Sarasota Herald Tribune articles from July 2009

Sarasota Herald Tribune archives from July 2009

Jimi Gee and the Fogt's Junior All-Stars; on a mission.
July 1, 2009... Byline: JENNIFER SHEA "Your g's flat." "You gotta tune up, baby." "Watch me, watch for the warm up." "Yeah, baby, yeah," the man shouts with glee. The man's given name is James John Gaccione, but the name elicits a blank...

Herald Tribune Obituaries.
July 1, 2009... Oct. 31, 1928 - June 24, 2009 Olaf Karl Becker, 80, of Lake Toxaway, N.C., formerly of Sarosota, died June 24, 2009. He was the son of the late Earnest L. and Marie Struewind Becker. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in...

Man stabbed with steak knife.
July 1, 2009... Byline: Lauren Mayk and John Andrews A stabbing that authorities say stemmed from a stolen bicycle sent one man to the hospital Tuesday night. Authorities told SNN Local News 6 that a man was stabbed in the neck with what appeared to...

Bob and Roberta Turoff share secrets for an ideal summer gathering.
July 1, 2009... Byline: MARSHA FOTTLER Correspondent Because they are a theatrical family (including son Ben, daughter Kyle, and son-in-law Trez), their picnic has only once fallen on the actual fourth of July. The Turoff picnics are always held on the...

Sarasota's French caf.
July 1, 2009... Byline: JACK D. WINNER Correspondent But I was actually on Main Street in Sarasota, outside C'Est la Vie, a small restaurant specializing in breakfast and lunch. As the name indicates, the accent here is French, and C'Est la Vie...

Onions: Cry no more.
July 1, 2009... Byline: LINDA BRANDT Herald-Tribune Columnist I must be in a small minority; I seldom hear anyone but my husband order salads without onions or fried rice or other Chinese foods without the scallions. Recently I decided to confront my...

A $2.8 million lawsuit, on guess whose dime?
July 1, 2009... Byline: ERIC ERNST Herald-Tribune Columnist Boy, were they wrong. The bills are at nearly $2.8 million and rising. Based on a population of 21,000, that averages to more than $133 for every man, woman and child in town. And we're not...

Police link slayings to extended dispute.
July 1, 2009... Byline: KIM HACKETT Sheriff's Office detectives believe Maureen "Suzie" Modlin and Michael Bistranin were shot multiple times inside their south Sarasota County home Saturday night, a source close to the investigation said Tuesday. ...

Wreck dooms his second chance.
July 1, 2009... Byline: TIFFANY LANKES For the past few years, the 18-year-old had drifted in and out of school and drug rehabilitation programs, struggling to overcome a bad habit he picked up when he fell in with the wrong group of people, his friends...

Residents in pursuit of a clean secession.
July 1, 2009... Byline: HALLE STOCKTON Mary Scott says she cannot sit by idly as the dues in her East Manatee homeowner association have continued to rise and she sees no benefit from them. The money is not being spent equally throughout the Creekwood...

PARTNERS SUING FOR MILLIONS.
July 1, 2009... Byline: KEVIN L. MCQUAID Two former partners in the Proscenium are suing developer Zeb Portanova for defaulting on a deal to pay them nearly $5 million -- the largest unpaid debt to date tied to the stalled downtown real estate project....

Madoff sentence could bode ill.
July 1, 2009... Byline: JOHN HIELSCHER Madoff's stiff sentence could be a sign of what is in store for others convicted of investment fraud. "It bodes poorly for defendants who are facing sentencing in these cases," said Michael Seigel, a law...

State yanks funds for baseball deal.
July 1, 2009... Byline: DOUG SWORD County officials say they are close to a $31.2 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles to bring the team's spring training to Ed Smith Stadium. But the baseball deal suddenly fell $7 million short this week when a...

