Sarasota Herald Tribune articles from October 2003

Sarasota Herald Tribune archives from October 2003

POLICE BLOTTER.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Compiled from Charlotte County Sheriff's and Sarasota County Sheriff's office reports filed through Oct. 30. Meadow Lark Lane, 1700 block, Oct. 26. Vandals smashed a glass window of a residence around 1:30 a.m. Residents reported ongoing...

Vickie Shaw: Funny, Southern, displaced and gay.(TICKET)
October 31, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINE HAWES CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Sure, she's appearing at a gay-identified church. Sure, most of her act features gay snippets like the fun of living with her "spouse/partner/wife/husbian," Sgt. Lori Patch. But...

Lee and Rays part company for now.(SPORTS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune The Tampa Bay Devil Rays and first baseman Travis Lee parted ways, but the separation could be temporary. Both Tampa Bay and Lee mutually agreed not to exercise the 2004...

Wal-Mart expansion site plan approved; Construction should start in December and end in less than a year.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: DARLA MCFARLAND darla.mcfarland@heraldtribune.com ENGLEWOOD -- A year of construction is about to begin at the Wal-Mart store on South McCall Road that will almost double the floor space and introduce a new look to the familiar...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
October 31, 2003... CHARLOTTE COUNTY Virginia A. Bohnet Virginia A. Bohnet, 79, Rotonda West, died Oct. 29, 2003. She was born March 22, 1924, in Terre Haute, Ind., and came to Rotonda West in 1976 from there. She was a nurse. Survivors include...

Bulls must win for shot at bowl.(SPORTS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT TAMPA -- For the University of South Florida football team, it's a season on the brink. Either win tonight or play the remaining games for pride only. The sense of urgency could be enough to propel...

County celebrates reopening of park.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: JAMIE MANFUSO jamie.manfuso@heraldtribune.com PORT CHARLOTTE -- As residents and local dignitaries celebrated the reopening of Spring Lake Park Thursday afternoon, the theme of the day was change. A swath once choked with...

Williams is inspired and intimidated by tourmates; Montoya likes the solo life.(TICKET)(Review)
October 31, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINE HAWES CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Dar Williams may not have yet received the mainstream recognition of Shawn Colvin and Mary Chapin Carpenter -- who will join her onstage Sunday for a round robin of modern folk music that...

Manatee snapshots; Brief comments on life and times in our county.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
October 31, 2003... A study in leadership Officials in Manatee County and its cities signed an accord last year that lays the groundwork for more cooperation. Before going to the polls Tuesday, Bradenton voters should consider how well former Mayor Bill...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
October 31, 2003... MANATEE COUNTY Pasquale J. Bruno Pasquale J. Bruno, 83, Bradenton, died Oct. 24, 2003. He was born April 27, 1920, in Meyersdale, Pa., and came to Bradenton in 1982 from Somerset, Pa. He was a supply clerk at Somerset State...

Christians just saying 'no' to Halloween; Saying that scares and ghouls flirt with Satanism, more and more churches offer friendly alternatives.(A SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL WERNER michael.werner@heraldtribune.com When the moon rises on Halloween, Becky Manassa and the congregation at First Assembly of God in Bradenton will be ready. The mood will be festive as children's games, music, and...

LOCAL BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Police investigating series of burglaries PUNTA GORDA -- City police are investigating a string of burglaries of area businesses. According to Punta Gorda police reports, four businesses were hit sometime late Wednesday or early...

Solomon Burke just won't give up.(TICKET)(Review)
October 31, 2003... Byline: WADE TATANGELO CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- "This is a healing tour," the King of Rock 'n' Soul, Solomon Burke, said during a recent telephone interview, as flames danced on the hilltops less than 15 miles from his Los Angeles...

Boca event offers a jump-start on Halloween.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: SHARYN LONSDALE sharyn.lonsdale@heraldtribune.com Costumed cuties came out in force for the 27th annual Boca Grande Halloween Carnival on Saturday at the Boca Grande Community Center. A sprinkle of rain disappeared in seconds with...

