Sarasota Herald Tribune articles from March 2009

Sarasota Herald Tribune archives from March 2009

Design by experience.
March 1, 2009... Byline: MARSHA FOTTLER CORRESPONDENT What he didn't do is as significant as what he did. He avoided most design trends. He didn't buy new furniture, and he didn't leave the open floor plan intact. Instead, he assessed how he and...

Manatee County property transfers.
March 1, 2009... Benden, Alan C., to Sciocchetti, Peter A.,, Unit V-252, Phase B, Golf Pointe at Palm-Aire, Country Club Section, $175,000. Bourassa, Penelope C., to Wilk, Muriel C., Unit 4810, Phase 3, Fairway Trace at Peridia I, a Land Condo., $220,000....

Charlotte County property transfers.
March 1, 2009... Berrios, Jonathan, first known as, and Berrios, Joseph, first known as, to Whincup, Caro,l and Whincup, Robin, Lot 17, 18, Block 4910, Section 93, Port Charlotte, $540,000. Bonnie B. Peters & McHenry Peters Jr. Revocable Trust, and Peters,...

Sarasota County property transfers.
March 1, 2009... 21St Century Oncology Inc. to Nationwide Health Properties Inc, + Lot 2, Englewood Medical Center, $3,500,000. 21St Century Oncology Inc. to Nationwide Health Properties Inc., + Lot 11, Venice Avenue Commercial, $4,300,000. 21St...

GRAND SCALE.
March 1, 2009... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com On Saturday night, Artistic Director Victor DeRenzi will raise his baton on a production of Giuseppe Verdi's "Don Carlos," featuring the largest group of musicians in the orchestra and a...

'Burning' finds humor in race relations.(Theater review)
March 1, 2009... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN In "... And L.A. is Burning," Y York uses humor to tell a story about how three different people confront and/or avoid the issue in their daily lives. "This is a fresher look and there's a lot of humor," director...

ANNUSMIRABILIS.
March 1, 2009... Byline: SUSAN L. RIFE The other month, when the snow is flying in upstate New York, Rosenberg retreats to Anna Maria Island to get some sun on her pineal gland, to bask in the sparkle of the light off the Gulf of Mexico and the...

Compton shares riveting stories.(Television program review)
March 1, 2009... Byline: Heather Dunhill Speaking to a wall-to-wall crowd in the Michael's on East ballroom at the Junior League's annual Legacy Luncheon, chaired by Jenny Hime and Mary-Lou Moulton, Compton captivated the crowd with Washington insight from...

Dignam Beach House restored at Hermitage.
March 1, 2009... Byline: TERRY O'CONNOR Correspondent "This has been 10 years in coming," said Bruce Rodgers, director of the Hermitage Artist Retreat. Since 2003, directors of the retreat have invited poets, sculptors, playwrights and all manner of...

Group raises funds to help blind veterans.
March 1, 2009... Byline: TERRY O'CONNOR Correspondent The U.S. government does not provide guide dogs for these veterans. So Southeastern Guide Dogs is teaming with Paws for Patriots, a Venice-based veteran fundraising organization, to provide guide dogs to...

Herald Tribune Obituaries.
March 1, 2009... Oct. 20, 1918 - Feb. 21, 2009 Susan W. Ambroson, 90, Venice, formerly of Michigan died Feb. 21, 2009. Services will be private. Survivors include daughters Beth A. Gamel of Willow, Alaska, and Venice, and Trena S. Kelly of Venice...

All over for Indians.
March 1, 2009... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com CLEARWATER - Traffic was heavy westbound Saturday night on State Road 60, but not all the cars were headed toward the beach. Many made the left into the parking lot at...

Authorities say beer choice sparked attack.
March 1, 2009... Byline: STAFF REPORT Authorities say a man who became angry over the brand of beer available stabbed three people in a trailer Friday night. Amilcar Herrarte-Guerra, 50, was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery after the 11 p.m....

Looking beyond Florida colleges.
March 1, 2009... Byline: HALLE STOCKTON Venice High School senior Hannah Wilkins has already applied to Smith, Wellesley and Mount Holyoke colleges, but her sister wanted to begin scouring college pamphlets early. Wren Wilkins, a Venice freshman, said...

Sarasota woman hurt in crash on I-275.
March 1, 2009... Byline: STAFF REPORT A Sarasota woman was seriously injured Friday in a 4:20 p.m. wreck on Interstate 275 near Terra Ceia, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Troopers say Kathryn McGrath, 25, of Sarasota, crossed into oncoming traffic...