A heavier cost to lighting up.
July 1, 2009... Byline: ABBY WEINGARTEN H-T Correspondent INCREASE TODAY: State's dollar-a-pack tax aims for fiscal and health impact Of all the impediments thrown at smokers over the years, the one that arrives today could have one of the biggest...

North Port Shifting from boom to brake.
July 1, 2009... Byline: KATE SPINNER In contrast, North Port grew by an average of about 4,500 people annually during the previous seven years, with a peak of 8,300 from 2005 to 2006. While the latest U.S. Census estimates showed North Port's...

Chill, grill and thrill this Independence Day weekend.
July 2, 2009... Byline: STEVE ECHEVERRIA JR. And that means it's time to get ready for family gatherings, barbecues, parades and fireworks. With everyone looking for cheap thrills, Independence Day offers a brief reprieve from all the talk about the...

Herald Tribune Obituaries.
July 3, 2009... June 5, 1931 - July 1, 2009 William "Bill" Carlin, 78, of Sarasota died July 1, 2009. Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Jude's Catholic Church, 3930 17th St., Sarasota, with a celebration of life to follow at Palms-Robarts...

Collins brothers dive in head first.
July 3, 2009... Byline: ALAN DELL Correspondent Jack Collins Jr. and Chris Collins describe themselves as thrill seekers. When it comes to speed, the brothers like taking things to the limit. At the same time, this duo, which operates their...

Uniquely American sound.
July 3, 2009... Byline: LAURA SPERLING Herald-Tribune Columnist Still, it was the Thriller's death last week that sent me digging through my late-'70s homemade cassette collection, in search of a little music to grieve by. With the help of a...

The prognosticators wonder: Will there be a summer rally?
July 3, 2009... Byline: LAUREN RUDD Herald-Tribune Columnist In the past, July 4 has meant the official start of the beach and barbecue season, while others view it as a time for a well earned vacation. Unfortunately, this year many of you will be forced...

Bravery, vision, and lots of fireworks.
July 3, 2009... Byline: KATHY SILVERBERG Herald-Tribune Columnist It is easy at this time of year to focus on readying the household for guests arriving for the holiday, or on preparing to spend a weekend away from home. There are groceries to be...

PROJECT'S BIG GOALS TOPPLING.
July 3, 2009... Byline: KEVIN L. MCQUAID When the $1 billion plan for the Proscenium was conceived four years ago, high among the goals for the real estate tower was to out-Ritz the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota. Proscenium partners envisioned better...

Angler outing marks foundation's 25th year.
July 3, 2009... Byline: ROBERT JOHNSON Correspondent The event marked the 25th anniversary for the Suncoast Foundation for the Handicapped, the local organization responsible for bringing the Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix Festival to Sarasota. Among...

A LIFE CUT SHORT.
July 3, 2009... Byline: KIM HACKETT A storm passed over the North Jetty Park picnic pavilion Friday afternoon as about 100 people celebrated the short, turbulent life of 15-year-old Nick Block at an informal memorial service. Authorities say the...

A DEAL NOT YET DONE.
July 3, 2009... Byline: ROGER DROUIN Those working to keep the controversial "Unconditional Surrender" statue on the bayfront say they are close to an agreement with the sculptor, while a group of local artists opposed to putting it in such a visible...

Snake owners reflect on attack by python.
July 3, 2009... Byline: HALLE STOCKTON Others use padlocked tops on their aquariums to keep the snakes safely caged. A day after a 2-year-old was killed in a tragic python attack at a central Florida home, local snake owners acknowledged Thursday that...

Not wearing seat belt? Warning or ticket awaits.
July 3, 2009... Byline: TERRY O'CONNOR Correspondent The law, which went into effect Wednesday, allows officers to pull over drivers who are obviously not belted in. Before, people could be ticketed for not wearing seat belts only if they were stopped for...

