Sarasota Herald Tribune articles from December 2003

Sarasota Herald Tribune archives from December 2003

Lisicki wins in three sets; Top-seeded qualifiers stumble in girls 16s and boys 18s; main draw starts today.(SPORTS)
December 1, 2003... Byline: BRIAN NEWBERRY CORRESPONDENT BRADENTON -- Sabine Lisicki made it through to the main draw of the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Tournament. Some of the top-seeded qualifiers were not as fortunate. Lisicki, the No....

Good Deeds.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
December 1, 2003... Vern and Sandy Buchanan have been recognized as new members of Florida State University's Eppes Society, the school's highest level of donor recognition. The Buchanans were recognized for their $1 million gift to the Ringling Now campaign...

Community marks World AIDS Day.(B SECTION)(Column)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Helen Rosen At 7 a.m. today the HIV/AIDS Pastoral Care Committee will mark 2003 World AIDS Day with a Sunrise Interfaith Service at the home of Dr. David Klein, 1820 Jamaica Way, Punta Gorda, and at 5:30 p.m. today, with the World...

FLORIDA GATORS; Southeastern Conference.(SPORTS)
December 1, 2003... Byline: MIC HUBER LAST GAME Lost to Florida State 38-34 Saturday in Gainesville. GAME ANALYSIS/NEWS The officiating crew for the Florida State-Florida football game came under fire by several players Saturday and Gator fans --...

Memories and reminders; The FBI still needs to be policed.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
December 1, 2003... In mid-October, the FBI sent a bulletin to 17,000 state and local police agencies, calling attention to anti-war protests slated for Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. The bulletin also said the FBI wants state and local agencies to provide...

No shortage of opinions at weekly forum.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Byline: JULIAN PECQUET julian.pecquet@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA COUNTY -- While chilling out at your favorite watering hole, you might expect to overhear patrons dreading the in-laws' holiday visit or pondering whether the Bucs are but a...

Unusual gifts and decor are big draw at garden sale.(B SECTION)(Life Around Town)(Column)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Sharyn Lonsdale Business was brisk at the Lemon Bay Garden Club's annual holiday craft and plant sale this past weekend as customers picked up Christmas decorations and gifts that were truly one of a kind. "We've been...

Janick discovers the furry fun of pet photography.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Byline: KELLY L. BROOKS kelly.brooks@heraldtribune.com When Dawn Janick's mom passed away a little over a year ago, she left her daughter some money. Her only request was that Dawn use it to do something for herself. Janick thought...

Gov. Bush sides with doctors in malpractice showdown.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Despite attempts by Florida's business leaders to reach a truce between the state's doctors and lawyers, it appears that the two sides are headed for an election-year showdown. Top officials with Associated Industries of Florida and the...

Help wanted; Alzheimer's disease often claims more than one victim.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
December 1, 2003... Paul Armbruster, 88, has been held without bail in the Sarasota County jail since Oct. 23. He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Virginia Adele Armbruster, 82. She suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Mrs....

Thanks to a diet, it's easy to just say no to fruitcake this holiday season.(B SECTION)(Column)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Linda Salisbury 'No, thank you." Since I've been on a diet for several months, I can honestly say "no, thank you" to fruitcake. There is nothing in our diet book that specifically addresses this annual terrible concoction....

SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS; Conference USA.(SPORTS)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Alan Dell LAST GAME Defeated Memphis 21-16 on the road to complete regular season with a 7-4 record. GAME ANALYSIS/NEWS The win over Memphis is arguably the biggest victory in the seven-year history of the USF...

KNOCKOUT PUNCH; Bucs all but eliminated from playoffs.(SPORTS)
December 1, 2003... Byline: TOM BALOG tom.balog@heraldtribune.com JACKSONVILLE -- Whatever resolve the Buccaneers had vowed to show to make a solid run at the playoffs was non-existent Sunday night against the lowly Jaguars. Throw a white sheet over the...

