Sarasota Herald Tribune articles from May 2003

Sarasota Herald Tribune archives from May 2003

Feds discover discounts; Budget chief finally wields purchasing power.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
May 31, 2003... The White House budget chief doesn't have an easy job, especially when it comes to tussling with Congress over the details of a spending plan. Alaska Republican Ted Stevens, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, recently offered a...

Addition planned for mall.(BUSINESS)
May 31, 2003... Byline: LAUREN MAYK lauren.mayk@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA COUNTY -- A planned addition at the Sarasota Square Mall will potentially house an existing tenant and help the mall work toward a larger renovation, said executives from the...

Bloggers blur social boundaries.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
May 31, 2003... Byline: Barbara Peters Smith For a few years now, I've been looking on with fascination and horror as a group of teenagers I know have attached themselves to an online tar baby known as LiveJournal.com. The idea is simple: Instead of...

Area libraries get ready to keep kids reading now that school's out.(B SECTION)(Life Around Town)(Column)
May 31, 2003... Byline: Sharyn Lonsdale School's over, but that doesn't mean it's time to stop reading. In fact, what better time than summer to read all those books you didn't have time for during the school year. This year the theme of the...

Kids get head start for Summer Beach Runs.(PLAY!)(Go!)(Column)
May 31, 2003... Byline: THOMAS BECNEL SIESTA BEACH -- With only three days to go, kids across Sarasota can smell the saltwater. They can feel the sun on their shoulders and the sand between their toes. They can taste the Popsicles. Yes, it's time...

Man asks judge to toss plea.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- A Port Charlotte man sentenced to 20 years behind bars after he pleaded no contest to child pornography wants a judge to throw out his plea. Brendon J. "Brent" Boule, 21, is asking for a...

Brazelton picks up first victory.(SPORTS)
May 31, 2003... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com ST. PETERSBURG -- The doors to the Tampa Bay clubhouse opened, and there was Bobby Seay taking a photo of a beer-soaked Dewon Brazelton. The long wait is over for...

MCC, Asolo may face vetoes; Bush may ax the plan to convert MCC's Venice gym into classrooms.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Byline: CHAD BINETTE and VICTOR HULL STAFF WRITERS SARASOTA -- Leaders of Manatee Community College and the Asolo Theatre said Friday they will contact Gov. Jeb Bush to try to stave off possible vetoes of money for new classrooms and...

FROM YOUR READER ADVOCATE.(A SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Callers to the reader advocate are generally not shy about expressing their opinions, and we can count on at least one story each week to trigger a strong reaction. The anger level was high from a handful of readers about our Wednesday...

Officials awaiting Indians' proposal; Though reports say the team may train in Arizona, Port Charlotte may get the nod instead.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Byline: JAMIE MANFUSO jamie.manfuso@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- County officials say they are still waiting for the Cleveland Indians to propose a long-term deal that would bring the baseball club's spring training operations...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
May 31, 2003... SARASOTA COUNTY Sophie Bette Sophie Bette, 96, Nokomis, died May 28, 2003, at Heritage Health Care Center, Venice. She was born in Yugoslavia and came to Nokomis in 1998 from Lake Hopatcong, N.J. She was a homemaker and a former...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
May 31, 2003... CHARLOTTE COUNTY William A. Brittle Jr. William A. Brittle Jr., 84, Port Charlotte, died May 29, 2003. He was born March 23, 1919, in Richmond, Va., and came to Port Charlotte in 1973 from Atlanta. Since coming to the Charlotte...

LINKS FOR LIFE; The First Tee golf program brings values and mentors to local youths.(PLAY!)
May 31, 2003... Byline: STEVE HEISLER CORRESPONDENT At The First Tee, youngsters pick up the basics of driving, chipping and putting, but the most vital lessons aren't about grips or swings. They learn that how they behave, on and off the golf...

Business Buzz.(BUSINESS)
May 31, 2003... Hair doctor honored for foundation work Dr. Joseph F. Greco of Sarasota has received the Ethics Award from the Italian Society of Hair Restoration in Rome, Italy. Dr. Greco, who specializes in hair restoration surgery at the...

Teens found guilty in ice cream truck robbery.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Byline: ROBERT PATRICK robert.patrick@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Two Bradenton teens were found guilty this week of robbing an ice cream truck with a BB gun. Antwan T. Glover, 18, pleaded no contest Tuesday to robbery with a...