Showing their independence.
July 3, 2009... Byline: THOMAS BECNEL Barbecue and a trip to the beach? A Gulf Coast tradition. In Arcadia and Punta Gorda, though, natives and visitors enjoy different Independence Day pastimes. On Saturday, the Arcadia All-Florida Championship...

Red-hot Harrison headed to Croatia.
July 3, 2009... Byline: MIC HUBER Herald-Tribune Columnist Ryan Harrison will spend his July 4th winging his way to Croatia to do his small part as an American tennis player. One of the brightest young hopes in American tennis, Harrison has been...

Manny mania present.
July 3, 2009... Byline: DONNIE WILKIE Correspondent DISTRICT 16: Uniforms reflect Ramirez at tournament Clark Trembley and Zac Intihar were a combined 0-for-4 at the plate in Thursday night's opening-round games at the District 16 Little League...

Comcast stands by its shift of MSNBC.
July 3, 2009... Byline: TONI WHITT First it was a PBS station, and now Comcast has moved its MSNBC news channel from 42 to higher channels that require a digital cable box. While some subscribers are claiming it smacks of an anti-liberal conspiracy,...

T-Yanks grab two wins from Reds: 8-3 and 5-2.
July 3, 2009... Byline: PHIL DENIS Correspondent The Sarasota Reds fell behind early in both games of Thursday's Florida State League doubleheader against the Tampa Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium. The Reds never recovered during a sweep (8-3 and 5-2) at...

STATUE IS A DEAL NOT YET DONE.
July 3, 2009... Byline: ROGER DROUIN Those working to keep the controversial "Unconditional Surrender" statue on the bayfront say they are close to an agreement with the sculptor, while a group of local artists opposed to putting it in such a visible...

What's in a name when it's 'Eames'?
July 4, 2009... Byline: HAROLD BUBIL That's how it is for Eames Demetrios, and he has embraced the challenge. Demetrios is the grandson of the late Charles and Ray Eames, who furthered the cause of modern design with furniture made from plywood,...

Marking freedom with music.
July 4, 2009... Byline: JENNIFER SHEA Correspondent "As part of our Fourth of July freedom celebration, it's important to emphasize where we, as Americans, came from and understand the sacrifices that have been made and continue to be made for us,"...

Truths worth celebrating.
July 4, 2009... Byline: WALDO PROFFITT Good thinking. Wrong day. Adams was referring to July 2, the day Congress actually voted to establish an independent nation. It acted after about three weeks of debating a resolution introduced by the Virginia...

Herald Tribune Obituaries.
July 4, 2009... June 11, 1919 - July 1, 2009 Jean Louise Campbell, 90, of Venice, formerly of New Castle, Pa., died July 1, 2009. There will be no visiting hours or services. Burial will be in Palms Memorial Park in Sarasota. Farley Funeral Home,...

Declare your knowledge of U.S. history.
July 4, 2009... Byline: CARRIE GENTILE Herald-Tribune Columnist 1. The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence took place July 8, 1776, in this city to the ringing of bells and band music: a) Philadelphia b) Boston c)...

Rare breed is putting down roots. ... Make that 'eggs.'.
July 4, 2009... Byline: KATE SPINNER SARASOTA COUNTY Hatchlings from one of the world's rarest sea turtles -- the Kemp's ridley -- emerged from their nest last Sunday on Casey Key, a positive sign for a species that was near extinction three decades...

Free spirits flock to Freedom Swim today.
July 4, 2009... Byline: THOMAS BECNEL There's still time for free spirits to ditch their Fourth of July plans and drive down to Charlotte County for the Freedom Swim. Hundreds of swimmers and floaters will begin crossing the Peace River at 11 a.m....

A ballplayer's legacy, and his challenge to us.
July 4, 2009... Byline: RICH BROOKS Herald-Tribune Columnist In his farewell speech to Yankee fans, he refused to say that he had received a bad deal because he had a fatal disease that now bears his name. Instead, he told fans that he was "the...

