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Your Observer

    By
  • Jessica Salmond
  • January 20, 2016
McNeal Elementary ESOL program helps students learn English

From Hungarian to Portuguese, Kelly Smart helps students of all languages succeed.

  • East County
  • Schools
Kolbie Ward scored 31 points for ODA in its victory against Sarasota Christian Jan. 19.
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • January 20, 2016
Thunder holds off Blazers

The ODA boys basketball team beat Sarasota Christian Jan. 19.

  • East County
  • Sports
Lakewood Ranch junior defender Tyler Puhalovich attempts to push the ball past Sarasota's Kerrington Anders.
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • January 20, 2016
Mustangs advance to final

The Lakewood Ranch boys soccer team beat Sarasota 4-1 Jan. 19.

  • East County
  • Sports
The Longboat Key Town Commission is committed to holding a referendum on March 15 to ask voters to issue bonds for a $23.85 million neighborhood project to bury power lines island-wide.
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • January 20, 2016
Neighborhood undergrounding project is down to the wire

Town Manager Dave Bullock and staff will continue to vet neighborhood undergrounding project concerns until Feb. 15, leaving just one month for public education before the March 15 ballot.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Kurt Schultheis Sleepy Lagoon residents survey the area Jan. 17, after feeling the storms early that morning.
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • January 20, 2016
Tornado spares 'Lucky Longboat'

Tornadoes swept through Sarasota and Manatee counties, leaving Longboat on high alert but without major damage.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Braden River second baseman Brian Dillingham, pictured with assistant coach Matt Bowling and head coach Craig Page, signed with the State College of Florida Jan. 15.
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • January 20, 2016
Hit or Miss: Jen Blanco

Summerfield resident goes long way to offer incentive

  • East County
  • Sports
Jared Vargas plays letter bingo during his ESOL lab.
    By
  • Jessica Salmond
  • January 20, 2016
Different road to education

McNeal Elementary helps to clear obstacles for migrant students.

  • East County
  • News
    By
  • Jessica Salmond
  • January 20, 2016
Cops Corner 1.21.2016

Crime reports from around the area.

  • East County
  • Cops Corner
Enjoy this week's edition of Cops Corner.
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • January 20, 2016
Cops Corner: Longboat Key 1.21.16

Enjoy this week's edition of Cops Corner.

  • Longboat Key
  • Cops Corner
The Pilates “scissors” exercise, from the front: Ginny Walder, Joan Elder and, legs only, Sharon Burde, Genie Sundquist and Peggy Keefe.
    By
  • Molly Schechter
  • January 20, 2016
Fitness 2016: An abundance of options and LBK’s first yoga studio

The new year brings new fitness opportunities to Longboat Key fitness enthusiasts.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
The Longbeach Village’s first three captured peacocks look out from their holding cell: a cage in a truck that’s bound for a refuge center in eastern Manatee County. They’ll spend 90 days at the refuge center before they’re permanently relocated.
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • January 20, 2016
Jailbirds: Peacock removal begins in the Village

These three suspects are behind bars and are no longer considered a flight risk. But how many of their bird brethren still roam the streets of the Village?

  • Longboat Key
  • News
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • January 20, 2016
Briefs: Longboat Key 1.21.16

Town to investigate Emerald Harbor Drive issues; Beach project receives reimbursement; Firefighters offer free CPR training course

  • Longboat Key
  • News
North end Longboat Key resident Gianna Sparks, 13, gets on the bus every school day at the intersection of Broadway and Gulf of Mexico Drvie for a 30-minute ride to King Middle School in northwest Bradenton.
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • January 20, 2016
The $33.07 million lesson

With just 86 students enrolled in Sarasota and Manatee county schools, Longboat Key taxpayers pay a hefty bill for education.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
(CONTRIBUTED) Caroline Odell playing flute for the marching band in Peach Bowl competition.
    By
  • Amanda Sebastiano
  • January 20, 2016
Lakewood Ranch High bands enjoy winning streak

Among its lengthy list of accomplishments in 2015, the LRHS band is invited to play at the Presidential Inauguration in 2017.

  • East County
  • Neighbors
Anneliese Pruim, Elliot Santaella and Phoebe Bond-Abraham learn about the spine.
    By
  • Amanda Sebastiano
  • January 20, 2016
Nolan Middle students prepare for HOSA competition

Students hope to advance to nationals — an opportunity never before offered to middle schoolers.

  • East County
  • News
Volunteers of American Red Cross of Southwest Florida, which serves Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee and Sarasota counties, banned together for disaster relief after a tornado hit last weekend.
    By
  • Amanda Sebastiano
  • January 20, 2016
Your Town

East County volunteers with American Red Cross ban together after tornado hit Siesta Key; Lakewood Ranch High students craft bucket lists

  • East County
  • Neighbors
Vik Muniz
    By
  • Kristen Herhold
  • January 20, 2016
LBKCA plots new film series

The Longboat Key Center for the Arts will host a film series beginning Jan. 20.

