Sarasota Herald Tribune articles from March 2010, page 3

Sarasota Herald Tribune archives from March 2010

Is bail bonds industry seeking its own bailout?
March 23, 2010... Byline: Tom Lyons And yet, news that his industry has been struggling didn't bother me the way such news about other industries might. Nor was I impressed by his claim that "the government is putting us out of business." The government put...

H-T staff take awards.
March 23, 2010... Byline: Staff Report The Herald-Tribune investigation also has won the national Scripps Howard award for business/economics reporting from the Scripps Howard Foundation. Reporters Michael Braga, Chris Davis and Matthew Doig spent a year...

Dinner theater says loan is critical to its survival.
March 23, 2010... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN On Tuesday, Turoff will make a second appearance before the Downtown Improvement District board for a temporary loan of about $144,000 to help his operation survive two simultaneous construction projects -- the creation...

Ex-Marine colonel in xG Technology.
March 23, 2010... Byline: Staff Report XG Technology, the local firm harnessing the Internet for a new generation of telecommunications technology, has hired the former chief of staff of 1st Marines Expeditionary Force to pursue military applications of the...

Trial in long-running family feud is delayed.
March 23, 2010... Byline: TODD RUGER Wolf A. Weinhold arrived at court planning to be his own attorney Monday, armed with several boxes of records and a chiropractor. His records were there for a nearly impossible task: to convince a jury that his mother's...

A planned school where the focus is fighting obesity.
March 23, 2010... Byline: ANNA SCOTT The YMCA wants to open a public middle school devoted to making students healthier, thinner and more physically active. Students would count the calories they consume and log them in a journal. They would take two...

ELECTION TO HINGE ON WATER?
March 23, 2010... Byline: TERRY O'CONNOR Correspondent The size of the Venice water rate increase could help decide this fall's mayoral and City Council elections. City staff have been researching the issue for the City Council since January and are...

For next season, orchestra offers more of 'Genius'.
March 23, 2010... Byline: SUSAN L. RIFE Both Pops and Journeys to Genius have attracted new and younger audiences to the orchestra's concerts in the past two seasons. Journeys to Genius, which introduces listeners to the lives of famous classical composers...

Hendler tops friend in final.
March 23, 2010... Byline: MIC HUBER TENNIS: Bradenton teen beats Solovieva in Wild Card tournament Hospitality, apparently, will only go so far. Tammy Hendler was willing to share her home this weekend with Valeria Solovieva. They even shared some ice...

States are set to challenge the new law.
March 23, 2010... Byline: LLOYD DUNKELBERGER H-T Capital Bureau Attorney General Bill McCollum said Monday that he, along with a group of Republican attorneys general around the country, will file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the new federal...

Hospitals wait for specifics.
March 23, 2010... Byline: DALE WHITE They both rely on local subsidies, a property tax in Sarasota County and a county-managed trust fund in Manatee, to at least partially cover indigent care. Medicaid coverage for more low-income Americans and other...

Google mania triggers ripples.
March 23, 2010... Byline: MICHAEL POLLICK and DOUG SWORD Staff Writers But it worked -- splashing Sarasota onto the front page of the New York Times on Monday as part of its coverage of the national competition among cities to become the venue for Google...

14-Under Rage did well in D-I.
March 23, 2010... Byline: CHRIS DELL, Correspondent KIDS PROFILE: Braden River erases any doubts it deserves spot as top-tier soccer team All Braden River had to do was believe. When the 14-Under Rage girls soccer squad moved to Division I after winning...

She's fired for kicking students off a bus.
March 23, 2010... Byline: CHRISTOPHER O'DONNELL Despite the backing of prominent supporters, a Manatee school busing supervisor was fired Monday night for stopping a bus and ordering off students who were unruly. School Board members voted 4-1 to fire the...

