Sarasota Herald Tribune articles from March 2004

Sarasota Herald Tribune archives from March 2004

Cultural Center offers course on Islam.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Helen Rosen Among the nearly 150 courses offered during the spring term beginning March 8 at the Learning Place, the educational arm of the Cultural Center of Charlotte County, 2280 Aaron St., Port Charlotte is "Islam in Focus,"...

Evie's becomes a sacred spot.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Byline: JULIAN PECQUET julian.pecquet@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA COUNTY -- Every evening after closing time, small groups of people stop by Evie's Car Wash and walk around back, to the spot where Carlie Brucia was abducted, to pay their...

Legislators face tough budget choices; State lawmakers will have more money to work with, but not for long.(A SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Byline: GARY FINEOUT CAPITAL BUREAU TALLAHASSEE -- In some ways, Florida legislators looking to craft this year's state budget have won the lottery. That's because on Tuesday they will enter the 2004 session with plenty of cash when...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... South Venice gets $513,000 to spiff up SOUTH VENICE -- The county will spend $513,000 on a variety of amenities ranging from bike paths to gateway signs in South Venice as part of its Neighborhood Initiative program. The money will...

Shortage of basketball refs is a problem.(SPORTS)
March 1, 2004... Byline: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT On game day, Sloan Collins would come to the gym not knowing if he would dress or sit in the stands in his street clothes. "If you got too excited to play and saw you weren't going to dress, then it was...

The value of hindsight; Apply lessons of Lake Hancock to consideration of Babcock Ranch.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... Hindsight is 20/20, of course. The trick is to use hindsight to improve foresight. The state could have used a little foresight about a decade ago, when it had an opportunity to buy, for $1.5 million, 3,500 acres of property on Lake...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
March 1, 2004... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Jean T. Popovich Jean T. Popovich, 89, Punta Gorda, died Feb. 28, 2004. She was born Oct. 17, 1914, in Baltimore and came to Punta Gorda in 1987. She was a Catholic. Survivors include sons Daniel J. Kratz of...

GM hopes to reduce losing games, money.(SPORTS)
March 1, 2004... Byline: TOM BALOG tom.balog@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- The Pittsburgh Pirates are drowning in red ink and have been submerged below .500, forever, or so it seems. They have slashed their payroll by $19 million, down to $35 million....

IMC sues over house on land it may mine; The phosphate company sold the land with deed restrictions barring residential development.(A SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Byline: VICTOR HULL victor.hull@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- The house Alice Cislo is building for her daughter Yvonne in rural Manatee County is nearly finished. Now the world's largest private phosphate producer wants to make...

Port Charlotte man treasures mementos of Lillian Russell.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Byline: HELEN ROSEN CORRESPONDENT George Foxall of Port Charlotte cuts a dapper figure as he circles the dance floor at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County. Tall, slim and meticulously dressed, Foxall, 96, appears to love the music and...

Is there enough of the short stuff?(B SECTION)(Column)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Bill Copeland Warning. Today's column may have you running to the computer, the typewriter or pencil and note pad. It has to do with those catchy one-liners, virtually an invention of the Reader's Digest, that fill out the page...

Service medals awarded at UDC lunch.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Byline: BUBBLES GREER CORRESPONDENT Crosses of Military Service were awarded to three area veterans at the annual Lee-Jackson Luncheon, sponsored by Judah P. Benjamin Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy. The organization...

Bankruptcies.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
March 1, 2004... Charlotte County, Chapter 13 Cannady, Nancy Bricker, 21450 Meehan Ave., Port Charlotte, 04-03117. Dionne, Scott D., 22409 Catherine Ave., Port Charlotte, 04-03247. Gibbs, Alphonse, 25381 Narwhal Lane, Punta Gorda, 04-03116. ...

What's New.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
March 1, 2004... Bring this beach mat, establish your territory Tired of spreading a towel on the beach, only to have the part you lean on sink into the sand? Try one of these self-opening beach mats from Kesyus; it's Web site is www.kesyus.com. ...

