Sarasota Herald Tribune articles from January 2006, page 3

Sarasota Herald Tribune archives from January 2006

DeSoto takes district crown; New coach Hay rewarded with 3-1 triumph over Palmetto in deciding match.(SPORTS)
January 28, 2006... Byline: DONNIE WILKIE CORRESPONDENT WAUCHULA -- Tracy Hay didn't know much about the boys soccer team at DeSoto County High when she became its head coach. "Some of the referees told me they were a wild bunch," she said. Well,...

Mehserle, Indians rout Mustangs.(SPORTS)
January 28, 2006... Byline: PERRY D. PENTZ perry.pentz@heraldtribune.com VENICE -- This time it was Venice High senior Bill Mehserle's turn to lead the Indians. Mehserle scored a season-high 17 points as the Indians closed out the Class 5A-District 12...

Buchanan focuses on campaign; GOP congressional hopeful will take a lesser role in his automotive group.(BUSINESS)
January 28, 2006... Byline: LAUREN MAYK lauren.mayk@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Congressional candidate Vern Buchanan is stepping down as chief executive of his automotive group, handing off his day-to-day duties to a longtime associate. Buchanan...

Brokerage found liable, pays couple $79,000.(BUSINESS)
January 28, 2006... Byline: JOHN HIELSCHER john.hielscher@heraldtribune.com When their son ran up a large debt at an online brokerage, Jesus and Lucy Montero were told he had committed a crime. The Monteros say T.D. Waterhouse Investor Services...

Business Buzz.(BUSINESS)
January 28, 2006... Web developer creates site for New York group Mobiant, a Sarasota-based Internet marketing company, recently completed development of a Web site for Novius Group, a Melville, N.Y.-based independent consulting firm for businesses. ...

From Venice Inlet, Rattlesnake Island captures the imagination.(PLAY!)(Go!)(Column)
January 28, 2006... Byline: THOMAS BECNEL NOKOMIS -- Look at a map long enough, and you'll spot something you've never seen before. This week, I stared at a map of the Gulf coast until something caught my eye near the Venice Inlet. Rattlesnake...

Racers crawl, run and bike through duathlon.(PLAY!)
January 28, 2006... Byline: THOMAS BECNEL thomas.becnel@heraldtribune.com VENICE -- When Mike Freund crossed the finish line, his face a vivid pink, he staggered under a picnic shelter and collapsed on a table. "My head hurts," he groaned. "My toe...

Chart Navigator Pro better than sextant.(PLAY!)(Sailing)(Column)
January 28, 2006... Byline: Morgan Stinemetz There are some things that you know are going to be hard, but you do them anyway. In high school it may have been the calculus exam. In real life I attempted to learn celestial navigation a couple of decades...

Standards for deputies; Two cases and two disciplinary actions.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 28, 2006... Charlotte County Sheriff John Davenport has taken disciplinary actions against two deputies, providing a strong and encouraging sign that lying isn't tolerated. In one case, the punishment is consistent with the offense and the clear...

A 'homey' Baker Center; The district OKs a design for rebuilding the preschool.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Byline: ANNA SCOTT anna.scott@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- When the new Baker Center preschool opens next year, it will be 6 acres and 50,000 square feet of state-of-the-art space for teachers and students. But, above all,...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Sheriff: Man sold pot to secret informant PORT CHARLOTTE -- A Port Charlotte man sold a sheriff's confidential informant 116 grams of marijuana for $600 Thursday, according to a Charlotte County sheriff's release. Ryan Paul...

Sex crime suspect accepts plea deal; Port Charlotte man was originally charged with molesting two of his son's friends during a campout.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Byline: KRISTEN KRIDEL kristen.kridel@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- A Port Charlotte man charged with two counts of molestation after taking his son and his son's friends camping entered a plea agreement Friday. Timothy...

Jack Heifner's play 'Vanities' delivers laughs but little substance.(B SECTION)(Art Beat)(Column)
January 28, 2006... Byline: Marilyn D. Carpenter 'Emptiness, worthlessness" and "self-conceit" are all words used in "Webster's New World College Dictionary" to define "vanity." To a large degree, this definition suits the only three characters in...

