E A ST COUNTY
Observer Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
It’s all Greek at festival
PAGE 1B
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FREE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020
VOLUME 22, NO. 13
Project ignites flooding concerns
YOUR TOWN
Liz Ramos
Koala(ty) art Lakewood Ranch High School students chalked it up in support of animals affected by the Australian wildfires. Sophomores Tyler Strum and Gavin Burns (above) along with freshman Nate VanPeenen used handdrawn koalas to capture other students’ attention to the plight of animals in the wake of wildfires. The students also are raising money in support of those animals. “Koalas are such a wellknown animal,” Burns said. “If they were to go extinct, it would be impactful.”
Rerouting Gates Creek for East County car lot has neighbors worried. PAGE 3A
ABOVE-PAR
HOSTS Lakewood Ranch residents open their homes to golfing ‘Don Quixotes.’ SEE PAGE 8A
Courtesy photo
Jay Heater
Jim and Ruth Jorgensen said hosting professional golfers during he LECOM Suncoast Classic has been rewarding.
Pam Eubanks
Faithbased learning
How do you like those apples? Tara Elementary School cafeteria manager Ashley Dodd (above) normally prepares food for students to eat, but on Feb. 7, she sliced and diced food, so students could create animals with it. She cut potatoes, carrots, apples and other fruits and vegetables the students fashioned into giraffes, rhinos and other creatures. It all was part of Play with Your Fruits and Vegetables Day. “I enjoy it,” Dodd said of the change in pace. “They get to have fun.”
Liz Ramos
Faith Bench (center) and her husband, Matthew, celebrate her Educator of the Year award with their daughter, Mila, and son, Bradyn.
Braden River Middle’s Faith Bench named Educator of the Year. SEE PAGE 2B
This photo shows flooding in the newly developed Osprey Landing community during a rain event in December 2018 when Gates Creek, 6,000 feet away, received 6 inches of rain in eight hours, per Manatee County data.
A+E Artists share common thread. INSIDE