Sarasota Herald Tribune articles from January 2007

Sarasota Herald Tribune archives from January 2007

Rule blocks insurers from cutting coverage.(A SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: JOHN HIELSCHER and LLOYD DUNKELBERGER STAFF WRITERS ***** CORRECTION: The following correction was published on Thursday, February 1, 2007: Correction: The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1. A front- page story in...

Skate park is her passion; Englewood granny gives time, money for youths.(A SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: KEVIN DALE kevin.dale@heraldtribune.com ENGLEWOOD -- To a tee, Jean Berlin fits the profile of an Englewood resident: She is a 72-year-old Ohio native who attends church every Sunday and bingo two nights a week. But the...

Crist offers tax breaks.(A SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: LLOYD DUNKELBERGER H-T CAPITAL BUREAU TALLAHASSEE -- Comparing it to his campaign to cut insurance costs, Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday outlined an ambitious plan to lower property taxes for Floridians, offering relief to both...

Death of a champion; Improved safety, medical care would be a fitting legacy for Barbaro.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 31, 2007... At a busy Sarasota gym Monday, the air roared with the treadmill thunder of fitness buffs. Above them, TV screens bore the image of another runner -- this one leaner, faster and far more beautiful: "Barbaro: 2003-2007," the lettering read....

Housing wish granted; $5 million in state funds represent a rare victory.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 31, 2007... Competition for big government housing grants is so intense that most communities come away empty-handed -- a predicament that Sarasota has experienced repeatedly over the years. This time, however, there's a happy ending: The city, the...

Alexander lifts DeSoto to win.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2007... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com MURDOCK -- There was a reason Kip Rhoten was anxious to get Dominique Alexander into the lineup. Alexander scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, as DeSoto County held...

Tank not gun shy about past.(SPORTS)(Comment)(Column)
January 31, 2007... Byline: Doug Fernandes MIAMI -- To his credit, he didn't back down or back away. He answered nearly every question, often couching his responses in an attempt to fix a reputation perhaps hopelessly beyond repair. Chicago's Tank...

Pirate coach Woodruff steps down; Family reasons cited for departing after one season. School plans initially to search internally for replacement.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2007... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com MURDOCK -- Citing family reasons, Joe Woodruff resigned as Port Charlotte High football coach after one season. "This is a family thing, not a Port Charlotte thing,"...

Second chance; Anthony McFarland started the season with the Buccaneers. He's finishing it in the Super Bowl.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2007... Byline: TOM BALOG tom.balog@heraldtribune.com MIAMI -- Playing his way out of Tampa has paid off in the biggest of ways for Anthony McFarland. The former first-round draft pick might wind up with another championship ring only because the...

Navratilova won't put the brakes on the rest of her life.(SPORTS)(TENNIS)(Column)
January 31, 2007... Byline: MIC HUBER At the same time Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams were working their way toward the final of the year's first Grand Slam tournament Down Under, Martina Navratilova was checking on her 28 cows and one pig down on the...

Walding's 30 lifts Sarasota to win; After routing Plant City twice in the regular season, the Lady Sailors almost fall in playoffs.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2007... Byline: PHIL DENIS CORRESPONDENT GIBSONTON -- It wasn't supposed to be this difficult. Not even close. The Sarasota High girls' basketball team survived a scare behind Kristen Walding's 30 points and escaped with a tight 62-56 win...

Charlotte shoots down Sarasota from long range.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2007... Byline: JODY ROYCE jody.royce@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- The matchups did not look good for Sarasota, even on the Sailors' Senior Night. Do they force the Tarpons to try to beat them inside or outside? They chose outside and the...

Palmetto squanders 3-0 lead in OT loss; Estero's Alex Sheckler scores all four goals to lead defending champ Wildcats to 4-3 victory.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2007... Byline: BRIAN NEWBERRY CORRESPONDENT PALMETTO -- Palmetto's girls soccer season ended abruptly Tuesday night. A strong opening half had the Tigers thinking about another game Friday night, but four unanswered goals from Alex Sheckler...

