Sarasota Herald Tribune articles from January 2003

Sarasota Herald Tribune archives from January 2003

Chesney's direct connection with fans is still sound.(TICKET)(Review)
January 31, 2003... Byline: JOEL WELIN joel.welin@heraldtribune.com TAMPA -- "I never really thought how big it could get," says Kenny Chesney. "When I was a kid, there was something about music that hit me -- and it drew me to it," country music's...

Yonder Mountain String Band ponders mission.(TICKET)(Review)
January 31, 2003... Byline: PHILIP BOOTH CORRESPONDENT TAMPA -- Yonder Mountain String Band, a fast-rising group of musicians based in Nederland, Colo., employs traditional bluegrass instruments, but its choice of material and style of playing hardly is...

Foundation posts new grant list.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT VENICE -- Twenty-two agencies split about $225,000 in grants from the latest Venice Foundation awards. Included in the awards are $109,431 in capital awards that will pay for things such as landscaping U.S. 41...

'Serving Sara' serves only to embarrass its stars.(TICKET)(DVD Watch)(Column)
January 31, 2003... Byline: Philip Booth About halfway through "Serving Sara" (Paramount, $29.99), "Friends" star Matthew Perry, posing as a veterinarian, is forced to plunge himself into a particularly unpleasant examination of a cow. Co-star...

Activities for all ages include nature fest, aviation day.(B SECTION)(Column)
January 31, 2003... Byline: Linda Salisbury With any luck, and we could use some, the weekend weather will be back to nice temperatures so everyone can enjoy Saturday's Charlotte Harbor Nature Festival at Tippecanoe Scrub Environmental Park without wearing...

Suspicious blazes worry firefighters.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: TOM BAYLES tom.bayles@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA COUNTY -- Recent fires in the overgrown backwoods of North Port have firefighters worried that the serial arsonist nicknamed "Sparky" might be back at work after taking last year...

Weaver leads Lady Blazers to win.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT SARASOTA -- Jenna Weaver had two goals to help Sarasota Christian get past Indian Rocks Christian 5-0 in its last regular season contest. Colby Anspaugh recorded a goal and an assist while Chelsey Graber...

Repeat offender gets life, no parole; The man is given 3 life sentences and an additional 65 years for a crime spree last year.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: JENNY LEE ALLEN jenny.allen@heraldtribune.com PUNTA GORDA -- Convicted felon George M. "Bubba" Davis III stood before a judge Thursday, his shoulders slumped. "Not to be harsh... do you understand you will definitely die in...

Franco paces Sarasota to victory over Cardinal Mooney.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT Sarah Franco had 15 points and 13 rebounds to help Sarasota over Cardinal Mooney 55-38 Thursday night. Heather Clark added 11 points and four rebounds for Sarasota (9-11). Sarasota will host Charlotte Monday...

Iglesias stays with the tried and true.(TICKET)(Review)
January 31, 2003... Byline: STEVE HEISLER CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Five years after being recognized for selling more records than anyone in music history, Julio Iglesias approaches concerts with a philosophical bent. For the man who was rejected by...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
January 31, 2003... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Martha Dorsey Brenneis Martha Dorsey Brenneis, 97, Port Charlotte, died Jan. 29, 2003. She was born Feb. 24, 1905, in Moundsville, W.Va., lived in Lansing, Mich., for many years before moving to Florida in 1971....

Keep Newtown plan on track; Leader's resignation shouldn't deter revitalization.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 31, 2003... A horse with no rider: That's what Newtown's redevelopment plan became when its leader resigned this week. Someone new can be hired to take the reins but, meanwhile, Sarasota officials should make sure the horse doesn't head back to the barn....

Bruins snap winless skid vs. Tarpons.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2003... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com PUNTA GORDA -- The Bayshore High wrestling team did some research before making the trek to Charlotte High. In all the years the schools have been grappling, the Bruins...

Action rebounds; snook season opens Saturday.(SPORTS)(Fishing)(Column)
January 31, 2003... Byline: Steve Gibson Fishing rebounded after last weekend's severe cold front. Following a couple of slow days, action began to pick up in the bays and Gulf of Mexico. Snook season opens Saturday at 12:01 a.m. Minimum size limit is...

