAUREN GLENN lauren.glenn@heraldtribune.com VENICE -- Fishing rods and beach chairs are propped up where bait should be. Near the middle of the Venice Fishing Pier, on the left side, stands a future bait shop, directly over...

Fine art.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2005... The first Friday and the first and second Saturday of each month in the Village of the Arts, 12th Avenue West, 11th Avenue West and 12th Street West in Bradenton. Hours: 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Artwork raffled off...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
August 1, 2005... MANATEE COUNTY Evelyn W. Horn Evelyn W. Horn, 89, Bradenton, died July 28, 2005. She was born Aug. 7, 1915, in Anderson, Ind., and came to the area in 1986 from there. She was a member of Po-Kea-Dot Club of Bradenton. She was a...

Clarke considersrace for Congress.(B SECTION)(Political Notebook)(Column)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Jeremy Wallace With her state House seat in clear jeopardy, Rep. Donna Clarke, R-Sarasota, appears to be turning her attention to running for Congress. Clarke was in Washington, D.C., last week meeting with leaders of the...

Day by day, county commissioners do the grunt work of government.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Rod Thomson This is a column of a different stripe. For everyone who has thought of Sarasota County commissioners as some elite group of fat cats schlepping it up on expense accounts to Hawaiian "conferences," you need to read...

HOOAH! Junior ROTC cadets relish the discipline of weeklong camp.(B SECTION)
August 1, 2005... Byline: PATTY ALLEN-JONES patty.allen-jones@heraldtribune.com STARKE -- There's no television or air conditioning at Camp Blanding. The lights go on at 5:30 a.m. so teenaged campers can mop floors, clean toilets, make beds and get...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
August 1, 2005... SARASOTA COUNTY Peter Chacharonis Dr. Peter Chacharonis, 79, Sarasota, died July 30, 2005. He was born Dec. 9, 1925, in Zanesville, Ohio, and came to Sarasota in 1978 from St. Louis. He retired as a college professor. He received...

Buziness Buzz.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
August 1, 2005... Condo conversions may prove dangerous Doug Culkin, executive director of the National Apartment Association, is worried about the accelerating trend toward converting apartment buildings into condominiums. "It's a ticking time bomb...

Business People.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
August 1, 2005... Laurie Hagberg has been appointed to the position of president of the Pines of Sarasota Foundation, the fund-raising arm of Pines of Sarasota. Jeff Gerhard, a certified public accountant and supervisor for CPA Associates of Bradenton and...

Bank of Commerce president/CEO joins influential banking lobby.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)(Money Minders)(Column)
August 1, 2005... Byline: John Hielscher Sarasota banker Charles O. Murphy has been tapped for a key role with an influential industry lobbying group. Murphy, president and chief executive officer of The Bank of Commerce, was appointed to the American...

Orthopedic surgeon opens a new office.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
August 1, 2005... James D. Shortt, M.D., P.A., has opened a new office for orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation at 842 Sunset Lake Blvd., Suite 303, in Venice. Dr. Shortt offers general orthopedics, including trauma, reconstruction, extremity surgery and...

Good Deeds.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
August 1, 2005... The Van Wezel Foundation Inc. has received a grant of $15,000 from the Verizon Foundation. The grant was a combined effort to support the first annual Festival Diapente and the 2005/2006 Schooltime Performance Series. The Schooltime...

Win or lose, worker lawsuits costly for companies.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)(Legally Speaking)(Column)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Michael Pollick How much does it cost to defend your company against an employee's lawsuit? The bill can be in the six figures, even if you win, based on the experience of investment banking firm Morgan Stanley. The Wall Street...

Real Estate People.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
August 1, 2005... Tyler Hyslop has joined Florida Sun Realty Corp. in Sarasota as a sales associate, specializing in residential listings in Sarasota and Bradenton. Ryan P. Carbery has joined the Bradenton office of Michael Saunders & Co. as a sales...

Lower-priced condos still available; Gulf Coast living for $100,000? Try looking in Port Charlotte.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
August 1, 2005... Byline: PATRICK WHITTLE patrick.whittle@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- Charlotte County is home to a coveted, threatened species, and many residents fear it is teetering on the edge of extinction. Scrub jays? No. Five-figure...