Morgan Stanley purchases Carrousel; The Port Charlotte shopping center was last sold eight months ago.(BUSINESS)
January 31, 2007... Byline: DEVONA WALKER devona.walker@heraldtribune.com PORT CHARLOTTE -- Nearly eight months after buying the Murdock Carrousel, a Boca Raton real estate investment firm has sold the shopping center to Morgan Stanley as part of a $281...

Cold weather spares local citrus growers; Chill didn't harm oranges, may have helped.(BUSINESS)
January 31, 2007... Byline: TOM BAYLES tom.bayles@heraldtribune.com Citrus farmers enjoyed the rising sun Tuesday safe in the knowledge that an overnight cold snap that saw temperatures briefly fall to as low as 26 degrees wasn't severe enough to damage...

Business Buzz.(BUSINESS)
January 31, 2007... Realtors association installs 2007 officers Alan Mitchell, sales associate with ERA Randol Realty, has been installed as the 2007 president of the Punta Gorda-Port Charlotte-North Port Association of Realtors Inc. Judy Jirout,...

Chilly weather, chili recipes.(FLORIDA WEST)(Sampler)(Column)
January 31, 2007... Byline: Linda Brandt Today, I get to tell reader Barbara Dellorto about approximately 30 friends she didn't know she had, all contributors of chili recipes that call for condensed tomato soup. Her request cited a Metropolitan Life...

The Trail mix; Specialty grocers deliver sugar, spice and lots more.(FLORIDA WEST)
January 31, 2007... Byline: PATRICK WHITTLE patrick.whittle@heraldtribune.com What's the quickest way to get from Jamaica to Poland? As the crow flies, it's about 5,500 miles from Kingston's Bob Marley Museum to Warsaw's Royal Castle. The distance from...

Another notch for survivors; Reopening marks more than just a post-hurricane reconstruction.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 31, 2007... As reopenings go, this one was truly grand. The Charlotte County Health Department welcomed visitors Tuesday to a $1.4 million reconstruction of its hurricane-damaged Punta Gorda office with a daylong ceremony filled with laughter, tears,...

Trailer days ending for clinic; In March, patients will be seen at the renovated site.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: PATRINA A. BOSTIC patrina.bostic@heraldtribune.com PUNTA GORDA -- It has been difficult offering medical care out of trailers to patients for the past two and a half years, but the Charlotte County Health Department in Punta...

SEEN & HEARD.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Crist favors tic tac diet When House Speaker Marco Rubio last ate with Sen. Mike Bennett of Bradenton, Rubio picked up the check. When he ate with Bradenton Rep. Bill Galvano, Galvano bought. But during recent travels with Gov....

BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Deputy suspended over knife case PORT CHARLOTTE -- A sheriff's deputy who seized a legal knife from a man and never returned it or submitted it as evidence will be reprimanded with a suspension and probation. According to a sheriff's...

Orchestra takes a bow for its Webber program.(B SECTION)(Art Beat)(Column)
January 31, 2007... Byline: Marilyn D. Carpenter The beauty of the music of the night brought bravos to the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor Andrew Kurtz on Sunday at the orchestra's second pops concert of the season. The program, at The...

BEST BETS.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... FRIDAY Slide guitar: National slide guitar champion Kraig Kenning will perform in concert from 5 to 9 p.m. at center stage in Fishermen's Village, West Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda. For more details, call 639-8721.

Students, families team for CSI night.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: BETSY WILLIAMS CORRESPONDENT When Seymour Skeleton went missing at Port Charlotte Middle School, a team of CSI experts was called in to solve the mystery. There were five suspects: band director Les Kraus, physical education...

Lamb retires after 20 years with the Sheriff's Office.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: BETSY WILLIAMS CORRESPONDENT Lois Lamb, 62, was recently honored at the Justice Center in Punta Gorda for her 20 years of service as the court liaison coordinator for the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. She was joined by...

OBITUARIES.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
January 31, 2007... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Rose Droge Schafer Rose Droge Schafer, 93, Port Charlotte, died Jan. 29, 2007, at Harbour Health Care at Sport Port Square in Port Charlotte. She was born Jan. 9, 1914, in Queens, N.Y., and came to the Charlotte...