Crafting fun at Messy Mermaid.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Byline: FRANCINE MILFORD francine.milford@heraldtribune.com "Where the unusual is the usual." That is the motto of Jann Leach, owner of the Messy Mermaid in Nokomis. Originally from North Carolina, Leach moved to Florida when her...

JAMMIN' ON THE COURT.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Glen Lewis, at left, tries to keep Alex Gonzalez from passing the ball during a game at the Punta Gorda Police Department Basketball Jammers League on Saturday. At right, the Torres brothers -- Jesus, Julio and Robert -- try to keep Jordan...

Old friends savor food and more at restaurant.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... It was a perfect day for lunch at The Fishery in Placida. Eunice Albritton, ("Miss Eunice" to her staff), was graciously entertaining a table of old and new friends in her Placida Restaurant that has replaced her father's fish house. ...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
March 1, 2004... SARASOTA COUNTY Thomas Collins Rice Thomas Collins Rice, 84, Venice, died Feb. 27, 2004. He was born Sept. 5, 1919, in Bangor, Maine, and came to Venice in 1986. He graduated from Husson College in Bangor. He was a Navy veteran of...

'South Pacific' a muted production.(FLORIDA WEST)
March 1, 2004... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific" is one of the team's most beautiful and potentially moving musicals, and while you can sense some of the emotion, the Players...

Church daycare moves into bigger, brighter space.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Byline: JAMES ROLAND jay.roland@heraldtribune.com If you never saw Grace United Methodist Church's old daycare center -- a low-ceilinged, renovated picnic shelter where the largest space on campus lay in the hearts of its dedicated...

National Symphony unpolished.(FLORIDA WEST)
March 1, 2004... Byline: GAYLE WILLIAMS CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Leonard Slatkin and the National Symphony Orchestra blew into town last week for two nights of concerts at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. While each evening featured a fascinating...

The greening of Manatee; Recreation improvements are a vital aspect of tax initiative.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... The campaign for a sales-tax increase in Manatee County is about to enter its final week, and proponents are facing an unusual accusation -- that the proposed "green tax" isn't green enough. On March 9, voters will be asked if they wish to...

Family Service Center in limbo; The North Port center has to leave its Glenallen Elementary location.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Byline: PATRICK WHITTLE patrick.whittle@heraldtribune.com NORTH PORT -- Picking up three of her four her children from a Head Start program Thursday, 25-year-old Amy Touchton wondered aloud what an order for North Port Family Service...

Commercial interruption; Giving businesses room to grow may not be easy.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... One of the many problems with the commercial strip along U.S. 41 in Charlotte County is the narrowness of the lots. There's not much room for expansion, parking or service areas. The county is attempting to beautify U.S. 41, and...

Like this artist's renderings, life doesn't always paint inside the lines.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Rich Brooks Roger Skelton remembers nothing of the traffic accident that changed his life. It was Feb. 28, 1980, and Skelton, the vice president of a solar heating company, was driving home from a trade show. At roughly...

Sheriff's volunteers enforce parking rules; Last year, they cited more than 3,000 drivers and issued 1,080 warnings, freeing deputies for other work.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Byline: JENNY LEE ALLEN jenny.allen@heraldtribune.com PORT CHARLOTTE -- Retired trucker Jerry Kelly has racked up 4 million miles on the road since age 14, hauling everything from fancy furniture to bulk concrete. These days, the...

You don't say -- radio loses shock value.(FLORIDA WEST)(ON RADIO)(Column)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Dawn E. Scire Dear Readers, R.B. recently wrote about Clear Channel Communications' whopping $755,000 fine from the Federal Communications Commission, the majority of that for broadcasts of Tampa's scandalous Bubba the Love Sponge...