With songs of worship and praise in their souls.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... The St. Mary Praise & Worship Ensemble treated an audience at Fishermen's Village in Punta Gorda to a Christmas program on Sunday afternoon. Above, Rachel White joins in the chorus, while at right, Danielle Hamilton, center, and Shaunte Manuel,...

'Competition' intrigues but fails to involve.(FLORIDA WEST)(Review)
December 1, 2003... Byline: KAY KIPLING CORRESPONDENT Things are not good in Kursk. In fact, they're so bad thatwhen some Japanese businessmen come to town, looking for women to work in "show business" in Bangkok, hordes of females descend on the old movie...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Airport development proposals due today VENICE -- Today is the last day the city will accept proposals from developers interested in creating all or a portion of the Venice Municipal Airport business park. The proposed 125-acre...

Planning a happy holiday for everyone.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Byline: HELEN ROSEN CORRESPONDENT Carla Bennett, a public assistance specialist supervisor with the Florida Department of Children and Families, District 8, knows there are many people who need help during the holidays. One such person was...

Fraser's finds a home on the avenue.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Byline: FRANCINE MILFORD francine.milford@heraldtribune.com What was once Martha's Candy & Clutter has been transformed into Fraser's on the Ave., a Venice Avenue shop specializing in personal accessories for the home. Linda Fraser,...

FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES; Atlantic Coast Conf.(SPORTS)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Chris Anderson LAST GAME Beat Florida 38-34 on Saturday in Gainesville. GAME ANALYSIS/NEWS Even FSU coach Bobby Bowden was shocked by what happened Saturday afternoon at Florida Field. "I can't hardly believe we won,"...

New park improves quality of life; MLK Jr. Park isn't officially open, but kids already are using it.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Byline: MITRA MALEK mitra.malek@heraldtribune.com EAST BRADENTON -- Until this fall, Jasmine Lovett had only streets and a small yard to run around in near her family's home at Tenth Avenue West and Sixth Street. "We had nowhere else...

Kudos.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
December 1, 2003... Bradenton's Bealls Inc. recently announced the following employee awards: Dawn Adams has received the Bealls Inc. Officer's Award for Corporate Center; Lenard Ivory has received the Bealls Inc. Officer's Award for Distribution Center; Gary...

Englewood residents feast on grouper, grits.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Mary Kay Chadwick Krantz and her brother, Larry, are the grandchildren of Steve Chadwick, who first platted out Manasota Key back in the '20s and built the original wooden toll bridge with his brother, Clay. They were joined recently at a...

E-card or traditional Hallmark?(FLORIDA WEST)(On the side)(Column)
December 1, 2003... Byline: MARY AWOSIKA mary.awosika@heraldtribune.com With the rush on to send packages, holiday letters and cards to loved ones everywhere, looming large is the temptation to go electronic, to end the time-honored, but time-consuming,...

Mexican restaurant gets face lift.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
December 1, 2003... Byline: LAUREN MAYK lauren.mayk@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- For the Two Senoritas restaurant, keeping up with the Joneses meant overhauling the interior, exterior and menu. "It was just time," said manager Mark Woodruff, whose...

City program links aesthetics, development; The incentive money helps businesses renovate within area architectural styles.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA michael.scarcella@heraldtribune.com PUNTA GORDA -- City officials say they hope an incentive program for businesses and homeowners will encourage a harmony of style, and spur development, in one part of the...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
December 1, 2003... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Vincent Joseph Thornberry Vincent Joseph "Joey" Thornberry, 22, Port Charlotte, died Nov. 29, 2003. He was born Feb. 1, 1981, in Port Charlotte and graduated from Port Charlotte High School in 1999. ...

Despite festivities, it's the same old tune for Bucs.(SPORTS)(Comment)(Column)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Doug Fernandes JACKSONVILLE -- It was a festive Sunday night here in the home of the 2005 Super Bowl, and not because a nearby restaurant had a cook-your-own-critter promotion. The Jaguars were making their one and only...