Plan ahead for next week's nature festival.(B SECTION)(Englewood Scene)(Column)
January 28, 2006... Byline: Sharyn Lonsdale Today the rummage sales and flea markets have taken over but there are a couple of things going on in the evening. * It's Middle School Madness from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Warren Loranger Family YMCA on...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
January 28, 2006... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Mary Jane Burr Mary Jane Burr, 83, Port Charlotte, died Dec. 31, 2005. She was born May 11, 1922, in Gladstone, Mich., and came to the Charlotte County area in 1985 from Northville, Mich. She worked as a...

Condo project draws raves; Grove City civic group is excited by proposed mixed-use development.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Byline: KEVIN DALE kevin.dale@heraldtribune.com ENGLEWOOD -- An Englewood developer plans to build a "commercial condominium" that would allow residents to live above their offices in Grove City. "Live where you work, and work...

Hat contest brings out the creativity.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Byline: FRANCINE MILFORD francine.milford@heraldtribune.com Among the sea of crazy and whimsical hats were dozens of supporters who showed up to attend an afternoon of tea, "Alice in Wonderland" style, sponsored by the Arts & Culture...

North Port police roll out new, six-officer bicycle unit.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Byline: ERIN BRYCE erin.bryce@heraldtribune.com NORTH PORT -- Working as a patrol officer in Porterville, Calif., J.W. Triplett discovered that two wheels can sometimes be more effective than four. Patrolling the city on a bicycle,...

Salon owner arraigned on sexual battering charges.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Byline: STAFF REPORT SARASOTA -- A North Port salon owner was arraigned Friday on charges he sexually battered a female customer in December. Richard Applestone, 52, of the 3600 block of Cake Drive, was arrested Dec. 21. He has...

Kids have 'tree-mendous' Arbor Day.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Celebrating Florida's Arbor Day a day late, the Eco-Kids Club met at the North Port Education Center to learn lots of "tree-mendous" facts about trees. Who better to teach them and their parents about trees than Alice White, founder of...

'Canes surge early; Manatee scores three minutes into match en route to 3-1 win.(SPORTS)
January 28, 2006... Byline: JON STYF jon.styf@heraldtribune.com MURDOCK -- Christian Raudales saw the miscue immediately and sent the ball to an opening. Two Lakewood Ranch High defenders had followed him so he passed the ball to Manatee High teammate...

Booker rolls past Palmetto.(SPORTS)
January 28, 2006... Byline: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT PALMETTO -- Utilizing a smothering defense that held Palmetto High to seven first- half points, the Booker High boys basketball team finished unbeaten in regular-season Class 4A-District 10 play with a...

Longtime Bradenton City Councilman James Barfield dies at 61.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
January 28, 2006... Byline: CORY SCHOUTEN cory.schouten@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- James W. "Jim" Barfield, a fiercely independent Republican who remained friends with his political colleagues despite frequent disagreement, died Thursday in his...

Punch drama keeps escalating; Parent's lawyer accuses school district of cover-up, says staffer harasses students.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Byline: CORY SCHOUTEN cory.schouten@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- A day after school officials cleared a teacher of harassment allegations brought by a 16-year-old girl, her vigilante father escalated a war of words and promised a...

BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Wakeland to host open house today BRADENTON -- Wake- land Elementary School is hosting an open house today for people interested in its new International Baccalaureate program. The open house will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the...

Police officer wins suit against Bradenton.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Byline: MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA michael.scarcella@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- City police administrators passed up an officer for promotion in retaliation for his support of a mayoral candidate who ended up losing the 2003 race, a jury...

AROUND THE REGION; News from Sarasota and Charlotte counties.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... VENICE Scholar: Iraq a qualified success It's been called a quagmire. It's been called another Vietnam. It's even been called, in the words of one late-night comedian, Mess-o-potamia. But on Friday, James Carafano, one of the...

(Photo).(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Tell us your story We'd like to hear about your pet. Please submit a photo reprint, 200 to 300 typed or clearly printed words and a release form, available from the Herald-Tribune. Be sure to include your name, address and telephone...