Toledo Blade finish is swift.
July 4, 2009... Byline: TERRY O'CONNOR Correspondent The $23 million Toledo Blade Boulevard widening should be completed in October, less than two years after work on the dual-county project began in November 2007. Benefits will include faster...

IN BRIEF.
July 4, 2009... MANATEE COUNTY -- A girl injured in a shooting was taken to the hospital by helicopter Friday night, according to authorities. The incident occurred in the 2500 block of 30th Avenue East, and involved the girl and a boy, according to...

Two are charged in the theft of a skunk.
July 4, 2009... Byline: TERRY O'CONNOR Correspondent Pet store manager Craig Schneider wanted his skunk back. He got his wish Thursday, when the pet skunk stolen Monday from Animal Crackers Pet Store on Lockwood Ridge Road in Sarasota was recovered...

Race veteran and his son become a team.
July 4, 2009... Byline: ALAN DELL Correspondent Steve Kildahl says he will race until he is 100 years old. The Sarasota native might be stretching the truth a bit, but no one can argue about his history. On Sunday, the 52-year-old will compete in his...

Power in the park.
July 4, 2009... Byline: HALLE STOCKTON Richard Davis' Phantom powerboat is outfitted with life vests, harnesses, oxygen and dive tanks in a jetlike cockpit. He has never been in a serious collision or flipped during a race in the 40-foot craft, but at...

Choppy waters, brisk winds keep throttles in check.
July 4, 2009... Byline: ALAN DELL Correspondent Veteran Kilo racers know the Sarasota Grand Prix course can break your spirit and foil the best of plans. The course held true in Friday's World Kilo Run on Sarasota Bay. Mother Nature won this round....

Spiritual experience outdoors.
July 4, 2009... Byline: PATTIE MIHALIK Locally, a labyrinth at St. David's Episcopal Church was built by Alex Smith as an Eagle Scout project at the suggestion of the Rev. Arthur R. Lee. Dedicated in April, the labyrinth offers a way to open one's...

Necessity, mother of reinvention.
July 4, 2009... Byline: MICHAEL POLLICK For 52-year-old George LaGrange of North Port, it was either spice up his r sum with some late-life education or drift from one odd job to another. There is simply no more work in his original field, running...

Property values plummet.
July 4, 2009... Byline: DOUG SWORD The assessed value of all properties in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties fell by a combined $20 billion last year, pushing the two-year drop in the area to an eye-popping $43 billion. Last year's decline will...

Taking on the 'rocket docket'.
July 4, 2009... Byline: TODD RUGER Gregory Dixon and Maria Goldberg expect to lose their homes to foreclosure, so they have not appeared in court or tried to defend themselves. But they also think the way the judicial system handles uncontested...

Memories of the Orient.
July 5, 2009... Byline: MARSHA FOTTLER Correspondent But a recent trip to China yielded a pair of highly ornamental ceramic sculptures depicting mythical animals that Arlene Bobrow had to have. Signed on their bellies by the artist, the pieces were...

Trying to fill empty seats.
July 5, 2009... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN The Asolo Repertory Theatre did not meet its budget expectations for the June production of "Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins." And the Sarasota Music Festival came in at about 17 percent...

On view: a tub in a garage.
July 5, 2009... Byline: DAVID GRIMES I am the only person in my neighborhood, and quite possibly the only person in the free world, who has a bathtub in his garage, so I think it is a curiosity of sufficient magnitude that people would part with a fair...

Adventure on seas of yesteryear.
July 5, 2009... Byline: SUSAN L. RIFE I'm beginning to think that the best fiction out there, at least in terms of pure storytelling, is in the young adult section. Not interested in getting bogged down in post-modernism or trying to determine the...

THE GEOPOLITICS OF FICTION.
July 5, 2009... Byline: SUSAN L. RIFE That's the message international thriller author David Hagberg took away from his conversations with Yvonne Bornstein, an Australian woman who with her husband was kidnapped and held for ransom outside Moscow by their...

