Sarasota Herald Tribune articles from December 2004

Sarasota Herald Tribune archives from December 2004

Teens rescue woman in canal; The 57-year-old driver's dramatic rescue is captured on videotape.(A SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Byline: MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA michael.scarcella@heraldtribune.com PORT CHARLOTTE -- Screeching tires and the jarring, metal-against-metal clash of a car wreck sent the teens rushing to the waterway's steep slopes. Below, an older...

Liquor store owners raising a toast to '04; They credit storms and DUI checkpoints with increasing sales.(A SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Byline: STEPHEN FRATER stephen.frater@heraldtribune.com So far, 2004 has been a banner year for alcohol and there's no reason to think it's going to let up today. Local liquor store owners credit the hurricanes and DUI checkpoints...

No accounting for abuse; Senate panel has yet to fix responsibility for Abu Ghraib scandal.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
December 31, 2004... Abuse of Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison was "an appalling and totally unacceptable breach of military regulations and conduct," Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner said May 7 as he launched hearings into the reports. The...

Homeland insecurity; Improve safeguards against use of stolen passports.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
December 31, 2004... The next head of the Department of Homeland Security will inherit a long to-do list, including shoring up protections for ports and chemical plants. But another pressing problem belongs near the top of the agenda -- stolen passports. ...

A moment of reflection; News coverage, commentary depend on readers, viewers and advertisers.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
December 31, 2004... If there's a consensus as 2004 slips into history, it must be: glad it's over. It's been a war year and an election year, and both conditions created high levels of anxiety and fear for so long that it seemed the political campaigns and...

Pirates take 5th; Irvin steps up just in time for Port Charlotte.(SPORTS)
December 31, 2004... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Prior to the Port Charlotte High boys basketball game against Charlotte High, Pirate teammates informed newcomer Chris Irvin about the intense rivalry between the...

Midgett headed to E. Illinois.(SPORTS)
December 31, 2004... While his former teammates prepare to play Miami tonight in the Peach Bowl, Justin Midgett is at home in Punta Gorda getting ready for the next chapter of his football career. Midgett, a redshirt freshman who entered the University of Florida...

Georgia's Davids are both goliaths; Greene and Pollack have played together since youth football and have remained best friends.(SPORTS)
December 31, 2004... Byline: DOUG FERNANDES doug.fernandes@heraldtribune.com TAMPA -- Were they Dawgs literally, David Greene and David Pollack no doubt would share the same gnawed bone. It seems an unlikely friendship. A soft-spoken quarterback, a...

Pride is at stake in Miami-Florida feud.(SPORTS)
December 31, 2004... Byline: MIC HUBER mic.huber@heraldtribune.com ATLANTA -- There is no big-time BCS game to play and no championships to win. Yet, the University of Florida and Miami football teams have found something that has made a date in the Peach...

Rice, Pittman, Jackson don't miss time in Arizona.(SPORTS)
December 31, 2004... Byline: TOM BALOG tom.balog@heraldtribune.com TAMPA -- Simeon Rice, Michael Pittman and Dexter Jackson are grateful to be Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates. They are equally glad to be refugees from the Arizona Cardinals, away from the...

ODA wins own tournament.(SPORTS)
December 31, 2004... Byline: STAFF REPORT SARASOTA -- The Out- of-Door Academy boys basketball team triumphed over Evangelical Christian (Lakeland) Thursday night in the championship game of the Out- of-Door Holiday tournament. Senior Paul Terminello...

Tourneys displayed new talent.(SPORTS)(Prep Sports)(Column)
December 31, 2004... Byline: Alan Dell For those who follow the game of high school boys basketball, this is a time to celebrate a revelation. It appears the good old days are back. Six years ago, the area was bursting with so much basketball talent...

TOP 10 STORIES OF 2004.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Byline: JAMIE MANFUSO jamie.manfuso@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- It will always be remembered as the year of the hurricane. But 2004 was noteworthy for much more. It was a year that saw strides in economic development, a...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Felon charged with sex crime PORT CHARLOTTE -- Sheriff's detectives arrested a convicted felon Wednesday and charged that he sexually molested a boy, according to arrest reports. Port Charlotte resident Joseph Harold Zelms, 20, was...

