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Sarasota | Opinion

Famous rock stars, actors and writers have chosen Sarasota as a retirement destination, but a few celebrities — such as daredevil Nik Wallenda — hail from the Gulf Coast region 'where urban amenities meet small-town living.'
    By
  • Alex Mahadevan
  • August 9, 2013
FRIDAY FIVE: Celebrities born in Sarasota

Famous rock stars, actors and writers have chosen Sarasota as a retirement destination, but quite a few celebrities hail from the Gulf Coast region 'where urban amenities meet small-town living.'

  • Sarasota
  • Neighbors
The Iwo Jima statue
  • By Harold Ronson
  • August 8, 2013
My take on why the Iwo Jima statue effort had to be abandoned

I am the veteran of the Iwo campaign who proposed donating the Iwo Jima statue to Sarasota. And I want to thank the Observer newspapers for your generous and thoughtful coverage of that effort, and make clear why it had to be abandoned.

  • Longboat Key
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • August 8, 2013
OUR VIEW: How districts compare

Everyone likes to see how he compares to his peers. That's especially so in education. It's no mystery, then, why consumers see so many publications produce national rankings of colleges and universities.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
  • By Jorge Blanco
  • August 1, 2013
Castaway

Enjoy this week's Castaway cartoon.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • August 1, 2013
Our View: Disservice to taxpayers

Most everything legislators do is well intentioned. They get gold stars for that.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • August 1, 2013
Our View: Disservice to taxpayers

Most everything legislators do is well intentioned.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • August 1, 2013
Letters to the Editor

Although the "spin doctor" term is sometimes used by individuals less familiar with the profession, I would not expect our public officials to use it and certainly not in such a public way

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • July 25, 2013
OUR VIEW: 'Tis the season: for tax rates

It's that time of year. It's that time of year. All of our taxing authorities are in the midst of budgeting for next year. And for taxpayers, it's easy to get a bad case of 'MEGO' - 'My Eyes Glaze Over' - when all of the news reports come out about proposed millage rates (aka property-tax rates).

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • July 25, 2013
Letters to the Editor: Patriotism is dying

To have the city of Sarasota art snobs turn down the Iwo Jima statue is a lesson in what really matters to this town's leaders.

  • Sarasota
  • News
  • By Jorge Blanco
  • July 24, 2013
Castaway

Read this week's Castaway cartoon.

  • Longboat Key
  • Opinion
Dogs enjoy the surf at Brohard Paw Park Beach in Venice.
    By
  • Alex Mahadevan
  • July 19, 2013
FRIDAY FIVE: Places to bond with man's best friend

Break free from the old routine, and take your dog (or dogs) for more than just a walk at these five fun places to play with fido.

  • Sarasota
  • Neighbors
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • July 18, 2013
OUR VIEW: The high cost of police

As of Tuesday and Wednesday, when the Sarasota City Commission resumed its budget discussions, commissioners faced a projected $2.54 million budget shortfall for the upcoming 2013-2014 fiscal year, beginning Oct. 1.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
Rodger Skidmore
  • By Rodger Skidmore
  • July 18, 2013
MY VIEW: 'Depiction' is key before placement of statue

The raising of the flag on Iwo Jima means different things to different people - usually based on different sets of "facts" - so real knowledge of history is important.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
Iwo Jima veteran Harold Ronson, left: Should he give up? Sarasota Public Art Fund founder Thomas Savage, right: “You can’t fight City Hall” in Sarasota.
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • July 11, 2013
Give up? They didn't at Iwo

What does it say about a community whose behind-the-scenes City Hall manipulators scotch an effort to bring to Sarasota's bayfront one of the greatest American icons depicting one of the greatest moments in American history?

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
Minister Joel Osteen, left, leads Nik Wallenda and his family in prayer minutes before the Grand Canyon walk. (Photo from Salon.com)
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • June 27, 2013
Our View: Down with DOMA

We are all likely to drown over the next few days in the news and commentaries on the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act. The court said it was unconstitutional. This is likely to become our next Roe v. Wade.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
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