Local fire districts seek more tax money; Braden River and West Manatee say extra funds will help them to better serve neighborhoods.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Byline: ERIN BRYCE and MITRA MALEK MANATEE COUNTY -- Two local fire districts are asking voters to increase property taxes to help the districts pay for unfunded state mandates. Braden River and West Manatee fire districts want to...

Good Deeds.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
March 1, 2004... Diane McFarlin, publisher of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune will be the honorary chairperson for a luncheon fund-raiser benefiting the Literacy Council of Sarasota and The Dyslexia Foundation. The luncheon will be held at noon March 10 at...

Local snapshots; Brief comments on life and times in our communities.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... Tigers by the Trail Preservationists might be too late to save the building in which the late Gunther- Gebel Williams trained tigers for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which for years spent its winters in Venice. ...

Is county over a political barrel with latest snag in 2050 growth plan?(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Rod Thomson The Sarasota 2050 plan, which is supposed to control and order future growth east of Interstate 75, is snagging at practically every level. The plan is far from doomed, but the immensity of the task of making it work is...

Buy tickets early for LBHS musical.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Byline: SHARYN LONSDALE sharyn.lonsdale@heraldtribune.com Tickets for "Seussical" Tickets are now on sale for the Lemon Bay High School Drama Department's spring production of "Seussical: The Musical." Showtimes are 7 p.m. March...

Horse shows and fishing part of life in the '60s.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... When Anne and Osco Simpson and their children Randy and Diane moved to Punta Gorda from Alabama in 1964, one of their favorite weekend activities became fishing for snook, redfish and trout. "We had a houseboat that we built on an old barge...

Wagner to build on early success; Team's top draft pick and prominent prospect made his big-league debut at age of 21 last season, and he finished with a 2-0 record and an ERA of 1.66.(SPORTS)
March 1, 2004... Byline: JASON SWANCEY jason.swancey@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- When a player gets drafted by a major league team, he knows certain dues need to be paid. For minor league players, that usually means long bus rides and bad food. But...

Motorcycle-muscle car shop founder living his dream.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
March 1, 2004... Byline: STEPHEN FRATER stephen.frater@heraldtribune.com PORT CHARLOTTE -- Frank Alfonso is always interested in gathering "business intelligence." "Planning business investment is probably more important to small businesses since the...

New film unravels mystery of Natalie Wood.(FLORIDA WEST)(TV Diet)(Column)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Jay Handelman While two new series make their debuts and lots of noteworthy specials round out TV lineups, the real excitement this week is the launch of the fifth season of HBO's "The Sopranos." Monday Some shows are...

Road trip home; Former Sailor Riddell back in area with Harvard tennis team.(SPORTS)
March 1, 2004... Byline: MIC HUBER mic.huber@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Mark Riddell was a busy person Sunday. There was a tennis match to be won. Old friends to see. Family to visit. And school to think about. Riddell made the most of his...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
March 1, 2004... (On this date, the paper listed no obituaries in Manatee County.)

Our Community.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Democrats to meet in Bradenton Beach ANNA MARIA ISLAND -- The Anna Maria Island Democratic Club will meet for lunch at the Beach House restaurant in Bradenton Beach at noon March 8. Paul Duke, a veteran journalist who moderated PBS's...

Real Estate.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
March 1, 2004... SALE Theodosios Nicholoudis and Nicholas Rozakis have bought a commercial general-zoned property, a 25,300-square-foot lot with a 7,100-square-foot building, at 895 Cortez Road in Bradenton for $900,000. Barry Seidel of American Property...

Comings and Goings.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
March 1, 2004... Lewis Benner has been promoted to community bank president, Sarasota County, at Gold Bank. Carol Jorgensen has been appointed to assistant vice president/residential loan operations manager. Roy Owen has been promoted to senior vice...

Kubishta 4th in U.S. Indoor.(SPORTS)
March 1, 2004... Byline: STAFF REPORT BOSTON -- Lesa Kubishta, who currently trains in Venice and at Lemon Bay High School, finished fourth with a personal best in the women's pole vault at the 2004 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships on Sunday at the...

