SIESTA KEY
Observer Formerly the Pelican Press
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FREE
VOLUME 48, NO. 29
YOUR TOWN
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Residents not convinced
PAGE 10A THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018
TURN UP the volume
Courtesy photo
Happy 92nd, Charles! Charles McLeod had a big day Jan. 24. The businessman, International Lions Club member and dominoes fan turned 92 and celebrated with friends. He still enjoys gathering with friends and meeting new people. An Osprey resident, McLeod was once an avid scuba diver and now enjoys walks, dominating at dominoes and playing board games to test his memory. He also enjoys speaking Spanish to anyone who will listen. Feliz (belated) cumpleaños, Charles.
Leaders listen differently. PAGE 3A
David Conway
Residents use city meetings as a platform for public input, but not everyone ascribes the same weight to those comments.
BON APPÉTIT Southside students grew the food, then served the dinner. PAGE 1B
Reeled in
Something was fishy at the Westfield Sarasota Square Mall, according to PETA. At the organization’s request, the mall removed it’s “Feed the Fish — Make a Wish” vending machine tank, which allowed visitors to pay to dispense food into the tank. According to a release, PETA pointed out to the mall that there was no way to ensure the fish weren’t over- or under-fed, and that the exhibit supported the commercial pet trade. “PETA is thanking Westfield for an on-trend decision that will spare fish needless suffering,” said the organization’s Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman in a release. She also said the fish can become depressed from lack of space, stimulation and adequate enrichment, just like people, and more than 620 malls nationwide prohibit or restrict animal exhibits. To say thanks, PETA sent Westfield Corp. a box of fishshaped vegan chocolates.
Cassidy Alexander
Piper Mulligan, Liliana Casanas, Scarlett Bird and their Southside Elementary School classmates tended a garden at their school, then hosted a Jan. 25 dinner for family and friends, made with their creations.
A+E
“We formed to try to clear a path to help the city understand what needs to happen, and to help the voters understand how this could help them.” — Graham Kukla, 27
David Conway
Kaitlin Bockmeyer and Graham Kukla are part of a group urging ranked-choice voting.
Casting a new ballot Group pushes to use OK’d voting system. PAGE 6A
Representing the local music scene.. INSIDE