Seniors in region will feel impact, phased in over time.
March 23, 2010... Byline: KEVIN McQUAID For Southwest Florida's 184,000 seniors on Medicare, the passage of historic federal health care legislation is expected to significantly trim prescription medication costs -- though it may erode overall care for those...

Herald Tribune Obituaries.
March 23, 2010... Feb. 5, 1924 - March 19, 2010 Myron Weinstein, 86, of Sarasota, formerly of Massillon, Ohio, died March 19, 2010. Services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 23, 2010, at Toale Brothers Funeral Home, Gulf Gate Chapel. Survivors include...

Should businesses subsidize our economic development?
March 22, 2010... Byline: Matt Sauer The county is recommending a $35-per-year business license that would raise about $400,000 a year for an expanded campaign by the Manatee Economic Development Council to entice new employers to the community. The...

New sales team at the luxury location is cleaning up investor-owned short sales and foreclosures.
March 22, 2010... Byline: TOM BAYLES, Many of the 262 homes sites that were listed at more than $1 million are large lots that fringe the fairways of the Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed golf course or are nestled among 700-acres of nature preserve. There...

New Web site aims to track fraud in loan modifications.(Website overview)
March 22, 2010... Byline: Aaron Kessler struggle for homeowners these days who are having trouble paying their mortgages and are seeking loan modifications from their lenders. Banks have been notoriously difficult to deal with when it comes to...

With loan money tight and rooms' occupancy rates down, 27 projects have died, or have been postponed.
March 22, 2010... Byline: DOUG SWORD, Still it is hard to imagine a more blighted gateway to a place where the average home is worth $3 million. Four years ago, plans were announced on a pair of hotel projects to turn the dilapidated corner at Albee Road...

Why did First State fail? Leaders disregarded its risks.
March 22, 2010... Byline: John Hielscher First State Bank of Sarasota faults the board of directors and management for failing to control its growth strategy and aggressive lending. First State, at $463 million in assets when it failed Aug. 7, did not have...

Herald Tribune Obituaries.
March 22, 2010... Jan. 13, 1927 - March 17, 2010 The Lord called Joel Richard "Dick" Bergan, 83, of Sarasota, formerly of Fulton N.Y., on March 17, 2010, in Sarasota. Visitation will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Church of the Incarnation in Sarasota....

FOUNDER'S CLUB POISED TO REBOUND.
March 22, 2010... Byline: TOM BAYLES Many of the 262 homes sites that were listed at more than $1 million are large lots that fringe the fairways of the Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed golf course or are nestled among 700-acres of nature preserve. There is...

HOTEL PLANS ARE VICTIMS OF RECESSION.
March 22, 2010... Byline: DOUG SWORD, Still it is hard to imagine a more blighted gateway to a place where the average home is worth $3 million. Four years ago, plans were announced on a pair of hotel projects to turn the dilapidated corner at Albee Road...

Davis not making best pitch for spot.
March 22, 2010... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI PITCHING: Rays' starter allows nine hits, seven runs in two innings Wade Davis did little to help his chances in his bid to be the Rays' fifth starter this season. Davis lasted two innings, allowing nine hits...

'Fiddler' is a favorite.
March 22, 2010... Byline: SUSAN L. RIFE "Fiddler on the Roof," which opened on Broadway in 1964 and has been a mainstay of community theaters for decades, gets a loving if a little chaotic treatment at The Players of Sarasota. Director Carole Kleinberg fills...

CHARLOTTE IN GOOGLE WAR NOW.
March 22, 2010... Byline: CHRIS GERBASI Correspondent The Internet technology giant recently announced plans to test the new networks in one or more trial locations and communities have been engaging in efforts to gain Google's attention. Last week,...

Golden second in event cut to nine holes.
March 22, 2010... Byline: MARK CARDON Correspondent The weather played havoc with the City of Sarasota Women's Individual / Partners Championship on Sunday at the Bobby Jones Golf Club. Debbie Mook Sang of Valrico won the individual title in the event...