Someday, all that toxic spam will grow legs ...(BUSINESS)(Sand & Silicon)(Column)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Dwayne Fatherree When I wrote my despondent capitulation to spam as a way of life several months back, I didn't know how much I had in common with the rest of the world. A new study from the Pew Research Center shows that my...

This unopposed councilman for life must be doing something right.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Jeff Schweers Last month, Gene Gallo gave back all the money he'd raised from his campaign contributors. The four-term Bradenton council member had raised nearly $29,000 but didn't need it. When you're running unopposed,...

Sarasota Opera offers free afternoon opera concerts.(B SECTION)(Column)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Suzanne Marschner The Sarasota Opera is bringing its work outdoors. Beginning Wednesday, the opera will present a series of free outdoor lunchtime concerts in its courtyard. Each concert will feature four singers and a...

Our Community.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Suspicious bar fire under investigation BRADENTON -- West Manatee Fire and Rescue officials are investigating a suspicious fire at the back of Aces Lounge at 4343 Palma Sola Blvd. A passer-by noticed the fire around 4 a.m. Thursday...

Booker sweeps Southeast for district title.(SPORTS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: BRIAN NEWBERRY CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Nothing could faze Booker High Thursday night. Involved in two tight games with the Southeast Seminoles, the Tornadoes dug deep to claim their second consecutive district championship....

List of superintendent candidates whittled; The Sarasota County School Board selects three finalists who will vie for the 39,000-student district's top job.(A SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: PATTY ALLEN-JONES STAFF WRITER Three finalists remain in the running for the Sarasota County schools superintendent. The School Board on Thursday chose superintendents Linda B. Eldridge of Aiken County, S.C., and Gary W....

Island voters concerned with local growth; Candidates give opinions about the future of Bradenton Beach.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: MITRA MALEK mitra.malek@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON BEACH -- Local growth management will be the top concern of voters Tuesday when they elect a mayor and three commissioners. On the ballot are two non-binding questions on...

CLASS 5A- 11 playoff scenario.(SPORTS)
October 31, 2003... * Several scenarios can unfold tonight in the final weekend of play in Class 5A-District 11. LAKEWOOD RANCH The Mustangs must defeat Manatee High to advance to the playoffs. MANATEE If the Hurricanes defeat Lakewood Ranch,...

The environmental equation; EPA's new chief should review the economic benefits of regulation.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
October 31, 2003... During annual meetings of the National Governors Association, Utah's Mike Leavitt was viewed by his peers as one of the best and brightest. Now that the U.S. Senate has approved President Bush's choice of Leavitt to head the U.S....

Avoiding another U.S. 41; Find a way to limit development on State Road 776.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
October 31, 2003... No one wants State Road 776 to become another U.S. 41, with mile after mile of unattractive strip development. Charlotte County is trying to act before it's too late. This week, the county commissioners voted to recognize seven major...

Couple's donation helps kids in public housing play; The equipment includes play houses, swings, slides and climbing nets.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: PATTY ALLEN-JONES patty.allen-jones@heraldtribune.com A new play set in the Bertha Mitchell public housing community serves as the perfect setting for playing house, school, tag and hide-and-go- seek. "It's fun to play in,"...

City owes Sarasota Renaissance residents a little consideration.(B SECTION)(Comment)(Column)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Rod Thomson Gary Majer can look out the large living room windows of his 12th- floor condo at Sarasota Renaissance and take in a beautiful vista of downtown and the expansive Sarasota Bay. But Majer said he wouldn't have...

Obituaries.(B SECTION)(Obituary)
October 31, 2003... SARASOTA COUNTY Joan H. Bennett Joan H. Bennett, 88, Venice, died Oct. 29, 2003. She was born April 17, 1915, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and came to Venice in 1968 from Chicago. She was a former catering manager and...

Indians face challenge in rebounding Rams.(SPORTS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: PERRY D. PENTZ perry.pentz@heraldtribune.com VENICE -- The Venice and Riverview football teams started the season heading in opposite directions. The Indians opened the season with three straight victories, including a win...