Man loses control of motorcycle and dies.
March 1, 2009... Byline: STAFF REPORT A 60-year-old man was killed Saturday afternoon when he lost control of his motorcycle and was thrown into a ditch, the Florida Highway Patrol reported. The unidentified man wrecked as he was riding around a curve...

Rhythms and ribs raise cash for youths.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Yvette Kimm Unlike most snowbirds that Floridians are familiar with, Johnson is more of a "springbird" who packs his bags and heads south at the first notion of spring. It's not just the thought of arriving in paradise that has...

Ord and Robins shine at Florida State Senior Tournament.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Bill Herald Ord had four top-10 finishes among his five cashes, while Robins cashed in four categories, with three of them in the top 10. Ord claimed the runner-up spot in six-game all-events, both handicap (1,524) and scratch...

Deep secret.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Steve Gibson Go deep and stay deep. Deeper is better. Shallow is the pits. That's the pattern around Sarasota Bay and it has been now for the last couple of months. Spotted seatrout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel,...

DOCTOR BLAMED IN MAN'S DEATH.
March 1, 2009... Byline: TODD RUGER Dr. Virind Gupta prescribed 530 oxycodone pills over the course of 45 days to 29-year-old Michael Chrzczonowski, who died after overdosing on oxycodone and Xanax. Now Chrzczonowski's mother, Sandra, is suing Gupta...

Fatal shooting in Palmetto.
March 1, 2009... Byline: HALLE STOCKTON A Palmetto teenager was fatally shot in his bedroom early Saturday by two people who broke into the boarding house in which he was living. Tevin Yawn, 18, was shot multiple times in the attack, which occurred...

Challenge of funding schools offers up a lesson in sacrifice.
March 1, 2009... Byline: GARY FINEOUT H-T Capital Bureau Correspondent For state lawmakers, the new math in public schools is subtraction. Confronted with a budget shortfall of more than $5 billion, legislators will grapple for the next 60 days over...

North Port celebrates 50 years.
March 1, 2009... Byline: TERRY O'CONNOR Correspondent Large crowds lined both sides of the sun-splashed parade route Saturday as North Port residents celebrated the city's 50th anniversary. Music blared from the bands, smiling people in the crowds...

Fans fond of former Philly Burrell.
March 1, 2009... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI Now a Ray, he plays against his old team for the first time Pat Burrell said he looked forward to making the trip Saturday to Bright House Field and playing against his old teammates. "Who knows what kind...

100 Countries in the long run.
March 1, 2009... Byline: CHRIS ANDERSON Or in Egypt as soldiers carrying machine guns follow you in a Jeep. Or in Israel as rockets are being fired overhead and to the north. Or in Cambodia as you narrowly miss stepping on a snake as thick as a...

SNN is back and stronger than ever.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Mike Connelly Executive Editor Half an hour later, sports anchor Antawan Smith breezed into the newsroom, pushing his 2-year-old daughter in a stroller. Then came chief meteorologist Justin Mosely, headed for the weather center. ...

Keeping his voice low-key, new speaker adjusts to role.
March 1, 2009... Byline: JOE FOLLICK H-T CAPITAL BUREAU Getting elected to the Legislature can be difficult. But to become the leader of the House or Senate requires a brutal devotion fueled by bold ambition and political cunning. At least it used to. ...

With economy sputtering, spinners are spinning like tops.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Joe Follick, Lloyd Dunkelberger But in these dismal times, the spinning is out of control. Consider these promises: The Seminole tribe says that an agreement allowing expanded gambling at its casinos would create 45,000 new...

"It was my favorite town down there".
March 1, 2009... Byline: CHRIS ANDERSON That is how Bobby Doerr remembers his trip from Texas to Sarasota with Ted Williams for spring training in 1938. "Ted was that way," said Doerr, at 90 the oldest living player in the Baseball Hall of Fame. ...

Bradenton Christian cruises past Victory to final four.
March 1, 2009... Byline: ALAN DELL Correspondent The Panthers' superior quickness is difference The difference was clear as night and day. Bradenton Christian was a team of basketball players. Victory Christian Academy was a football team trying to...

Lancers crush Florida CC.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Staff Report The Manatee Community College baseball team tied up the three-day series against Florida Community College by an easy 17-1 victory on Saturday. Taylor Wren, Tony Mitchell and Mason Johnson each hit a home run as...

Free tours of old settlement.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Staff Report Reflections of Manatee, an historic preservation group, in March will offer free tours of the east Bradenton neighborhood where the county's pioneers settled. Tours will be at 4:15 p.m. Mondays. Group tours...