Model-building -- life on a different scale; Dan Cycotte's hobby is building miniatures; he has at least 1,100 winged or wheeled creations.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Byline: DEBI SPRINGER debi.springer@heraldtribune.com PALMETTO -- Hidden behind wood paneling in Dan Cycotte's house is a replica of Decatur, Ill. The whole thing pulls down from the wall to reveal a railway system that can run three...

Silent & spreading; Outreach organizations struggle to raise awareness about this continued world plague.(FLORIDA WEST)
December 1, 2003... Byline: MARY AWOSIKA mary.awosika@heraldtribune.com The epidemic of HIV and AIDS hasn't diminished, and neither has the need for awareness and education about this deadly disease. AIDS -- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, a disease...

Airwaves alive with 'seasonal syndrome'.(FLORIDA WEST)(ON RADIO)(Column)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Dawn E. Scire Dear Radio Babe, Enjoy your columns. While "surfing" the FM stations available to me here around the Bee Ridge area, I found five more that I get with good reception: 91.3, 97.3, 98.3, 105.7 and 106.9. Cheers and...

Ruminations in retirement.(B SECTION)(Column)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Bill Copeland Things you may have never thought about and are none the worse for having never done so: If you had your druthers, where would you rather be? And when that proves disappointing, where would you rather be then? ...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
December 1, 2003... MANATEE COUNTY Sandra Binkley Sandra Binkley, 61, Bradenton, died Nov. 25, 2003. She was born Sept. 6, 1942, in Augusta Springs, Va., and came to Bradenton in 1991 from Yorktown, Va. She was an administrator for Copy Concepts in...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Injured victims of crash identified SARASOTA COUNTY -- Two people injured when a driver lost control of her vehicle on Interstate 75 near Proctor Road Saturday evening have been identified as Kelly Michelle Youngblood and Adam Blair...

Watch has memory for details.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
December 1, 2003... The makers of BMW and Mini cars are marketing their own versions of a memory watch that you can use to slurp up data from any computer equipped with a USB port. The watch has a USB plug on a springy extension cord. You pull it out of the...

A growing political force to be reckoned with: black Republicans.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Rod Thomson The ballroom of the Hyatt in downtown Sarasota was filled to capacity with 200 people at a $75-per-plate dinner. Typical Republican shindig, except for one thing: Most of the attendees were black. The occasion was the...

Cookie lady's job a real treat; For Nella Valenti, there's nothing sweeter than baking delectable desserts for her customers.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Byline: DAVID HACKETT david.hackett@heraldtribune.com VENICE -- Some people love to cook. Nella Valenti lives to cook. Known as the "Cookie Lady of Venice," Valenti bakes 12,000 cookies a week at her family's Italian restaurant on...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
December 1, 2003... SARASOTA COUNTY Pauline E. Berry Pauline E. Berry, 85, Sarasota, died Nov. 28, 2003. She was born March 30, 1918, in Galloway, Ohio, and came to Sarasota seven years ago from Naples. She was a homemaker. She was a Lutheran. ...

Hit the water for Saturday paddles.(B SECTION)(Column)
December 1, 2003... Byline: SHARYN LONSDALE sharyn.lonsdale@heraldtribune.com The Lemon Bay Conservancy will offer a series of guided kayak/canoe trips to help raise money for the Conservancy's purchase of property at Cedar Point Environmental Park. The...

Chamber's first Christmas parade was at night.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Twenty-five years ago, the Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce's Christmas Parade snaked down Retta Esplanade in Punta Gorda in the dark. Apparently no one thought to put lights on the floats. But that's not the part that people remember who...

'Angels' raises spirits and awareness.(FLORIDA WEST)(TV Diet)(Column)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Jay Handelman Christmas specials may abound, but in this week's TV Diet we're looking elsewhere for stirring programs, like HBO's marvelous "Angels in America" and a variety of World AIDS Day specials. Monday Today is...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... County, cities will discuss impact fees MANATEE COUNTY -- The county and its cities will head to the drawing board Wednesday to discuss whether taxes on new construction should go up. The county currently charges impact fees on new...