Reader: 'There is no excuse for loneliness'.(FLORIDA WEST)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar Dear Annie: I had to write a response to "Wadesboro, N.C.," the 76-year-old woman who moved out to the country, far away from her children, and now complains that she is lonely. There is no excuse for...

A defining moment in politics.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Daryl Lease As a historic vote on Capitol Hill draws to a close... "OK, now that we've defined marriage as the legal union between a man and a woman, does anyone have any other important business to bring forward before we...

In novel writing, speed counts.(FLORIDA WEST)(Column)
March 1, 2004... Byline: David Grimes If you are looking for something to take your mind off the upcoming presidential election (and who isn't?), you can start preparing yourself for National Novel Writing Month. Here's the deal: You have one month...

Trailer park resident gets a home; County's Habitat for Humanity finishes its 50th home and celebrates houses for three Trail families.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Byline: SELINA ROMAN selina.roman@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Arely Yanes used caulk to fill tiny holes in a door frame earlier this year. She didn't want any imperfections in the home that she helped build. As she stretched to...

Touching many lives; Coach spends 25 years mentoring community kids.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Byline: PATTY ALLEN-JONES patty.allen-jones@heraldtribune.com Jammie Jordan was a hot-head growing up in Newtown, ready to fight if someone looked at him wrong or said something he didn't like. But things started to change after Carl...

Kudos.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
March 1, 2004... Beverly L. Girard M.B.A., M.S., R.D., S.F.S.N., director of food and nutrition services for the school board of Sarasota County in Osprey, has received the "Foodservice Achievement Management Excellence Golden Star Foodservice Director of the...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Arab, Jew take to the stage together SARASOTA -- The Flanzer Jewish Community Center's Joys of Showtime Series presents "One Arab. One Jew. One Stage," an evening of comedy on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Comedians Bob Alper and Ahmed Ahmed...

Brokerage at airport serves the boating public.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
March 1, 2004... Coastal Yacht Brokerage LLC has opened at 8191 N. Tamiami Trail, Suite 220 (inside the Dolphin Aviation terminal) at the Sarasota-Bradenton airport. Coastal Yacht Brokerage serves the boating public in brokerage sales of motor and...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
March 1, 2004... Some clouds, winds expected this week After a mostly sunny start today, this week's weather is forecast to be partly cloudy -- day and night -- with lows near 60 and the high near 80 each day. According to the National Weather...

Turning the tide? Scientists hope that new research, reef-building efforts and public support can help reverse decades of damage to Florida's extraordinary coral reefs.(FLORIDA WEST)
March 1, 2004... Byline: MARK ZALOUDEK mark.zaloudek@heraldtribune.com It's taken only 30 years to threaten coral reefs that have flourished along the Florida Keys for more than 5,000 years. "These are the only coral reefs along the continental United...

Auction brings art to Englewood and dollars to high school.(B SECTION)(Life Around Town)(Column)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Sharyn Lonsdale Englewood had its closest thing to an art museum when Park West Gallery and the Lemon Bay High School Parents Association teamed up for an art auction held Feb. 22 at the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club. ...

Wal-Mart shaking up the grocery store business.(BUSINESS WEEKLY)
March 1, 2004... Byline: LAUREN MAYK lauren.mayk@heraldtribune.com Selling groceries has always been a tough business. Customers expect to see what they want, when they want it, but they don't want to pay more for it than they did last week. What they...

What's behind the "Reef" plate?(FLORIDA WEST)
March 1, 2004... Byline: Mark Zaloudek The "Protect Our Reefs" license plate was created to help raise money and public awareness to protect Florida's 220-mile coral reef tract, the third-largest in the world. Proceeds from the sale of the specialty...