Weather cuts schedule.
March 22, 2010... Byline: MARK CARDON Correspondent Two Sarasota sailors won their classes in the 2010 Sarasota Sailing Squadron's One Design Michelob Light Midwinter Championship over the weekend. Some 51 boats and 145 sailors from seven states and Canada...

Finding the lighter side of an industry in pain.
March 22, 2010... Byline: THOMAS BECNEL When Carmen Ciricillo started telling jokes about home builders, unemployment was low, confidence was high and construction boomed along the Gulf Coast. But the housing crisis has turned everything upside down,...

In this graveyard, students look for a community's past.
March 22, 2010... Byline: CHRISTOPHER O'DONNELL James and Clara Pearcey were buried in matching graves at Galilee Cemetery. But the husband and wife are separated by an unmarked grave that may have been squeezed into a spot where there was no plot. Who...

Expensive House race in Lakewood Ranch.
March 22, 2010... Byline: Jeremy Wallace The five candidates running to represent District 67 this fall have already combined to raise $392,000 -- about $2,000 ahead of the next highest race, which is in the Orlando region. Only two other districts have...

Group demands action on decision not to audit tax referendum results.
March 22, 2010... Byline: DALE WHITE The Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections wants the state attorney and sheriff to investigate Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent's decision not to have a spot-check audit last Tuesday of the school tax referendum results. ...

Vast market for green retrofitting.
March 21, 2010... Byline: Harold Bubil Indeed, Lambie is thinking "big picture" with a proposal (he calls it a "policy draft") titled "Reinventing Home Improvement." Lambie notes that retrofitting older houses to be more durable or energy efficient is...

New landmark on the causeway.
March 21, 2010... Byline: HAROLD BUBIL Real Estate Editor But she has a background in hotel management, which makes her well qualified to serve as the Sarasota Yacht Club's commodore as its new clubhouse opens on the John Ringling Causeway. A big part of...

'Caught': TV inspired Harlan Coben's latest mystery.
March 21, 2010... Byline: SUSAN L. RIFE "What would I do if someone I like, respected or loved turned up on one of those shows?" said Coben, who will discuss his work at a luncheon Saturday to benefit the Jewish Housing Council Benevolent Assistance Program,...

A tale of a frontier woman.
March 21, 2010... Byline: Susan Rife Lily, born in west Texas in the early years of the 20th century, grew up rough and ready. Nearly uneducated (her father spent her tuition money on two pairs of Great Danes), she was teaching school at tiny towns (and I use...

IN SEARCH OF NORMAN ROCKWELL'S AMERICA.
March 21, 2010... Byline: SUSAN L. RIFE "In Search of Norman Rockwell's America" is a collection of 35 black and white photographs by Rivoli paired with Rockwell's original paintings, drawings and limited-edition prints. Rockwell, who was born in 1894 and...

Channeling Memphis in new FST show.
March 21, 2010... Byline: ABBY WEINGARTEN Correspondent The new Florida Studio Theatre cabaret show, which begins March 23, evokes a period that gave rise to new sounds and future stars. "In the first half of the 20th century, Memphis was the birthplace of...

Creative energy fills the air.
March 21, 2010... Byline: Jay Handelman Despite troubling financial times, theaters have been taking chances and finding audiences for shows that might have looked like risky prospects. For example: Asolo Rep had a great success with the challenging but...

Cashing in on cars with issues.
March 21, 2010... Byline: David Grimes The idea, of course, came from the Prius driver who was barreling down a California freeway at speeds exceeding 90 mph because, as he put it, "I was drunk and wanted to get home as fast as possible." Actually, that's...

Masterworks closes with 'a splash'.
March 21, 2010... Byline: CHRIS ANGERMANN Correspondent The opening chorus, "O Fortuna," which calls out to the goddess of fortune and her fickle ways of meddling in human affairs, has been used in numerous movies, television shows and commercials, as well as...