School board salaries; Members should be paid, but not more than teachers.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
December 1, 2003... Don't begrudge school board members their salaries. Board members must run for election, expose themselves to public scrutiny, assume wide-ranging responsibilities and attend time-consuming meetings. Good ones do a lot more. In...

Booming economy should help Wall Street.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)(Streetwise)(Column)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Lauren Rudd This is a unique time of the year because it signals the start of the holiday shopping season... both on and off Wall Street. Yes, I still have a high degree of confidence that stock prices will move higher between...

Comings and Goings.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
December 1, 2003... Brenda Carr has been named executive director for both The Hernando de Soto Historical Society and Conquistador Historical Foundation. Laura Breeze has joined Mote Marine Laboratory as director of development, responsible for fund-raising...

Scratching the inner canine.(FLORIDA WEST)(Column)
December 1, 2003... Byline: David Grimes Not sure what Christmas gift to get for that special, socially maladjusted canine in your life? Consider doggie therapy. Japan, as usual, is leading the way in this exciting new foray into the inner pooch....

Church's new hall to open in a month; The Suncoast Worship Center venue will be one of Englewood's largest.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Byline: KARA CHALMERS kara.chalmers@heraldtribune.com ENGLEWOOD -- Englewood will be home to a new venue for performances, fitness pursuits, sporting events, banquets -- and possibly even Christian dinner theater -- after the first of the...

Couple open franchise specializing in cruising.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
December 1, 2003... Matt and Chrystal Pruitt have opened a Cruise Planners franchise in Sarasota. As independent cruise specialists of Cruise Planners, which specializes in cruising and leverages the combined buying power of its members, the Pruitts are...

Suspect in fatal wreck heads to trial; A woman is accused of causing a crash that killed a man in 1996.(B SECTION)
December 1, 2003... Byline: JENNY LEE ALLEN jenny.allen@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- A Port Charlotte woman believed to have fled the country after a fatal vehicle accident in El Jobean is headed to trial today, seven years after the crash. Ewa...

Odegard, visual and performing artist.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... It seems fitting that Travis Odegard, 18, designed the logo for the new Charlotte Performing Arts Center at Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda. A senior at CHS and vice president of the drama club, Odegard's major interests all involve the...

LOCAL BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Man charged with using gun in assault VENICE GARDENS -- A 45-year-old South Venice man attempting to retrieve a nail gun that he said belonged to him was arrested for firing his shotgun inside a residence Sunday, according to the Sarasota...

Girl Scout Jenny Stuart delivered her own baby sister.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Fifteen-year-old Jenny Stuart recently proved she could take charge and remain cool in an emergency. On Sept. 19, Jenny delivered her baby sister at home, taking all the necessary steps to assure that the birth was a safe one. Because of...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
December 2, 2003... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Argelia G. Giugovaz Argelia G. Giugovaz, 62, Englewood and Brampton, Ontario, Canada, died Nov. 29, 2003, in Venice. She was born June 17, 1941, in Italy. She had been wintering in Englewood since 1985. She...

Booker freshmen emulate varsity.(SPORTS)
December 2, 2003... Byline: CHRIS DELL CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Success seems to be contagious in the Booker High football program. Following in the footsteps of its powerful varsity team (13-0), the Tornadoes freshman football team recently finished its...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... 'Protect Our Reefs' license plate debuts Florida drivers now have a way to help save the only extensive living barrier reef in the country by purchasing a new specialty license tag. The "Protect Our Reefs" plate is available statewide...

Awards abound for fall sports.(SPORTS)(At Home)(Column)
December 2, 2003... Byline: Philip Booth With volleyball and football finished at Venice and North Port High, athletes from these schools were given awards and selected to various all-star teams. The Florida Athletic Coaches Association awards for...

LOCAL BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Quaker group to hold benefit flea market SARASOTA -- The local Quaker group is planning a flea market Saturday to raise money to cover maintenance costs and reduce the mortgage on its new meeting house. The Sarasota Monthly Meeting of...