BEST BETS.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... THURSDAY Health screenings: Join H2U at Englewood Community Hospital, 700 Medical Blvd., and get free monthly blood pressure screenings. Cholesterol screenings are only $3.50 for members. Join now and take advantage of the many social,...

At library, it's not just about the books.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: ALISON POSNER alison.posner@heraldtribune.com The Englewood Charlotte Public Library has been a lot busier than usual lately. With the influx of visitors and seasonal residents, there are plenty of people taking advantage of the...

Buy tickets in advance, say fashion show organizers.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: BETSY WILLIAMS CORRESPONDENT "Hearts & Flowers" is the theme for the Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights of Columbus Council 11553's seventh annual Luncheon Fashion Show. The event will be held at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 15 in the St....

NEXT: NOKOMIS HILTON? Laid-back village could see a pair of hotels rise.(A SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: PATRICK WHITTLE patrick.whittle@heraldtribune.com NOKOMIS -- The empty buildings and overgrown vegetation at Albee Road and Tamiami Trail don't offer much encouragement to local businesspeople who have sought for years to make...

BEST BETS.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... THURSDAY SPARCC presents the Second Hand Rose Fashion Show and Luncheon Thursday at the Ritz-Carlton, 1111 Ritz-Carlton Drive, Sarasota. Tickets are $70 per person and benefit the Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center, which helps victims...

NORTH PORT PROGRESS; Work begins on new post office for growing city.(A SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: ERIN BRYCE erin.bryce@heraldtribune.com NORTH PORT -- After years of waiting in long lines to buy stamps and send packages, local residents are in for some relief. U.S. Postal Service officials don't have an exact opening...

Valuable advice; Committee's priorities would enhance life in North Port.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 31, 2007... Preserving North Port's natural beauty should be among the priorities when spending the city's sales-tax revenue, a citizens advisory committee has said. That's good advice. The panel, appointed by the city government, was asked to...

North Port project gets a boost; Local lawmakers agree to back taxing power for Isles of Athena.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: HEATHER ALLEN heather.allen@heraldtribune.com NORTH PORT -- The development that will dramatically change this city's northeast corner inched one step closer to getting off the ground when local state legislators pledged Tuesday...

SEEN & HEARD.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Crist pushes tic tac diet When House Speaker Marco Rubio last ate with Sen. Mike Bennett of Bradenton, Rubio picked up the check. When he ate with Bradenton Rep. Bill Galvano, Galvano bought. But during recent travels with Gov....

BEST BETS.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Friendship Volunteer Center is looking for volunteers to help with the needs of the nonprofit agencies in Sarasota County. The Center is a gateway to many volunteer opportunities. More than 450 agencies make...

Warbirds inspire WWII stories.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: BETSY WILLIAMS CORRESPONDENT Early Thursday morning, 15-year-old Danny Graves and his grandfather, Edward Piekarz, sat listening to World War II stories inside the small cafe at the Venice Municipal Airport. Danny, a student...

Maine club gatherings are 'like old home week'.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: BETSY WILLIAMS CORRESPONDENT Once a month, from November through May, Mainers are invited to a luncheon at the Englewood Elks to meet with others from Maine, enjoy themselves and have fun. Jean Brennan attributes the success...

A DREAM, A DEADLINE; For Booker High ensemble, Carnegie Hall is oh so near.(A SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: ANNA SCOTT anna.scott@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- The Booker High School wind ensemble has 24 hours to raise $5,000. Since being invited to play at Carnegie Hall in New York, they've peddled everything from bumper stickers...

Neighborhood revival; Gregory Estates' story gives hope for revitalization.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 31, 2007... Amid the many revitalization efforts under way in Manatee County and its cities, one endeavor in particular is emerging as a success story. The revival is occurring in Gregory Estates, a neighborhood around the intersection of 20th...

Mustangs stay down; Lakewood Ranch falls behind 2-0 at half, can't muster another comeback.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2007... Byline: JON STYF jon.styf@heraldtribune.com LAKEWOOD RANCH -- It had trailed before. Even been behind by two goals at halftime. But on Tuesday night, there would be no great comeback for Lakewood Ranch. There would be no inspired...