Manatee's impact-fee debate takes an interesting turn.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)(In the House)(Column)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Rich Shopes Every time county officials talk about raising impact fees on new construction they get an earful from home builders. The scenario usually plays out like this: Officials bemoan the strain population growth place on...

Viewer discretion; After years of subpar cable TV service, Tara residents are in the driver's seat. With competition heating up, more neighborhoods may join them.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
August 1, 2005... Byline: LAUREN MAYK lauren.mayk@heraldtribune.com When Will Russell took over as president of his local homeowners association, he set out to tackle the one issue that affected everyone in Tara: cable television. Not everyone played...

From bull rider to real estate.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
August 1, 2005... Byline: RICH SHOPES rich.shopes@heraldtribune.com Doug Walker lay in the dirt seven years ago, unable to move and thinking about a friend who was paralyzed in a rodeo accident. He couldn't help but notice the irony. Here he was, at one...

Minding their own business(es); Some downtown property owners consider an improvement district.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
August 1, 2005... Byline: KEVIN McQUAID kevin.mcquaid@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Encouraged by the success of a St. Armands Circle improvement program, a business group is considering creating a similar one in downtown Sarasota. The Downtown...

Blasted by Charley, Punta Gorda hoteliers invade Sarasota.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)(Foundations)(Column)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Michael Braga Barely 11 months after their businesses were smashed to smithereens by Hurricane Charley, David Arnsby and John Zaccari are back at it. Arnsby, the former owner of the Holiday Inn Punta Gorda-Harborside, shelled...

For the Record.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
August 1, 2005... COMMERCIAL MORTGAGES Listed in order are the mortgagor, mortgage holder, amount mortgaged, instrument number, or book with page number and the location of the mortgaged property filed in Sarasota and Manatee counties. SARASOTA ...

North Port commission wants to get tougher on sex offenders; Monthly visits ordered, but police cite lack of manpower.(A SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: ERIN BRYCE erin.bryce@heraldtribune.com NORTH PORT -- This city's police officers may soon be knocking on the doors of sexual offenders and predators once a month instead of three to four times a year. The city commissioners...

Better Taser training; Legislature should follow Charlotte sheriff's example.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
August 2, 2005... Florida leads the nation in deaths linked to the use of Taser stun guns by law-enforcement officers. Recent reports found that at least 30 people in the state have died after being hit by the guns' 50,000-volt shocks. The Legislature...

Intelligence inches along; Agencies slow to respond to terrorism's challenge.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
August 2, 2005... The threat of a terrorist attack is ever-present, and yet the federal government appears exceedingly slow in responding to basic recommendations made in the 9/11 Commission Report, issued last summer. For example, the report said the FBI...

Districts face a test; Proposed pay raises for Manatee teachers may set a standard.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
August 2, 2005... You don't have to be an "A" student to figure out what Southwest Florida's school districts must do to attract and retain quality teachers: Pay more. With the region's housing prices escalating at a rate rapid enough to garner national...

Suns have summer to remember.(SPORTS)(Column)
August 2, 2005... Byline: Dennis Maffezzoli When a dozen 11- and 12-year-olds return to school, they will have a nice essay to write on how they spent their summer vacation. The 12 from various area grammar and middle schools recently returned from...

Braden River has title shot tonight; Team advances to championship game following 3-2 win over San Mateo.(SPORTS)
August 2, 2005... Byline: BRIAN NEWBERRY CORRESPONDENT FORT LAUDERDALE -- Braden River continued to live on the edge at the Little League Senior State Tournament. Tyler Redmond's infield single in the bottom of the seventh scored Jacob Wilbanks to give...

Braden River's title bid ends with defeat; Little goes right as team settles for a third-place finish after absorbing a 10-1 defeat by Cocoa.(SPORTS)
August 2, 2005... Byline: JON STYF jon.styf@heraldtribune.com DUNEDIN -- After making a remarkable comeback bid Saturday to make the state tournament semifinals as the top seed from Group B, the Braden River Junior All-Stars' bid ended Monday. Similar...