Area talents to gather at Go Fish! Extravaganza.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: STEVE GIBSON steve.gibson@heraldtribune.com The most impressive congregation of fishing talent ever assembled in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties will be on hand to share its collective expertise Feb. 8-9 at Robarts Arena,...

Hat trick is a treat; Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis scores all three goals to beat 'Canes.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2003... Byline: JODY ROYCE jody.royce@heraldtribune.com TAMPA -- Hats off to the little guy. Martin St. Louis may be small in stature -- he's generously listed at 5-foot-9 -- but he has been tall for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Thursday night...

Speaking to the speaker; Don't forget to return the Legislature's call.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 31, 2003... House Speaker Johnnie Byrd is gathering estimates on what it would cost the state to deliver pre-recorded, unsolicited telephone messages to "better inform constituents about the important work being done in Tallahassee by the Florida House...

Focus on migrant housing; Forum takes a cooperative approach to longtime problem.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 31, 2003... Yesterday's forum on migrant housing in Manatee County drew an impressive array of participants from the public, private and nonprofit sectors. But in a meeting dominated by statistics, land-use regulations, and hopeful predictions that "a...

Amateurs make empty bowls; art show draws 75 aficionados.(B SECTION)(In the Loop)(Column)
January 31, 2003... Byline: Ann Henderson More than 50 residents of Charlotte County got together in October and again in November to make and glaze bowls to raise money for hungry and homeless people in Charlotte County. The project is symbolic -- the clay...

Deadline nears for benefit dinner, play.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT BRADENTON -- Saturday is the last day to make reservations for the Junior Achievement of Manatee County's benefit dinner and play Wednesday. The Valentine's Day- themed dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. at the...

Retailing ... and reality; Classes let would-be merchants know what's in store.(BUSINESS)
January 31, 2003... Byline: ALEXANDER COOLIDGE alexander.coolidge@heraldtribune.com Retailing, retailing, retailing. It's a business topic on the minds of many people these days along with the sagging stock market. Many are mulling the fate of retailers...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
January 31, 2003... SARASOTA COUNTY Judith S. Bates Judith S. Bates, 69, Nashville, Tenn., and formerly of Sarasota, died Jan. 28, 2003, in Nashville. She was born May 16, 1933, in Mount Vernon, N.Y. Survivors include a son, John S. of...

Agency steps up to run shelter; Step House is working with the county to open a homeless shelter in South County.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL WERNER michael.werner@heraldtribune.com VENICE -- After nearly two years of searching, officials may have finally found an agency to run a homeless shelter in South County. Step House, a halfway house for recovering...

Why not?(TICKET)(Admit One)(Column)
January 31, 2003... Byline: Joel Welin SARASOTA -- It's tempting to take a roundhouse swing at the Super Bowl entertainment committee for its halftime waste of time and its post-game folly. I mean, when I think football, I think of a lip-synching...

Trivially serious 'Earnest' is updated.(TICKET)(Review)
January 31, 2003... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com ST. PETERSBURG -- Oscar Wilde once described his comedy "The Importance of Being Earnest" as "a trivial comedy about serious people." Jay Berkow, who is directing the play for...

Migrant forum looks at blame, obstacles, hope.(A SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: SELINA ROMAN selina.roman@heraldtribune.com PALMETTO -- Manatee County has much work to do before it can attract builders for migrant farmworker housing, local officials charged with investigating the crisis said at a meeting...

Mann's composite characters are one with their flaws.(TICKET)(Review)
January 31, 2003... Byline: MARY AWOSIKA mary.awosika@heraldtribune.com TAMPA -- Aimee Mann takes solace in storytelling. She enjoys the complicated process of having to weave words together and put them to music. She likes to get inside the mind of her...

Ja Rule brings duets to the fore of hip-hop style.(TICKET)
January 31, 2003... Byline: MARY AWOSIKA mary.awosika@heraldtribune.com TAMPA -- Rapper Ja Rule has made a name for himself in hip-hop music by re-inventing the duet. Musically, he has linked his raspy rhymes with a host of female singers, including his...