Two seriously injured in collision.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Byline: STAFF REPORT ENGLEWOOD -- A two-vehicle wreck Thursday night at Oceanspray Boulevard and McCall Road seriously injured two people, authorities said. An emergency crew flew one person to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers....

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
December 31, 2004... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Clifton C. McNeely Clifton C. "Mac" McNeely, 85, Port Charlotte, died Dec. 29, 2004. He was born June 2, 1919, in La Follette, Tenn., and came to the Charlotte County area in 1977 from Petersburg, Va. He was a...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Prescribed burns planned for preserve ENGLEWOOD -- Prescribed burns of wood debris at Manasota Scrub Preserve will be conducted by the Sarasota County Resource Management and Emergency Management Services through January as weather...

A bronze hug for Boca Grande; Sculptor Emil Alzamora unveils "Boca Grande Embrace," a tribute to his former home.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Byline: AMY ABERN amy.abern@heraldtribune.com. BOCA GRANDE -- Emil Alzamora has always felt a connection with his former home on Gasparilla Island. Thursday, the 29-year-old artist unveiled a tribute to his love of the island in the...

TOP 10 STORIES OF 2004.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Byline: MARK CHAPMAN mark.chapman@heraldtribune.com ENGLEWOOD -- The community dodged a bullet in 2004 when Hurricane Charley's path took the killer storm mostly south and east of the Myakka River, but parts of the Englewood area --...

Explore your talents with art classes in the new year.(B SECTION)(Column)
December 31, 2004... Byline: Amy Abern It's a new year coming and, as is tradition, it's time to be thinking about making 2005 a productive, fulfilling year. One of the delightfully unusual phenomenons about living in this area is the unusually high...

MCC instructor takes traditional approach to art.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Byline: FRANCINE MILFORD francine.milford@heraldtribune.com Emphasizing the fundamental concepts of art is part of Manatee Community College art instructor Jim Sager's job. "I'm a traditional teacher," said Sager. "I like to take the...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... 'World Day of Peace' Saturday in Venice VENICE -- The Southwest Florida Coalition of Peace and Justice is sponsoring a World Day of Peace with music, exhibits and speeches Saturday. The event begins at 10:45 a.m. at Epiphany...

Angels find a welcome place in MCC student's artwork.(B SECTION)(Arts Around Town)(Column)
December 31, 2004... Byline: Francine Milford At age 20, Laura Dresser, an art student at Manatee Community College in Venice, is already earning awards and praise for her compelling paintings, many of which have a heavenly presence. The soft-spoken...

City invites 4 candidates.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Byline: STAFF REPORT NORTH PORT -- City officials decided Thursday to invite four candidates for the North Port city manager position to come next week for interviews with commissioners and staff. Yet the commissioners, who were...

A Classic Ram win; Booker falls short in try for repeat title.(SPORTS)
December 31, 2004... Byline: JODY ROYCE jody.royce@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- The Suncoast Holiday Classic nearly saw its first repeat champion in its nine-year existence. Booker High had a chance to make history, but it did not happen. Riverview...

Life has 23 in Lancers' victory.(SPORTS)
December 31, 2004... Byline: STAFF REPORT PASCO -- MCC guard James Life scored 23 points to lead the Lancers to a 74-70 win over Milwaukee Area Technical College at the Pasco-Hernando Classic. Andre Brown chipped in with 13 points and 8 rebounds for...

'Crowbar Bandit' striking stores.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Byline: SELINA ROMAN selina.roman@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- Southwest Florida has a new crowbar bandit -- but he doesn't rob banks. He burglarizes stores and shops. Authorities are looking for a man they have dubbed the...

TOP 10 STORIES OF 2004.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Byline: STAFF REPORT Fundamental changes to the essence of life and physical landscape in Manatee County dominated the news here in 2004. Perhaps more than any other county in Southwest Florida, Manatee County is suffering from the...

OBITUARIES.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
December 31, 2004... MANATEE COUNTY Louis W. Alexander Louis W. Alexander, 84, Bradenton, died Dec. 30, 2004. He was born July 5, 1920, in Mooresville, N.C., and came to Manatee County in 1957 from there. He retired as a subcontractor in Manatee...

