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A fall sunrise this week in Sarasota. Red sky in morn sailors take warn:) We just love this photo...can you tell :)

Bill in the center is surrounded by two babes who work at Geier's. Bill has worked at Geiers for over 20 years. He's a spry 82 year old.

Meet Shirley and Vicki from Richard's Whole Foods. We caught them smiling. They are our smiley people of the day.

Maybe the new Ringling Bridge should be called the Highway to the Clouds as it reaches far into the sky.

Our Town 50 honors our local troops that are serving our nation in Iraq and around the world. Photos courtesy family and friends.

What flavor newspaper or throw away would you like? A street corner in Sarasota lays claim to one of the largest collection of paper boxes in the area. While Florida's population is up 30%, newspaper readership is down with the advent of the internet.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital delivers around 3,600 babies each year. Pictured to the left is Jennifer who has been in the baby unit for 15 years and Alecia.

Crowds deluge upon Sarasota Square Mall the day before school starts.

Meet Lisa who works for Liberty Savings Bank in Sarasota. Our photographer got the picture thru the bank window.

The dynamic trio from the Sarasota Bloodmobile end a long day with a big hug for each other.

Heavy rains and patch work take their toll on Beneva Rd. making for some very bumpy driving. The road south of Clarke should be repaved. Do you know of a County pothole?
http://www.scgov.net/Services/
Service.aspx?C6B9C692B2=A8989F

Storms continue to brew up in the afternoon. This picture vividly captures bright white clouds in front of the dark storm.

Drainage work along Clarke road is causing for slow moving traffic.

Comcast internet service quit Friday morning. There was no report why it was down or for how long.

Too old to drive? Oldsters say they have experience and know how to compensate. The statistics in Florida say they are involved in a disproportionate number of accidents. 12 states and Florida now require testing of older persons. Some base it solely on age others on driving performance.

Thom Williams from Sarasota County arranged for Dave Downer, a local sand sculptor, to create Sarasota County's 1926 courthouse tower on Siesta Key. Pictured above is Dave with the finished courthouse tower.

Budweiser sponsored a volleyball tournament at Siesta Key Beach this weekend. These ladies confer between sets.

The crowds turned out in mass for the volleyball tournament this weekend. An overcast day helped to keep it a bit cooler.

Illustration: Ckochek, Our Town 50.

"You had better think twice before jumping into the ring at a Toughman contest."

Children enjoy the beginning of summer with a cool (?) romp in the water fountain at Island Park by the bay.

Bubba, a 250 lb loggerhead turtle, was rescued in Georgia and transported to Mote Marine for treatment Thursday.

Long caravans of emergency vehicles traversed around Sarasota on Wednesday. It was all part of a disaster drill. They started, staged events and ended at a park on Honore.

* Smoke permeates South Sarasota County this morning. Fire Department reports they are having a controlled burn at Myakka State Park.

Love at the Beach by Our Town 50 illustrator Beth Blackburn. Would you like illustrations of people you know. Contact Our Town 50 at 941-922-0434

Sarasota held a Memorial Day service downtown yesterday.

The Sarasota Chamber was named Florida Chamber of the year. Bravo!

Our Town 50 lobbies for hands free cell phone usage while driving. The man above is driving down U.S. 41 while talking on a cell phone.

It's hot on Saint Armands Circle. This guy has the right idea with minimal clothing. but he should get out of the sun after he finishes working on his tan.

Sarasota skyline this week from our web cam. Just kidding :) Picture was shot from a high rise downtown :)

Our vote for the best functional art along Sarasota bay front is this structure that can double as a bird house.

Driving on country road :) U.S. 41 while talking on a cell phone.

* Teenagers jump off of 5 story condo ,at Sarasota Surf and Racquet Club, into pool. One misses and is severely injured

Firemen hose down Bee Ridge Road after a traffic accident.

The public bus transit station is hidden behind Sarasota Pavillion.

Law enforcement from Northport, Venice, City of Sarasota and Sarasota County gather for a press conference with youth from Community Youth Development to let the public know about their efforts to help cut down on teenage drinking.