A dicey proposition; FCC should forgo the industry-funded freebies.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
May 31, 2003... The Federal Communications Commission might want to consider moving its headquarters to Las Vegas. Its employees already spend a lot of time there. The Center for Public Integrity, a government watchdog group, reports that FCC employees...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Resolution on orange juice to be passed MANATEE COUNTY -- Already this year the county has sought to protect trees, historic homes and poor seniors. On Tuesday, county commissioners are expected to pass a resolution supporting...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Man hit, killed while changing tire on I-75 SARASOTA COUNTY -- A 53-year-old Bradenton man died Friday morning after he stepped into the path of a truck on Interstate 75, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. John R. Wood II, 5600...

Sox double up Lakeland.(SPORTS)
May 31, 2003... Byline: PHIL DENIS CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- The Sarasota Red Sox came up with three-run efforts in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings Friday night rallying for an 8-4 victory over the Lakeland Tigers in front of an announced...

CONGRATS.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Kiwanis honor governor The Port Charlotte Kiwanis Club recently held a dinner to honor the Florida district's governor to Charlotte County. More than 100 Kiwanis members and guests attended, including members of the Port Charlotte...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
May 31, 2003... There were no obituaries listed for Manatee County on this date

Symphony, city will keep talking; The Florida West Coast Symphony had set a deadline of today to agree on a downtown venue.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Byline: LISA RAB lisa.rab@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- The Florida West Coast Symphony will continue negotiating with the city next month over a new concert hall downtown, despite an initial deadline that could have ended the talks...

BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Program enrolling kids for pre-kindergarten MANATEE COUNTY -- The Manatee County School Readiness Program is accepting students for its pre-kindergarten program. For a child to qualify, his or her parents must be working and earn...

Former Charlotte detective indicted; He is charged with hitting a 17-year-old boy in the face with his gun during an arrest, breaking his jaw.(A SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Byline: JAMIE MANFUSO jamie.manfuso@heraldtribune.com FORT MYERS -- A former Charlotte County sheriff's narcotics detective, accused of pistol-whipping an unarmed teenager during a drug arrest last year, was charged Friday by a federal...

Sarasota's Houser named Mr. Baseball for 2003.(SPORTS)
May 31, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT One day after his high school graduation, James Houser was named Mr. Baseball on Friday by the Florida Dairy Farmers Sports Awards Program. Houser, who led Sarasota High to a 24-7 record and the 2003 Class...

Gulfstream picked to provide natural gas for Manatee, Martin plants.(BUSINESS)
May 31, 2003... Byline: LAUREN MAYK lauren.mayk@heraldtribune.com As expected, Florida Power & Light will get natural gas for its planned plants in Manatee and Martin counties from Gulfstream Natural Gas System, the partnership that built a 581-mile...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Deputies: Man reneged on deal for diamonds SARASOTA COUNTY -- Sheriff's deputies allege a 23-year-old Osprey man pocketed $10,150 from an online diamond auction without making good on the transaction. Edward Lee Pearl, 700 block of...

Memories are etched in floor.(SPORTS)(Comment)(Column)
May 31, 2003... Byline: Doug Fernandes SARASOTA -- Oh, if this floor could talk... ... it'd yell, "Yeeeoooooowww!" The circle-saw kept cutting, slicing through the hard maple slats, incising more than 50 years of Sarasota High athletic history....

CONGRATS.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Crop walk is successful Congratulations to the Venice area for the most successful Crop Walk ever. $37,680.50 was raised to help feed the hungry here and around the world, which is 30% over last year's total. The Rev. Joe LaDu,...

CONGRATS.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... New potentate Ed Phillips of Sarasota was elected as potentate of the Sahib Shrine Center on Beneva Road. Phillips will lead more than 30 employees and more than 2,300 Shrine families. He will also serve as a member of the board of...

Withstanding the big one.(HOME & REAL ESTATE)(Letter From Home)(Column)
May 31, 2003... Byline: Harold Bubil When people talk about hurricanes, one phrase always seems to come up: "The big one." As in, "When will the next big one hit?" For all intents and purposes, the next big one that hits our area will be the...

Tourism bureau plans deep cuts.(BUSINESS)
May 31, 2003... Byline: KEVIN MCQUAID kevin.mcquaid@heraldtribune.com MANATEE COUNTY -- Slammed by a continuing slide in local tourism, the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau on Friday proposed slashing 29 percent from its budget next fiscal...

CONGRATS.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Operation Salute Active duty military, active reservists, U.S. Coast Guard, National Guardsmen and up to four of their direct dependents can receive free single-day admission to several Anheuser-Busch theme parks now through Nov. 11 as...

Deal to recycle construction trash could spur others.(BUSINESS)
May 31, 2003... Byline: RICH SHOPES rich.shopes@heraldtribune.com Waste Management and WCI Communities are teaming up to recycle tons of construction debris, an agreement that could spur several other recycling deals in Southwest Florida. The...