Dreaming with the feet.
March 21, 2010... Byline: SU BYRON Correspondent That's only natural for the artistic director of Fuzi n Dance Artists, a dance company that, as the name implies, fuses movement styles of ballet, jazz and modern dance with dance traditions rooted in a variety...

sARTq show puts the creative process on display.
March 21, 2010... Byline: CHRISTINE HAWES Correspondent Still another artist will be presenting a piece of work in which bare canvas and dripping paint are essential components of the finished product. These are just some of the ways in which "Process" will...

Manatee should consider extra tax for its schools.
March 21, 2010... Byline: Thomas Tryon Superintendent Tim McGonegal has openly and thoughtfully recommended cost controls and reductions, instead of asking the board to pursue untapped revenue sources. But that strategy no longer appears sustainable. The...

Herald Tribune Obituaries.
March 21, 2010... June 24, 1985 - March 13, 2010 John Michael Sullivan, of Raleigh, N.C., died March 13, 2010. Michael died tragically as a back seat passenger of a car struck by an impaired driver. In Sarasota, Michael was a visible face at his fathers...

Hundreds at Hob Nob.
March 21, 2010... Byline: WENDY DEWHURST Correspondent The Manatee Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council hosted the event on a chilly Thursday evening at the Sarasota Polo Club grounds in Lakewood Ranch. "The food and entertainment was great...

City code disputes wind down.
March 21, 2010... Byline: JOHN DAVIS The city is winding down a three-year experiment in suing residents who flout property standards, ending years of expensive and protracted litigation with homeowners who would not clean up their yards. The 40-plus cases...

Mook Sang, Johnson lead Women's City.
March 21, 2010... Byline: Mark Cardon After Saturday's round at the Bobby Jones Golf Club, they are being called the first-day leaders. Originally from Trinidad, Debbie Mook Sang fired a 2-under-par 69 to take the individual lead in the City of Sarasota...

An amendment meant to quiet Chicken Little.
March 21, 2010... Byline: Eric Ernst It's the same chorus that arises anywhere in the state that tries to slow its population growth. The fact that too many government leaders willingly fall for this message has led to Amendment 4 getting on the statewide...

County's logging plan in parks sparks alarm.
March 21, 2010... Byline: CHRIS GERBASI Correspondent The county says tree density in the parks is too high, and timbering is necessary to lessen the danger of wildfires, make prescribed burning more manageable and increase plant and wildlife diversity through...

Realize your dreams.
March 21, 2010... Byline: Heather Dunhill Event chair Ren e Hamad, dressed Parisian-esque in the loveliest combination of an iris-colored dress and bright celadon cropped jacket, wore her heart on her three-quarter sleeve. She shared how in 2008 she went from...

Bergesen takes slow approach.
March 21, 2010... Byline: DOUG FERNANDES Adjustment on the fly shows young pitcher may be ready In the rush to firm his place in the Orioles' starting rotation, Brad Bergesen must observe his own cardinal rule, as any success this season will hinge directly...

Lady Mustangs win third in row.
March 21, 2010... Byline: JIM BROCKMAN Correspondent Sailor boys are area's tops at North Port Invite Paced by distance running phenom Kristin Zarrella, Lakewood Ranch won its third straight major girls track and field event Friday night. Before winning...

Muscling down the drag strip.
March 21, 2010... Byline: HALLE STOCKTON Elaine Larsen is one of three women in the world piloting a jet-powered dragster. Manning a fire-breathing machine that hits speeds exceeding 300 mph is a far cry from the activities she learned in a required high...

Was this child's pain preventable?
March 21, 2010... Byline: CHRISTOPHER O'DONNELL A lock kept its metal door shut, but neighbors knew for at least two years that the lock was defective. They called Florida Power & Light about the danger, and FPL locked a narrow steel safety band around the...