Siesta Key Beach named one of the best beaches in the world. It's flour like sand and children friendly nature helped it rank in the top beaches.

Children big and small enjoy the fountain at Island Park with temps in the mid-80's and low humidity.

Lady sings "God Bless America" during an intermission at Casey Key Fish House. A patron she brought the crowds to their feet with applause.

Old Florida prevails in Osprey. Shown is a local fishing boat and rickety docks where local fishermen keep their boats and store crab traps

* Venice Shark's tooth Festival runs
through Sunday. It is located at Venice Municipal Pier on South Harbor Drive, adjacent to the airport.

Ok I have my duck taped now what?

Harry Higel found murdered in 1921

Full moon over Sarasota

Naked Bush protesters in Central Park.

Three surfers hit the beach running to catch the surf on those rare days when the Gulf of Mexico is more then a ripple.

82 year old Sarasota resident who mows 20 lawns per week.

Man climbs Sunshine Skyway Bridge wearing a cowboy hat and lasso.

Sarasota Police at the Challenger Memorial Service.

A sunrise over Sarasota.

A sunset at Siesta Key Beach.

Tree cutter on a clear blue winter morning.

U.S. 41 in peak season.

Waste Management gets thrown off of $300 million dollar garbage bid.

Our Town 50's Glenna Palm with Richard Dreyfuss at the Sarasota Film Festival.

Macy with Our Town 50's Glenna Palm.

Belly dancer at the International Night of the Sarasota Film Festival.

Dave Brubeck performing at the Van Wezel.

Three missing girls that were found 24 hours later.

The Sarasota Sailor High School band pumps out Anchors Away in the parade.

The Sarasota Police Department Color Guard leads the force down Main Street.

The Booker High School ROTC sings cadence as they represent their school.

This retro 1950s gas station was turned into an art gallery on U.S. 41. Now it is being remodeled into another business.

Students and Sarasota County Commissioners open up Edmunson Road in Venice.

Alecia, Tony, Danielle and Rachel serve up smiles for Our Town 50. They all work at Starbucks.

75 year old acrobats show their stuff
at Geier's Ocktoberfest. You had to be there to believe it.

Westfield wasted no time in getting up temporary signs after they acquired Sarasota Square Mall.

Who is that masked man on the porch of this Casey Key waterfront home? Why it may be Stephen King the owner/author. You probably will never see this house unless you are traveling by boat as the road to the house is private.

Acting Sarasota H.S. principal, Jeff Hradek, named to be permanent.

We've heard about reading material while on the throne. However, Sarasota County is asking certain residents to place phone books on their toilets. Evidently they are worried about little monsters :) while they work on rehab-ing local sewer lines.

* Bradenton students hold dog/pet food run to help Seniors feed their pets. Shannon Walsh, center, founded PAWS, Pet Awareness With Seniors. Leave it to a 14 year old to help solve life's problems :)

This gorgeous rainbow was caught over the mainland by boat near The Oaks. The wind chill at dawn was 78 degrees:) Scattered showers abound.

Mother leaves baby in the white Lincoln while she goes into Speedway. Oy. This must be illegal.

Comcast trucks hold a convention outside a sub-shop at lunch time.

A turtle trying to cross U.S. 41 almost makes it across 3 lanes of traffic. Our photographer tried to save the turtle but it was too late when the turtle moved forward into a tires path.

Children and adults enjoy the cool pool at the Sandler YMCA.

54 speeding tickets issued by the City of Sarasota at this one location on Lido Key (N. Washington/Blvd of the Presidents). Our Town contests legality of 25 MPH zone based on the state 85th percentile rule. Watch for more details.

Kent got a big surprise this morning when he woke up to find a herd of rented cows on his front lawn and a sign wishing him a happy 65th birthday. The cows were fake :)

Sarasota Deputy Gene Nault readies for a compliance run up the inter-coastal. Watch for Our Town 50's Marine Patrol special report.

A trailer that sucks out toxic waste sits on the right of way on Stickney Point Road. The trailer was installed in January of this year to help clean up petroleum discharges from a gasoline tank at Mr. CB's. The original spill occurred in 1988. The State of Florida is picking up 75% of the cost for the clean up. Sarasota County is monitoring around 100 bio brown fields this year. The State contracts with the county to perform monitoring work.