Bradenton Christian cruises past Victory.
March 1, 2009... Byline: ALAN DELL Correspondent The Panthers' superior quickness is difference The difference was clear as night and day. Bradenton Christian was a team of basketball players. Victory Christian Academy was a football team trying to...

Communities should be able to debate ideas firmly but civilly.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Thomas Tryon Jimmy Boyd and Tom McCree -- and a teacher, Terry McDonald, encouraged me to step out of the closed circle of high school sports. At their steady urging, I timidly engaged in student government, starting as a...

One more shot at spring training? Orioles deal is still on the table, if Sarasota wants it.
March 1, 2009... Sarasota has hosted major-leaguers since 1924, when the New York Giants came to town. The Giants were followed by the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. As time passed, local government and the teams improved the...

Can Crist be part of the solution?
March 1, 2009... Byline: Joe Follicd H-T Capital Bureau And their anger may be vented toward Gov. Charlie Crist as lawmakers open their annual 60-day session on Tuesday with deep cuts in education and health care spending likely. After lawmakers made...

Local arts scene is a feast and diet.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Jay Handelman I'm thinking of starting a local arts diet program, built around the idea that you will be so busy running from show to show that you won't have time to overeat. While trying to find time for one more show or...

Swedish thriller digs deep.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Susan Rife More than just a mystery, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is also a family saga, a business thriller and even a love story. It begins with an octogenarian Swedish businessman, Henrik Vanger, receiving the most recent...

A tribute to a man and his musicals.
March 1, 2009... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN "Day by Day" he has been working "All for the Best" and has the kind of "Magic to Do" to make him quite "Popular." We can stop there, and simply say that, like the witch in his musical "Wicked," Schwartz has been...

In 'Spamalot,' he is a regal fool.
March 1, 2009... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN While most fans would never think of him as a song and dance man, he gallops into Tampa this week (to the clip clop of coconut shells) as King Arthur in "Monty Python's Spamalot," the tongue-in-cheek musical based on...

Good deeds.
March 2, 2009... She calls various employees to see whether I am in my office, and she criticizes our policies and me to our office staff. I met with her boss (who is at the top of the ladder) about this, but nothing has changed. My contract ends in July, and I...

Business people.
March 2, 2009... Serendipity Racquet Club in Sarasota has joined forces with Hurricane Tennis Academy, which is based in the Sarasota/Bradenton area. Hurricane Tennis will manage all of Serendipity's junior tennis programs. The academy has sites at the...

Sarasota auto dealer hopes Indian company will follow other.
March 2, 2009... Byline: TONI WHITT trends he spotted over the years Jack Urfer is a trendsetter when it comes to Sarasota's automotive offerings. He opened a Volkswagen dealership after the demise of the community's Volkswagen dealership in the...

In Britain, REITs look for capital.
March 2, 2009... Byline: WILLIAM BOSTON The Wall Street Journal The latest and perhaps most dramatic evidence of the trend is a round of capital increases in the U.K. In the past few weeks, most major U.K. real-estate investment trusts have either launched...

Real estate people.
March 2, 2009... Marie Avery, a sales associate for Re/Max Alliance Group, was recently installed as the 2009 president of the Women's Council of Realtors' Florida Chapter at its annual banquet. Amy Worth, also a sales associate for Re/Max Alliance Group, was...

Hot wheels.
March 2, 2009... Byline: TONI WHITT Jack Urfer is a trendsetter when it comes to Sarasota's automotive offerings. He opened a Volkswagen dealership after the demise of the community's Volkswagen dealership in the late 1960s, just as the automaker...

Orchestra and bands delight at 'Crossroads'.
March 2, 2009... Byline: GAYLE WILLIAMS Correspondent Friday's fest featured three rock bands of diverse styles comprising New College students collaborating with orchestra musicians John Miller, bass, and Jay Hunsberger, tuba. The classical musicians fit...

Elderly man killed in crash.
March 2, 2009... Byline: Staff Report An 83-year-old Venice man died when his car swerved off the road, ran over a small tree and crashed into a canal off Myrtle Street in Sarasota on Sunday morning. Dale C. Engstrand was pronounced dead at the scene....

Exhibit taps into baseball dreams.
March 2, 2009... Byline: CHRIS GERBASI Correspondent The Tampa Bay Rays' arrival in Charlotte County stirs children's dreams of one day playing professional baseball. "Play Ball! Charlotte," a new exhibit at the Charlotte County Historical Center,...

FHP identifies motorcyclist.
March 2, 2009... Byline: Staff Report The Florida Highway Patrol released the name of a 70-year-old New York man who died Saturday afternoon after his motorcycle crashed into a ditch. Peter J. Marbury, of East Moriches, N.Y., crashed his motorcycle as...