Some pleasant surprises from Morning Musicale.(B SECTION)(Art Beat)(Column)
January 31, 2003... Byline: Naomi Donson ***** CORRECTION: The following correction was published on Saturday, February 1, 2003: Because of an editor's error, a line in Naomi Donson's column Friday said that Laura Jensen Jennings' grandmother came...

Business Buzz.(BUSINESS)
January 31, 2003... University Park hires Nicholson as manager University Park Country Club has hired Scott Nicholson as dining manager. He will be responsible for the "front of the house" operation, plus hiring and training staff, buying liquor and...

Brisk weather means brisk sales at crafts fair.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... The Gulf Cove United Methodist Church staged its first arts and crafts fair Jan. 24-25, and even the cold, windy weather didn't keep people away. Bob Atteridg of the Englewood Area Orchid Society said he sold out of orchids the first day...

'Epic, scary examples of MPAA wordsmiths gone wild'.(TICKET)(Primal Screen)(Column)
January 31, 2003... Byline: Amanda Schurr Jack Valenti and those wacky watchdogs at the Motion Picture Association of America are at it again. In response to a scolding September 2000 Federal Trade Commission report, the MPAA and its member companies,...

Microsoft's faults put Internet at brink of failure.(BUSINESS)(Sand & Silicon)(Column)
January 31, 2003... Byline: Dwayne Fatherree It seems that, once again, the world has stood on the brink of Internet failure because someone exploited faults in Microsoft's software. Finally, though, administrators and the software industry at large...

The fun in 'The Recruit' is in the getting there.(TICKET)(Review)
January 31, 2003... Byline: PHILIP BOOTH CORRESPONDENT Manipulative, know-it-all CIA operative Walter Burke (Al Pacino) has two favorite bits of hard-won wisdom, repeated several times in "The Recruit." Burke's advice: "Trust no one" and "Nothing is...

Downtown Sarasota gets a breath of freshness.(TICKET)(The Noise Ordinance)(Column)
January 31, 2003... Byline: Dawn E. Scire One thing's certain, the stunning visual display of downtown Sarasota's new Main Street Bistro, 1345 Main St. (362-4427), is exceptional. The vibrant violet and water-sprinkled sapphire panels in the set-back...

'From Bach to Gospel' comes to Sarasota on Sunday.(B SECTION)(Column)
January 31, 2003... Byline: Suzanne Marschner On Sunday, the voices of one of the country's top singing aggregations will fill the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church. From Bach to Gospel, the Bethune-Cookman College Concert Chorale will sing it all....

Rams turn up 'D', beat Venice; Without its leading scorer, Riverview turned to its defense, which caused three turnovers in the final two minutes, to edge the Indians.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2003... Byline: PERRY D. PENTZ perry.pentz@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- With their leading scorer not playing, the Riverview Rams turned to their defense to edge Venice, 43-40, in a Class 6A-District 5 game Thursday at Riverview High. The...

Longboat's Plaza offers some delicious fare, some just so-so.(TICKET)(Review)
January 31, 2003... Byline: TERI M. GRIMES CORRESPONDENT LONGBOAT KEY -- During last week's foray into winter, we hunkered down in front of the fireplace, and let the DVD player entertain us. The temperature rebounded, and we emerged from our cocoon in...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Overdose kills man, puts woman in ICU MANATEE COUNTY -- A man died and a woman was in critical condition Thursday after an apparent drug overdose, police said. Emergency workers were called to the 5300 block of 15th Street Court East...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Police issue tickets at busy intersection SARASOTA -- Police have issued more than 60 tickets at the problematic intersection of North Tamiami Trail and Gulf Stream Avenue since Friday. The $78 tickets were for running red lights and...

Man found dead near I-75 named.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT MANATEE COUNTY -- The Manatee County Sheriff's Office has identified a Sarasota drifter found dead in the north county woods by three teens on a hunting trip. The teens found Daniel Collins, 32, dead of a...

