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Results for:

Vance Freeman became the 10th different state champion in Sarasota boys weightlifting program history May 7. The senior hit all three of his lifts in the bench press to secure gold.
  • By Jack Nelson |
  • May 14, 2026
Sarasota High lifter crowned at state championship

Vance Freeman won an individual state title to conclude his high school weightlifting career with the Sailors.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Il Panificio is now open at 1995 Main St. in Sarasota.
  • By Elizabeth King |
  • May 9, 2026
Il Panificio opens new downtown Sarasota restaurant

The pizza restaurant now has two locations on Main Street and one on Siesta Key.

  • Arts + Entertainment
  • Eat + Drink
Parker Hippich, 12 months, gets a lift from mom, Tessa Hippich, during Petals and Poses on Saturday at Waterside Place.
  • By Jay Heater |
  • May 10, 2026
All about the mothers at special event in Lakewood Ranch

Petals and Poses honored the area's moms while raising funds for the Mothers Helping Mothers nonprofit.

  • East County
  • Neighbors
Thundercloud Ranch is one of two conservation easements Manatee County purchased Jan. 27.
  • By Lesley Dwyer |
  • February 4, 2026
Manatee County purchases two easements, conserves nearly 1,500 acres

Conservation easements will protect two Manatee County ranches from future development.

  • East County
  • News
Amanda Parrish is serving as the EDC's interim CEO, and Elizabeth Cordes is the director of business recruitment and expansion.
  • By Elizabeth King |
  • April 10, 2026
Manatee County Commission changes course on Bradenton EDC

Commissioners chose to partner with the EDC and approved a $292,450 annual contract.

  • East County
  • News
Sophia Wiley makes her way down the row to shake hands after she receives her Lakewood Ranch High School diploma at Lecom Park May 18.
  • By Madison Bierl |
  • May 19, 2026
Lakewood Ranch High graduates eager for what's ahead

LRHS graduation

  • East County
  • Schools
Work is underway at 28 N. Boulevard of the Presidents in the first phase of Tom Leonard’s plan to bring the Shore Restaurant back to St. Armands Circle.
  • By S.T. Cardinal |
  • May 18, 2026
Shore’s return to St. Armands underway with gutting of building

Whether hotel units are included in the buildout is contingent on city approval, but Tom Leonard is making his case early.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Artist Cheryl Moody, who participated in Artists in the Garden earlier this month, joins the local creators showcasing their work at the 10th annual artists' reception and exhibition at Longboat's Town Hall on April 23. The display of works by the featured artists will be up and open for purchases until June.
  • By Dana Kampa |
  • April 27, 2026
Town celebrates 10th year of spotlighting local artists

This marks the 10th year the town of Longboat Key has held an artists' reception and exhibition at town hall.

  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
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.
  • By S.T. Cardinal |
  • April 6, 2026
Longboat infrastructure tax spending plan comes up $6 million short

A 1% tax in Sarasota County and .5% tax in Manatee brings in about $1.3 million per year for Longboat Key infrastructure spending.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Martha Jepsky and Rebel Jackson say The Lake Club Women's Giving Circle is a great place to build community and support a great cause.
  • By Madison Bierl |
  • May 1, 2026
Lake Club Women's Giving Circle wine event raises funds with taste

Uncorked and On the Rocks fuels the group's charity given, which totaled more than $100,000 in 2025.

  • East County
  • Neighbors
Daryl Cherry (left) and Jamar Byrd (right) battle with a medicine ball during practice. Byrd, at 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, was an offensive/defensive lineman as a sophomore in 2025.
  • By Jack Nelson |
  • May 13, 2026
Uphill climb coming for Booker football

After graduating the most talented class in program history, the Tornadoes will have to build back this fall.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
Reece McCabe concluded his high school weightlifting career with success on the state level in both Traditional and Olympic style.
  • By Jack Nelson |
  • May 19, 2026
East County Athlete of the Week: Reece McCabe

The Lakewood Ranch High senior brought home a pair of medals from the FHSAA Class 3A boys weightlifting state championship.

  • East County
  • Sports
Instructor Suzy Brenner leads her "Stretch and Strengthen" class for the first official activity following The Paradise Center reopening on Sept. 29 at Longboat Island Chapel.
  • By Dana Kampa |
  • May 14, 2026
The Paradise Center expands digital classes

New livestreams of movement classes will be available online to members of the community center.

  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
Members of the community can obtain plots in the garden.
  • By Ian Swaby |
  • May 2, 2026
Limelight Community Garden hosts grand opening

The new garden in the Limelight District is intended to provide a space for residents to learn and connect.

  • Sarasota
  • Neighbors
The main building at the Bishop Animal Shelter has 52 dog kennels. The expansion adds 120 more kennels.
  • By Jay Heater |
  • May 13, 2026
Dog tired of spending money on Manatee County's animal shelters

After $12 million of improvements at the Bishop Animal Shelter, some county residents aren't satisfied with the conditions.

  • East County
  • Opinion
Dick Vitale, even amid his battle with melanoma, kept the focus of his 21st annual gala in Sarasota on helping kids fight — and beat — cancer.
  • By Jack Nelson |
  • May 6, 2026
Dick Vitale reminds us, once more, pediatric cancer research matters

The $21 million raised at the 21st annual Dick Vitale Gala represents a major victory for an ever-important cause.

  • Sarasota
  • Sports
The oval median at Bay Isles Road will be refreshed in a landscaping project that will uproot the unkempt plants in the median.
  • By S.T. Cardinal |
  • May 19, 2026
Bay Isles landscaping project begins

The medians along Bay Isles Road should be refreshed in time for an Independence Day parade.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Commissioner George Kruse stops to greet Chula, a 2-year-old mastiff mix, during a walk-through of the Bishop Animal Shelter May 9.
  • By Lesley Dwyer |
  • May 13, 2026
Animal activists continue complaints despite efforts to improve Bishop shelter

The Manatee County expansion project is up to $12 million, but some residents say it's not enough.

  • East County
  • News
The annual Memorial Day parade kicks off on Main Street in Sarasota at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 25. Rebecca Souders, 10, Jessica Wilhelm and Beth Duranceau watch the parade in 2023.
  • By Observer Staff |
  • May 19, 2026
The best things to do in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, Longboat for May 21-27

Don't miss these arts and entertainment events around Sarasota and Manatee counties this week.

  • Arts + Culture
Boat lifts flank each side of the canal in a Country Club Shores neighborhood. The town of Longboat Key is preparing to enact a continuous canal maintenance program that would include flat fees and ad-valorem assessments for residents.
  • By S.T. Cardinal |
  • April 13, 2026
Canal maintenance program up for a vote this summer

After years of discussions and changes, the Longboat Key Town Commission will consider a funding formula to assess homeowners to care for canals.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
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