Master Gardener tours of Emerson Point resume.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Byline: STAFF REPORT Manatee County Master Gardeners will resume tours of Emerson Point Park in Palmetto in February. Tours, scheduled for 9 a.m. the first Friday and second Saturday of each month at the park, begin in the parking...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
January 28, 2006... MANATEE COUNTY Hartmond David Brooks Jr. Hartmond David Brooks Jr., 73, Bradenton, died Jan. 24, 2006. He was born Oct. 9, 1932, in Riverside, Calif., and came to Bradenton in 1997 from the east coast of Florida. He was an...

Developer offers cash, land for fairgrounds, Robarts Arena.(A SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Byline: KATHLEEN McLAUGHLIN kathleen.mclaughlin@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- The group that runs the county fair and Robarts Arena is fielding the sweetest offer yet for its land on Fruitville Road. With a developer offering cash...

Vikings blank Cougars; Bishop Verot wins its eighth district title in last nine years.(SPORTS)
January 28, 2006... Byline: CHAD BROCKHOFF CORRESPONDENT FORT MYERS -- Chances were few and far between for the Cardinal Mooney boys soccer team in Friday night's Class 3A-District 10 championship match. Host Bishop Verot enjoyed a 22-2 edge in shots on...

Reynolds, Lacey head group of 28 state qualifiers; Two defending state champs take first at sectional; Pirates qualify all 10 lifters, including two champs.(SPORTS)
January 28, 2006... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Jessica Reynolds clearly was disappointed. The Booker High junior failed to lift the bar that held 205 pounds over her head. "My leg slipped," Reynolds...

Assistive technology critical for disabled.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
January 28, 2006... Byline: Rich Brooks Communication is the key. Of the 100 or so vendors displaying their wares at the Assistive Technology Industry Association conference in Orlando last week, all except a handful were involved in communication. ...

Placida-based ferry service will be a bridge to Don Pedro.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Byline: KIM HACKETT kim.hackett@heraldtribune.com ENGLEWOOD -- For 20 years, Don Pedro Island State Park and its one-mile stretch of secluded beach were available only to boaters or those willing to hail a water taxi. But a new...

Corrections:.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... * The Sarasota Highland Games and Heritage Festival is planned for Feb. 4 at the Sarasota Fairgrounds. The wrong date was listed in Friday's Ticket. * Peking Tokyo restaurant, which recently opened at 5428 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, is a...

New USF interim director resigns.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Byline: MARKESHIA RICKS markeshia.ricks@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- The interim director of the University of South Florida's Institute for Public Policy and Leadership resigned this week after officials discovered that the FBI is...

Turtle death halts project.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Byline: WILL ROTHSCHILD will.rothschild@heraldtribune.com For the second time in three months, the $21 million Longboat Key beach renourishment project has been stopped following the killing of a sea turtle during dredging. It is...

BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Free session to give tips to caregivers SARASOTA -- Tips for caregivers and their employers will be offered at a conference today sponsored by the AARP and Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. Employed and unpaid caregivers, and...

Students learn about Chinese New Year.(B SECTION)
January 28, 2006... Byline: NANCY CHAPMAN CORRESPONDENT Marilyn Nykiforuk has been learning a little bit more about Chinese history every January for the last three years. It's an inadvertent benefit of teaching it to children, in honor of Chinese New...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
January 28, 2006... SARASOTA COUNTY Debra Ann Angelo Debra Ann Angelo, 53, Venice, died Jan. 21, 2006, in Sarasota. She was born July 12, 1952, in Passaic, N.J., and came to Venice seven years ago from West Paterson, N.J. For 18 years she taught...

Plan now for storm season.(HOME & REAL ESTATE)(Letter From Home)(Column)
January 28, 2006... Byline: Harold Bubil The weather is mild, and it hasn't rained in how long? Perfect time, says Joe Angeleri, for retrofitting your house for hurricane season. Of course, he would say that -- he's a remodeling contractor who's...

THE SMOTHERS SELLERS; Dick and Denby Smothers, divorcing after nine years of marriage, are selling their Bird Key home.(HOME & REAL ESTATE)
January 28, 2006... Byline: DOROTHY STOCKBRIDGE-PRATT CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- When you're competing for attention with 60 other houses for sale on Bird Key, a little celebrity status can't hurt. Denby Smothers says she doesn't think buyers will be...