Charlotte Symphony: A new season, a new home.(B SECTION)(Column)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Amy Abern A big congratulations to the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra as it opens its 25th season with much to celebrate. For one thing, the premiere concert of the season will be held 7:30 p.m., Nov. 16, in its new home at the new...

North Port names assistant city manager; Henry Lee Jenkins, 51, of Jackson, Mich., has ties to Florida.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: EARLE KIMEL earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com NORTH PORT -- A Michigan civil servant with previous ties to Florida will become North Port's newest assistant city manager Jan. 5. Henry Lee Jenkins, 51, the senior assistant city...

Middleton, Mowery are big winners at CCS.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT PUNTA GORDA -- Jay Middleton, a 19-year-old from Lake City, captured the Florida Pro Late Model 100- lapper, and 24-year-old Billy Mowery of Pinellas Park won the Gulfcoast Triple Classic 75-lapper for Open Wheel...

Salvation Army, church make plans; The charity may open an office at South Biscayne Baptist.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: EARLE KIMEL earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com NORTH PORT -- The South County Salvation Army is working on a plan to open a satellite office at the South Biscayne Baptist Church in North Port. "We're wide open to a partnership...

Tarpons win 1st title; Coach's son leads Charlotte to first-ever state swimming championship.(SPORTS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: PHIL DENIS CORRESPONDENT SEBASTIAN -- They'll forever be known as the "Sensational Six in Sebastian." Four seniors -- Zach Cain, Brandon Edwards, Christian Nielsen and Chris Reichle -- along with sophomore Danny Brancaccio...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... ***** CORRECTION: The following correction was published on Saturday, November 1, 2003: Correction: Because of a reporter's error, the wrong date was published Friday for a Lemon Bay League workshop. The league will hold its third public...

POLICE BLOTTER.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Compiled from Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and Punta Gorda Police Department reports filed through Oct. 30. PUNTA GORDA Harbor Drive, 2200 block, Oct. 29. A safe containing $3,900 in items was reported stolen from a residence....

Losing candidates fault Deep Creek board election.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: JAMIE MANFUSO jamie.manfuso@heraldtribune.com DEEP CREEK -- Candidates for a property owners association board are crying foul after losing an election in which about 500 votes for them weren't counted. Mike Brown, Michael...

Playoff spot on the line for 'Canes, Mustangs.(SPORTS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT BRADENTON -- For Manatee and Lakewood Ranch, all that's left is 48 minutes. When they take the field tonight at Hawkins Stadium, all the hard work and training they put in for the last year will either...

Now solo, guitarist Coco Montoya plays the music he loves.(TICKET)(Review)
October 31, 2003... Byline: STEVE HEISLER CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Soulful vocals wrapped around blistering guitar licks have helped define Coco Montoya's hybridized contemporary blues-rock sound. Indeed, 10 years into his solo career, he's become...

A new way to record life.(BUSINESS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL BRAGA michael.braga@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Best-selling romance novelist Barbara Bretton has been keeping a personal journal since she was 7. Fifteen shelves in her Hillsborough, N.J., home are now dedicated to...

Texas bank eyes move to Manatee, Sarasota.(BUSINESS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: JOHN HIELSCHER john.hielscher@heraldtribune.com A Houston bank that caters to a retiree clientele is scouting for branch sites in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Encore Bank hopes to open a Sarasota office by April and follow...

FBI raids homes of ex-pizza executive; The searches of Thomas N. Burnham's dwellings are prompted by the efforts of two investors.(BUSINESS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL POLLICK michael.pollick@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA COUNTY -- The FBI searched homes owned by entrepreneur Thomas N. Burnham in Sarasota and in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Thursday, looking for financial documents related to his...

Mooney falls shy of title.(SPORTS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: CHRIS DELL CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- The Cardinal Mooney volleyball team didn't get the district championship it wanted, but the Lady Cougars earned a lot of respect. After losing two straight games to powerhouse Tampa...

Playoff race heats up Charlotte County rivalry.(SPORTS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com MURDOCK -- The Charlotte High football team can run its streak of participating in the postseason to 10 years. Port Charlotte can make it to the regional playoffs for the...