After 'Letout,' trouble follows; When the doors close on Club Heat's teen night, a war of words and fighting ensue.(A SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Byline: CORY SCHOUTEN cory.schouten@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- When school's out and Monday night rolls around, many area students flock to teen night at Club Heat in Bradenton. But when the music stops and the doors close, the...

Sarasota County Commission's roadblocks stop Wal-Mart in its tracks.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
December 31, 2004... Byline: Rod Thomson Sarasota County's controversial Wal-Mart denial is an illustration of the vagaries of handling growth and the sometimes arbitrary nature of decision-making on zoning issues. Obviously, the decision to deny a...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... ***** CORRECTION: The following correction was published on Wednesday, January 5, 2005: Correction: A brief article Dec. 31 incorrectly said a small child was among three people rescued after a catamaran capsized off Longboat Key. The...

'Outdoor lodging' ordinance proposed.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Byline: KEVIN DALE kevin.dale@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Police would have to offer homeless people a one-time ride to a shelter instead of arresting them when they find them sleeping outdoors, under a new proposed "outdoor lodging"...

TOP 10 STORIES OF 2004.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Byline: MIKE SAEWITZ mike.saewitz@heraldtribune.com It was a year both blessed and cursed. In a state devastated by four hurricanes, the county made it through safely, without a direct hit. Sarasota faded into the background with...

ARTS BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
December 31, 2004... Art lecture series Carol Boehmke will present a series of free slide lectures on art at 2 p.m. the first Tuesday of every month from January through April in the Geldbart Auditorium at Selby Public Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota. ...

OBITUARIES.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
December 31, 2004... SARASOTA COUNTY Helen W. Bell Helen W. Bell, 89, Sarasota, died Dec. 22, 2004. She was born April 5, 1915, in Chicago and came to Sarasota in 1947 from St. Petersburg. She retired as a school teacher, piano teacher and school...

Resolutions for celebrities.(TICKET)(Admit One)(Column)
December 31, 2004... Byline: Rod Harmon Another year, another wardrobe malfunction. With 2004 going to that potty-mouthed, lip-syncing, areola-flashing green room in the sky, it's time for another round of looking back at where things went wrong -- and...

Night moves; Looking for someplace new to spend New Year's Eve? Check out these hot clubs.(TICKET)
December 31, 2004... Byline: MARY AWOSIKA mary.awosika@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- A night out on the town was a dismal situation not too long ago. Main Street resembled a dark alley with a few shops, a couple of restaurants and some bars. Within the...

Say buh-bye to 2004, hello to 2005.(TICKET)(The Noise Ordinance)(Column)
December 31, 2004... Byline: Dawn E. Scire As years fly by (and change is always certain), one facet of human behavior becomes more clear: We are ingenious creatures when we want to be. For example, despite Sarasota's utter dearth of live music venues...

Sexy, swingin' sounds from 2004.(TICKET)
December 31, 2004... Byline: ALAN SCULLEY CORRESPONDENT The year 2004 began with Janet Jackson using a "wardrobe malfunction" to draw attention to a new CD most people have since forgotten. (It's called "Damita Jo.") Ashlee Simpson got caught...

Bradenton band examines Human Condition through music.(TICKET)(Making Noise)(Column)
December 31, 2004... Byline: DAWN E. SCIRE CORRESPONDENT BRADENTON -- Strip many bands of the sound beneath its processors, pedals, effects and recording-studio wizardry, and there may not be much left to hear. Bradenton's The Human Condition is already...

Despite typical fluff, 2004 turned out quality films.(TICKET)
December 31, 2004... Byline: STAFF REPORT Blame it on the elections. Or terrorists. Or hurricanes. But 2004 has been a middling year -- at best -- for new American movies. We've been lucky to find any quality at all, salted among the more-of-the-same...

Long, strange trip as film critic comes to an end.(TICKET)(Primal Screen)(Column)
December 31, 2004... Byline: Amanda Schurr After six-and-a-half years, the time seems right to hang up the Primal Screen -- I, for one, am tired of seeing that old pic of myself. And so, this week's column marks my last. You see, what I really want to do...