Trash sits in front of homes on garbage pick up day which fell on the 4th of July. Evidently word
didn't get out well enough to let residents know when to put their garbage out over the 4th of July holiday week. Or maybe residents were hoping someone would blow it up for the 4th :)

It was a gorgeous day to learn how to sail on a dinghy rigged for sailing.

Is it Jungle Gardens, Disney or Neverland???
No, it's the new waterfalls at the Hyatt at the Quay. Wowzer, you have to take the family to see it.

Robarts Arena where 3 people were hospitalized after a "Toughman" boxing match. One woman was killed in a match.

One of our most exquisite flowers is the Bird of Paradise which is in full bloom now.

Divers from the Sarasota County Fire Department dive for
a man that drove off Honore Ave. into a lake Saturday morning. Around 30 minutes after the car went under they retrieved his body. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Homeless man takes a siesta in the morning at a Sarasota bus stop.

Strolling down the avenue in Sarasota with a six pack of babies.

Women's doubles at Make a Wish Tennis Tournament held this weekend. May 3-4.

"Friends Forever" a animal support group holds events at Phillippi Creek Park this weekend.

We're a little bit country we're a little bit sand and surf. These cows and bulls make Sarasota their home in a field on Bee Ridge Road in the middle of suburbia. They take a rest this weekend after a night of heavy thunderstorms and rain.

Easter Sunrise Service at Siesta Key Beach this morning. With morning temps at 66 degrees thousands herded to SK Beach for the umpteeth annual sunrise service.

Sunrise trips over our horizon on Easter Sunday. We do seem to have a better panorama for sunsets rather then sunrises. The traffic lights don't add much to the effect.

A fire gutted a storage business on U.S. 41. The lot above is finally cleared after over 6 months of demolition.

Sarasota County's new high tech traffic lights have been installed at key intersections know for accidents. The light on the right flashes at a high rate when it is red to help wake up drivers :)

This is the first formal group picture taken of the Commissioners. It will be used on a plague being presented to President Bush with a photo of his plane in mid air leaving Sarasota Bradenton Airport on 9/11. Our Town 50 took the photo of the Presidents plane and is coordinating the plague/ signatures with City and County officials.

White sand, sunny skies and a bride and groom share Siesta Key Beach to get married on Saturday evening.

The local blood bank receives a large portion of their blood supplies from high school students. Above their bus is parked at Cardinal Mooney High School recently for a blood drive.

The parents of a two year old, Michelle to the right and Mark on the left, fought with their health insurance company to get their daughter a cochlear implant. Their daughter was deaf from birth. They lost that fight but found other funds to allow their daughter to get a cochlear implant. Pictured in the center is Heather, Miss America, 1995 who was the first deaf person to become Miss America. Mark is a fireman on Longboat Key. Heather was in town to present an award. Insurance companies need to take responsibility for full medical coverage.

Gas drops to $1.569 per gallon. It had been as high as $1.739 per gallon in the past month.

AOL Chairman, Jonathan Miller, announced they are going to buy the U.S. Postal Service and will turn mail boxes into e-mail kiosks.

* Sarasota City manager proposes taking

over Sarasota High School for use by the Police Department. The move would help keep Sarasota County government offices downtown.

Boaters enjoy a warm Sunday afternoon off of Passage Key. The area is frequented by area nudists. Probably there were some toasty buns Monday morning.

Dolphins that were rescued are being
treated by Mote Marine.

* 80 year old woman killed in house fire on Cass Street in Sarasota. Neighbors reported hearing a large explosion. Five fire trucks responded

* Unique Air van parks in a deed restricted community that bans residents from parking commercial vehicles overnight.

T.P. Hans a local sports bar looks like they have hosted their last Super Bowl party. The doors are locked.

Longboat Pass Sunday afternoon drew dozens of boaters soaking up the 80 degree temps.

* Sarasota Clay Court tournament draws 22 of the top 50 ranked tennis players in the world. The event is being held at the remodeled Meadows Tennis facility today through April 6th.