Widespread problem; Region's utility officials wisely cooperating on sludge issue.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
March 2, 2004... People who live in rural DeSoto County, where sewage sludge from other communities is routinely spread as fertilizer on farmland, can empathize with people in the Scottish village of Coalburn. Coalburn residents complained about potential...

Kelsey Adams learns life-lessons from running.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... When Port Charlotte High School senior, Kelsey Adams, 18, entered ninth grade four years ago, she decided to follow in family footsteps. Her father had run cross-country and track when he was in high school and college. Her older sister,...

BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Campaign nailed aggressive drivers In Charlotte, Sarasota, and Manatee counties, 12 drivers were cited for aggressive behavior and troopers issued more than 100 speeding tickets in the Florida Highway Patrol's two-day campaign to battle...

Truly Blessed Youth Mass Choir to perform.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... The Truly Blessed Youth Mass Choir is a community choir with over 50 Manatee County students. The choir performs traditional, contemporary and original hip-hop style gospel music. Ninety percent of the students are from low-income families...

Fall election drives legislative session.(A SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Byline: GARY FINEOUT CAPITAL BUREAU TALLAHASSEE -- Four years ago this week more than 10,000 angry protesters stood outside the Florida Capitol to blast Gov. Jeb Bush for his drive to end state affirmative action policies. Today...

Mall gets dinner theater; DeSoto Square's Krystal Palace is set to open in May.(BUSINESS)
March 2, 2004... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Turning old cafeterias into dinner theaters may not exactly be a trend, but it's happening for the second time in Southwest Florida. The Krystal Palace Dinner Theatre...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
March 2, 2004... SARASOTA COUNTY Susan D. Beach Susan D. Beach, 76, Sarasota, died March 1, 2004. She was born June 27, 1927, in Rochester, N.Y., and came to Sarasota a year ago from Aniwa, Wis. She was a writer, researcher and producer in...

Rachel Cannon: 5th best in the U.S.(SPORTS)
March 2, 2004... Byline: JACK BOWLIN CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- A broken wrist didn't stop Rachel Cannon from representing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League's recent Punt, Pass and Kick competition. Nor did it stop her from...

Tazio Thompson's poetry wins a national contest.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Every now and then, youngsters prove they possess talents far beyond what is expected of them at their age levels. Tazio Thompson, the son of Elizabeth and Tom Thompson of Sarasota, and a sixth-grader at Saint Stephen's Episcopal School in...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Former officer gets 87-month sentence FORT MYERS -- Calling the crime unprovoked, a federal judge Monday sentenced a former Charlotte County sheriff's detective to 87 months in prison for pistol-whipping a marijuana peddler nearly two...

LOCAL BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Road-rage campaign issues 9,868 tickets BRADENTON -- The Florida Highway Patrol issued 9,868 citations in its two-day campaign to battle aggressive driving and road rage. Operation Safe Ride used radar, motorcycles, unmarked cars,...

Big winter pays off for Kevin Tolar.(SPORTS)(At Home)(Column)
March 2, 2004... Byline: Perry Pentz Venice resident Kevin Tolar went to South America this summer, not for vacation, but instead to sharpen his baseball skills. Tolar, a left-handed pitcher, played for the Aragua Tigers in the Venezuelan Winter...

Innocent Lugo quick to repair his game.(SPORTS)
March 2, 2004... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com ST. PETERSBURG -- The case hung over Julio Lugo's head like the sword of Damocles. Accused of striking his wife, Mabely, following an argument April 30 outside of Houston's...

Judicial center dooms restaurant; The Havana Cabana is coming down, but the questions are when and where might its owner go?(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Byline: KRISTI CECCAROSSI kristi.ceccarossi@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- It's been decided that the county will build a $60 million judicial center over the next two years. And that a 2,000-square-foot building on 10th Street West will...