THE X FACTOR; Asolo's 'Boston Marriage' examines complexities of female relationships.(TICKET)
December 31, 2004... Byline: CHARLIE HUISKING charlie.huisking@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Because of its title and its subject -- a relationship between two women -- the play "Boston Marriage" sounds like a ripped-from-the-headlines account inspired by...

Westcoast players strut their stuff.(TICKET)
December 31, 2004... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- The music of the 1930s and 1940s kept the nation going through the Depression and a world war, and the melodies linger on. On the heels of Florida Studio Theatre's...

Proving less is sometimes more.(TICKET)
December 31, 2004... Byline: KEVIN COSTELLO CORRESPONDENT BRADENTON -- In his preface to "The Manner of Chinese Bird and Flower Painting," artist Yung Liu begins by responding to questions asked by his Western friends concerning Chinese painting. How...

Stellar steaks, seafood at the Red Fish.(TICKET)
December 31, 2004... Byline: SHARYN LONSDALE sharyn.lonsdale@heraldtribune.com PUNTA GORDA -- Back in May, I enjoyed a wonderful meal at Riva in Punta Gorda. It offered creative northern Italian cuisine in a South Beach-meets-Southwest setting. But it...

Wanted: air-traffic controllers; Coming retirements pose severe challenge for FAA.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
December 30, 2004... During the past fiscal year, the Federal Aviation Administration hired only 13 air-traffic controllers nationwide. But the agency is preparing to interview a whole lot more. The FAA recently announced plans to hire 12,500 controllers over...

Resuming the walk to school; Developers, governments should keep children's safety in mind.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
December 30, 2004... Many older Americans remember the days when children routinely walked to school. Sometimes, in the more creative and playful retellings, their own excursions were uphill both ways, through four feet of snow. But the era of schoolchildren...

Bright House to jack up cable rates in '05.(BUSINESS)
December 30, 2004... Byline: LAUREN MAYK lauren.mayk@heraldtribune.com Some cable television subscribers will have to dig a little deeper this spring, as their monthly bills from Bright House Networks jump 3.4 percent. The price of a standard cable...

Area Wet Seal stores hope to avoid the ax.(BUSINESS)
December 30, 2004... Byline: LAUREN MAYK lauren.mayk@heraldtribune.com Wet Seal will start the new year by slicing its store total by almost a third. The Foothill Ranch, Calif.- based women's clothing and accessories retailer is expected to close 150...

Business Buzz.(BUSINESS)
December 30, 2004... Century Bank hires Geraldine Spano Geraldine Spano has joined Century Bank as a mortgage loan originator. She has more than 18 years of mortgage origination experience, most recently with M&T Mortgage Corp. in Buffalo, N.Y. She...

Quiet time; Vespers service is 'peaceful,' yet 'rejuvenating'.(FLORIDA WEST)
December 30, 2004... Byline: STEVE HEISLER CORRESPONDENT A time for silent meditation and personal communication with God without the fanfare of rousing sermons and joyous hymns is a cornerstone of Taize worship services in Episcopal churches in Southwest...

State backs storm curfew; The attorney for an alleged violator says the post-Hurricane Charley law was never valid.(B SECTION)
December 30, 2004... Byline: MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA michael.scarcella@heraldtribune.com PUNTA GORDA -- State prosecutors say that authorities didn't need to record an ordinance before they started enforcing a post-hurricane curfew. A defense lawyer is...

Council to question candidates; Punta Gorda council members will interview two city manager hopefuls at an open session Monday.(B SECTION)
December 30, 2004... Byline: Jenny Lee Allen jenny.allen@heraldtribune.com PUNTA GORDA -- Perhaps the new year will bring a new city manager. The City Council will hold an open question-and-answer session Monday to interview the latest batch of hopefuls....

News Updates.(B SECTION)
December 30, 2004... Appraiser to gauge homes' taxability CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- The property appraiser's office has begun canvassing neighborhoods to determine which homes aren't habitable and therefore won't be taxed next fall. Property Appraiser Frank...

BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
December 30, 2004... SWAT raid nets six drug arrests PORT CHARLOTTE -- The sheriff's narcotics unit arrested six people on numerous drug charges Wednesday during a SWAT team raid at a house in the 23000 block of Jumper Avenue. Sheriff's officials...

