News & City Life

Volunteer Power

Volunteer Help Spikes During the Holidays, but Local Nonprofits Rely on It Year-Round

"Ninety-eight percent of our power relies on volunteer labor,” says Victoria Hasselbring, manager of donor stewardship at All Faiths Food Bank

11/20/2023 By Kim Doleatto

Winging It

Save Our Seabirds' New CEO Wants to Help the Organization Take Flight

Brian Walton, a veteran leader of non-profits, has taken on the effort to expand Save Our Seabirds' facilities and veterinary services for injured wildlife.

11/20/2023 By Catherine Hicks/Community News Collaborative

Urban Makeover

Changes Are Headed to Two Downtown Sarasota Streets

Both 10th Street and Boulevard of the Arts are slated to be transformed to allow for safer walking and biking.

11/14/2023 By Kim Doleatto

Grant Report

Barancik Foundation Awards $5 Million in Grants

Plus, Impact100 SRQ names its 2024 grant recipients and more.

11/13/2023 By Staff

Fast Track

Manatee Memorial Hospital Names New Chief Nursing Officer

Plus, the Barancik Foundation names its 2024 TIME fellowship recipients and more.

11/13/2023 By Staff

Housing

Businesses, Community Groups Seek Solutions to Affordable Housing Crisis

In one poll, 73 percent of local businesses said the lack of affordable housing has affected their ability to recruit and retain workers. 

11/13/2023 By Jim DeLa/Community News Collaborative

Adopt Don't Shop

Local Shelters Try Education Tactics to Keep Pet Intakes Down

Economic factors and other issues are prompting a reversal of the pandemic adoption craze.

11/13/2023 Photography by Sarah Owens/Community News Collaborative

Water, Water Everywhere

Sarasota Bay Water Quality Improving

Little Sarasota Bay, Roberts Bay, Blackburn Bay and a portion of Sarasota Bay were proposed for removal from a list of impaired waterways. But there's still a lot to be done.

11/10/2023 By Catherine Hicks/Community News Collaborative

Good Deeds

All Faiths Food Bank Will Distribute More Than 13,000 Turkeys and Side Dishes Ahead of Thanksgiving

Turkey distributions will take place at multiple locations, including the Van Wezel and Ed Smith Stadium.

11/10/2023 By Staff

Government

‘Lilly Glaubach Act’ Aims to Track Down Hit-and-Run Drivers

Senate Bill 194 is named the Lilly Glaubach Act, after the 13-year-old Osprey girl who was killed while riding her bike home from school in 2022.

11/08/2023 By Jim DeLa/Community News Collaborative

Grant Report

Community Foundation of Sarasota County Awards $80,000 in Grants

Plus, the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation donates $140,000 to Children First and more.

11/06/2023 By Staff

Listening to Black Voices

Travis Ray on Family, Theater and the Dream That Led Him to Found Dapper Bowtique

"Our world needs real conversations, without anger, that allow us to get on the same page."

11/06/2023 By Heather Dunhill

Heroes in a Half Shell

Mote Reports Record-Breaking 2023 Sea Turtle Nesting Season

This year’s total is the fifth highest overall since Mote's Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program program began 42 years ago.

11/06/2023 By Staff

#Smile

Sarasota Lands on Top 10 List of Florida's 'Most Instagrammable' Cities

A vacation-rental organization recently examined hashtags for 400 cities and towns in the Sunshine State on the ubiquitous social media site.

11/06/2023 By Eric Garwood/Community News Collaborative

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo

How Cinderella’s Castle Became the Latest Battleground in the Culture Wars

Is it changing from something aspirational and inspiring to something darker and even dangerous?

11/03/2023 By Robert Plunket

Fast Track

AG Lafley Rejoins Bay Park Conservancy as CEO

Lafley replaces outgoing CEO Stephanie Crockatt. Plus, USF's Karen Holbrook named chair of the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp. and more.

10/30/2023 By Staff

Hit the Books

A New Longboat Key Library Is Planned for 2026

Town Center Green is Longboat’s next chapter, but there’s more to come.

10/27/2023 By Eric Garwood/Community News Collaborative

Fast Track

Nelle S. Miller Appointed President, CEO of All Faiths Food Bank

Plus, Sarasota County Schools announced its principal and assistant principal of the year, and more.

10/20/2023 By Staff

Grant Report

USF Sarasota-Manatee PAInT Program Receives $2.6 Million Grant

Plus, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County awards $625,000 in hurricane relief grants, and more.

10/20/2023 By Staff

Angola's Ashes

Angola Highlights Florida’s History as a Haven for Escaped Enslaved People

The settlement has been called one of the most significant historical sites in Florida and perhaps the United States.

10/19/2023 By Isaac Eger