Ex-detective gets 87 months in pistol-whipping case.(A SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Byline: MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA michael.scarcella@heraldtribune.com FORT MYERS -- Calling the crime unprovoked, a federal judge Monday sentenced a former Charlotte County sheriff's detective to 87 months in prison for pistol-whipping a...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Presidential hopeful Kucinich to visit city BRADENTON -- Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich is coming to town. Although Kucinich, an Ohio congressman, has been trailing in the polls and primaries, he has vowed to...

School officials to battle shortfall; The superintendent is asking residents to get in touch with legislators.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Byline: LAURA GREEN laura.green@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- Bracing for a nearly $10 million shortfall in state funding next year, the county's school officials are going on the offensive. Superintendent Roger Dearing has...

Education Notes.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Open house The Rosemary Garden School will hold an open house/first grade orientation from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the school, 1900 Meadowood St. The school is part of the Waldorf education movement. For more information, call...

Charlotte County lawyer signs on in Levy County.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Byline: STAFF REPORT CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- Assistant County Attorney Anne Bast has found a new job, as the top lawyer for Levy County government. Bast, who has worked in Charlotte for 10 years, said that the Levy commissioners selected...

Business Buzz.(BUSINESS)
March 2, 2004... Long named GM at Sarasota Ford David J. Long is the new general manager and operating dealer for Sarasota Ford. It's the first change in that position since Vern Buchanan bought Sarasota Ford in 1995. Long replaces Ernie Parisi, who...

Hospitals help nursing program at MCC.(BUSINESS)
March 2, 2004... Byline: MARGARET ANN MIILLE margaret.miille@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- A $100,000 gift from four HCA hospitals will enable Manatee Community College to move 24 nursing students off the waiting list and into a new, accelerated program...

Officials start removing algae in Bishop Harbor.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Byline: STAFF REPORT BISHOP HARBOR -- State officials have begun removing an estimated 200-acre algae bloom that is threatening fish and sea grass in this shallow harbor. Weedbusters Inc., a Palm Harbor firm hired by the state...

Ready for a bright future.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... The theme for this year's national celebration of Catholic Schools Week was "Faith-Filled Future." Students at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School in Port Charlotte participated in various activities during the weeklong celebration. Some made...

Ikea plans to move closer to its Sarasota devotees.(BUSINESS)(What's in Store)(Column)
March 2, 2004... Byline: Lauren Mayk Ikea, the Swedish home furnishings retailer that has decked out many a New York studio with inexpensive futons and plastic spoons, says it has 4,500 customers in Sarasota. That's quite a trick, considering the...

Senate plans to seal fund-raising loophole; Committee fund-raising has allowed lawmakers to rake in large, anonymous donations.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Byline: GARY FINEOUT CAPITAL BUREAU TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida Senate is expected today to close a campaign finance loophole that has allowed state legislators to sidestep a ban on fund raising during their 60-day annual session. ...

Panel to answer health questions.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Byline: KARA CHALMERS kara.chalmers@heraldtribune.com ENGLEWOOD -- Englewood residents will be able to learn all about the health and social services available to them at a public forum to be held Thursday by the Englewood Community...

OBITUARIES.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
March 2, 2004... MANATEE COUNTY Marvin Barnes Marvin "Barney" Barnes, 82, Bradenton, died Feb. 29, 2004. He was born Oct. 25, 1921, in Revere, W.Va., and came to Bradenton in 1984. He retired after 29 years with Union Carbide. He was a member of...

Bay Indies residents seek inquiry; The mobile home park tenants say their landlord has violated seven state statutes.(B SECTION)
March 2, 2004... Byline: EARLE KIMEL earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com VENICE -- Residents of Bay Indies Mobile Home Park allege that their landlord has violated seven Florida statutes and have asked the state to investigate. A petition signed by 1,246...

USC gives award to ex-Sailor.(SPORTS)(Column)
March 2, 2004... Byline: Chad Brockhoff Kevin Swartz was recently named the winner of the Slosson Academic Achievement Award, which is given to the top scholar-athlete on the University of Southern California's track and field team. Swartz, an...