A salute to (long-gone) summer days of roaming, fishing, stargazing.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
May 31, 2003... Byline: Rich Brooks The signs are everywhere. The heat. The humidity. The afternoon showers. Summer is nigh. The boys know this. For the last two weeks or so, the 17-year-old and his 12-year-old brother have been teeming...

Heritage Christian grads.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Above, left to right, Heritage Christian Academy graduates David Meyrowitz, Cassandra Barnthouse, Mark Stuckey, Anna Kovalev and James Dearman get ready to walk into their commencement ceremony at Calvary Baptist Church in Englewood Friday....

POLICE BLOTTER.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Compiled from Punta Gorda Police Department, Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and Sarasota County Sheriff's Office reports filed through May 30. PORT CHARLOTTE Martin Drive, 200 block , May 29. Christopher B. Countryman, 24, was...

'Scenic highway' designation sought; The label would make it easier for the Palma Sola Causeway to get grants and other financial assistance.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Byline: MITRA MALEK mitra.malek@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Kelvin Dunbar tied his black-and-white dog to a pine tree at the Palma Sola Bay beach and threw some steaks on the small grill he toted to the sand. His 5-year-old...

Sail-Cuba Regatta canceled, not 'postponed'.(PLAY!)(Sailing)(Column)
May 31, 2003... Byline: Morgan Stinemetz The first annual Sail-Cuba Regatta, scheduled to begin May 3 from Tampa Bay, went to the bottom, a foundering wreck, before the start. At the closed skippers meeting on May 2 at the St. Petersburg Bayfront...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
May 31, 2003... Sheriff's building named for deputy PUNTA GORDA -- The once-nameless Charlotte County Sheriff's Office administrative building now bears an official title: the William H. Reilly Sheriff's Administration Complex. Sheriff Bill Clement...

One man's sound is another man's annoying noise.(TICKET)(The Noise Ordinance)(Column)
May 30, 2003... Byline: Dawn E. Scire Everyone who's commented about the noise ordinance -- for or against: I missed you at last Wednesday's Sarasota County Commission workshop for its proposed "Noise Regulations" that may supercede all existing...

Stakes are high in superintendent search.(A SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: CHRIS DAVIS chris.davis@heraldtribune.com Wilma Hamilton's departure brings a feeling of dread to Sarasota County educators. Finding a replacement for the charismatic schools superintendent will be one of the most important...

Coach accused of touching female student.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: ROBERT PATRICK robert.patrick@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Robert "Pig" Goff was suspended from his high school job last month after accusations that he touched a female student's breast on a school...

Hollywood returns to gazing longingly in the mirror.(TICKET)(Primal Screen)(Column)
May 30, 2003... Byline: Amanda Schurr I have to hand it to those Hollywood humanitarians, diligently looking out for fans in the throes of awards-season withdrawal. It's been a whole two months since that unusual Oscar night, when an old "Blazing...

4-way stop will be considered.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: KARA CHALMERS kara.chalmers@heraldtribune.com ENGLEWOOD -- The Sarasota County Traffic Advisory Council will consider creating a four-way stop intersection at North McCall Road and Wentworth Street, at the request of the...

Fishing mentor treated to backcountry Grand Slam.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: STEVE GIBSON steve.gibson@heraldtribune.com Jim Norton, a West Palm Beach roofer, introduced Geoff Page to flats fishing several years ago. Page, now a full-time guide who resides in Venice, was a roofer in West Palm at the...

Angels silence Devil Rays 2-1.(SPORTS)
May 30, 2003... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com ST. PETERSBURG -- The Anaheim Angels not only silenced the Rays, the World Champions left Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella speechless. Piniella didn't address the media for...

Man in teen sex case gets HIV test.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: ROBERT PATRICK robert.patrick@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- A man accused of performing sex acts with a Bradenton teen and e-mailing her friend a nude picture of himself was photographed and tested for HIV Thursday. David...

Tarpon hitting inshore; amberjack, tuna offshore.(SPORTS)(Fishing)(Column)
May 30, 2003... Byline: Steve Gibson Tarpon sit atop the saltwater fishing totem pole and will remain in that position for the next month or so. However, there still are a few kingfish being caught around the mid-range artificial reefs off Sarasota,...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Road work projects to affect traffic VENICE -- The west driveway of Bon Secours-Venice Hospital off of Palermo Place will be closed today while workers pour new concrete. That driveway will remain closed until Tuesday, when workers...

POLICE BLOTTER.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Compiled from Punta Gorda Police Department, Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and Sarasota County Sheriff's Office reports filed through May 29. PORT CHARLOTTE Warrington Boulevard, first block, May 28. Shingles were reported...

