E A ST COUNTY
Observer Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
Ghostly drama at Polo Club PAGE 6B
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FREE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019
VOLUME 21, NO. 49
Gene Witt decision: Renovate, or replace?
YOUR TOWN
Liz Ramos
Oh goodie! Abby spreads the love
School board member pushes to have Gene Witt torn down and rebuilt. PAGE 3A
All Abby Simpson (above) wants to do is make kids feel happy and loved. Simpson, a fourth grader at Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary School, took the $100 in donations she collected to make 50 goodie bags for Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies to hand out to children while on calls. The goodie bags included a coloring book, two crayons, a squishy toy, a finger puppet, and tattoo and hand stamps.
Students take the lead Bashaw Elementary teachers praise a new trend of holding student-led conferences with parents. SEE PAGE 8A
Liz Ramos
The playgrounds have been relocated as part of the renovations for Gene Witt Elementary School. Liz Ramos Pam Eubanks
Positive change Lakewood Ranch High School freshman Ariel Schreiber has had her eyes set on positive change. She donated her family’s jar of spare coins, about $50, to help people in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian. It was part of the school’s effort to raise funds with a spare-change fundraiser. On Oct. 18, American Red Cross of Southwest Florida Board Member Garrett Moore (above with Schreiber) accepted a $3,117.11 check from Schreiber and her classmates in third-period Advanced Placement Human Geography. “I’m so happy we’re able to do something for the people in the Bahamas who unfortunately lost their homes,” Schreiber said.
Camila Marquez, a Bashaw Elementary third grader, shows her mother, Miriam Lopez, what she thought was her best written piece during a parent/teacher conference that was actually led by the student. The school is trying the idea to promote better communication.
East County’s tourist draw grows Pam Eubanks
Elliott Falcione, the executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, says unincorporated areas, such as Lakewood Ranch, will be key to the growth of the tourist tax pool in the future of Manatee County.
Unincorporated Manatee County accounts for 37% of county’s tourist taxes. SEE PAGE 6A
A+E Scary strolls. INSIDE