E A ST COUNTY
Observer Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
Top flight artist.
SEE PAGE 15
•
FREE THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2018
VOLUME 20, NO. 33
Builders’ feast in east
Manatee County tax rolls show East County leads way in new home construction. SEE PAGE 3
YOUR TOWN
Courtesy photo
Summer safari East County wildlife rescuer Justin Matthews, of Justin Matthews Wildlife Rescue, gave a demonstration at The Learning Experience of Lakewood Ranch. The preschool is having a “Summer Safari” theme for its camp. Matthews brought a snake, an alligator, an iguana and three owls. Three-year-old Michael Hannigan decided he wanted a new pet. “I want to keep it,” he said, as he held a baby gator.
More thrive than survive Survivors in Sync faces world’s best breast cancer survivor paddlers. SEE PAGE 10
Jay Heater
Survivors in Sync paddler Bambi Famous Kaine and her teammates are headed to the Dragon Boat Festival in Florence, Italy.
Courtesy photo
Just hanging around East County’s Gail Clifton and Nick Drizos have a cat hanging around their home, quite literally. The black-and-white kitten (above) showed up at their doorstep in February and has kept them laughing because of moments like the one pictured. “His is named OhNo! because that’s what Nick and I both said, in unison, when he showed up at our door,” Clifton said. “We already had four cats and weren’t looking for anymore.”
Can of worms? Feeding Tampa Bay’s new delivery system worries local pantries. SEE PAGE 6 Pam Eubanks
Six-year volunteer Rob Foote sorts food at The Food Bank of Manatee’s warehouse in Bradenton.
A+E Local laughs. INSIDE