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Your Observer

Walmart Manager Glen Goodfellow is excited to welcome customers to the chain’s newest East County location.
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • April 4, 2012
Walmart preps for opening

The East County's newest Walmart store, located on Ranch Lake Boulevard, will officially opens its doors April 11.

  • East County
  • News
Lakewood Ranch resident Ken Chamberlin has spoken to 10 Titanic survivors throughout his research.
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • April 4, 2012
Tales from the Titanic

Lakewood Ranch resident Ken Chamberlin will give an informative presentation on the Titanic during Sarasota Baptist Church's "A Night on the Titanic" April 13.

  • East County
  • News
Katina Frierson and a team of other professionals left March 26 for a monthlong vocational exchange in Korea.
    By
  • Pam Eubanks
  • April 4, 2012
Lakewood Ranch Rotary sponsors exchange traveler

Katina Frierson, who works at Family Home Health Services, will spend a month in South Korea through the Group Study Exchange program of Rotary International.

  • East County
  • News
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 4, 2012
News Briefs

SMART hosts grand opening; Premier Sotheby's opens Ranch office; Tara Elementary wins $4,000 grant

  • East County
  • News
Lakewood Ranch senior TJ Bridges and Bashaw Elementary kindergartner McKenzie Goodman share a laugh while working on a monkey puppet.
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • April 4, 2012
Seniors share stories, time with Bashaw students

Nearly 200 Lakewood Ranch High seniors shared the gift of literacy with students at Bashaw Elementary during the 20th annual Winnie the Pooh and Shakespeare, Too March 23.

  • East County
  • News
Lynne Dowd founded Cleaning Butlers International in 2009. A franchise-based cleaning service firm, it had $1.1 million in 2011 revenues, up 47% from $750,000 in 2010. Photo by Rod Millington.
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • April 4, 2012
Clean Up: Sweep Success

The term recession-resistant has a penchant to lean toward hyperbole. But one Ranch firm really found resiliency in an industry - office space - that certainly hasn't resisted the recession.

  • East County
  • News
Read this week's Cops Corner.
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 4, 2012
Cops Corner: East County

Enjoy this week's edition of Cops Corner.

  • East County
  • Cops Corner
  • By Jorge Blanco
  • April 4, 2012
Castaway

Enjoy this week's Castaway cartoon.

  • Longboat Key
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 4, 2012
Letters to the Editor

April Fools sent us a lot of letters to the editor. Enjoy them all!

  • East County
  • Opinion
    By
  • Michael Eng
  • April 4, 2012
Observed: Spoofs prove power of the pen

When I sat down next to Preston Olinger at last week's Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch meeting, he didn't look happy.

  • East County
  • Opinion
  • By Bob Salyers
  • April 4, 2012
Love is in the air out east

'Love is in the Air' is a 1977 disco song by John Paul Young, and that silly song was all I could think of on my last Photo-Boat outing on the Manatee River. On Fridays and Saturdays during the wild bird-breeding season, I run a charter service aboard the Photo-Boat for photographers in Manatee County.

  • East County
  • Neighbors
Brooks Norton says the pain disappears when he is on the mound.
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • April 4, 2012
Braden River High pitcher defies odds

After suffering from vertical talus his entire life, Braden River High junior Brooks Norton learned how to pitch rather than foregoing his baseball career.

  • East County
  • Sports
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • April 4, 2012
Comment: Mustangs runners continue to dominate

Every so often, a team comes along that continues to impress us with their talent, toughness and tenacity.

  • East County
  • Sports
Jacob Eyre
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 4, 2012
Observer Team Spotlight

Meet our Miss Manatee Softball and our Lakewood Ranch Little League Observer Team spotlight features.

  • East County
  • Sports
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 4, 2012
SIDELINES

Pair of EMB teams earn wins; Lady Thunder wrap up with wins

  • East County
  • Sports
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 4, 2012
Hillcroft bests M&I Wealth Management/Wildcat in tourney

Hillcroft defeated M&I Wealth Management/Wildcat to win the USPA Robert A. Uihlein Jr. Memorial 14-goal tournament April 1.

  • East County
  • Sports
Desmond Lindsay is one of the key players on the Thunder's young baseball team. File photo
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • April 4, 2012
Thunder bounce back after back-to-back losses

However, with only two losses, The Out-of-Door Academy baseball team still controls its own destiny.

  • East County
  • Sports
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • April 4, 2012
Athlete of the Week: Chad Rex

Lakewood Ranch freshman Chad Rex threw three touchdowns and rushed for another to help lead the East Manatee Bulldogs Red Panther team to a 32-0 victory over the Seminoles in its season opener March 24.

  • East County
  • Sports
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • April 4, 2012
Bowden to speak at annual Gulf Coast FCA banquet

Former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden will be the featured guest speaker at the Gulf Coast Florida Fellowship of Christian Athletes Annual Spring Banquet April 16.