Student drug deterrents; Sophomores get insight from jailed peers on consequences of abuse.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINA DeNARDO christina.denardo@heraldtribune.com ***** CORRECTION: The following correction was published on Saturday, November 1, 2003: Correction: * Because of a reporter's error, a story Friday referred to Amity...

Artist has eye for classic design.(B SECTION)(Arts Around Town)(Column)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Francine Milford When Tanis Vardi moved to Venice in 1990, she brought with her an appreciation of classical art. Her father was a renowned dealer in antique English silver on Madison Avenue and 55th Street in New York City. His...

Anglers have one day left to catch spotted seatrout.(SPORTS)(Fishing)(Column)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Steve Gibson Don't forget that spotted seatrout season closes at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and will remain closed through December. Meanwhile, there are plenty of kingfish and Spanish mackerel in the inshore Gulf of Mexico. ...

Hardee rethinks phosphate mining; A policy paper criticizes the industry the rural inland county once warmly embraced.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: VICTOR HULL victor.hull@heraldtribune.com WAUCHULA -- Hardee County, which once embraced phosphate strip mining unconditionally, dramatically distanced itself from the industry Thursday. The County Commission approved a...

QBs get 2 seconds to deliver; Head coach Jon Gruden's offense requires quick-thinking passers who can read a defense and find the the right receiver very quickly.(SPORTS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: TOM BALOG tom.balog@heraldtribune.com TAMPA -- Brad Johnson is as fluid at explaining what he does after dropping back on a pass play as he is deciphering in a matter of seconds where to throw the football. The Buccaneers'...

Fit to be tied; Lightning win streak ends at six games.(SPORTS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: JODY ROYCE jody.royce@heraldtribune.com TAMPA -- It wasn't going to last. Tampa Bay saw its win streak end at six games but not before the Lightning rallied to get the tying goal Thursday night in a 2-2 draw with the San Jose...

POPS @ Sunset concert brings out record crowd.(B SECTION)(In the Loop)(Column)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Ann Henderson It wasn't Halloween yet, but some of the characters who showed up at the POPS @ Sunset concert at Edison Community College looked as if they were ready. More than 3,000 people surrounded the stage on the grounds...

Manta Rays start fast but still lose; Lemon Bay plays Sebring tough for one game, before the Blue Streaks rallied.(SPORTS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: CURTIS WILLIAMS CORRESPONDENT ENGLEWOOD -- Lemon Bay was known for its slow starts during the regular season. That was not the case Thursday night in the Manata Rays Class 4A, District 14 championship match against top-seeded...

Thrills, not chills, at the library.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: SHARYN LONSDALE sharyn.lonsdale@heraldtribune.com What better way to get ready for Halloween than a night of scary stories? How about a night of "not-so-scary" stories? That's how librarian Cris Walton described Wednesday...

Gunman threatens woman, takes cash; The man accosted a mother walking with her 3-year-old daughter.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: TOM KIM tom.kim@heraldtribune.com BRADENTON -- Bonnie Rosenthal was walking her 3-year-old daughter home from the post office Thursday morning when she felt the barrel of a gun pressed against her head. "Give me your...

The OK Blues.(TICKET)(Admit One)(Column)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Joel Welin SARASOTA -- Eighth-grader Eric Steckel seems to be an OK kind of guy. He plays golf. He likes it OK. He attends Salisbury Middle School in eastern Pennsylvania. School's all right. He likes baseball OK, but he's...

Students weather simulated hurricane.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: STAFF REPORT PALMETTO -- For Emily Abbott, the best part about Thursday's Hurricane Day at Lincoln Middle School was seeing firefighters saw away at a station wagon to free a teacher. "It was real cool," the 12-year-old...

Business Buzz.(BUSINESS)
October 31, 2003... YPG schedules social Nov. 6 at opera house The Young Professional Group of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce has scheduled its "Nighttime Social" for Nov. 6 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Sarasota Opera House. The networking...

Liberace, comedies, art and more.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Liberace and Peggy Lee The Venice Little Theatre Guild and the Fletcher MusiClub present "Liberace & Peggy Lee Live Again!" Professional gospel singer and recording artist Kathy Kackonic will perform some of Peggy Lee's hit songs,...