Allowing wet houses to dry is key to preventing mold, says scientist.(HOME & REAL ESTATE)
January 28, 2006... Byline: HAROLD BUBIL harold.bubil@heraldtribune.com The problem with houses is that you have to build them out in the weather. "What causes buildings to break down is water, heat and ultraviolet light," says building scientist Joe...

Ruslan rescue; Tampa Bay wins in OT on Ruslan Fedotenko's goal.(SPORTS)
January 27, 2006... Byline: JODY ROYCE jody.royce@heraldtribune.com TAMPA -- The Tampa Bay Lightning got into another scrap against a team with a star goaltender... and 60 minutes was not enough to decide it. Thursday night, the Bolts got the reward....

IN PHONE WAR, YOU'RE WORTH A BUNDLE; Comcast now offers phone service; Verizon offers cable. Why the turf battles?(A SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: LAUREN MAYK lauren.mayk@heraldtribune.com Comcast started selling phone service in Southwest Florida this week, intensifying competition with Verizon and its efforts to persuade customers to buy multiple services from their cable...

Facing reality on Babcock Ranch; Thirst for water shouldn't drive decision about development.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 27, 2006... Will Charlotte County's hope of getting water from Babcock Ranch be a pipe dream or turn to reality? No one can provide a definitive answer at this point, and no one in government is likely to have the authority to guarantee Charlotte...

The clash over clowns; Art project throws Sarasotans into love-hate debate.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 27, 2006... Clown art, as actress Diane Keaton laments, is "the ugliest genre of them all." Yet she is such an avid collector of the stuff that she published a book on the subject ("Clown Paintings"), in which top comedians examine what it is about...

Dirty 'business'; Pollution tainted Venice's waters and its heritage.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 27, 2006... The beauty and the bounty of the Gulf of Mexico and Roberts and Dona bays determined the location of the city of Venice. John Nolen, who designed the city in the 1920s, situated it along the Gulf and Roberts Bay. Bruce Stephenson, a...

Grimes delivers to keep Palmetto perfect.(SPORTS)
January 27, 2006... Byline: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT PALMETTO -- With a school record 46 assists this season, Caitlin Grimes has earned a reputation as a playmaker, who would rather dish off to a teammate than score a goal herself. But when the scoring...

Mustangs'Miller cashes in on PK.(SPORTS)
January 27, 2006... Byline: JON STYF jon.styf@heraldtribune.com LAKEWOOD RANCH -- Melissa Miller made sure that she kept eye contact with coach Guy Virgilio. When forward Jessica Eicken was fouled in the offensive box with just over eight minutes...

Former Pirates Gering, Simmons helping UNF.(SPORTS)(KEEPING UP)(Column)
January 27, 2006... Byline: BARBARA KLEMT BOXLEITNER A pair of Port Charlotte High graduates are helping the University of North Florida men's track and field team keep pace with Division I opponents. Sophomore Bryan Gering placed fourth in the 3,000-...

Sailors sink Hurricanes' rally.(SPORTS)
January 27, 2006... Byline: STAFF REPORT SARASOTA -- Andy Peterson led Sarasota with 25 points and 12 rebounds as the Sailors defeated Manatee 60-52 in a hard-fought battle Thursday night. Nick Webb scored 18 for the Sailors who staved off a second...

Southeast routs Palmetto.(SPORTS)
January 27, 2006... Byline: STAFF REPORT PALMETTO -- Southeast suffocated Palmetto in the first half, holding the Tigers to 13 points at the break and cruising to a 61-47 win Thursday night. Nele Schmidt led the Seminoles (17-8) with 15 points and six...

Bill Tucker of Chicago catches monster redfish.(SPORTS)(Outdoors)(Column)
January 27, 2006... Byline: Steve Gibson Bill Tucker of Chicago caught and released a redfish estimated at 45 pounds while fishing behind his mother's house in Punta Gorda Isles. Tucker caught the monster red on a one-inch dead shrimp. He was using...

Sailors' rally falls short in OT; Sarasota sent the game into overtime by scoring two goals in the final two minutes.(SPORTS)
January 27, 2006... Byline: PERRY D. PENTZ perry.pentz@heraldtribune.com PLANT CITY -- Sarasota High boys soccer team rallied for two goals in the final nine minutes only to lose a heartbreaker in overtime to Plant City, 3-2, in the Class 6A-District 8...