  • East County
  • Sports
    By
  • Pam Eubanks
  • April 4, 2012
Neighbors: Vince Vizzaccaro

After six years of writing, the Lakewood Ranch resident has released his first novel.

  • East County
  • Neighbors
Neal Communities' Starlight at Woodbrook won six awards.
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 4, 2012
BUSINESS OBSERVER

The Home Builders Association Manatee-Sarasota announced recently winners of the 2012 Parade of Homes, which ran Feb. 16 through March 4.

  • East County
  • News
This Country Club of Lakewood Ranch home, which has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,515 square feet of living area, sold for $619,000. Photo by Jen Blanco.
    By
  • Adam Hughes
  • April 4, 2012
Lakewood Ranch home tops weekly sales

A home in the Country Club of Lakewood Ranch tops all transactions in this week's real estate. Vito Bavaro, Bradenton, sold his home at 6810 Dominion Lane to Thomas and Laura Stavola, Bradenton, for $619,000.

  • East County
  • Real Estate
Barbara Birkenberger took this sunset photo in River Landings Bluff.
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 4, 2012
Cool Today Weather Photo Contest Winner

Barbara Birkenberger took this sunset photo in River Landings Bluff.

  • East County
  • Neighbors
Old school Coca-Cola glasses outfitted with flowers and straws posed as centerpieces.
    By
  • Black Tie Staff
  • April 3, 2012
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe April Fools Luncheon

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe April Fools Luncheon

  • Black Tie
Join Emily Walsh for the Observer Daily Headlines. Image shown will not play video.
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • April 3, 2012
April 3: Daily Headlines Video

Join us as we observe and report today's stories from Longboat Key, East County, Sarasota, and Siesta Key.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office has arrested Sarasota resident Jason Flores, 20, in connection with a string of vehicle burglaries that occurred Monday morning.
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • April 3, 2012
Sheriff's Office charges Sarasota resident with burglary

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office charged a man with burglary after four cars within 200 feet of each other were broken into.

  • Siesta Key
  • News
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • April 3, 2012
Sarasota County health ranking reaches No. 3

Sarasota County ranked third out of 67 Florida counties in an annual health ranking.

  • Sarasota
  • News
    By
  • Robin Hartill
  • April 3, 2012
Wireless surveys due tomorrow

Wednesday, April 4 is the deadline to complete a wireless-communications survey that seeks input about Key-wide experiences.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Dancers perform “Ideological Supervision”, choreographed by Melissa Lodhi.
    By
  • Rachel S. OHara
  • April 3, 2012
PHOTO GALLERY: VPA Spring Dance Performance

Booker High School's VPA Dance program put on their Spring Dance Performance, Thursday, March 29, inside Booker High School Auditorium. The show ran Thursday, Friday and Saturday and included nine pieces, two of which were choreographed by VPA students.

  • Sarasota
  • Neighbors
In his free time, Jim Wilson enjoys biking, cooking, cruising and watching the Philadelphia Eagles play.
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • April 3, 2012
In the Public Eye: Jim Wilson

Jim Wilson has been the CEO of the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center since 2008.

  • East County
  • News
Patrick Neal and Lourdes Ramirez
    By
  • Nick Friedman
  • April 3, 2012
PHOTO GALLERY: Control Growth Now Luncheon

Control Growth Now held its annual meeting and luncheon Saturday, March 31, during which, it honored Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations president Lourdes Ramirez as the Citizen of the Year. The meeting marked the 23rd anniversary of Control Growth Now, a civic organization dedicated to protecting and advancing Sarasota neighborhoods.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Howard Armbrust, Ruth Kreindler, Diana Armbrust and Richard O’Reilly
    By
  • Black Tie Staff
  • April 2, 2012
Starry Night Dinner Celebration

Starry Night Dinner Celebration

  • Black Tie
The building formerly occupied by Mattison's Steakhouse at the Plaza is located at 545 Bay Isles Road.
    By
  • Robin Hartill
  • April 2, 2012
Commission approves Rooks property site plan

The commission approved a request from W. Howard Rooks to allow him to maintain the existing building formerly occupied by Mattison's.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Benches in Selby Five Points Park were removed last year.
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • April 2, 2012
Benches not coming back to Selby Five Points Park

Sarasota city commissioners voted unanimously not to bring benches back to Selby Five Points Park.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Former Lakewood Ranch High pitcher Brett Hanewich has thrown a no-hitter this season and is committed to Stanford.
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • April 2, 2012
IMG players win All-American honors

Seven IMG Academy students recently received Perfect Game Underclass All-American Honors, including three East County residents.

  • East County
  • Sports
The Sarasota Crew will compete in upcoming championships April 14 and April 15.
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • April 2, 2012
Sarasota Crew rows to victory

The Sarasota Crew walked away with seven first-place finishes at the Sarasota Crew, Winter Park High and Lake Brantley High Tri-Meet March 31.

  • East County
  • Sports
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