Sarasota 14s, 15s still in contention.(SPORTS)
August 2, 2005... Byline: STAFF REPORT Sarasota's 14-year-old Babe Ruth Baseball All-Star team will play host Marshall County (Tenn.) today at 5:30 in the final of its five-team pool at the Southeastern Region tournament in Lewisburg, Tenn.. Sarasota...

TAMPA BAY BUCKS NOTEBOOK.(SPORTS)
August 2, 2005... Bucs in the market for a strong, accurate leg LAKE BUENA VISTA -- The Bucs will be looking for kickers as soon as they become available on the waiver wire, the way that Matt Bryant and Todd France are going. France made a field goal that...

Doane in 40th at Opti-Worlds.(SPORTS)
August 2, 2005... Byline: STAFF REPORT Justin Doane of Nokomis, 15, and a student at Pine View, is competing in the Opti Worlds on Lake Silvaplana, close to St. Moritz, Switzerland. He won the slot by finishing first in the qualifier in Annapolis in May....

Roman leads Pirates over Reds.(SPORTS)
August 2, 2005... Byline: STAFF REPORT Willman Roman drove in three runs with a home run and a double to lead the Pirates past the Reds 10-4 Monday at the City of Sarasota Sports Complex. Kevin Finer was 3-for-5 with a double for the Reds. In...

Dietz earns top spot in dirt biking.(SPORTS)
August 2, 2005... Byline: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Paul Dietz believes nothing can stop him. It would be hard to argue with the 14-year-old incoming freshman at Sarasota High. He has overcome a multitude of obstacles to become the top dirt...

IMPAC University offers 'coached' MBA program.(BUSINESS)(Charlotte Business)(Column)
August 2, 2005... Byline: John Heys Sharon Caballero wants to turn business education upside down and on its head. To do it, the president and chief executive officer of IMPAC University in Punta Gorda is linking a team of professors with individual...

Gevity HR lands its largest client; St. Pete's Danka Business Systems outsources its health and benefits programs.(BUSINESS)
August 2, 2005... Byline: MICHAEL BRAGA michael.braga@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Gevity HR will soon be managing all human resources and payroll operations for the 3,100 U.S. employees of Danka Business Systems, a St. Petersburg-based supplier of...

Verizon agrees to ease rule; Customers can now switch landline service and still hang on to DSL.(BUSINESS)
August 2, 2005... Byline: LAUREN MAYK lauren.mayk@heraldtribune.com Verizon is now letting Florida customers get "naked" with their telecom services. As part of an agreement with Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist, Verizon said customers can...

Business Buzz.(BUSINESS)
August 2, 2005... Silverberg joins Sky Sotheby's Gigi Silverberg recently joined Sky Sotheby's International Realty, a luxury residential real estate firm in Sarasota. Colonial Bank opens Punta Gorda branch Colonial Bank recently opened a new...

Stone's epic just as bad on DVD.(FLORIDA WEST)(DVD Watch)(Column)
August 2, 2005... Byline: Philip Booth What's worse than a heavy-handed, fumble-fingered epic about Alexander the Great? How about the same long-winded movie augmented by indulgent extras? That's the case with the double-disc release of Oliver...

Mediaeval Baebes drone on.(FLORIDA WEST)
August 2, 2005... Byline: RICHARD STORM CORRESPONDENT Mirabilis is the fifth recording by a group of eight British women who, it seems, have been channeling Olde English sounds since 1966, when they first performed at Mayday "frolics" on London's...

Hip-hop blog.(FLORIDA WEST)
August 2, 2005... Herald-Tribune entertainment reporter Steve Echeverria Jr. is covering the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Conference & Awards in Atlanta this week. For daily updates, visit his blog at www.heraldtribune.com/echeverria. CAPTION(S): (Steve...

Makeover revolution; STYLE BY THE BOOK: TV fashion gurus and makeover consultants offer chapter and verse on trends and other shopping advice.(FLORIDA WEST)
August 2, 2005... Byline: MARY AWOSIKA mary.awosika@heraldtribune.com It's the old-fashioned way of getting fashion advice. Lately, counselors of style, aka fashionistas, have been offering advice on national TV networks and channels with such shows as...