Yacht worker burned in flash fire on boat; Matthew Slowen suffered second-degree burns to his torso and face.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: ANTHONY CORMIER anthony.cormier@heraldtribune.com ANNA MARIA -- Matthew Slowen never went very far for lunch, walking each afternoon about 100 feet from the Anna Maria boatyard where he worked to the waterfront bar next door....

Manatee to bus students across county's north; New campus near Ellenton will draw from Palmetto, Bradenton.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: EMILY MORRIS emily.morris@heraldtribune.com ***** CORRECTION: The following clarification was published on Thursday, February 1, 2007: Clarification: An article in Wednesday's Manatee Herald-Tribune stated that Lincoln...

SEEN & HEARD.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Bradenton has tree on skyline Tall buildings block out Manatee County's natural beauty, according to many critics of high-rises. So it may come as a surprise that one of the highest pieces of the Bradenton skyline is actually a tree. ...

'True mystery'? Driver on trial in death of friend; Defense says evidence mishandled in DUI manslaughter trial.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA michael.scarcella@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Paramedics rushed to save Rocco Ranallo's life in the minutes after one of his best friends was killed, thrown from a vehicle that overturned that morning in...

BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Pirates need singers for national anthem BRADENTON -- Oh, say, can you sing? If so, the Pittsburgh Pirates organization invites you to a different kind of try-out: an audition to sing the national anthem at a Pirates spring training...

POLICE BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Charges could be filed in head injury death BRADENTON -- State prosecutors are set to review a woman's death to determine whether she was pushed from a vehicle or jumped on her own accord. Florida Highway Patrol investigators...

Fashionable luncheon benefits museum programs.(B SECTION)(Column)
January 31, 2007... Byline: Bubbles Greer Fashions by Irene's on Anna Maria Island will be the highlight of the annual luncheon and style show sponsored by the Service League of the South Florida Museum. League members will model casual wear just...

BEST BETS.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... TODAY Manatee County educator Jo McRae will discuss her life experiences at 7 p.m. in Selby Auditorium at the University of South Florida, 8350 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. McRae's husband, Hal, is a former player and current coach in...

College celebrates 50 years with gala.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: STAFF REPORT SARASOTA -- Manatee Community College is celebrating 50 years of higher education. The Florida Legislature awarded a charter to then-Manatee Junior College in 1957, and the first 502 students who met in borrowed...

Two found dead in Samoset home; heater was running.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA michael.scarcella@heraldtribune.com SAMOSET -- Ruby Moore would sit for hours in a plastic chair in the front of her home here, where she lived with her 65-year-old son, her caretaker, neighbors said. A...

OBITUARIES.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
January 31, 2007... MANATEE COUNTY Michael L. Bozza Michael L. Bozza, 87, Longboat Key (Manatee County), died Jan. 24, 2007. He was born Jan. 2, 1920, in Newark, N.J., and came to the area in 1982 from Florham Park, N.J. He retired as a postal...

Builders mimicked CCI and survived; A Fort Myers builder got loans from many banks; CCI only tapped Coast.(A SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: MICHAEL BRAGA michael.braga@heraldtribune.com CAPE CORAL -- The idea of buying houses in Southwest Florida with no money down and making tens of thousands of dollars by selling them before construction was even done obviously...

Booker defense delivers in end.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2007... Byline: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT PALMETTO -- After playing zone defense the first half and struggling to score only 14 points, the Booker High girls basketball team knew it had to use its defense to produce enough points to win. The...

Terps can't slow Blazers; Sarasota Christian edges Tampa Prep with two late goals in eight-minute span.(SPORTS)
January 31, 2007... Byline: CHAD BROCKHOFF CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Injuries haven't done it and Tampa Prep couldn't do it on Tuesday night in the Class 2A-Region 3 semifinals. Nothing has been able to slow down the 2006-07 Sarasota Christian girls...

Correction.(B SECTION)(Correction notice)
January 31, 2007... The Going Up feature in the Sunday Real Estate section Jan. 28 contained an incorrect telephone number for Pulte Homes. The correct number is (941) 776-2794.