Sarasota County needs to decide how it feels about manufacturing.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
January 31, 2003... Byline: Rod Thomson Sarasota and Manatee counties are like siblings. They are close and have many similarities, but their personalities are very different. Although there are wealthy areas, Manatee County has more of the blue-collar...

President blasted over VA cutbacks; A group of senators, 28 Democrats and one independent, protests limits on eligibility for certain veterans.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: CORY REISS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- A group of 29 senators blasted the Bush administration Thursday for blocking an estimated 164,000 veterans from receiving health care this year from the Department of Veterans Affairs....

Common themes emerge from Imagine Manatee.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: DALE WHITE dale.white@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- They want to prohibit development on coastlines, especially high-rises. They think housing for migrant farmworkers and other low-income families should be safer, more...

Manatee grad Hunt wins honors.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2003... Byline: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT TAMPA -- Former Manatee High soccer standout Hunter West continues to collect honors as fast as he scores goals since taking his game to the University of South Florida. The 19-year-old forward, who...

Port Charlotte wins mock trial event.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT Port Charlotte High School was the winner and Lemon Bay High placed second Saturday in the 17th annual Charlotte County Public Schools Mock Trial Competition. The event was staged at the Charlotte County Justice...

Goll, Jordan lift Mantas.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT Led by senior captain Phillip Goll's 12 points and Jesse Jordan's nine rebounds, Lemon Bay defeated DeSoto 47-33 in Englewood on Thursday night. The victory improves the Manta Rays to 12-6 for the season. ...

Parts of new span over Peace to open.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Traffic was rerouted early today onto a newly built section of Interstate 75 that spans the Peace River, as a project to renew and expand the bridge entered its next phase. Boh Bros. Construction of New Orleans expects the project to finished...

Reeves re-experiences her natural love of jazz.(TICKET)(Review)
January 31, 2003... Byline: PHILIP BOOTH CORRESPONDENT ST. PETERSBURG -- Dianne Reeves, trained as a jazz singer, for most of her career has engaged in genre hopping, variously placing her supple voice in the context of R&B, pop and world music, and...

Block Party turns on Fort Myers' two-week Edison Festival of Light.(TICKET)
January 31, 2003... Byline: HELENA FINNEGAN CORRESPONDENT FORT MYERS -- The City of Palms Block Party today kicks off the opening ceremonies of the two-week Edison Festival of Light in Fort Myers. The festivities culminate in the state's 10th largest...

Comdial shares now trading on OTC board.(BUSINESS)
January 31, 2003... Byline: LAUREN MAYK lauren.mayk@heraldtribune.com Comdial Corp. began trading on the Nasdaq's over-the-counter bulletin board Wednesday, making it easier for shareholders to track the company's stock. The move is part of the Sarasota...

Salt dishes of the past.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... HOLMES BEACH -- Barbara Stanton, who collects and sells "open salts," will be featured at St. Bernard Catholic Church's antique show today, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tiny bowls and tinier spoons...

Grins predicted at Highland Games; Gumbo Festival to feature cook-off.(TICKET)
January 31, 2003... SARASOTA -- A bit of mirth has been added to the Highland Games and Scottish Heritage Festival. So if those who drop by the Sarasota County Fairgrounds clad in tartan and plaid find themselves breaking into wide grins, it'll be because...

Mayors may join budget protest; They'll ask their city councils if they wish to fight Bush's proposal.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: DALE WHITE dale.white@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- The city governments may join in Manatee County's protest against Gov. Jeb Bush's proposed state budget. County Commission Chairman Jon Bruce told several mayors...

Graham-led faction criticizes Bush for limiting VA care.(A SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: CORY REISS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- A group of 29 senators blasted the Bush administration Thursday for blocking an estimated 164,000 veterans from receiving health care this year from the Department of Veterans Affairs....

'Stars of Tomorrow' will shine in Venice on Tuesday.(B SECTION)(Venice Notes)(Column)
January 31, 2003... Byline: Judy Huskey Early each spring the Venice Opera Guild pulls out all the stops to bring a sampling of some of the country's best vocal talent to this place we call home. This is year 21 for the guild's presentation "Stars of...

