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HOW DID IT FEEL TO BE AN AMERICAN COLONIST IN 1776? PROBABLY ITCHY, ACHY AND SLIGHTLY NAUSEATED
FROM THE CONVERSATION
It goes deeper than not having aspirin, toothpaste or air conditioning, or not knowing about germs and penicillin. What was happening in their gut and mouth and on their skin was a world away from today. Chronic bodily states of indigestion, itchy skin, flatulence and slow-healing wounds were common and accommodated.
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MANATEE CANDIDATE ARRESTED AGAIN AFTER VIOLATING RELEASE TERMS
FROM BRADENTON HERALD
A Manatee County Commission candidate was arrested again on Tuesday after investigators say he violated the conditions of his release less than two weeks after his domestic battery arrest. Tony Barrett, 59, now faces two additional charges of violating pretrial release conditions, according to jail records. The sheriff’s office said deputies arrested Barrett after he returned to a Bradenton home, where he was prohibited from being, that he shares with the victim in the domestic battery case.
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A SARASOTA TEACHER FIGHTS FOR HIS FREE SPEECH AFTER REPRIMAND FOR SOCIAL POSTS
FROM WUSF
Sarasota High School social studies teacher Derek Reich, 31, took to social media shortly after Renee Good was shot dead by an ICE agent in Minnesota in January. On his personal Facebook page, on his own time, he wrote, in part: “As a freedom loving red-blooded American who believes in limited government, ICE can go f- - - themselves.” The Sarasota County school district launched an investigation. A month later, the human resources department issued a letter that said, “This is a VERBAL REPRIMAND,” for violating district social media policies
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THE RISING COST OF MOBILE HOME PARK LIVING HITS SENIORS HARD
FROM FLORIDA TRIDENT
For decades the answer to inexpensive, safe housing for older retired Floridians was found in mobile home communities. Yet with Florida’s growth and an increasing and longer-living senior population, for many, that once sure answer is wrong. The increase in investor-owned parks, parks purchased by condo developers and frequent natural disasters puts low-income and elderly Floridians who live in mobile home communities at risk of homelessness.
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MANATEE GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY COMMITTEE SAYS DOGE REPORT IS OFF BASE
FROM EAST COUNTY OBSERVER
Some Manatee County expenditures cited as overspending by the state Department of Government Efficiency were called money “well spent” by the Manatee County Government Efficiency Liaison Committee.
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CANADIAN HELD AT ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ SHARES HIS STORY
FROM WSLR
Douglas Dixon is a Canadian who got his green card in 2019. In an exclusive interview with WSLR news, the 61-year old said he had moved from Montreal in 2005 to raise his family on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Dixon lived in Naples and worked in Port Charlotte for more than two decades. That is until February 10 when he was taken into custody by ICE agents after arriving for an off-schedule meeting with his probation officer. Dixon said the appointment was a setup.
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GOV. DESANTIS VETOES NEARLY $8.6M IN SARASOTA-MANATEE INFRASTRUCTURE, PUBLIC SAFETY, SENIOR SERVICES
FROM FLORIDA POLITICS
The veto list includes $600,000 for hurricane repairs at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, requested by Gruters and Rep. Fiona McFarland. The Senate request said Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged critical infrastructure on the museum’s bayfront campus, including the seawall, pedestrian walkway, balusters, royal palm trees and the terrace at Ca’ d’Zan.
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SARASOTA CREW COMPETES AND FINISHES IN HISTORIC 1000 MIGLIA RACE
FROM SRQ MAGAZINE
It was late at night in the Italian Alps when Michael Moss started to seriously wonder what he’d gotten himself into. The sun had long set, the precarious switch back roads illuminated only by the glint of moonlight. The brakes had gone out in the Spirit of Zora, the 1957 fuel-injected Corvette Moss was driving, along with the headlights. Downshifting the four-speed transmission to mitigate speed, Moss and his co-driver John Cutrone were doing everything in their power to stay on the road.
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ARTS GROUPS TO SHARE $20 MILLION AS DESANTIS VETOES MORE FUNDING
FROM ARTSBEAT
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed off on $20 million in programming support to arts and cultural organizations across the state in his final $117.6 billion budget, but he vetoed slightly more than $3 million for grants to small nonprofits and individual artists. Unlike two years ago, when he vetoed all program funding in the Cultural and Museum Grants category, DeSantis approved the general program support money, even though there is still a question about where some of it will go.
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NEW LAW MAKES IT EASIER TO PAVE OVER FLORIDA FARMLAND
FROM FLORIDA TRIB
An industry-backed state law that takes effect July 1 will make it easier for developers to turn farmland into suburban subdivisions over the objections of local governments and communities. The bill’s sponsors say they’re defending Floridians’ property rights. Environmental activists say it’s the latest step the state legislature has taken to speed suburban sprawl and weaken local power to regulate zoning and environmental protections.
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