Vote on strong mayor splits leaders.
March 2, 2009... Byline: ROGER DROUIN The elected mayor proposal has quickly become the most divisive issue voters will decide in the March 10 city election. Several neighborhood leaders have come out against the plan and Mayor Lou Ann Palmer is...

New courthouse is a showpiece with a secret.
March 2, 2009... Byline: TODD RUGER The entrance to the county's new judicial center whisks visitors up two towering escalators to the second floor, where the latest in computerized screens display schedules for the courtrooms on the floors above. But...

Dowling commits to UF.
March 2, 2009... Byline: ALAN DELL Correspondent Despite a growing list of offers from some of the biggest college football programs in the country, Jonathan Dowling decided to end the suspense and verbally committed to the University of Florida on Sunday....

Veteran takes a swing.
March 2, 2009... Byline: TOM BALOG Craig Monroe suffered through a down year last season The Pirates are ignoring the criticism of Craig Monroe, that the 32-year-old outfielder has nothing left as a hitter. They are hoping that the right-handed...

CITY PENSIONS TAKE A BIG HIT.
March 2, 2009... Byline: DOUG SWORD The funds still have plenty of money to pay out benefits for years to retired city employees, police and firefighters. But the stock losses will force the city to pump more money into the ailing pension funds next...

Sen. Bennett a 'passionate' frequent filer.
March 2, 2009... Byline: JEREMY WALLACE H-T Political Writer While the average Florida senator has filed 26 bills for this session, Bennett has already submitted 67. And that number is likely to grow. "I don't expect all of them to pass," the Bradenton...

Games make gains, but dogs are fading.
March 2, 2009... Byline: TODD RUGER Derby Lane has staged greyhound racing for longer than any other dog track in the world, but a $2.5 million renovation in December left no doubt about what the owners bet the future will look like. The main entrance...

History of strong figures.
March 2, 2009... Byline: JEFF LAHURD Correspondent When Sarasota first incorporated in 1902, it chose as its motto, "May Sarasota Prosper," and picked John Hamilton Gillespie to lead. A big Scotsman with a serious brogue and a forceful personality, he...

GOOD DEEDS.
March 2, 2009... Tangles is at 838 Pinebrook Road (in Pinebrook Plaza on East Venice Road). For more information, call the salon at 488-0703. Leadership Sarasota's class of 2009 has chosen Community Haven for Adults and Children with Disabilities as the...

Traffic laws fail a family.
March 2, 2009... Court records indicate that Ronald Judson Smith was not supposed to be driving Feb. 13. His license had recently been suspended because of an earlier DUI. But drive, he did -- running a red light and smashing into a North Port family's...

In a twist, developer blames bank.
March 2, 2009... Byline: MICHAEL BRAGA FINGER-POINTING: Sarasota real estate investor says he was left dangling For the second time in three months, Sarasota real estate investor Marvin Kaplan has failed to make interest payments on an outstanding...

Associations want faster foreclosures.
March 2, 2009... Byline: AARON KESSLER Policymakers in Washington, as well as at the state and local level, have been working feverishly lately to develop programs aimed at stemming the massive tide of foreclosures sweeping the housing market. Billions of...

Mansion includes free Ferrari.
March 2, 2009... Byline: Tom Bayles How about a Ferrari F430 Spider for the garage? The 6,900-square-foot waterfront home has six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, marble flooring, a gourmet kitchen and more than a million dollars' worth of installed...

Investors often change behavior at the worst possible time.
March 2, 2009... Byline: Dr. Robert Stepleman It was about a man with a computer chip switch in his brain. The switch turned him from a somewhat milquetoast type fellow into an aggressive risk taker. The catch was that the switch was faulty and the changes...

Local WaMu offices convert -- or close.
March 2, 2009... Byline: John Hielscher JPMorgan Chase has added six WaMu offices in Sarasota and Manatee counties to the two it already operated in Venice and Sarasota. The nation's second-largest bank took over WaMu in late September in what was the...

Herald Tribune Obituaries.
March 2, 2009... June 27, 1923 - Feb. 27, 2009 Paul E. "Jack" Chandler, 85, Sarasota died Feb. 27, 2009. A funeral Mass will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Incarnation Catholic Church. Arrangements by Toale Brothers Funeral Home, Colonial Chapel....

Reds rookie has a green streak.
March 2, 2009... Byline: STEVE GIBSON steve.gibson@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA - He's a Red. And a promising young player. But Cincinnati rookie outfielder Chris Dickerson is really green. Dickerson is a co-founder of We Play Green, an organization...