Defense motion denied; A confession will stand.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: JENNY LEE ALLEN jenny.allen@heraldtribune.com PUNTA GORDA -- Jurors will be allowed to hear the confession of a Panamanian man that implicates him in the killing of his estranged wife, a judge ruled Thursday. Genaro D....

Superintendent to resign; Wilma Hamilton says her health has been suffering.(A SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: JAMES ROLAND jay.roland@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA COUNTY -- Superintendent Wilma Hamilton announced her resignation Thursday, less than three years after leading the school district out of a tumultuous and divisive period into...

Detective presents bloody evidence; A murder defendant's attorney says the items fail to prove anything.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: MIKE SAEWITZ mike.saewitz@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA COUNTY -- The Webber Street office space where detectives said Marc Miller and girlfriend Tammica Summers lived was tiny -- only 12 feet deep and 9 feet wide. In it,...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Barton chosen to run vets' nursing home PORT CHARLOTTE -- The Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs has selected Elizabeth Kilfeder Barton of St. Petersburg as its administrator for the state's newest veterans' nursing home, located...

Business Buzz.(BUSINESS)
May 30, 2003... Chamber schedules networking event The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce has scheduled its June Business Connections networking event for June 12 at DeSears Appliances, 4650 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. The event will be from 5...

PrideFest features stage, pop star Jennifer Holliday.(TICKET)
May 30, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINE HAWES CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Grammy and Tony Award-winner Jennifer Holliday headlines a list of the biggest names ever to appear at Sarasota PrideFest, an annual celebration that is emerging this year as the...

She made all the difference; Hamilton arrived amid turmoil, will depart a beloved leader.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
May 30, 2003... Wilma Hamilton was the cure for what ailed the Sarasota County School District three years ago. She became superintendent in September 2000, when the district's administration was in turmoil and plagued by distrust. Now, having provided...

Apple's new music store does online sales right.(BUSINESS)(Sand & Silicon)(Column)
May 30, 2003... Byline: Dwayne Fatherree After years of acrimony, lawsuits, and name-calling, someone has finally heeded my advice and made online music work. Now it is just a matter of letting the other 97 percent of the planet in on the deal. ...

University to offer teacher prep program.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT FORT MYERS -- Florida Gulf Coast University is accepting applications for a preparation program for new teachers. The Teacher Immersion Program Summer Academy aims to prepare new K-12 teachers who will begin...

How big an expansion?(BUSINESS)
May 30, 2003... Byline: LAUREN MAYK lauren.mayk@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- The speed of a major expansion to the former Southgate Plaza could depend in part on a decision by state and regional planners. Attorneys for Westfield America Trust, the...

'Exit the Body' will leave Charlotte Players' audiences laughing.(TICKET)(Review)
May 30, 2003... Byline: HELENA FINNEGAN CORRESPONDENT PORT CHARLOTTE -- As the curtain closes on another theater season for the Charlotte Players, its final drama, "Exit the Body," is the directorial debut for Carol Swink. Swink has performed in a...

Cafe Geneva's more than an Englewood breakfast tradition.(TICKET)(Review)
May 30, 2003... Byline: SHARYN LONSDALE sharyn.lonsdale@heraldtribune.com ENGLEWOOD -- Cafe Geneva's does a bang-up breakfast business, especially on weekends. Since man does not live on breakfast alone, in December, the 8-year-old restaurant began...

Bush calls another session; Lawmakers will reconvene in Tallahassee next month to work on medical malpractice legislation.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: LLOYD DUNKELBERGER CAPITAL BUREAU TALLAHASSEE -- Asserting Florida is in a health care crisis, Gov. Jeb Bush on Thursday ordered lawmakers back to Tallahassee next month for a four-day special session to lower medical...

IN BRIEF.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Church schedules farewell to pastor ENGLEWOOD -- The Englewood United Methodist Church will hold a farewell reception for its departing senior pastor, the Rev. Robert Gibbs, and Gibbs's family at noon Sunday. The event is open to...

SAILING ON.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... For the 89th time, Sarasota High School seniors bid farewell to their high school years Thursday evening, with cool breezes blowing across a perfect outdoor setting in Cleland Stadium at Ihrig Field. The stadium bleachers were filled to...

Downtown bus transfer point will move west.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: CHAD BINETTE chad.binette@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Riders who transfer from one Sarasota County Area Transit bus to another in downtown Sarasota will make those changes one block farther west beginning Saturday. The...