BUSINESS NOTES.(B SECTION)
December 30, 2004... Apartments available soon The first units of Sandhill Apartments being built at 24001 Veterans Boulevard, Port Charlotte, should be available in the spring and summer of 2005, according to the developer, Primerica Group One Inc. of...

OBITUARIES.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
December 30, 2004... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Raymond J. Cleary Raymond J. Cleary, 83, Rotonda West, died Dec. 26, 2004. He was born Sept. 4, 1921, in East Orange, N.J., and came to the Rotonda West area 12 years ago from Wayne, N.J. He served in the Army...

Figure 8s highlight CCS program.(B SECTION)
December 30, 2004... Byline: STAFF REPORT STAFF REPORT PUNTA GORDA -- With its grand reopening now history, Charlotte County Speedway eyes its second big weekend of racing since Hurricane Charley. The Punta Gorda paved oval will race Friday and...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
December 30, 2004... Father, son charged with illegal dumping ENGLEWOOD -- State wildlife investigators arrested a father and son cleanup team Tuesday on felony illegal dumping charges, the Sheriff's Office reported. Arrested were Port Charlotte...

In a roundabout way.(B SECTION)
December 30, 2004... The first phase of the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Beach Road and Gulf Boulevard in Englewood is slowly proceeding with the installation of sidewalks. A series of traffic control signs and cones line the intersection...

North Port reviews manager hopefuls; After five months of searching, some city commissioners are unsure of the remaining seven candidates.(B SECTION)
December 30, 2004... Byline: ERIN BRYCE erin.bryce@heraldtribune.com NORTH PORT -- The city commissioners aren't sure if the remaining seven candidates vying to be city manager are right for the job. After five months of searching, the city will review...

North Port boom outpaces Verizon; The telephone company can't keep up with the demand for service in the rapidly growing city.(B SECTION)
December 30, 2004... Byline: ERIN BRYCE erin.bryce@heraldtribune.com NORTH PORT -- People who build homes on the city's outskirts are waiting an average of 30 to 45 days for telephone service as Verizon struggles to keep up with growth. And after this...

CHARLEY DELAYS WINTER IN PARADISE; The storm ruined the trailer owned by part-time residents Ilana and Oskar Staudigl.(A SECTION)
December 30, 2004... Byline: JENNY LEE ALLEN jenny.allen@heraldtribune.com PUNTA GORDA -- Snowbirds dream of winter days when a light breeze, sunny skies and warm temperatures mean another round of golf, another day at the beach. It was on one such day...

Tallevast shocked over denial of claim; A former beryllium worker could die without help with bills.(A SECTION)
December 30, 2004... Byline: DEBI SPRINGER debi.springer@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- When Tim Brady opened the letter, he hoped it would save his life. Instead, it may turn out to be a death sentence. The 10-page letter Brady received Dec. 14...

Sailors subdued; Sarasota overmatched in Eddie Shannon Classic final, 55-46.(SPORTS)
December 30, 2004... Byline: CHAD BROCKHOFF CORRESPONDENT BRADENTON -- St. Petersburg High School claimed the 2nd annual Coach Eddie Shannon Classic championship with a 55-46 victory over Sarasota High on Wednesday night at the Manatee High gymnasium. ...

Booker, Riverview head to final.(SPORTS)
December 30, 2004... Byline: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- The Booker High boys basketball team put itself into a position to add some history to a program already filled with history. By virtue of its 79-67 semifinal round victory over Bayshore on...

Life lifts MCC to win.(SPORTS)
December 30, 2004... Byline: STAFF REPORT STAFF REPORT PASCO COUNTY -- Guard James Life led all Lancer scorers with 26 points as MCC beat Dan Wright, 119-111, in the opening round of the four-team Pasco-Hernando Classic on Wednesday.

Thunder roll over Falcons.(SPORTS)
December 30, 2004... Byline: STAFF REPORT STAFF REPORT SARASOTA -- Out-of-Door Academy (6-1) beat Saint Stephen's (2-4) 69-26 in an Out-of-Door Holiday Tournament matchup Wednesday night. Paul Terminello recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds and 16...

class conflict; With the recent controversy surrounding sex education in public schools, what's really being taught?(FLORIDA WEST)
December 30, 2004... Byline: SUSAN L. RIFE susan.rife@heraldtribune.com When more than 300 people showed up at the Sarasota County School Board meeting on Dec. 7 to voice their opinions on whether Planned Parenthood should teach sex education in the public...