Sarasota wants to pull plug on deal; City's land management computer system hasn't lived up to expectations.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: MIKE SAEWITZ mike.saewitz@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- For $1.6 million, the city purchased a land management system that was supposed to speed up construction projects and make it easier for builders to get things done at City...

Census of area's homeless crucial for help; Funding depends on accurate count in Manatee, Sarasota.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: PATTY ALLEN-JONES STAFF WRITER Sarasota Police Officer Scott Patrick greets the homeless couple in the alley by their first names. Charlotte Christian and Michael Baumfeld, both in their late 50s, are sitting on a mattress...

SEEN & HEARD.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Chili Peppers at the Ritz? Did the blood, sugar, sex and magic pass us by unnoticed? A man servicing a large bronze Prevost motorcoach parked in Sarasota this week claimed that it belonged to one of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. ...

Woman found dead along I-75 identified.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: STAFF REPORT SARASOTA COUNTY -- Authorities have identified the body of a woman who was found this month tied up in a creek off Interstate 75, just south of University Parkway. Authorities said the 45-year-old woman, Lisa...

Stolen car found; men arrested.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: STAFF REPORT SARASOTA COUNTY -- Police and sheriff's deputies used a helicopter Tuesday to comb eight square blocks near the South Gate area in search of car thieves. The incident happened at about 2:30 p.m. when deputies...

BEST BETS.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... ACT NOW Get your event considered for the Herald-Tribune community calendar. Items must be submitted online using a form at www.herald tribune.com/calendarform. Follow the instructions on the form or listen to an online tutorial to...

Spanish Point goes to the dogs.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: KAZUAKI NAGATA CORRESPONDENT John Jefferson of Venice visited Historic Spanish Point for the first time earlier this month. "I've always wanted to come here and walk and learn about the history," said Jefferson. But he...

Education Foundation honors art students.(B SECTION)
January 31, 2007... Byline: STAFF REPORT ***** CORRECTION: The following correction was published on Friday, February 2, 2007: Arianna Westerfield received the "Nancy Kaplan Art for Today Award" at the Education Foundation evening of excellence on...

Rancher descended from early settlers.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
January 31, 2007... Byline: MARK ZALOUDEK mark.zaloudek@heraldtribune.com DUETTE -- Bill Parrish was born in Parrish and lived on Bill Parrish Road. The 89-year-old rancher was one of the oldest descendants of the pioneer family that settled in Manatee...

OBITUARIES.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
January 31, 2007... SARASOTA COUNTY Hugh S. Adams Hugh S. Adams, 82, Venice, died Jan. 25, 2007. He was born Nov. 12, 1924, in Essex, Vt., moved to Sarasota in 1983 from Rochester, N.Y., and came to Venice three years ago. He served in the Navy...

Dancer plays choreographer to the stars; Tony Dovolani shares his love of dance on TV and in studio.(H-T SOUTH)
January 31, 2007... Byline: MEGAN McHUGH CORRESPONDENT During hard times in his home country of Kosovo, political refugee and ballroom dance world champion Tony Dovolani says sometimes all he had to look forward to was dancing. "Dance. Music. We need...

Harmony by design.(H-T SOUTH)
January 31, 2007... Byline: CAROL E. LEE carol.lee@heraldtribune.com Natural energy abounds on Siesta Key, wafting in from the Gulf of Mexico and radiating invisibly among the coconut palms and banyan trees. Feng shui guru Katrine Karley's job is to...

Top-flight wings.(H-T SOUTH)
January 31, 2007... Byline: ROBERT ECKHART robert.eckhart@heraldtribune.com It took us two hours of driving around from one wing joint to the next, and then a solid 30 minutes of scarfing down wings and arguing about them, but here are the results of the...

Cartoonist addresses censorship.(H-T SOUTH)
January 31, 2007... Byline: MEGAN McHUGH CORRESPONDENT The Alliance Francaise of Sarasota sponsored a talk with Jean Plantureux, political cartoonist for Le Monde newspaper known widely as Plantu, on Thursday evening at the Art Center. Plantu spoke to a...