State workers stand to lose in budget talks.
March 21, 2010... Byline: LLOYD DUNKELBERGER H-T Capital Bureau From their paychecks to their pensions to their very jobs, state workers have a lot to lose as the Legislature tries to resolve a $3 billion budget shortfall. Myriad cost-cutting proposals...

Herald Tribune Obituaries.
March 20, 2010... Jan. 13, 1927 - March 17, 2010 Mr. Joel Richard "Dick" Bergan, 83, of Sarasota, formerly of Fulton N.Y., died March 17, 2010. Visitation will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Church of the Incarnation, Sarasota. Arrangements handled by Jennings...

Former superintendent sure has brand loyalty.
March 20, 2010... Byline: Tom Lyons So begins a letter written to the School Board in Waterloo, Iowa, on Tuesday, by their superintendent of schools, Gary Norris. The bad news was that an FBI agent from Florida had a subpoena seeking records, and Norris was...

Subaru's sale puts Nadel in his place.
March 20, 2010... Byline: JOHN HIELSCHER The auction attracted plenty of tire kickers but just a single unidentified bidder for the 2006 Subaru Outback that Nadel abandoned at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport when he skipped town in early 2009. ...

His harmonica talents sent him across globe.
March 20, 2010... Byline: HALLE STOCKTON He performed with entertainment icons such as Ed Sullivan, Frank Sinatra and Jack Benny. He contributed to music in popular films such as "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "The Alamo" and "High Noon." And at age 17, he...

PRINCIPAL RETURNING TO VENICE.
March 20, 2010... Byline: Kim Hackett It will be a homecoming for Jack Turgeon, named the new principal at Venice High School, beginning in July. Turgeon, principal at Brookside Middle School, taught, coached and served as an assistant principal at Venice...

Tight times turn back-burner hobby into front-line job.
March 20, 2010... Byline: ZAC ANDERSON Then work dried up and he went nearly three years without a job. Restless and running out of money, the classic car restoration hobbyist began searching for an income-generating idea. Today, Quandt's weekend passion is...

Autopsy finds crash did not kill man on road.
March 20, 2010... Byline: JOHN DAVIS A Port Charlotte man who lay beside a North Port road for 19 hours after crashing his truck into a power pole died of a drug overdose and not as a result of crash injuries, according to the medical examiner for Sarasota...

North Port singer takes big step with first album.
March 20, 2010... Byline: JASON WITZ Correspondent Megan McGovern freaked out when she heard one of her songs on the radio this week. The feeling was so overwhelming that she wanted to share the moment with a driver stopped in the next lane. McGovern,...

DRYWALL CASE GOES TO JUDGE.
March 20, 2010... Byline: AARON KESSLER The fate of thousands of people grappling with flawed Chinese drywall now rests in the hands of a jury of one: U.S. District Court Judge Eldon E. Fallon. Fallon heard extensive testimony all week in his New Orleans...

Rays seeing too much of division.
March 20, 2010... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI Maddon does not like playing AL East teams 16 times The Tampa Bay Rays will play half of their 32 Grapefruit League games against American League East opponents this spring. And Joe Maddon doesn't like it. ...

Beckett satisfied with outing against Pirates.
March 20, 2010... Byline: TOM BALOG Pitcher happy to be back on the mound after flu-like illness The Pittsburgh Pirates made the most of their chance to rough up Josh Beckett, even though they may not have seen the Boston Red Sox ace right-hander at his...

SCHOOLS' SUPPLIER IS ACCUSED.
March 20, 2010... Byline: ANTHONY CORMIER, TIFFANY LANKES and DOUG SWORD Staff Writers This week, federal agents ordered the Sarasota County School District to turn over records about top former officials and their dealings with Promethean, the company that...

In a tough economy, a flood of generosity.
March 20, 2010... Byline: TODD RUGER Some gave only $1, while others chipped in $50,000. Either way, about 2,000 individual donors -- coupled with numerous corporate and foundations who gave -- helped push the annual Season of Sharing fundraising campaign...