POLICE BLOTTER.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... The following information is from Manatee County Sheriff's Office and Bradenton police reports filed through May 29. BRADENTON 46th Avenue West, 2300 block, May 28. A man was attacked. King Fisher Road, 10400 block, May 28. A...

Conflicts in committee; Will attorney advise Venice on whether he should be retained?(A SECTION)(Editorial)
May 30, 2003... Before a three-member committee proceeds to study whether to hire an in-house city attorney, the Venice City Council should disband that trio and name a new committee which would be devoid of conflicts of interest and would meet in public....

Coach is accused of touching student.(A SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: ROBERT PATRICK robert.patrick@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Robert "Pig" Goff was suspended from his high school job last month after an accusation that he touched a female student's breast on a...

Tennis leagues celebrate victories of the season.(B SECTION)(In the Loop)(Column)
May 30, 2003... Byline: Ann Henderson Tennis, anyone? Everyone seems to be playing tennis in Charlotte County -- all the ladies, that is. Three tennis leagues celebrated the end of the season with awards luncheons for their champs within a week of each...

The board's prayer; Despite intentions, some offerings are impositions.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
May 30, 2003... It's difficult to imagine that Manatee County School Board members recite the Lord's Prayer at the opening of their meetings in order to promote intolerance of other religious beliefs. Given what we know of them as individuals, it also...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
May 30, 2003... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Helen Cobb Burgan Helen Cobb Burgan, 95, Colorado Springs, Colo., and formerly of Englewood, died May 4, 2003. She was born April 10, 1908, in Macedonia, Ohio. Before coming to Florida in 1960, she owned a...

Commissioner D'Aprile files for '04.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: JAMIE MANFUSO jamie.manfuso@heraldtribune.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- County Commissioner Tom D'Aprile, who was swept into office in 2000 by a grassroots campaign, on Thursday filed paperwork declaring his candidacy for the 2004...

Painter Kerslake captures details of moments.(TICKET)(Review)
May 30, 2003... Byline: KEVIN COSTELLO CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- When the subject of a painting, such as a room or a garden, serves as a metaphor for a state of mind, the psychic energy can be expressed in the nature of the paint's application and in...

Ground-breaking 'Boys in the Band' presented Monday.(TICKET)
May 30, 2003... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Before the riots at a Greenwich Village bar that led to the gay rights movement in 1969, there was Mart Crowley's play "The Boys in the Band." The ground-breaking...

Beating trial pushed back to Aug. 4.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT PUNTA GORDA -- Circuit Judge William Blackwell on Thursday pushed back the trial of an Englewood teen accused in the beating of a building inspector. Joseph C. Sonntag, 18, is charged with aggravated battery, a...

Sarasota holds off Lakeland; Pahucki picks up his first victory and Durazo smacks two-run homer.(SPORTS)
May 30, 2003... Byline: CHAD BROCKHOFF CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Right-hander David Pahucki picked up his first Florida State League win as the Sarasota Red Sox held on for a 5-4 victory over the Lakeland Tigers on Thursday night in front of an...

Ending protection of endangered animals is good politics, not science.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
May 30, 2003... Byline: Eric Ernst Back when some of us were in elementary school, the teachers would show films about food production around the world. At some point in the movie, the narrator would conclude that in the future, as the global...

Pride fests, events continue throughout the region in June.(TICKET)
May 30, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINE HAWES CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Whether you're a nontraditional family with same-sex parents, a single gay man or lesbian looking to meet another, or simply a gay-friendly person seeking the company of like-minded...

Cloudy weather brings good luck to fishing tourney.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Dark clouds threatened but didn't stop Charlotte County Parks and Recreation's annual Big Surf Youth Fishing Tournament, held May 24 on Englewood Beach. In fact, the ominous weather may have helped the tourney, which lived up to its name...

Students banned from graduation.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT PUNTA GORDA -- About 20 students at Punta Gorda Middle School were excluded from Thursday's eighth-grade graduation ceremony, angering at least one parent who protested outside the school for three days. Donna...

Season winds down with dance, music performances.(B SECTION)(Life Around Town)(Column)
May 30, 2003... Byline: Sharyn Lonsdale Blackwell brings music to Woman's Club Local musicians Steve Blackwell & Friends will appear in concert at 8 p.m. June 7 at the Woman's Club of Punta Gorda, 118 Sullivan St., downtown Punta Gorda. Tickets...

Punta Gorda seeks nighttime parking; The city plans to ask businesses to let motorists use their spaces after hours.(B SECTION)
May 30, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA michael.scarcella@heraldtribune.com PUNTA GORDA -- At a City Council meeting in February, officials lauded the agreement between the Celtic Ray and the Bank of America to allow the pub's patrons to park in...