New teachers lured by a sense of community.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
August 2, 2005... Byline: Eric Ernst Hurricane Charley wiped out about half the schools in the Charlotte County school system last year. Five still cannot be inhabited. Their students will work out of portables while the district haggles with insurance...

County greets 75 new teachers.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: KEVIN DALE kevin.dale@heraldtribune.com PORT CHARLOTTE -- Charlotte County's newest teachers broke bread Monday at the annual new teachers' luncheon, enjoying a free chicken lunch and a bit of inspiration before the start of...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Hurricane victims report missing items CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- Residents of the South Port Square retirement community have reported 33 thefts since June 20, according to the Sheriff's Office. After Hurricane Charley, about 400 South Port...

Molnar enjoys job as Punta Gorda fire marshal.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: ANN HENDERSON CORRESPONDENT Jennifer Lee Jones was in a hurry to be born on June 17, 1974. In fact her father, Frankie Jones, got a ticket racing to Lee Memorial Hospital to get Jones' mother, Mary Jacobs Jones, there in time for...

Hot time at the 'cool' Back to School Extravaganza.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: BETSY WILLIAMS CORRESPONDENT The last hurrah of the summer, the Back To School Extravaganza, may have been hotter than hot, but according to Pam Malik and her grandson Jesse, 5, it's "so cool." Jesse said that as he sat in a shaded...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
August 2, 2005... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Janie Sesel Edwards Janie Sesel Edwards, 81, Punta Gorda, died July 30, 2005, at her residence. She was born March 2, 1924, in Detroit, and came to Florida 25 years ago from South Lyon, Mich. She was a retired...

Teacher hopes children will stay with art.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: SHARYN LONSDALE sharyn.lonsdale@heraldtribune.com Summer art classes may be over for Nanette Hopkins, but the instructor will continue to be an evening fixture at the Englewood Art Center. This fall the art center will show a...

Woman's Club pieces together its history.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: FRANCINE MILFORD francine.milford@heraldtribune.com When Venice Nokomis Woman's Club member Jean Marie Burton discovered that the club will be celebrating its 80th anniversary next year, she began to search through old documents and...

Smith will be ready for opener.(SPORTS)(At Home)(Column)
August 2, 2005... Byline: Perry Pentz Auburn junior Tre Smith, who underwent successful surgery to remove his appendix on July 26, is expected back before the first game, according to Auburn officials. Smith, a 5-foot-10, 199- pound tailback, missed the...

Sky Toys brings gadgets for grownups to mall.(BUSINESS)(What's in Store)(Column)
August 2, 2005... Byline: Lauren Mayk A Connecticut company is venturing into the Sarasota market, looking to become a familiar sight at area malls. Sky Toys, a subsidiary of Connecticut-based DVP LLC, started operating its first local "store" this...

North Port left schools out of plans for Thomas Ranch; School district may have to buy property in West Villages development.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: LIZ BABIARZ liz.babiarz@heraldtribune.com NORTH PORT -- While planning for a 15,000-home development on Thomas Ranch, the city accepted hundreds of acres from the developer, but did not set aside any room for new schools. The...

Conformity vs. individuality; Some balk at proposed rules for Venice businesses.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: PAUL QUINLAN paul.quinlan@heraldtribune.com VENICE -- The months-long debate about imposing strict architectural standards along U.S. 41 on Venice island is taking on new urgency as commercial development begins to heat up on the...

LOCAL BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Sumter reopening after pipe problems NORTH PORT -- Sumter Boulevard south of U.S. 41 to Chancellor Boulevard will reopen at noon today after it was closed at 2 p.m. Monday because of a water main break. North Port utility workers were...

Teacher hopes kids will stay with art from summer to fall.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: SHARYN LONSDALE sharyn.lonsdale@heraldtribune.com Summer art classes may be over for Nanette Hopkins, but the instructor will continue to be an evening fixture at the Englewood Art Center. This fall the art center will show a...