Riverview band pays tribute to Sousa.(H-T SOUTH)
January 31, 2007... Riverview High School's marching band showed off its chops Friday evening with a tribute to John Philip Sousa. Directed by teacher Mark Spreen, the band played the March King's most memorable compositions, as well as departing midway through...

'Hard-core,' chilly fishing with Capt. Rachel Nobbe.(H-T SOUTH)
January 31, 2007... Byline: EMILY LEINFUSS emily.leinfuss@heraldtribune.com Many mangrove snappers and fistfuls of snook were the bounty at the end of the day when Kim Collister and I went out recently -- on one very cold excursion -- with Capt. Rachel...

Art Center honors Whitlock.(H-T SOUTH)
January 31, 2007... Dick Whitlock received the award for outstanding volunteer during the Art Center Sarasota 80th anniversary gala the other night. Chairman Joan Kindred and board president Jim Harman welcomed a crowd in "fancy dress" -- as required by the...

Bureau holds 'Huddle' on key.(H-T SOUTH)
January 31, 2007... The Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau helped facilitate an annual "Huddle" on Siesta Key the other day. Members of the press as well as travel agents were invited to the Broken Egg to take in the sights that Siesta Key offers travelers...

Builder got loan just days before trouble revealed.(A SECTION)
January 30, 2007... Byline: MICHAEL BRAGA michael.braga@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Just a week before Bradenton-based Coast Financial Holdings revealed $110 million in problem loans involving Construction Compliance Inc., the bank handed the St....

Farmers prepare fields for coldest weather yet.(A SECTION)
January 30, 2007... Byline: TOM BAYLES tom.bayles@heraldtribune.com It might be freezing right now, but it's next year's crop that worries Lindsay Raley. Growers like Raley -- who owns 1,000 acres of citrus spread throughout Polk, Hardee and Highlands...

Will customers OK bank plan? Homeowners' attorneys say Coast should have ensured work was done.(A SECTION)
January 30, 2007... Byline: STEPHEN FRATER, JOHN HIELSCHER and MICHAEL BRAGA STAFFWRITERS While a major institutional investor says it is riding out Coast Bank's turmoil and even sees the bank's recently depressed stock price as a buying opportunity,...

Vanishing shorebirds; Lemon Bay mystery demands further study.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 30, 2007... Bird watchers' binoculars are coming up empty in Lemon Bay. This disturbing trend, chronicled by bird watchers from the Peace River Audubon Society, needs further study to determine why shorebirds have vanished. Even during what should...

Stars aligned; Woods and Federer: a historic celestial event.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 30, 2007... Seldom has the sports world seen two champions -- Tiger Woods and Roger Federer -- dominate their respective sports so completely. On Sunday, Woods won golf's Buick Invitational to capture his seventh straight PGA win. The 31-year-old...

Hands across the parkway; Manatee, Sarasota should jointly plan development on University.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
January 30, 2007... In many ways, the scene was symbolic of how University Parkway came to be "University Parking Lot." Near the end of last week's Manatee County Commission meeting, Commissioner Ron Getman suggested that he and his colleagues urge their...

Manatee is lone lower seed to win; North Port, Venice and Southeast capture first-round district wins as top three seeds.(SPORTS)
January 30, 2007... Byline: PERRY D. PENTZ perry.pentz@heraldtribune.com VENICE -- During warm-ups, the Manatee High girls basketball team was vocal, pumped up and ready to play. The pregame enthusiasm carried over into the Class 5A-District 12 opener...

Lady Blazers seek big breakthrough tonight.(SPORTS)
January 30, 2007... Byline: JON STYF jon.styf@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- As Jessica Swartzentruber sat on the bench for the final 50 minutes of Sarasota Christian's girls soccer district title game with her right knee wrapped in ice, her season -- as well...

Lemon Bay mauls Riverdale by 50; Kelly Strammer scores 17 points, as the Manta Rays hold the Raiders scoreless in the 2nd half.(SPORTS)
January 30, 2007... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com ENGLEWOOD -- The Lemon Bay High girls basketball team knew it wouldn't be tested Monday. So, the Manta Rays challenged themselves. Instead of viewing the overall...