Performing preserves Sharon Scott's sense of peace.(TICKET)
October 31, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINE HAWES CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- The faces of Sharon Scott that many Sarasotans see are the ones that are full of confidence and power, the ones belting blues and jazz standards, or playing historic or complex theater...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Accident victim, 3, was unrestrained SARASOTA -- A 3-year-old Sarasota boy who died Tuesday afternoon after he was ejected from a sport utility vehicle during a car accident in Newtown was not restrained in the vehicle, police said. ...

Schedule of local Halloween events.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Public Halloween events scheduled for today in South County include: Pumpkin patches * Grace United Methodist Church, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., 400 E. Field Ave., Venice. Pumpkins, cookbooks, gourds, baked goods and crafts. 493-5173. ...

Skate away, as groovy ghoulie parties proliferate.(TICKET)(The Noise Ordinance)(Column)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Dawn E. Scire Happy Halloween, All Hallows Eve and Samhain (pronounced "sow-en," ye non-Celts), the original end-of-summer holiday morphed into "dress-up" among "living dead things" at innumerable parties. One surprising...

Local snapshots; Brief comments on life and times in our communities.(A SECTION)(Editorial)
October 31, 2003... Partners in preservation Future generations undoubtedly will appreciate a wild, 3,600-acre tract east of the Myakka River in southern Sarasota County. That land, just north of North Port, would have been developed eventually if steps...

Caregiver accused of leaving disabled man in locked room.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: JENNY LEE ALLEN jenny.allen@heraldtribune.com DEEP CREEK -- A caregiver is under arrest after authorities say he left a disabled man in a dirty diaper locked inside a house. Anthony Dumay Smith, 1400 Oriel Court, told...

Venice sweeps Charlotte for district title.(SPORTS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: PERRY D. PENTZ perry.pentz@heraldtribune.com LAKEWOOD RANCH -- For the third time in four years and eighth out of the last 10 years, Venice coach Brian Wheatley and the Lady Indians got to raise the district championship trophy...

Ex-detective is seeking dismissal of indictment; Wyatt Henderson says the grand jury wasn't representational.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Byline: JENNY LEE ALLEN and MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA STAFF WRITERS FORT MYERS -- A former Charlotte County sheriff's detective accused of pistol-whipping a teenage drug suspect during an arrest wants the grand jury's indictment dismissed....

DeSoto captures 8th title.(SPORTS)
October 31, 2003... Byline: DENNIS MAFFEZZOLI dennis.maffezzoli@heraldtribune.com ARCADIA -- Playing in front of a sparse gathering in a cavernous gymnasium, the DeSoto County High volleyball team needed some inspiration and encouragement to get up for its...

Blues bandleader Mayall finds light shining on career.(TICKET)(Review)
October 31, 2003... Byline: PHILIP BOOTH CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- John Mayall often is saluted as the founder and leader of the world's greatest blues-rock finishing school, a place where Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and several other major artists polished...

News Updates.(B SECTION)
October 31, 2003... Separate accidents on I-75 injure 2 men CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- Two unrelated vehicle crashes in the northbound lanes of Interstate 75 sent two men to hospitals Thursday, the Florida Highway Patrol reported. Joel C. Herrera was just...

'Bear' is beautiful, but still, we're not all in the family.(TICKET)(Review)
October 31, 2003... Byline: GEORGE MEYER CORRESPONDENT "Brother Bear" represents a truly weird twist on the variety of animal-human themes represented by Disney films. After decades of movies demonstrating that animals are lovable, similar to humans...

CycleFest moveable fun feast.(TICKET)
October 31, 2003... Byline: STEVE HEISLER CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- As the Gulf Coast CycleFest enters its 20th-plus year -- assistant chairman Dick Sanks can't say for sure -- more than 400 riders are expected to take part in an event the current issue of...

Treats (and tricks) from Hollywood's goody bag.(TICKET)(Primal Screen)(Column)
October 31, 2003... Byline: Amanda Schurr "Animal House's" Dean Vernon Wormer said it best: "Every Halloween, the trees are filled with underwear. Every spring, the toilets explode." It's not Shakespeare, but the party-pooping dean was onto something....