Our Community.(B SECTION)(Column)
January 31, 2003... New synchronization should ease traffic VENICE -- Traffic lights on U.S. 41 Business at Tampa, Venice and Miami avenues should be resynchronized by the end of February. The lights have not been linked - with one another or the new...

School's truancy error irks ex-student's mom; Lena Trincher says the mistake by Bayshore High School in Manatee County could've put her in jail.(A SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: LAURA GREEN laura green@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- Lena Trincher thought she'd done all she needed to do when she signed her son out of Bayshore High School in September and enrolled him in a military academy in New...

'Raisin' shows different aspect of Westcoast troupe.(TICKET)(Review)
January 31, 2003... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Audiences who have gotten to know the Westcoast Black Theater Troupe through its musicals will see a new side of the company with its production of Larraine Hansberry's...

Fla. universities link to INS system.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: CHAD BINETTE chad.binette@heraldtribune.com Florida's largest public universities, plus several schools in Southwest Florida, met a Thursday deadline to connect to a computer system that tracks foreign students. Some Florida...

Lancers looking to go back to Grand Junction; MCC has been to World Series twice in the last four years and hopes for return trip to Sam Suplizio Field.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2003... Byline: BRIAN NEWBERRY CORRESPONDENT BRADENTON -- The Manatee Community College baseball program always has Grand Junction, Colo., as a top priority. After reaching the site of the Junior College World Series last season, the...

'Differences' explores the humor in vasectomies.(TICKET)(Review)
January 31, 2003... Byline: JUDY HUSKEY judy.huskey@heraldtribune.com VENICE -- Although they are the butt of many jokes, most people would agree that, in reality, there's not much funny about vasectomies. Except actor/playwright Jeff Daniels and the...

'Max' presents an intelligent and provocative hypothesis.(TICKET)(Review)
January 31, 2003... Byline: AMANDA SCHURR CORRESPONDENT Editor's note: Reprinted from Nov. 8 coverage of the Cine-World Film Festival. With his directorial debut, screenwriter Menno Meyjes ("The Color Purple," "Empire of the Sun") explores the...

'Anne Frank' was there for the asking.(TICKET)
January 31, 2003... Byline: BARBARA LEVERONE CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- It took much more than a lucky break for James Buckley to rise to the rank of resident choreographer and ballet master for the Sarasota Ballet of Florida. With classical training at...

4-county car chase ends in arrest; A Port Charlotte man leads deputies on a high-speed chase until his truck runs out of gas.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: JENNY LEE ALLEN jenny.allen@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- The fun lasted until his gas tank emptied. Steven P. Harvey, 31, led authorities on a high-speed car chase through four counties until his truck ran out of gas...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
January 31, 2003... MANATEE COUNTY Robert C. Brien Robert C. Brien, 76, Bradenton and formerly of Sarasota, died Jan. 30, 2003. He was born Feb. 19, 1926, in Detroit and came to Manatee County in November 2002 from Sarasota. He was a retired...

Asolo co-founder joins fight to keep conservatory in town.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... Byline: CHARLIE HUISKING charlie.huisking@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Moving the FSU/Asolo Conservatory from Sarasota to Tallahassee "would destroy a program I devoted a good part of my life to," said Richard Fallon, dean emeritus of...

Circus Sarasota emphasizes its artistry and theater.(TICKET)
January 31, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINE HAWES CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Upon entering the chapiteau of Circus Sarasota, the immediate impression is intimacy. The 1,400 cushioned red seats are arranged in a loose square, all within 200 feet of each other....

Metal band Scorpions still rocking 'like a hurricane'.(TICKET)
January 31, 2003... Byline: STEVE HEISLER CORRESPONDENT TAMPA -- As bands like Creed and Nickelback forge their guitar-driven paths, Rudolph Schenker is glad they choose to acknowledge their forebears. As Schenker, the lead guitarist of The Scorpions,...

'Biker Boyz' goes fast and furiously on two wheels.(TICKET)(Review)
January 31, 2003... Byline: GEORGE MEYER CORRESPONDENT Beware the voice-over. It usually signals at least two things: 1) The screenwriter doesn't know how to tell his story; and 2) The writer doesn't trust you to fill in any blanks necessary to...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2003... First ladies featured in library program PUNTA GORDA -- Friends of the Library of Punta Gorda are sponsoring "The First Ladies: Orphans of History" at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 401 W. Henry St. Victoria...

BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
January 30, 2003... Church presents program of spirituals PORT CHARLOTTE -- The Seventh-day Adventist Church of Port Charlotte, 2036 Loveland Blvd., will present a program of spirituals at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in honor of Black History Month. Featured...

(Briefs).(H-T EAST)
January 30, 2003... EAST MANATEE Banking on Bucs First National Bank & Trust employes -- including those at the East Manatee branches at 4770 State Road 64 E., 9000 State Road 70 E. and 8425 U.S. 301 N. -- wore red and pewter to work Friday. The...

Moreno still savors fiery role in 'West Side Story'.(B SECTION)
January 30, 2003... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Forty-one years after she won an Academy Award for playing the fiery Anita, Rita Moreno still gets a thrill watching "West Side Story." Especially on a big screen,...

Republicans form East Manatee club.(H-T EAST)
January 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT EAST MANATEE -- Local Republicans decided the growth and interest here was prime for a new political club. After a small organizational meeting Jan. 13, the group filed the paperwork the next day with the...

COMMUNITY CONNECTION.(H-T EAST)
January 30, 2003... Organization name: Lakewood Ranch Garden Club Name: Betty Waterfield Role in the organization: Interim president until the club elects officers in April. Meetings: From noon until 2 p.m. the second Monday of each month at the...

MILITARY NEWS.(B SECTION)
January 30, 2003... Poppy Days The American Legion Auxiliary, NoVel Unit 159, Venice, will hold its annual Poppy Days, today and Friday in the Venice area. Money dropped into the poppy cans in exchange for a poppy goes to the Auxiliary Veterans Affairs and...

Lancers lose to St. Pete College.(SPORTS)
January 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT ST. PETERSBURG -- Guard Dominique Coleman scored 15 points and forward Terrance Taylor added 13 to lead St. Pete College (13-8, 5-2) to a 79-60 win over MCC (10-13, 2-5)on Wednesday. MCC guards Jack Miller and...

A painful loss; Let closing of Bon Secours psychiatric unit be a catalyst for change.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 30, 2003... The recent decision by Bon Secours- Venice Hospital to close its psychiatric unit won't have the impact of last year's closing of the G. Pierce Wood state mental health hospital in Arcadia. But any loss is painful for patients in need, their...

Charges loom for financial adviser; A fraud investigation of Todd Mayo, 43, is close to yielding charges, a prosecutor says.(BUSINESS)
January 30, 2003... Byline: ALEXANDER COOLIDGE alexander.coolidge@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- A prosecutor says state investigators are close to filing criminal charges against financial adviser Todd Mayo. Mayo, 43, has been at the center of two state...

POLICE BLOTTER.(B SECTION)
January 30, 2003... Compiled from Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and Punta Gorda police reports filed through Jan. 29. PORT CHARLOTTE Covington Avenue, 21200 block, Jan. 28. Someone shot a pellet at a passing car. Ardella Street, 1200 block,...

Best in his class; J.R. Crosby's steer, Sizzler, won a blue ribbon in his weight class at the fair.(H-T EAST)
January 30, 2003... Byline: ERIN BRYCE erin.bryce@heraldtribune.com PALMETTO -- A steady hum of conversation echoed throughout the Manatee County Fair's IMC Arena as 10-year-old J.R. Crosby led Sizzler, a 1,082-pound Simmental Angus steer, around a ring....

Acterna removed from Nasdaq listings.(BUSINESS)
January 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT Acterna Corp., with a Manatee County engineering unit that employs about 140, is seeing its shares removed from the Nasdaq to be traded over the counter. The change, which is effective Monday, is being made...

Attorney gets help for Acosta trial.(B SECTION)
January 30, 2003... Byline: KELLY CRAMER kelly.cramer@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Now that John Acosta's case is set for trial in mid-February, his attorney has hired help and is working frantically to get ready. Michelle Berthiaume has brought on a...