Judge rejects plea deal in arson case; Danny Ray Stewart, charged with setting his wife's car on fire in August, will have to stand trial.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA michael.scarcella@heraldtribune.com PUNTA GORDA -- A circuit judge refused Monday to accept a plea deal in an arson case because the agreement did not include prison time. Judge Isaac Anderson Jr. ordered...

Losing weight, with help.(BUSINESS)
December 2, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL BRAGA michael.braga@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Kim Gibson noticed that many of her patients were complaining of symptoms related to heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes. But their real...

EDUCATION NOTES.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Alumni events * The Indiana Club will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Lemon Bay Park Meeting Room, 570 Bay Park Blvd., Lemon Bay. Members are asked to bring a dish to share for the potluck dinner. The Lemon Bay Playhouse Reader's...

Depp is a delight in 'Pirates'.(FLORIDA WEST)(DVD Watch)(Column)
December 2, 2003... Byline: Philip Booth Sean Penn was just dubbed the greatest actor in the world, or something like that, with a cover story in Entertainment Weekly. But for a reminder of the stiff competition Penn faces, take another look at Johnny Depp's...

Moving on; Sarasota's Samara advances with win and Bradenton's Clayton upsets No. 5 seed Amado in Boys 18s.(SPORTS)
December 2, 2003... Byline: BRIAN NEWBERRY CORRESPONDENT BRADENTON -- Michael Samara was forced to go the distance to make it through the opening round of the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Tournament on Monday. The Sarasota resident needed three...

Business Buzz.(BUSINESS)
December 2, 2003... Lucas, Christopher join Gurley Dramis Nashville, Tenn., attorney Allison G. Lucas and Sarasota attorney William G. Christopher have joined the Sarasota law firm of Gurley Dramis. Lucas, a 1983 graduate of Cumberland School of Law at...

'African women' forever remembered.(FLORIDA WEST)(Hot buys)(Column)
December 2, 2003... Byline: Mary Awosika With an introduction by social activist Dorothy Height, the book "Africana Woman: Her Story Through Time" makes the powerful statement that faith, hope and love have sustained women of African descent. As Height...

The kiss of death; On second thought, is appointment a disadvantage?(A SECTION)(Editorial)
December 2, 2003... When the Venice City Council recently had a vacancy, we urged the council members not to fill the position on an interim basis with anyone who might run for the seat next November. To do the opposite, we said, would give the appointee an unfair...

Charlotte County Big Brothers/Big Sisters hosts famous doctor.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Dr. Henry J. Heimlich, known for developing a life-saving maneuver that bears his name, was the guest of honor at a fund-raiser for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Charlotte County at the Bayfront Center in Punta Gorda. The event also included a...

Two new Starbucks shops planned for Sarasota area.(BUSINESS)(What's in Store)(Column)
December 2, 2003... Byline: Lauren Mayk Starbucks Coffee fans who are tired of standing in line at the Midtown Plaza store or sitting in the drive-through line at the Bee Ridge Road store soon may have two more options. Starbucks is planning to add two...

City OKs proposal to lower limits; All residential streets would have a speed limit of 25 mph or less.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Byline: LISA RAB lisa.rab@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Responding to years of prodding from neighborhoods throughout Sarasota, the City Commission on Monday gave initial approval to an ordinance that would lower the speed limit on all...

Board OKs boundary change; The School Board hopes the shift will bring relief to overcrowded conditions at Laurel Nokomis School.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Byline: ROBERT ECKHART robert.eckhart@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA COUNTY -- The School Board voted 3-2 on Monday to change a boundary line, sending 250 students to Venice Middle School instead of Laurel Nokomis School over the next three...

Gilmore is 3A Coach of the Year.(SPORTS)(Column)
December 2, 2003... Byline: Chad Brockhoff Maybe Fred Gilmore started the campaign too late. The Booker High head football coach said that Terrence Jones "is Mr. Florida" after the senior tailback rushed for 310 yards and scored five touchdowns in the...