  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
    By
  • Kristen Herhold
  • January 20, 2016
Your Calendar

Check out upcoming events on Longboat Key and surrounding areas.

  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • January 20, 2016
Longboat Key kettle is a top earner again

The Longboat Key Salvation Army kettle received $11,288.99 in 2015.

  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
Betty Johnson with her new Jaguar XJL
    By
  • Kristen Herhold
  • January 20, 2016
Betty Johnson gets a new set of wheels

Longboat Key resident Betty Johnson, 90, purchased her fourth Jaguar recently from Wilde Jaguar of Sarasota.

  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • January 20, 2016
OBITUARY | Robert Thomas

Robert Barry Thomas, of Sarasota and formerly of Longboat Key, died Dec. 23.

  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • January 20, 2016
OBITUARY | Laura Duncan Hansen

Laura Duncan Hansen, 83, died Jan. 7.

  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
The Unit 211 condominium at 350 Gulf of Mexico Drive has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,394 square feet of living area.
    By
  • Adam Hughes
  • January 20, 2016
Tangerine Bay Club condo sells for $815,000.

The Unit 211 condominium at 350 Gulf of Mexico Drive has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,394 square feet of living area.

  • Longboat Key
  • Real Estate
    By
  • Kristen Herhold
  • January 20, 2016
All in the Family: Longboat Key's parent-child real estate teams

Meet Longboat's Realtors who have followed in the footsteps of their parents.

  • Longboat Key
  • Real Estate
    By
  • Pam Eubanks
  • January 20, 2016
Premier Sports kicks it up

SMR cancelled its Winterfest concert because of construction on permanent facilities.

  • East County
  • News
Patrons visit Detwiler's Farm Market, located at the southeast corner of Lockwood Ridge Road and University Parkway, for fresh produce, Amish products and other specialty items.
    By
  • Pam Eubanks
  • January 20, 2016
In the bag: A new grocer at UTC

Residents offer mixed feedback on whether they would use such a store.

  • East County
  • News
    By
  • Adam Hughes
  • January 20, 2016
New Concession home sells for $1.1 million

Residential real estate transactions from Jan. 4-8

  • East County
  • Real Estate
    By
  • Kristen Herhold
  • January 19, 2016
Republican Club discusses U.S. foreign policy

The Republican Club of Longboat Key held its first meeting of 2016 Jan. 19, at Longboat Key Club.

  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
Sarasota Christian's Trey Lantz sends a header back toward the midfield.
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • January 19, 2016
Blazers season ends in shutout

The Sarasota Christian boys soccer team fell to St. Stephen's 11-0 Jan. 19.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
The City Commission last considered implementing paid parking in 2013 — when the city approved, then retracted, a charge for parking in the downtown garages.
    By
  • David Conway
  • January 19, 2016
Downtown Improvement District endorses on-street paid parking

The group criticized the city’s current approach to parking management, calling for the implementation of a comprehensive plan that charges for the use of premium spaces.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Manatee County School District staff and school board members ask questions about the Long Range Master Plan.
    By
  • Amanda Sebastiano
  • January 19, 2016
Manatee County School Board reviews Long Range Master Plan

East County definitely needs a new middle school, will likely need new high school.

  • East County
  • News
    By
  • Jack Short
  • January 19, 2016
Images from the tornado's path

The 1.14-mile track of the storm saw at least $12 million in damages.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Pond 46, located behind a cul-de-sac, doesn't function as a proper drainage pond, and collects scum, debris and trash from Tara Boulevard.
    By
  • Jessica Salmond
  • January 19, 2016
Tara Preserve CDD moves forward on filling nuisance pond

The board approved an expenditure to start the process.

  • East County
  • News
Michael Eisner addresses guests at the luncheon following the lecture Tuesday, Jan. 19 at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.
    By
  • Amanda Morales
  • January 19, 2016
Eisner talks success in entertainment industry

Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner is the featured guest for the start of the Ringling College Library Association Town Hall 2016 lecture series.

  • Sarasota
  • News
    By
  • Jen Blanco
  • January 19, 2016
Foster powers Booker to victory

The Booker High girls basketball team beat Riverview 54-47 Jan. 18.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Residents that both support and oppose the project are expected to pack the commission chamber again today to voice their opinion on a neighborhood undergrounding project.
    By
  • Kurt Schultheis
  • January 19, 2016
Crowd anticipated for undergrounding discussion today

The Longboat Key Town Commission will hold another referendum discussion to bury power lines in neighborhoods and side streets today at Town Hall.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
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Sarasota Art Museum Senior Curator Rangsook Yoon poses in front of an unnamed piece in Judy Pfaff's exhibition, "Picking Up the Pieces."
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The Citizen Tax Oversight Committee meets once a year to review expenditures of revenue brought in from the infrastructure surtax. The 2026 meeting lasted about 15 minutes on Thursday, April 2.
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Bella Toscano is one of two Mustangs, as of April 3, hitting over .450, but also boasts the lowest ERA among her teammates.
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