Little things mean a lot in 'The Human Stain'.(TICKET)(Review)
October 31, 2003... Byline: PHILIP BOOTH CORRESPONDENT A small word, innocently dropped and perhaps intentionally misunderstood, explodes in a climate of oppressive, ultimately misguided, political correctness, nuking the career and legacy of an esteemed...

Latry's pipe-organ recital scales heights.(TICKET)(Review)
October 31, 2003... Byline: RICHARD STORM CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Young and perky, Olivier Latry brought French flair to his Sarasota concert Tuesday. As an organist at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, and in tours, Latry has built a reputation...

Reading Festival includes authors, discussions, more.(TICKET)
October 31, 2003... Byline: SUSAN RIFE susan.rife@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Free books for kids, the chance to meet best-selling authors of fiction and nonfiction, and a panel discussion on the First Amendment post-9/11 are among the highlights of...

'In the Cut' will bleed you dry, all for naught.(TICKET)(Review)
October 31, 2003... Byline: PHILIP BOOTH CORRESPONDENT If Jane Campion had succeeded with her apparent mission for "In the Cut" -- that of creating a hallucinatory, frightening urban crime thriller with a sexy edge -- then the results might best be...

CBS focuses its eye on 75 years; of broadcasting.(TICKET)
October 31, 2003... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com Imagine the dilemma facing the producers of Sunday's "CBS at 75" special. Where do they start to celebrate the network's history? What do they leave out? Which stars get top...

Ichiban's split personality defines it.(TICKET)(Review)
October 31, 2003... Byline: JACK WINNER CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Although not as numerous as Chinese and Thai establishments, Japanese restaurants are becoming more of a feature of the regional culinary landscape. One of the newer ones in Sarasota is...

Pieces of 'Pieces of April' are OK.(TICKET)(Review)
October 31, 2003... Byline: GEORGE MEYER CORRESPONDENT April Burns has issues with her family. So, after a few years' estrangement, she decides to invite them over to Thanksgiving dinner. Thus, the movie "Pieces of April" divides itself into two parts:...

Tragedy and redemption shadow O'Neill's 'Moon'.(TICKET)(Review)
October 31, 2003... Byline: JAY HANDELMAN jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com ST. PETERSBURG -- Although it travels into what director Todd Olson calls "the dark places," Eugene O'Neill's "A Moon for the Misbegotten" is primarily a love story with a timely...

FST cabaret heats up with Porter tribute.(TICKET)(Review)
October 31, 2003... Byline: CHARLIE HUISKING charlie.huisking@heraldtribune.com SARASOTA -- Cole Porter's music usually calls to mind images of tuxedo-clad men dancing gracefully with elegant women in an Art Deco nightspot, as champagne corks pop in the...

Go! Goddess gamers join in WOW fest.(TICKET)
October 31, 2003... Byline: CHRISTINE HAWES CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- When Elaine Kemp says she wants Southwest Florida's women to "come play with us" at Saturday's Women of Worth celebration, she really means it. The game is called the Go! Goddess...

Fund-raiser a joke for school.(H-T EAST)
October 30, 2003... Byline: TIFFANY LANKES tiffany.lankes@heraldtribune.com EAST MANATEE -- When Craig Harrison called to see how much Diane Ford charged to perform, he shouldn't have been surprised the comedian responded with a joke. "She said, 'You...

Cornerbacks key to win over Immokalee.(H-T ENGLEWOOD)(PLAYING THE FIELD)(Column)
October 30, 2003... Byline: Alan Dell Lemon Bay High School's victory over Immokalee last Friday was the football team's most important win of the season, bigger than the district-clinching triumph over Riverdale and the victory over arch rival Port...

BRIEFS.(B SECTION)
October 30, 2003... Tennis league to play at Rotonda park ROTONDA WEST -- Anyone interested in playing tennis at Rotonda Community Park is invited to an organizational meeting at 9 a.m. Saturday at the park, 100 Rotonda Blvd. E. Registration is also accepted...