The entrance to Palmer Ranch Plaza shows its patriotism with flags and ribbons surrounding its planting area on U.S. 41.

Windsurfer braves the waves at Siesta Key with 30 MPH gusts.

Recently competed Gulf Gate Drive was part of Sarasota County's Traffic Abatement Programs to slow down drivers . There are over 42 signs on each side of the road to notify and warn drivers through the residential area.

You are never to old to belly dance. These seniors from Doctors Hospital's Senior Friends program are proof.

* Vernon Buchanan, owner of Sarasota Ford, makes $1,000,000 donation to Ringling Museum.

The water collection pond above was created to handle runoff. The only problem is the pond is full all year long and probably wouldn't be of much use in a hurricane

Hundreds of people rally today at Bay Front Park in favor of the war with Iraq.

It's a bird, it's a plane, we don't don't know what it is we found flying over Siesta Key Beach before sunset last night.

The space man lands on the beach at sunset.

Sarasota County Deputy tickets U.S. 41 driver.

In 1995 Brooksie Bergen (L), of Sarasota, won the National U.S. Senior America contest. That same year Heather Whitestone-McCallum won the Miss America contest. Both are pictured at a recent luncheon to honor Heather's work.

Pelican Man Sanctuary releases an American Bald Eagle that they nursed back to good health.

Righteous Brothers perform at the Van Wezel.

Florida House at Sarasota Technical Institute shows you how to have a energy efficient home.

Gulf Gate Drive during the remodeling.

Hidden Harbor vacates their
U.S. 41 Marina

Heather Whitestone-McCallum (R), Miss USA 1995, was presented the Handi Capable Award by Matt Hightower (C) today at the Children's Haven Luncheon at the Lakewood Ranch Country Club. Bruce Rodgers and Peggy Connell look on. Watch for additional photos of the event in Our Town 50.

* Marge Baldwin President of the Tiger Bay Club introduces the speakers . The topic was malpractice insurance. Representatives from all sides were on the panel.

Sarasota gambles the night away at the American Business Women's "Casino Night".

* There was one winner for the 35 million Florida Jackpot.

Children feed goats, chickens and roosters at the Children's Protection Center's " Kids Day" held at Fruitville Groves. There were pony rides, free popcorn and games with prizes.

The Sarasota Film Festival drew around 25,000 movie goers for the week long event.

Our thoughts, prayers and sympathy are with the family, workers and friends of Columbia space mission. Photo: Courtesy BBC

Local churches and government gather at J.D. Hamel Park for a Memorial Service for the Colombia Crew.

The Righteous Brothers knock the crowd for a loop with 90 minutes of oldies and doowap at the Van Wezel Friday night. Their song "You've lost that loving feeling" just surpassed a Beatles song as the most played song on radio.

* Carpenters Union 140 workers protest in front of Glenridge development offices (across from the Palmer Ranch YMCA) to protest that one of their cement contractors is paying sub-standard wages. Most of the workers were Hispanic. 28 were reportedly fired for exercising their Federal rights. Our Town 50 has contacted Ceco Concrete for their response. They have not responded as yet.

Workers from Mote Marine begin red tide tests on humans at Siesta Key Beach.

Surfers with full wet suits tackle the waves at Siesta Key Beach Friday......kabrrrrr :)

Take a trip back in time and be sure to visit The Fountain Shoppe in Venice. Nostaglia reins in this quaint restaurant with stools/booths, wood decor and great food.

The Junior Leagues Tinsel and Treasures extravaganza at Phillippi Mansion drew thousands of people. Above is a sample of the 50 specialty vendors that participated. Program runs through Sunday.

This is the first part of a series on our NYC-WTC , Our Town 50 Tour. The sign to the left says, "The human spirit is measured not by the size of the act but the size of the heart" The sign is painted directly next to and overlooking the WTC.

President Bush's plane shown leaving Sarasota-Bradenton Airport after the 9/11 attack. Photo: Our Town 50 Exclusive. Picture may be copied and distributed as long as it is not altered.

Lt. Mike O'Conner from the Venice Fire Department demonstrates their Children's Fire Prevention class. The VFD has a special trailer that depicts a house and teaches children how to escape a fire.