E A ST COUNTY
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Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
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YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
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FREE THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2020
VOLUME 22, NO. 20
Local businesses bludgeoned
YOUR TOWN
COVID-19 damages financial health of East County’s economy. PAGE 4A
Courtesy photo
A feel-good story Emma Duarte, a second grader at Freedom Elementary School, picked up “We Are in a Book” by Mo Willems on March 19 and started reading aloud at her home. With her mother, Tara Sambuca-Duarte, videotaping, Duarte later posted the video to Freedom Elementary’s Parent-Teacher Organization page for others to enjoy, especially if children or adults are staying at home during the coronavirus threat. “I like to read to people to make people happy,” Duarte said.
No paycheck in sight It’s ‘day by day’ for employees affected by COVID-19 closures in East County. SEE PAGE 3A Jay Heater Liz Ramos
Taylor Montoya, a creative director at Evan Alexander Salon and Spa, makes the most of her last day March 19 at the salon before it closed because of the coronavirus.
Liz Ramos
Playful exercise LECOM students Steve Sartore and Kyle Kapcin wanted to exercise, but with gyms in Lakewood Ranch closed due to the coronavirus, they had nowhere to go. At Summerfield Community Park, they used the playground as their gym doing pull-ups on monkey bars, dips on stairs and running around the park. “It was a fun challenge to come up with good ways of working out,” Sartore said. “With adversity comes creativity. The positive side is we never really to get work out outside.”
Another grocer, please East County shoppers hope for another specialty grocer at The Green. SEE PAGE 8A File photo
Earth Fare began liquidating assets at its 50 locations nationwide in early February. The Lakewood Ranch store closed Feb. 24.
At almost noon March 23, Lakewood Ranch Main Street was deserted.
A+E Take five. INSIDE