Boys and Girls Club celebrates a summer of excellence.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... The gym at the North Port Boys and Girls Club on South Biscayne Drive was noisy Thursday, with boisterous children filling the bleachers and cheering for their achievements this summer. Young people were called forth and crossed the...

MCC Showcase opens doors to education opportunities.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: STAFF REPORT With most fall term 2005 classes starting Aug. 22, students and prospective students of all ages and interests are invited to learn more about Manatee Community College's programs and services, and how to sign up for...

Window maker leaving Bradenton for Georgia; Simonton's announcement will cost the area 200 jobs.(A SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: KATHLEEN McLAUGHLIN kathleen.mclaughlin@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- Simonton Windows spent six months looking for a place to expand in Manatee County, but eventually ditched Florida altogether. Instead, it built a new...

Warrick faces big challenge.(SPORTS)(At Home)(Column)
August 2, 2005... Byline: Alan Dell In the military when you take one for your buddies, you usually get a medal. In the NFL, it can send you to the unemployment line. Peter Warrick, unfortunately, knows all too well about the rules of engagement. ...

Patio furniture maker opens two showrooms.(BUSINESS)(Manatee At Work)(Column)
August 2, 2005... Byline: Kathleen McLaughlin This is prime porch-sitting time for most of America, but no one is relaxing at Carter Grandle. This is the time of year that welders and cushion makers go to work on next spring's line of patio furniture....

Jail overcrowding feared; Advocates for immigrants worry about consolidation of inmates in one jail.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: CORY SCHOUTEN and KATHLEEN CULLINAN STAFF WRITERS MANATEE COUNTY -- Hundreds of immigrants held in Manatee County for the federal government are now being housed in one jail instead of two to save money. The county has moved...

County schools' tax rate to drop; The decrease is thanks to an extra $27 million that is expected to be taken in property taxes.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: JENNY LEE ALLEN jenny.allen@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- The hot housing market here means the school district will likely take in an extra $27 million this year while rolling back slightly its property tax rate. The...

AROUND THE REGION; News from Sarasota and Charlotte Counties.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... SARASOTA COUNTY -- Developer sues over impact fees Palmer Ranch Holdings has sued Sarasota County, claiming that it doesn't have to pay school impact fees and that the county can't withhold building permits for nonpayment. As part of...

BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Bradenton police throwing a party BRADENTON -- Revelers can fight crime and send police officers splashing into dunk tanks tonight at a community block party. In addition to the dunk tank, face painting, antique cars, hot dogs and...

Manatee sheriff pitches 9.2% budget increase.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: STAFF REPORT MANATEE COUNTY -- Backed up by a posse of his top deputies, Sheriff Charlie Wells on Monday asked for 30 new positions, pay increases and new cruisers for his department. He initially asked for more but hashed out...

Church's summer program adds spirituality to studies and fun.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: YVETTE KIMM yvette.kimm@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Students stay safe during their summer break and continue their studies while attending Ward Temple Church's neighborhood children's program. "There are almost 70...

Duette Elementary is unique among state's schools.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: ABBY WEINGARTEN CORRESPONDENT MANATEE COUNTY -- The small, country community of Duette has a claim to fame: It's home to the only operating one-room school in the state. On about 11 acres off State Road 62, at the midway point...

Professor takes a teaching trip to Japan.(B SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: YVETTE KIMM yvette.kimm@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- A Bradenton professor was selected from among dozens of applicants from around the world to teach a two-week Microsoft exchange server class at Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa,...

City commissioners back out of costly garage deal; Officials will rethink purchase after site is appraised.(A SECTION)
August 2, 2005... Byline: MIKE SAEWITZ mike.saewitz@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Public outcry and a threat of a lawsuit prompted city commissioners to back off of a $4.4 million deal to buy property near Burns Court for a parking garage. After...

49ers' Baas reports with injury.(SPORTS)(Column)
August 2, 2005... Byline: Chad Brockoff The start of former Riverview High and University of Michigan offensive lineman David Baas' NFL career has been put on hold. Baas, the first pick in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft, signed a five-year...