Watershed achievement.
July 5, 2009... Rain has been falling, rivers have been rising and, because good plans were made, huge wells and a massive reservoir will soon begin filling with water. Precious water that will be saved for not-so-rainy days. The Peace River/Manasota...

A show to mark 5 years.
July 5, 2009... With close to 100 students now, that dream studio has been steadily growing inside the Horizon Gymnastics facility. The program has produced a number of award-winning dancers while letting Raven-Garvey share her love of dance. Dance...

Fun day of Asian artistry.
July 5, 2009... "Arts of Asia is our big exhibit this year, so we wanted to do the family-fun activities with an Asian motif," said event coordinator Julie Baxter. People were able to try their hand at creating origami, sumi-e brush paintings and even pottery....

Herald Tribune Obituaries.
July 5, 2009... May 25, 1925 - July 1, 2009 Dorothy Elinor Buda, 84, of Rotonda West, formerly of Emerson, N.J., died July 1, 2009. No service is scheduled at this time. Englewood Community Funeral Home & Cremation Service has been selected to handle...

Finding inspiration in 'Wit'.
July 5, 2009... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN Some fledgling writers dream of fame, prizes and financial success from their books or plays. Margaret Edson simply wanted to tell a story when she wrote her play "Wit." She never contemplated the possibility that it...

Appraising the colonists: Perhaps a little bit nutty.
July 5, 2009... Byline: TOM LYONS Herald-Tribune Columnist Though writing in fun, it was interesting to imagine what I might have written had I been in the colonies at the time. Some words of caution would have been in order, I decided, because things were...

THE COST TO COMPETE.
July 5, 2009... Byline: CHRIS ANDERSON Brown is the driver of the 29-foot custom-built scarab 'Army National Guard.' The boat will run today in the 25th Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix off Lido Beach. It will compete in the Manufacturer Production P4...

A life imbued with love of sailing.
July 5, 2009... Byline: ABBY WEINGARTEN Correspondent Johnson, who was 86 when he died following a years-long bout with leukemia, would have liked it that way. Johnson enjoyed being the center of attention, and through his exploits on land and sea, he...

Doubles event set for AMF Bradenton July 18-19.
July 5, 2009... Byline: BILL HERALD Herald-Tribune Columnist Entry fee will be $50 per doubles team -- which may be any combination of men and women -- and squad times will be at noon and 2:30 p.m. both days. Handicap in the USBC-certified event is 90...

200 students on the roll for new Imagine School.
July 5, 2009... Byline: PAGE JACKSON Correspondent Plans are for the school to take kindergarten through sixth-grade students in its first year, adding seventh grade in the 2010-2011 school year and eighth grade in 2011-2012. So far, 200 students have...

FEARING A DROP IN ENROLLMENT.
July 5, 2009... Byline: TIFFANY LANKES SARASOTA More school cuts could be on the way if families continue to leave Sarasota over the summer, taking with them funding tied to enrollment. The latest figures show that the district's enrollment was...

Red, wet and blue.
July 5, 2009... Byline: THOMAS BECNEL PUNTA GORDA The Freedom Swim, a Fourth of July tradition in Charlotte County, drew hundreds of people Saturday from up and down the Gulf Coast. Mary Ballard and Linda Noonan drove up from Naples with foam...

This holiday weekend, it's about hanging on.
July 5, 2009... Byline: CHRIS GERBASI Correspondent ARCADIA Arcadia served up a slice of Americana for the holiday with its annual bull riding show. Why bull riding on the Fourth? "Those guys are nuts," said Al Svihlik, who along with his...

Short stands tall in IL Hall.
July 5, 2009... Byline: DOUG FERNANDES Herald-Tribune Columnist At 71, Bill Short will accept any accolade that comes his way. Even one he didn't know existed. "I didn't know until I got a phone call from the (league) president," said the 40-year...