Howell has to take a short leave from Rays.
March 2, 2009... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI RAYS: Reliever excited about his chance to pitch for Team USA J.P. Howell did not want to leave. "The trash talking is getting to a peak right now," Howell said Saturday. Howell was selected to pitch...

Here's the skinny on Harang.
March 2, 2009... Byline: Doug Fernandes David Wells, Bartolo Colon or Mickey Lolich he wasn't. When push came to shove -- away from the dinner table -- these double wides rarely did. They might have toed the rubber, but they consumed everything else....

Herald Tribune Obituaries.
March 3, 2009... July 8, 1929 - Feb. 19, 2009 Avian Marie Featherstone, 79, Bradenton, formerly of Las Vegas, Sarasota and Dunnville, Canada, died Feb. 19, 2009. Services will be at a later date. Survivors include her loving husband of 60 years,...

Charity assisting mothers and children sets record.
March 3, 2009... Byline: SHELLY OLATOYAN Correspondent The event raised between $25,000 and $30,000 for the program that provides single mothers a safe place to stay while receiving education and training to become self-sufficient. A record 434 people...

A city full of pride and pomp.
March 3, 2009... Byline: BETSY WILLIAMS Correspondent Kicking off the daylong celebration, a '50s themed parade started at noon with close to 130 entries. Getting some of the best seats in the house was important to Kay and Paul Kell, Barbara Smith,...

Our Mother's House benefit sets a record.
March 3, 2009... Byline: SHELLY OLATOYAN Correspondent The event raised between $25,000 and $30,000 for the program that provides single mothers a safe place to stay while receiving education and training to become self-sufficient. A record 434 people...

Women inspire Pace girls.
March 3, 2009... Byline: WENDY DEWHURST Correspondent Young women attending Pace Center for Girls heard first-hand how three overcame adversities in their lives. This year, 39 Pace students were in the audience at the sixth annual Women in Strength...

City of North Port celebrates.
March 3, 2009... Kicking off the daylong celebration, a '50s themed parade started at noon with close to 130 entries. Getting some of the best seats in the house was important to Kay and Paul Kell, Barbara Smith, and" said Gene Hawkins. Mark your...

Inspired to raise voices in song.
March 3, 2009... Byline: STEVE HEISLER Correspondent Their abilities may seem even more impressive when listeners hear the repertoire presented in Aramaic, Hebrew and Yiddish and other languages, which most of the singers do not speak. Some of the vocalists...

Sun Hydraulics' profits dive in fourth quarter.(Financial report)
March 3, 2009... Byline: Staff Report Sun Hydraulics saw a big slowdown in business during the fourth quarter, with profits dropping more than 50 percent. The Sarasota-based designer and maker of high performance screw-in hydraulic cartridge valves and...

CarBiz to help dealers get cash.
March 3, 2009... Byline: Staff Report CarBiz Inc. is looking to create a $100 million capital line for dealers with the help of an Indiana business through which the "buy here, pay here" company recently restructured its debt. Dealer Services Corp. of...

Lawsuit targets German drywall.
March 3, 2009... Byline: AARON KESSLER The new federal lawsuit, filed Monday in the Southern District of Florida, joins several other suits seeking class-action status, including one in Sarasota County. The latest suit claims that legal action could...

DeSears shuts down its store in Palmetto.
March 3, 2009... Byline: TONI WHITT Sites will remain open in Venice, Bradenton and Sarasota In another sign of the ailing retail market, DeSears Appliances & Home Entertainment has closed its Palmetto store to save money. The company could no...

Tommy Bahama offers cocktails to dull pain of swimsuit shopping.
March 3, 2009... Byline: TONI WHITT It's a cocktail party for women shopping for a new suit. Experts will be on hand to help shoppers find the suit that fits and flatters them best. At the same time guests can enjoy cocktails mixed with Tommy Bahama Rum...

Weintraub is high energy.
March 3, 2009... Byline: CHRIS DELL Correspondent It is a typical Saturday morning, and Willow Weintraub is being bussed from the tennis court at Serendipity Racquet Club to the hardwood floor at First Baptist Church. Mere moments after her first-place...

Deadline to indict Nadel is extended.
March 3, 2009... Byline: JOHN HIELSCHER A federal judge in New York signed an order continuing until March 30 the deadline for holding a preliminary hearing for filing an indictment against Nadel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Reed M. Brodsky asked for the...

Flexibility in school funding.
March 3, 2009... When the economy was on the upswing and boosting government revenues, it was politically palatable for the governor and Florida Legislature to give school districts mandates and allocate additional funds to carry out the tasks. But since...