Open or closed? Midnight Pass isn't an open-and-shut case.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
December 2, 2003... The long debate over Midnight Pass has often been reduced to simple slogans and concise demands to open a pass -- now! -- linking the Gulf of Mexico and Little Sarasota Bay. But the question of whether to reopen the pass remains on the...

Graffiti vandals mark six buildings; The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office says the Englewood incidents could be gang-related.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Byline: DARLA McFARLAND darla.mcfarland@heraldtribune.com ENGLEWOOD -- A rash of vandalism over the weekend is being investigated as possible gang-related graffiti, according to Charlotte County sheriff's reports. Vandals hit six...

Jan, Susan Rubes warming up in Sarasota.(FLORIDA WEST)(Column)
December 2, 2003... Byline: Marjorie North ***** CORRECTION: The following clarification was published on Sunday, December 7, 2003: Clarification: The weather in Montreal that Jan and Susan Rubes experienced when Jan was filming "Daniel and the Super...

Expert to offer merchants advice; A retail consultant will hold workshops on marketing businesses.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Byline: KARA CHALMERS kara.chalmers@heraldtribune.com ENGLEWOOD -- An internationally known expert on all things retail will visit Englewood at the end of this week to give free advice to merchants on bettering their businesses. ...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Toy collection boxes are ready to be filled ENGLEWOOD -- The Englewood Fire Department is again collecting toys to distribute to needy Englewood children this holiday season. Last year, more than 100 children received toys through the...

POLICE BLOTTER.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Compiled from Charlotte County Sheriff's Office reports filed through Dec. 1. PORT CHARLOTTE Paulson Drive, 18200 block, Nov. 29. A Bobcat front-loader valued at about $34,000 was stolen from Allstar Disposal. Port Charlotte...

Deal made on school construction; Under the agreement with the School Board, the county would have more say in the building process.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Byline: LAURA GREEN laura.green@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- The county commissioners would get more say in school construction under a tentative agreement reached with the School Board on Monday. Currently, commission members...

Education Notes.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Fanslau honored Michelle Fanslau, 36, Port Charlotte, has been named student of the month at International College. She was nominated by management professor, John Meyer. Fanslau attends International College at the Charlotte County...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Davenport named chief deputy CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- Acting Sheriff J.M. "Buddy" Phillips has named Maj. John Davenport, the jail commander, the chief deputy until the governor appoints an interim sheriff. Davenport will also remain jail...

POLICE BLOTTER.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Compiled from Sarasota County sheriff's and Charlotte County sheriff's reports filed through Nov. 30. North Access Road, 3700 block, Nov. 26. Vandals spray-painted walls and ripped upholstery inside the former Lamp Post Inn. Coliseum...

Proposals submitted for business park.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT VENICE -- Three of the 34 people who expressed an interest in developing the Venice airport business park submitted proposals Monday. The deadline was 4 p.m. The bids will be opened today. "I would have...

Both sides of the gun control issue are cocked and ready to fire.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
December 2, 2003... Byline: Eric Ernst When it comes to gun control, or any laws that affect gun owners, don't expect a measured, rational debate from either side. It isn't going to happen. The latest evidence comes via a bill sponsored by state Rep....

LOCAL BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... Shooting suspect to be arraigned in January PUNTA GORDA -- A 21-year-old man accused of shooting a teenage girl in the head early Thanksgiving Day is scheduled to be arraigned in circuit court Jan. 9. Thomas Ryan Hinds has been...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
December 2, 2003... School Board votes to hire Gary Norris SARASOTA COUNTY -- The School Board voted unanimously Monday to hire Gary Norris as superintendent of schools. Norris, 53, currently the superintendent of a district in Kansas, is scheduled to...

Chiquita off-loads melons at Port Manatee.(BUSINESS)
December 2, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL BRAGA michael.braga@heraldtribune.com PORT MANATEE -- Chiquita Fresh North America dropped off its first shipment of melons at Port Manatee Sunday, and expects to off-load 32 more shipments before the end of the Central...