POLICE REPORT.
July 5, 2009... MANATEE COUNTY -- A 17-year-old girl who was shot in the forehead while handling a gun with her boyfriend remained in critical condition Saturday, the Manatee Sheriff's Office said. The girl, Jessica Masias, was at her boyfriend's home in...

Providing hope 63 years later.
July 5, 2009... Byline: YVETTE KIMM That mission has not changed. In celebration of 63 years of service to the community, Easter Seals Southwest Florida Inc. will host a reception July 16 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. At the event, the...

WHOSE BEACH? A WAR HEATS UP.
July 5, 2009... Byline: DOUG SWORD But that source of pride -- and tourist dollars -- omits the area's unspoken reality: There is less publicly accessible beachfront in Southwest Florida than in any other part of the state. A study from 1993 -- the...

What stand to take when you're standing on a sandy swath.
July 5, 2009... Byline: DOUG SWORD If someone tells you to get off their beach, one response could be: "The Florida Constitution decrees that the state holds in public trust all of the beach seaward of the mean high water line." So a fair question to...

Tahitian adventures in cooking.
July 5, 2009... Byline: HEATHER DUNHILL More than 160 guests basked in the South Pacific island atmosphere of the Tahitian Adventure Interactive Dinner, planned by co-chairs Diane Brune, Nick Drizios, Jaymie Klauber, Lydia Kolbas and Ron Masseo,...

Capital Comment: Fundraising quarter ends with rhetoric aplenty.
July 5, 2009... Byline: JOE FOLLICK and LLOYD DUNKELBERGER Herald-Tribune Columnists With candidates hoping to make a big splash with the first full fundraising quarter that ended last week, the "hat in hand" e-mails came fast and furious. They tend to...

Helping buyers crunch the numbers.
July 6, 2009... Byline: AARON KESSLER When selling real estate these days, just telling someone that he or she is a perfect fit for a house, or asking people how they feel when walking the halls, or checking out the view does not quite cut it. "There...

Wrangling over a shopping center.
July 6, 2009... Byline: MICHAEL BRAGA LEGAL ACTION: Owner and buyers point fingers at each other Despite being besieged by multi-million dollar lawsuits and separated from the law firm he created, David Band continues to display the same kind of...

Herald Tribune Obituaries.
July 6, 2009... March 1, 1942 - July 2, 2009 Carl L. "Whitey" Beisser, 67, of North Port, Fla., died Thursday, July 2, 2009 after a two-year illness. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on March 1, 1942, he was the son of the late Eugene and Genevieve...

Small jobs bring big ideas.
July 6, 2009... Byline: AARON KESSLER Pamela Lesemann, the site's founder, had been looking for a way to help the community band together to help each other through the tough times. Then one morning in January, as she rushed to prepare for work and...

'Shirley' a reflection on all of our lives.
July 6, 2009... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN Shirley is like so many of us who have grown to accept the lives we lead, no matter how unfulfilling, while forgetting the dreams we once had or the people we once were. For the 42-year-old Shirley, a British...

Growth measure goes too far, Thaxton says.
July 6, 2009... Byline: JEREMY WALLACE Herald-Tribune Columnist But Thaxton's quest for less development is not so strong that he would advocate what could be one of the most restrictive growth management measures ever. A group calling itself Hometown...

A TOUGHER TACK ON NUISANCES?
July 6, 2009... Byline: DALE WHITE As if foreclosures, squatters and other problems are not enough, struggling neighborhoods may also contend with properties used for drug dealing, prostitution or other crimes. The nuisance property could be a home, a...

Murder trial set to begin today.
July 6, 2009... Byline: HALLE STOCKTON Bruce Fast "absolutely" believes that the person who killed, dismembered and dumped the body of his wife in 2007 was his son Thomas Fast. Now, he says he is ready for the jury to decide as the first-degree...