Lady Falcons cruise to victory.(SPORTS)
January 27, 2006... Byline: DONNIE WILKIE CORRESPONDENT BRADENTON -- Sophomore Caroline Clark and eighth-grader Amy Ivin, only a year apart in the Sarasota Storm youth soccer program, knew it would work. Saint Stephen's coach Bill Unzicker figured it...

Lady Hurricanes fall to Seminole; Manatee scores in a regional playoff game for the first time since 1999 but fails to advance.(SPORTS)
January 27, 2006... Byline: CURTIS WILLIAMS CORRESPONDENT SEMINOLE -- The Manatee High girls soccer team ended a couple of streaks in Thursday night's Class 5A-Region 3 quarterfinals against Seminole but they'll have to wait at least another year to end...

New trade group adds its voice; Florida manufacturers plan to lobby the Legislature.(BUSINESS)
January 27, 2006... Byline: TOM BAYLES tom.bayles@heraldtribune.com Manufacturers are taking their case to Tallahassee in a much stronger way than in the past, forming a new lobbying group to address issues such as job outsourcing and taxes. The...

Powershred DS1 wins endorsement.(BUSINESS)
January 27, 2006... With identity theft on the rise, the shredder has become a common household appliance. But some shredder designs are safer than others, and better-looking too. The Fellowes Powershred DS1 has been rated as an "All Star" shredder by the...

Business Buzz.(BUSINESS)
January 27, 2006... SCORE schedules Feb. 11 workshop SCORE -- Counselors to America's Small Business, will present a workshop, "Starting/Buying a Small Business," Feb. 11 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Venice Library, 300 S. Nokomis Ave. Fee is $25;...

Schools take step toward health; Districts hope better habits will lower insurance costs.(B SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: ANNA SCOTT anna.scott@heraldtribune.com As teachers across the state grow older and insurance premiums rise to pay for their illnesses, schools are looking for ways to help keep them healthier. In Charlotte and Manatee...

Stay active, says baseball pro; Former Marlins manager Jack McKeon visits retirement home.(B SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: PATRICK WHITTLE patrick.whittle@heraldtribune.com PORT CHARLOTTE -- Jack McKeon quietly whiled away the spring of 2003 hitting baseballs to his grandson Zachary until the Florida Marlins called to pry him from retirement. ...

Woman accused of forging Rx orders.(B SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: STAFF REPORT ENGLEWOOD -- A former Englewood pharmacy employee has been arrested on charges of forging prescriptions and filling them at work. Crystal Gifford, 23, was arrested Wednesday and charged with six counts of...

House measure would allow community college football.(B SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: JOE FOLLICK CAPITAL BUREAU Forget the 'Noles, the 'Canes and the Gators. How about a gridiron clash between the lads from Manatee Community College and the squad from Polk Community College? That's impossible right now, since...

Art lovers will enjoy three area shows.(B SECTION)(Englewood Spotlight)(Column)
January 27, 2006... Byline: Amy Abern Maybe there's something in the water here. Maybe there's an invisible force at play. Call it coincidence, serendipity or just plain freaky, but there exists an unusually high concentration of visual art in Charlotte...

Federal officials won't reclassify Florida scrub jay as endangered.(B SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: STAFF REPORT MELBOURNE -- Federal wildlife officials have rejected a proposal from environmentalists to reclassify the Florida scrub jay as endangered. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday the species has ample...

OBITUARIES.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
January 27, 2006... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Theodore L. Brozanski Sr. Theodore L. Brozanski Sr., 78, Port Charlotte, died Jan. 25, 2006. He was born Jan. 13, 1928, in Colonia, N.J. He worked for Reo Contracting in New Jersey and later owned his own...

El Jobean is area's hot spot as sheepshead action picks up.(B SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: STEVE GIBSON steve.gibson@heraldtribune.com Dan Cambern of Hammerhead Charters and Larry Ross headed offshore this week and did extremely well. In addition to a 30-pound black grouper, they caught gag grouper to 20 pounds,...

