SIESTA KEY
Observer Formerly the Pelican Press
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FREE
VOLUME 48, NO. 32
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Saying farewell to Rose.
PAGE 1B
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018
Closed for discussion
YOUR TOWN
Downtown residents hit a barrier in changing city rules on street closures. SEE PAGE 3A
Shane Donglasan
‘I DO’ AGAIN Couples celebrate Valentine’s Day with vow renewals. SEE PAGE 10B
Ernest F. DuBose II and Terrill Salem
Miss Susie’s groundbreaking It might have looked like a groundbreaking at 1741 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way. But the kickoff to Miss Susie’s Newtown Kitchen on Tuesday was a lot more. The idea stems from the longtime friendship of restaurateur Steve Seidensticker and City Commissioner Willie Shaw. But its realization was the result of a greater community effort. Miss Susie’s Newtown Kitchen will provide hospitality training and jobs to neighborhood residents. Its property ownership will remain with Newtown resident Thelma Upshaw.
Shane Donglasan
Newlyweds Kelsey and Spencer Whealy renewed their vows at Siesta Key’s Say “I Do” Again ceremony on Valentine’s Day.
BLACK
TIE SPARCCle on the runway. INSIDE
Bret Hauff
Riding out Siesta traffic Cassidy Alexander
Bike-sharing programs work in other cities, but is Siesta Key built for this type of program? SEE PAGE 6A
TV ad films in downtown plaza Film pros and students buzzed around Links Plaza in downtown Sarasota on Friday, shooting a commercial “at the corner of happy and healthy.” The Walgreen’s ad, to air nationally this year, is set in an “urban setting” with two women walking out of a restaurant, said Nick Morgulis, a director working for Semkhor Productions. The shoot was a partnership between Semkhor and the Ringling College of Art and Design. “I’m here to learn anything I can about the business,” student Maddie Briggs said.