Woman gets life for fatal shooting.
March 20, 2010... Byline: TODD RUGER Cynthia Monson had claimed she acted in self-defense A jury has convicted a Manatee County woman of first-degree murder for shooting her unarmed former lover five times, rejecting her claim it was self-defense. ...

Sheriff thanks rescuers who helped save children.
March 20, 2010... Byline: JASON WITZ Sheriff Bill Cameron presented the Life Savior Award to the Arcadia couple who assisted a deputy in stopping a Sarasota mother from reportedly drowning her two small children in a pond Feb. 26. Brandon Porter and his...

Herald Tribune Obituaries.
March 19, 2010... Dec 13, 1929 - March 17, 2010 Melvin R. "Mel" Ballou, 80, of Englewood, formerly of New Brunswick, N.J., died March 17, 2010. There will be no local services. Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Betty; a daughter, Carol of Salt Lake...

Dad wouldn't recognize what came of traders and bankers.
March 19, 2010... Byline: Lauren Rudd It has been almost seven years since you passed away and, although I know I can never actually give you this letter, if you could read it you would undoubtedly be both surprised and saddened by the path taken not only by...

Revered librarian honored.
March 19, 2010... Byline: SHELLY OLATOYAN Correspondent Young Adult Librarian Theo B. Rockwell died of cancer March 2, but her memory is certain to live on at the Venice Public Library. On Sunday, library staff members will have a memorial service in...

Communities can learn from Venice, PBS says.
March 19, 2010... Byline: KIM HACKETT TV: City is featured in a documentary examining the state's past and future While taping "A Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins" a few years ago, Emmy Award-winning producer Spencer Briggs was smitten by Venice. ...

Drywall repair estimates vary.
March 19, 2010... Byline: AARON KESSLER A shortened day of testimony Thursday in the Chinese drywall bellwether trial was focused on one primary topic: money. After calling a host of scientific experts and contractors to the stand the previous day, the...

Divos sing and dance to help build theater.
March 19, 2010... Byline: WENDY DEWHURST Correspondent Guest emcee Marianne Barnebey opened the event Sunday evening by performing "It's Raining Men." Along with her many wardrobe changes and witty jokes, the Bradenton City councilwoman kept the crowd laughing...

4 CHARGED IN FRAUD INQUIRY.
March 19, 2010... Byline: TOM BAYLES The charges against Clifford Frank Bagnall, Gerald Gonzalez, Fred William Howard and Charles Keith Byington stem from their involvement in several overlapping companies -- BBG Investments, BBG Risk Management and First...

Closer relishes his role facing big bats.
March 19, 2010... Byline: DOUG FERNANDES ORIOLES: Mike Gonzalez shows the confidence needed in a closer If a closer's checklist existed, Baltimore's Mike Gonzalez could recite it from experience. The desire to accept the ball in the most pressure-heavy...

Chilled Floridians have a chance to experience a real spring.
March 19, 2010... Byline: Kathy Silverberg Living in Florida, it is easy to forget that there is a difference between winter and spring. Trees here generally don't lose their leaves, flowers bloom all winter long and the temperatures stay fairly moderate night...

The school tax passed, and here's exactly why.
March 19, 2010... Byline: ERIC ERNST 1. Teachers' pay. That's what opponents said the tax is all about. But if teachers are the linchpin of education, and better pay attracts better teachers, then it only makes sense to pay our teachers more. In fact, we...

A LESSON IN POLITICS AND 911.
March 19, 2010... Byline: GARY FINEOUT Tallahassee Correspondent Denise Lee's mother-in-law gets just seconds to address Florida Legislature It took Peggy Lee six hours to drive from her home to Englewood to testify before the Florida Legislature about the...

Building official in Venice to retire.
March 19, 2010... Byline: KIM HACKETT After 15 years with the city, building official Hans Behrens will retire later this month. Behrens, investigated by the state and cleared last September over his handling of code violations at a bar, submitted a...