North Port lots sell high, go fast; After slow start, 1,085 lots sell for $29 million in first phase.(B SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: ERIN BRYCE erin.bryce@heraldtribune.com NORTH PORT -- Maybe the sizzling land market in Southwest Florida hasn't cooled off after all. The largest government land sale in Sarasota County's history raked in more than $29...

Venice High School students treat visiting author like a superstar.(B SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: LAURA GREEN laura.green@heraldtribune.com VENICE -- If Rick Bragg had any doubts whether he had fans in Venice, they evaporated the minute his driver, English teacher Michael James, pulled up to the Crow's Nest Restaurant on...

Artist lies among the clouds; Family and friends say Denny Arant's colorful funeral suited him perfectly.(B SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: CHRISTINA E. SANCHEZ christina.sanchez@heraldtribune.com VENICE -- Denny Arant didn't lay a brush on his final artistic inspiration. But his spirit was all over it. From their hearts, to their brains, through their hands, to...

Local bank is robbed at gunpoint.(B SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: STAFF REPORT NORTH PORT -- A man wearing a mask and carrying a gun walked into Tarpon Coast Bank on Thursday morning and walked out with money in a bag. The man walked into the bank, 14803 Tamiami Trail, at 11 a.m. and...

New artist uses painting as therapy for difficult times.(B SECTION)(Arts Around Town)(Column)
January 27, 2006... Byline: Francine Milford Michele Thomas is exhibiting her artwork for the first time beginning today, and she hopes she can continue to develop as an artist whose work inspires viewers. "I'm very shy about my paintings," she...

Big project would change rural Charlotte County; Developers want to build 15,000 houses around a proposed FGCU campus.(A SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: ANNA SCOTT anna.scott@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- Developers want to build a community north of the proposed Babcock Ranch development that would be almost as large and bring urban development to the most eastern...

District says video refutes student's sex abuse allegations; The girl, 15, accused a teacher's aide of molestation.(A SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: CORY SCHOUTEN cory.schouten@heraldtribune.com A teacher has a sore jaw. A student could get kicked out of school. Her father is facing a felony. And the school system says it all happened over a lie. The dad, Dave F....

Manatee snapshots; Brief comments on life and times in our county.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 27, 2006... The gas-tax exchange, continued Manatee County Commissioner Donna Hayes drew sharp criticism from her colleagues this week for her campaign against a proposed nickel-a-gallon increase in the county's gas tax. Some clearly weren't...

School sees IB program as a savior; Educators hope the elite academic plan will turn struggling Wakeland Elementary around.(B SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: TIFFANY LANKES tiffany.lankes@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- It's 7:45 a.m. and already the hallways of Wakeland Elementary School are full of children. School doesn't start for another hour, but many students are here for...

BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Boy, 4, jumps off truck, is run over, killed EAST MANATEE -- A 4-year-old who jumped from the bed of his father's truck was run over and killed Thursday, the Florida Highway Patrol reported. The accident happened shortly before 5...

Henderson waives speedy trial.(B SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: STAFF REPORT BRADENTON -- Richard Henderson Jr., charged with murder in the deaths of his family members, was quiet in court this time. On Thursday he walked into a courtroom and politely agreed to waive his right to a...

Band will open for blues legend tonight.(B SECTION)
January 27, 2006... Byline: YVETTE KIMM yvette.kimm@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- Rod Keiser started piano lessons and began to read music before he could read words. The accomplished classical and jazz pianist lived out his dream to play the...

OBITUARIES.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
January 27, 2006... MANATEE COUNTY Patricia Davis Adelman Patricia Davis Adelman, 66, Bradenton, died Jan. 23, 2006. She was born Dec. 29, 1939, in Belvidere, Ill., and came to Manatee County in 2001 from Columbia, Md. She was a senior corporate...

Blazers score early, hold on.(SPORTS)
January 27, 2006... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com NAPLES -- Mark Reall dropped to his knees in the middle of the Sarasota Christian girls soccer pre-match huddle. The coach pleaded, "Please play hard." The Blazers...

Riverview's 1-goal lead, season slip away.(SPORTS)
January 27, 2006... Byline: DONNIE WILKIE CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Amidst the shrieks of joy coming from Tampa Sickles' post-game huddle, one couldn't help but think that scripts like this are only written in Hollywood. A mere 75 feet away, though --...