Nice day for a dip.(B SECTION)
December 30, 2004... Ferris Reed, 7, above, plays near other YMCA Winter Break Camp swimmers underwater at the Manatee Family YMCA Bradenton Branch on Wednesday afternoon. The two-week camp allows children to swim, learn parachute games, hip-hop dance and play in...

Briefs.(B SECTION)
December 30, 2004... 18-year-old dies in submerged Jeep EAST MANATEE COUNTY -- An 18-year-old passenger died Wednesday morning in a single car accident in Myakka City, the Florida Highway Patrol reported. At 4 a.m., Jens Schmah, 6800 block Arbor Oaks...

OBITUARIES.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
December 30, 2004... MANATEE COUNTY Gerald Bouvier Gerald Bouvier, 84, Bradenton, died Dec. 27, 2004. He was born March 19, 1920, in New Bedford, Mass., and came to Bradenton in 1991 from Buffalo, N.Y. He was a lawyer. He was an Army Air Forces...

Home sales weather storms; The Sarasota-Bradenton and Port Charlotte-Punta Gorda markets post big gains in November.(A SECTION)
December 30, 2004... Byline: MICHAEL POLLICK michael.pollick@heraldtribune.com The old Florida homestead racked up a 22 percent price gain in November, leaving behind some fears that the hurricanes of August and September would turn off buyers to the wonders...

Hinton returns to golfing roots.(SPORTS)(Golf)(Column)
December 30, 2004... Byline: Mark Cardon SARASOTA -- Paul Azinger is the biggest name in golf with Sarasota roots. Very few people will argue that. But what about Jerry Hinton? Where does he rank in Sarasota's golf lore? "Very high," says Joe Mann,...

Crowder plans on making impact.(SPORTS)
December 30, 2004... Byline: MIC HUBER mic.huber@heraldtribune.com ATLANTA -- The question was directed toward Florida offensive coordinator Larry Fedora. The coach with a growing reputation for designing ways to beat defenses was asked Wednesday what he...

Sarasotan notches victory in MBS tourney.(SPORTS)(Bowling)(Column)
December 30, 2004... Byline: Bill Herald Chuck Souzer of Sarasota captured the $600 top prize in this month's Master Bowlers Seniors tournament in Verdes, defeating Don D'Ercole of Palm Beach 222-170 in the title match. Souzer, who qualified No. 4 with a...

Pirates win in double OT.(SPORTS)
December 30, 2004... Byline: STAFF REPORT PORT CHARLOTTE -- Freshman guard Sara Barton scored a career-high 31 points in leading Port Charlotte High to a 70-69 double overtime victory over North Port Wednesday night in the championship game of the Quality...

Correction.(B SECTION)(Correction Notice)
December 30, 2004... Fourth-grade students at Sarasota's Southside Elementary are working to get the orange named the official state fruit. The Capital Comment column in Monday's paper listed the wrong grade.

Affront at season's generic greetings isn't exactly Christmas spirit.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
December 30, 2004... Byline: Tom Lyons Tipping newspaper carriers is totally optional and no explanation for not doing so is ever needed. But one upset subscriber had an explanation he wanted the Herald-Tribune to know about. It had nothing to do with...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
December 30, 2004... Holiday closings SARASOTA COUNTY -- All Sarasota County and city of Sarasota government offices, including libraries and recreation centers, will be closed Friday and Saturday for the New Year holiday. Selby Public Library and Venice...

Chill out and live longer; Elderly advise easing up as a way to cope with aging.(B SECTION)
December 30, 2004... Byline: STEVE ECHEVERRIA JR. steve.echeverria@heraldtribune.com People approaching 100 or who have passed it say rolling with the punches has helped them live longer. So if you're looking for a good New Year's resolution, you might...

George Baughman, New College's first president, dies at 89.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
December 30, 2004... Byline: KEVIN DALE kevin.dale@heraldtribune.com George F. Baughman, the first president of New College of Florida and a committed University of Florida alumnus, died Friday in his Gainesville home. He was 89. Baughman served as New...