SIESTA KEY
Observer Formerly the Pelican Press
‘It’s big news, period.’
PAGE 20A
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FREE
VOLUME 48, NO. 36
Development dilemma
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THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018
YOUR TOWN
Should public hearings on large projects be mandatory? SEE PAGE 3A
MUTT DERBY
Courtesy photo
TableSeide Restaurant Group’s Ryan Hill and Brittany Havener work with the Salvation Army’s chef.
An unexpected opportunity greets chefs
Dogs of all breeds and sizes tested their speed and focus at the dog track. SEE PAGE 1B Shane Donglasan
Joseph and Constance Propsom took their dogs Ringo and Juliet to the Sarasota Kennel Club’s 10th Annual Mutt Derby on March 18.
BLACK
After the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of the Suncoast’s Celebrity Chef event was canceled March 20 due to bad weather, JFCS Chief Development Officer Laura McManusMesia and her team turned a negative situation into an opportunity to give back. They worked with the participating restaurants to donate and deliver food to the downtown Salvation Army. “While we’re disappointed the event could not take place, we are delighted such generosity exists in our community and that several hundred of our underserved citizens will be fed a delicious meal tonight,” McManus-Mesia said in a statement.
Students solve simulated outbreak
TIE
An evening of color. INSIDE
David Conway
Superintendent Todd Bowden and other district officials celebrate the passing of the school tax referendum March 20.
Tax passes the test Voters again said ‘yes!’ to extra school funding, by a wider margin than ever before. SEE PAGE 19A
As part of a schoolwide grant, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County worked with teachers and administrators at Booker Middle School to build a simulated city. Students arrived at school on March 19 to discover an unknown substance caused an outbreak. Students used their scientific investigative skills to find out the cause of the outbreak while learning how to classify different types of bacteria. The simulation is part of an immersive program to introduce students to a variety of career options through hands-on learning experiences.