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Sarasota | Opinion

  • By Jeffrey Oldenburg and Peggy Benzinger
  • May 26, 2011
MY VIEW: Redeeming North Trail

As we have been working to help revitalize blighted areas in Sarasota (the Rosemary District, Gillespie Park and North Tamiami Trail) for the last 18 years, we share your editorial writer's frustration ("North Trail hypocrisy") in that no seated City Commission in the last 30 years has contributed anything really significant to the revitalization of the North Trail.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 25, 2011
OUR VIEW: Keep the Promise for Israel

To understand why the Observer Group newspapers have always been strong supporters of Israel - and find deep fault with President Obama's Middle East speech last week - we have to go as far back into the written record of history as possible.

  • East County
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 19, 2011
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Willie Shaw should heed editorial advice.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 18, 2011
OUR VIEW: Fixing a broken system

Florida's economic development system has long been a bust, plagued by excessive bureaucracy, ponderously slow and inefficient with multiple state departments involved.

  • East County
  • Opinion
  • By Rod Thomson
  • May 18, 2011
MY VIEW: Turn off the TV. Quick!

TV and the rest of Digital Land that we use to watch videos are making us fat, lazy, dumb and horrible citizens.

  • East County
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 12, 2011
Our View: Right turns in the Legislature

Gov. Rick Scott, a Tallahassee outsider despised in the media and willing to take unpopular stands on principle, had a surprising amount of success during his first legislative session as governor.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 5, 2011
OUR VIEW: Newtown needs fresh leaders

Newtown is a community black eye that Sarasota leaders have been trying feverishly to put mascara over to protect the important tourism industry. That effort will be successful, and Sarasota and her beaches, golf courses and snowbird industries will recover. Memories are often short.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
Charles Hewett, executive vice president and chief operating officer of The Jackson Laboratory, stands at the proposed site of research lab in eastern Collier County last summer before the institute abandoned the project at the end of 2010.
  • By Carolann Cahill and Jim Lampl
  • May 5, 2011
MY VIEW: Go slow on Jackson Lab

The non-profit Jackson Laboratory has a solid reputation in its field and a demonstrated track record of success in securing public funding. But that does not justify Sarasota County jumping on the Jackson Lab bandwagon heading our way.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 28, 2011
Sarasota: Letters to the Editor

Scott's low polls reflect back policies; Separate church and state, not God and state; Money shift to Orioles is a disgraceful act

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 28, 2011
OUR VIEW: North Trail hypocrisy

The politicians on the Sarasota City Commission talk a good talk about redeveloping North Trail.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 28, 2011
OUR VIEW: Scaring Voters

When rational discourse fails to win the day politically, sometimes all that is left is hyperbolic scare tactics.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 28, 2011
GOVERNMENT GONE WILD

Blaise Ingoglia is traveling the country spreading the word on just how big and bad the United States' debt is.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 21, 2011
Letters to the Editor

Editorial spells out insanity on federal spending; Legislature and county not guarding house values

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 21, 2011
OUR VIEW: Scandal reveals lack of oversight

For a long time Sarasota County had a decent reputation for being well managed. But the unfolding procurement bribery scandal that started with the arrest of a county manager last month certainly has tarnished that view.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 21, 2011
OUR VIEW: Caution with meter expansion

The city of Sarasota began installing parking meters in lower downtown last week. Let's hope it is not a mistake.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
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